Stephen Shaiken's Blog, page 4
July 16, 2023
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July 15, 2023
July 6, 2023
June 27, 2023
A GREAT INTERVIEW ABOUT QUEENSBOROUGH ROCK
Another podcast interview about this rock ‘n’ roll novel! Covers a lot of NYC territory from the late sixties and early seventies.
June 25, 2023
IRONY: IS IT RUSSIA THAT’S FALLING APART?
Image courtesy of pixabay.com When Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began a little more than a year ago, the pundits predicted that unless Ukraine acceded to all of Russia’s territorial demands, the nation would be invaded and dissolved, grafted onto Russia as was Crimea.
Didn’t quite work out that way, did it? As of this moment, Russia is in the grips of a form of civil war, where one set of armed forces-the mercenary Wagner Group- is directly pitted against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The Wagner group was the main fighting force in view of the near-collapse of the regular military. There has been actual fighting between the two groups inside Mother Russia. Vladimir Putin is reliably reported to have fled the capital of Moscow when the Wagner Group was advancing on the city.
Russia’s Forces in Ukraine Have Been Weakened Beyond Repair
It is generous to say the Russian military has performed subpar. Every knowledgeable authority has weighed in with the opinion that the Russian forces are the worst example of a so-called superpower. They began their invasion with massive superiority in equipment, combatants, and an infrastructure capable of supplying an army. The Ukraine suffered from supposedly inexperienced military leaders, an untested young President, and a sorry dearth of equipment and other supplies. At least that’s how it looked.
When the Russians invaded, they learned the mistruths the world had believed. The purported superiority of equipment failed to take into account incompetent training and maintenance. The superiority in numbers did not account for the lack of training or desire by most russian troops.
We quickly learned that Ukraine did better with its aging weaponry and aircraft than Russia did with the newest items. We saw that Ukraine, whose troops had been fighting Russians for eight years. had many skilled and battle-ready troops willing to die for their country.
Zelensky is a Hero and Putin is a Pariah
President Zelensky captured the hearts and minds of the West and its allies, and has received the training, equipment, and economic and diplomatic support needed for the struggle. Putin, on the other hand, is the object of numerous economic sanctions and has been criminally indicted for kidnapping children from Ukraine and transporting them to Russia.
From this point on, as world leaders have stated, Ukraine will receive all the assistance and equipment they need, including F-16 fighter jets. Russia’s dwindling band of allies willing to break the sanctions are going to have to rethink their positions. China is experiencing economic and political turmoil and needs the West to improve. (China may now think twice or thrice before planning to invade Taiwan.) India has been bailing out Putin by buying Russian oil; Modi was just feted with a state dinner in DC, and watches Putin hiding from the Wagner Group; which way do you think he will turn?
What Happens Next in Russia?
One thing is certain: without the Wagner Group fighting with them, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation face annihilation at the hands of a better-armed, better trained, and highly motivated Ukraine.
Putin began the war by denying the existence of Ukraine as a nation or culture. He vowed to destroy any such notion by forcibly incorporating the entire nation into Russia and “Russifying” it by language, religion and culture.
Right now Russia is in serious danger of not only losing what they stole in Crimea and elsewhere, but actually seeing Ukrainian troops enter Russia proper. If you think Putin’s hold on power is starting to look rather tenuous, wait and see how something like that plays out within Russia.
Right now, Ukraine’s future looks as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar and as sunny as good day here in Tampa, Florida. Russia can only slog on so much longer before their military completely collapses. Putin is going to have to come up with some way to extract himself from this horrific disaster and manage to remain in power and avoid the criminal prosecution in the Hague.
Not too bright a future for a thug who was going to dismantle another nation. His departure will be the best thing to happen to Russia since the fall of communism.
A great opportunity for Russia to take advantage of the freedom it gained when it overthrew communism over thirty years ago. Putin hasn’t been any better.
A “new” Russia would start by immediately ending the war they started. Then they can work on the internal reforms needed to turn them from a despotic oligarchy into an actual nation.
STAND WITH UKRAINE
June 13, 2023
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE AMERICAN ATHEISTS!
I was a stamp collector when younger and still have an interest. I notice that the U.S. has issued stamps honoring holidays of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and a few Catholic saints as well. There’s nothing per se wrong with the nation paying tribute to the different strands that created the American tapestry, but why leave out atheists? (I am not an atheist; I call myself an agnostic but spiritual person.) As far as I can tell, the only atheist honored with a stamp has been Tom Paine back in 1968, and that was with a 40 cents stamp hardly anyone used. How about a Forever stamp series honoring other atheists?
Atheists have challenged superstition and ignorance and have expanded the field of science, art and philosophy. Like people of faith, they fought and died for America. They have served in every kind of government post. (And we know that despite their claims to the contrary, several U.S Presidents and governors and numerous legislators really had no real faith at all.) Atheists have started no violent hate groups, have never bombed a clinic offering choices to women, don’t push anti scientific nonsense that is often dangerous, and are happy to let people believe whatever they wish so long as they stay out of everyone else’s private spaces. And they never, ever tell people like me we are doomed to hell because we don’t buy into their idiocy.
Atheists brought the case that led the Supreme Court to ban mandatory prayer in schools. (As a non-Christian forced to sit through readings from the St. James Bible until freed by the Court, I am eternally grateful to the atheists and the Supreme Court for sparing other non-Christian children the same torment.)
So let’s hear it for the American atheists!
And let’s put many more of them on our stamps!
