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Confounding and confusing events 3/14/22

We now have the answer to the 2020 election. There was voter fraud except it was committed by Republicans – and they still lost. The Republican County Clerk from Mesa Colorado, Tina Peters, was indicted for tampering with voting equipment. Please note no Democrat has been similarly charged.

President Trump’s proposal to deal with the war in the Ukraine borders on the insane, and demonstrates just what a juvenile mind the man possesses and operates under. His recommendation is that we paint our jets with Chinese insignia and then bomb Russia. He believes that the Russians and Chinese are so unsophisticated that they would never see through this. Yet, he claims that Putin is brilliant and very smart.

Is it possible that this was serious, although he has not even after being scoffed at, indicated that this was a joke.

Tucker Carlson has apparently demanded that Judge Jackson, the Supreme Court nominee prove herself to him. He wants to see her LSAT scores so that he can verify her qualifications. This is another insane buddy of Mr. Trump’s, who has delusions beyond grandeur and it’s simply hard to believe that any intelligent, rational and mature individual would come forward with this kind of statement. I think it would be more appropriate if he proved himself to the rest of the world because it is not obvious that he was ever trained to think or analyze by his parents or those who educated him.

It is clear that one solution to our oil issues arising out Russia would be to tap into the Alberta oil which environmentalists have long panned because of the nature of its extraction. Sometimes compromises have to be made, and in this instance, it is important that we utilize every tool in our tool box to bring more pressure on the Russians. If that means tapping into the Alberta crude, so be it. By the way, I voted for the Keystone pipeline at least 50 times while I was in Congress.

On the Russian/Ukrainian front we continue to see the atrocities which the Russians are inflicting on the Ukrainians, and we simultaneously are trying to figure out how to impose greater hardships on the Russians from an economic standpoint. Much is being written about what will happen to the Russian oil industry, and the general Russian economy as our sanctions continue to bite; will the Russians engage in cyber-attacks (what this really means is increase cyber-attacks) and how they will respond generally to our (including our allies) actions. As we have noted previously and many other commentators have noted, China holds many of the cards here, and whether or not it can bring Russia into line, we will have to wait and see.

The dialog going on between Democratic candidates and Representative Stefanik with regard to Mr. Trump and his commentary on Mr. Putin, and generally what is going on in the Ukraine has an undertone that would lead you to believe that Mr. Biden, or for that matter, Mr. Trump could have dissuaded Mr. Putin from moving forward. This is not unlike what happened at the beginning of World War II with Hitler in that his plan was put in place and was not about to be abandoned irrespective of what approach was taken pre conflict, as evidenced by the fact that severe sanctions have not dissuaded Mr. Putin. Dictators believe they are right in their delusional approach to governance and action. Ms. Stefanik’s comments border on the absurd, and demonstrate that she has no understanding of how Mr. Putin and other dictators operate and what controls can be applied. Unfortunately, we are at best hopeful that Mr. Putin will stop at the Ukraine, if he doesn’t, then we are drifting towards a broadened conflict that could descend into another world war in Europe.

A couple of stories from the animal kingdom that piqued my interest recently. The first explores one of nature’s most mysterious reptiles known as the tuatara, which lived as long as 190 million years ago, and essentially hasn’t changed significantly during that period. It is one of those animals that has survived obviously numerous climatic and other events, and has managed to survive largely intact. There are apparently some differences that have evolved for this reptile which is found in New Zealand (this may be one of the reasons for its survival, because of the remoteness of New Zealand, but the article doesn’t really address that). The tuatara looks like a somber iguana, but is actually not a lizard. They are also unique because they can inhabit chilly climates, live for more than a century and are able to slide their jaws back and forth to chew through insects and each other. The second story focuses on the discovery that ancient ocean creatures may have moved with a gallop like cheetahs. In other words, their legs move asymmetrically like horses, with the fore limbs and hind limbs moving in pairs, while creatures like salamanders move symmetrically, meaning that their left and right limbs move opposite each other. The interesting part of this discovery is that sea creatures were apparently moving in the asymmetrical fashion long before animals evolved onto land. Both of these are fascinating outtakes, and are something I thought we could all use in this politically and economically unstable time as we deal with the end of Covid, including its impact on the economy and Russia’s war of aggression.

The Washington Post did a story on repeat offenders in Police Departments that have cost tax payers $1.5 billion. The excuse from Police Unions, is that these cases are largely settled without a finding of wrongdoing. That much repetition of bad action requires action.

And finally, A woman and her children died on a bridge in the Ukraine. Obviously, this is one tragic story out of thousands. The Nazis return and Trump is proud of them.

Bill Owens is a former member of Congress representing the New York 21st, a partner in Stafford, Owens, Piller, Murnane, Kelleher and Trombley in Plattsburgh, NY and a Strategic Advisor at Dentons to Washington, DC.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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