Category Archives: Fire This Time

Cursing the Rainbow: Russian Orthodox Head Patriarch Names Gays as Cause of Ukraine War

Excerpts from “How the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a Putin enabler, spins the war.” by CATHY YOUNG, at the Bulwark, MARCH 9, 2022 Blaming the Ukraine Invasion on … the Gays? In the past ten days, plenty of rational-izations have been offered for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine—everything from “Russia needs a buffer … Continue reading Cursing the Rainbow: Russian Orthodox Head Patriarch Names Gays as Cause of Ukraine War →

Moby Dick Redux: The Great Oligarch Yacht Hunt; and searching for a Ukraine End-Game Without Nukes

Two weighty reads for midweek #1 – Fleeing sanctions, oligarchs seek safe ports for superyachts BY MICHAEL BIESECKER — March 8 2022 WASHINGTON (AP) — The massive superyacht Dilbar stretches one-and-a-half football fields in length, about as long as a World War I dreadnought. It boasts two helipads, berths for more than 130 people and a … Continue reading Moby Dick Redux: The Great Oligarch Yacht Hunt; and searching for a Ukraine End-Game Without Nukes →

Two Chilling Blasts From the (not so distant) Past

I’m reading a memoir/autobiography, Writing Straight With Crooked Lines, by Jim Forest. Jim died recently, after a long life spent in peace work, including much collaboration with Quakers. After the attack on a huge Ukrainian nuclear power plant, two passages in it leapt out at me this morning. The first was merely a blip — … Continue reading Two Chilling Blasts From the (not so distant) Past →

3 reports: one surprise

Opposition to Putin’s war is alive on Moscow’s streets. But no trace of it is covered on Russian TV Analysis by Nic Robertson, CNN — March 1, 2022 Moscow CNN — More than 6,400 Russians have been arrested in anti-war protests since President Vladimir Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine, but not one bone-crunching detention has made state … Continue reading 3 reports: one surprise →

Update: Russian Antiwar Protesters & Arrests Continue

BY DASHA LITVINOVA Late Sunday Feb. 27, 2022 MOSCOW (AP) — From Moscow to Siberia, Russian anti-war activists took to the streets again Sunday to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite the arrests of hundreds of protesters each day by police. Demonstrators held pickets and marched in city centers, chanting “No to war!” as President … Continue reading Update: Russian Antiwar Protesters & Arrests Continue →