It is difficult to talk to people who confuse Austria and Australia. But there is nothing we can do about this; this is the level of political culture among part of the American establishment. As for the American people, America is truly a great nation if the Americans can put up with so many politically uncivilised people.
Wow. Even though I have just written a commentary on the level of frustration and, frankly, contempt, the Russians are feeling towards their American counterparts, these words by Vladimir Putin are truly a slap in the face that will resonate around the world for a long time to come even if the imperial corporate media makes another herculean effort at not noticing them. I can only repeated what I said in my previous article, I have never ever heard anything even remotely resembling the kind of language coming out of Russia today.
By the way, Putin confirmed what I wrote yesterday when he said: “The Americans had the right to reduce the number of our diplomatic offices. It is another matter altogether that they have done this in way that was absolutely uncivil“. Had the Americans just expelled any number of diplomats or closed some Russian diplomatic facilities the Russians would have accepted that as “played by the rules”. But Trump and the intellectual midgets surrounding him decided to publicly humiliate Russia and instead ended up ridiculing themselves. Yesterday, another well-know Russian politician, Sergei Markov, referred to the American leadership as “amoral pygmies”!
To say that the Russians are unimpressed by Trump’s thuggery is an understatement.
Putin also set a trap for the Trump Administration when he said: “I will ask our Foreign Ministry to file a lawsuit. We will see how effectively the much-lauded American judicial system works.” This is a very devious move as it places the USA in a lose-lose situation: if the courts decide for the Russians, then Trump looks like an uncivilized thug, if the courts decide for the USA, it is the world-wide reputation of a putatively independent judicial system which turns into roadkill.
Finally, Putin set yet another trap for Trump: he said that he would present a UNSC Resolution authorizing the deployment of a UN contingent to protect the OSCE peacekeepers along the demarcation line in the Donbass but only after “disengaging the parties and removing the heavy equipment. This cannot be resolved without direct contact with representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic“. If the Americans say no, they now look like hypocrites, but if they say yes, then they are condoning a process which can turn the current demarcation line into something similar to the de-factor border between the Turkish-occupied zone and the rest of Cyprus, something totally unacceptable to the Neocons and their Ukronazi allies in Kiev.
But the real story is the change in Russian rhetoric. It will be mostly lost on westerners who have long given up on taking what politicians say seriously and who are used to all sorts of antics from their leaders. But in a culture in which words count (and that includes all of Asia for starters) this change of tone will be immediately understood for what it is: the equivalent of a medieval slap in the face, a deliberate sign of disrespect and even a sign of total contempt and disgust.
Trump might well go down in history of the President who screwed-up a historical opportunity to really change our entire planet for the better and who, instead, by his abject lack of courage and honor, his total lack of political and diplomatic education and by his groveling subservience to the “swamp” he had promised to drain ended up being as pathetically clueless as Obama was.
The Saker
That last paragraph should go down in history as prophetic…..an accurate summation of the obvious….!!!!!
Mr Putin is quite right. It is extremely hard to think how one can deal with people like those who hold power in Washington.
Mr Trump promised to “drain the swamp”, but he had proceeded to fill his cabinet with alligators.
He’s drained the swamp like a bottle of beer … drunk the lot and now wallowing in a fools paradise.
Has become worse than Obama, imo (if that was possible, and GWBush before that) … and all because little ‘something about Hillary’ lost it to Bernnie and Donnald. (sigh)
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-05/angry-hillary-blames-everything-bernie-sanders-theres-something-about-mary-2016-loss
US elected politicians and bureaucrats who have had an increasing disdain from US citizens for sometime, has finally degenerated below the reputation of a used car dealer who lies and hides behind a sold as is (not what is represented or promised) to international relationships for the world to see. See “The Iron Law of Oligarchy”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_law_of_oligarchy
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing as well. Looks like Russia has had enough.
BTW. Stay safe Saker, It looks like Irma is coming your way. Are you bugging out?
dunno yet, but that is a possibility
Finian Cunningham amplifies Putin’s words into those comprehensible by the obtuse West in his latest Sputnik op/ed, https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201709051057112482-us-north-korea-stance-putin/
For a brief recap of what just occurred at the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, here’s Pepe Escobar’s latest, http://www.atimes.com/article/real-brics-bombshell/
Eyes should now turn to Vladivostok for the Eastern Economic Forum where both North and South Korea have sent representatives and Putin will host, http://theduran.com/north-korean-delegation-arrives/
Just about nothing of importance is being reported on by the Outlaw US Empire’s Propaganda System, the exemplary lifting of Deir Ez-Zor’s siege is a glaring case-in-point.
The multipolar world is finally rolling out in earnest, everything of importance is revolving around Russia and China, Europe might as well not exist, and Putin has totally run of patience with the boorish primitives and intellectual pygmies who inhabit the Washington swamp.
‘European values’ in general and their purveyors in particular getting a most appropriate judgment — way to go, Russia!
Link atimes not bringing up articles, just the headlines!
but found this out of the news latest breaking ‘pushback’ by the empire —seems Duterte now having a “senate investigation” on him, just like Dilma Brazil a year ago.
Charged accusations that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s family is involved in the illegal drug trade, now facing a Senate probe, have flipped the script on his controversial drug war. (Jason Castaneda)
https://www.atimes.com/article/dutertes-family-involved-drug-trade/
The BRICS need to rename themselves, the BRCS. Because as soon as they dump India, the better the organization will be.
India is obviously not interested in playing along, but will do what it can to subvert everything the Russians and Chinese try to accomplish. Besides, India is a basket-case of a country anyways. Replacing India with Pakistan would be a good start.
Bollywood is in love with Hollywood, and the India upper caste, ruling fascist elite will do anything the U.S. and Israel tell them to.
Indians(as I have met so many) don’t seem to have a sense of identity, or personality , but will go out of their way to mimic westerners. How else did 100,000 Brits rule 400 million Indians for so long?
Dump the Indians, the sooner the better. As a matter of fact, for me, I would like to see China spank India in the Himalayas, again…sigh.
Oh, yeah…India also has big weapons deals with Israel of all places. Goes to show.
One last thing. At my home, in Chicago, U.S.A, last night alone, I got about 5 different phone calls from scammers in India posing as Microsoft Tech support. I had a night of laughs as I played games with them over the phone pretending I was computer illiterate. I got some very frustrated at which point they would curse me in their language. It was awesome.
That’s present day India for you, exporting sub-par doctors to the U.S. and England, and a nation of call-centers. That’s about it. And they say they want to compete with China, whom are building mega-metropolises and a super-ultra-modern infrastructure. While India has the worlds largest slums and dirt roads except for the few major cities like Mumbai and New Delhi.
China has built re-inforced highways all the way to the border with India, while on the Indian side there are trails and shabby dirt roads. So who, tell me, will be able to move armored divisions of artillery and tanks to the border region quickly and effectively? China or India. But yet, given this , and other scenarios, India does what Washington D.C says for it to do, which is to be belligerent to China and act like the Wests bulwark against China, Pakistan, Russia etc.
The time to teach the fascist Indian ruling party a lesson is now. Dump India from the BRICS, and all beneficial business and cooperation on the Eurasian landmass. They are the ones who will lose out from the giant One Road-One Belt world initiative. I say good. Indian hindus are venomous to all things Islamic and Muslims in general. I see this all over the blogosphere, and elsewhere. I say to them, ‘how is worshipping created things working out for you?’ That shuts them up every time.
Cheers.
