Vladimir Putin is incapable of doubting that he is right

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 10.4.2026

**A pregnant Ukrainian woman being carried away after a Russian drone assault**

Just when you think Donald Trump is the most powerful narcissist, think again. His buddy Vladimir Putin is worse because, unlike America, he has total unchallenged authority.

Something Trump can only wish for. That is why he cozies up to authoritarians like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Purin.

Excerpted from Foreign Affairs 9.24.2026

For now, the Kremlin believes that it has both the time and the means to continue fighting for as long as it takes (in Ukraine).

Vladimir Putin is incapable of doubting that he is right.

Vladimir Putin as KGB agent in Dresden, Germany – circa 1980’s

Along with the stage-managed Duma elections, the purging of any trace of antiwar rhetoric from the public sphere is intended to grant Putin a stronger mandate for whatever actions he sees fit to take. An unknown question is how far into the future Russians are prepared to grant this legitimacy.

So far, it has been up to citizens themselves to cope with the burning oil refineries, destroyed warehouses, empty gas stations, nonfunctioning Internet, and life-threatening risks from drone attacks. In addition to chronic inflation, the budget deficit has become a problem, and Russia’s GDP and industrial production are hovering just above zero. This is despite the fact that, until recently, arms production had formally kept these indicators at a moderately high level; now, even that is no longer helping.

**After a Russian drone attack in Ukraine – June 2026**

In the face of these challenges, people are bearing with the system for now. It is also worth noting that the same surveys that show Russians are less satisfied with the special military operation than they were before also show that greater numbers of them prefer intensifying strikes over making concessions to achieve peace.

More than half the respondents in an August Levada Center poll think it is likely that the special military operation will last another year, and the number of those who say they are certain of this has grown. Precisely because of their utter exhaustion with war, many see increased military activity as a way to bring peace closer.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/redeem/x8c5CPE1H4U

An updated Version – BACK IN THE USSR

Progressives are so Reactionary. Rejecting a car free environment

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 10.3.2026

The blogger and longtime San Francisco Green Party member continues to be baffled.

One person in response to my bafflement wrote, “There’s definitely a generational (Green Party) divide within the “Progressive” camp with older ones that are still car-centric.”

I am definitely “older” and on the far side of that “generational (Green Party Divide).

I ask myself why do some so called “Progressive” organizations, advocacy groups and individuals oppose car free spaces in San Francisco?

The stale worn out excuse I hear is that people need their cars. It may be true elsewhere but not in San Francisco.

In the upcoming November 3rd election Proposition G, put on the ballot by a small group of entitled motorists would destroy Sunset Dunes Park. This is the third time in four years San Francisco voters are voting on this measure. In 2022 and 2024 voters said they want the oceanside park.

So, it comes as a surprise that the San Francisco Green Party and the “Progressive” Pissed Off Voter Guide are not taking a position on the measure.

I suppose it’s an improvement for the Green Party. In 2024 the Greens urged a NO vote on Proposition K which passed with nearly 55 percent and made the now named Sunset Dunes Park permanent.

**Richmond Review ‘Official Party Endorsements’ – October 2026**

**San Francisco November 2024 Voter Guide with its NO ON K recommendation. This measure approved by nearly 55 percent resulted in the creation of Sunset Dunes Park**

**Pissed Off Vote Guide has ‘No Position on Prop G. A NO vote will save Sunset Dunes Park which was approved by the Voters in November 2024 with a 54.73 percent majority**

What’s the problem with San Francisco so called Progressives?

Some ‘On the Road Again’ music from the Canned Heat old school 1969 album. Perhaps this is the world the senior generation is living

Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War – Plato

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 10.2.2026

Israeli military rejects allegations portrayed in ‘NAZA’

What else do you expect from the murderous Israeli military after it murdered over 70,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023?

The truth hurts, eh.

Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 10.2.2026

When it premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in mid-September, “NAZA” received a 25-minute-long standing ovation and the Special Jury Prize. But in Israel, the documentary has fueled heated debate.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar described the work of filmmakers Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham “treason against the state” and urged that their citizenship be revoked. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also sharply criticized the documentary.

Israel’s culture minister wants to strip the makers of a documentary on Israel’s Gaza offensive of their citizenship. He accused the two of seeking “applause from antisemites around the world.”

**Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar described the work of filmmakers Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham “treason against the state”***No Other Land* (Arabic: لا أرض أخرى, romanized: *Lā arḍ ukhrá*) is a 2024 documentary film directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor, in their directorial debut. A Palestinian-Israeli collective of activists, the four conceived and produced the film in what they describe as an act of resistance on the path to justice in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The film was recorded between 2019 and 2023 and shows the destruction of Masafer Yatta, a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank, which had been resisting forced displacement after an Israeli “firing zone” was declared on their land.^[4][5]

Now the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has also rejected the film’s allegations about its conduct during the war in Gaza. In a multi-page document, the military accuses the filmmakers of presenting a “distorted, misleading and disingenuous picture.” The film, it says, is based on “substantial factual errors” resulting from “manipulative misrepresentations of reality.”

The 80-minute documentary examines the Israel Defense Forces’ operations during the war in Gaza. It is based on interviews conducted with 24 anonymous military and intelligence personnel, who describe internal procedures and decision-making processes involved in selecting targets in the Gaza Strip. According to the interviewees, high civilian casualty estimates were, in some cases, deliberately factored into these decisions.

The military accuses the filmmakers of omitting important facts. According to the IDF, the film fails to show the role of military legal advisors and commanders in reviewing and authorizing attacks or the measures it says it takes to protect civilians.

It also argues that the film does not adequately address the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 people were killed and 250 people were taken hostage.

https://www.dw.com/en/israel-naza-documentary-idf-response/a-79520483

**The aftermath of 2000 lb. dropped on Gaza by Israel. Supplied by the American taxpayers**

The Israel Defense Forces are totally intertwined with Donald Trump’s money making son-in-law Jared Kushner. A relationship which has had disastrous consequences for the people of Gaza

Top photo: Palestine graveyard – Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War – Plato

Capital punishment. Legal murder. Barbarism in Tennessee.

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 10.1.2026 UPDATED

Capital punishment is barbaric state sanctioned murder.

Edvard Munch (/mʊŋk/ *MUUNK*;^[1] Norwegian: [ˈɛ̀dvɑɖ ˈmʊŋk] ^ⓘ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work *The Scream* has become one of the most iconic and acclaimed images in all of Western art. Edvard Munch – Wikipedia

To know there are people expectantly waiting outside the Tennessee prison where Christa Pike will be executed. Mistakenly thinking justice will have been served.

Christa Pike’s crime, committed when she was just 18 years old, will not bring back the dead.

A civilized nation does not commit state sanctioned executions.

Top etching: Edvard Munch.

Jack Smith. “I will not be intimidated?” Who’s the “dirt bag” now?

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 9.30.2026 UPDATED

**MAGA friendly New York Post – 9.**30.2026

**The morning after** The Hill – 9.30.2026

Did a clueless MAGA senator think he could humiliate veteran war crimes prosecutor Jack Smith by calling him a “dirt bag” after thoroughly embarrassing himself and the Republican party on national television?

Jack Smith is the man who brought Federal charges against Donald Trump only to have his work torn apart after Trump returned the White House in January 2025.

Now Trump’s toady MAGA allies in Congress have used their power to discredit Jack Smith. It’s not working. Jack Smith is familiar with criminals of all types,. Kosovo war criminals included.

John Luman Smith (born June 5, 1969) is an American attorney who has served in the United States Department of Justice as an assistant U.S. attorney, acting U.S. attorney, and head of the department’s Public Integrity Section. He was also the chief prosecutor at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, an international tribunal at The Hague tasked with investigating and prosecuting war crimes in the Kosovo War. He served as a special counsel for the Department of Justice from November 18, 2022, until his resignation on January 10, 2025. Jack Smith (lawyer) – Wikipedia

**Jack Smith at the Senate Judiciary Committee – 9.29.2026**

Excerpted from The Daily Beast 9.29.2026

MAGA Senator Eric Schmitt dramatically accused former special counsel Jack Smith of perjury and being a “dirtbag” on Tuesday—only to learn he got his reveal entirely wrong.

Smith appeared confused at first by the line of questioning, but it turned out that Schmitt completely mixed up the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks with the Hawkeyes from the University of Iowa.

Instead Schmitt was publicly humiliated, just as D.C. was gossiping that he could be a running mate for JD Vance in 2028.

