February 6, 2022
Helene Cooper & David Sanger of the New York Times: "Senior Biden administration officials told lawmakers this past week that they believed the Russian military had assembled 70 percent of the forces it would need to mount a full invasion of Ukraine, painting the most ominous picture yet of the options that Russia's president, Vladimir V. Putin, has created for himself in recent weeks. During six hours of closed meetings with House and Senate lawmakers on Thursday, the officials warned that if Mr. Putin chose the most aggressive of his options, he could quickly surround or capture Kyiv, the capital, and remove the country's democratically elected president, Volodymyr Zelensky. They also warned that the invasion could prompt an enormous refugee crisis on the European continent, sending millions fleeing." ~~~
~~~ Rachel Pannett, et al., of the Washington Post: "Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations has dismissed new U.S. military and intelligence assessments on a potential Russian invasion as alarmist, likening the reports -- which estimated Russia could seize Kyiv in days and leave up to 50,000 civilians killed or wounded -- to Moscow foreshadowing an attack by Washington on London. 'Madness and scaremongering continues.... what if we would say that US could seize London in a week and cause 300K civilian deaths?' Dmitry Polyanskiy tweeted Sunday."
** The Great American Criminal Investigation. Michael Schmidt & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House select committee scrutinizing the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol is borrowing techniques from federal prosecutions, employing aggressive tactics typically used against mobsters and terrorists as it seeks to break through stonewalling from... Donald J. Trump and his allies and develop evidence that could prompt a criminal case. In what its members see as the best opportunity to hold Mr. Trump and his team accountable, the committee -- which has no authority to pursue criminal charges -- is using what powers it has in expansive ways in hopes of pressuring Attorney General Merrick B. Garland to use the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute them." Former federal prosecutors are running the investigation. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ashley Parker, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump tore up briefings and schedules, articles and letters, memos both sensitive and mundane.... Interviews with 11 former Trump staffers, associates, and others ... reveal that Trump's shredding of paper was far more widespread and indiscriminate than previously known and -- despite multiple admonishments -- extended throughout his presidency, resulting in special practices to deal with the torn fragments.... The ripping was so relentless that Trump's team implemented a set of protocols to try to ensure that Trump was abiding by the Presidential Records Act. Typically, aides ... would come in behind Trump to retrieve the piles of torn paper he left in his wake.... Then, staffers from the White House Office of Records Management were generally responsible for jigsawing the documents back together, using clear tape.... One senior Trump White House official said he and other White House staffers frequently put documents into 'burn bags' to be destroyed, rather than preserving them, and would decide themselves what should be saved and what should be burned."(Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
If you'd like to see more of what the Republican party believes comprises "legitimate political discourse," CNN aired new LPD video which the House January 6 committee has just released. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Caroline Vakil of the Hill: "Former President Trump responded to former Vice President Mike Pence's remarks that he did not have the authority to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. 'Just saw Mike Pence's statement on the fact that he had no right to do anything with respect to the Electoral Vote Count, other than being an automatic conveyor belt for the Old Crow Mitch McConnell to get Biden elected' President as quickly as possible, Trump said in a statement through his Save America PAC late Friday night. 'Well, the Vice President's position is not an automatic conveyor if obvious signs of voter fraud or irregularities exist.'... Trump's remarks against Pence were uncharacteristically measured, avoiding a more harsh criticism of his former vice president." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Not Just a Covid Denier, But a Racist, Too. Ben Sisario of the New York Times: "As pressure has intensified on Spotify and its star podcaster Joe Rogan, listeners reported that the company had quietly removed dozens of episodes of his show, while Rogan apologized early Saturday for his use of a racial slur in past episodes. In an Instagram video, Rogan -- whose talk show, 'The Joe Rogan Experience,' is Spotify's most popular podcast, and has been available there exclusively for more than a year -- addressed what he called 'the most regretful and shameful thing that I've ever had to talk about publicly.' A compilation video showed Rogan using the slur numerous times in past episodes of his show...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ In case you were wondering just what "racial slur" Rogan used ~~~
~~~ Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Joe Rogan apologized Saturday for the many previous instances in which the host used the n-word on his Spotify podcast." Just to clarify, Rogan said "he never used the n-word 'to be racist because, I'm not racist.'" MB: Good to know, Joe. The AP's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Heart of Darkness. Contributor RAS adds (in yesterday's Comments), "Rogan's apology might be more believable if it wasn't just a week ago he was telling people who is really Black and who is not. His criteria is that only people from the 'darkest place' in Africa are actually Black. Race doesn't exist, so he can't be racist." MB: I would add that Rogan's concept of what it means to be Black is even more restricted: "like 100% African from the darkest place where they are not wearing any clothes all day and they've developed all that melanin to protect them from the sun." (See link.) Maybe instead of dismissing Rogan as a "stupid racist," we should be a little more charitable & recognize that he is a racist because he is very, very stupid.
Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: "Delta Air Lines has asked the Justice Department to help set up a national 'no-fly' list of unruly passengers that would bar them from boarding any commercial air carrier, amid a surge in 'air rage' incidents during the pandemic. In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, the Atlanta-based company's chief executive, Edward H. Bastian, said such a list would reduce the number of future incidents involving disruptive passengers. It also would 'serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not complying with crew member instructions,' he wrote." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here: "A trucker-led protest against pandemic measures that has paralyzed Canada's capital for a week was expected to expand on Saturday with the arrival of hundreds more trucks in Ottawa. Police forces and officials in Toronto, Canada's largest city, and Quebec City, that province's capital, braced for similar demonstrations. What began as a convoy of trucks and cars that set out from the province of British Columbia to protest a vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers has grown into a general protest against pandemic restrictions and a range of other political causes, including opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau." (Also linked yesterday.)
Canada. Nick Boisvert of CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) News: "The crowdfunding platform GoFundMe says it will stop payments to the organizers of Freedom Convoy 2022 and refund donors directly because the protest violates its rules on violence and harassment. The company announced its decision in a blog post on Friday evening, just two days after it froze disbursements of the fund.... Participants in the demonstration have displayed symbols of hate, including the Confederate flag and swastikas, while protesting.... Organizers of the protest were dealt another blow on Friday evening in the form of a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Ottawa residents who live near the protest. The statement of claim accuses the organizers of the protest of causing significant harm to residents due to their use of loud truck horns for '12 to 16 hours' daily." ~~~
~~~ Famous U.S. Statesman Intervenes to Smoothe Things Over. Brooklyn Neustaeter of CTV News: "... Donald Trump has issued a statement criticizing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over vaccine mandates and expressing support for the trucker convoy protests happening across Canada.... 'The Freedom Convoy is peacefully protesting the harsh policies of far left lunatic Justin Trudeau who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates,' Trump said.... 'Facebook is canceling the accounts of Freedom Convoy USA, and GoFundMe is denying access to funds that belong to the Freedom Convoy. This is unacceptable and extremely dangerous in any country that values free expression,' the statement read."
Way Beyond the Beltway
Morocco. Vivian Yee, et al., of the New York Times: "A Moroccan boy trapped in a well for four days did not survive, Moroccan state-run media reported after rescuers pulled out his body on Saturday. The reports carried a statement from the royal court which said the king of Morocco called the boy's parents to express his condolences." (Also linked yesterday.)
U.K. Queen Camilla. Caroline Davies of the Guardian: "The Queen has expressed her 'sincere wish' that the Duchess of Cornwall becomes Queen Consort when Charles becomes king. In a candid message marking the 70th anniversary of her accession, the monarch made clear her desire, unambiguously paving the way for Queen Camilla. When the duchess married the Prince of Wales in 2005, it was made clear by Clarence House that she would carry the title of HRH The Princess Consort. It has long been speculated that this was a title of convenience at a time when the duchess was seen to be less popular in the polls, due to her relationship with Charles when he was married to Diana, Princess of Wales. Charles is understood to have long harboured a firm desire his wife should carry the title of Queen Consort, and be thus crowned and anointed, when he becomes king. The Queen made clear she supported this in a written message released on Saturday before Sunday's Accession Day. In it, the Queen thanked the nation for the 'loyalty and affection' she had received over her long reign." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: If photos accompanying stories about Elizabeth's Queen Consort decision (like this one in the New York Times) are any indication, the Queen made her decision based entirely on Camilla's willingness to wear hats as silly as Elizabeth's.
News Ledes
The New York Times' live updates of Olympics events are here. The Washington Post's highlights blog is here. CNN's live updates are here.
