Forcing schools to use a Russian curriculum that says Ukraine does not exist

Michigan’s COVID data, updated yesterday, continues to show a decline in the number of new cases per day. The peaks for the last few weeks are 4294, 3963, 2963, and 2535. Numbers have been adjusted since the last time I reported them. The number of deaths per day for two weeks ago have been adjusted upward to the 10-16 range, though last week has mostly been in the single digits. But the pandemic isn’t over, no matter now many people I see at the grocery store without a mask. I’m debating whether my church bell group should try to play a couple more times this month or close for the summer. The husband of one member works for a company that provided services for the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island with many Michigan politicians attending. The news mentioned that afterward at least 30 attendees tested positive for COVID. That included this husband. Her sons – preschool and toddler – have gotten sick, though she has so far remained negative. This isn’t over. Kos of Daily Kos wrote the biggest problem of Ukraine using NATO weapons isn’t learning how to operate them though that is an issue, it’s learning how to maintain them. A good course in maintenance for some of these weapons takes months, followed by years of on the job training guided by long term sergeants Ukraine doesn’t have. The current way they are using these big weapons is to use them until they absolutely need maintenance, then ship them back to Poland. Kos included photos in a tweet by Dan Spiun showing a field full of artillery divots. Kos added:

The moon-like scarred terrain around Dovhen’ke will be inhospitable to life for decades. Russian ordinance has a dud rate of around 30%. That means the number of unexploded shells in that one picture alone likely runs in the hundreds.

Mark Sumner of Kos wrote about the situation in Kherson. Russia took this city by bribing the mayor so it is still pretty much intact. Russia has repeatedly pounded other cities into rubble while taking them. But in trying to retake Kherson Ukraine can’t do the same. They don’t want to harm their own citizens and turn their own city into rubble. That makes their job much harder. In the meantime Russia is working to force Kherson citizens to become Russian. Change all signs to Russian. Same with books. Force phones to connect to the Russian network. Allow only Russian TV and newspapers (both with news approved by Moscow). Shoot or make disappear citizens who refuse to help with the process. Force schools to use a Russian curriculum that says Ukraine does not exist. Cut off all exits except into Crimea. And when Ukraine takes a nearby village Russia reduces it to rubble so that the villagers fear a Ukrainian advance. The weather for now may allow Ukraine to bypass towns. But when Ukraine gets to Kherson there will be destruction because Russia won’t let its prize go without causing as much pain as possible. Kos wrote about the battle in Severodonetsk and why Ukraine might be fighting so hard for it. He has been puzzled by Ukraine’s actions – strategically it would be much better to fall back to Lysychansk on the bluff on the other side of the river. The city doesn’t have strategic value. I had written about Russia’s attack of the city and Ukraine’s trap. The situation remains fluid and it is hard to tell which side has how much control of the city. But the trap prompted Russia to send in reinforcements and start bombarding the city. And with all that rubble Ukraine isn’t so concerned with protecting the city and its artillery in Lysychansk can blast at Russian troops. Russia wants the city for propaganda purposes. It is the last city not under Russian control in the Luhansk region of Donbas. Russia will throw a lot of men and armaments at the town – a lot of its army is in the area. Which means Ukraine can inflict high casualties on Russia, much higher than the casualties of its own troops. And since Russia failed in its pincer movements Ukraine can still keeps its troops well supplied and bring in fresh troops as needed. This isn’t about the city. It’s about the damage being inflicted. Dmitri tweeted a reminder:

Russia still wants to annex the whole of Ukraine. If Russia is allowed any prolonged cease-fire it will come back again, having recovered losses and produced more weapons, and it will not do the same mistakes as it did the first time.

And a hundred years from now what will be remembered? Putin’s war crimes? That Russia lost a few hundred thousand men in some war? But the residents of Crimea, Donbas, Kherson, Mariupol, and god forbid Kyiv at that time in the future will mark their liberation. The sanctions will eventually end. And we’ll say Ukrainians? What Ukrainians? You mean Russians?