The cringeworthy exchange came when the Missouri Republican started asking Smith about attending a basketball game in Atlanta in 2024.

He appeared to be trying to tie the former special counsel to the separate election interference case with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

MAGA Senator Humiliated Himself With Botched Gotcha Moment

Jack Smith calmly refutes absurd allegations from MAGA Senator Eric Schmitt

Why is San Francisco supporting Israel’s nuclear war machine?

SAN FRANCISCO|

Lee Heidhues 9.28.2026

The question I have is the following. “Why has San Francisco engaged in a Sister City for 10 years with the German port City of Kiel which is building lethal hardware for the Israeli navy?

Submarines which are believed to be nuclear armed though Israel never admits to possessing nuclear weapons.

Such an action does not fit international city San Francisco long known for its involvement in the peace movement and antiwar activities going back to the Vietnam War era?

At this Sunday’s German Day well attended celebration in Golden Gate Park the blogger had an instructive conversation with a representative from Kiel, Germany Kiel – Wikipedia A sister city of San Francisco.

I learned that the port City of Kiel in Northern Germany is a major supplier of weaponry to the Israeli navy. On September 1st six submarines left Kiel for the port of Haifa. With more scheduled for delivery.

**Sister Cities of San Francisco at Powell and Market Streets**. **Kiel is 5484 miles away.**

Excerpted from The Times of Israel 9.27.2026

Israel’s newest, largest submarine arrives, deepening Navy’s stealth capabilities

Twelve years and one scandal in the making, the INS Drakon completes its 23-day journey from Germany with a ToI reporter aboard, carrying secret tech and powered by a system that will allow it to stay underwater for longer

The Israeli Navy’s INS Drakon submarine sails in the Mediterranean Sea, early September 24, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)*Jane’s Defence Weekly* reported that the *Dolphin*-class submarines are believed to be nuclear armed, offering Israel a sea-based, second strike capability.^[18][19] In adherence to Missile Technology Control Regime rules^[48] the US Clinton administration rejected an Israeli request in 2000 to purchase Tomahawk long range SLCMs. The U.S. Navy has deployed nuclear armed and conventional Tomahawk missiles for its submarine fleet which are launched from standard heavy 533 mm torpedo tubes.^[52] The Federation of American Scientists and GlobalSecurity.org reported that the four larger torpedo tubes are capable of launching Israeli built nuclear-armed Popeye Turbo cruise missiles (a variant of the Popeye standoff missile), and the U.S. Navy recorded an Israeli submarine-launched cruise missile test in the Indian Ocean ranging 1,500 km (930 mi).^[10][14][53]

ABOARD INS DRAKON — Just a few nautical miles west of Haifa, the Israeli Navy’s sixth submarine was approaching Israel’s coast on Thursday morning after a 3,792-nautical-mile (around 8,000-kilometer) voyage over the past 23 days from Germany.

At dawn, reporters had boarded a small Defender-class patrol boat and headed out to greet the INS Drakon — or Dragon — on the final leg of her maiden journey to the Haifa Naval Base, where a ceremony was planned in the vessel’s honor.

Before we departed the naval base, the military took away all our electronic devices, from cellphones to key fobs, due to security concerns

Israel’s newest, largest submarine arrives, deepening Navy’s stealth capabilities | The Times of Israel

The Dolphin class (Hebrew: הצוללות מסדרת דולפין) is a diesel-electric submarine developed in Israel^[6] and constructed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, Germany, for the Israeli Navy‘s Shayetet 7 flotilla.^[7] The first three boats of the class were based on the export-only German 209-class submarines, but modified and enlarged. This Dolphin-I sub-class is slightly larger than the German Navy Type 212 in length and displacement. Dolphin-class submarine – Wikipedia

Top photo: Israeli Dolphin Class submarine at the Port of Kiel, Germany

Germany has deep roots in the heart of San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – GOLDEN GATE PARK CONCOURSE

Lee Heidhues 9.27.2026

The blogger spent part of his Sunday renewing acquaintances and checking out the action at 2026 German Day in Golden Gate Park.

A large crowd enjoyed the food and entertainment as he made his way through the many booths of language schools, educational sites and the German Consulate in San Francisco.

