The leadership of West Virginia is a disgrace to this country

I came through West Virginia along Route 77. That state is a complete disgrace to this country.

As I entered West Virginia from Ohio the air changed color. The air in Ohio was clear and the air in West Virginia was white. Yes, that’s right the smog was so bad it hung in the air. As tractor trailers were making their way up the mountains there was smoke spewing out the stacks, especially from older trucks. The air was so saturated with pollution the exhaust hung in the air like clouds.

Soot, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, aldehydes, primary formaldehyde, acrolein, and a variety of hydrocarbons, fumes, along with ground ozone and the pollution of mountain top mining which was now visible from Route 77 at PAX, West Virginia due to clear cut foresting.

The air was white with pollution as bright sunshine streamed through the toxic breathing cocktail to irritate chemical interaction regardless of the air temperature. That white air was denser at altitude more so than lower altitude. Most probably this density difference is due to air becoming warmer at the lower elevations and rising as it heated.

White air is toxic. I worn a mask during most of my driver through West Virginia.

The Turnpike tolls of which there is three went from $4.00 to $4.25. It is possible with GPS to avoid the tolls if one is willing to add about an hour to the driving time. The West Virginia tolls were making $1.00 jumps regularly until it went from $2 to $4. The extra quarter is a curiosity. It complicates and prolongs traversing the turnpike since the toll takers have to make change of the cash payments.

Yes, this entry is a complaint.

The EPA needs to measure the pollution in West Virginia along its turnpike in a day with weather conditions that occurred today. The wind was 4 knots per hour. The air was not stagnant and the pollution was horrible. The toll booths are building up more pollution because there are now lines waiting for change. 

Just a little more insight; there were few interstate trucks. I did see one UPS truck, one Amazon truck and one USA truck. The point is that Route 77 through West Virginia is a brutally cruel to drive. It is absolutely correct to have a 60 mph speed limit to reduce accidents. There were no accidents today in my trip. 

Heavy pollution in the air leads to polluted water in streams and creeks and run off in overland flow. Polluted water means fish are taking in pollution. Don’t be surprised when tourism falls off for these problems. No one wants to breath that air, they don’t want their children or pets breathing that air. The US HHS should ask for population stats for asthma, COPD and lung cancer for both adults and children to bring reasons for the people to understand the dangers of the air. There is danger to the lungs of West Virginia people in addition to Black Lung and COVID-19 and it’s variants. 

The state can be held responsible for negligence in air and water quality, hence, producing lung disease.

The issue with the lack of interstate truck census on the road is that all those increases in tolls is impacting in-state trucks. So the income from tolls is recirculating within state and there is some out of state income. Continuing to raise road tolls may very well be causing in state commerce issues rather than adding to the state treasury.

There is not one electronic billboard anywhere along I-77 in West Virginia. That is important because of the inability to rebut political billboards. 

Example: 

Billboard says, “Senator Joe Manchin don’t let them raise taxes in Main Street business.” If that were an electronic billboard the very next billboard could read  “The Build Back Better Bill does not raise taxes on Main Street businesses.” And sponsored by DCCC.

There is no leadership in West Virginia. The people turn there politicians into iconic images of their collective wisdom such prohibiting taxes on Main Street businesses and create political victories that are wise and powerful. The politics are as toxic as the air.

In the most sincerest of concern the US Army Corp testing of the states waters should be reviewed by HHS, along with the incidence of asthma, COPD and lung cancers over history to realize the deterioration of environmental safety for human beings. I never thought air in the USA would ever compete equally with that in China.

As I left West Virginia and just past Princeton in Virginia, the air was as clear as Ohio and the sky blue with plenty of sunshine as I descended the mountains of Virginia. It was possible to see Pilot Mountain in North Carolina from the highway near Princeton. The view was breathtaking.

West Virginia needs to be liberated from oppressive politics. It’s mountain top removal has made the state perfect for wind turbines and solar panels that would not pollute the air. The clear cutting of forests are also comprising the air quality.

The federal government has ignored the health and well being of West Virginians long enough. The US Congressional holy men and women should feel free to pray for the people of West Virginia from the floor of the US House and US Senate. They should pray daily to provide bravery in leadership of the country to be a world example of Zero Greenhouse Gas emissions. The beginning of the new year is an absolutely wonderful time to include Earth and it’s people in the morning prayer.

Former Secretary Clinton’s Candidacy …

…was the most valuable in history to the USA. 