So let's do all we can to ensure this is Russia's first and last war with Ukraine, and not let them write history. Some countries and peoples already figured it out. Others are still waking up, slowly. But everyone will get there. I don't want to say that Ukraine will win as it's an unrealistic approach. But I know that it HAS to win for the people a hundred years from now to not be ashamed of us, like we are not ashamed of those who fought 80 years ago.

The Border Patrol doesn’t patrol just the actual border. It has a 100-mile border enforcement zone. I guess they figure border fugitives will take a while to go more than 100 miles, giving the BP plenty of time to nab them. The zone isn’t just along the border with Canada and Mexico. It includes both coasts, all of Hawaii and the perimeter of Alaska. A zone that big means all of Florida and all of Maine are in the zone. Since Lake Michigan, though surrounded by Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, is considered part of the border, all of Michigan is in this zone, as is Chicago. A lot of big cities – two thirds of America’s population – are in the zone. Which means this is really concerning. Annieli of the Kos community reported on a case of Mr. Boule who owns a small bed-and-breakfast along the international border in Blaine, Washington. He served as a paid informant for CBP and ICE of people crossing the border illegally. From what I can tell there was a time that Boule didn’t inform these groups, protecting some of his guests, and the Border Patrol beat him. Boule sued for damages. The Supreme Court ruled on the case and ... Christian Farias tweeted:

In a 6-to-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that border agents may unconstitutionally enter a person's home without a warrant and assault him and ... federal courts are powerless to do anything about it. The border, once again, is a Constitution-free zone.

Back when I started to travel internationally colleagues warned me that one does not have rights until one has cleared customs. This ruling is saying one does not have rights within the border enforcement zone. Which is saying two thirds of Americans do not have rights. Dakota Adams tweeted:

The stage is being set for a DeSantis or Abbott to really let undercover BORTAC off the chain in future protests. The precedent for unlawful abduction of BLM protesters by disguised Feds without consequences has already been set, and we are going straight downhill from there.

BORTAC is the Border Patrol Tactical Unit. Even though BORTAC guys killed the Uvalde shooter I suspect how much they don’t respect human rights. Meteor Blades of Kos wrote that Republicans, with thoughts on the midterms, have produced a climate plan! Before you cheer...

Don’t be fooled. This is election PR, mostly a retread of an old package with one great big flaw: It’s an “all of the above” plan, a recipe for disaster. We have no real details yet, just promises of more to come. The plan goes heavy on support for fossil fuels, “streamlining” permitting of projects, and “modernizing” the environmental regulatory regime. There is mention of renewables, especially an increase in hydropower, and more support for nuclear. And carbon capture, carbon capture, carbon capture, the ingredient they apparently think will let them drill, frack, dig, and burn deep into the 22nd Century even though carbon capture has yet to prove its economic viability. ... It’s not as if there aren’t some worthwhile ideas in the task force’s plan. For instance, streamlining permitting could be a good thing if done right. Which means ensuring that the protection regulations are designed to provide remain in place even as permit approvals are accelerated. But, as with so much else, Republican duplicity is at the heart of the party’s streamlining approach. Permitting takes so long in large part because Republicans have worked diligently to cut staff and budgets at the Environmental Protection Agency ever since Ronald Reagan’s head-on assault on the EPA. Want quicker permitting results? Hire enough people to do the job. What Republicans really mean by streamlining is demolishing. For two decades, I’ve warned that when it comes to climate policy delay is denial. This year, in the wake of the most devastating report yet from the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change, Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Delay is death.” At its core, delay is what the Republican “climate plan” is really about.

The Republican Accountability Project quoted a bit from an article from the New York Daily News:

For too many Republicans, politics isn’t about policy; it’s about entertainment.… Joining in the collective madness is the price of admission, and dangerous conspiracy theories are a part of the show.