Russia 4

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/novichok-attack-latest-dawn-sturgess-charlie-rowley-perfume-bottle-amesbury-dead-nerve-agent-a8462296.html

The Plot Thins:   -  by George Galloway

https://on.rt.com/9ayw

"How gel became a liquid and the whole Novichok affair began to smell to high heaven...'It was Ukraine."

The Novichok fiasco is just one small example of how pernicious a problem Russophobia has become. The government narrative may have completely unravelled but the Russophobe still studiously clings to the strange tale and  bogus charges carefully averting his eyes from any  evidence which threatens foregone conclusions. Notice thus how effectively  Russophobia negates analysis or logic, rendering victims effectively brain dead, receptive only to unfounded smears, stupidities and the paranoid fantasies they increasingly crave and media increasingly provides. It's an old disease, a serious disease and lots have caught it in the current epidemic. The pathogens are carried by the corporate msm mostly. The NYT, Washington Post and The Guardian are three purveyors of particular note but there are many others.  Of course pointing it out or trying to counter it with reality, debate or contradictory evidence only results in more hysteria and delusionary allegations that you, yourself are part of this dark Kremlin conspiracy. It's quite harmless even hilarious when you're dealing with an obvious  loon  like Louise Mensch, or others I won't name...But if it's a political party, a foreign minister or military alliance , well then you're into some very dangerous territory. An ancillary component of  Russophobia disease, especially amongst liberals of a certain class, is a kind of cowardice, a tendency to play along,  by those who recognize the malady, don't have it, but won't speak up to those that do. It's an all too common Canadian trait this unfortunately.  A need for acceptance perhaps or a lack of character sufficient to think and act independently of the herd. A certain spinelessness and tendency to 'go along to get along' perhaps. A wish 'not to get involved'. And so the thing grows, expands and deepens. And all based on figments and concoctions just like the 'highly likely military-grade Russian nerve-agent Novichok.'

I was glad to read that few in Salisbury believe the state's story. Saddened to find some here still do...

'Yesterday upon the stair I met a man who wasn't there he wasn't there again today I wish I wish he'd go away...'  - whm-

Big Bad Vlad! The Demonization of Russia (and vid)

https://www.rt.com/shows/renegade-inc/433989-world-cup-russia-scaremonge...

Author, journalist and broadcaster John Wight interviewed.

Russia To Treat Further US Sanctions As An Open Declaration of Economic War - PM

https://on.rt.com/9c3v

Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev has warned the US that any sanctions targeting Russian banking operations and currency trade will be treated as a declaration of economic war and retaliated against by any means necessary. 'Our American friends should make no mistake about it..."

'Unacceptable & Unlawful': Russia Slams New US Sanctions Imposed Over Poisoning Of Skripals

https://youtu.be/vwj4hFC_dkU

"Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, says the use of a Russian link to recent UK poisoning incidents to justify fresh US sanctions against the Kremlin is a violation of international law..."

Sophie & Co: Oliver Stone Interview (and vid)

https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/411832-putin-interview-stone-russia/

"We caught up with the director himself in Moscow..."

US Congress Publishes Entire Text of Russia Sanctions 'Bill From Hell'

https://on.rt.com/9cdp

"The full text of Congress' latest sanctions bill has been released, revealing a punitive piece of legislation that aims to undermine Russia economically - and even suggests designating Moscow a state sponsor of terrorism. Moscow has vowed to respond to any new sanctions..."

https://youtu.be/A69w4RGHwBg

http://www.academia.edu/17605527/Man_on_a_Mission_-_An_Insiders_Account_of_the_Cold_War

Latest Batch of US Sanctions Against Russia Comes Into Effect

https://on.rt.com/9d4g

"The latest set of sanctions against Russia, introduced by the US in response to Moscow's alleged involvement in the Skripal poisoning in the UK, has come into effect. Moscow has already promised a proportionate response. 

'As usual, Washington provided no evidence or justification while only throwing out vicious innuendos,' Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said last week. 'We will counter the US slow-witted, blinkered and aggressive approach with sober-minded, orderly work and a constructive agenda,' he continued..."