Her candidacy drove Russia to play it’s strongest hand and exposed the assault on the USA’s election process. The Russian exploitation of the USA’s election process, including a woman spy close to the Trump campaign, came clearly into view. 

It was more than the first woman candidate. She was feared by Putin as he stated if she was elected there would be a nuclear holocaust between the two countries.

Unfortunately, she did not win that election. She was so strong a candidate she had to defeat a sovereign country in order to win. There isn’t any potential candidate for president, without exception, that has a campaign wealthy enough to win in opposition to a sovereign country with unlimited capacity.

I am always grateful to Former FBI Director Muller for exposing the interference by Russia. His report is probably the most profound of his work. 

I thank him and the Former Secretary Clinton for exposing Russia. They are great Americans and the people that embrace this democracy will always be grateful to them.

Taking a vacation

I will be on vacation until January 11, 2022. 

I may pop in from time to time.

Until then.

Be happy.

Be safe.

Be protected.

Be well.

January 6th is coming up. We will never forget.

Check union contracts for violations of this law.

Those that didn't report and experienced excessive force in their cities, towns or otherwise need to be prosecuted for skirting an important initiative. This is exactly what the lawyers wanted that advised against the reporting required by law. Get rid of the law.

January 2, 2022
By Natalie Hanson

A nationwide FBI database (click here) designed to track police use-of-force incidents is in jeopardy as communities bypass the initiative. Marin is among them.

The FBI effort, launched in 2016, has not met the threshold for publishing data, the federal Office of Management and Budget said last month.

The nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office reported from 2016 to 2020, the Department of Justice collected and published data on law enforcement’s use of force but did not publish an annual summary of data on excessive force from each year as required by the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act.

As a result, the program, aimed at tracking use of excessive force nationwide, could be discontinued in December 2022....

The No Surprises Act (NSA) (click here) establishes new federal protections against surprise medical bills that take effect in 2022. Surprise medical bills arise when insured consumers inadvertently receive care from out-of-network hospitals, doctors, or other providers they did not choose. Peterson-KFF and other studies find this happens in about 1 in 5 emergency room visits. In addition between 9% and 16% of in-network hospitalizations for non-emergency care include surprise bills from out-of-network providers (such as anesthesiologists) whom the patient did not choose. Surprise medical bills pose financial burdens on consumers when health plans deny out-of-network claims or apply higher out-of-network cost sharing; consumers also face “balance billing” from out-of-network providers that have not contracted to accept discounted payment rates from the health plan.¹  The federal government estimates the NSA will apply to about 10 million out-of-network surprise medical bills a year....

There is a dialogue missing from the loss of the Thwaites Glacier.

Quite some time ago, like years, I mentioned the fact that Antarcitica is a structure of ice with varing degrees of dependence. The tall Blue Ice that we see in floating glaciers after calving is stable because of the deep cold of this region of Earth, but, also because of the structures of terraces, shelves and finally sea ice. Each structure is dependent on the others. 

I stated that once the terraces fail there will be tsunamis and I think that needs to be evaluated with Thwaites.

Ice by scientific definition is a rock. Glaciologists fall into a category of geologists. But, in the case of Antarctica there is the issue of the windward currents of the ocean. That brings oceanographers into the picture. I am sure there is a paper somewhere in the literature or "in the works" to determine the potential of tsunamis with loss of Antarctica ice abuptly rushing into the sea. Up to now most of the measurements are to ice loss, hence, the thermostat of Earth. There is another element that can begin to be understood and that is the ice cores of which global scientists have in their possession. I believe the Russians at Station Vostok have a full depth ice core from their drilling right down to Vostok Lake.

The ice cores are usually used by palentologists to examine the past. There is a lot of history in those ice cores where it is not found anywhere else, namely greenhouse gas content of the atmostphere. But, there could be more in relation to density at depth and and boundaries/borders between that density. I would think the heavier the ice in density the more stable it would be, however, there is the "topple" issue.

Basically, what I am thinking is that ice cores can be examined for the ice density, weight of that density and the height of that density. If the higher densities are lower they will topple or slid from the structure, but, as the density is greater and the weight of ice greater at depth in the ice cores that might remain on land and not topple so easily. This is something that has never been assessed to my knowledge. 

With Thwaites being a WHEN it disintegrates and not IF; the idea of the volume of ice loss on the land of Antarctica and method it is lost is vital to warn people of the danger considering if there is any significant solid ice that either topples and/or slides into the ocean surrounding Antarctica what size tsunami will be generated.