Why would Russia turn India out of BRICS when Russia can turn them like it did Turkey? I doubt India is capable of subverting much of anything, so there is little risk for a potentially large reward. The reward is bringing the second most populous county in the world under your influence and aligning it with the first most populous country. True, there might not be much to India right now, but it has raw manpower. With that manpower comes vast amounts of potential, and whoever helps India develop that potential will pull it under their influence for the foreseeable future. Whether you think India has potential or not does not matter (you seem to possess a lot of disgust for Indians and Hindus in particular), it would be unintelligent to leave such a large player to be used as a pawn by the opposition, especially given its location. In short, Russia is using economic cooperation to turn India from a potential tool of the deep state into an ally for Russia.
These two comments make a lovely illustration of the difference between American and Russia diplomacy.
The typical American view towards diplomacy is expressed in the first comment. India is not reliable. India is not a team player. So, get rid of India. Kick them out. Ban India, etc, etc….
The second comment is more typical of Russian diplomacy. Work on them. Turn India around. It might take time, it will take some effort, but its much better to turn them to Russia’s site in the long-run.
Ya, good luck with turning the nationalist Indian ruling elite over to Russia, or even China’s side.
India has given Israel launch platforms on her territory for use should Israel decide to strike at Pakistans nuclear capabilities, ie. ‘the Islamic bomb’.
India has just recently made a big weapons deal with the Zionist terror state. Military co-operation between the two is only getting bigger and more stronger.
India occupies lands of natives of Kashmir, and Israel occupies lands of Palestinian natives. Both military occupations and illegal by way of international law and almost all conventions and norms.
Israel is constantly trying to subvert her neighbors, cause war , conflict and needless human suffering. War on Lebanon and Syria just recently is a glaring example. India is belligerent to both her neighbors, Pakistan and China, no matter how much the two said states have offered India for reconciliation and improvement of relations.
India fought two unsuccessful wars against both Pakistan and Chins, with China having to defeat them twice. The animosity runs deep.
I could go on. So ya, go ahead and say Putin should try to bring the hindu nationalists around to sound reason. How much has that worked for Putin regarding the U.S.? Not very far, heh.
India, like the Israeli’s, and the U.S., is very arrogant. They have cast their lot firmly together.
Sometimes you just got to humble an arrogant nation that shuns its neighbors and acts in your vowed enemies favor.
China has repeatedly proposed favorable terms for India to join in on the new ‘Silk Road’, but they get arrogance and belligerence instead.
The BRCS – the ‘I’ are better off pulling away until India comes to the table in honesty and hat in hand. Not close to what India is doing in terms of actions today, towards her neighbors.
Manpower you say? Approx 1 billion uneducated, unskilled laborers ? Come on, both Russia and China don’t need them. They both have all the manpower needed. Its not about quantity, but quality of manpower that counts in the modern world. Unless Russia and China have a shortage of call-center scammers or lousy sub-par doctors, they might as well forget Indian manpower.
So, short, medium and long term history will show that India is effectively on the wrong side of history. China doesn’t trust them, and I assure you Putin knows the game too, but is simply playing along , patronizing India diplomatically.
Good day. To both of you.
Putin, President of the World.
Simply brilliant.
The Russians kept issuing warnings while getting threats and sanctions in return.
Now, the US is in their own cauldron. Ukie see, US do. Both have idiot criminals as leaders.
Putin is leading the BRICS, SCO, CIS, EAEU, a new ME axis of Iran-Turkey-Syria-Rusia, and generally, has the respect of all second tier powers like Japan, So. Korea, Vietnam, and Pakistan.
It looks as if he is stepping into the North Korea situation boldly. Not just alongside China and Pres. Xi. But also with Japan and So. Korean leaders to pressure the US into a rational approach.
The direct threats in the Far East from the Hegemon are not just aimed at Pyongyang. They are aimed at China and Russia. The THAAD missile radars ‘see’ 1000-2000 miles into both adversaries. This defeats the second strike MAD protection of China and Russia. It is untenable.
Combined with the threats in Ukraine and the Black Sea Nato moves with Aegis Ashore missile defense and other EW systems of the US creeping right to Russia’s borders, Putin has to defend from the existential threats in the West, also.
Now we have the highest level of diplomatic “warfare” ensuing. Notice, too, there are all new diplomats at UN and Ambassador level for both US and Russia. The only long-term minister is Lavrov. And his counterpart has one foot out the door, Tillerson.
Russia has the advantage. They also dominate with spokespeople, matching up FM’s, Maria Zakharova versus Heather Nuart is no comparison.
The battle in diplomacy is often Infowar.
The Hegemon has a tough sell.
The US proposes: WWIII, a nuclear exchange on the Korean Peninsula.
500,000-1,000,000 dead Koreans, take your pick.
Or, Putin and China propose 5+1 talks in a nice building or garden patio someplace quiet.
The stock market is starting a plunge today. Seems that Trump will lose one his great claims of creating new wealth if that continues for a week or so.
What the great fear for the Hegemon seems hidden but it’s not.
They fear when North Korea is not a threat.
Then their entire reason for being in Japan, Okinawa and South Korea is gone.
Putin is working to this goal. Neutralize the threat from North Korea and get rid of the US.
There are two legal documents that stand large concerning North Korea.
The Truce of 1953 and the Treaty with China for mutual defense with North Korea.
The Truce is an Armistice Agreement signed by a US Commander in behalf of the UN, the North Koreans and the Chinese (PLA).
It is a UN document. Not a US document.
So, Korea is an issue of the UN. Though the UN Command was controlled by the US military. Hegemonically, the US pushed the UN aside in 1994 with notice sent to North Korea that the UN no longer was militarily the organ of war facing off with Pyongyang. This was after three years of war under the UN flag, UN resolution to act militarily, and 40 years of tensions and conflict.
In 1994, UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali wrote in a letter to the North Korean Foreign Minister that:
“the Security Council did not establish the unified command as a subsidiary organ under its control, but merely recommended the creation of such a command, specifying that it be under the authority of the United States. Therefore the dissolution of the unified command does not fall within the responsibility of any United Nations organ but is a matter within the competence of the Government of the United States”.
In 1950 when war broke out, China was not in the UN, Taiwan represented China, and the USSR boycotted the SC in protest that Beijing was not on the SC representing China. So it was easy for the US to use the UN as it wanted to.
War comes easy. Peace is the hard thing.
Putin is master of “hard”. And he kicks ass doing war,too.
‘The direct threats in the Far East from the Hegemon are not just aimed at Pyongyang. They are aimed at China and Russia. The THAAD missile radars ‘see’ 1000-2000 miles into both adversaries. This defeats the second strike MAD protection of China and Russia. It is untenable..’
Hmmm, so the US of A pokes the mad pig (Nth Korea) and it the pig jumps to its feet and grunts and farts AND …. the US points to it and tells the world “see, it is an aggressive mad beast, we need to protect you all. So …. we will install THAAD in South Korea.
“No, no no no no ….. it has nothing to do with China”
Graeme from Austria …. no, Australia …. Austria …. Australia …. oh, fk, I don’t know
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean near Switzerland
ROFL. Thanks! You made my day.
Hi Larchmonter,
Why do you have so much faith in a UN document?
After NATO bombed Serbia, a UN peace plan was proposed: UN resolution 1244, which guaranteed the inviolability of Serbia’s borders.
Several years later, the US and EU violated this UN resolution (which they created and signed): They recognised the independence of Kosovo, and thus created a new crisis on the Balkans.