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Reader Comments (13)
On Whoopi Goldberg's comments & the origins of racism: by Jamelle Bouie:
He begins by saying he usually stays away from hot--button cultural controversies––-BUT–-"there's been some great commentary on it." And so he gives us this which indeed, is pretty great. I will add that I agree with Adam Serwer who is featured here–--that Whoopi's comments were not an act of antisemitism but a gross misunderstanding (Serwer uses the word "ignorance")
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/05/opinion/whoopi-goldberg-race-history.html
And––since it's Sunday here are some comments from Michael Ignatieff and Isaiah Berlin:
"We are the only species with needs that exceed our grasp––needs that for metaphysical consolation and explanation." MI
As for the meaning of life, I do not believe that it has any. I do not at all ask what it is, but I suspect it has none and this is a source of great comfort for me. We make of it what we can and that is all there is about it." IB
Have always looked forward to our trips to the beautiful country occupied by our northern neighbors and have missed them these last years as Covid closed the Canadian border.
There has always been a romance to those trips. Once past the overbuilt glut of Vancouver, the country opens up and one feels he can travel forever into a land of mountains, lakes and open, unspoiled country, getting a better sense of what the world was like before obliterated by the thoughtless march of human footprints...
And when we did meet people, we were often impressed by their politeness, their warmth and generosity, their respect for education, and their civilized sense that while they might question the excesses of their own southern neighbor, we were still brothers at heart.
Guess we didn't meet too many of those truckers.
Canada, our conveniently located trading partner, has for years been emptying itself, shipping its vast resources across the border--its minerals, entire forests--to satisfy our unending appetite for stuff.
Often wondered what they got out of the exchange.
Seems, though, that trade is indeed a two way street.
We've been taking their natural resources and sending them crazies in return.
@PD Pepe: Thanks for sharing those thoughts. Interesting how Isaiah Berlin, who thought there was no "meaning of life," gave a lot of meaning to his own life. I guess he "made of life what he could."
The other day, I watched the film "Munich: the Edge of War," based on a novel Munich by Robert Harris, about Neville Chamberlain's futile attempt to make "peace in our time" with Hitler. In one scene, set on the eve of the signing of an agreement between the two leaders, a young German character, who has plans to kill Hitler, is talking to his British friend, who is Chamberlain's (fictional) secretary. The secretary says that while he agrees the agreement is probably futile and at best will buy time (which turned out to be a good thing, as it gave Britain a chance to build up its military), all they really could do was hope for the best. No, said the German, “Hoping is waiting for someone else to do it.”
I'd never thought of hope as a negative, but there's something to what the character said.
Marie: Yes, we saw same film and thought it quite good and yes, thinking of hope as a negative–-interesting.
The mister just sent me this: List of capital Breach cases re: Jan 6th from the attorney's office in the District of Columbia.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases
PD and Marie,
The quote from Berlin (one of my longstanding touchstones) regarding the meaning of life brought to mind the last days of the famous (or infamous, if you’re of a religious bent) Scottish skeptic, David Hume. As death approached in the summer of 1776, a morbid curiosity as to his final days engendered the fervent hope that this man who held that it was difficult to believe in god or in an afterlife, would run screaming to the nearest church and beg forgiveness for his horrible ideas, in a last ditch effort to save his immortal soul from the fiery pit.
What did Hume do?
He played cards. Made jokes. Told funny stories. He was content and serene. When Johnson’s biographer, Boswell, visited, it was in the hope of getting Hume to recant so as not to piss off god. Fat chance. He was really there to see if Hume would knuckle under at the end. Had he bothered to read any of Hume’s writings, he would have known that he didn’t believe in an immortal soul, at least not the way Christians did. If we have an immortal soul, he once wrote, it has nothing to do with me or my life. If it is truly immortal then it was here before I was born and it will be somewhere after my death, it will float off and do something else, but I won’t be part of that something else.
His idea of the meaning of life was more about what we mean to ourselves and to others. He wasn’t a fan of the current vogue for rationality at the expense of all else. He had seen that, too often, people rationalize from rather than to a conclusion. He was most concerned with how we can learn to live a good life, which means being a good, decent, sympathetic person. He famously pointed out that learning to read data points and make “rational” conclusions doesn’t make someone a good, kind, or benevolent person, in fact, one can be completely rational and still be an asshole.
So, at the end, he wasn’t as concerned about the meaning of life as he was about whether or not he had lived a good one, and not because he feared punishment in the afterlife (he once wrote that belief in a god who punishes those for not obeying him is beastly), but because it’s the right thing to do.
Thanks PD for the article capitol-breach-cases. There seems to be a
disproportionate number of Texans but I found no family names.
I'm sure they were all too busy praying and only one relative that I
know of has ever left the state.