All this is a huge question and requires scientists across disciplines and countries to work together for answers. We are talking about the lives of people on Earth and if any one country refuses to admit to the danger and refuses scientists to knowledge there is always The Hague. The World Court would be delighted to stem the loss of human life and not just punish after the fact.

 

I hope everyone had a "Happy New Year." I watched the New Year role in around the world. Enough party for me.

Without questioning any of his facts, Vladimir Putin sounds desperate in this news conference. It is obviously staged.

When a world leader resorts to cultural difference between countries to sound high handed and moral, there can't be much he can talk about.

Putin in this staged news conference is serving up fear in democracy and oppression of the Russian people to vote for anyone but him. I think this is a prelude to any future elections and if it is a war chant then the fear is about Western democracy and how gender differences will disaappear within that paradigm.

Europe and the USA have been around a long time and the last I heard, Osama bin Laden had ranted on about the sexuality of Western democracy and "the Playboy culture." I think we are safe from a gender neutral society on the cultural level. We all know the fate of Osama bin Laden.

That said, Russia is definitely a anti-gay culture and the people within that country that belong to the "acceptance" movement are always in danger without question. Perhaps under communism not all people have to make a living as with Western democracies, so perhaps the LGBTQI community in Russia is at least provided for in housing and food. LGBTQI threats are human rights issues.

I don't see Russia's soldiers marching to war declaring "Gender Liberation" either. I think they will need something more than that, like a Faux Hitler taking over the USA and the world. I wonder who that might be?

But, Putin's obvious fear mongering about gender is leaning into the recognized and official religion of the people, the Russian Orthodox Church (click here). But, whether it is the fear of god Putin is ranting on about or the simple fear that Western democracy, the language is to begin a dialog to win elections EASILY dividing men from women in an arguement that will go on and on within the culture. So, it is an anti-LGBTQI issue that also assigns "gender roles" to the Russian people. He makes it easy to be on his side, get your gender straight and Putin will uphold that aspect of cultural importance.

I think the 50 percent of Russians that want their vote to count and their leaders in public speaking rather than on a hunger strike in a prison cell are finally an issue. Putin is on the run in this answer to the woman's question reframed by the journalist.

It is the new year in Sydney, Australia.

 

Cruise at your own risk.

December 30, 2021

By Morgan Hines

As clusters of COVID-19 cases (click here) continue to emerge on cruise ships since the omicron variant emerged, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned travelers against taking cruises.

"Today, CDC increased the Cruise Travel Health Notice (THN) to a Level 4, recommending people avoid cruise travel regardless of vaccination status," the CDC said in a statement provided by spokesperson Dave Daigle.

The agency noted the decision was made as COVID-19 cases are increasing on ships, in the U.S. and around the globe.

Between Nov. 30 and Dec. 14, cruise ships operating in U.S. waters reported 162 cases of COVID-19 to the CDC. Between Dec. 15 and Dec. 29, cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters reported 5,013 COVID-19 cases to the CDC.

That's nearly 31 times the number of cases reported in the first two weeks of December, the CDC said....

Same ole Somalia.

That country has more militant fighters than citizens. The tensions are incredible once again between the president and prime minister. They each have their own dedicated militias and a civil war is only a breath away if one or the other leader decides he has had enough.

December 29, 2021

Amid political turmoil in Somalia, (click here for additional information) France 24 is joined by Matthew Bryden, Head of Sahan Research Think Tank. Mr. Bryden takes us to the origins of the current crisis, which began back in April, when President Mohamed tried to extend his term by two years. Violent clashes ensued, but a political agreement was eventually reached, explains Mr. Bryden. Prime Minister Roble took charge of "organizing the parliamentary elections," but he says the PM was undercut by the president and his loyalists. Mr. Bryden describes "widespread, and very credible, allegations of rigging," and now the PM is demanding the "isolated" president "step aside, ideally leave the country, and give the PM a free hand to finish the elections properly.

The instability always feeds the terrorists in Somalia and this time it is no different. So, to say there are only two power structures in Somalia is a false understanding. The terrorists absolutely are a power within the country ready to take advantage of any destablizing issues.

December 30, 2021

Mogadishu -Fighters from Somalia's al-Shabab militant group (click here) attacked a town north of the capital, Mogadishu, on Thursday, killing at least seven people as they battled government security forces, a resident and police said."We were in a mosque praying when a heavy exchange of gunfire took place at the bridge. Al-Shabab thus captured the town, overrunning the soldiers at the bridge," Hassan Nur, a shopkeeper in Balad, an agricultural town that links Somalia's Middle Shabelle region to Lower Shabelle, told Reuters by telephone."There were few police forces in the town. (The police) were missing. When the firing started people ran into their houses. I counted five dead soldiers and two civilian women," he said....