The US does not care about any law, resolution, international conventions. That is why they are so dangerous. There is no legal way to stop them.
I don’t have faith in it. I mention it as the route Putin and Xi take. They want to use the UN SC and all the legalities that can slow down the rush to madness.
Putin is very legalistic. Today he quoted his legal training in discussing the illegality of the US taking over the RF properties in the US.
He approaches everything legalistically.
He constrains himself with the Russian Constitution. He is no hypocrite about his philosophy and weapons of choice. Look at Minsk 2. Total legal snare he threw over Kiev.
Look at the Syrian strategies of military, diplomacy, deconfliction, de-escalation zones and local reconciliation agreements (thousands of them). This is pure Putin.
So, the historical documents are points of law.
He is doing the same to Japan over the Kurils. No Peace Treaty, no islands returned. He gets his pound of flesh with legal approaches.
Of course, if you really want to fight, he’ll strike first and with deadly surprise.
But the historic conditions matter to him.
The arctic is heavily Russian-owned because Putin won the international legal battle.
It’s not the document or agreement or protocols in themselves. It’s the process he often uses masterfully.
This is what I’ve learned studying him. No other leader anywhere is like him. But they all come to him, don’t they. Even the Arabs go to Moscow. The King is coming soon, they say.
The North and South Koreans are in Vladivostok today talking with him.
Has anyone else had both sides talk with them?
The starting point will be that Armistice Agreement.
For better or worse, the UN is the only institution agreed upon by the planet’s nations formulated to dispense/regulate International Law. Yes, the Outlaw US Empire’s used and abused it in gross violation of its own domestic law, which is why the USA’s an Outlaw/Rogue nation. You’ll note that in almost every speech and paper delivered by Putin and Xi respecting International Law is of the utmost importance as is the ideal of equitable development and relations between nations. I present the linked essay by Putin as an example, http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/55487
If humanity is to survive on this planet, the Rule of Law must finally exterminate the Rule of Power through the Barrel of a Gun, otherwise known as the Rule of Man. IOW, the need for a Hobbesian Order must cease, be evolved beyond, through the slaying of the last Leviathan, which is at this moment rather slowly bleeding to death.
@ OH
” …Leviathan, which is at this moment rather slowly bleeding to death.”
Too slow. The Leviathan needs a complete venesection to be admitted again into polite society. And even the bone marrow removed for good measure… and the bones broken beyond repair… and the brains – if there are any in the cranial cavity, perhaps they moved into the bowels – disinfected from the malignant germs (Jews, thinktankers, banksters and other oligarchs).
America needs a ‘democracy movement’.
“Putin, President of the World.
Simply brilliant.”
http://astromundanediary.blogspot.de/2017/09/a-historical-press-conference.html
As long as US bases are surrounding North Korea, the North Koreans will never de-escalate or stop their nuclear weapons development and production.
It does not matter how often they discuss with South Koreans or who is mediating.
If Putin himself cannot guarantee military protection of North Korea from a US attack, the North Koreans will never halt nuclear weapons development let alone denuclearize as long as the Americans are swarming the area.
I see only two realistic scenarios occurring on the basis that the Americans keep their bases and THAAD missile systems permanently in the area:
1. The Americans will hold off on an attack on North Korea until North Korea has succeeded in developing and producing sufficient medium and long range nuclear tipped missiles (including the successful development of their Submarine launched Ballistic missile program)….
2. The Americans will eventually attack North Korea within the coming months/years using any kind of pretext, where the North Koreans will unleash everything they have on whatever US or US allied targets they are capable of striking.
If Putin wants to deescalate the situation he will have to either have to:
1. convince the South Koreans and Americans to back-down and with-draw a substantial percent of their forces in the region
or
2. sign a defense pact with the North Koreans, guaranteeing them protection against US attacks.
Anything less, and the North Koreans would have to be absolutely “batsht-crazy” to halt nuclear development.
I read this comment quickly this morning about “America being a great nation” …and I thought here we go again with the usual “our partners” compliments. But now I have taken the time to actually read what he said and… ouch! What an insult!
I don’t think the American politicians care or understand, as they are devoid of subtlety and nuance.
I once said USA is like the Weimar republic but I take that back. Weimar was brimming with avant garde movements and antiwar artists like Max Beckmans, Otto Dix. Where is anything resembling culture -political or otherwise- in the US? The gung-ho war-porn movies promoting militarism or the remixed pop songs with their sexualised and violent lyrics…? The sad truth is: it’s not just political culture that is lacking.
Serbian girl
“Where is anything resembling culture” ?
A simple but profound point
War and hate are all the US exhibits now. Low toxic vibrational energy.
Can we really claim they are even human once the finer human (higher) qualities ( empathy, compassion, art, dare I say kindness) have been suppressed?
But you are right to mention the absence of art.
Do Americans have a long enough attention span these days to even read a book?
Three weeks ago I posted a video of Woodstock free music festival, fifty years ago exactly. Half a million young Americans and others came together for 3 days of music and togetherness. 500,000 people.
That could never happen now. Love has been snuffed out.
Words fail me re the US nowadays so I will just post a quote from Jimmie Moglia’s recent article
/the-two-americas-at-charlottesville/
“For reasons too long to be properly here documented, there has arisen a global movement, effectively a project whose aim is not only to re-write the history of the United States, but to substitute our current civilization with another, sexually neutral, LGBT, unirace, miscegenated, without religion or values other than those of unbridled neo-liberal capitalism and – to add with bitterness – of the most degrading and horrifying Hollywood pornography.”
Then there is the microchipping, the toxic vaccinations, the horrible junk food and always the
name calling and hate.
It is us or them. We are the many, they are the few but THEY have the reins of power.
Sometimes when it all gets too freaky I listen to the brilliant Rachmaninoff – Russian of course and doubt if there is a single westerner who could write music like that now.
Concerto number 2 – Now that is culture ! !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEGOihjqO9w
Great link Zena! Rachmaninoff so uplifting. I love his “Variation on a theme if Paganini”. I don’t listen to a lot of classical music in my day- to-day, but if WWIII breaks out and we end up in some dungeon, then that’s definitely the music I would want on hand!
“Three weeks ago I posted a video of Woodstock free music festival, fifty years ago exactly. Half a million young Americans and others came together for 3 days of music and togetherness. 500,000 people.
That could never happen now. Love has been snuffed out.”
If you look at the broader picture regarding the flower power ‘movement’, you will realize that it is one of the reasons why you have exactly this american and western nonculture putin is also fighting against. Today its historicly absolutely clear that woodstock et al was part of the ‘counter culture’ project run by the cia and their affiliates in the western hemisphere. It originated long before that and optimised over time still running today.
For a very insightfull rundown of the history of it, a very enlightning discussion by researchers below. Even its long its worth everyones time as it helps understand some roots of why western ‘culture’ is non existent today and the role of flowerpower/woodstock :
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9T7jyn6iA
cheers
It’s hard to believe, almost impossible to wrap one’s head around, but true.
Even the well-informed will yet have to go through many layers of shock, depression and pain until it fully dawns on them that the deep state – a very inadequate expression – is a hundred times deeper than even the most pessimistic among us have assumed for whole their life.
Woodstock was indeed a CIA production. But then again, almost every movement, development, evolution, revolution, music style, fad, gadget, etc. since the the founding of the FED in 1913 has been. Literally. All figure heads in politics, academics, sports, music, literature, economics, etc. in the Western world have been for a long time and are more than ever ZionIntel lifetime actors.
