Impunity for war crimes in Syria casts a grim shadow over Ukraine.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/15/world/middleeast/syria-ukraine-invasion-russia.html

«“Creating a humanitarian catastrophe is part of the war strategy, not a secondary effect, because this is how you shift the burden on to the other side,”»

Best response for Europe is to rapidly integrate refugees into their society and not tolerate the behavior of xenophobes.

“Animals were evacuated before African students in Ukraine” – Voice Online

https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/world-news/2022/03/08/animals-were-evacuated-before-african-students-in-ukraine/#.YiciuZIPuYs.twitter

«Ms Orakpo says she was stamped and given the number 30 and was just about to board the bus when someone shouted “why blacks?”»

Story from March 8 and I don’t know when the events occurred, but this is an image fail for Ukraine and they need to fix it. There’s a win waiting here if they turn this around, and publicly. Apologize for the bad reflexes and fix the problem.

Pentagon all but declines Poland’s MiG-29 offer for Ukraine – The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/03/08/poland-mig-29-ukraine/

Apart from the abrupt way in which it was offered, I think Poland’s idea is a good one. What’s Russia gonna do, nuke Germany and the U.S.? Why would nuking Poland be any different (if the planes come straight from Poland)? Unless… it WOULD be different, in which case: wtf? NATO is one for all and all for one. We need to step up.

Changing Names | Facing History and Ourselves

https://www.facinghistory.org/reconstruction-era/changing-names

So, uh… here’s some interesting reading:

«I was born in Montgomery County, Ala. the child of Phillis Houston, slave of Sol Smith. When I was born my mother was known as Phillis Smith and I took the name of Smith too. I was called mostly Lewis Smith till after the war, although I was named Dick Lewis Smith—Dick was the brother of John Barnett whom I learned was my father . . .

When I got home after the war, I was wearing the name of Lewis Smith, but I found that the negroes after freedom, were taking the names of their father like the white folks. So I asked my mother and she told me my father John Barnett, a white man, and I took up the name of Barnett»

On that truck convoy

https://twitter.com/TerryBoutonHist/status/1500583157694963716?s=20&t=etDTBvpQSxn2mqM_M4nc0w

Jolly Uncle Trucker, just questing after liberty. Honestly, this is just like the Nazis rallying at Madison Square Garden in 1939, merely celebrating our German heritage with American “patriotism”. It’s an unbroken line, and it hasn’t gone away. Trump was not an aberration.

Terry Bouton (@TerryBoutonHist) Tweeted: We spent four hours walking around the “Peoples Convoy” Trucker encampment at the Hagerstown Speedway in MD. Anyone dismissing this as a failed event by the crazy fringe is missing the big picture. Here are five important take-aways. 🧵 (Photos by @_Noelle_Cook). https://t.co/M7e3CLqbTK

There is no way back. [Part 1] – Great Power

https://www.greatpower.us/p/there-is-no-way-back-part-1

This whole article seems very good. I tried to grab some excerpts, but I wound up quoting half the article. Just go read it.

I’ll go back to something I alluded to earlier: this whole discussion might be well-informed by consulting former victims of domestic violence and the ones who work with them, helping them. Putin is using the language and tactics of abuse.