Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

Keep the Immigrants and deport the fascists!

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

We do not need to pander to people who do not like what we stand for.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Trumpflation is an intolerable hardship for every American, and it’s Trump’s fault.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

We are learning that “working class” means “white” for way too many people.

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Meanwhile in Ukraine…

Meanwhile in Ukraine…

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It appears that Putin’s little green men are acting up in his other pet project.

https://twitter.com/pmakela1/status/896474643736952833

It is going to be a long night in Charlottesville – things will get worse after dark. But it is also looking to be a long night in Ukraine.

Reader Interactions

69Comments

  5. 5.

    trollhattan

    @Gelfling 545:
    Trump can barely count his balls so with at least three distractions at present how can he possibly deal with #4? Maybe Melania can serve those divorce papers, weekend’s young.

  7. 7.

    Mnemosyne

    A possibly instructive anecdote:

    When I was getting my MFA, one of my professors was a pretty cool guy named Steve Duncan who was the writer/creator of a show called “Tour of Duty” that was based on his Vietnam experiences.

    He also directed a few episodes of the show, but he found it a little weird that, when he directed, all he ever seemed to do was answer people’s questions. So, one day, just for fun, he decided to stop answering the questions.

    That’s right — when the director stopped answering questions, the whole operation ground to a halt because no one else could take any action.

    That’s the situation we now find ourselves in. Trump either can’t or won’t do the work necessary to be president, and our ability to react to events is slowly grinding to a halt. And there hasn’t even been a fucking emergency yet! All of this bullshit has been self-inflicted!

    Note to self: go re-check earthquake kit, and maybe supplement it a bit more. FEMA will not be coming.

  8. 8.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Gelfling 545: to say nothing of North Korea, Venezuela, an increasingly alienated Europe, a “surge” in Afghanistan, saber-rattling at Iran…

    also, will Vlad drop the news of another meeting or some more emails in the next week or so?

  9. 9.

    hueyplong

    So Trump will get a second chance to condemn hate on all sides. But he won’t do it this time. He can’t even manage a “both sides” when Putin is involved.

  10. 10.

    bluehill

    @Brachiator: If I were the head of any foreign country with objectives that the U.S. had traditionally been opposed to, I would be moving ahead now. The U.S. gov is unorganized, understaffed and lacks leadership. Its traditional allies are probably going to be more hesitant to reflexively back the U.S. Talk about leading from behind.

  14. 14.

    raven

    @Mnemosyne: It was actually based on his brother’s experiences, not his. Maybe that’s why he got tired of answering questions.

    HUM90: How it makes you feel ,to know that through your idea and writing, that you are helping in someway to enlighten a new generation about the Vietnam war , who may never have shown an interest before watching your show ?

    STEVE: It feels wonderful.
    My older brother, Michael, served in the First Infantry Airborne Rangers, was a company commander (Captain, U.S. Army) and did LURP duty (Long Range Recon Patrol) during his tour of duty. I was in college at the time and wanted to follow in his foot steps and become an Army Ranger too. But he strongly discouraged me. Instead I got a commission as an U.S. Navy officer. But it was many of his experiences that went into my writing and development of the series. I also had many friends who served and returned from ‘Nam. I also lost a lot of high school buddies to the bush.
    It’s really great to see the “Tour of Duty” series holding it’s own up against all the factual programs being aired on stations such as the History Channel.
    War is ugly, always has been and I’m proud to say that “Tour of Duty” is still helping to point out that fact to people young and old.

    Minor point, there is no such thing as the “First Infantry Airborne Rangers”.

  18. 18.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @raven:

    Minor point, there is no such thing as the “First Infantry Airborne Rangers”.

    My guess is that he was trying to say that his brother was airborne and ranger qualified and that he served in the Big Red One.

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne

    @raven:

    True, he was a Navy guy during Vietnam, not Army. I think he had other vets on his writing staff as well.

    He had some really funny stories about how the Navy guys would taunt the Marines on their ships. You’d like him.

  23. 23.

    raven

    @Omnes Omnibus: yup, might have been after the realignment

    Company I, 75th Infantry (Ranger) 1 February 1969 7 April 1970 Company F (LRP), 52nd Infantry 1st Inf. Div. (Vietnam)

  25. 25.

    MattF

    It’s a smart move. Vlad is telling Congress, “You wanna do something about it?” He knows that legislatiive bodies aren’t able to deal with executive actions, and that Trump isn’t going to do anything. Congress tried to limit Trump’s actions toward Russia, but that sort of thing is not their job, and Vlad knows it.

  29. 29.

    raven

    @Adam L Silverman: No mention of the Nam in their lineage.

