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Open Letters by Mersault's avatar

V-E Day, 80 Years Later: Trump Betrays What We Fought For

May 8, 1945 marked the defeat of fascism in Europe. Americans bled and died to stop a genocidal tyrant. Today—eighty years later—we have a traitor in the White House who sides with one.

Trump praises Putin, abandons Ukraine, and mocks the very alliances that won World War II. He kneels to dictators and spits on the graves of those who fought to destroy them.

V-E Day wasn’t just a victory—it was a warning. And now, with Trump in power and the world on edge, that warning has come roaring back.

Democracy is under attack again—and this time, the enemy is within.

🔘 Read » “An Open Letter From a World War II Veteran to Today’s Republican Leaders.”

https://patricemersault.substack.com/p/a-open-letter-from-a-world-war-ii?r=4d7sow

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Politics and Sausage Making's avatar

Your constant insults are not helpful to Ukraine. Like it or not, the President will be in office for another three and a half years, during which time the fate of Ukraine will be decided. Criticism is fine. Obnoxious insults do not help the cause.

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Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine's avatar

A) Will he, though, be in office for the full term, fewer and fewer believe that.

B) No insults, just facts, some opinion but zero insults.

C) As you are a Republican, and are willing to state it aloud even, I would love to interview you about what is going on in that party right now. On foreign policy, I mean, on Ukraine, Russia, NATO. (Trump breaking up the U.S. os a horror show, but not really my focus here). What's tge debate amongst Reps? Or people who know better than to support Trump's madness are too scared to talk or?

You up for it? It'll give you a chance to explain my mistakes to me...

Best, Michael

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John Schmeeckle's avatar

Referring to Trump's "sizable behind" would appear to be an insult."

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Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine's avatar

A) Does he or does he not have a sizable behind?

B) I'm sure Donald will survive my 'insult' - this is, after all, a man who himself accussed Ukraine's Zelensky to have started a war that has cist 100-200.000 Ukrainians their lives, and regularly throws much much worse, and unfounded insults at people....

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John Schmeeckle's avatar

"Utter nonsense" is a peremptory dismissal, apparently reflecting a refusal to think. Per your comment, perhaps you've been watching too much TV. Maybe you still believe that Saddam Hussein dumped those premature babies out of the incubators in that Kuwaiti hospital.

Russia invaded in response to Ukraine's pre-invasion bombardment along the front line in the Donbass, where Ukraine had built up a 3-to-1 troop advantage, which precipitated the activation of the mutual defense pact that Russia had signed with the Donbass republics.

The whole point of our helping build up the Ukrainian military was so they could fulfill their pledge to the IMF to re-take the Donbass, eviscerating the Steinmeyer Formula which was the bedrock of Zelensky's presidential campaign: "swiftly bring peace." We're still waiting...

https://greatgameindia.com/hunter-biden-zelensky-neo-nazi/

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John Schmeeckle's avatar

Responding to Grumpy:

Yes, your "sizable" comment pales in comparison to Trump's routine crass boorishness.

However, Trump is absolutely right when he says that Zelensky started this war:

https://consortiumnews.com/2022/03/04/how-zelensky-made-peace-with-neo-nazis/

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Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine's avatar

What utter nonsense. Did you not watch your TV on Feb 24, 2022?

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Politics and Sausage Making's avatar

I am a very pro-Ukraine Republican. And there are lots of us. And if you think there were no insults in your piece, please re-read it. Sure, and I am happy to discuss. Keep in mind, Europeans rarely get objective information about the U.S. Having said that, no one is worried about splitting the United States apart, but many of us do worry about splitting the transatlantic alliance apart.

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Bob F. Monk's avatar

Your logical structure presumes that decorum is a prerequisite for efficacy. Yet history says otherwise: resistance often arrives cloaked in sharp rebuke, satire, and yes – insult. Demanding civility amidst crisis is prioritizing etiquette over consequence.

That’s your fallacy.

You want decorum while Trump fumbles foreign policy like a toddler with a live grenade? Spare us the pearl-clutching. Decorum died in 2015. Hold your party officials to the same standard as someone on Substack, and maybe then we’ll revive discussions of decorum.

