In the film “Network,” Peter Finch famously declares, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore.” His words echo the frustration many Americans feel today about the economy, the war with Iran, and government corruption.    Just when you think you have heard it all , our U.S. special envoy, Stevin Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The purpose of their meeting is unknown, but during their conversation, he praised Putin for being a “humanitarian.” This is far from the truth, since Putin condemns, imprisons and assassinates anyone who opposes him. This includes Russians and foreigners alike. Witkoff’s statement is shocking to the overwhelmingly majority of Americans who vehemently oppose Putin’s unprovoked invasion and war against the sovereignty of Ukraine. Putin is the modern-day version of Russian dictator Joseph Stalin of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Klaus Barbie, known as the Butcher of Nazi Germany. Yet, for some reason, our president seeks his approval and his admiration. Does he want to align America with Russia at the expense of losing our allies? One would think so by his lifting of economic sanctions and the promise to purchase Russian oil. Who benefits the most from this agreement? Well, the answer isn’t America. Past American presidents have considered Russia to be our adversary, especially from 1945 Cold War period until 1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev attempted unsuccessfully to democratize the Soviet Union. For the past three years, we have seen evidence of Putin’s cruelty by committing war crimes, killing innocent Ukrainian citizens, kidnapping Ukrainian children, and destroying their ancient historic buildings. All with the underlining purpose of annihilating the Ukrainian culture. Yet our president continues to demean Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky for not capitulating to the demands of Putin and ending the war. Our president seems to forget who started the war and who is at fault for the killing of Russian and Ukraine lives. Without congressional oversight, President Trump is free to reshape America’s influence in the world. His lack of diplomacy and his unconstitutional implementation of tariffs have managed to alienate our NATO allies as well as other countries across the globe as well as harm our economy.   His authoritarian desires can be better illustrated by his obsession with the idea of illegal citizens voting in our elections. His latest pronouncement is to have the Department of Justice file a lawsuit against Alaska for suspected voter fraud even before the scheduled mid-term elections. However, he states that he will drop the suit if the Republican incumbent wins the Senate seat. His logic remains a mystery. It is why I, along with many more concerned American citizens are saying, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Be sure to vote in the November mid-term elections John White Midway The post Mad as hell appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less