Mike Murphy

Oleshky: a return of some of the Ukrainians to Ukraine-controlled territory who survived the Russian occupation and the aftermath of Russia blowing up the Kakhovka Dam, a Russian crime that flooded their land and homes. Russia has starved them, took away their food, provided no medicine, and did not allow them to leave. Many people died - were killed - during the Russian occupation and in the aftermath of the flooding. We cannot know the exact figures, as this territory remains under Russian control. Now Russians are trying to portray this as an act of humanism on their part. But in reality, they were pressured into letting these people go - people whose land and homes they had seized, whom they had tormented and condemned to death by starvation. People left behind their seized and destroyed homes and fled to avoid starving to death. Almost all chose to go to Ukraine. And I thank everyone who took part in this extremely difficult humanitarian mission, everyone who contributed and helped save Ukrainian lives.

🏒 The decision by the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) to allow Russia back to international hockey is an own goal by the International Ice Hockey Federation, IIHF. Instead of, from the very outset, clearly declaring the prime reason to ban Russia from IIHF events, the world governing body gave lame and shallow reasons like “safety and well-being of players, officials, fans, volunteers and all participants.” For reasons that are difficult to understand, the IIHF were hesitant to give the real motives to keep Russia out; the unprovoked aggression of a sovereign nation, daily murder of innocent civilians and the most horrific war crimes on European soil since WWII. And the IIHF could see it coming. In June this year, the IIHF’s own (!) disciplinary board informed the IIHF Council (Board) that the council’s reasons to ban Russia could not be maintained in its current form. To put it simply, safety and well-being of participants is not a good enough reason to ban a nation. It can be reason #5 but not the main reason. It is important to understand how CAS works. The court’s job is to determine whether a federation’s own regulations are reasonable and if the federation follows its own rules. The IIHF has had five years following the Russian aggression to adjust their statutes to reflect the current situation in Ukraine, to be something like this: “The IIHF prohibits participation of nations that indulge in unprovoked wars of aggression, where innocent civilians and sports facilities are targeted and where civilians are murdered indiscriminately. A ban from participating is relevant particularly to nations where the political power and the country’s ice hockey authorities are intertwined and where the war enjoys full support from such authorities.” When reading CAS’ ruling from today, it is obvious that it is the IIHF that bears the responsibility. CAS states clearly that the reasons (safety, etc) as presented by the IIHF were not enough. What is even more embarrassing for the IIHF is that CAS, in the same press release, writes that it had dismissed similar Russian appeals - from the Russian Curling Federation - because of the World Curling Federation citing in their case that “the reintroduction of Russian athletes would present significant challenges to the integrity of the competitions.” So, in hockey, the Russian appeal was upheld. In curling it was dismissed. Difference? How you present your case. There is no question that it is the IIHF Council, with the former president Luc Tardif, that bears responsibility for the IIHF’s inability to properly present its case. And I personally pointed that out to Tardif some three years ago when we spoke at length about the Russian issue at the Champions Hockey League final in Luleå, Sweden. 🥅 The CAS decision does not automatically mean that Russia will take part. Countries like Sweden, Finland and Czechia should notify the IIHF that if Russia plays, we are out. The IIHF World Championship can do without Russia, sportively and commercially. But without the money from Swedish, Finnish and Czech television, there is no event.

Ishockey-VM i Tyskland 2027 hade kunnat bli en fantastisk fest. Ukraina kvalificerade sig i våras och skulle för första gången på 20 år få spela A-VM. Detta dessutom i Tyskland, landet som tagit emot flest ukrainska flyktingar. Ukrainsk hockey har precis som hela landet lidit enormt pga rysslands invasionskrig. Minst 13 ukrainska hockeyspelare har dödats. Arenor har förstörts, landets bästa ungdomsverksamhet slogs helt sönder och hela klubblag har tvingats flytta eller helt lägga ner verksamheten. Så sent som den 19 oktober angrep ryssland Kyjivs modernaste hockeyarena Schalett med en ballistisk robot. ⬇️Återuppbyggnadsarbetet satte igång nästan direkt. Ukrainsk ishockey hade det inte så lätt före 2022 heller. Det har aldrig funnits stora pengar i sporten här, men det finns ett grundmurat intresse i många städer och ett antal eldsjälar och hockeyälskare som håller liv i den ukrainska hockeyligan, sporten och landslagen även nu, i ännu svårare tider. Det var just därför det i våras var en stor och symboliskt viktig seger att trots allt så lyckades landslaget att ta sig till A-VM på nytt! Bara för att nu få beskedet att de kommer förlora den platsen till – just det, ryssland av alla länder! Det är närmast en sadistisk ironi att landet som skapat och fortsätter skapa så mycket lidande nu även ska ta ifrån oss även det här glädjeämnet. Visst hade Ukraina fått det svårt att hävda sig bland giganterna i A-VM. Men i det här fallet hade deltagande handlat så mycket mer än om resultat. Att få vara med i hockeyns finrum, visa att man finns, lever och kämpar hade varit värt mycket bara det. Att få ställas mot stjärnorna från Kanada, Sverige, Finland, USA m.fl. hade varit värt mycket bara det när man kommer från en tillvaro där man får vara glad om alla i familjen överlever vintern och det finns någonstans att genomföra vettig träning på is. Samtidigt har hockeylandslagen kommit närmre varandra och kanske hade Ukraina ändå kunnat ta någon poäng av Tjeckien, Schweiz, Finland, Tre kronor, USA eller Kanada och levt på den bedriften i flera år. Nu kommer vi berövas allt detta av CAS beslut att det blodbesudlade ryssland nu med omedelbar verkan istället ska beredas plats i hockey-VM. Just på bekostnad av Ukraina, som var det landslag som kvalificerade sig sist. Ibland är det svårt att finna ord för hur fel världen fungerar i vissa fall…… teapawt.net/FriaUkraina/status/205…

