iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ed Franks

@edfranks.bsky.social

261 followers 419 following 2K posts

MA: Theo/Fuller Sem/'08 PhD: Econolytics/RAND/'80 MPh: Policy Analysis/RAND/'78 MS: Biochem/MIT/'76 BS: Chem/UCSD/'74 ⬆︎Reagan/Hayek/Hume/Locke/PresZ⬆︎ ⬆︎TULIP/Calvin/Cromwell/Owen⬆︎ ⬇︎Putin/Marx/China/IRGC/Wesley⬇︎ ____________________________________

Posts Replies Media

Reposted by Ed Franks

Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

FFS… Is it really an accident anymore at this point?

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Seems like this is a wish that may actually come true for Tramp, grifter extraordinaire. God works in mysterious ways!? bsky.app/profile/noth...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Indeed, Herr Hegseth sounds like a very devout Xian Nationalist, one that we should all want to emulate, no?! No.

Reposted by Ed Franks

retiredrn2024.bsky.social @retiredrn2024.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Praise the Lord. Germany is not a minute too soon! Thank God Merkel is now deep into Germany's not-so-modern history! kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-...

kyivindependent.com

Ukraine war latest: Germany supplies Kyiv with interceptors, air defense missiles in $1.5 billion aid package

Key developments on Oct. 3-4: * Germany announces $1.46 billion in aid for Ukraine, including interceptor drones, air defense missiles * Russian Su-35, Su-34 fighter jets hit by drones at airfield ...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Brilliant! "Ukraine's deep strikes have wrecked over half of Russia's oil refining capacity," Defense Ministry says! kyivindependent.com/ukraines-dee...

kyivindependent.com

Ukraine's deep strikes have wrecked over half of Russia's oil refining capacity, Defense Ministry says

"Fifty-one percent of the damaged oil refining capacity is a significant blow to the enemy's economy, to its ability to wage aggression, and to supply its military formations," Defense Minister Yevhen...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Big, brave Putinistas attack a country that has <2% of Russia's population, no nukes & no Russians; & they're very welcome to take their 1500 mercenaries back & end this Transnistria farce, yet another fake state dreamed up by the post-USSR Kremlin. kyivindependent.com/5-russian-mi...

kyivindependent.com

5 Russian missiles and drones exploded on Moldova's territory in overnight attack against Ukraine, Sandu says

"Moscow is putting lives at risk across Europe and must be stopped," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Oct. 3.

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Terrifying; it's truly terrifying that kids like this were enabled to tear the heart out of our intelligence agencies in the spring of 2025. And THEN we attempted to bomb Iran into compliance. God help us.

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

How embarrassing that $5 billion from Russian oligarchs is apparently a significant boost to Putin's ability to run Russia entire, which verifies its ongoing status as a "3rd world country." It likely takes more to run Los Angeles county, population 10 million?! kyivindependent.com/russian-bill...

kyivindependent.com

Russian billionaires 'volunteer' to fund state budget after closed-door meeting with Putin, Reuters reports

Wealthy Russians have already contributed a total of 471 billion rubles (over $5.6 billion) to the state budget in 2026, according to Reuters. The payments are listed as "voluntary receipts" in budget...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

God bless his family, his poor parents esp. I have a 38 yo son & don't know how I would be able to survive what his parents have been subjected to, especially at the hands of our de facto police state's leading murder agency, ICE. God grant his family the strength to endure their ordeal.

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The age now of my oldest boy. OMG, the pain his parents must feel. May God grant his parents, siblings, cousins, & children the ability to endure it despite living in a de facto police state.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

So sad. So young. Dear God, may his death not be in vain & why r they still flying MIG-29s when we know they've had F-16s for >2 yrs now?! Is Tramp still trying to throw Ukraine under the bus?! Sure seems like it. kyivindependent.com/ukrainian-pi...

kyivindependent.com

Ukrainian pilot dies after MiG-29 fighter shot down by Russian missile

Mambetov, who was 25 years old, served as a flight commander in the "Ghost of Kyiv" 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Praise Geez-zuzz. Ukraine's finally got it's own ballistic missile ready for deployment w/i in matter of a few wks. They desperately need this kind of ability, even if they still have no patriots to take care of incoming missiles. kyivindependent.com/were-not-tel...

kyivindependent.com

'We're not telling' — Ukraine won't say what first FP-7 ballistic missile strike hit

Asked what the missile struck, Zelensky's communications advisor told the Kyiv Independent: "We're not telling."

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Praise the Lord. Continued success in the NE corner of Ukraine as more land that's been in Russian hands for yrs is back under Ukraine control! Best results in yrs! kyivindependent.com/ukraines-ope...

