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I just finished a great book written by a Russian whose family was deeply involved in education, activism, journalism and government there - for the past 50 years.
I think a LOT (maybe most) Americans have no idea what is going on. In the last few years the transformation of Russia into a complete totalitarian failed state has been completed. There is no free market. There is no democracy. There are no human rights.
When you read about exactly how it happened it looks EXACTLY like the right in the USA. In fact, many USA based non-profits, think tanks and "focus on the family" type conservatives went to conferences there and praised Putin for being "the only person on Earth brave enough to create a true conservative state".
Most Americans just echo the Russian talking points without diving any further. As an example, take the Crimea or Eastern Ukraine. You will notice many "conservatives" here saying "well, the people who live there WANTED Russia to take over because they ID with Russia".
TRUE. But what they don't tell you if the a GENOCIDE was performed BY RUSSIA to wipe out all the original populations of those places (Tartars, Turks and others) and then Russians were moved in!
So, of course it's Russia leaning...they killed everyone who was originally there.....
And so on and so on.
Putin is also tied in with the Church and so-called "Family Values" as a fear tactic. Remember, Putin as a Stalinist...his dad was Stalins cooks and Russia was as godless as they come. But they made a deal with the Orthodox Church.....and now they all fight "moral degradation" together. It actually sounds like a Paradise for US Conservatives...it's all about God and being able to have a lot of kids to repopulate Mother Russia.
The corruption is way off the charts....
So that's Putin, Hero of the Modern Conservatives and Hero of our POTUS.
The Dear Leader in NK....well, he makes Putin look like a saint.
These are truly sad days in the USA. It's not that we are divided....that's all well and fine. But it's what actually divides us...the fact that many people seriously want an authoritarian and corrupted government as well as one that asks the Priests what to do before making a move.
Trump is the President of a country, any country. He should not call out a leader of another country directly since he has to deal with that person for the best interest of our country and the world in this case. Any President, any party. Doesn't matter. You just don't do it. Privately maybe.
He said~ Kim says he did not personally know of the killing of _____. and I believe him.
Practically speaking Kim probably did not know or order the killing of that specific individual. Kim probably did not say "Sgt ___ go torture and endanger that man in cell 205." He had no reason to do so. We know he ordered his own uncle killed so he is not above doing so but he had no reason. We know Kim leads a tortuous and murderous regime which boggles the mind but this was so beneath his personal plane it seems better to let the lower levels address to me.
While I feel for pain the parents and understand what they may be wanting to hear, any President has things he must say and do. And Pres Trump got the boy home which is more than others did.
I doubt anyone trusts Kim or Putin but there are things you say because you have to. and there are things you do because you have to. They may not match.
Because his own people bluntly say that he's wrong, that he's lying. (He doesn't like to hear that.) Because he disdains expertise. (Possibly because he secretly is defensive about his own ignorance.). Because he swoons over the way Kim and Putin flatter him and cater to him. Because he's being sweet to Kim and Putin because of his own self-aggrandizing greed.
Trump is the President of a country, any country. He should not call out a leader of another country directly since he has to deal with that person for the best interest of our country and the world in this case. Any President, any party. Doesn't matter. You just don't do it. Privately maybe.
He said~ Kim says he did not personally know of the killing of _____. and I believe him.
Practically speaking Kim probably did not know or order the killing of that specific individual. Kim probably did not say "Sgt ___ go torture and endanger that man in cell 205." He had no reason to do so. We know he ordered his own uncle killed so he is not above doing so but he had no reason. We know Kim leads a tortuous and murderous regime which boggles the mind but this was so beneath his personal plane it seems better to let the lower levels address to me.
Uh, this would seem to make a stronger case! Kim is "leader" of a country whose residents were reduced to chewing grass and weeds for years....where 100's of thousands live their entire lives in work camps in horribly conditions. Where the streets and highways are "plowed" by people with shovels when it snows.
Where the political "unreliability" of your Grandparents (maybe they had a brother in S. Korea) is held against you and your family your entire life.
Prisoners from the west, usually called "spies" are held for almost no reason - for years.
And you think Kim doesn't know about a handful of western hostages and that he personally guides and decides how they are to be treated?
That's fantastic. Really. This is not China or the USA. It's a tiny hermit kingdom and these prisoners are a BIG thing in their foreign affairs.
I guess one can believe anything if they believe Trump didn't know...this and that...and they believe that Trump didn't pay off those women, etc.
This is EXACTLY on his personal plane.....nothing goes down in NK that he personally does not have his hand in.
