A quick housekeeping note: Rosie is doing great. In order to avoid someone walking what appeared to be a pair of long haired guinea pigs on retractable leashes, we took an alternate route that increased our walk from the planned 1.3 miles to 1.5 miles. Rosie did great the whole way. Ruby was, of course, Ruby. Thank you all for the good thoughts, well wishes, prayers, and donations to help with her chemo treatments.
Let’s start with yesterday’s butcher bill:
⚡️ Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 4, injure 23 over past day.
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least four people and injured 23 across multiple regions, authorities reported on Dec. 2.
— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 2, 2024 at 4:39 AM
From The Kyiv Independent:
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least four people and injured 23 across multiple regions, authorities reported on Dec. 2.
Russian forces launched 110 Shahed-type drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said.
Fifty-two were shot down, 50 were lost across Ukraine thanks to electronic warfare countermeasures, and six flew to Belarus and Russia, according to the statement.
A Russian drone hit an apartment building in the western city of Ternopil, killing at least one person and injuring four, officials said. Around 100 people were evacuated from the damaged building. The blast also damaged windows of the surrounding buildings, a school, and 20 cars.
In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a 60-year-old man was injured during Russian attacks against Nikopol and the Marhanets community, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.
Russian attacks against Donetsk Oblast injured five people, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported. Two injuries were reported in the town of Pokrovsk, two in the village of Shevchenko, and one in the Andriivka village.
In Kherson Oblast, three people were killed and 13 injured in Russian attacks over the past day, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. The three fatalities and 11 injuries were reported after Russian forces struck a minibus in the city of Kherson on Dec. 1.
Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv, Luhansk, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts also came under attack but no casualties were reported.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Ukraine today. He came bearing gifts. Sort of.
⚡️ Zelensky, Scholz meet in Kyiv as Germany unveils military aid.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Dec. 2, together paying respect to Ukrainian soldiers killed during the war with Russia.
— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 2, 2024 at 7:27 AM
Scholz visited Ukraine’s capital for the first time since June 2022, promising 650 million euros ($680 million) worth of arms to be supplied this December. A government spokesperson clarified that this will be part of a 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) package already announced in October.
— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 2, 2024 at 7:28 AM
President Zelensky and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz paid respects to fallen Ukrainian troops at the makeshift memorial on Kyiv’s central Maidan today. video via Zelensky’s Telegram.
Scholz will “announce further military equipment worth 650 million euros, which are to be delivered in December.”
— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 7:46 AM
He also got an earful.
⚡️’This does not strengthen Ukraine,’ Zelensky on Scholz’s call with Putin.
Separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin do not strengthen Ukraine and may lead to improving his standing, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 2.
— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 2, 2024 at 1:25 PM
Here’s the video of their joint press conference:
And here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
It Is Vital for Ukraine That the Level of German Support Does Not Decrease in the Future – Address by the President
2 December 2024 – 20:29
I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians!
Today, Chancellor Scholz visited Ukraine. We had an extensive discussion – one of the longest bilateral meetings, in a special format, lasting more than two and a half hours. We covered all the topics that matter for our countries. The main focus was air defense and strengthening our protection of the skies. Germany is already a leader in this area and, overall, in the support for Ukraine in Europe. On the continent, Germany is number one in terms of aid to Ukraine, having provided nearly €30 billion. This includes military support and aid to bolster our resilience. I want to thank the Chancellor personally, as well as all of Germany – the entire German people – who stand so firmly with us. It is vital for Ukraine that the level of German support does not decrease in the future. This would be the most important and timely signal to all our other partners. During my meeting with the Chancellor, we agreed that Germany will continue to support Ukraine as needed, regardless of what happens in global politics or how sentiments may shift. Germany has also committed a new support package, a military aid package worth €650 million, which we expect to receive in December.
Today, Olaf also saw specific Ukrainian weapons produced jointly with Germany that can significantly influence the situation at the front. This includes strike drones and drones equipped with artificial intelligence capabilities. Our production capabilities in Ukraine – and even more so in cooperation with partners – already exceed the ability to finance production. We are engaging investors and companies. I am grateful to all German companies that are already working with us, working with Ukraine.
Today, the Chancellor and I discussed upcoming contacts with our European partners in the coming weeks, as well as the negotiations planned for this month. Olaf, I want to personally thank you, and I extend my gratitude to your country – thank you, Germany!
Today, I signed a decree imposing a sanctions package against Russian individuals and entities, as well as some others working for Russia’s military system. These include developers, manufacturers, and suppliers of drones for the occupiers, individuals facilitating the import of critical components into Russia, and those training drone operators. In total, the sanctions target over a hundred entities. We are working with our partners to synchronize our sanctions with corresponding measures taken by them.
