This episode starts with the song Back in the USSR by the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney in 1968. The song took shape when Paul heard a UK campaign slogan “I’m Backing the UK” and he turned it into a parody of Chuck Berry’s “Back in the USA”. Cultural historian Doyle Greene stated that “the bridge parodies the Beach Boys “California Girls’’ and “Surfing’ USA”. Chuck Berry’s focus on commercialism is “relocated and mocked” such that “the joyous return to the Soviet homeland is sarcastic camp.” Like “Revolution” and “Piggies” “Back in the U.S.S.R.” prompted immediate responses in the US from the New Left and the Extreme Right, with the latter citing the song as further evidence of the Beatles’ supposed pro-Soviet sentiments. The line “You don’t know how lucky you are, boys” left many anti-communist groups stunned. Within recent times, the political right seems to have an admiration for Russia, which goes along with opposition to “wokeness” and globalism and skepticism about NATO. The coin has been flipped and times have surely changed.
Back in the USSR, Putin is the luckiest of them all, as the US is waiving newly enacted sanctions and tariffs that were intended to increase economic pressure on Russia and countries buying its oil and gas. On October 16, 2026 President DJT signed an executive order waiving the application of key provisions of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The law was designed to impose additional penalties on Russia and potentially tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas. The administration’s decision prevents those new measures from taking effect as originally planned, which will have grave consequences on both the US and Ukraine. It is interesting to note that on October 16, 1962, 64 years ago, we had the Cuban Missile Crisis. President John F. Kennedy received photographic proof from a U-2 spy plane showing Soviet nuclear missile sites under construction in Cuba. A BBC Panorama presenter said “it was the most dangerous week in the whole history of mankind”. The fourteen day confrontation between the two superpowers threatened to boil over, and the world teetered on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. Americans and the world held their collective breath praying that calmer and intelligent minds would avert a disaster. The crisis was ultimately averted when the Soviets agreed to remove their weapons. There were many insights over the years as to the tactics behind the scenes during those fateful two weeks, which shook the world. US President John F Kennedy and Robert Kennedy’s statesmanship helped avert a dangerous confrontation. Now the world is shaken again, as the US Regime is working with the Russian Regime to turn the world upside down in conflict. Where are the leaders who can take control and stop the current regime from working with the enemy?
We have not learned from history, as it repeats itself over, and over, and over again. We are in very chaotic and dangerous times. Chaos and corruption are happening in plain sight. Justice is being weaponized, our president is Putin’s Employee of the Month, our climate defenses are being dismantled, and we have a midterm election which will determine if the US will remain a democracy. Vote like your life depends on it, because it does. To discuss these topics and more George Polisner and Yolanda Nava join us on the podcast. Yolanda is a Civil Rights Pioneer, Emmy Award®-Winning Broadcast Journalist, Columnist, Community Leader, Women’s Rights Activist, Educator, and Author. George Polisner is the founder of Civ.Works, and he is our political analyst, environmental activist, Executive Producer and curmudgeon in chief.
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A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!