The attack happened amid a political dispute between Somalia’s president and prime minister which its international partners worry has distracted the government from the fight against the insurgents.

Police and residents in Balad, 30 km (18 miles) north of Mogadishu, said fighters from the al-Qaida-linked group attacked and overran government forces guarding a bridge at a town entrance early in the morning....

A few weeks ago a band of rebels attacked the northwest (Tigray area) area of Somali. They looted towns and broke into banks. They left and the areas' military forces called it a victory. I don't believe the military did anything except secure the area after the fact.

I think the conflict which Somalia's government reported on was near Tigray and was part of the ever continuing conflict in Ethiopia (click here). If that is the case then Somalia is receiving problems due to that conflict there.

That cache of supplies and money was destined to reinfuse who I believe are the Somalia pirates. The region effected speaks to the fact the UN currently has boats in the waters surrounding Somalia for at least the next three months. It is uncertain whether the UN plans a presence in the waters there beyond those three months. The pirates when they can't raid ships need food and munitions from somewhere. It could easily be that the raids on the Somalie towns were the pirates currently out of work.

These are vicious attacks. What the raiders did not steal they destroyed so no one else could be strengthened by those items they could not carry.

From the sounds of things and the latest aggressions in the region I think the UN knows it is in for more instability which will reopen wounds and begin the civil war all over again. 

This is the stuff that is published in recent months and it has not added to the favorable outcome for the people. 

By Ahmed Yusuf
Editor-in-Chief, EthipoianCitizen.com

Updated on December 29, 2021 (click here) to include author’s name as it was omitted by mistake

An article that is said to have been written by General Tsadkan was published yesterday on the Elephant, a Nairobi based online platform critical of Ethiopia’s war against the TPLF terrorists.

The article titled “Pertinent Issues on the War in Tigray” was written mainly to the Western world in order to gain the much needed help TPLF requires after its embarrassing defeat in Amhara and Afar.

The General, in an attempt to desperately appease his Western allies, has not shied away from painting the article with many lies that if not exposed will surely mislead many who are unaware....

This type of reporting leads to all kinds of power playing among the people. Depending what side of the conflict one is on means the reporting aids the effort or adds greater aggression in opposition. These news reports do sway public opinion in the region. There are educated folks that believe the African Union Forces are a waste of time and money and would rather see monies be spent on the people and not a chronic war. They also believe nonsense, suchas, the violence is encouraged by the Taliban when in fact it is al Shabab (click here).

To say the circumstances in this region is turbulent is an understatement. Everything from wars to fishing is a propaganda item and it keeps citizens upset and confused to where the truth is and why the conflicts never end.

Somehow it seems cell phone towers are the greatest contribution to the wars.

The Overton Window - elections need to "beat the window of manipulations."

The Republicans relying on a scheme to win elections by justifying extremist views per the Overton Window, sets up the USA democracy for destruction.

Some weathered Republicans return to their office repeatedly because they practice such methods to win an election, but, never translate their extremist views into policy. To those Republicans the extremism is a vehicle and not the final result, hence, the practice of that method is benigh to the integrity of governance.

The problem for the Overton Window being applied during elections is that extremists such as Trump abide by their campaign promises and their own personal agendas and set about destroying the Rule of Law and opposing the USA Constitution.

In my opinion, the Overton Window is an attack vehicle on democracy, the rule of law and the USA Constitution. It is no longer a benign method in elections.

Voters need to be sure of their issues in elections and vote for candidates with anwers and not populism that feels good. Having a job that pays a living wage while supplying health care benefits, including paid vacation time, should be at the top of their agenda. Secondly, with higher incomes come the responsiblity of higher taxes. Those taxes help fund schools and well paid teachers. 

The average household income in Georgia's 14th District is under $100k and half of those households earn less than $50k per year. That is enforced poverty and lower middle class stagnation and it completely unacceptable. 

One question voters of Georgia's 14th District need to ask themselves before they vote is, "What has Majorie Taylor Greene" done to improve my life, the lives of my children and grandchildren?" The Build Back Better program might actually be a campaign promise when the voters understand it. When Americans earn more they can provide for better outcomes for themselves and their children.