And another important point is that the winter support program, eSupport, is gaining momentum. Over 3.2 million applications have already been submitted, including 700,000 applications for children. This is a very good pace for the program, making it the most popular digital service ever offered by the state. The second day has not yet ended, and we have already received so many applications. I want to thank the entire team involved in developing and implementing the eSupport program. Please, at all levels, continue explaining how to apply, how to receive the funds, and how to use them – for paying utility bills, purchasing books, or donating to volunteers. For many families and at the level of the whole country, this is tangible.
Glory to Ukraine!
President Zelenskyy is making further changes in his command staff:
⚡️’We need to move faster,’ Zelensky announces personnel changes in Ukrainian Armed Forces.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement follows General Mykhailo Drapatyi’s appointment as Ukraine’s Ground Forces commander.
— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 2, 2024 at 1:43 PM
From The Kyiv Independent:
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 2 new reshuffles in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Zelensky’s statement follows General Mykhailo Drapatyi’s appointment as Ukraine’s Ground Forces commander.
When asked why Drapatyi has replaced Oleksandr Pavliuk, who has held the position since Feb. 11, 2024, Zelensky said the change is related to the recently presented resilience plan.
Zelenksy’s resilience plan, unveiled on Nov. 19, contains several reform proposals, including those in the defense sector.
According to Zelensky, the decisions outlined in the plan are designed for “particular individuals,” so changes in the Ukrainian forces will continue.
“This is not the last (personnel) reshuffle. There will be more because we need to move faster,” Zelensky said during a press conference in Kyiv.
Russian losses at the front increased significantly in the fall, while Russia continued to advance in the Donetsk sector, aiming to capture the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
In November, 45,720 Russian soldiers were wounded, killed, or captured and thus unable to continue participating in combat operations. This number is equivalent to more than three motorized rifle divisions of the Russian army, according to the Defense Ministry.
Despite that, Russian forces have taken over 600 square kilometers (232 square miles) in November alone, which is more than in the entire October, setting a new record since early 2022, Russian news outlet Agentstvo wrote on Nov. 25.
While she was visiting Ukraine yesterday, Kaja Kallas sat for an interview with The Kyiv Independent.
The US:
US announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine with an estimated value of $725 million. www.defense.gov/News/Release…
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 4:02 PM
From the DOD:
Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine
Dec. 2, 2024As part of the surge in security assistance that President Biden announced on September 26 to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position, the Department of Defense (DoD) today announced additional security assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs. This announcement is the Biden Administration’s seventy-first tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. This Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package, which has an estimated value of $725 million, will provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including: air defense capabilities; munitions for rocket systems and artillery; and anti-tank weapons.
The capabilities in this announcement include:
- Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
- Stinger missiles;
- Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) munitions;
- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
- 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition;
- Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS);
- Non-persistent land mines;
- Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles;
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
- Small arms and ammunition;
- Demolitions equipment and munitions;
- Equipment to protect critical national infrastructure; and
- Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.
The United States will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and its associated Capability Coalitions to meet Ukraine’s urgently needed battlefield requirements and defend against Russian aggression.
This sounds almost exactly like the package announced a week or so ago. We’ll have to wait to see if this is just another reannouncement, which we’ve seen happen a number of times, or if this is a completely new and separate from what was announced in the past ten days or so.
Georgia:
The. What. 😳 #GeorgiaProtests
📷 Publika— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 4:53 PM
The people have ambushed the regime police! 🔥 #GeorgiaProtests
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 4:40 PM
Alex is doing God’s job. I don’t even know how to describe the amount of tear gas used. Yet people aren’t going anywhere. #GeorgiaProtests
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 4:38 PM
This is some popcorn unfolding. The people apparently attempted to ambush the police on Rustaveli, and now they are running down to prevent it. Nevertheless, they will now most likely have to hold a second front line, weakening the police on Rustaveli proper. #GeorgiaProtests
📷 Visioner X account— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 4:03 PM
Protests erupting in other towns simultaneously with Tbilisi underlined a true national commitment. And now it seems like they are containing a significant police force, preventing Tbilisi’s reinforcement and contributing to tiring out the crackdown. Respect!
