Replies

Let me ask you an honest question. Why do you invest so much energy in trying to belittle me? Answer this question.

I have been on Free Republic for some time. Last November or December I noticed the attacks against Russia in the Chechen articles posted. I still have access to some intel from my contacts in the Special Ops. community, and I knew what was being posted was either wrong or outright lies. I am also married to a Russian lady, and we maintain homes in Kansas City and Volgograd. My wife's nephew has been in the army for 18 years as a member of the Spetsnaz. The Russian government is not perfect, but it is hardly the monster it out to be by the Russophobes. I find it interesting that almost all of you have either never been to Russia or not since the fall of the Iron Curtain. I can sum all of the above up by saying I hear ignorance talking.

Last November or December I noticed the attacks against Russia

Here is an explanation of these attacks.

Spinning Khodorkovsky

In order to win positive media internationally, Khodorkovsky brought in a savvy public relations executive ... Margery Kraus, president and chief executive of APCO Worldwide, a Washington subsidiary of Grey Advertising, one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world...With the advice of APCO, Yukos created the Open Russia Foundation in London in 2001 with a paltry $15 million "to build cooperation between Russia and the West." Henry Kissinger joined the board of the foundation and traveled to Moscow when the U.S. Agency for International Development signed on to a joint project with the foundation to promote "Russian democracy". (Also present at this event was George Bush Senior.) ... The foundation also gave $100,000 to the National Book Festival, a favorite charity of Laura Bush, the wife of President George Bush. APCO also launched a series of advertisements in March 2005 on the international and editorial pages of the New York Times website. ...One edition included an attack on the Khodorkovsky prosecution co-authored by Stuart Eizenstat (incidentally a member of APCO's international advisory board) and Jonathan Winer - both former Clinton State Department officials.

In addition to the media campaign, Khodorkovsky also pumped money into powerful and influential investment funds such as the Carlyle Group, run by Frank Carlucci, Secretary of Defense for President Ronald Reagan and a Deputy Director of the CIA during the Carter Administration.

http://www.corpwatch.org/print_article.php?&id=12236

This is just one citation I could google out right away. It is basically a common knowledge that Khodorkovsky, Berezovskiy and their likes spend millions of dollars every month for negative PR campaign against Russia and Mr. Putin personally. Lots of efforts are put in by Poland and Baltic states because good relations between Russia and the West will sink them into oblivion. So these attacks are little wonder.

Yes, you have shared all of this with me before.

You know, I could have easily turned out to be a blind Russophile myself. I had a hard core Tsarist grandfather (God rest his soul) who was mentored by Russian army officers. I have many Russian friends. I have Russian art at home. I listen to Russian music. I eat Russian food reasonably often. Although I have yet to set foot in Russia proper, I certainly have set foot in places once within her borders (and I'm not referring to Alaska!). I have done business in Eastern Europe and Northeast Asia. I do business remotely (and have done for 15 years) in Russia. Some of my family members have been to Russia many times. I have distant relatives still there.

My lines of inquiry and analysis rise above all of that.