It is districts like this in the USA that are heartbreaking to most other Americans not engaged in permanent impoverishment. The voters here have to abandon the popularity test for elections and employ demands for better quality of life.

Stand at a rally with a favorite WWF performer, be it male or female.

The Republican Party's excuse for a violent country, "The Overton WIndow."

The Overton window (click here) of political possibility is the range of ideas the public is willing to consider and accept.

In the United States, the idea of different races mixing in public or women’s suffrage were once considered fringe, extreme policies. That they’re now deemed common sense, reflects progress in shifting the Overton window.

A politician seeking to maximise their chances of reelection should determine where the Overton window for key policy issues is, via public opinion polls and other means, so they can successfully campaign on those ideas....

The US Treasury needs to take the fines accumulated by the right wing out of their paycheck!

The Republicn Party has become extremists because they only seek to appeal to a voter's worst instincts rather than elevating and educating their position. This has resulted in an electorate that is chronically conflicted and pushed into divisions where their moral compass takes them. I guess if all one wants is to pad their war chest, it works but leaves voters with demands that are uncivilized and dangerous.

It is an excuse rather than a method because it doesn't seek to do anything except be popular enough to be elected. There is no morality to PANDERING to voters.

Elected officials are supposed to know the problems voters are facing and address the problems in proposed policy. When a candidate talks down to people that lacks integrity and quite frankly knowledge that is debasing the electorate and reducing a campaign to cartoons rather than politics.

It works for them. The can call on all sorts of negative values such as racism and make arguments to win voters. This excuse is long lived in the Republican Party and is granting permission to insurgency. Marjorie Taylor Greene came out of nowhere carrying military style weapons and riding swamp buggy. The images play to preferences in the electorate and if feels good regardless of her inability to lead and make policy that matters. (click here). When the Republicans reflect on their Senate loss in Georgia they need to take responsibility for the poorest and extremist elections stands on the planet.

Greene is a racist and loves being one. Anyone knows what electorate she is vying for and she is willing to do their bidding.

December 27, 2021
By David Goldiner

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (click here) denounced Kwanzaa as a “fake religion” just as millions of Black people start to celebrate the weeklong holiday.

The far-right Georgia lawmaker berated the national College Republicans for “pandering and BS” after the GOP group tweeted a seemingly innocuous happy holiday message....

Greene (click here) supports the White Supremacist/Nationalist movement in her politics and is attractive to the Evangelical Christians in her district. Like, what? There is nothing within her politics that should bring those two voting groups together, unless, Evangelical Christians are also White Supremacists in their majority. It appears that is the case in this district.

Georgia's 14th district is primarily poor to lower middle class caucasians with few percents of minorities. 11.7 percent are below the poverty line and the Build Back Better bill along with the child tax credit should be passed into law with the approval of this district.

The majority population demographics by age is disconcerting. It breaks down into nearly a dynamic that shows aging is seldom important to the people. From newborn to age 59 there are evenly divided groups between 13 to 15 percent. That demographic speaks to WELLNESS and the potential of death across all age groups. I guarantee if viewed under a microscope the quality of life is riddled with poor choices due to settled poverty.

The Build Back Better bill will revitalize the workers with new jobs and infrastructure that contributes to an optomistic and hopeful outcome to their lives. These folks live in the moment. That is what poverty does, so when FOX News flashes ads for the latest sleep pillow, the item is cheap enough to buy and fill some financial empowerment.

According to Ballotpedia (click here) the Democrats are well funded and so long as the primary is not a circular assassination of each other, they should win this district.

It is official. A vaccinated woman in Israel has died of omicron.

Bennett doesn't rule out lockdown, (click here) says Israel on eve of COVID-19 infection storm with nearly 3,000 cases diagnosed in a single day.

Omicron

Just to clarify, omicron is mutating. That has been reported by all authorities I have read. If the Israeli death is omicron it needs to be looked at from the issue of co-morbidities as well as the arrival of a Level Three omicron virus that has mutated into a deadly strain that no immunity can oppress. The Israeli death could be the first of a deadly mutant strain.

If by chance a COVID variant becomes deadly, given how quickly it spreads and the transmission between countries, there is no reason to postpone a shutdown of the globe to end it before it gets started. The New Zealand model is the only one that applies, no exceptions.

Omicron should not be taken lightly. It is a Level Three virus still mutating.

Israel is reporting it's first death from omicron of a vaccinated woman. The vaccine when followed up with a booster is invaluable to the well being of people.

