Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

FEBRUARY 21,  2022

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

I LOVE IT – OVERNIGHT:  FROM BREITBART:   Apple Store employees around the United States are reportedly attempting to unionize as hourly workers grow frustrated with wages and working conditions. According to the Washington Post, Apple employees are using Android smartphones to discuss unionization to avoid potential snooping efforts by their employer.  The Washington Post reports that employees at Apple Stores across the U.S. are working to unionize as many complain of low wages and poor working conditions. Groups at two retail stores are reportedly backed by major national unions are planning to file paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in the future. At least half a dozen locations are at less-advanced states in the unionization process.  Come on, Apple.  Pay a living wage.  It's been known for some time that the Apple Store employees are badly treated.  Apple should show a little gratitude toward the people who serve the company's customers.

February 21, 2022       Permalink

A BIG UKRAINE DAY – AS YOU KNOW – OVERNIGHT:  It's getting hotter over there, but remember from last night's edition – nobody knows anything.  The Russkies have apparently ordered "peacekeeping" troops into two pro-Russian areas of Ukraine, and are accusing Ukraine of cooking up a crisis.  Question:  How long will the Western powers wait until imposing massive sanctions on Moscow?  From CNN:

Kyiv and Lviv, Ukraine (CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into separatist-held parts of eastern Ukraine in what the Kremlin called a "peacekeeping" mission, just hours after he signed decrees recognizing the independence of the Moscow-backed regions.

It is unclear if Russian troop movements marked the beginning of an invasion of Ukraine that Western leaders have warned about for weeks. But multiple US and Western officials cautioned Monday's move could serve as the opening salvo of a larger military operation targeting the country.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council Monday evening that Putin's recognition of the pro-Moscow regions was an "attempt to create a pretext for a further invasion."

She said his claim that Russian forces are entering those regions as "peacekeepers" is "nonsense."

"We know what they really are," Thomas-Greenfield said.

In a fiery speech earlier Monday, Putin blasted Kyiv's growing security ties with the West, and in lengthy remarks about the history of the USSR and the formation of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic, appeared to cast doubt on Ukraine's right to self-determination.

“Ukraine has never had traditions of its own statehood," he said, calling the eastern part of the country "ancient Russian lands."

The decrees signed by Putin conveyed Moscow's official recognition over two breakaway territories in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine -- the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic (DPR and LPR). The decrees recognized them as independent states and guaranteed their security with Russian troops. The decrees said that Russian so-called peacekeeping forces would be deployed in the regions.

COMMENT:  There are stories circulating that the United States will impose severe sanctions on Russia on Tuesday.  No confirmation yet.  Thus far our response to Russia has been pretty soft. 

Biden is getting some flack from Republicans in Congress, who wonder why the sanctions haven't already been imposed.  The idea is to smoke out Putin, give him and the Russian people a good scare, in an attempt to prevent further Russian incursions.  We may know more about Biden's strategy, if he actually has one, within 24 hours.

Putin is a true strategist, and I wouldn't be shocked if he did nothing for a time.  Divert the world's attention, get that world interested in other things, then strike anew, asking only for a bit more of Ukraine.  The Israelis call that "salami tactics," advancing one slice at a time.

We note again that that the Iran nuclear negotiations in Vienna are reaching their conclusion.  We don't know yet whether any pact will be signed, but, if there is an agreement, Biden and his foreign-policy staff will have their hands full dealing with the expected dissent from Congress.  Putin might well use the distraction to advance further. 

February 21, 2022       Permalink 

FEBRUARY 20,  2022

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

WHAT ARE THEY TEACHING OUR COLLEGE KIDS? – From Legal Insurrection:   The concept of “freedom” is “intertwined with whiteness,” according to a University of Pennsylvania graduate student writing in The Washington Post on Thursday.  Taylor Dysart, a doctoral candidate at Penn, authored a column in which she attempted to find roots of “colonialism” in the desire of a group of Canadian truckers to avoid being vaccinated. For several weeks, the truckers have clogged Ottawa’s roadways, objecting to a vaccination mandate implemented by Canada’s government.  “The convoy has surprised onlookers in the United States and Canada, both because of the explicitly racist and violent perspectives of some of the organizers and because the action seems to violate norms of Canadian ‘politeness,’” Dysart writes. “But the convoy represents the extension of a strain of Canadian history that has long masked itself behind ‘peacefulness’ or ‘unity’: settler colonialism.”  “The history of Canadian settler colonialism and public health demonstrates how both overt white-supremacist claims and seemingly more inert nationalistic claims about ‘unity’ and “freedom” both enable and erase ongoing harm to marginalized communities,” she writes.  I guess we're all colonialists here.  Pinch me.  I never realized it.

February 20, 2022       Permalink

IN THE MATTER OF BLACK LIVES MATTER – OVERNIGHT:  The group's new troubles could easily slip into an honest assessment of whether BLM is just a shakedown.  From MSN: 

The California Department of Justice recently issued a notice to Black Lives Matter that it was not only in violation of state law over the failure to disclose financial records but that its leadership could be personally liable for the resulting fines for failing to account for $60 million in donations.

Indiana also is investigating the organization, and Amazon has suspended BLM donations due to concerns over the handling and reporting of donations by the group's leadership.

The problem is determining who that leadership is in an organization racked by internal conflicts, resignations and scandals.

The move, however, highlights a glaring contrast to how state officials have treated BLM as opposed to the far more aggressive efforts targeting organizations like the National Rifle Association. New York is currently seeking to dissolve the NRA for some of the same allegations leveled against BLM, including the use of funds by BLM officials for personal benefits.

The perils of growing too fast 

Businesses are often warned of the perils of growing too fast. That may seem counterinituitive, but success can bring serious problems if growth outstrips capabilities or production. BLM is a case study of that danger. After the murder of George Floyd, corporations frantically moved to establish their standing as anti-racist organizations. BLM became the vehicle for such corporate bona fides.

Millions of dollars poured into BLM coffers as endorsements of the organization adorned everything from NFL helmets to corporate websites. BLM leaders were given lucrative corporate deals, including BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors, who inked a contract with Times Warner to help guide and develop programming across its platforms.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  BLM is in big trouble.  But it also has powerful friends to call upon – even friends in the WOKE corporations.  Don't count out the group's recklessness, and its avoidance of any accounting. 

February 20,  2022     Permalink