Posted on 03/27/2003 6:51:31 AM PST by JohnHuang2
On that we're in full agreement. As for my distrust of Putin, I have grounds for that beyond rumor.
11 years in the U.S. Army. Military Intelligence officer. Degree in Political Science with an emphasis on Soviet and Eastern European politics and affairs. I have done my homework on your country and its history.
I have a great deal of respect for Russia and Russians in general, but a great deal of distrust of Soviet holdovers. Putin may or may not be one of those, the jury is still out, but recent behavior is suspicious.
Of all the old world countries, I feel that, ironically, Russians and Americans have the most in common outside of the Brits. I want to see the Russians become fast allies of America. But your country is still suffering from a communist hangover, and seems to be allying itself with the new socialists of europe. That is not a good thing for Russia.
I don't think I've ever said Russia is irrellevent. But it will be if it sides with countries like France and supports people like Saddam, which it has and continued to do up until last week. France, Germany, and Russia all signed oil deals with Saddam to develop Iraqi oil fields as soon as sanctions could be lifted.
We're not looking for a client state in Russia. Just an ally that can be counted on to deal honestly and fairly with us. We have been quite generous in providing funds and loans to Russia. A little reciprocity would be nice. And, I would point out, when terrorists took over the Moscow theater, we were not one of the ones that jumped on her for accidently killing a large number of hostages. We thought we had a partner in the war on terrorism, but where Iraq is concerned, Russia has dropped the ball and reverted, in part, to its old Soviet era playbook.
Like the distribution of blankets from smallpox victims to American Indians (allegedly unintentional), earlier in American history, this would have greatly reduced a threat to Soviet security and economic development at the same time.
BD, You have hit the nail on the head. The U.N. only provides cover for this nefarious kind of trade, while nations such as our own are castigated.
More evidence of the Orwellian world we are living in.
My politicians were evil. Some unknown but certainly great body like the UN was great! I went thru grade school being told that we were a nation of slave traders, Native killers, evil industrialists, poisoners of water, air, and destroyers of everything that would have been.
I was told every horrible detail like erased tapes, McGovern being spiked with LSD, Presidents who killed people with golf balls, and really cool guys like Hunter S. Thompson were on something called an enemies list(whatever that was?), but it was on my news every night along with phrases like "christmas bombing, Leitenant Callie, Mi-Lai, plumbers, Kent State, Love Canal, and Karen Silkwood. This all came from my country and that was bad. Nothing bad came from the UN. They made skinny black kids smile with milk mustaches right?
To this day we have no idea how the UN runs. That means it must be great right? I mean Dan Rather seems to think quite highly of it. "Backing by the UN" has become something bigger than a blessing from God, or Karl Marx, which ever you prefer. Little o'l Shirley Temple was a UN person thingy.....How could someone like that even want to be affiliated with anything that wasn't lolipops and puppies? The UN was almost as good as Speed Racer and Crusader Rabbit.
Man was I hoodwinked and lied to.
Better late than never, as they say.
Besides, you're not THAT old -!
Yes, the left did tremendous damage to this country. We have a lot of work to do. Now we have some great leadership and a great president to help.
Thank God for His Providence for the election of 2000.
ping to an older thread.
ditto
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