So saying that
“Trump might well go down in history of the President who screwed-up a historical opportunity to really change our entire planet for the better ”
is a far too optimistic statement in my opinion, because, as I see it, this window or historical opportunity Saker talks of, has been closed I don’t know how long, long, long ago.
” Can we really claim they are even human once the finer human (higher) qualities ( empathy, compassion, art, dare I say kindness) have been suppressed?”
Art? On the same footing with compassion?!
Human? With all the abominable acts that only humans are capable in any taxonomical kingdom?!
But, aside from these incongruities, how do you scale your beloved Russia when not standing up against sanctions on North Korea?
Are you as ignorant as this saker of what the USA did to North Korea?
Don’t you think that you should admonish your exalted Russia for not having stood up now – and at any other time – against injustice?
Again ad hominem statement removed … also the policy on use of caps… all future comments of yours that do not meet our moderation standards will not be published and will be sent to saker for final disposition … mod
Hi Serbian girl
You wrote, “The sad truth is: it’s not just political culture that is lacking.” Since you were referring to the US I have to disagree. It is the truth for the US, but the country has to be responsible for its lack of culture, political or otherwise, so I wouldn’t call it sad. It is sad or sadder, however, for countries that unnecessarily imitate American culture of its lack of culture. For example, some movies now made in Asian and European countries are like Hollywood movies, with similar violence, music, shallow characters, individualism.
I totally agree TNY. The emerging cultures are aping the US culture. Hopefully they will emancipate themselves and develop something original i.e. something society actually wants.
Check out this link: (food for thought) http://www.powerofculture.nl/en/policy/soros.html
“The foundations also monitor the cultural policies of governments in those regions and are active in increasing the independence of artists and their access to the international art world. The Soros Documentary Fund organises training programmes for up-and-coming filmmakers and screenwriters, as well as supporting the production of documentaries on contemporary human rights issues.”
Thanks for the link Serbian girl, but when I read “socially responsible entrepreneurship or philanthropic ideals” in the first paragraph I felt like puking.
To find US culture, the first step is to turn off the TV and to ignore Hollywood’s movies.
The Revolution will not be televised.
You can not expect the large organs of what is a mind-control system to start putting out views that are the opposite of what they exist to promote. Thus, to find the sort of culture you are looking for, the first step is to turn off the television. You have to go out and find it. You have to listen to musicians who don’t get promoted on Clear Channel radio. You have to go find the playwrights and writers who don’t get their work made into multi-million dollar movies.
The truth is out there. But you do have to turn off your tvs and search for it.
https://soundcloud.com/davidrovics
One small example of an American musician and songwriter who won’t ever be played on Clear Channel. If he comes to your town, he’s likely playing a small club or a friend’s house. And he won’t be promoted on any of the mass media outlets.
For instance, this song tells a bit of history that will never make it onto Clear Channel.
THE SAINT PATRICK BATTALION
(David Rovics)
My name is John Riley
I’ll have your ear only a while
I left my dear home in Ireland
It was death, starvation or exile
And when I got to America
It was my duty to go
Enter the Army and slog across Texas
To join in the war against Mexico
It was there in the pueblos and hillsides
That I saw the mistake I had made
Part of a conquering army
With the morals of a bayonet blade
So in the midst of these poor, dying Catholics
Screaming children, the burning stench of it all
Myself and two hundred Irishmen
Decided to rise to the call
Chorus
From Dublin City to San Diego
We witnessed freedom denied
So we formed the Saint Patrick Battalion
And we fought on the Mexican side
We marched ‘neath the green flag of Saint Patrick
Emblazoned with “Erin Go Bragh”
Bright with the harp and the shamrock
And “Libertad a la Republica”
Just fifty years after Wolftone
Five thousand miles away
The Yanks called us a Legion of Strangers
And they can talk as they may
(Chorus)
We fought them in Matamoros
While their volunteers were raping the nuns
In Monterey and Cerro Gordo
We fought on as Ireland’s sons
We were the red-headed fighters for freedom
Amidst these brown-skinned women and men
Side by side we fought against tyranny
And I daresay we’d do it again
(Chorus)
We fought them in five major battles
Churobusco was the last
Overwhelmed by the cannons from Boston
We fell after each mortar blast
Most of us died on that hillside
In the service of the Mexican state
So far from our occupied homeland
We were heroes and victims of fate
davidrovics.com
“Yesterday, another well-known Russian politician, Sergei Markov, referred to the American leadership as ‘amoral pygmies’ !”
I think that’s far too polite. The Russians should send the American offal something like the letter which the Zaparozhian Cossacks wrote to the Turkish Sultan, Mehmed IV, in reply to the latter’s arrogant bluster. The Russian language is outstanding in the realm of swearing!
@Nussi
Just wonderful. But I guess this is easier to understand by people who know Malorossiya history (steppes and Black Sea) and grew up not having much love for the Otomans.
@ Nussiminen
It sounds like great music to my ears and lyrics wonderfully evocative! Where did you unearthed that masterpiece of Cossack poetry?
Haha, one wonders how the Sultan reacted if anyone dared to read this absolute masterpiece out loud for him. Would be quite interesting/tempting to check Erdogan’s “emotional response” as well.
19th century Russian artist Ilya Repin drew a very famous painting on the subject: “Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of the Ottoman Empire”. The Cossacks in the painting are literally laughing themselves to death as they pile insults on their very mortal enemy.
Again: The Pindos would be most deserving of a suchlike “love letter”.
Nussiminen:
Ummm … to be historically correct, one should point out that the friendly ending of the above reprinted letter is borrowed from Götz von Berlichingen.
You mean “for this, kiss our arse!” ?
Hats off — some people do provide crucial knowledge, LOL.
Those are the same that confuse Switzerland and Sweden.
In comparison a story that happened to me when I was visiting Iran some 20 years ago. I was often approached by groups of young girls who identified me as a foreigner. Always the same questions “where do you come from?”, I answered that I was from Switzerland and they seemed to know exactly where to find it on he map. After a while, I wanted to check if this was not just faked. So I answered that I came from a very small country in the middle of Europe. And the answer was immediately “oh Swissi!” (or something like that).
I seems that the Iranian have better teachers as the USA…
Putin’s finally dropped the diplomatic kid gloves and is beginning to reveal an iron fist that’s behind them. I sensed it coming eventually but it’s been an excruciatingly long time.
Knowing Putin as a martial artist with an iron will that doesn’t bluff or make a move until such time as he’s absolutely certain that he has an overwhelming advantage that his now provoked and infuriated opponent can’t match.
Begs the question, what ace card does he now have up his sleeve? I don’t know the answer but have observed some inexplicable phenomenon’s happening militarily.
He’s strangely just reduced Russia’s military spending by some 20%. Why at a time when the “cold” war is hotter than ever if not a at a Cuban missile crisis level and Trump’s increased the US’s by some $600 + billion?
Putin said some time back that Russia’s defence program in the face of increasing US military provocations was strictly “defensive” aimed at “neutralizing” any threat.
Key operative word here to me is “neutralizing”. As when you render your opponent nonoperational having fallen to the ground as a result of his own trust forward and weight.
Does Putin possess a secret weapon that would neutralize and technologically render the US’s military might, be it air force, navy, missiles and satellites practically useless?
Some years back an Iranian born nuclear physicist working at the time in the Netherlands claimed to be working on something akin to electrical or cold fusion, perpetual energy generator and had a patent for something that would render all electronically based modern warfare weaponry null and void. He offered this patent free to Iran and the rest of the world on the premise that it would render warfare obsolete and if all nations had it bring world peace.
