No hurry. Set the mood. I have advanced in age and have a cold, the sort that makes one grateful for an old Windows machine, fresh coffee, delivery services, reliable heat and air conditioning, and a mess that might be made smaller by going through it and conveying much of it to the thrifts or a dumpster. Retirement (I don’t know from what) suggests letting the world move on, but here I’d ratheri suggest mentally preparing for the agony in defeat of the world’s two biggest jerks: American criminal and traitor Donald John Trump and Russian (and Ukrainian) apartment slayer Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, conventionally the two most powerful men in the world, psychologically the two most archaic mafioso nut jobs — paranoid-delusions malignant narcissism — in the world and, possibly, in world history (but give the adolescent Caligula due for leaving his marks spattering backward across more noble Roman history).

What me worry?

Vovochka’s fast missiles and little nukes.

Both Putin and Trump telegraph their intentions through each his own working up to the big moment. One sends in the “Little Green Men“; the other promises “fixed” elections. In the short term of the month now passing behind us, Putin held in Belarus exercises demonstrating Moscow’s ability to coordinate military with nuclear assets, and as that phases complete, he returned to his unconscionable practice of obliterating apartment buildings and shopping malls in Kyiv. The deranged barbarian’s message appears to have been clear: surrender now, or I may cause you greater and unimaginable pain. The man who shields himself with his own vainglory appears neither to respect Russia, Russians, or himself, and so demands that all bow to him for his holding power over their lives–but for all that–and on the inside–he’s just another thug barely off the street.

So, and yes, I worry about Putin’s decision to escalate on his demolition-or-surrender project in Ukraine, and not that he would stop at that if he got it: he’s a junkie for arranged (forced) public adoration and validation (his narcissistic supply) and with it, absolute control and power, enough to keep himself and the criminal system that would outlive him jacked forever on tribute exacted according to his favor–or in relation to his power to intimidate his marks and thieve from the same with impunity.

As regards The Donald . . . his ignorant, lawless, and reckless stupidity have created conditions — soon to be hardships — in America guaranteed to show off the best of his criminal and piratical characteristics. He hasn’t liberated any critically reasoning and decent Americans, MAGA Americans least of all, but rather put in place all the sources of cultural and financial insecurity set to trigger a maelstrom. His medieval and weirdly Quixotic “war” on Iran has failed completely by giving Iran the power to control the Strait of Hormuz with credible threats to shipping, and that one stupidity will have farmers going out of business in America, commuters losing their discretionary spending headroom, and for consumers a retail inflation impossible to control. The ill-educated, ignoble, and ill-prepared lout in the wheelhouse will address the unwinding tragedy with fraudulent remarks — blame Obama! blame Biden! blame Roosevelt! in fact, blame all the Demoncrats! He didn’t do nothin’, ain’t that right boss? — but, and one may hope sooner than later, the best and brightest dismissed from their career passions will have to be recalled by more noble power to their positions–and may all such rise to the occasion.
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For a daily dip into the economic indicators of the nation, I recommend a listen to Miami realtor Michael Bordenaro’s daily walk-and-talk.

For the war news involving Ukraine: Anna Danylchuk’s Anna From Ukraine and Jason Jay Smart have been my dailies for years.

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