There were only 86 Republicans who showed up for Zelenskyy's speech, and there were more than Fraternity Freddie Gaetz and Professional Juvenile Delinquent Boobert who were assholes. Marjorie Traitor Goon didn't show up, but earlier she tweeted that foreign aid is like American taxpayers being raped every day by their leaders. Truly, when it comes to what needs to be done with her, "if my thought dreams could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine."
Dec 22, 2022·edited Dec 22, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
No, Murdoch has no decency. Never did, never will. Wallows in the same cesspools as Trump , Putin, and their ilk. He's a traitor to democracy, another wasted product of Reagan's decade of the 80's. All about the dollar, nothing of substance.
This was a pleasure to read. The succinct depth on a wide array of topics is much appreciated. And some snark was certainly warranted. But mostly it delivered clear-eyed dissection of very serious events.
How DID Tuck come to be such an expert on strip club manager attire anyway? What a vile contrivance. And I wager Rupey has no decency. His motives for publishing may make Tuck's motives for shooting his mouth off seem pedestrian. Interesting Times.
Once again, Robert, thank you. How you read, assimilate and then write in such a clear way is truly awesome. You thought you were retiring - and yet you are putting out, daily, an amazing collection of information that all your readers value
I still bristle at the unholy union of Putin and Trump with Christian fundamentalists, (those folks who have packed the Supreme Court, y'know...anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-everyone but them) I love the irony that Zelensky is Jewish and this is Hanukah week.
So much to digest: I will just discuss taxes and relate it to the Insurrection.
"Let me see if I understand you correctly" is a term many of us use. In this case Trump has paid little or no Federal income taxes for years. I, a middle class citizen, still working into my golden years pays thousands of dollars in Federal taxes, not to mention my Social Security is subject to Federal taxes too. A former President, a self proclaimed billionaire, pays practically no taxes. And while occupying (using the word occupy) the White House spends millions of dollars of taxpayers money to pay his family, protect his family, live a lavish lifestyle, entertain heads of state, entertain bigots, and still has taxpayers paying to protect his billionaire lifestyle. (That be the Secret Service). The Insurrectionists, many of who most likely also pay Federal income taxes, tried to keep this leech in office on January 6. If this were the French Revolution Trump would have guillotined. This is so topsy turvy. The leech who is living off the people is being supported by a group of people who want him to continue his ripping off of them.
Optics are so important and tell a story that a thousand words could not capture. The picture of Zelenskyy standing in front of a joint Congress speaking in English and quoting Churchill reminded Americans of what real leadership and courage really looks like and it was refreshing. We need to compare this to the picture of Matt Gaetz in a rumpled suit ( the same age as Zelenskyy BTW) not paying attention and on his phone and the cowardly behavior of sitting Republicans failure and lack of courage to denounce and move away from the MAGA crazies. Zelenskyy was an epitome of a “ profile in courage “ , standing up to Putin and Russia and the Republicans party today is the exact opposite. Maybe Republicans will learn something from last evening but somehow I doubt it.
Dec 22, 2022·edited Dec 22, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Great edition of "Today's Edition" today! When I read the following paragraph, "The Ukrainian leader spoke with strength and confidence to a US Congress momentarily united by a man whose manifest courage melted partisan divides and galvanized the reluctant hearts and minds of wary politicians." In my mind, I immediately inserted this, "melted partisan divides [with a couple of notable, embarrassing, and pathetic examples]..." But, as you pointed out the absurdity of Gaetz and Boebert a few paragraphs later, I was relieved of that angst. Thank you, Robert!
That said, I want to admit that Zelenskyy brought me to tears during multiple parts of his speech. Despite his halting English, he was remarkably inspirational and showed just how intelligent and well thought out he is as a leader thrust on the world stage under the most challenging of circumstances.
Initially, I was skeptical of Ukraine: Too many Ukrainians welcomed the Nazis in 1941, and willingly did their bidding, particularly when It came to hunting down and killing Jews. (Not that such people did not exist in all of occupied Europe during WWII.). But the struggle against tyranny and the Russian invasion in 2014, and the heroism of this year, have presented a very different picture—and would have even if Ukrainians had not elected—overwhelmingly—a Jew to lead them. Truly, they are a heroic people.
Last night, Mr. Zelenskyy quoted FDR. He could also have quoted FDR’s great colleague, Winston Churchill: “Give us the tools and we shall finish the job.”
Dec 22, 2022·edited Dec 22, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
"At least it worked for me." Me, too!
The two ideas that most resonated with me: U.S. aid is not charity but an investment; don't think we're protected by the ocean. Democracy is not a one-country operation; it's aaallll of us.
Thank you for the side by side comparison of the versions of the Electoral Count Act and the proposed reform.