    After World War II, the colors of the 509th remained inactive until 1963, when Company A, 509th PIB was reactivated as HHC, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry, and Company B, 509th PIB was reactivated as HHC, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 509th Infantry.

    Since 1958 the 8th Infantry Division in Germany had had an Airborne component consisting of the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 504th Infantry, and the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 505th Infantry, as well as other supporting elements on jump status. When the division reorganized from the Pentomic structure to the new structure using brigades and battalions, 1-504th and 1-505th were replaced by 1-509th and 2-509th, respectively. Located at Lee Barracks in Mainz-Gonsenheim, Germany, the two battalions formed the infantry component of the 1st Brigade (Airborne), 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized). Other units of the brigade included the 5th Battalion (Airborne), 81st Artillery; Troop A (Airborne), 3rd Squadron, 8th Cavalry; Company A (Airborne), 12th Engineer Battalion; and Company B (Airborne), 8th Medical Battalion.

  31. 31.

    Timurid

    Breaking news ticker on cnn.com now says “at least 3 dead in Charlottesville violence.”
    I’m not sure why the number went up. Is it the helicopter, and if so, does that mean it had help crashing?

  32. 32.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Adam L Silverman: IIRC the only standard airborne units in VN were the 101st and the 173d Airborne Brigade.

    @raven: I think we have our answer. Realignment and an ex-navy guy talking about army nomenclature.

  33. 33.

    Mnemosyne

    @raven:

    Also, I was saying in one of the morning threads that you should watch Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. if you haven’t yet. It has a lot of the cool camera tricks of Man With A Movie Camera, but with a funny story.

    They had to use surveying equipment for the scene where Buster is jumping between locations to make him line up in the frame just right, but it’s still astounding to watch today.

  34. 34.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: What I want to know is why Jared was at the rally last night? I thought he was going to meet with the Saudis about the Israelis and Palestinians. Which is kind of like meeting with Japanese about the Tibetans and the Chinese if you think about it…

  37. 37.

    Timurid

    @eemom:

    Car attack casualty figures had been steady at 1 dead, 19 wounded for a while. Of course two of the wounded might have since died.

    The “at least 3 dead” quote apparently came from the VA Governor.

  39. 39.

    Another Scott

    @Brachiator: Vlad wants a big victory to distract all the voters from the crappy economy at home. The next presidential election (first round) is March 18, 2018. He doesn’t have a whole lot of time…

    Donnie being tied up helps him, of course, but he probably would have started this regardless.

    Just my $0.02. I have no inside knowledge.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  42. 42.

    bluehill

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Actually, it reflects the leadership of someone who declared bankruptcy multiple times and sits in the most powerful position in the world but is, thankfully, too lazy, addled or stupid to take advantage of it. I never expected Trump to be very effective, but I thought his handlers would be able to control him while aggressively implementing their agenda. Fortunately, he’s valued loyalty over ability and appointed some equally inept people, which seems like it’s really hampered their ability to pass any meaningful legislation. Unfortunately, some of those people are involved with foreign policy …

  44. 44.

    Elizabelle

    From the Charlottesville Daily Progress:

    Charlottesville police Chief Al Thomas says a 32-year-old woman was killed when a car plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters on the Downtown Mall. The death is being investigated as a homicide, and the suspect is in custody, Thomas said.

    The identity of the woman is being withheld until family can be notified.

    Checking for news of the heli crash now.

  45. 45.

    Elizabelle

    From the Charlottesville Daily Progress:

    It is unclear if two deaths caused by a helicopter crash near Birdwood Golf Course are connected to the Unite the Right rally, authorities said.

    Checking further now …

  46. 46.

    lamh36

    @JPL: So wait, the mofo tweeted about the officers who died in the helicopter crash, but NOT the 32 year old woman killed by the supremacist?

  47. 47.

    Mike in NC

    Congress is in recess and Trump’s on another taxpayer-funded golf adventure. Middle of August is a perfect time for mischief by Putin.

  49. 49.

    Elizabelle

    This is all that’s in the Charlottesville paper; story still developing.

    Two people were killed late Saturday afternoon when a helicopter crashed into a wooded area near a home close to Birdwood Golf Course on Old Farm Road in Albemarle County.

    No one on the ground was injured, police said.

    State police would not say if the helicopter had been involved in monitoring the clashes between alt-right demonstrators and counter protesters ahead of the scheduled Unite the Right rally downtown.

    The cause of the crash remains under investigation. State police are on scene with Albemarle County police and fire units.

    Neighbors said the helicopter hovered low over houses before going into nearby woods.

  51. 51.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Jamelle Bouie‏Verified account @ jbouie 8m8 minutes ago
    Jamelle Bouie Retweeted Donald J. Trump
    Haven’t heard words of sympathy for the young woman who was killed today.