Thanks, people of grace and empathy, for your views on immortality or not-- I used to be an agnostic type of Unitarian Universalist, and now I think I am probably an atheist, as who in the world can fully believe in a deity of strength who allows us all to run things so badly? Around here, the obit pages (still a lot of 'em) are full of people who are resting "in the arms of Jesus," meeting their saviors, looking forward to seeing their loved ones in the afterlife, "entering into rest" and any number of crazy euphemisms or whatever they make up, and it doesn't seem comforting. I think that the only reason people "live on" is through memories and shaping of parent to child, either positive or negative, and influence by outsize forces. Hume sounds delightful. My children have all suffered at the hands of "well-meaning" Christians trying to save their souls. I'm not even sure that "real" Christians even exist anymore. It seems to me that it is all a sham or a con. Today I was out for a walk and a house I have walked past dozens of times was bought by someone from Texas. Two weeks ago he cut down all the large trees (one a unique Princess tree--)and today I note his black pickup has a new sticker: Trump 2024. Figures.
Also, an "Audit PA" group says they have "evidence" of massive fraud in the 2020 election, but they refuse to let anyone see the "data." It goes on and on. Jesus would not recognize these morons...
AK: Thanks for that. As for me, I would have liked to have played cards with Hume any day of the week but especially THAT day.
My father, Irish to the core, left the church behind when he left his super religious –-Catholic, of course–- home to enter university studies. He refused to talk about his abandonment but prior to his death my mother asked him if he wanted a priest to give him the last rites–- his answer: " you better–-my sisters will slaughter you if you don't. plus it will give a priest something to do."
Jeanne,
As someone who lives in the Bible Belt, I can appreciate your apprehension about religion. Myself, I grew up in an old time Irish-Catholic household. I was an altar boy and sang in the choir as a kid (I met a guy there with whom I started my first rock band in the 6th grade, so there’s that). My initial exposure to (and love of) Latin came from my experience with the Mass as an altar boy.
My mother, who was very religious (but not slavishly so, she was, after all, a tough minded Irish lady who didn’t take shit from anyone, priests and nuns included), benefitted greatly, I think from her beliefs. We went through a lot of hard times and her religion sustained her. I don’t begrudge anyone that kind of sustenance. My mum took seriously the idea that we should look after one another and never beat on people who don’t believe what we do.
This approach has changed dramatically in my lifetime. While religion has always been used as a club to beat down others, that instinct has become the guiding principle for far too many. I have to work hard to try to separate religious feeling from the way the power of organized religion has been co-opted for political purposes.
Plenty of religious people, I’m sure, are decent and well meaning. But there is a huge number who use religion to attack those they fear and hate.
As for belief in god, at this point I’d have to say I’m agnostic about the whole thing. I don’t have enough information either way. I can’t say for sure that god, or some kind of similar being, doesn’t exist, but I am extremely skeptical of a being who is all powerful, all knowing, and all loving, who demands we all hippity hop at the barber shop whenever he sez so, or we all go to hell. I mean, what the fuck? If I were all powerful, would I need (or want) a numbnuts like TuKKKer KKKarlson jabbering on about me? I’d be reaching for the frickin’ thunderbolts.
Anyway, I think spirituality has an important place in our lives, but that’s a personal thing not born of organized religious rules that say who does what, when, for how long, and to whom.
It’s a comforting thing for many who believe in a god who is up there watching over them, and as long as they keep that to themselves, good luck to all of them.
But that ain’t what’s happening.
More later…
Guardian has an article about some of the troubles going on at the Olympics.
"On the eve of the Winter Olympics, China promised the world a “streamlined, safe and most splendid” Games. But just two days into the event organisers are facing a litany of complaints from athletes and countries on multiple fronts.
The Swedes have suggested that the conditions in the mountains are perilously cold. A Polish skater says she was living in fear in a Beijing isolation ward and has “cried until I have no more tears”. The Finns have claimed an ice hockey player is being kept in Covid quarantine for no reason. And the Germans? They are frustrated that there is no hot food at the downhill skiing."
@RAS: Fine comment, but I did an Emily Litella on it: I read, "The Swedes have suggested that the condiments in the mountains are perilously cold." Ketchup too cold? Might the mayonnaise freeze? Oh. Never mind.
Our daughter visited China in 2008 just before the Olympics. The signage was awful…the people unhelpful…very few English speakers even in hotels… I have no desire to ever visit there and it sounds unwelcoming. Good ole Olympic committee strikes again.