#GeorgiaProtests— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 3:42 PM
A truly massive rally in Batumi. Unsure if I’ve seen such numbers in Batumi. Many other cities are also protesting, including very small towns. #GeorgiaProtests
📷 Irakli Gogua— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 3:29 PM
Latest update 👇🏻 #GeorgiaProtests
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 1:43 PM
Moscow via Dubai:
Trump’s pledge to end Russia’s war in Ukraine is doomed if he doesn’t involve broader talks on Moscow’s security concerns, Russian tycoon Malofeyev tells @maxseddon.bsky.social. “[Keith] Kellogg comes to Moscow with his plan, we take it and then tell him to screw himself.”
www.ft.com/content/ac39…— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 6:29 AM
From The Financial Times:
Donald Trump’s pledge to end Russia’s war in Ukraine is doomed to failure if the US president-elect does not involve broader talks on Moscow’s security concerns, an influential hardliner close to the Kremlin has warned.
Konstantin Malofeyev, a Russian tycoon who is subject to western sanctions, told the Financial Times that President Vladimir Putin was likely to reject a peace plan proposal by Trump’s recently nominated special envoy for the conflict, Keith Kellogg.
“Kellogg comes to Moscow with his plan, we take it and then tell him to screw himself, because we don’t like any of it. That’d be the whole negotiation,” Malofeyev said in an interview at a luxury resort in Dubai. “For the talks to be constructive, we need to talk not about the future of Ukraine, but the future of Europe and the world.”
Malofeyev said Trump could only end the conflict if he reversed Washington’s decision on the use of advanced long-range weapons and removed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from office, then agreed to meet Putin and “discuss all the issues of the global order at the highest level”.
He warned that “the world is on the brink of nuclear war” after Kyiv fired US- and UK-made long-range missiles into Russian territory, and Putin responded by firing an experimental nuclear-capable ballistic missile at Ukraine.
Just days before his nomination, Kellogg told Fox News that Washington should call Russia’s bluff in response to Putin’s recent ballistic missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro and threats of further escalation. “[Putin] used [the nuclear-capable missile] for psychological reasons,” Kellogg said.
“He didn’t use it because it was militarily effective . . . but because he is kind of saying to the west ‘see what I can do?’”
Rather than “back off”, he added, the US and western allies should “lean in, because Putin will not start a nuclear war in Europe”.
Malofeyev, however, argued that if the US did not agree to roll back its support for Ukraine, Russia could fire a tactical nuclear weapon. “There will be a radiation zone nobody will ever go into in our lifetime,” he said. “And the war will be over.”
He said Moscow would only see it as a lasting condition for peace if Trump was willing to discuss other global flashpoints including the wars in the Middle East and Russia’s burgeoning alliance with China — and a US acknowledgment that Ukraine is part of the Kremlin’s core interests.
“We want a long-term peace — some sort of general agreement about the global order,” Malofeyev said. “Trump wants to go down in history, he’ll be 80 soon, he’s a grandfather. Putin’s not 50 any more either. It’ll be the legacy they both leave us.”
Malofeyev’s ideas go even further than the conditions Putin has set out for a possible ceasefire, which would require Ukraine to cede four frontline regions to Russia and agree never to join Nato.
The devout Orthodox Christian tycoon does not hold an official position but has often been an important bellwether for Kremlin hardline policy turns. In September, he married Maria Lvova-Belova, the Kremlin’s children’s rights commissioner, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for the alleged war crime of abducting children from Ukraine.
Though Putin has demanded the west roll back all its sanctions against Russia for a potential ceasefire, Malofeyev argued the US-led pressure had helped rally support for the Kremlin from allies such as China, Iran and North Korea.
“The external threat is essential to make us stronger. The longer there are conflicts and confrontations, the stronger the regimes get, because it’s easier to rally the population for full support of the leaders,” he said.
More at the link.
He seems nice…
Ternopil:
⚡️ Overnight, a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Ternopil, killing one and injuring three. The blast wave shattered windows in nearby buildings, a school, and damaged 20 cars.
— UNITED24 Media (@united24media.com) December 2, 2024 at 3:21 AM
⚡️ Update: 1 killed, 3 injured during Russian attack on Ternopil.
At least one person was killed and three injured after a Russian drone struck an apartment building in the western city of Ternopil, according to the latest casualty figures by the State Emergency Service.
— The Kyiv Independent (@kyivindependent.com) December 2, 2024 at 1:50 AM
Here are the details from The Kyiv Independent:
Editor’s Note: The story was updated with the latest casualty figures from the State Emergency Service.
A Russian drone attack on Ternopil during the night of Dec. 2 caused a fire in a residential building and resulted in casualties, local officials reported.
Ternopil Mayor Serhiy Nadal said that a drone struck the top floor of a high-rise building, with flames engulfing several floors and partially damaging others.
The attack killed at least one person and injured three, the State Emergency Service said.
Emergency and rescue teams worked through the night to extinguish the fire and assist the injured while temporary shelters were prepared for displaced residents.