    Donald J. TrumpVerified account
    Deepest condolences to the families & fellow officers of the VA State Police who died today. You’re all among the best this nation produces.

  52. 52.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    John Harwood‏Verified account @ JohnJHarwood 7m7 minutes ago
    less-noticed than “on many sides”: “not Trump, not Obama” suggestion that they’ve played comparable roles in racial climate. they have not.

  53. 53.

    trollhattan

    The Governor has no room for the president’s squishiness.

    “I have a message to white supremacists and nazis who came into Charlottesville today,” McAuliffe said at a televised 6 pm press conference. “Go home. You are not patriots. You came here today to hurt people. There is no place for you here, there is no place for you in America.”

    “So please, go home and never come back,” he said. “Take your hatred and take your bigotry, there is no place.”

  54. 54.

    Elizabelle

    @lamh36: It’s not right, but the deaths of two troopers will resound much more than the death of a “random” woman at the rally.

    This will hit some of those “White Lives Matter” types where they live.

    I am very concerned at the excessive pro-military and pro-police stuff I see on the Book of Faces. Not saying they don’t deserve respect, but this seems to be authoritarians getting their freak on. They can’t throw up enough pictures of soldiers (one variety is women soldiers, as in, the only women who should have a voice) and police. And it’s a misuse of our public servants.

  55. 55.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Matthew Yglesias‏Verified account @ mattyglesias 33m33 minutes ago
    Congressional Republicans torn as usual between hope that Trump’s racism will help them cut taxes for millionaires and fear that it won’t.

  57. 57.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Elizabelle: Oh, I don’t know. “Young pretty white woman killed by crazy nationalist idiots that voted for Trump, who refuses to condemn them.” is certainly something that could get some ratings.

  58. 58.

    lamh36

    @Elizabelle: Sure, but I think we both know that is NOT why Trump co has yet to send condolences to the family of the young woman who was DIRECTLY as a result from the hands of a likely white nationalist…

  60. 60.

    Lizzy L

    @Elizabelle:

    …the deaths of two troopers will resound much more than the death of a “random” woman at the rally.

    “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
    G. Orwell, Animal Farm

  61. 61.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @lamh36:

    there was violence between protesters and counterprotesters

    No shit, White House spox, a fucking fascist drove a car into a peaceful crown.

  64. 64.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Adrian Carrasquillo‏Verified account
    .@ Evan_McMullin on CNN: There is an element of the Republican Party that is racist and our leaders are scared to confront it.

    emptywheel‏ @ emptywheel 42m42 minutes ago
    Know who I’d like to hear from? Newly sworn in FBI Director Christopher Wray.

    Time to deliver on those promises of independence.

  65. 65.

    Elizabelle

    WaPost. Its front page headline is three dead in wake of Cville protests. I don’t see much reporting on the heli crash, though.

    … But President Trump, known for his rapid-fire tweets, remained silent throughout the morning. It was after 1 p.m. when he weighed in, writing on Twitter: “We ALL must be united & condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!”

    In brief remarks at a late-afternoon news conference to discuss veterans’ health care, Trump said that he was following the events in Charlottesville closely. “The hate and the division must stop and must stop right now,” Trump said, without specifically mentioning white nationalists or their views. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides. On many sides.”

    Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, a Trump supporter who was in Charlottesville Saturday, quickly replied. “I would recommend you take a good look in the mirror & remember it was White Americans who put you in the presidency, not radical leftists,” he wrote.

    Dozens of the white nationalists in Charlottesville were wearing red Make America Great Again hats. Asked by a reporter in New Jersey whether he wanted the support of white nationalists, Trump did not respond.

    Even as crowds began to thin Saturday afternoon, the town remained unsettled and on edge. Onlookers were deeply shaken at the pedestrian mall, where ambulances had arrived to treat victims of the car crash.

    This is one of the first “external” events to show Trump as wholly inadequate to his job, and of poor character. You can read between the lines in the Post reporting.

    I think the “many sides” remark is going to harm Trump.

    ETA: I know that Trump’s been acting like something out of a Van Damme movie re North Korea, but this one is domestic, and Americans have died. Two of them state troopers.

  66. 66.

    lamh36

    Wanted to say thanks for the post Adam and I’m sorry for my OT comments, just this Charlottesville situation is really affecting me…smh…since the “Tiki torches” march last night…

  67. 67.

    MisterForkbeard

    Dozens of the white nationalists in Charlottesville were wearing red Make America Great Again hats. Asked by a reporter in New Jersey whether he wanted the support of white nationalists, Trump did not respond.

    All these people seem… dare I say it, Deplorable? Huh. If only somebody mentioned this during the campaign, just like the Trump Nuclear War thing and the Russian thing.. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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