MEANWHILE, A RECENT HEADLINE (also on the Internet) read: “Russia proposes 15-year sentences and threatens 'treason charges' for telling the truth about its war crimes in Ukraine.” The story (in February) began: “The head of the Russian Duma’s ‘committee on security,’ Vasily Piskarev, has proposed changes to legislation, including up to 15 years’ imprisonment for what are termed ‘fakes’ about the Russian armed forces currently bombing cities and killing civilians in Ukraine.  It is clear from the regime’s ban on words like ‘invasion’; ‘war’ and ‘aggression’ that this is one of several weapons being deployed to prevent people in Russia from learning about the crimes the regime is committing . . .”

If you live in Moscow, good luck in knowing what’s going on . . . and what Trump’s friend Vladimir is up to.

Donald Trump (as reported in The Hill April 5, 2021, soon after taking office as president): “The press is doing everything within their power to fight the magnificence of the phrase, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump tweeted . . . “They are truly the ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!” The Hill article continued: “The president has previously described specific outlets and ‘fake news’ as the ’enemy of the people,’ but so far had not used the characterization to describe the full press corps . . .” Trump issued the tweet hours after he said he would not attend the year’s White House correspondents' dinner, telling reporters that it was “too negative.”

The Associated Press is world-wide and has not changed in being thorough on all fronts. Same for the Free Press, which continues its refusal to become a tool of autocrats addicted to power. But the going is tough in places such as Russia and North Korea . . . and China.

Meanwhile . . .

"Speak softly and carry a big stick — you will go far.” A saying possibly attributed to Theodore Roosevelt (politician, statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian and writer), a Republican who served as 26th President of the United states from 1901 to 1909 . . . a driving force for anti-trust and Progressive policies. (Also the youngest president in U.S. history, although this distinction often is mistakenly given to John F, Kennedy. Clinton was the third youngest.)

How times, and Republicans, changed in a little over a century! We got recently as a one-term president 2017-2021 a self-absorbed individual named Donald Trump — who looks upon natural resources as something to be exploited, the presidency as a means to individual power and wealth. Who twice lost the U.S. popular vote. Who speaks loudly but whose “big stick” probably is a 3-wood on the golf course. Though the end of 2020, Since taking office on Jan. 20, 2017, Trump reportedly was on the grounds of his golf courses or played golf elsewhere 308 times since becoming president, as of Dec. 30, 2020.

As of late 2020, Donald Trump, through his Trump Organization owned or operated 17 golf properties around the world, including 12 in the United States, two in Dubai (one open, another opening in 2020), one in Ireland and two in Scotland, as well planned courses in Indonesia.'

All of which sort of puts into perspective the recent ridiculous rant of Trump’s son Eric, who accused Democratic President Joe Biden of riding a bicycle the other day.