From The Contrarian

Undaunted Leaders of the Free World

At least these leaders will stick up for Ukraine

JENNIFER RUBIN AUG 22

READ IN APP

Some weeks, the plethora of undaunted, courageous figures both lifts one’s spirits and makes selection of just one individual difficult. After all, this week we got a reminder of Brazilian Federal Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s defiant, tenacious prosecution of former president and coup instigator Jair Bolsonaro in the face of Donald Trump’s threats and tariffs. We also witnessed Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier (thereafter joined by colleagues) remain “locked in the Texas House of Representatives in Austin after refusing to sign a pledge to return for a vote on Republican redistricting proposals.” And here in Washington, D.C., residents peacefully marched, protested, bore witness, and refused to bend the knee to the autocratic invader. Their defiance, restraint, and dedication to democracy were an example to the entire country.

However, one group standing in defense of democracy stood out. They swiftly rose to a challenge, put egos aside, and stood to help defend another leaderon the front line in the battle against an authoritarian bully (actually two bullies, but only one waging physical war). United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, President of the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte traveled at a moment’s notice to the White House to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to protect their democratic ally from the predacious Russian President Vladimir Putin and his lackey Donald Trump.

On one level, it is embarrassing that a democratic leader facing down military aggression needed “protection” from a U.S. president, but that is the upside-down world we now inhabit—one in which the U.S. is a greater threat to Ukraine than it is to Russia.

The EU officials’ mission was described throughout legacy media as “presenting a united front.” But it was more than that. It was a precisely choreographed diplomatic maneuver designed to contain and redirect Trump, to drown out Trump’s talk of “land swaps” (Putin’s way of demanding land that Russia occupies and land it has failed to take militarily), and to reaffirm democratic values—even when the world’s only superpower cannot and will not do so.

Share

The individual leaders helped guide the meeting to avoid another Trump explosion. As difficult as it must have been, they soberly listened to Trump’s rants, pretended he was coherent, and kept up the patter of insincere flattery. The leaders followed up with pointed rhetoric after the White House meeting. Macron in an NBC interview expressed skepticism that Russia was interested in a deal, and vowed to keep the threat of additional sanctions as leverage. He declared that “if the Russians don’t comply with this approach, yes, we have to increase the sanctions, secondary and primary sanctions.” And in language we used to expect from the U.S. president he stressed, “There is an aggressor, which is Russia. There is a country which decided to kill people, stole children and who refused a ceasefire and peace, so we cannot just create an equivalent situation between Ukraine and Russia.”

Merz provided some diplomatic realism, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire (contrary to the Putin-Trump line) and decrying the idea of pressuring Ukraineto give up territory. He explained after the White House meeting, “The Russian [demand] that Kyiv give up the free parts of Donbas is, to put it in perspective, equivalent to the US having to give up Florida.” The geographic and political clarity was refreshing.

The UK on Tuesday, after a meeting of the EU countries, put out a statement confirming that EU officials would be meeting with U.S. negotiators “to further strengthen plans to deliver robust security guarantees and prepare for the deployment of a reassurance force if the hostilities ended.” Echoing Macron’s warning, the statement added, “The leaders also discussed how further pressure—including through sanctions – could be placed on Putin until he showed he was ready to take serious action to end his illegal invasion.”

Subscribed

The EU leaders grasp several points that evidently elude Trump, who has neither the interest in nor the knowledge necessary to address the substance of any deal. The Europeans understand that without a ceasefire and the threat of sanctions, Putin will stall, continue to bomb Ukraine, and try to wear down Ukraine’s civilian population. They also understand that handing over land to Putin that he has taken by force would only pose an incentive for further aggression (from him or other countries observing Trump’s fecklessness). And lastly, they understand there is no moral equivalence between Ukraine and Russia. In sum, they are leading the Free World with the conviction to preserve the international order that has been in place since the end of WWII.

The U.S. certainly remains an economic and military superpower. But under Trump it no longer holds the moral and diplomatic high ground needed to influence events. The U.S. is buffeted by events driven by others. Free people around the world are truly fortunate to have this current cast of undaunted European leaders who have learned to manage, ignore, and work around Trump for the benefit of democratic values. For exhibiting such tenacity, patience, and skill (not to mention self-control in refraining from laughing or hollering at Trump), they are deserving of our gratitude and praise.

The Contrarian is reader-supported. To receive our posts and enable our work in the court of law and the court of public opinion, join our community as a free or paid subscriber. 

What Happened to Spelling Lessons?

 

A Local Photographer and His Loon Videos

 Some amazing videos of loons.

Here's the link.

