US Democracy: The Benefits of Looking in the Mirror

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Doesn’t the law apply to everybody? Nearly every Russian knows the folk proverb, “Fools observe no rules”. However, real-life does make its presence known, doesn’t it? By comparison, apparently, the US State Department’s extremely-experienced and highly-qualified staff tends to act in accordance with another principle, from ancient Rome, “What’s legitimate for Jove, isn’t legitimate for oxen”. Although they’re knowledgeable about foreign policy and they’re well-aware of the fundamental principle of international law precluding meddling in the domestic affairs of another sovereign state, US government officials choose to ignore well-known wisdom, despite Russia’s position in the world… it’s no less a power than the American “Jupiter” is.

Now, Washington is dissatisfied with state inspections of Russian NGOs funded from abroad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes, “In all actuality, the USA encourages NGOs to violate Russian law concerning their operation in the Russian Federation”. US State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland voiced Washington’s displeasure with this statement. Evidently, like any other woman, Ms Nuland uses a mirror. In looking at the present situation, what one could describe as a “political mirror” would be more à propos. However, if Ms Nuland and her Washington colleagues looked into this “political mirror”, they’d discover that a law on the registration of foreign agencies, the Russian version of which triggered her tossing off such fiery censure, has been in force in the USA since 1938, and it’s observed to the letter.

The so-called “political mirror” could also reflect other breaches of democratic principles on Washington’s part… which considers itself the guardian of democracy. It’s not hard to imagine what the reaction in Foggy Bottom would be if Moscow expressed “great concern” to the US State Department about the fact that the names of nearly one million American citizens weren’t on the voter rolls during the recent American presidential election. According to election observers, most of these people were Hispanic or black. This wasn’t just an isolated glitch in the American electoral system. Former US President Jimmy Carter stated, “I’m concerned over the frightening risk of growing racism in our country, along with a poorly-concealed phobia against blacks”. We should “sound the alarm” concerning democratic principles in the USA, especially, as Americans claim a monopoly in having such. Nonetheless, there’d be nothing disturbing about self-appointed Washington Goody Two-Shoes reserving the right to preach to others about this-or-that personal failing, if these so-called “sermons” remained within the USA and if they didn’t impugn the nitty-gritty of international law and threaten its foundations. Given the situation, however, it’d be useful for the USA to remember that such political canoodling doesn’t wash with Russia.

13 April 2013

Valentin Zorin

A View from Moscow

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2013_04_09/O-polze-zerkala/

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_04_13/US-democracy-the-mirror-effect/

Editor’s Note:

Do remember the old saw, “Follow the money”. When you do, it leads you to interesting places, doesn’t it? Read the criticisms of Stalin found in certain American Orthodox circles in that light… always bear in mind, “He who pays the piper, chooses the tune”. Always note who worked, works, or shall continue to work for the US government or for rightwing stink tanks… rank stuff, ain’t it?

BMD

The End of the American Empire

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The death of Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías knocked Washington off-balance and stripped it of confidence. Breaking the traditional rules of diplomatic courtesy, US President Obama refrained from extending condolences to the people and government of Venezuela, unlike the heads of state of most other countries. Those in the American corridors of power must have lost their nerve.

In this case, Chávez’s extraordinary personality didn’t cause this state of affairs; rather, the tectonic policy shift that embodied Chávez’s philosophy devastated the USA. For two centuries, South America provided solid and reliable support for a country whose very name… the United States of America… incorporated claims to speaking on behalf of both parts of the American continent. In 1823, the fifth US President, James Monroe, proclaimed in a message to the US Congress that all territories south of the American border were the USA’s “exclusive sphere of influence”. It’s worth remembering that the text of the so-called Monroe Doctrine stated that the USA would consider any attempt on the part of any other country to interfere militarily or politically in the affairs of any state in the Americas as hostile, a threat to its peace and security. Without any diplomatic frou-frou, Senator Lodge explained the essence of Monroe Doctrine by saying, “The American flag must fly over the territory from the Rio Grande to the Arctic”.