**Marion Gerlind in line for the German Day opening parade**

A major presence at the event is the Gerlind Institute in Oakland Gerlind Institute for Cultural StudiesGerlind Institute for Cultural Studies whose director Marion Gerlind and her partner ‘JB’ offer a wide range of educational classes, cultural events and movies. It was due to the blogger’s wife Liz participation with the Institute that we accompanied the Gerlind Institute to Germany in 2017. After that we twice more traveled to Berlin and explored this historic European city.

**Liz, Marion and Lee in Berlin – 2017**

Sister Cities: Kiel and San Francisco

A most intriguing conversation for the blogger occurred when I spoke with a representative of San Francisco’s sister City Kiel. It turns out the shipyard in the port city of Kiel just built six submarines for the Israeli navy. These submarines sailed for the Israeli port of Haifa in early September. Three more are in line to be shipped. Israeli Navy’s Sixth Submarine, INS Drakon, Departs Germany for Israel | VINnews

**The blogger spoke with a consular representative and after spinning the Wheel of Fortune was awarded an artsy coffee mug**

**The crowd enjoyed the on stage dance routine and the Golden Gate Park Band attired for the occasion**

**The always popular Biergarten at any German festive event**

**Home, again with souvenirs from German Day 2026** **including a German language edition of Franz Kafka’s The Trial and a book containing 46 drawings by Edvard Munch – Lebensfries**

Top photo: Gerlind Institute booth at 2026 German Day

Trump’s war awash in exploding gas prices will bring him down

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 9.26.2026

The blogger has not owned a car for 60 years and never must visit the gas station except to occasionally use the restroom.

I am also well aware that I pay the price when I go shopping.

I am well aware of the logistics of transportation. I worked in this sector nearly 25 years negotiating contracts and being responsible for shipments foreign and domestic.

The current seemingly unending inflationary spiral is due in large part to the sharp rise in gas prices. Responsibility for this is undeniable. Donald Trump’s war of choice against Iran.

One of the groups hardest hit are his supporters. The farmers, ranchers and transportation companies mostly in Red State America, whose owners have been Trump’s biggest MAGA supporters. Until now.

**Trump’s war against in Iran seven months and counting awash in exploding gas prices will bring him down**

Excerpted from The Wall Street Journal 9.26.2026

It’s costing more and more to get stuff in the hands of American shoppers.

Trucking expenses are at their highest level since the Covid pandemic snarled operations around the world. Diesel prices are up 77% in the past year. Freight railroads are adding surcharges. And the nation’s busiest port is the busiest it’s ever been.

There’s virtually no way for businesses to avoid paying more, and they’re passing on the pain to consumers. It all adds up to extra inflationary pressure on a U.S. economy that has been wrestling with rising prices for years.

Among the key drivers is the soaring price of diesel fuel. It hit a record of $6.53 on Sept. 22, according to AAA.

Also contributing to the rise in trucking costs, companies say, is a shortage of truck drivers, a byproduct of the Trump administration’s tightened enforcement of rules on who can qualify for a commercial driver’s license. Tens of thousands of immigrants—often the ones most willing to handle the less popular long-haul trucking routes—have lost their certifications.

https://www.wsj.com/business/inflation-costs-diesel-port-trucks-1062d089?st=X6fkCE&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

**Diesel fuel $8.59 gallon in San Francisco – 9.21.2026 – photo Lee Heidhues**

Transport costs are rising because diesel prices have hit record highs (up to $6.40 per gallon in 2026), truckload spot rates have surged to $3.83 per mile, and capacity shortages, labor constraints, and insurance spikes are pushing all freight modes upward.

What’s Driving the Increases

1. Fuel Prices Are at Historic Highs

Diesel averaged $6.40 per gallon in the U.S. in 2026 — a 70% increase year‑over‑year. americanactionforum.org
Geopolitical tensions (e.g., Strait of Hormuz crisis) pushed diesel to $5.50 per gallon earlier in the year. keynnectlogistics.com
Fuel is 15–20% of trucking operating costs, so spikes immediately raise freight rates.