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

For Christ's sake, isn't this the most overdue EU anti-Putin step in the still LONG list of overdue EU anti-Putin steps?! kyivindependent.com/eu-adopts-ru...

kyivindependent.com

EU adopts Russia sanctions over crackdown on anti-war party, abduction of Ukrainian children

The sanctions list includes three judges from Russia's Supreme Court and an official from the country's Prosecutor General's Office, according to an EU press release.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It is good to sanx these 40 people, of course - it is better to neutralize/imprison/terminate these 40 people, no?! Just wondering?! kyivindependent.com/zelensky-san...

kyivindependent.com

Zelensky sanctions more than 40 people involved in elections in Russian-occupied Ukraine

The sanctions package includes 44 individuals "who act in Russia's interests and facilitate the occupation of parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Crimea and Sevast...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

God bless these troops. Such incomprehensible courage to even be in training for such contemplated deployments. youtu.be/je_jMfhttDw?...

Why drones can't replace Ukraine's reconnaissance soldiers

YouTube video by Kyiv Independent

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The only media covering this resumption of civil war w/any attempt at throughness is DW on my local public TV. God help the rebels against the likely onslaught by their lunatic Pentecostal dictator, Abiy Ahmed, ruling since 2018, from Addis Ababa!? youtu.be/6nJEH_gZ5s4

Fighting intensifies in northern Ethiopia as Tigray rebels declare full-blown war

YouTube video by africanews

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It's "very important" but "Zelensky did not say when the missiles would be delivered or how many Ukraine would receive," which still leaves Ukraine, sadly, up in the air, no pun intended. kyivindependent.com/ukraine-stri...

kyivindependent.com

Ukraine strikes 'very important' deal on new batch of Patriot missiles, Zelensky says

"It's an important decision, a very important one. We've achieved a result," President Zelensky said at a meeting with leaders of the Ukrainian community in the U.S.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

WTF's Trump Admin thinking?! Russia is the most dangerous terror state in the world, but can't conquer an adjacent state 1/4th its size after 5 yrs! Yet we reward them w/invite to G20?! Why?! Bad idea. "Trump Admin has invited Putin to G20 summit in Miami, Rubio says" www.sacbee.com/news/nation-...

Trump administration has invited Putin to G20 summit in Miami, Rubio says

Asked whether President Donald Trump would meet Putin for talks about the war in Ukraine, Rubio said the president is willing to engage with anyone, including people he disagrees with.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Please, God, let this be at least close to the reality of the the after-action assessment of the latest round of Ukraine's massive drone assault on Moscow's vicinage! Slava Ukrayini! God damn Putin; God bless Zelenskyy! kyivindependent.com/russias-tota...

kyivindependent.com

Russia's total oil refining capacity down 45% due to long-range strikes, Ukrainian military says

The assessment comes a day after major strikes on the Moscow Oil Refinery by Ukrainian drones and missiles.

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Thank God the major media are sticking together. Most would rather ban Tramp than ban the media. & btw, WTF is Mamdani doing meeting w/Tramp, for any reason?! Idiotic move that only highlights how idiotic both are!? www.afp.com/en/us-networ...

US networks halt Trump coverage in revolt over White House ban

US television networks staged an extraordinary revolt Monday when they effectively boycotted coverage of President Donald Trump in protest at his decision to ban three...

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

THIS is not news, in any sense of the concept. News is something that is unexpected, not something that everyone already knows & has known for months, if not years. C'mon Ajaz, u can do better when it comes to a little Putin bashing, for Christ's sake?! www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/...

Polls close in Russian wartime election with ruling party set to dominate

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cast the vote as a test of support for his ongoing war in Ukraine.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Praise the Lord for Ukraine's massive drone attack on Russia, hitting Moscow proper as well as many other targets all over western Russia. Russia asked for it, & thank God Ukraine has the support to strike back at Russia's nonstop targeting of civilian targets! kyivindependent.com/russia-says-...

kyivindependent.com

Moscow Oil Refinery ablaze after massive Ukraine missile, drone blitz on Russia

Moscow Oblast came under a large-scale drone attack, with Russian air defenses downing 249 drones, according to local authorities.

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

We actually came very close to passing term limit laws for Congress in 1995 as a part of the GOP's Contract with America, which tried to pass the necessary constitutional amendment, which needs a ⅔ vote, but only got a simple majority, and then SCOTUS ruled such limits must apply to all states.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Buahahahahaha... Priceless! : )

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Tramp et al have too many Russian friends, all of whom are, by definition, thugs or de facto KGB operatives, who only wish the worst for the US. WTF is wrong w/Tramp? Why does he not get it!? He's really willing to dump Trump's legacy for a few more bucks; so sad. www.huffpost.com/entry/melani...