-->> "At long last, Mr. Murdoch, have you no decency?" <<-- And you, too, Mr Ferguson and Mr Santos and and and .....
The IRS is getting criticism for not auditing DT's tax returns. We need to put the blame where it belongs -- to the GOP and DT himself. The IRS is working with the same number of employees it had 50 years ago because their budget allocation from Congress has not kept up with the need. Especially under DT the IRS budget was cut so the IRS wouldn't have enough funds to audit the rich since those are complex tax returns. For my 2020 tax return I could not file online because one of the IRS forms (the Self Employment Tax) could not be used because the form did not fill in one line that was supposed to be calculated and filled in by the IRS. I reported that problem to them. So, while my tax return was filed on time and it took them three days to cash my check, the return itself wasn't processed for 11 months until April 2022. I was one taxpayer out of 2 million tax returns filing paper returns whose returns weren't processed for months and months. This cost me thousands of dollars since I couldn't refinance my mortgage to the very low rate then of 2.75% since the bank by Texas law I was told could not approve the mortgage without the current tax return. However, in my dealings with the IRS over the years I must say I was impressed with their telephone support people -- very polite, very knowledgeable, very helpful, and solved whatever issue I was calling about right then and there on the phone. I would much rather speak to the IRS than to customer support at any bank or most companies. For me they were a model of what customer support should be! So, I again blame the GOP and DT for any problems with the IRS. We, the People, all of us this time.
A beautiful essay -- thank you so much, Robert. As for Tucker and many Republicans in Congress, I have zero doubt that they are receiving laundered rubles for their service. Remember when the NRA did that? (They probably still are.)
Dec 22, 2022·edited Dec 22, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Thank you, Robert, for showing/explaining how the Electoral Count Reform Act amends the existing Election Count Act. Now I understand the significance. I know my congressional representative, Salud Carbajal (D), supports the Reform Act. I do hope that the Omnibus legislation with the ECRA passes this week.
Also, there is absolutely no comparison between man-boy Tucker Carlson and Volodymyr Zelenskyy - one speaks to the entire free world while the other speaks to close-minded semi-fascists wishing they were all authoritarian plutocrats.
Great report as always—the cravenness of Carlson,Gaetz, and Boebert and the simple dignity of Zelensky. The clown show is nearing its end, one hopes.
Sorry, Tucker...I stand with that tiny elderly woman with sunflower seeds in her pockets ready for planting in Ukraine.
There were only 86 Republicans who showed up for Zelenskyy's speech, and there were more than Fraternity Freddie Gaetz and Professional Juvenile Delinquent Boobert who were assholes. Marjorie Traitor Goon didn't show up, but earlier she tweeted that foreign aid is like American taxpayers being raped every day by their leaders. Truly, when it comes to what needs to be done with her, "if my thought dreams could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine."
No, Murdoch has no decency. Never did, never will. Wallows in the same cesspools as Trump , Putin, and their ilk. He's a traitor to democracy, another wasted product of Reagan's decade of the 80's. All about the dollar, nothing of substance.
Not that that's "breaking news" for anyone. :-)
This was a pleasure to read. The succinct depth on a wide array of topics is much appreciated. And some snark was certainly warranted. But mostly it delivered clear-eyed dissection of very serious events.
How DID Tuck come to be such an expert on strip club manager attire anyway? What a vile contrivance. And I wager Rupey has no decency. His motives for publishing may make Tuck's motives for shooting his mouth off seem pedestrian. Interesting Times.
Once again, Robert, thank you. How you read, assimilate and then write in such a clear way is truly awesome. You thought you were retiring - and yet you are putting out, daily, an amazing collection of information that all your readers value
I still bristle at the unholy union of Putin and Trump with Christian fundamentalists, (those folks who have packed the Supreme Court, y'know...anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-everyone but them) I love the irony that Zelensky is Jewish and this is Hanukah week.
So much to digest: I will just discuss taxes and relate it to the Insurrection.
"Let me see if I understand you correctly" is a term many of us use. In this case Trump has paid little or no Federal income taxes for years. I, a middle class citizen, still working into my golden years pays thousands of dollars in Federal taxes, not to mention my Social Security is subject to Federal taxes too. A former President, a self proclaimed billionaire, pays practically no taxes. And while occupying (using the word occupy) the White House spends millions of dollars of taxpayers money to pay his family, protect his family, live a lavish lifestyle, entertain heads of state, entertain bigots, and still has taxpayers paying to protect his billionaire lifestyle. (That be the Secret Service). The Insurrectionists, many of who most likely also pay Federal income taxes, tried to keep this leech in office on January 6. If this were the French Revolution Trump would have guillotined. This is so topsy turvy. The leech who is living off the people is being supported by a group of people who want him to continue his ripping off of them.