Where are the Skripals? The msm swiftly abandoned the story with no questions asked. Clearly whenever Russia is involved, no proof is necessary and any unfounded accusation is permitted.

+ Someone recently asked me to describe what I mean by the Sputnik Left and I said you’ll know it when you see it. The best definition I could come up with was: political activists who rigorously apply Chomsky’s lens to the NYT, WashPost, and the Guardian, but regurgitate as gospel whatever they read or hear on RT or Sputnik.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/08/24/roaming-charges-waiting-for-my-man/

Russian Foreign Ministry Briefing (and vid)

https://youtu.be/JDTOcg2gosM

"The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Maria Zakharova is giving her weekly news briefing in Moscow..."

The Love that Dare not Speak its Name - the Secret in the Clinton-Yeltsin Papers which the Kremlin Spokesman Regrets to See Exposed is the Love of Submission

http://johnhelmer.net/the-love-that-dare-not-speak-its-name-the-secret-i...

"The reality of the relationship between President Boris Yeltsin and President Bill Clinton, declassified for public reading..."

Russians mock implausible spy duo:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45591103

I'm reminded of the public attitude to the regime of Nicholas II. An interesting development.

Oppositiion leader Navalny detained again:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/24/russian-opposition-leader-...

Tyranny gets more cunning all the time.

NDPP wrote:

The Love that Dare not Speak its Name - the Secret in the Clinton-Yeltsin Papers which the Kremlin Spokesman Regrets to See Exposed is the Love of Submission

http://johnhelmer.net/the-love-that-dare-not-speak-its-name-the-secret-i...

"The reality of the relationship between President Boris Yeltsin and President Bill Clinton, declassified for public reading..."

One of the valid points made against the anti-Putin crowd is the homphobic nature of some of the Trump/Putin bromance humour.

But explicitly calling Clinton and Yeltsin "the Gay Gordons" and "Gay Cavaliers" on Harlequin romance covers? I swear to God, some of this pro-Russia stuff has to be CIA black-ops, designed to obliterate whatever moral high-ground the Russia lobby has been able to claim for itself.

Quote:

One of the valid points made against the anti-Putin crowd is the homphobic nature of some of the Trump/Putin bromance humour.

But explicitly calling Clinton and Yeltsin "the Gay Gordons" and "Gay Cavaliers" on Harlequin romance covers? I swear to God, some of this pro-Russia stuff has to be CIA black-ops, designed to obliterate whatever moral high-ground the Russia lobby has been able to claim for itself.

Progressives typically support equal rights, and equal marriage.  But since as long as I can remember, they've also granted themselves permission to use gay jokes and gay metaphors to mock what they see as "excessive" co-operation, or perhaps excessive subservience or whatever.

I'm pretty sure that if I said "Trudeau was on that free trade deal like a black man on a watermelon" that wouldn't fly here, and should not.

But if I said "Trudeau bent over the table and let Trump have his way", that actually might pass under the radar.  Crap like that certainly used to.

I suppose it's an open secret that I came back, back in the day, under a different name.  I came back (and even claimed to be gay!) because I was nauseated by the amount of homophobic rhetoric that was passing for reasonable comment by the left and I was curious to see if, by "identifying" as gay, my protests against the dude-bros would hold water.

Not my proudest moment, I guess, but not especially shameful either, because evidently if someone purporting to be gay asks why it's OK to refer to Stephen Harper fellating George Bush, people at least took that mostly seriously instead of asking why I'm doing the bidding of Harper and Bush and defending them and such.  At least we got close to what's wrong with that.

TL;DR:  progressives cannot use homosexuality as a shorthand for "too close" or "too chummy" or "subservient to", nor use oral sex for the same.  Why would we go there??

TL;DR:  progressives cannot use homosexuality as a shorthand for "too close" or "too chummy" or "subservient to", nor use oral sex for the same.  Why would we go there??

I basically agree, though I think it's okay to use sexuality or romance in general as a metaphor for excessive chuminess, as for example in this poster(which I once had hanging on my bedroom wall)...  

https://tinyurl.com/y7hu6gey

Granted, given the existing social animosity toward homsexuality, doing the same thing in regards to, say, Bush/Blair, might be a little more problematic, even if you didn't directly mock the homsexual aspect of the metaphor.