28 December 2021
By Tal Schneider

Over 600 new cases of strain confirmed; (click here) eight patients with variant hospitalized, including 2 unvaccinated in serious condition; PM: Pfizer treatment pill due to arrive Wednesday

The Health Ministry on Tuesday announced the death of a woman from a suspected Omicron infection, as it confirmed over 600 more cases of the new coronavirus variant.

The woman had been vaccinated against COVID-19 and had received a booster shot, according to a ministry statement.

If verified, the woman would be the first Omicron fatality recorded in Israel. A reported death from Omicron last week was later clarified to have been caused by the Delta strain of coronavirus....

I would like to address an issue with coverage of Ukraine.

Ukraine has a very violent history. It is the strength of democracy to realize how far the people of Ukraine have brought their democracy since the massacre in the Maidan. 

Ukraine has been a border state with Europe while a part of the Soviet Union. It was that part of the Soviet Union that specialized in nuclear weapons and their deployment, especially as a threat to Europe, ie: The Cuban Missile Crisis for the USA. But, also the continued existence of intermediate nuclear weapons in proximity of Europe can't be overlooked.

Ukraine has had all sorts of issues, including genocide in it's history. The entire existance of Ukraine while under Soviet control has been laced with a population difficult to unite (typical of communists) because of ethnic issues. The population of Ukraine, as exampled in Crimea, where severely division exists into ethnic groups that oppose each other.

We saw in Ukraine, under Viktor Yanukovych the decommissioning of the Ukraine military and the splintering of domestic interests with each major city or town equiped with a military unit that would serve to keep order. There was no national military under Yanukovych. In that, kindly realize, ethnic divides were enforced which allowed Putin to rule in Ukraine as a person able to maintain order and protect national security. Putin was a very populous figure in Ukraine. He always made appearances with wresters and basically storng men known for their phyiscal strength.

These enteries are heavily based on the insights of primarily one scholar, Professor Ivan Katchanovski. He is based securly away from Russian influence in:

School of Political Studies

University of Ottawa 

Ottawa, ON

K1N 6N5

Canada 

Tel. 613-407-1295 

ikatchan@uottawa.ca

Professor Katchanovski's writings are prolific since the Maidan Massacre and have inspired others to right including women professors on women's rights. The collection of evidence as exhibited in the writings of these magnificent people is extensive and could easily bring about it's own small library of collected works, of which I have witnessed nearly weekly in my inbox. That is incredible since the Maidan Massacre was on February 20, 2014.

First to address the misconceptions of The West regarding the Maidan massacre. The violence of the Maidan went unrecognized for it's diverse participants. That I find a little unsettling since Ukraine is such an important ally in freedom, anti-corruption and democracy.

This is a bit of a lecture, but, The West cannot be afraid of being liberators and eager to recognize how divided a peoples are during and after such rebellious acts. To know the DIVERSITY of an event, be it good and/or evil, if there is such a thing, is only to realize the aftermath that claimed democracy as it's governance, FINALLY, and over came hatred, fear of independence from Russia and the willingness to live an autonomous existance as an ally to those in the world that love democracy.

There is significant criticism by Professor Katchanovski of the Western Press. That is due to the lack of insight of the entire domestic picture of Ukraine and the proposful ethnic divisions enforced by Russian influence. We still see those ethnic divides in Crimea and the civil war at the Russian border.

Professor Katchanovski can be a very valuable voice to the Western Press in understanding the domestic picture of Ukraine and the hopes of it's people. As I have said there are others that began publishing to benefit the goal of democracy and Ukraine's journey to freedom of oppression and hatred.

Prof. Ivan Katchanovski: (click here) My studies found that the Maidan massacre of the protestors and the police on February 20, 2014 involved the far right and oligarchic parties, and it was a key element of the violent overthrow of the corrupt and oligarchic but democratically elected government in Ukraine. This mass killing was a successful false ag operation, which was organized and conducted by elements of the Maidan leadership and concealed armed groups in order to win the asymmetric conict during the “Euromaidan” and seize power in Ukraine.

Various evidence examined in my studies shows that concealed groups of Maidan snipers, which were based in particular in Music Conservatory and the Hotel Ukraina, started the massacre in the early morning on February 20 by targeting Berkut and Internal Troops units on the Maidan itself with live ammunition re, inicting their mass casualties, and forcing them to retreat. Then the armed Maidan groups, in particular the same ones, massacred the unsuspecting Maidan protestors from concealed positions. The analysis of circumstances, timing, and locations of specic killings of 49 protestors presents evidence that at least the absolute majority of them were killed from the Maidan-controlled buildings....