Optics are so important and tell a story that a thousand words could not capture. The picture of Zelenskyy standing in front of a joint Congress speaking in English and quoting Churchill reminded Americans of what real leadership and courage really looks like and it was refreshing. We need to compare this to the picture of Matt Gaetz in a rumpled suit ( the same age as Zelenskyy BTW) not paying attention and on his phone and the cowardly behavior of sitting Republicans failure and lack of courage to denounce and move away from the MAGA crazies. Zelenskyy was an epitome of a “ profile in courage “ , standing up to Putin and Russia and the Republicans party today is the exact opposite. Maybe Republicans will learn something from last evening but somehow I doubt it.
Great edition of "Today's Edition" today! When I read the following paragraph, "The Ukrainian leader spoke with strength and confidence to a US Congress momentarily united by a man whose manifest courage melted partisan divides and galvanized the reluctant hearts and minds of wary politicians." In my mind, I immediately inserted this, "melted partisan divides [with a couple of notable, embarrassing, and pathetic examples]..." But, as you pointed out the absurdity of Gaetz and Boebert a few paragraphs later, I was relieved of that angst. Thank you, Robert!
That said, I want to admit that Zelenskyy brought me to tears during multiple parts of his speech. Despite his halting English, he was remarkably inspirational and showed just how intelligent and well thought out he is as a leader thrust on the world stage under the most challenging of circumstances.
Slava Ukraini!
Initially, I was skeptical of Ukraine: Too many Ukrainians welcomed the Nazis in 1941, and willingly did their bidding, particularly when It came to hunting down and killing Jews. (Not that such people did not exist in all of occupied Europe during WWII.). But the struggle against tyranny and the Russian invasion in 2014, and the heroism of this year, have presented a very different picture—and would have even if Ukrainians had not elected—overwhelmingly—a Jew to lead them. Truly, they are a heroic people.
Last night, Mr. Zelenskyy quoted FDR. He could also have quoted FDR’s great colleague, Winston Churchill: “Give us the tools and we shall finish the job.”
Thank you for regularly providing links to relevant sources.
"At least it worked for me." Me, too!
The two ideas that most resonated with me: U.S. aid is not charity but an investment; don't think we're protected by the ocean. Democracy is not a one-country operation; it's aaallll of us.
Thank you for the side by side comparison of the versions of the Electoral Count Act and the proposed reform.
-->> "At long last, Mr. Murdoch, have you no decency?" <<-- And you, too, Mr Ferguson and Mr Santos and and and .....
Whoa! Just read Thom Hartmann's post from yesterday in which he wrote of the 1994 "Budapest Memorandum" regarding Ukraine's decommissioning of nuclear weapons with US, UK, and Russia promising "to never attack Ukraine, and to defend its borders if anybody else did." Never knew of this, although knew about Ukraine giving up its nuclear arsenal. https://hartmannreport.com/p/will-america-keep-our-word-to-ukraine?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share
The IRS is getting criticism for not auditing DT's tax returns. We need to put the blame where it belongs -- to the GOP and DT himself. The IRS is working with the same number of employees it had 50 years ago because their budget allocation from Congress has not kept up with the need. Especially under DT the IRS budget was cut so the IRS wouldn't have enough funds to audit the rich since those are complex tax returns. For my 2020 tax return I could not file online because one of the IRS forms (the Self Employment Tax) could not be used because the form did not fill in one line that was supposed to be calculated and filled in by the IRS. I reported that problem to them. So, while my tax return was filed on time and it took them three days to cash my check, the return itself wasn't processed for 11 months until April 2022. I was one taxpayer out of 2 million tax returns filing paper returns whose returns weren't processed for months and months. This cost me thousands of dollars since I couldn't refinance my mortgage to the very low rate then of 2.75% since the bank by Texas law I was told could not approve the mortgage without the current tax return. However, in my dealings with the IRS over the years I must say I was impressed with their telephone support people -- very polite, very knowledgeable, very helpful, and solved whatever issue I was calling about right then and there on the phone. I would much rather speak to the IRS than to customer support at any bank or most companies. For me they were a model of what customer support should be! So, I again blame the GOP and DT for any problems with the IRS. We, the People, all of us this time.
A beautiful essay -- thank you so much, Robert. As for Tucker and many Republicans in Congress, I have zero doubt that they are receiving laundered rubles for their service. Remember when the NRA did that? (They probably still are.)
Thank you, Robert, for showing/explaining how the Electoral Count Reform Act amends the existing Election Count Act. Now I understand the significance. I know my congressional representative, Salud Carbajal (D), supports the Reform Act. I do hope that the Omnibus legislation with the ECRA passes this week.
Also, there is absolutely no comparison between man-boy Tucker Carlson and Volodymyr Zelenskyy - one speaks to the entire free world while the other speaks to close-minded semi-fascists wishing they were all authoritarian plutocrats.