An important pre-Christmas message regarding Ukraine
Yes, there are prominent Ukrainian fighters with Nazi nostalgia. Yes Putin and the Russians have strong Soviet nostalgia. Both sides involve the glorification of the 2 great villains of WWII.
Politics
Calling it regarding Brazil
There has been quite a bit of talk about an imminent coup in Brazil in Far Right corners. The mainstream media is still almost entirely silent. Skynews had a short article dismissing some claims, but you know the saying about stopped clocks being right twice a day don’t you? Well…
They have rightfully commented on the massive protests going on every day for more than a month now, which have received little mainstream media coverage. Certain Far Right figures have actually gone to Brazil and are witnessing events unfold first hand.
9 days?
Bolsonaro has been quite since the election… too quiet. No but honesty, he didn’t concede, and his supporters have been protesting for more than a month. Every day. Ten of millions of people. Asking the military to interfere. More than 170 officers wrote to military high command criticizing the election.
A disappointment for Poland?
The missile in Poland apparently wasn’t Russia’s fault. It was the result of a Ukrainian counterattack against Russia missile escalation. Ukraine is facing a cold winter and Russia Vietnam style draft dodging.
The war in Ukraine has become a true war of attrition. Neither Putin nor President Zelensky can afford to lose face. Neither wants to appear too unreasonable. But both have taken very clear positions, with justification. Irreconcilable narratives. Both have invested so much that they cannot afford to look weak. If Putin compromises too much he’d give the opposition hope of overthrowing him and tempt hawks to do the same.
The undeniable disaster Pope Francis
I really don’t want people to think I am anti-Catholic or that I jump on the bandwagon regarding stereotypes about pedo-priests. Not at all. I like to keep facts and fiction separate. I know abuse is even worse in American public schools, but I have to say that Francis’ actions and inactions regarding the abuse scandals and piling up disasters with each passing day.
Winter is coming.
Not a nuclear winter, I think, but definitely a long and cold one. The idea of an instant climate change as a result of some 12000 nuclear bombs going of in a couple of days (max), will probably turn out to be something just as preposterous human induced climate change itself. Or as silly as energy too cheap to meter.
I would like to emphasize that while I am clearly stating a strong disbelieve in nuclear winter, this does not mean I think it is not possible that “there is a storm coming”, just to throw in another cinematic quotation.
Sinking ships
The Vatican has just renewed its secret provisional agreement with China. It is clear high-ranking prelates in Vatican’s inner circle felt the need to defend the agreement which has been controversial from the beginning and which has come under additional scrutiny as Cardinal Zen is facing a political trial in Hong Kong while China’s totalitarianism and threats are only increasing.
Judicial standoffs escalate worldwide
30 so called old judges (pre-national council of the judiciary reform appointed judges) of Poland’s Supreme Court have written to the first President of the supreme court that they are unwilling to adjudicate with so called neo-judges. They don’t consider those judges as valid, rejecting the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Tribunal in favour of the political activism of the ECHR. Close to one third of the Supreme Court’s membership has signed the letter, but interestingly enough this only constituted about two thirds of the old judges who signed the letter. About one third didn’t.
Bolsonaro in Brazil
Bolsonaro beats polls and expectations in Brazil. He still enjoys the preference of 43 % of the population. Lula failed to win in the first round with 48 %. He almost certainly will win during the second round. But many of Bolsonaro’s candidates did well for congress as well.
Bolsonarism hasn’t been crushed. More importantly, he kept up his talk of rejecting the election results till the election. Some business leaders turned out to have been open to a coup. Better than Lula.
Keep calm and carry on: There won’t be a nuclear war
While Putin has bluffed repeatedly with the use of nuclear weapons, and the white house did find it necessary to deter him just in case, I don’t share Jordan Peterson’s view that we need to be very worried.
Nuclear weapons were used twice when the USA still had a monopoly on its invention and never since. Other nations acquired them and mutual deterrence was an is a real thing.