Melania Trump Responds To Wedding Controversy — And It's Chilly

Trump family reactions arrive as the stir over an oligarch’s involvement festers.

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Brilliant move by the EU to help push NATO power further into the NE reaches of Europe, closer to the Russian bases from which the harassing flights & drones are being launched w/increasing frequency of late. Slava Ukrayini. kyivindependent.com/eu-approves-...

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Brilliant strategic work by Ukraine, AGAIN, to facilitate the recapture a significant chunk of territory north of Lyman, in UKR's far NE, forcing 4000 Russian troops into a pocket from which they can only escape by surrender! (Also, 2 Su-35 jets collided & crashed!) youtu.be/2l4p1HT6FQs?...

EXPOSED: Putin caught out in the Donbas as stunning Ukraine counter attack confirmed | Battle Plans

YouTube video by The Sun

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Ivan the Small is insane if he thinks that anyone on planet Earth will accept demented view of the Summer War, except perhaps those still locked in the Eurasian police states (Russia, China, The Stans, NKor, etc). civil.ge/archives/624...

In Gori, Ivanishvili Blames Outsiders, UNM for 2008 War, Broaches Apology “to Ossetian Brothers and Sisters” - Civil Georgia

During the campaign rally in the town of Gori, near the Russian occupation line, the leader of the r

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

& the world, also, is against Ivan, the Wizard of Oz-ilisi, who is just another pathetic Putin puppet. God bless Ivan's opposition, & we haven't forgotten about S Ossetia, the Summer War ('08), or the Abkhazia War! Do not capitulate! God bless. www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/33853051.h...

radiotavisupleba.ge

“საქართველო ივანიშვილის წინააღმდეგ!” - თბილისში შაბათის 39-ე მარში გაიმართა

უწყვეტი პროტესტის 654-ე დღეს, თბილისში გამართული შაბათის ტრადიციული მარშის მონაწილეები ავლაბრის მეტროს მიმდებარე ტერიტორიიდან დაიძრნენ და გეზი პარლამენტის შენობისკენ აიღეს. მარშრუტი შეიცვალა მას შემდე...

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Good to see that, FINALLY, some of the formerly solid MAGA-ites are beginning to have moments of "clarity" w/respect to their recently ill-advised political affiliations?! Praise Geez-zuzz! www.themirror.com/sport/americ...

Aaron Rodgers brutally slams 'sham' Trump and says 'there's no MAGA movement'

Aaron Rodgers has launched a scathing attack on the American political system, with the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback also heavily criticizing Donald Trump

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Putin doing brilliant work strengthening the bonds between Ukrainian allies in SE Europe! Keep up the good work, Komrade Putin. kyivindependent.com/moldovas-pre...

kyivindependent.com

Moldovan President Sandu condemns Russian drone strike on border crossing point that killed 2, injured 3

The Moldovan President called for more air defense for Ukraine.

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

What a glorious event: Ukraine strikes a Russian energy site (LNG related), inflicting serious damage, 2000 mi deep into Russia, east of Ukraine's LOC! Praise the Lord! kyivindependent.com/ukraine-war-...

kyivindependent.com

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine launches record-breaking deep strike on gas facility in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets region, over 3,000 km from border

Key developments on Sept. 9: * Ukraine launches record-breaking deep strike on gas facility in Russia's Yamalo-Nenets region, over 3,000 km from border * Russia resumes drone attacks on Kyiv, kills...

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Donald Tusk, the PM of Poland, said it all right here, in his X post: "In Poland, only idiots or traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD in Germany." Nicely rendered, Mr. Tusk.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Is it just a coincidence that a random sample of end-of-war German POWs have hair cuts very similar to the hero of E Germany, Herr Ulrich Siegmund?! God help us that even these former members of the Soviet Bloc can conjure up some nostalgia for Putin's RUSSIA. Can they really be that stupid? Alas.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

This Grm-based terror attempt under the nose of Grm's new leader, Metz, suggests that he will soon join w/France/UK in supplying Ukraine w/many of the medium range, ½ ton-payload, precision, stealth cruise missiles like the Storm Shadow w/its 160mi+ range. Bravo! kyivindependent.com/germany-offi...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I would like to nominate this NBC reporter, Kristen Welker, for our next POTUS, so we can finally return to an era when the POTUS was not a spineless Paramecium (a genus of single cell eukaryotes)!? www.yahoo.com/news/politic...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Tramp makes Benedict Arnold look quite honorable by comparison. In fact, I may be a bit too harsh on Arnold (a brave/smart general who had incredible wins for the colonies & suffered 3 serious wounds <1779). But after his entire fortune went unreimbursed & he was left broke & crippled, he turned!