"How Russia is trying to erase its Soviet past in bid for geo-political strength" (click here)

It is best to understand the divisions and hatred by Post Soviet countries to best understand the people and their ambitions to be autonomous. Democracy and freedom require acceptance of DIVERSITY not its enforcement.

This article in JStor (click here) can explain the domestic geopolitics of the USSR. It is not an article by the Ukraine scholars I referred to, but, does precede one of the articles that speak to genocide that occurred under the flag of WWII. Kindly remember, the Soviet Union lead by Joseph Stalin was an ally in WWII.

The Soviet Union without czars was not that old or well established at the time of WWII. The Russian Revolution was begun in 1917 when there was a beginning of the global bird flu pandemic which claimed the lives of 50 million people (click here). The Russian Revolution ended in 1923. A dictatorship or COMMITTEE following the revolution was placed in governance as the country recognized a single czar. The idea of a communist committee representing the people satisfied the populous unrest by the rebels which included the rebel known as Joseph Stalin.

As with many other issues of genocide it sometimes is viewed as a conflict or war. Certainly, the Baltic States under Clinton (click here) is a clear example of that. Below is the abstract to the paper that raises clear divergence of opinion by scholars. I think it is time to reconcil those opinions to a clear understanding of genocide or not. It most certainly appears to be a genocide that was carried out during WWII.

There can be such dynamics in a major war. The USA is mostly vigilant of that possiblity as witnessed by prosecution of the individuals that carried it out. That type of prosecution existed with Vietnam and Iraq.

Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide or Ukrainian-Polish Conflict? The Mass Murder of Poles by the OUN and the UPA in Volhynia1 

Ivan Katchanovski, Ph.D.

Paper prepared for presentation at the 19th Annual World Convention of the Association for the Study of Nationalities, Columbia University, New York, US, April 24-26, 2014. 

Draft

This paper analyzes the mass-murder of Poles in Volhynia (click here) in Western Ukraine during World War II. The mass murder of Poles by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Stepan Bandera faction of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN-B) during the Nazi occupation of Volhynia in 1943 became an important political issue in Poland and Ukraine after the collapse of communism. Previous studies by Polish, Ukrainian, and Western researchers offered different and often divergent theories of this historical event. It is often presented in Ukraine as a mutual Ukrainian-Polish conflict. In contrast, in Poland, the mass murder of Poles in Volhynia is often characterized as genocide. A research question is whether this was a Ukrainian-Polish conflict, ethnic cleansing or genocide. This study analyzes a variety of archival documents, historical studies, and eyewitness accounts. It offers an estimate of Polish casualties derived from analysis of OUN-UPA, Polish, and Soviet, and sources and demographic data. This study concludes that the mass murder of the Polish minority in Volhynia by the OUN-B, the UPA, and their security service (SB) represented not a mutual Ukrainian-Polish conflict or genocide of Poles but that it was a part of ethnic cleansing. 

The reason I decided to bring this to the blog is because Russia has amassed a large number of troops at the borders of the Post-Soviet States. It along with Belrus has begun a humanitarian crisis at the feet of Western Democracy to use as a propaganda tool. This strategy by the communists is a clear understanding of injecting still yet another unsettled ethnicity into the region.

If the Soviet Union carried out ethnic cleansing during WWII, that has to be viewed as a reason to bring about clarity to such dynamics at a time when the communists seem intent on rebuilding the Soviet Union and all it's human rights abuses.

In reporting about this region, there needs to be a clear understanding that the history of these lands is unsettling to say the least, that countries with smaller footprints than the USA or Russia carry heavy ethnic populations and that unification against human rights abuses is the focus and NOT DIVISION of people to facilitate hate and increased reasons for war.

Ukraine and the Maidam are clear indications that strong democracies emerge when given strong allies unified for one purpose of peace and the end of human suffering.

I might add, the 50 percent of Russian citizens now demanding democratic elections for their leaders must be preserved and fostered. Democracy will happen without divisions that bring about hatred and violence. Currently, the Russian elections are extremely corrupt with power players that imprison under the current court system. The Russian Duma has given permission for the corruption time and again.

Very Trumpian, conflating the truth. "Oh, this is so unfair."

The image from Thesaurus.com leaves out the word TRUTH.

Trumpian politics has a clear element of criminality. One thing Trump said very frequantly, was how life was treating him unfairly. This conflating of two separate events on opposite sides of the country is so much like the politics of Trump. Included in Trumpian politics is the idea that Trump appointed judges should be indulging "The Big Lie."

