The GOP/Russia authoritarian code:

[kpete]

We are criminals. We are corrupt. We are doing nothing wrong. The other side is worse.

[czarjak]

1. "Any means necessary"

[2naSalit]

8. +1

[Probatim]

2. Is the artist sending a message with the positions of the bear/elephant?

Is the bear riding the elephant? If they were working together, wouldn't they be side by side?

[plimsoll]

3. This needs a Boris Badenoff voice to pull off.

Elephant is spokesman for Bear.

[lastlib]

11. Da!

"Ukraine ees not eenvayzhun. Ees 'speshul meeleetary operayzhun'."

[infullview]

4. I had the same question, although

I think the bear might be doing something else given the scale.

[Probatim]

5. Riding left some room for interpretation...

[Marthe48]

6. I can understand why rich and powerful people want

authoritarianism, but for the life of me, I do not understand why people I rub shoulders with endorse this downhill track. I was very independent growing up. I married a man who joined me in a partnership of love and respect. We role-modeled, but not hard and fast. I avoid drooling goons who are trump traitors, but there are other people who cling to conservative values, without seeing they are closer to my world view than they are the traitor world view. There are ironies-thinking of a close relative who would give you the shirt off his back, but rails at social programs. People who work hard and support their communities, but don't want to pay taxes to support programs that reinforce their hands-on efforts.

I see a bunch of criminal thugs who want to burn down what there is, but have no idea what they want instead. I guess they embrace the loud bangs and chaos of every dystopian novel ever written, but don't realize if they destroy what we have and and don't replace it, they will be living in rubble the same as the rest of us. Ask any Ukrainian how they like living in a smoldering war zone.

If the authoritarian underlings tear down what we have, they have no guarantee that their fantasies of easy sex, meat for dinner, cheap or free gas, and rent-free housing will be theirs for the taking. I don't want to live in chaos. I don't think we can sustain the standard of living we have, but do we really need a yard full of cars, on or off blocks, our own swimming pools, McMansions, more stuff? I haven't ever had the desire to live in House Beautiful or wear designer clothes or shoes. Always lived within my means, and was glad when we came in a little ahead.

Even my faith is predicated on free will: God wants us to win the lottery, but he lets us choose the numbers.

All of the choices I made, all of the choices my husband and I made were made of our own free will. I do not want to surrender my free will or see the next generations forced to live in a fearsome police state run by bullies and thugs.

[TeamProg]

7. Pretty much.. n/t

[uponit7771]

9. K&R, Notice Russia didn't sanction any of their republican collaborators in the US

[deminks]

10. They are forever the GZP to me.

I believe nothing that comes out of their mouths. Nothing.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

12. The GOP is the party of Putin

[CSmeds99]

13. Gang of Putin

The GOP is the Gang of Putin.

[mahina]

14. Bingo