The War Racket

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzG_4e8yGew

In case there is any doubt...

 I cited Varoufakis and Buffy Sainte-Marie in the previous post because I think they have realistic views on the conflict in Ukraine.  I don't believe there can be a winner in the war.  The Ukrainian forces may hold off the overland advance of the Russians for a time, but there is no way they can stop the rain of missiles from over the borders.  The massive barrage against the Russian forces enabled by the U.S. is landing on the territory of Ukraine.  The Russians will likely occupy large portions of the country, but they will earn the unending hate of the populace.

A couple years down the road...

So, Joe won the election and survived an attempted coup.  In spite of my misgivings about his capabilities I have to give him some credit; I don't think he did too badly given what he had to work with.  My hope would be that he will be satisfied with that level of accomplishment and that he will let his wife dissuade him from trying for a second term.

Whatever Joe decides, the prospects for the country look pretty bleak.  The Democrats seem to have little hope of holding onto their slim majorities in Congress.  The appointment of a liberal to The Court will not have any impact beyond the symbolic.  Shootings are now the biggest cause of death for children.

I've edited my links list, eliminating the dead ones and keeping those that continue to inspire me including Yanis Varoufakis and Buffy Sainte-Marie.  (Both have some useful things to say about Ukraine.)

Ukraine

The whistleblower report is public and the congressional hearings are under way.  The whistleblower clearly has high level access to White House activities and has conducted a thorough initial investigation, interviewing many individuals with direct knowledge of events around interactions of the President and his administration with Ukrainian officials.

The hearings will bring out many additional details as the people indicated in the report are identified and brought in to testify.  However, the concise report really lays out the major accusations quite well.  The real battles will now be to control the media narrative while also pressuring members of congress to support or oppose impeachment.

The Democrats still need a few more votes to move forward to impeachment.  There are a number of Dem members of congress who have voiced opposition to impeachment, most of whom are in districts with a large contingent of Trump supporters.  A good example is Xochitl Torres Small who narrowly took a seat in southern New Mexico that has long been held by Republicans.  Another notable holdout on impeachment is Tulsi Gabbard* of Hawaii who recently qualified for the third debate.

Helpful commentary on the unfolding Ukraine story is in progress at fivethirtyeight.com.

* "Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii endorsed the impeachment inquiry against President Trump on Friday..." (nytimes)