The rioters in Portland, Oregon in the summer of 2020 weren't attempting a coup of the 2020 elections. That should be very plain in the differences of the severity of the lawbreakers.

December 29, 2021
By Katelyn Polantz and Marshall Cohen

Two Trump-appointed federal judges (click here) have rejected claims from January 6 defendants that they're being treated unfairly, because of their conservative politics, compared with left-leaning rioters in Portland, Oregon, in the summer of 2020.

Judge Trevor McFadden on Tuesday became the second judge in two weeks to reject the comparisons, which are popular in right-wing circles, after his colleague in Washington, DC's, federal court Carl Nichols made a similar ruling last week.

McFadden and Nichols both said the US Capitol riot defendants' arguments didn't have enough evidence to show discrimination....

Harry Reid, a career dedicated to the USA and the people of Utah.

December 28, 2021
By Dennis Romboy

Former Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, (click here) one of the highest-ranking Latter-day Saint elected officials during his long tenure in office, died Tuesday at age 82.

“I am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by our family, following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” his wife of 62 years, Landra, said in a statement.

“We are so proud of the legacy he leaves behind both on the national stage and his beloved Nevada. Harry was deeply touched to see his decades of service to Nevada honored in recent weeks with the re-naming of Las Vegas’ airport in his honor.”

Landra Reid described her husband as a devout family man and deeply loyal friend.

Reid, a Democrat, retired in January 2017 after five terms in the U.S. Senate, including eight years as majority leader and four as minority leader. He also served for years in the U.S. House before being elected to the Senate....

Tesla needs a new marketing department. A complete revamp of the information the public needs.

This is an easy fix. The cars have to be sold with an extended warranty. Apple customers have a relationship with the company because the phones touch on the privacy of life and they are expensive. Tesla needs to do the same thing. But, the current marketing department has to go. They have no clue what people are facing and aren't adapting to the reality of owning and driving a Tesla.

Elon Musk is a genius before his time. But, in all honesty, he is the best person to secure a zero greenhouse gas emission for Earth and it's people. Elon seems to me to be a man with a moral compass and passion for the path he takes.

This is a shame and more or less continues to prove the anger deep within the American people. It is an anger that stokes government opposition in an insurgency and it propagates outrageous demonstrations that seem to say, this is the wrong way. It is the wrong way to express frustration and anger, but, it is obviously a statement of the times we live in.

Steve Jobs knew one thing in his moral compass, if he wanted people to believe in his computers he needed to supply them with information, involvement and be willing to look at the weaknesses of the company's products and act to correct them.

It is why NASA exists to send out satellites and rovers and rockets to the beyond because to ask another human being to mount a gigantic rocket ship and ride it into the future without any notion as to safety and longevity is simply wrong and highly immoral and a human rights abuse. It is why the accidents that happened within NASA have long lived scares. They represent a moment in time when that moral compass took a jog off the path of promise of life and longevity.

I believe Elon Musk has that moral compass and is on the correct path. No different than great Greta Thurnberg. These people need to be as secure in their mission, moral compass and path they are on and that means people surrounding them that knows they are right.

Elon Musk is one of the people that is not surrounded by people that believe in his UNBLEMISHED mission. He needs to do better at the top of his companies to fill soon to be vacant seats with competent and compassionate people that care about the human condition in an age of perfection.

December 27, 2021
By Fred Smith

When Tesla Model S owner Tuomas Katainen (click here) brought his 2013 Tesla Model S to a shop with an error code, he was shocked to learn that the car required a $20,000 battery pack replacement. Used cars of his model year go for around $40,000 with functional batteries, but Katainen had no interest in recouping value. He had an interest in telling the shop that he was going to blow the car up....

I love the demolition people. They are great. It is a show to behold and no one could have done better. I think eneryone got the message.

And "Time" was absolutely correct. Musk is unmatched in his accomplishments in life and will lead this world in a direction of peace, moral content and prosperity. I don't doubt it for a minute regardless of all the naysayers.

He is highly influential in the very success he has had in his life. None of his companies are failures. And the moral content of his mission with his companies is clearly understood as a man of his generation. Earth is in trouble and we need to survive as human beings.

Elon Musk is the future of Wall Street and they need to get over themselves now.

Michigan COVID levels have been high.

I am not surprised the omicron variant is escalating quickly, very few people wear masks in public. They don’t want to. Just that simple.