I did think it was basically okay for people to laugh about Trump saying recently that he had "fallen in love" with Kim Jong Un after "reading his beautiful letters", since regardless of gender, it's a pretty bizarre thing for a world leader to say about another world leader, especially when that world leader represents a political party that's supposed to be so hardcore against the other country.

(FWIW, I'm genuinely delighted with the ongoing Trump-Kim romance, and hope it keeps blossoming for as long as possible.)  

Putin, apparently now taking lessons from Trump, calls Skripal a scumbag.

https://t.co/Ot6MpWbnhM

Crimea in Mourning, Kerch College Shooting Leaves 21 Killed, Up to 70 Injured 

https://youtu.be/N4oTzwYp_FQ

"Three days of mourning are being observed in Crimea after a student carried out a bloody attack in the city of Kerch."

18 year old male student, appeared to mimic Columbine shooting. 

Putin Attends Valdai Plenary Session in Sochi

https://youtu.be/kYTZgcfgvfU

"Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending the 15th annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi...The club, established in 2004, has become an internationally recognized platform for interactions between leading world experts, Russia scholars, politicians and government officials..."

I haven't the foggiest notion. Perhaps you'd be better occupied searching for the left's man in Ottawa, although the prospects are probably equally dismal. 

Inconvenient Thoughts on Cold War and Other News (and vid)

https://www.thenation.com/article/inconvenient-thoughts-on-cold-war-and-...

"Stephen F Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at Princeton and NYU, and John Batchelor continue their (usually) weekly discussions of the new US-Russia Cold War. 

'National intelligence agencies have long played major roles, often not entirely visible, in international politics. They are doing so again today, as is evident in several countries, from Russiagate in the US and the murky Skripal assassination attempt in the UK, to the apparent murder of Jamal Khashoggi..."

Putin: Russia Getting Rid of Dollar Matter of National Security (and vid)

https://youtu.be/4fECrSQ9ifM

Evil Russian dictator on problem of 'the American partners'

(or who's  really been stealing our 'precious bodily fluids?')

Vladimir Putin on Nuclear War

https://youtu.be/xLT2UwDiFRg

"Russia does not have the notion of 'preventive strike' in its nuclear doctrine We are only prepared to use it in response. But a potential aggressor should know that there will be retaliation..."

Arms Races Increase Arsenals Raising the Risk of Nuclear Winter (and vid)

https://therealnews.com/stories/arms-races-increase-atomic-arsenals-rais...

"The current arsenals of the US and Russia could still produce nuclear winter..."

What of a Future Canada-Russia Relationship?

http://globalbrief.ca/blog/2018/10/30/what-does-a-future-canada-russia-r...

"Canada is fully able to conceive of and construct a comprehensive bilateral agenda with the US and, to a far lesser extent with China. Yet when it comes to Russia - also a great power at Canada's borders - a serious bilateral policy framework is largely absent..."

Russian Diplomacy is Winning the New Cold War (and vid)

https://www.thenation.com/article/russian-diplomacy-is-winning-the-new-c...

"Washington's attempt to 'isolate Putin's Russia' has failed and had the opposite effect. The notion of 'isolating' a country of Russia's size, Eurasian location, resources and long history as a great power is vainglorious folly. It reflects the paucity and poverty of foreign thinking in Washington in recent decades, not the least in the US Congress and mainstream media..."

US Navy Sends Ship To Russia's Far East, Reportedly Prepares to Enter Black Sea

https://on.rt.com/9jw9

"An American destroyer sailed off the Russian coast, near the Pacific Fleet base in Vladivostok, in a first such stunt since the Cold War. Another US ship is expected in the Black Sea soon, amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

The US Navy calls such stunts 'Freedom of Navigation Operations' (FONOP). The last time a FONOP was conducted in this area was 1987, at the peak of Cold War tensions with the Soviet Union.

Peter the Great Bay was named after the first emperor of Russia, and is dotted with  bases of the Russian Pacific Fleet. The presence of a US destroyer in the area is comparable to a Russian sail-by of San Diego, California, or Pearl Harbour, Hawaii.

The US has also repeatedly sent ships to the parts of the East China Sea claimed by Beijing..."