[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

our partners against terrorism, the Soviets

That's the RUSSIANS, Askel5, as in the folks who destroyed the cream of Napoleon's army. I'm afraid that reading a howler like this prevented my reading the rest of your stuff.

[Askel5]

Just as I do not in any way equate "Americans" with the U.S. Federal Government career "public servants" ... I do not equate Russians with the "former Soviets" or whatever label you wish to slap on the unbroken collective of leadership that runs their country and -- since perestroika -- nearly all of their "private industry".