DL Open Thread: Sunday, March 20, 2022

Putin’s Placing Blame.  Arresting advisors for failing to successfully carry out his war.  More from the NYTimes:

Signs of Russia’s challenges abound. Late last week, Russian news sources reported that Mr. Putin had put two of his top intelligence officials under house arrest. The officials, who run the Fifth Service of Russia’s main intelligence service, the FSB, were interrogated for providing poor intelligence ahead of the invasion, according to Andrei Soldatov, a Russian security services expert.

Oh, and generals are dropping like flies:

The news of the generals’ deaths is trickling out, first from Ukrainians, then confirmed by NATO officials, with one death acknowledged by Mr. Putin in a speech. They have been identified as Maj. Gen. Andrei Kolesnikov, a commander from Russia’s eastern military district; Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, first deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army; and Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the 41st Combined Arms Army.

Western officials say that around 20 Russian generals were in Ukraine as part of the war effort, and that they may have pushed closer to the front to boost morale.

“Three generals already — that’s a shocking number,” Michael McFaul, the former United States ambassador to Russia, said in an interview.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials reported that a fourth general, Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev, the commander of the 150th motorized rifle division, had been killed in fighting.

Turns out the myth of Soviet military might couldn’t  stand up to the reality of Soviet military might.

Reich: Hit Big Oil With A Windfall Tax:

Big oil has hit a gusher. Even before Vladimir Putin’s war, oil prices had begun to rise due to the recovery in global demand and tight inventories.

Last year, when Americans were already struggling to pay their heating bills and fill up their gas tanks, the biggest oil companies (Shell, Chevron, BP, and Exxon) posted profits totaling $75bn. This year, courtesy of Putin, big oil is on the way to a far bigger bonanza.

How are the oil companies using this windfall? I can assure you they’re not investing in renewables. They’re not even increasing oil production.

As Chevron’s top executive, Mike Wirth, said in September, “We could afford to invest more” but “the equity market is not sending a signal that says they think we ought to be doing that.”

Translated: Wall Street says the way to maximize profits is to limit supply and push up prices instead.

What to do? Hit big oil with a windfall profits tax.

The European Union recently advised its members to seek a windfall profits tax on oil companies taking advantage of this very grave emergency to raise their prices.

Democrats just introduced similar legislation here in the US. The bill would tax the largest oil companies, which are recording their biggest profits in years, and use the money to provide quarterly checks to Americans facing sticker shock as inflation continues to soar.

No doubt President Manchin will stop this in its tracks.

Phillies To Conduct Fascinating Experiment This Year.  With the signings of offensive boppers Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, the Phils have put together a juggernaut of a lineup.  They also have a solid starting rotation.  Here’s the experiment, though: They have also put together a team that has the chance to be historically bad on defense. They were near the bottom last year, and they appear to have gotten worse.  Both Schwarber and Castellanos would be best suited to being the DH–which comes to the National League this year.  But only one can do it, the other has to play LF, and, perhaps other than Realmuto, their catcher, there isn’t a superior defensive player in the starting lineup.  Don’t get me wrong–I’m glad that they’ve finally exceeded the luxury tax to put together this lineup. But you might want to cover your eyes when they’re out in the field.

What do you want to talk about?