Sunday, March 27, 2022

Today's news: Speeches

Some amazing art already from this war. The Kyivan Madonna is based on a photo taken of a mother and baby while they were sheltering in a subway. 
The biggest news of the day was Biden's speech in Poland:
The Atlantic columnist Tom Nichols in his Peacefield newsletter tonight discusses Biden's unforced error in his speech -- the apparent call for "regime change" in Russia. 
... Biden broke his long streak of message discipline during a speech in Poland today, when he added an apparently unscripted ending: “For God's sake, this man”—meaning Russian President Vladimir Putin—“cannot remain in power.” 
The sound that could not be captured by the cameras after Biden spoke was dozens of staffers slapping the palms of their hands against their foreheads. Predictably, the media in America and elsewhere seized on this statement as if it were some new policy or a NATO war aim and asked if the President of the United States was calling for regime change in, of all places, Moscow. . . . 
Biden’s staff lamely offered that the president was saying that Putin “cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change.” . . . 
The United States, as Congressman Jim Himes of Connecticut, a member of the House intelligence committee, later told CNN, does not have a new policy of regime change, and has no overt or covert programs aimed at such a goal in Russia. But the news cycle was already in full swing . . . 
What Biden was doing, of course, was being Joe Biden. He was speaking for all of us, from the heart. One of the more endearing things about the president—at least for those of us who admire him—is that he has almost no inner monologue and regularly engages in the kind of gaffe where a politician says something that is impolitic but true. . . . 
This was not the time for such a moment, and even those who think Biden has exhibited sterling leadership during this crisis should admit that the president’s remarks were an unforced error. . . . 
It is hard to blame Biden for giving in to his famous temper after talking to the people who have suffered from Putin’s barbarism. But the words of every world leader matter right now, and none more than those of the president of the United States. We should now let his remark pass for what it was—an outburst—and get back to helping Ukraine save its independence.
Oh. 
You know, when I heard that Biden had said this, I thought maybe it was some kind of a covert message to anti-Putin forces in Russia that the USA supports their goals.  
But never mind....
And isn't THIS an interesting take on Putin's future, from University of Hawaii political scientist Tim Hogan:
Here's another interesting analysis of what is going on in Russia right now, as they grapple with the Ukraine disaster: The rest of this lengthy thread is also fascinating and worth reading. 

 Speaking of great speeches, here's another one: Good point. But you would likely not figure this out from the news coverage that Trudeau has been getting in Europe -- three full days of stories about how "European parliamentarians" are criticizing him -- yeah, 3 Nazis. Its just parroting of the CPC talking points that they whisper all day every day to every reporter then can find, and people are noticing. 
In his Scrimshaw Unscripted substack article Canadian Media Is Killing Us Too, Evan Scrimshaw writes: 
What do you get when a German Nazi launches into an attack on the Canadian Prime Minister?
According to CTV, a three day news story where you quote her like any right thinking Canadian should give a single fuck what she has to say. 
And people wonder why the Canadian media is so fucking hated.... 
The media can get away with a bad framing once or twice and it can be forgiven and forgotten, but when it isn’t accidental and it isn’t a one-off, you have to start to wonder what the fuck we’re doing here. Why is the Canadian media so willing to carry the water of Huawei’s own Jean Charest but unable to accept that Justin Trudeau should be in Europe during a European crisis? Why is much of the commentariat acting like Charest getting the endorsement of Mike Harris is a gamechanger when Mike Harris’ endorsement of Belinda Stronach in 2004 didn’t do shit – back when people still gave a flying shit what Mike Harris thought? At some point, this stops being mistakes, and it becomes a choice. If your choice is to view criticism of the Prime Minister as legitimate regardless of the source, and to give the candidate you think can beat him an easy ride in the Conservative Leadership race, you’re no longer doing journalism, you’re just doing hackery....
the Canadian media as a whole is attempting to maintain the veil of impartiality while wearing nothing more than a Tory sweater....
If they’re intentionally skewing their coverage to the right, either out of instinct or out of commercial pressure, then they’re scumbags. 
If they’re less aware of how their decisions intersect with each other than a dude with a Substack, then they’re incompetents who need to be shown the exits. 
Either way, the fact is simple – we’re seeing a Canadian media constitutionally incapable of doing its job properly, and they’re not just killing themselves, they’re taking the country they are supposedly serving with them. 
This thread is worth reading in total:
I haven't been following it lately, but #FluTruxKlan Konvoys apparently are still touring around and about, still complaining about I don't know what, and getting in everyone's way. 
Today a convoy group from Quebec apparently set up a secret arrangement with Ottawa Police to get a police escort through the middle of Ottawa, screwing up traffic as they went. 
The Ottawa public -- you know, the people who actually pay the police salaries - were not only stopped by police from blocking the convoy out, but also were the target of condescending police tweets that the police had promised to be nice to the convoy so the people of Ottawa just had to stuff it. 
Ottawa is PISSED! Maybe Trudeau does need to get home before next weekend, so he can save Ottawa again. Time for the PMJT signal!
Justin Trudeau GIFfrom Justin Trudeau GIFs
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)