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

DOD chief Petie MUST run for president AND win, b/c if he doesn't, he's going straight to prison, for war crimes at the very least! t.e2ma.net/message/co0z...

email : Webview : NBC NEWS EXCLUSIVE: Pete Hegseth is talking about a possible run for president in 2028, sources say

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Glorious! : )

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Good riddance. Yet another Russian military war criminal, per a detailed report published by intel sources on May 30, '22, is killed by car bomb planted by a 24 yo operative who fled to Moldova. Justice is not always swift but it is remarkably patient! Praise God! kyivindependent.com/media-identi...

kyivindependent.com

Media identify Russian officer killed in St. Petersburg car blast

The victim is reportedly Sergei Sechkov, an officer at Russia’s 332nd Separate Helicopter Regiment.

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Too sad. Shane, a father, husband, & former US Marine, from OK, spent 3yrs working on managing a proper transition to Ukraine's military by Jun 2025. He saw action soon & by Nov 30 he was KIA along w/2 others from same unit. He only wanted justice for Ukraine. kyivindependent.com/why-a-u-s-ma...

kyivindependent.com

Why a U.S. Marine fought — and died — for Ukraine

On Thanksgiving morning 2025, Shane Tackett texted his wife to say he was heading out on a mission and would be gone for a couple of days. He was killed three days later, on Nov. 30, in the basement o...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Ah, yes, we haven't forgotten "The Great Skedaddle" of Fall 2022, when 100s of 1000s draftable men from all over Russia scrambled to exit Russia via Finland & Georgia. Many are now sunbathing in Thailand, while their slower comrades play cannon fodder for Putin. kyivindependent.com/ukraine-reve...

kyivindependent.com

Ukraine reveals latest intelligence on Russia’s mobilization plans

Kyiv has been vocal in recent weeks about the threat of another wave of Russian mobilization.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

7 NKor KN-23 ballistics (or Russian Iskander-M ballistics) were shot down in latest attacks on Kyiv! Such downings by UKR have been non-existent since Aug1, likely when the Patriot supply was exhausted?! Today's success seems to confirm a new supply as of Aug25?! kyivindependent.com/explosions-r...

kyivindependent.com

Explosions, jet-powered drones rock Kyiv as rare hours-long Russian aerial attack continues into evening

Later in the morning, Ukraine's Air Force announced that seven Russian Iskander-M or North Korean-built KN-23 ballistic missiles had been shot down.

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

This is encouraging b/c it tells what a major player during the Russian War "peace" talks, Gen Kellogg, said to both Tramp's team &, thru them, to Putin, which resulted in Putin getting a lot of bad news about his plans for getting the US to back away?! kyivindependent.com/putin-like-h...

kyivindependent.com

'He's sort of like Hitler' — Trump's ex-Ukraine envoy Kellogg warns Putin won't stop at Donbas

Russia would not end its war against Ukraine even if it captured all of Donbas, former U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg told the Kyiv Independent in an interview conducted on Ukrainian Ind...

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Never thought I'd see the day when then US GOP turned its back on Ukraine & a UK Labor Admin stepped in to pick up the slack to help Ukraine survive Russia's ballistic missile blitz on its helpless civilians. This era of US waffling will take decades to overcome. kyivindependent.com/new-uk-prime...

kyivindependent.com

New British PM, other Western leaders arrive in Kyiv as Ukraine marks Independence Day

"For Ukraine, independence is not an abstract idea. We defended it against all odds. In times like these, nations learn how important it is to have allies by your side," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha...

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

HAH! And what's worse is understanding why nobody in the media, any media, main-stream or slip-stream, has made the same point?!

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Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Yep. No question. God bless this admiral for demonstrating what integrity means. And even a retired notable is at risk of Tramp's retaliation these days, in a variety of ways, starting with what's likely to be a fairly generous pension plan benefit for a retired 4 star admiral (& SEAL)?!

Ed Franks @edfranks.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Ignoring (it seems) an air raid alert in Pres Zelensky's home town, that resulted in the now infamous double tap drone strike on a supermarket that killed dozens, seems the epitome of stupidity, at best? Putin's made hitting Z's hometown the Kremlin's pet project. kyivindependent.com/supermarket-...

kyivindependent.com

Supermarket director under investigation after deadly Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih shopping center

The director is being investigated for negligence after the business allegedly remained open during an air raid alert.