The Monroe Doctrine was a guide for several generations of politicians as they replaced one another at the helm of the American state. After World War I, US President Woodrow Wilson insisted that the Monroe Doctrine be part of the Covenant of the League of Nations. By using brute force, Washington kept South America under its thumb. After American troops invaded Mexico in 1846, the USA de facto carved that country up {part of it became the south-western USA after the American victory: editor}. Besides that, the USA propped up bloody puppet juntas in Central America like those of General Anastasio Somoza García in Nicaragua. US President Franklin D Roosevelt threw out a famous cynical bon mot concerning him, “Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch”.

After the Second World War, Washington didn’t loosen its iron grip on Latin America; it still held it under its tight control. Subservient Latin American delegations at the UN comprised an infamous “voting machine”; it was one of Washington’s major policy tools in the early years of the Cold War. The Cuban Revolution was the first peal of thunder. The multiple, but unsuccessful, attempts to suppress it marked the beginning of the end for the empire south of the American border. A bloc of states chose to reject Washington’s diktat… Brazil’s economic and political weight grew exponentially, Nicaragua broke free, Panama snatched the Panama Canal from America’s grip, and Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela went on to head an anti-American front in Latin America. All this became a nightmare for the proponents of the outmoded Monroe Doctrine. The 200-year-old American Empire is no more, never to return. Judging from their nervousness, the power élite in Washington is unaware or is unwilling to recognise that. So much the worse… for them!

19 March 2013

Valentin Zorin

Voice of Russia World Service

A View from Moscow

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2013_03_19/203903965/

Freedom House Crackdown

The USA doesn’t even try to hide the fact any more that it’s actively attempting to subvert the Russian government; it’s funding and supporting those within the Russian Federation who’d attempt to do so for their own selfish gains. American-backed Russian NGOs and their American colleagues continue to push for “tougher measures” against the Russian Federation, many even calling for the USA and the West to implement a policy of “containment”, something Washington did during Soviet times to “stop the spread of Communism”. One has to wonder as to the real motivations of these organisations and individuals, as they’re on the American payroll and receive funds from American taxpayer monies routed to them by hawkish right-wing groups and individuals, who seek to propagate outdated Cold War clichés and Russophobic hysteria. Their reasoning is open to question… contain what? Some sort of undefined “evil” ideology or some non-existent military expansionism? It’s utterly ludicrous.

The continuing activities of most of these bodies, many of which only exist for the sole reason of subverting (in this case) the Russian government, weakening the Russian Federation internationally on all fronts, giving reason and justification to American expansionism, military build-up, and meddling and interference in the internal and external affairs of the Russian Federation have proven the wisdom and the necessity for the recently-passed Russian legislation requiring all members of foreign-funded NGOs to register with the government as foreign agents. Bringing the problem to centre-stage again is an American taxpayer-funded NGO called Freedom House, which has gathered an all star cast of American-backed and funded Russian “opposition” members, US Congressmen, NGO operatives from the USA and Russia, as well as EU officials for an upcoming forum entitled, New Approach or Business As Usual? US-EU-Russia Relations After Putin’s Crackdown.

I’m still wondering what “crackdown” they’re talking about, but I’d suppose they’re referring to the recent law mentioned above and perhaps to the recently-adopted Dima Yakovlev law that protects Russian children, or, perhaps, to the expulsion of USAID for their questionable activities throughout Russia. I believe that the real reason is that Russia is strengthening ties and increasing trade with Europe, especially in the energy sector, and this hasn’t pleased Washington, who sees Europe as their minion. The adeptness with which the USA continues to demonise Russia is daunting due to the level and the massive scale it’s attained, as well as increasingly more obvious, this time the more so, especially in light of the fact that the two above-mentioned laws were enacted because there were and continue to be clear and present threats against the sovereignty of Russia and against the Russia people.