Sounds unreal but for some strange events that I’ve noticed happening since and some dot’s to possibly be connected. Iran somehow brought down a US high tech spy drone intact and has since back-engineered it. Also confidently boasts of it’s invincibility on land sky and sea. Russia twice buzzed US war ships with it jets rendering it’s electronics helpless to react. 60 US tomahawks launched at Syria with only some 23 reaching target at a cost of 100 million. Mysteriously some 4 US war ships heading for Korea collide with merchant ships at the cost of some dozen lives and they shut down their navel bases for some 36 hours. The US seems to have backed off considerably directly confronting Russia in Syria, Ukrainian and Crimea.
Maybe just my imagination that something mysteriously shifted, but what does the Saker and others here make of it all?
Hi RayB,
There was a report in Jane’s about Russia reducing military spending by 25% but this link below debunks that:
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/did-russia-just-cut-its-defense-budget-by-whopping-25-19831
According to above link it’s more like 3% due to one-off debt repayment, financial re-structuring etc.
Thank you kindly Serbian girl for this link. Nevertheless what ever the percentage it was. you’d think that given the existential threat to Russia’s sovereignty, it ought to have been doubled and not cut.
That being as it may, I’m touched and deeply honored to be addressed by you here, being as how what happened to your beautiful country and brave people while Russia was week and on it’s knees still weighs heavily on my heart.
Having done whatever little I could at the time to protest America’s vile and treacherous bombing of your country, I’m honored to have hanging on my wall a plaque gifted me by the Canadian Serbian exile community, stating the following..
“RAY BECKER – On behalf of the Serbian Community of B.C. Thank you for your courageous stand against the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Vancouver, September 1999.”
My heart felt condolences to you and your courageous people having stood up alone against the unspeakable injustices that were perpetrated against you by the US Empire.
Sincerely yours and forever in solidarity…Raymond
Hurrah to you Ray!. I think you touched many kind hearts with your feelings and words. Cheers my friend.
(continued)
… although we have crossed swords on a few occasions over the Man of Steel – but no fatal cuts.
Dear Raymond, thank you so much. I am deeply moved. Your message is very heart warming and brought tears…
http://allnewspipeline.com/Was_Friday_Beta_Test_For_The_Big_One.php
no idea of the quality of the content…….conspiracy or reality?
—————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————-
also
“Even an EMP attack from a single 10-kiloton nuclear weapon — of the type now in North Korea’s arsenal — could cause cascading failures which could black out the U.S. Eastern Grid for months or years, and devastate the civilian economy. An EMP, detonated at an altitude above 30-70 kilometers, could be delivered by a short-range missile fired off a freighter, hundreds of kilometers off U.S. shores.
The result would be no communications, no transportation, no fuel, no food, and no water for a decade or more. That would be true for at least the entire eastern half of the United States, where most of the population lives. National Geographic has described it as an “Electronic In fact, however, these experts may be way off base. The yield of an EMP explosion is lower. The North Korean bomb capability that was tested may therefore well be that of a super-EMP.
Neutron bombs, or Enhanced Radiation Weapons such as Super-EMP weapons, are essentially very low yield H-Bombs. They typically have yields of 1-10 kilotons, exactly like North Korea’s device. Indeed, because of their very low yield, all four North Korean nuclear tests look like Super-EMP weapons.
A Super-EMP weapon is designed to produce special effects (gamma rays, in the case of Super-EMP). A Super-EMP warhead, while having a seemingly insignificant explosive yield, could be far more deadly and dangerous to the United States than the most powerful H-Bomb ever built.
Russia’s Tsar H-Bomb, (known as Tsar Bomba), the most powerful H-Bomb ever detonated, produced during its test in October 1961 a yield of 60 megatons. It would have been capable of flattening everything in the state of Rhode Island. [2]
A Super-EMP weapon, however, detonated 300 kilometers above the center of the U.S., could destroy the entire nation’s industrial and military capacity, and kill a large percentage of the American people, by taking down the U.S. electrical grid. Once destroyed, the grid’s elements would take decades to rebuild.[3]”
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7214/electro-magnetic-pulse-emp
I think Kim doesn’t even need a nuclear warhead. What he should do is load a couple of missiles with a ton of gravel each and fire them straight up 200 miles and then detonate them. This is the altitude of the 8-900 satellites that control all communications, military targeting, GPS etc. There would be millions of pieces of gravel flying at 17,000 mph taking out US satellites. It would take out everything, mobile phones, credit card transactions etc. Our US friends would sue for peace if deprived of their mobile phones for a day.
You, Mark, are a genius! Simplicity beats complexity anytime.
If this was an option, what they are wating for?
Things ain’t easy sadly. There are rumors of electronic warfare between Russia and USA but who knows.
USA is a bully, the only way to handle that is what works when we were young. A f….ng bloody nose is what they need.
Now we agree Mr. Analyst .
Could you please call the Saker – the Saker not Mr Analyst – it comes across as rude. Mod
We can safely say that 80% of the people in Washington DC never heard of Crimea either.
They thought it must either a brand of unsalted butter or a women’s beauty product.
Once I came across a university educated US citizen (they are not the only Americans by the way) in a neutral continent and he asked me where I was from (I did not want or need to ask his nationality because his accent and behaviour vouched for that) and I told him: “The westernmost country in Europe” just to test him. He did not know but eventually he said “Ireland”. Not too bad – and not too hard either for any Yank to know something about Ireland. Eventually I told him “Portugal” and he had the honesty to say: “But I thought Portugal was in South America because Brazilians speak Portuguese”! Wow, he got something right though…
Both Greenland and Iceland are more west than Portugal.
Geologically they are on the North American plate, and so are all Caribbean and other off-shore islands. They were occupied by Europeans, that’s all.
By the same token, is Cuba also European?
An idiot of a Democratic Congressperson once famously confused ‘Crimea’ and ‘Korea’.
Since they are of course so close to each other and so similar, its easy to understand how she got confused
… How long have I waited to hear something like this. For it is the minimum that the political arrogance of the establishment deserves.
Furthermore, geographical ignorance at large, in my view, is not a sign of lack of intelligence, but an indicator of the contempt for any form of knowlegde, let alone culture, that has not an immediate equivalence in money.
Besides,… the ignorance of the pupils is also directly proportional to the arrogance of the teachers (especially academics, from what I have seen.)
I don’t always agree with The Saker when he presents his view on a matter. However, this time I would say you are bang on the mark/money. Mate, good work.
Newsweek Claims Russia Orchestrated Boston Marathon Bombing
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201709061057119169-newsweek-claims-russia-boston-bombing/
You know, someday the pindos will wish they could claim it was the drugs, rather than the shekel that made them do it.
Someday…
Saker, You and your family can ride out the storm in our B&B in NY if you’d like. We’re fluent in English, Russian and PSYOPS. There’s a baby grand in the Living Room, and great fishing in the area.
The roasting of Trump in this article was exquisite. I savoured it like gravy.
Sadly no metaphor can capture the base nature of his present failure. I still reel from the realization that I have actually met and spoken to people that believed that -kindergarten-dialect-Trump was a great statesman. Wow! How bad can ones judgement be to believe that? How desperate most people have been to want liberation from scum like Hillary to self-delude themselves to that extent.
Obama was clueless? Implying, Barry is secretly a great guy?
Trump’s a bisexual mafioso – see this – btw there was a photo of all these folks together that didn’t load onto this page –
NIKADEMUS LAWMAN
George Carlin once said, “You know, I don’t even do comedy. I just get up on the stage, tell the truth, and people laugh at me.”