As far as "at least Trump got him home...more than others did" - a look at that list shows that virtually every other one was brought home over the years (most in better shape, I assume).
In short - that list looks like Clinton got the first American out....then Obama got a bunch out ALIVE and WELL. Then Trump got a...well, let's be honest...a dead person walking....and you give him credit?
Because his own people bluntly say that he's wrong, that he's lying. (He doesn't like to hear that.) Because he disdains expertise. (Possibly because he secretly is defensive about his own ignorance.). Because he swoons over the way Kim and Putin flatter him and cater to him. Because he's being sweet to Kim and Putin because of his own self-aggrandizing greed.
Trump's got several hot bro-mances going on, for sure. Too bad that him playing with fire can get us all burned.
I just finished a great book written by a Russian whose family was deeply involved in education, activism, journalism and government there - for the past 50 years.
I think a LOT (maybe most) Americans have no idea what is going on. In the last few years the transformation of Russia into a complete totalitarian failed state has been completed. There is no free market. There is no democracy. There are no human rights.
When you read about exactly how it happened it looks EXACTLY like the right in the USA. In fact, many USA based non-profits, think tanks and "focus on the family" type conservatives went to conferences there and praised Putin for being "the only person on Earth brave enough to create a true conservative state".
Most Americans just echo the Russian talking points without diving any further. As an example, take the Crimea or Eastern Ukraine. You will notice many "conservatives" here saying "well, the people who live there WANTED Russia to take over because they ID with Russia".
TRUE. But what they don't tell you if the a GENOCIDE was performed BY RUSSIA to wipe out all the original populations of those places (Tartars, Turks and others) and then Russians were moved in!
So, of course it's Russia leaning...they killed everyone who was originally there.....
And so on and so on.
Putin is also tied in with the Church and so-called "Family Values" as a fear tactic. Remember, Putin as a Stalinist...his dad was Stalins cooks and Russia was as godless as they come. But they made a deal with the Orthodox Church.....and now they all fight "moral degradation" together. It actually sounds like a Paradise for US Conservatives...it's all about God and being able to have a lot of kids to repopulate Mother Russia.
The corruption is way off the charts....
So that's Putin, Hero of the Modern Conservatives and Hero of our POTUS.
The Dear Leader in NK....well, he makes Putin look like a saint.
These are truly sad days in the USA. It's not that we are divided....that's all well and fine. But it's what actually divides us...the fact that many people seriously want an authoritarian and corrupted government as well as one that asks the Priests what to do before making a move.
This is so sad and very terrifying. I did not read the book you mentioned, but I did know that Putin is a bad, bad dude. As is Donald J. Trump. Both of them are scoundrels, but Trump is the dumb one. I think Trump, after he is impeached should be forced to live in Russia and anyone who takes up arms in Trump's name should also be sent to Russia.
Last edited by RainMusic; 03-02-2019 at 08:46 PM..
Reason: Addition
Trump is the President of a country, any country. He should not call out a leader of another country directly since he has to deal with that person for the best interest of our country and the world in this case. Any President, any party. Doesn't matter. You just don't do it. Privately maybe.
He said~ Kim says he did not personally know of the killing of _____. and I believe him.
Practically speaking Kim probably did not know or order the killing of that specific individual. Kim probably did not say "Sgt ___ go torture and endanger that man in cell 205." He had no reason to do so. We know he ordered his own uncle killed so he is not above doing so but he had no reason. We know Kim leads a tortuous and murderous regime which boggles the mind but this was so beneath his personal plane it seems better to let the lower levels address to me.
While I feel for pain the parents and understand what they may be wanting to hear, any President has things he must say and do. And Pres Trump got the boy home which is more than others did.
I doubt anyone trusts Kim or Putin but there are things you say because you have to. and there are things you do because you have to. They may not match.
There are some things a moral person will stand against no matter the cost. Trump is weak. He stands up to no one. He calls people bad names, but deep down he is a coward. He worships the golden calf, a.k.a. the American dollar and has hurt and robbed a lot of people in his quest to acquire money.
No, that was Dick "shoot them in the face" Cheney in the background manipulating and lying about the facts so he could make a killing for his Haliburton buddies.
This is ALL a deception! I think its curious how the media and other presidents/administrations, have depicted NK, and Kin JUng Un,,,they would like us to believe he is some crazy wack a do...but the North Korean state media does the exact same thing in depicting americans as horrible people who kill and eat babies for breakfast!
My point is, we really dont know if any of this is true about NK, the only info we have is what media and govt tells us....that is where I start to have doubts
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