UP

 

This is interesting .....   An amazing 2 letter English word.        A reminder that one word in the English language that can be a noun, verb, adjective, adverb and preposition.         UP           Read until the end ...  You'll laugh.              This two-letter word  in English has more meanings than any other  two-letter word, and that word is 'UP.'  It is listed in  the dictionary as an [adv.], [prep.], [adj.], [n]  or [v].         It's easy to  understand UP, meaning toward the sky  or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in  the morning, why do we wake UP?       At a meeting, why  does a topic come UP?  Why do we speak  UP, and why are the  officers UP for election and why is  it UP to  the secretary to write UP a  report?  We call UP our friends, brighten  UP a room, polish  UP  the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.  We  lock UP the house and fix UP the old  car.          At other times, this  little word has real special meaning.   People stir UP trouble, line  UP for tickets, work  UP an appetite, and think UPexcuses.          To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP  is special.          And this  UP is confusing:  A  drain must be opened UP because it is stopped  UP.   We open  UP a store in the morning  but we close it UP at night.  We seem  to be pretty mixed UP about UP!       To be knowledgeable  about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary.   In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost  1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty  definitions.          If you are  UP to it,  you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is  used.  It will take UPa lot of your time, but  if you don't give UP, you may wind  UP  with a hundred or  more.          When it threatens to  rain, we say it is clouding UP.  When the sun  comes out, we say it is clearing UP.  When it rains,  the earth soaks it UP.  When it  does not rain for awhile, things dry  UP.  One could go on  and on, but I’ll wrap it UP, for now . . . My time is UP!         Oh . . . One more  thing:  What is the first thing you do in  the morning and the last thing you do at  night?         U                  P  !         Did that one crack  you UP?       Don't screw  UP.       Now I'll shut  UP!

A Food Post

Time for some food photos.

I had zucchini to use from the CSA and decided that I'd vary my quiche ingredients to include zucchini. I usually use mushrooms, onions and tomatoes but skipped the mushrooms, reduced the amount of tomato and used lightly sauteed zucchini.  I had some leftover Italian seasoned chicken sausage so sliced one up and added it too.

Photo above before the second layer of cheese. Photo below baked quiche.

I forgot that zucchini tends to be soggy and first servings were a bit wet.  Below plated with cole slaw using Vicki Lane's dressing recipe (modified).

We usually eat leftover quiche for breakfast and Dan finished the last of it this morning before heading out to have cruise control fixed on the car.

Yesterday we had company for dinner. I planned to make scalloped tomatoes to accompany the marinated flank steak and saffron rice. I wanted to use up my cherry tomatoes but didn't think I had enough so at  the grocery store I purchased two local grown tomatoes to complete the dish. Later when I checked the tomato vines in the raised bed I ended up filling this colander with cherry tomatoes.

I dumped the red ones out so you could see the yellow ones which are even sweeter in the bottom of the colander.  There was no need to use regular tomatoes for the dish.  In fact I had leftover cherry tomatoes.

Here's the dish of scalloped cherry tomatoes. This recipe comes from Joy of Cooking. The topping is made by melting 2 T butter in a pan and cooking diced onion. Then add 1-2 T brown sugar and once that's incorporated add a cup or so of bread crumbs.  I used Panko this time.  This has been a long time favorite recipe for summer tomatoes.

Our dinner was completed by the vanilla cake that friends brought for dessert. It is three layers and very large.  It was delicious!  They refused to take it home and there was 2/3 left!  I'll freeze some but will be giving as much as I can to Emily and family to enjoy.

Plenty of leftover steak, tomatoes and rice.  I think it will be dinner again tonight!

Who is She?

In May Dan's brother showed us this picture in this frame that was with their mother's belongings. He wondered then who this was and asked us.  We don't know either and since Dennis didn't want it I brought it home and have had it in the window sill.

It's a precious photo of some little girl unknown.  With closer examination Dan and I realized it was likely someone in the family dressed up as a Dutch girl.  The background tells us it's not a photo from a studio or even from The Netherlands.  It's not his mother because the hair and face are not hers.

Here's the back of the frame. 

The photo was wedged in using tissue.

On the back of the photo is this.

A Google search of Pixie Snap or Snap Pixie yielded nothing.  Dan searched using the photo and it came up with other old photos in oval frames.

So who is this little girl all dressed up for some occasion?

Laughs for You.

 Thank you Marilyn for sharing these with me.

The one below got me laughing so hard I couldn't read the punch line out loud to my family.

Got any good laughs to share?

A Police State Now!