Trump was good friends with Liberace. He considered him a “style” mentor.
He also called Roy Cohn his greatest mentor, a Jewish mafia kingpin who died of AIDS and was openly gay.
Also is the very gay, Roger Stone, (with a tattoo of Tricky Dick right on his back) with Roy Cohn as well.
You’ll see that these are old New York gangs that weave in and out of La Kosher Nostra.
There’s much more to this, but I will leave you with this for now.
from Nikademus Lawman – an interesting attorney – from Iranian heritage –
——————————–
——————————-
I wonder why the Saker wrote “the imperial corporate media makes another herculean effort at not noticing” (Putin’s comments). Isn’t it easy for them to ignore something? If they do then a lot of other media will follow suit.
The Saker wrote, “in a culture in which words count (and that includes all of Asia for starters) this change of tone will be immediately understood for what it is”. Traditional Chinese people will understand, if the media report Putin’s words fairly. As far as I know his comments haven’t drawn much attention from the Chinese media. I hope my compatriots who read this blog will prove me wrong.
The last paragraph of the article is somewhat self-contradictory. Given Trump’s serious shortcomings, it isn’t surprising that he screwed up the historical opportunity that he had. Actually, it took someone as least as good as Putin to seize the opportunity. Who in the US or in recent US history could do it? Can a dying empire produce someone of such a calibre?
I doubt whether Trump has ended up “as pathetically clueless as Obama was”. I always thought that Obama knew what he was doing, which was to serve the Empire.
I haven’t posted a lot of comments here, so finally let me say that I value the Saker’s blog very highly.
The words will not resonate across the world that I know…in the west, nor in Australia. Even if reported they would barely cause a shrug of the shoulders. We are accustomed to seeing dumb Americans. It’s nothing new…people do not care.
Also…I spent some time in Russia recently. And sought out English speaking locals for a closer to the source view of Putin, Russia and the current state of the world. Very interesting indeed, I’ll try thread something together and send it your way, Mr saker. Might be worth sharing.
sign of the times
“BRUSSELS, September 6. /TASS/. Permanent Representatives of the 28 member states of the European Union have agreed to extend the blacklist for Russia, which expires on September 15, for six months, a diplomatic source in Brussels told TASS.
“At today’s meeting, EU representatives agreed to extend individual restrictions for six months,” the source said.
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According to the diplomatic source, the decision should be approved by the Council of the European Union before September 15. After that it would be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force.
In March, the blacklist was extended for six months, until September 15, 2017. At the time, the list consisted of 146 individuals and 37 companies. However, on August 4, the European Union expanded it sanctions on Russia citing the alleged delivery of Siemens-made gas turbine systems to Crimea. Three Russian citizens and three companies were blacklisted.
The European Union started to impose sanctions on Russia over the Ukrainian events in March 2014. At the EU summit held on March 6, 2014, a decision was made that if tensions in Crimea did not ease, then the EU would exert pressure on Russia. At the same time, the Russia-EU summit was cancelled, talks on visa-free travels and new cooperation agreement were suspended.
Later, the European Union introduced three sanctions packages against Russia, including individual and sectoral sanctions, as well as the so-called Crimea sanctions package. Brussels has been extending these sanctions every six months or every year.
More:
http://tass.com/world/964061
later:
“German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel’s endorsement of President Putin’s idea of deploying UN peacekeepers to Donbass means that the EU is ready to view the crisis there as an internal Ukrainian conflict, not a war with Russia as Kiev insists, politician Vadim Kolesnichenko told Radio Sputnik.
Sigmar Gabriel said on Tuesday that the introduction of international peacekeepers in Donbass could help ease tensions with Moscow and could be “the first step to lifting sanctions against Russia.”
i think not, especially re the above , and as
“Wednesday, September 6, 2017 – 13:11
The bill on the Donbass reintegration, which is being prepared in Ukraine, supposes the replacement of the definition of “the antiterrorist operation” with the definition of “the operation for the defense of Ukraine,” said Deputy Minister of Ukraine for Issues of Occupied Territories Yury Grymchak.
“The operation for the defense of Ukraine,” said Grymchak in an interview with the Ukrainian bureau of Radio Svoboda on Tuesday, answering the question of how the bill calls the conflict in the east of the country. At that, he added that the concept of “war” was not used in the draft law.
The administration of the President of Ukraine is engaged in the drafting of the bill on the reintegration of Donbass. The text of the document has not yet been published.
Earlier, the representative of the president of Ukraine in the Rada, Irina Lutsenko, said that the definition of the “aggressor country” would be applied to Russia in the draft law. According to her, work on the bill is completed by 99.9%, and it is ready for registration in the parliament.
DONi News Agency”
although The Hague dismissed ukraine claims of Russia being such……note ukraine stinging EU by
“Tuesday, September 5, 2017 – 12:51
Germany has recorded 65,000 cases of illegal employment, which is 5% more than last year. The majority of illegal workers are Ukrainians. This threatens Kiev with the loss of a visa-free regime, the former Minister of Economy of Ukraine Viktor Suslov stated this on the air of the Ukrainian TV channel “112”.
“We should be concerned about the fact that Ukrainians are the leaders among those people who work illegally. Here, we need to recollect that before giving Ukraine a visa-free regime, the European Union called a number of conditions under which the visa-free travel would be canceled. Among them – a large number of illegal workers. If, within a month or two, it turns out that many of those who entered a country via the visa-free regime illegally work, Ukraine will lose this visa-free regime,” said Suslov.
In his opinion, the Ukrainian government should keep a record of those who left and moved so that the country is to fulfill its international obligations.
“So far, nothing will happen because the European Union gives Ukraine privileges. After the first three months, even if violations are established, nothing will happen. We will get three months more or even six ones before the decision is made” summed up Suslov.
DONi News Agency ‘
and
‘Wednesday, September 6, 2017 – 15:10
Yesterday, marines and naval aviators of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Navy carried out the AN-26 training jumps in the multinational exercises Agile Spirit-2017 held in Georgia at the Orfolo test site, reported in the press service of a separate brigade of the Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy.
“The air assault platoon practiced parachute jumping with landing in the highlands. Air drops of the Marine Corps units’ personnel, who are part of the multinational battalions, is one of the tasks that will enter the final phase of all training,” the report said.
The training will last until September 11, the event with the participation of the Marines and Naval Aviation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is aimed at drilling joint actions with units of the NATO member countries and partner countries, improving field and air fighting capacity in a multinational environment, and the reported goal of the training itself is to enhance interaction between military personnel of the Alliance and partner countries.
DONi News Agency “
frau merkel should sanction herself from russian gas.
she should never surrender her “european values”
Saker, are you comfortable with Russia and China not having vetoed the sanctions against North Korea?
Comfortable with them doing worse – backing up the sanctions?
Are you ignorant of what North Korea suffered at the hands of the USA?
Russia and China are impostors on the scene of “freedom and liberty”
You sing praise to them, so you are the same.
Ad hominem statement removed … note to commentator …. we are here to discuss the ideas and events of the day … personal attacks on other commentators, authors are not acceptable. Please keep within our moderation guidelines. … mod
What I really loved about President Putin’s remarks was that Australia’s ‘leaders’, like so many from other countries that bow deeply to the hegemon, are under the impression that they have ‘special relationship’ with the USA! How deeply this must hurt that ‘evil’, ‘isolated’, ‘thuggish’ etc etc Putin suggested it was otherwise. I am kicking myself for not buying the t-shirt of Putin hugging a koala that I saw in the GUM department store in Moscow. Next trip, a definite purchase!
