Vladmir Putin invaded Ukraine one year ago today, thinking the war—or “special military operation”—would last less than a week. But 365 days later, not even the beginning of the end is in sight. Led by the United States, NATO and other Western nations have provided Ukraine with just enough armaments to keep it from falling. We are now going to see how committed this coalition is to winning. Putin is wagering that the American public will get tired, bored and distracted before simply walking away. History says he may win that bet.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said early Friday that, “2023 will be the year of our victory.” The United States will have a lot to say about that prediction. And now, so will China. That has been my biggest concern all along.
True, that wacky Fulton County Special Grand Jury Forewoman didn’t break any laws by running her mouth on tv and in print. In Georgia, grand juries can only recommend indictments, not issue them. But that gleeful, self-aggrandizing rant that Emily Kohrs went on is not going to help prosecutors in the court of public—or at lease Cult—opinion. Stooo-pidddd.
I loved that statement Thursday by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy in assessing the toxic Ohio train wreck. “There is no accident. Every single incident we investigate is preventable.” Unless of course common-sense safety regulations were rolled back by a certain orange ex-president.
Lying, particularly political lying, was not recently invented. But here’s what has changed. Lying used to be a tactic. Now it’s a strategy. It’s one thing—however disgusting—for lying to be “part of the job.” It’s quite another that lying is now THE job. The Cult not only tolerates partisan political lying, but demands it. Failure to lie, or mere hesitation to lie, is now viewed as disqualifying.
Fox News. And they’ve all admitted it. Hannity, Murdock, Ingraham. Carlson.
Kevin McCarthy. January 13, 2021: “The president bears responsibility” for the riot at the Capitol. Now McCarthy is turning over 40,000 hours of Jan. 6 security video to propagandist Tucker Carlson so that Carlson can not only deny the president’s responsibility, but deny the riot.
And there will be a Cult Certificate of Achievement for the Republican former Arizona Attorney General who had irrefutable evidence that Trump’s Big Lie was precisely that, but chose to instead hide that evidence, pouring gasoline on our national Five-Alarm fire.
I can’t say I was “watching” the Murdaugh murder trial Thursday afternoon. But it was on while I was working. Oh, he’s guilty as sin itself. But his act will work on at least one juror.
Happy weekend. But remember this. As long as people keep embracing lies, lying liars are going to keep lying.