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more What We Make of Trump's Fascist Takeover of D.C. Policing ...and why it matters far beyond the city limits.  JENNIFER RUBIN AUG 13   READ IN APP   The deployment of FBI agents and National Guard forces to Washington D.C., and the (temporary) takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department—based on a non-existent dystopian crime epidemic (following the deployment of federal troops to Los Angeles, based on a related lie that illegal immigrants were menacing the city)—signifies we have by any definition attained the status of a police state. Arriving atop the weight of Donald Trump’s weaponization of the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute his opponents—specifically Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Cal.), New York Attorney General Tish James, Judge Hannah Dugan, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), and former Trump aides Chris Krebs and Miles Taylor—we have crossed a legal Rubicon, one in which federal prosecutors could be refashioning into presidential inquisitors and the military into a roving band of shock troops. “Trump’s use of the National Guard to subjugate local policing in Washington, D.C., comes straight out of a dictator’s playbook. Trump is preying upon people’s fears to mask another authoritarian power grab,” said Center for American Progress CEO Neera Tanden in a written statement. She stressed:  “Sending troops unnecessarily into an American city is a dangerous attack on the concept of local policing and distracts from the fact that his tariffs are hamstringing our economy and that his Justice Department is refusing to release the Epstein files as he’s long promised.” Basing such unprecedented action on the blatant lie that crime in D.C. is soaring underscores that our democracy is under assault. Share To write this off as a “distraction” misses the danger of the moment; the potential for unbridled deployment of the military for domestic policing. The notion that FBI and National Guard are required to round up fourteen-year-olds is preposterous, but Trump is playing on a well-worn racial stereotype just as he did in his infamous Central Park 5 screed: he is summoning the public to be afraid of young black and brown men. As Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey noted, “Trump's federalization of the DC Metro Police Department and deployment of the National Guard is an attempt to gaslight the American people so he can seize more power. It will do nothing to make us safer.” Other Democrats, including the attorney general of D.C. Brian Schwalb, highlighted the “unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful” nature of the maneuver. Rep. Don Breyer (D-Va.) wrote “Donald Trump has personally incited more crime in Washington DC than perhaps anyone else living. . . . Trump’s announcement is an unserious and unacceptable publicity stunt.” Unfortunately, Mayor Muriel Bowser’s mealy-mouthed response failed to demonstrate the leadership D.C. residents need. Worse, she met with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who praised the meeting as being “productive.”Legitimizing and earning kudos from a wannabe autocrat are inimical to preserving democracy and the rule of law. Negotiating and complying with tyranny is never an acceptable option. It seems D.C. will have to rely on other voices to protect the city; pro-democracy voices beyond the limits of the capital must carry the torch for democracy and the rule of law to prevent the militarization of policing across the country. Subscribed Meanwhile, the New York Times reported: Several Democrats have said they plan to introduce bills or legislation to address Trump’s announcement. Representative Jamie Raskin, whose Maryland district includes Washington suburbs, said he would introduce a resolution to “reverse this plainly ridiculous state of local emergency” and restore local control to D.C.’s government. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.’s non voting delegate, and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said they would reintroduce bills that would repeal the president’s authority to take temporary control of the D.C. police and give the city’s mayor authority over the D.C. National Guard. We should take no solace from realization that Trump has not truly “federalized” D.C. (as home rule is protected by statute). Nor has he actually indicted his enemies (yet). But there is no guarantee he will stop short of these steps. Indeed, in the case of D.C., Trump specified this is a test case for other Democratic-run cities (including Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, and Baltimore) with Black mayors and a significant percentage of minority residents. Even if the deployed forces do nothing, Trump’s D.C. move, including takeover of a municipal police department, is dangerous, threatens the rule of law, and bring us closer to a police state in which the military act on false pretenses to intimidate Trump’s foes. In flexing his muscles in defiance of facts (Who ya going to believe: me or the FBI’s crime statistics?), democratic norms, and the law (e.g., pursuing frivolous vengeance against his opponents) he is telling us he will not be constrained by reality or law, . He will make up facts at will and defy all restraints. In other words, he will be the dictator he promised to be on Day One, and has aspiring to be ever since. Furthermore, as Trump has destroyed the Department of Justice’s credibility and integrity; its lawyers are now compelled to make junk arguments in defense of illegal actions and sidestep, if not violate, court orders. Likewise, he has sullied the image of the FBI, which is dragooned into serving as his Praetorian Guard and forced to disregard their oaths of office and professional obligations. The Contrarian contributor Asha Rangappa, a former FBI special agent, notes that honorable, decent, competent FBI employees already have been fired or left. She writes: For the last one hundred years, we have trusted the Justice Department and the President to prioritize these values, along with adherence to the rule of law, in lieu of enshrining them into law (Director Webster apparently tried to get Congress to establish a legislative charter for the Bureau, to no avail). Well, we now have a director who doesn’t value these things. And we have a President who doesn’t either. The FBI, she argues, is “morphing, 117 years later, into the kind of nightmare national police force that Congress and the public feared the Bureau could turn into when it was first created in 1908, and which Director Webster and every other director made their mission not to let happen.” Trump’s rule of terror, lawlessness, lies, and self-enrichment is only gaining steam. He does not bother to disguise his actions; the MAGA party does not dare cross him. With each passing day, we are getting closer and closer to embodying the characteristics of an authoritarian thugocracy. The only solution is fighting everything, everywhere, all at once. Litigation may not always succeed, but both lawsuits, political action, and community engagement are essential to peaceful, mass organization and an overwhelming defeat for MAGA in 2026. Time is running out on the American experiment.