“Doctors are doing everything possible to save the wounded,” Nadal said.
Ternopil is a city in western Ukraine with a population of roughly 225,000. Lying hundreds of kilometers from the front line, the city is not a common target of Russian attacks.
Kharkiv Oblast:
Enemy activity in the Kharkiv region.
After the enemy attempted to find a weak spot in the defenses of the 92nd Brigade and “Khartia” and “failed,” they tried to break through the defenses of the 42nd Brigade. That didn’t work either, and they were soundly beaten.
t.me/c/1315043344…— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 2:14 PM
A surprising gift arrived in Ukraine: 30 authentic Peaky Blinder caps, courtesy of the show’s creator, Steven Knight.
Crafted by the series’ official costume designer, Garrison Tailors, these iconic caps were presented to a Ukrainian
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 9:51 AM
When legends meet heroes🔥
Ukraine’s Peaky Blinders unit, known for defending Kharkiv, received 30 caps from series creator Steven Knight. They gifted two to Cillian Murphy – he kept one as a tribute & signed the other to return to the defenders.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 7:16 AM
Tokmak, Russian occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast:
In occupied Tokmak, Putin’s army equipment received a fiery welcome at one of the gas stations.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 2, 2024 at 12:31 PM
Kherson:
#Kherson #HumanSafari
🚨🚨15:40 A second bus attacked by a drone today.
Woman, 44, injured
This is unprecedented and is happening in silence.
Help to spread the message.
Help to stop #huntingHumans.
#SaveKherson
— Zarina Zabrisky (@zarinazabrisky.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 11:19 AM
#Kherson #HumanSafari
Rimma was going to a church when a Russian drone dropped explosives on the public bus and killed her and two other passengers and injured 11. Today.
She was a volunteer; helped people and animals, worked a lot with the animal shelter I know. 💔
— Zarina Zabrisky (@zarinazabrisky.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 6:44 PM
Mykolaiv Oblast:
💓 During a children’s swimming competition in Mykolaiv, a sudden blackout occurred.
Undeterred, spectators illuminated the pool with their phone lights, allowing the competition to continue.
— UNITED24 Media (@united24media.com) December 2, 2024 at 3:00 PM
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
A new video from Patron’s official TikTok!
@patron__dsns Кажуть, що це не люди вибирають собі тваринку, а навпаки. Я погано памʼятаю, як обрав свого Михайла, бо був тоді ще зовсім малим. Але не думаю, що у мене були якісь особливі критерії вибору. Просто від Михайла пахло домом, і так я зрозумів, що він моя людина ❤️ І ще кажуть, що тварини рятують людей. І це стосується не тільки собак-рятувальників. Усі звірята рятують від смутку, нудьги, цілих шкарпеток… Я думаю, що десь у Всесвіті є така велика книга, у якій записаний кожен песик, котик, хомʼячок, папуга і те, коли та кого він буде рятувати. А може тварини приходять у цей світ, щоб навчити людей чогось простого. Наприклад, радіти кожному новому дню, навіть якщо цей день трохи схожий на вчорашній. Але вчора не було такої супер-пупер класної палиці! І цієї калюжі! І он тих смішних горобців! Що ж, я не знаю точно, яка у нас місія на цій планеті. Але може саме від виляння собачих хвостів створюється тихоокеанський вітер, а листочки на деревах насправді тремтять від котячого мурчання? Чи ми потрібні, аби було для кого виготовляти шампуні від бліх. Чи щоб у людей не виникло критичного передозування сиром в організмі. А може ми тут, щоб просто бути. І любити людей так, як не полюбить більше ніхто інший ❤️ Сьогодні день домашніх тварин 🦮🐈⬛ Ми з Томом сподіваємось, що вам є кого привітати ☺️ А якщо раптом ні, то біжіть у найближчий притулок і виправляйте це! Всім теплий, сімейний, викупаний у любові лизь 👅 #песпатрон
Here’s the machine translation of the caption:
They say that it’s not people who choose their animals, but vice versa. I don’t remember very well how I chose my Mykhailo, because I was very young at the time. But I don’t think I had any particular criteria for choosing him. It was just that Mykhailo smelled like home, and that’s how I realized that he was my man ❤️
They also say that animals save people. And this applies not only to rescue dogs. All animals rescue from sadness, boredom, whole socks… I think that somewhere in the universe there is a big book that records every dog, cat, hamster, parrot, and when and whom they will rescue.