**San Francisco Chronicle – 9.19.2026** **(article attached)**

https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/gas-diesel-price-farm-california-22435710.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2NhbGlmb3JuaWEvYXJ0aWNsZS9nYXMtZGllc2VsLXByaWNlLWZhcm0tY2FsaWZvcm5pYS0yMjQzNTcxMC5waHA%3D&time=MTc5MDQ2OTA0NjEyNQ%3D%3D&rid=OTJhM2RhZWItNDMzYy00ZjMxLTgyMTQtZTU2ZjE2NDIzNDRl&sharecount=Mw%3D%3D

Nazi Curious AfD Holocaust denial. Ban ‘stumbling stones’

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 9.25.2026

It’s dangerous and indicative of the true feelings of the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD).

Now that the AfD has gained power in Saxony-Anhalt in the former East Germany this Nazi Curious party is moving quickly to implement its perverse anti semitism agenda.

**Nazi Curious AfD is cracking the foundation of Germany**

Top on the list for AfD is banning Stolpersteine ‘stumbling stones’ in Heidenau near Dresden.

Heidenau (German pronunciation: [ˈhaɪdənaʊ] ^ⓘ) is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the left bank of the Elbe, 13 km southeast of Dresden (centre).

In 2015, it became known for riots by local far-right forces against the arrival of refugees.^[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34038557 In August 2015, authorities were forced to impose a temporary ban on assemblies in Heidenau due to continuous harassment of asylum-seekers.^[4] Heidenau – Wikipedia

With the collaboration of the rightist CDU. German politics is in a sorry state when the establishment Christian Democratic Union (CDU) collaborates with the AfD. A political party German security services deem a national security threat.

AfD in the German Bundestag. Hitler, Hate and Hooligans

Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 9.25.2026

The town of Heidenau, near Dresden, has banned new Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) on public streets, with the center-right CDU and the far-right AfD voting together to stop the installation of new memorial plaques bearing the names of Holocaust victims.

On Friday, one of the top two leaders of Germany’s Green Party, Felix Banaszak, described the move as “a scandal.”

Banaszak pointed to the current debate on right-wing extremism and the rise of the AfD, saying that everything must be done “to keep alive the memories of those who were persecuted and killed.”

The Stolpersteine are comprised of a concrete cube with a metal plaque on top that bears the victim’s name. They are often seen in German streets, installed just slightly higher than the surrounding walking surface, often near the houses of people targeted by the Nazi regime.

Many others also responded with outrage to the CDU’s decision to join forces with the AfD to pass the motion. The move comes with Chancellor Merz already facing a political crisis over his party’s poor electoral performance, and raises questions about the political “firewall” against the far right which mainstream political parties in Germany have maintained to keep the AfD out of power.

German artist Gunter Demnig started the project in the early 1990s. While most of the 128,000 such paving stones were installed in Germany, they have also been placed in 30 other countries affected by the Nazi regime, making them the largest decentralized monument in the world.

https://www.dw.com/en/afd-cdu-ban-new-holocaust-stumbling-stones-in-heidenau/a-79433919

SF Public Works gives our street tree an unannounced hair cut

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues – Text and Photos – 9.25.2026

This Friday morning the blogger opened his garage door to see a San Francisco Department of Public Works (SFDPW) truck parked in his driveway.

I asked the driver if he was here to perform work on our property. The answer was “Yes.”

SFDPW was on-site to trim our tree which was overhanging the street. Making it difficult for the bi-weekly street sweeper to transit by our house. The blogger did not receive prior notification. I learned that I could “opt out” of the program. For today it was too late. Should I “opt out” in the future it would be necessary to hire a licensed arborist to perform the required work.

This is our second street tree.

Having familiarized myself with the procedure I talked with the DPW workers Caiman and Dylan. I explained that our current tree is nearly 10 years old. We have had a tree in front of our home since 1992 when Liz approached neighbors on behalf of Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF). As a result of her advocacy 44 trees were planted in our outer Richmond District neighborhood.

Caiman and Dylan assured me they would treat our tree with kindness and went to work. Following is a photo montage.

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Israel’s newest, largest submarine arrives, deepening Navy’s stealth capabilities

Twelve years and one scandal in the making, the INS Drakon completes its 23-day journey from Germany with a ToI reporter aboard, carrying secret tech and powered by a system that will allow it to stay underwater for longer

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Transport costs are rising because diesel prices have hit record highs (up to $6.40 per gallon in 2026), truckload spot rates have surged to $3.83 per mile, and capacity shortages, labor constraints, and insurance spikes are pushing all freight modes upward.

What’s Driving the Increases

1. Fuel Prices Are at Historic Highs

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