A Ukraine Miscellany (I)

As the military campaign rages, the lies continue to multiply on all sides as do the dangers. It is evident that Ukraine presented no security threat to Moscow in itself. That's not why Russia invaded. This conflict is over Ukraine's use as a staging point and its symbolism in the larger NATO-Moscow struggle. For the unfortunate people of Ukraine, their land is once again a battlefield – it's been a recurring motif for the peoples of Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, and Western and Southern Russia throughout their histories – a region Timothy Snyder referred to as the Bloodlands.

David Brooks and the Trumpite Schisms Within the Evangelical Movement

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/opinion/evangelicalism-division-renewal.html

David Brooks is not a Christian and I know of Right-wing folk who laugh at the notion that he's a conservative. This represents part of the divide that I've been highlighting for years – the difference between elements of the now almost defunct American Conservatism and the Right-wing Libertarian movement that has largely supplanted it. There's overlap to be sure and people don't fit into neat boxes but there's an ethos about the New Right and now Trumpism that's remarkably different from what American Conservatism was a generation ago.

I often disagree with Brooks and sometimes strongly so, but I will at least listen to what he has to say. Disagreement does not mean that his commentary is utterly lacking any value.

Some Comments on the Ukraine Invasion and the Motivations of Putin and the Western Leaders Who Oppose Him

An old friend (from my shameful Air Force days) shared a link with me:

https://unherd.com/2022/02/putins-spiritual-destiny/

It's a problematic article on many levels and in terms of theology it's highly dubious. But it touches on a lot of things I've been writing about on these sites for the past twelve years.

I wrote to my friend the following (slightly edited) as a response:

The Ukraine Crisis and the Energy Markets

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/qatar-sees-little-chance-of-replacing-russian-gas-with-lng-in-europe

Without a doubt the US Energy sector (as a component of Wall Street) is one of the driving factors in the US attempt to pull Russia into a war with Ukraine. The US has been sabre rattling for months though this has been ignored by Western media. It's clear the US wanted to break Nordstream 2, and at this point it would seem they've been successful.

The Family Life Network and the Further Degeneration of Evangelical Radio

Recently I've had the opportunity at work to listen to the radio during the noon hour, something that has largely eluded me for the past year. The Family Life Network (FLN) based in Bath NY continues to expand its listening area and unfortunately this includes the region of Pennsylvania where I live. A typically Evangelical organisation, its theology is light and is mostly geared toward therapy and entertainment-based 'ministries' complimented with copious amounts of trite and terrible Christian pop music.

Usually the only thing I bother with is their news show. And yet having listened very little over the past year (I only occasionally listen to their teaching programmes and I cannot stomach the music), I was struck by how much the organisation has shifted to the Right.

Politicising Statistics: Crime and the Defense Budget

Both sides of the political aisle attempt to manipulate crime statistics. When the Democrats are in power and making noise about gun violence, the Right will downplay it. And yet more typically the Right will scream about law and order and the Democrat's inability to rein in the chaos.

Militarism, the Anti-Russia Campaign, and Video Game Propaganda

https://www.newsweek.com/call-duty-modern-warfare-highway-death-russia-gulf-war-1468207

I quit reading Newsweek years ago and as a consequence missed this 2019 story. The video game industry is already replete with pro-military propaganda and yet in this case it's worse than insidious, a blatant attempt to lie and manipulate history.

The European Right is Consolidating

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/far-right-leaders-agree-on-roadmap-for-sovereign-and-patriotic-europe/

While a formal bloc has not yet been created, a unified agenda is coming together. This represents an early phase, a kind of proto-fascist bloc beginning to form within the EU.

Italy and the United States: Seeking Stability in the Elder Statesmen

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/president-mattarella-reluctant-hero-in-italys-crisis/

Akin to similar developments in other Western democracies, the polarity within Italian politics has reached an extreme – to the point that change itself is feared. Elected to his second term as president, Sergio Matarella is 80 years old and he is the stabilizing factor, the shepherd of an inherently unstable situation – that of Italy's National Unity government which was formed last year.

The Ukraine Narrative Blown Apart

Maybe you caught it, maybe you didn't. In some circles it was barely a headline and in other contexts the weight of this news was softened or outright spun. Days after the fact it would seem that the mainstream media has simply chosen to ignore it.

The Nation, the Christian Right, and Levin's Caricature of Marxism

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/mark-levin-american-marxism/

The Nation is a well-established liberal magazine with deep roots in the American political order.  As connected as it is with the power centres of the Democratic Party, the publisher (Katrina vanden Heuvel) is (ironically) widow to the recently deceased Stephen Cohen – the renowned but controversial Russian studies scholar who rejected and decried the Anti-Russia campaign being led by the US Establishment and particularly the DNC. I'm sure there were some interesting conversations that took place in their home.

Problems with the Evangelical Abortion Narrative

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5502785

Abortion is murder and sin. This needs to be stated in unqualified terms. The point of this inquiry is not to argue otherwise or muddy the waters on the core ethical points surrounding the practice.

However when abortion is considered in its political and social context, then the truth demands a wider discussion and necessarily a more complicated one. Again, this is not to give credence or standing to those who promote and defend abortion. Rather it is necessary as Christians to be honest with regard to how the issue has been framed and utilised, and to consider the narratives attached to it.