Portrait of tom Paine by Laurent Dabos, circa 1791. Cortesy National Portrait Gallery.
June 10, 2023
JORDAN PETERSON SHOULD FOLLOW HIS OWN ADVICE
Photo from Jordan Peterson Fan Page on FB Talk about chutzpah, or to say it another way, it’s like the pot calling the kettle black or people living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Mr. Peterson disappeared for years while supposedly fighting pain pill addiction in Serbia. He them popped up in Belfast, which he fled when police wanted to interview him about the suicide of a young boy who had a text message from Peterson. Now he’s embroiled in a license revocation fight in Ontario, where authorities want to pull his psychology license over unscientific and hateful anti gay and anti trans rants he’s issued.
If anyone needs to follow this advice, it’s Peterson!
This blog has covered Peterson for years, and those posts are among the most popular. Check out: EXPOSING JORDAN PETERSON, PSEUDO-INTELLECT SUPREME OF THE FAR RIGHT AND WHITE NATIONALISTS, the first post on this icon of far-right extremists. If it tickles your fancy, take a look at JORDAN PETERSON: THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING. If you’re still game, don’t miss JORDAN PETERSON: STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, or JORDAN PETERSON THROWN OFF TWITTER FOR ANTI-TRANS HATE RANT. For more on his struggle to keep his license, check outJORDAN PETERSON MAY LOSE PSYCHOLOGY LICENSE
June 9, 2023
RUNNING WHILE UNDER INDICTMENT
As long as a candidate meets the Constitutional requirements of citizen at birth, at least age 35, and not from the same state as the VP nominee, they can run in any state where they qualify for the ballot. (Major parties are automatically on the ballot.)
We’ve actually had people run while in prison. Eldridge Cleaver ran in 1968 and Eugene Debs ran in 1920 while serving a prison term for urging draft resistance in WWI. (In an interesting footnote, Debs, the Socialist, was prosecuted by the Democratic Administration of Woodrow Wilson, but his sentence was commuted by Republican President Warren G. Harding.)
The real question is how will the disgraced former President manage his campaign while under the microscopic control of anywhere from two to four criminal court judges and one civil court judge? (He’s already indicted in NY State and in federal court in Miami; expect indictments in the Georgia courts and the federal court in DC. There may be other criminal investigations in Michigan and Arizona. He also foolishly bought himself another civil suit when he repeated the lies that led to a five million dollar judgment against him for sexual battery and defamation.) These judges can order Trump to appear in court when they want him there they can set trials without regard to a campaign, they can punish Trump if he violates their orders, and of course, can sentence him if convicted of crimes.
Rest assured Trump will be ordered in every case to keep his mouth shut about the case and say nothing that might prejudice a jury pool or might appear to be witness intimidation. Will he be able to restrain himself as opponents like Chris Christie and Mike Pence go over every detail of the criminal charges and argue they make Trump unfit for office? They’ll be punching Trump on this day by day and he’ll have to sit there and take it or risk going to jail. That’s a volcano waiting to erupt.
In addition to the time and stress of facing multiple criminal indictments, there is also the cost. A first-class defense on all of these difficult cases will not be cheap. Legal fees alone in each one of the cases will run in the millions, and that’s before adding in investigators and experts. Will the usual big donors want to spend money on that, and will the cost of defense eat into the cost of campaigning?
I doubt whether any of this will move the hard core MAGA nut cases; they are a cult taking orders from their guru, Donald Trump. But not every potential Trump voter is that far gone, and there are Republicans who understand that Trump actually did all the things of which he is accused. Republicans who didn’t care about the sex charges may not be so forgiving when it comes to national security, election fraud, or insurrection. Others may simply grasp that a person under such a barrage of charges can’t be innocent of all of them, at least won’t beat all of them, and America needs to move on. If they had a viable alternative who wasn’t an angry, delusional authoritarian racist, one who could unite the different streams on non-Trump supporters, they might have a chance in the Presidential election. I don’t see any of the non-Trump candidates fitting that role, aside from Chris Christie, who let us say has his work cut out for him. Looks like as of now, the GOP is intent on committing political suicide next year.
And looks certain that sooner or later, Donald Trump goEs to the Big House, not the White House.
Photo courtesy of Yahoo News and USA Today
June 8, 2023
PRAYER DOES NOT WORK
We already know that prayers have absolutely no impact on preventing gun violence. After every firearm massacre, the usual scrum of right-wing politicians declare they are praying for the victims and to end the violence, but it keeps getting worse. Whatever might be the solution to the horrific spate of gun violence we are seeing, prayer is absolutely not one of the possibilities. I’m a long-time agnostic; I long ago determined it is impossible to either prove or disprove the existence of a Supreme Being, and so I’m not going to spend a lot of time thinking about it. It also became quite clear to me long ago that no one, and I mean no one, has the vaguest idea of what happens to us when we die. (Though this hasn’t stopped charlatans from preaching the most incredible b.s. imaginable.) But if others wish to pray, let them pray away to their heart’s content, fully exercising their First Amendment right to hold any religious views they wish in private. But let’s make it perfectly clear that prayer is no substitute for science and medicine or serious action to protect people against violence. (Note: being agnostic does not mean I don’t have a spiritual side. Indeed, being free from superstition and ignorance opens the door to very broad spiritual paths, within my own Judaism and other wise traditions.)
When politicians respond to tragedy solely with prayer, what they’re really doing is telling the rest of us to f**k off. You can read the report here:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2802370/…. Like Comment Share Write a comment… People
