[SamAdams76]

It's a shame, because even children of kindergarten age know the golden safety rule: "One does not mess with gas taps."

That maxim was burned into my brain by nursery school.

In kindergarten, I learned not to mess around with wage and price controls.

[spanalot]

"Putin's grand blackmail will cost Russia. If the nation's oil and gas revenues subside -- and in the near future they very likely will as a result of Putin's reckless steering -- Russia will run short of cash again and will be unable to pay for Turkish leather jackets, Indian drugs and Chinese cell phones. For that to happen, the drop in energy sales need not be apocalyptic; the Russian economy is so fragile that a mere 10 percent setback could probably cripple it. "

The heat belt in the US is having a very mild spring - inventories of oil are up and prices should plummet unless Putie FABRICATES an incident to strike fear in supplies - say something like getting his lapog in Belorus to provide Iran with WMD technology

OOPS - he already did that!!

[Pontiac]

Obviously, Putin did not understand all this when he started the rattling.

Fortunately Putin has made it plain he will surrender power when his term is up.

With luck his successor will be a more friendly and more capitalist neighbor.

But I won't hold my breath.

The Russians on the whole don't seem to be ready for freedom