Excellent analysis. Just to add that in Vladivostok Russia and South Korea agreed on trilateral trade arrangements involving North Korea. The aim ? To build up the whole Korean peninsula, as well as Russia’s Far East. Russia also proposed to Japan the building of a bridge between Russia and Japan, which no doubt would turn Japan into a continental country and give it access to the Euro-Asian Trade Zone. What I am seeing is one brilliant Russian move after another. Russia is gaining in esteem by the month, while America is losing it by the month.
Reunification 2.0 … ???
Could this be Putin’s big “Regan Berlin Wall” moment? — “Mr Trump, … Tear Down this Neocon Korean Wall!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjWDrTXMgF8
Fully agree with every word you said here Saker. However, his soft reaction surprised me again. To avoid such a scenario in the future, he should have closed everything in the US but Washington place and expel the yanks from Russia and leave them the Moscow office only. Why in this world does he allow all these thugs that do damage to Russia and support the 5th column there? They do not issue visas anymore so what…
When you have a sec… cheers. Lmimkac
The neocons continue their attacks as usual..
UN Officially Accuses Assad Government of Using Sarin in Khan Sheikhoun.
“Government forces continued to deliberately target civilians, including through the use of chemical weapons against civilians in opposition-held areas. As part of an aerial campaign in northern Hama and southern Idlib, on 4 April the Syrian air force used sarin in Khan Shaykhun, killing over 80 people, most of whom were women and children,” the United Nations said in a statement on UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria’s report.
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201709061057134679-un-syria-chemical-weapons-khan-sheikhoun/
The ban on Russian athletes’ participation in the International Paralympic Games has been kept in place over doping allegations previously presented in a WADA report.
Earlier this week, the Russian Independent Anti-Doping Commission chief, Vitaly Smirnov, said McLaren had allegedly dropped his charges of the Russian state’s alleged participation in the doping, however, no official confirmation followed.
https://sputniknews.com/sport/201709061057141279-international-paralympic-committee-russia-ban/
What strikes me about these bans is that its clearly the Russian Flag that is banned.
Remember when in the opening ceremony of the last paralympics someone marched with a Russian flag to honor the banned competitors. Everyone went ballistic over that. Why?
Now, in the main track and field competitions, a few Russian athletes are being cleared to compete. But the one thing they are not allowed to do is to be declared as being ‘russian’ or to display any Russian symbols. They are only allowed to compete as ‘indepedents’.
The common thread is that banning the Russian flag is the most important thing.
“As for the American people, America is truly a great nation if the Americans can put up with so many politically uncivilised people.”
This is an example of what kids together call “throwing shade”–and a very artful example at that. ;-)
My one objection is to the use of “Trump” as an actor in this drama. Because clearly Trump is not in charge. At best, he’s now been coerced into following orders. At worst, he’s under house arrest and not allowed to make decisions, or at least not these.
This entire dispute was started by Obama and the Democrats on unsubstantiated claims that the Russians had ‘meddled’ or ‘influenced’ the American presidential elections. In response to this alledged and unproven ‘meddling’, Obama closed Russian diplomatic facilities and ordered some diplomats to leave the country.
Russia was patient, knowing that Trump would soon take office. Yet the dispute lingered on with no resolution. When the US Congress voted for sweeping sanctions/trade war against Russia and others, Russia finally responded by with the delayed tit for that tat by telling the Americans that they needed to reduce the number of diplomats (aka spies) in Russia to match the number of diplomats that Russia had in America after the Obama explusions that were in response to the fake news claims that it was all Russia’s fault that an unpopular HIllary who couldn’t even win her own parties nomination without rigging the whole thing wasn’t elected President.
Again, note this all traces back to the claims of Russian meddling being the reason that Hated Hillary was not elected President.
Now the US retaliates by closing more Russian facilities saying this is ‘parity’ with the number of facilities in Russia. Again, its all still a crisis that stems from the evidence-free claims that Hillary lost to Trump because of the Russians.
Now to the part that makes one ask who’s really in charge here.
Trump has of course repeatedly said that his campaign had no collusion with the Russians. Trump has repeatedly said that he does not believe the claims that Russian meddling decided the election. Trump has been quite vocal and expressive on twits about this.
Yet, now, we are supposed to believe that Trump has continued this fight that Obama and Hillary started with these orders for closure and searches? Really?
If you tell me that the US ‘deep state’ has ordered this, then I’d believe it without problem. But don’t try to tell me that this is Trump ordering these acts. If he is doing so, then he’s likely being coerced into doing so. Its either that or the ‘deep state’ is just acting on its own. But it makes no sense at all that Trump is doing this of his own violition
Apparently the US judicial system is held in higher regard in the rest of the world than it is in America.
Most Americans know that money and power has a lot more to do with most court decisions than law or justice.
The American judicial system operates to make sure that powerful corporations have a huge advantage over ordinary people in settling ‘disputes’. The side of the dispute that has the most money to use in the contest almost always ‘wins’. They may not get a ‘judgement’. But they are allowed to delay. They are allowed to force costs onto the other side. They are allowed to do things like dumping a trailer-load of paper onto someone challenging them who only wanted a few key documents that would prove their case.
And then we get to the judges. Under the American system, these are political creatures associated with one or other of the two branches of the War and Bankers Party. That’s the only way they become judges. And almost all are former prosecutors. You almost never see a judge who hasn’t risen up through the prosecutors office. You don’t see former defense attorneys being named judges. All of which means that the judges are already beholded to the same corrupt system that controls the political process that nominates and confirms the judges.
Earlier this year, we saw some striking examples. Obama era judges through threw ? out law and reason in ruling against what the propaganda called “Trump’s Muslim travel ban”. I called it the “US has destroyed your government and left a failed state full of terrorists travel ban”, but I prefer accuracy in names.
Bizarrely, the argument was made that since Evil Trump had made statements about ‘banning Muslims’ during the campaign, then even though this order had no language saying nothing of the sort, then the order should be blocked. Even though a McCarthy era law plainly gave the President the power to limit, restrict or ban travelers from countries as he/she saw fit.
One obvious case was when Obama’s old law school buddy, now a judge in Hawaii, somehow wrote a 90 page legal opinion in about an hour (and did so the day after Obama visited Hawaii and is recorded as traveling right past where the judge lived) that accepted this bizarre argument and blocked Trump’s order not just in his own jurisdiction but somehow claimed the power to block the order nationwide.
Or of course, we’ve seen how impossible it is to take the US government to court when it breaks the Consitution. Judges, who are supposed to be a seperate but co-equal balance that exerts checks and balances on the executive, instead just say that when the executive says ‘national security’ that they must defer to that and give the executive whatever they want.
Or we’ve seen protestors against nuclear weapons and torture who say that these acts violate international law and treaties signed and ratified by the US be banned by political judges from presenting this as a defense and are thus tried solely on the fact of did they break some minor law and thus should be sentenced to long prison terms.
This is the court system that is currently threatening that everyone included in mass round-ups of all protesters in an area during the Trump inaguaration, including journalists who were covering the protest, should be sent to prision for 75 years.
I suspect Putin knows how crooked, rigged and political the US courts really are and thus said his line with a bit of a smirk on his face. If not, he’s about to find out. Most likely, the US government will claim some sort of national security issue related to the case, and the judges will of course throw it out. Or we’ll see some sort of bizarre argument that the Russian government ‘lacks standing’ in suing to recover its property.