Short list of things Trump said in 2025 more offensive than anything in this post:

Called Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections"

Smeared Schumer – “He’s not Jewish anymore. He’s a Palestinian.”

Blamed Ukraine for provoking Russia’s invasion

Revived “NATO is obsolete” during an active war

Accused foreign press of being “foreign spies”

Tied Ukraine aid to “loyalty” toward him

Refused to condemn Putin – said, “we’ve all made mistakes”

Insults aren’t the issue – indifference, cowardice, and complicity are. If sharp words cut through the noise, good.

You’re worried about tone?

We’re worried about bombs falling on civilians.

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Doug Hiller's avatar

“Obnoxious insults do not help the cause” would certainly be guidance that both trump and Vance could benefit from. It would almost certainly be wasted on them, though, since they both have left a stream of obnoxious insults in their wake as the most noteworthy feature in their communication style.

Thankfully, “the fate of Ukraine will be decided” more by Ukraine’s efforts going forward and not as much by the current occupant of the WH as he had presumed, whether he finds a way to stay in the WH for three and a half more years or not.

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David Lehnherr's avatar

Nothing is more obnoxious and insulting to decent, democracy- and freedom-loving people than the supremely narcissistic and stunningly ignorant felon in the White House, who is putting the entire world in danger with his incompetence, his complete lack of caring about anything but himself and his lack of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States.

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John Maton's avatar

Brilliant recap and comment. Thank you.,

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John Schmeeckle's avatar

Your latest is full of derisive hate.

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Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine's avatar

No hate at all. Sadness. A lot.

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John Schmeeckle's avatar

Replying to "Two Grumpy Old Men":

Your latest includes the following for why Trump is enabling Putin's behavior:

"Interpretations range from pure narcissistic ignorance to ‘Krasnov’ (the U.S. President being a Kremlin asset). Somewhere in the middle there is the more benign version - that Trump will say anything to get the Russian dictator to the negotiating table – ‘The art of the deal’ (Trump’s book) and all that."

Your range of interpretations willfully ignores the strategic context in which Trump is operating. Maybe that is not hateful but rather paid partisan propaganda.

Under Biden we used our Frankenstein monster -- Ukraine's far-right thug regime -- as a proxy to bleed Russia. Trump wants to focus on China as an adversary and wind down our draining Ukraine debacle. In order to do that, Trump needs Russia to want to get along with us enough for them to distance themselves from China. In addition, Trump has to deal with all the toxic "Ukraine good, Russia bad" propaganda that reflects Establishment priorities and poisons American public opinion, so he does his "tough on Putin" song and dance while hesitating to stop throwing good money after bad toward the moribund Zelensky regime. Trump's arguably sensible approach is being hampered by his attempts to cope with reflexive "dead-hand-on-the-wheel" Establishment support for Ukraine.

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Bob F. Monk's avatar

Calling it “derisive hate” is just deflection. Every claim in this piece is backed by quotes, timelines, and outcomes. If it reads like mockery, that’s because reality itself is mockable.

Hate would be wishing harm. This piece wishes Trump would stop enabling it.

What you’re reacting to isn’t hate – it’s your own discomfort. Discomfort with watching a president excuse civilian bombings. Discomfort with sarcasm aimed at a man who promised peace in 24 hours and delivered 15 weeks of bloodshed.

If you’re looking for derisive hate, try the White House – it’s full of it.

Also ... when satire or sharp criticism unsettles you more than the facts behind it, the problem isn’t the tone – it’s what it reveals.

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Two Grumpy Old Men on Ukraine's avatar

Thanks, very well put.

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Bob F. Monk's avatar

You're most welcome. We've been nice for years, look where that got us. 😂🙃🫠😢

You weren't even that mean, and there is no hate I see.

I do see a lot of righteous indignation, not sure why that's hard for many to differentiate. I'd also suggest anger and hate are not mutually exclusive... you can express one without the other.

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Doug Hiller's avatar

I would have tried to add my two more cents, but you’ve already done a fine summary.

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Bob F. Monk's avatar

Thanks Doug! I always appreciate when you, or anyone else, stops by in solidarity – it's always great to know we're not alone.

🤜🤛🏿

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John Schmeeckle's avatar

The White House is indeed full of derisive hate.

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John Maton's avatar

Excellent. Thank you

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