My teaching schedule is intermittent and like any professor, although I'm not claiming to be one except in jest, I'm doing lots of homework and prepping for upcoming classes. My life is that of an anonymous academic, although I would not say cloistered.
That homework includes a trickle of RT still (post a sweeping shutdown) but with most of that cast dispersed to other venues. I still remember when Air America Radio went under, which is from where some of this talent came in the first place. Randi Rhodes foreshadowed Tulsi Gabbard, a female fluent in military matters, questioning the common wisdom.
I also solicit debating partners on Facebook and compare notes. Study involves discussing and debating, not just passively reading and viewing. That's what friends are for.
Scott Ritter has gotten a lot of words in edgewise amidst other chores I've been doing. I've watched at least three recent interviews. Readers might remember I was tracking Ritter closely from the newsgroup alt.politics.org.cia (did I get that right?) during the post-911 attack on Iraq, wherein I still connected through Teleport as pdx4d.
I had my usual focus on keeping up supervisory or "oversight" mechanisms (interesting double meaning there), involving webcams and whatever i.e. arms control, trust but verify, the verify part. But this wasn't my specific training, just my focus, so I was mostly there to learn.
Then I've picked up a couple new independent journalists wandering about on the outskirts of the hot spots. There's that American who grabbed a train from Kiev to Kharkov, even deeper in the conflict zone, and now making selfie shows (as I do too) from his hiding place, giving his strong opinions. He's no Zelenskyy fan, but doesn't speak Russian either.
The story I'm getting is political actor Zelenskyy ran as a peace candidate and even at this late date would like to deliver, but fears the youth groups to which many in government owe their current positions. The "Inca brain surgery" Russians hope to pull off would deprogram the little sister (an analogy I've been using), delivering her from the Cult of Otan.
That's similar to Washington, DC's fear of anarchic insurrectionists who came out in support of Trump, but don't seem inspired by this new older guy as much. DC knows how it feels to feel cornered by a hostile constituency on the brink. Trudeau thought they were coming for him and acted out, but they weren't really. They just wanted to have a conversation.
I suggested in my recent video that any truck convoy heading for DC do a 180 and head for Hollywood or somewhere where they make television and social media. DC is providing a lot of the talking heads, for sure, but the screenwriters tend to work remotely, some maybe from bunkers, believing their own science fiction. Not that bunkers can't double as luxury apartments and what not. Facebook and Twitter deplatformed a sitting president, albeit the lamest of ducks by then. That's our Grunch in the high chair.