Unfortunately this isn’t new. The USA government has been brainless and unteachable for many decades. Smarter and more sophisticated countries like Russia and Persia have been able to use our retarded idiocy to their benefit. We don’t realize this, of course, BECAUSE we’re brainless.
So Putin called the US ruling class “uncivilized”. Good. I am glad that Putin finally had a slightly sterner reply after so many months of continuous affronts.
But let us not lose perspective of the kind of actions he was responding to. Putin was responding to the fact that 3 Russian diplomatic outposts were summarily seized with 2 day notice. Just like that. A completely illegal and disgraceful outrage.
My point is that referring to the class of people who order these kinds of outrages as “uncivilized” can hardly be called a “slap in the face” or something that will “resonate around the world”. In fact, the word “uncivilized” sounds rather circumspect to me, considering the circumstances. I am sure the Russian language must possess plenty more colorful words to describe those actions. Not that I am wishing for this to become a shouting-insulting contest. Not at all.
I’d say that the reply given by Putin will be adequate only if it is followed by some *action* intended to illustrate how one acts in reply to those who perform uncivilized actions upon one. Otherwise, his reply will be just empty words. Certainly not something that carries planetary resonance.
Russia: Cauldrons “R” Us!! :)
US ALLIES – DUMB AND DUMBER? Absolutely necessary for Putin to say. We ars dealing with “idiotes” as Chris Hedges recognises. Moral imbecility, political incivility. The denigration of the Polis.
Great final in your last comment Saker : ….”his total lack of political and diplomatic education and by his grovelling subservience to the “swamp” he had promised to drain, ended up being pathetically clueless “as Obama was”…no more , no less..
This is hard.
In America… Words don’t mean so much.
Yeah! I dig ya. We’ve got about 200,000,000 of them to the south of us.
‘politically uncivilised’ doesn’t even begin to touch on the toxic brew of pathologies that inform the psychology of Swamp critters – infantilism, monomania, narcissism, psychosis are just a few observables here :
https://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/how-sony-obama-seth-rogen-and-cia-secretly-planned-force-regime-change-north-korea
How many of the participants in this Dr Strangeglove scenario are no strangers to psychoactive drugs?
“amoral pygmies” Love it
Given the average weight of Americans, I suppose it should have been……
“amoral, obese, pygmies” :)
Well, the quote isn’t unusual if you’ve been following Putin. His mental sharpness and intelligence is way out of league from the average (unqualified/wallet) politicians. I have to admit, I’m a fan :) Even Lavrov mentioned something along similar lines ways back, similarly deragatory regarding US counterparts – diplomatically of course.
The question to ask is whether the stonewalling and antagonistic actions by the US are the result of general incompetence or deliberate act … or both?
Generally speaking, when the diplomatic language gloves come off and veiled insults start to be exchanged, it’s the point where one can expect drastic actions will be taken. It’s an escalation and if war is the target, that’s not very far off.
Personally, I see pursuing any type of sensitive diplomatic settlement with the US is a fool’s errand. For this, you’ve got to respect Lavrov and his work. The only way you’re going to get something out is to twist its arm and pin it down …. like judo. Yes, Putin’s familiar with judo :)
The leaders of American Indians tried to warn the world a century ago that The Great White Chief in Washington speaks with a forked tongue.
Cue David Byrne and the Talking Heads saying … Same as it ever was, same as it ever was.
I still like Putin’s comment a year or so ago that negotiating with the Americans is like “playing chess with a pigeon”.
One thing this shows is how badly Hillary and the Democrats, and possibly Bush before them, have destroyed America’s “Foreign Service.”
After all, I don’t expect American Presidents to be experts on the rest of the world. Usually they aren’t. Often, their trips to Israel to let Israel ‘meddle’ in American elections are often their first trips abroad. Foreign policy rarely is important and certainly not decisive in American elections.
But one does expect the State Department to have a certain amount of competence in that area. Not at the Ambassador level, who usually get their jobs as a payoff/payback for large campaign contributions. But below that you expect a certain level of expertise. If the USA put together a team to go negotiate and meet with the Russians, you’d expect a few experts to be amongst that group.
Sadly, that too now seems missing. That seems to be what Mr. Putin is saying. Are they there, but just not used these days? Or did Hillary clean house and drive them all out in favor of her blood-thirsty women who just want war, war war? Can universities like Georgetown still turn out people with adequate training to at least start at the bottom and gain experience? Or have American universities now fallen so far that even the recent graduates just echo the rest of popular culture?
What I love about Putin is the poetry. I describe it as poetry. In this world of suggestive Headlines, oxymoron Headlines and oxymoron content from Western Leaders and Media – listening to his words is akin to listening to a great poet. He is as adept as Shakespeare and will be quoted for hundreds of years. The lightness and amusement in much of it is wonderful.
You can’t make a deal with the U.S. gov. The only language they understand is that of bombs.
This a country that believe their farts smell better for real and couldn’t care less about the stuff they do in other countries. The only solution to this situation is to disarm the Hegemon in all fronts.
Russia and China should be prepared for war, anything else is a dream.
@Carlos
From an American ……
Most Americans pay no attention at all. Not to foreign policy, not to other countries, not to politics. I worked call center type jobs during the 2012 election season, and politics wasn’t discussed. What was discussed was the latest reality tv shows and the latest MMA fights.
Most Americans never travel outside the country. And many who do actually cross a border go to Canada or resorts in the Caribbean or Mexico.
The jokes about how Americans can’t find a country on a map are accurate. Sure, anyone can film ‘man in the street’ type stuff and then edit it down to the silliest of responses and produce a video. But more serious polls that say ‘find Iraq on a map’ usually come up with about 30% success rates.
If American politicians do discuss foreign policy, its on the level of ‘we’re going to kick butt’, or ‘we’re going to make the American military the strongest in the world again’. Its never a serious discussion.
The American corporate media has become truly awful. Its become impossible to find even the text of a statement by a foreign leader. I read RT just to find out what the Russians are actually saying sometimes, becuase if the American corporate media can’t make a joke or an insult out of it, it can’t be found. Again, little or no serious discussion beyond who America wants to nuke next.
American politicians, Congress and Presidents, are all corrupt. They do what they are paid to do. When was the last time you saw a broke ex-congressman. They don’t exist. Reason doesn’t enter into it. And in a bunch of corrupt people, there is no honor. When you pay-off an American politician, you can’t even count on them honoring the deal they made.
Which means the whole system is very liable to control by whomever has the money to buy off a few politicians and the big media corps. And notice that it all moves in lockstep together with no dissent allowed. You don’t even hear different bought media outlets offering competing solutions to something like N. Korea. Its the same stuff on every channel, and with only a few exceptions, out of the mouths of every politician.
So, while the American people want peace, and keep electing Presidents who campaign on being against these endless, unconstitutional wars, amongst the oligarchy that runs America, there is no partner for peace.
I had hopes for Trump. They were soon dashed. I don’t even blame him. I thought he may wish to end his life fixing something that mattered but we all have our Achilles Heel and “They” found his I guess.
The really sad thing is that I like the Americans. Wonderful people as a rule but they are being led down a path of destruction by Satan worshipping monsters and the cure will kill the patient at this stage.
Putin is probably seeing things in the same light as I, leave the USA long enough for it to die of it’s own self inflicted wounds. The cancer has spread too far. There’s not enough healthy tissue to make a viable patient anymore.
Good Americans are in my prayers.