Well, I don’t know exactly what our mission is on this planet. But maybe it’s the wagging of dog tails that creates the Pacific wind, and the leaves on the trees actually shake from the cat’s purr? Or do they need us to make flea shampoos for people? Or so that people don’t get a critical overdose of cheese in their system. Or maybe we are here to just be. And to love people in a way that no one else can. ❤️
Today is the day of pets 🦮🐈⬛
Tom and I hope you have someone to greet ☺️ And if you don’t, run to the nearest shelter and fix it!
A warm, family-friendly lick bathed in love for everyone 👅 #песпатрон
Open thread!
Martin
takes notes
Gin & Tonic
@Martin: Americans are as likely to engage in mass Georgia- or Ukraine-style protests as I am to be elected the next Pope.
Gin & Tonic
As I mentioned last night, back in June we spent a couple of nights with friends in Ternopil, two blocks from the site of the russian attacks pictured above.
Another Scott
A reply to the Marika video gives more context.
“I’m more afraid of the slipper thrown by my grandmother than of you!”
Power to the sensible people of Georgia!
Slava Ukraini!
Best wishes,
Scott.
Jay
Thank you, Adam.
Thank you, Patron.
Leto
Margarita’s Story: The Harrowing Journey of a Child’s Escape from Mariupol, Ukraine
This animated video is a year old, but obviously still relevant.
Jay
@Gin & Tonic:
I am sorry that places you have been, people you know, experiences you have enjoyed, are being wantonly attacked and destroyed.
Martin
@Gin & Tonic: Yeah, the problem with such predictions is that they are true up until the moment they aren’t. We’ve done it before, when things were dire enough.
Jay
https://nitter.poast.org/wartranslated/status/1863638895608344791#m
YY_Sima Qian
Good point:
Jay
https://xcancel.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1863589287138033665#m
jackmac
Your walk with Rosie was altered by someone walking guinea pigs? The mental image of that made me laugh.
As a dog lover, I’m glad to hear about Rosie’s continued recovery.
And thanks — as always — for your important nightly reports.
Yutsano
დიდება საქართველოს!
(Glory to Georgia in Georgian, per Google.)
Chetan Murthy
@Martin: When was that? The American Revolution? B/c the way I heard it, the disorganized rabble that tried to push back against the Brits was pretty much useless. It was the organized Continental Army that actually did the work.
And how are we supposed to organize to push back? We lack any of the offline community organizations that would be needed — and the online ones are gonna work right until somebody starts actually fighting back, and then they’ll just be vectors for FBI/DHS infiltration and roll-up operations.
Martin
@Chetan Murthy: Pretty sure the civil war qualifies.
I’ve been thinking and reading about how to organize. But that’s a real problem we’re going to have to solve regardless. I think that needs to be part of the year round campaign, and can be a hedge against online misinformation by having local communities.
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
YY_Sima Qian
OT: Great long form article from the NYT Magazine (gift link below). On the one hand, we have excessive caution in DC & Berlin in response to Putin’s wanton nuclear saber rattling, that don’t have much credibility. OTOH, we have parts of the US natsec state forgetting the lessons of Cold War & loosely talk about how “tactical” nukes may be viable weapons in Great Power warfare. Not to mention the multi-trillion USD modernization program of the US nuclear triad touching off an incipient nuclear arms race w/ the PRC. Finally, we have the US nuclear arsenal soon to be in Trump’s unsteady hands, as well as his band of circus freaks & carnival barkers, & cynical charlatans who are nonetheless shrewd bureaucratic operators:
sab
@YY_Sima Qian: Circus freaks and carnival barkers.
YYSQ : No mincing words there. Thank you
YY_Sima Qian
@sab: I wouldn’t have said that about the cabinet of the 1st couple years of Trump’s 1st term, deeply problematic & dangerous as that group was. I didn’t think it could get worse than the collection of low-/mid-wit über-hawks (& charlatans playacting as über-hawks) in the last year of Trump’s 1st term, but I should have known better (there is never any bottom).
sab
@YY_Sima Qian: We are about to see how a government functions with no leadership. Also about to prove to authoritarians around the world who don’t believe in democracy how it works when it fucks up.
My big hope is that our founding fathers started their government experiment as local government when they did not believe in the leadership at the top. That distrust is built into the fabric of our constitution.
I have a law background and I deeply believe in the wisdom of our constitution. My husband, with a construction background, thinks I am nuts.
glc
@Gin & Tonic: I enjoyed Conclave, by the way.
YY_Sima Qian
@sab: Well, the US Constitutions has been an anachronism since about the Civil War, definitely since the Civil Rights Movement. The Amendment process is completely hopeless under the current circumstances. So, I guess at this moment I am closer to where your husband is.
Gin & Tonic
@YY_Sima Qian: Thanks for the link. Langeweische is an excellent writer.