Finland, Germany, Czechia and Austria’s governing hockey entities have each released statements following the CAS ruling on Russia’s eligibility for IIHF championships in 2027. (H/T @leijonat, @deb_teams, @czehockey, eishockey.at)

⚡️ Russia's national ice hockey teams have been cleared to return to international competitions for the first time since the start of the war The Russian national team will be able to compete at the 2027 World Championship in Germany, while the junior team will compete in Canada. Russia's Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev announced the country's return to international ice hockey.

Dear Mr Hoekstra, It will be our joy and pride to take the blame for your loss in the midterms. You threatened to annex us, you promised economic force, you breached CUSMA and imposed tariffs that cripple our industries, you insulted our country and our elected leaders, you want to erase the border, you supported Alberta separatists and celebrated the Parti Quebecois win…. And now you blame us cause your own people turned against you?? Your arrogance and bullying won’t intimidate us. We will be happy to support even your impeachment. Thank you for your consideration to this matter

A MAN WITHOUT FEELINGS, CONSCIENCE, OR MORALS Someone once asked: “Why do some British people dislike Donald Trump?” Nate White, an eloquent and witty English writer, gave a brilliant answer (excerpts attributed to The Times of London): “Trump lacks certain qualities that the British have traditionally valued. He has no class, no charm, no composure, no authority, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no modesty, no honor, and no dignity. Although Trump may look ridiculous, he has never said anything ironic, funny, or even remotely witty. Not once. And I mean that literally. To the British, a complete absence of humor is almost a form of inhumanity. But in Trump's case, it is a fact. He doesn't even understand what a joke is. To him, a joke is a crude attack, an illiterate insult, or an act of casual cruelty. Just look at his endless obsession with someone's backside. Trump resembles a troll. He never laughs sincerely; he merely squeals with delight or mockery. And what is even more frightening is that he doesn't just deliver crude and stupid insults — he actually believes this is perfectly normal. His mind is a primitive algorithm of petty prejudices and instinctive malice. There is no irony, complexity, nuance, or depth in him. Everything is superficial. We can see that he has no inner world, no soul. He is soulless. In Britain, we have traditionally sided with David rather than Goliath. Our heroes have always been courageous underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither courageous nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite. He isn't even merely a spoiled rich boy or a greedy fat cat. He is more like a giant white slug, a privileged Jabba the Hutt. And worse still, he is a bully. Yet when surrounded by other bullies, he instantly transforms into a groveling servant. He always punches down — something a gentleman would never do. And he takes particular pleasure in attacking those who are most vulnerable, defenseless, and already lying on the ground. That is why the fact that a substantial minority of Americans — perhaps a third — look at him, listen to him, and think, ‘Yes, he's my kind of guy!’ is a source of enormous astonishment and alarm to the British. Because it is impossible to read even one of his tweets or listen to more than a few sentences without feeling the ground open beneath your feet. He has turned mediocrity into an art form. He is the Picasso of pettiness, the Shakespeare of shit. His flaws are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on to infinity. There have always been plenty of stupid people in the world, and no shortage of wicked ones. But for stupidity to be so wicked, and wickedness so stupid — that is something truly rare. Compared with him, Nixon looks trustworthy, and George W. Bush looks intelligent. If Frankenstein decided to create a monster made entirely of human flaws, he would create Trump. And then the horrified Dr. Frankenstein would scream in despair: ‘My God, what have I done?!’ And if idiocy were a television series, Trump would be its entire set.” Stephen King is an American writer who works across many genres, including horror, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, supernatural fiction, drama, and detective fiction. He has earned the nickname “King of Horror.” King is a literary giant whose words carry authority around the world. Here is a statement attributed to him about Trump: “We can joke about Trump, but this is no joke. He and his accomplices, with the support of the Supreme Court, are turning America into a fascist, authoritarian state. Republicans must stop putting party interests above the interests of their country and recognize the danger.”

Community members line the street in Wainwright Alberta, to pay tribute to the soldiers at CFB Wainwright. For those who lost their lives, to those who are in the hospital and to those who were there to help. #wainwright

Let me show you, through a few photos, what kind of "humanitarian" Putin is. The words spoken publicly today by Trump’s envoy are not only a betrayal but also a crime, as they will, in the long run, embolden Putin to commit the worst kinds of atrocities.