We know the following is true for the USA… Russia must be kept weak politically, militarily, economically, and socially. This is for the sole reason that Russia must be brought under the control of the USA and that control must permanent and complete. A strong democracy and civil society are bad for the USA because a well-off and satisfied citizenry aren’t as pliable and less subject to go against the state. Hence, the funding of NGOs and the Russian opposition, who sow discontent and strife with false-flag arguments, straw-man evils, and phantom wrongs and injustices.

Just ask any member of the so called “opposition”… “What would you change, give me an example of what is wrong with Russia?” Like brainwashed hypnotised people just waking from a sleep, they’d probably answer something to the effect, “Putin bad. America good!” I oversimplify, but that’s what it boils down to. America doesn’t want a strong leader in Russia, they need someone they can manipulate. The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, unfortunately for the USA, isn’t that man. Keeping a country economically-weak is also good for the USA, as a country that’s weak economically is easy to manipulate, its markets are easier to access for the dumping of goods and for exploitation, its workforce is easier to exploit, its citizens are easier to manipulate and direct against the state, and its officials are easier to bribe and buy. Any country, such as Russia, which has an assertive and independent foreign policy, is also bad for the obvious reason that it isn’t under the control of the USA. This is particularly bad when such countries form alliances, groupings, organisations, treaties, and cooperate independently and without the control of the USA or kowtowing to Washington.

The script being used by Freedom House is as old as are most of Washington’s attempts at forming “colour revolutions”, usurping power, overthrowing governments, getting rid of leaders, and justifying their own expansionist policies. We’ve seen the script in use repeatedly, and, in fact, frankly, it’s gotten old. Demonise, repeat key words repeatedly until the world accepts them as truth, and, then, move in with “humanitarian” sanctions or missiles. In this case, the key words are “Putin and crackdown”. What we’re seeing with Freedom House is a clue as to where things are going, especially after the banning of USAID and their activities on the territory of the Russian Federation. The US government will now attempt to use those inside Russia more and more to subvert the Russian state. This would include politicians, the “opposition”, members of NGOs, academics, and even “the man in the street”. Not to mention the members of the US Foreign Service, who’re now increasingly being tasked with what could be called subversive activities. Anyone who can spread discontent and destabilise the country will be fair game.

In a recent analysis for VOR, Edward Lozansky, President of the American University in Moscow, gave some insights into Freedom House. According to Mr Lozansky, Freedom House is damaging the national interests of the USA, whilst receiving taxpayer funding. He said, “This organisation has already wasted enormous amounts of taxpayers’ money on supporting the colour revolutions in the post-Soviet space, which ended in total fiascos. Now, they want America not only to ‘stand in solidarity’ with Russian activists, but also to challenge the various authoritarian groupings in which Russia plays a prominent role, such as the Eurasian Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)“.

I’m sure that Mr Lozansky calling these groups “authoritarian” was a tongue-in-cheek stab at the ridiculousness of the classification. He continued, “One item on that agenda is particularly laughable… the call to challenge the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where China plays a key role. In other words, Freedom House expects China, a top foreign American lender, to provide more funds to the US Treasury to finance a challenge against itself”. As for the Russian division of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, he said, “One of its senior associates, (an American-paid Russian) finds the Freedom House challenge approach too modest; she calls for a “new way to contain Russia”, no more and no less”.

Of course, we’re all used to American hypocrisy, but they’re growing bolder and bolder with every passing day. If the shoe were on the other foot, as I love to point out, things would be entirely different. Were a group of American politicians and civic “leaders” to appear before the Federation Council or the RF Gosduma and ask the Russian government to expand sanctions, to implement harsher measures against the elected government of the USA, and continue to isolate and “contain” the USA, those involved would surely be charged with treason and put in front of a firing squad. Nevertheless, when it comes to Russia, this is supposed to be OK, and any move against these individuals, whose sole aim is to assist an increasingly hostile foreign power to harm their own country, is called a “crackdown”.

As for the shoe being on the other foot, Russia would have far more justifiable and legitimate reasons to take such actions as I detailed above. Russia would have the moral high ground in areas such as drone attacks, the unbelievable numbers of civilians killed in the Global War on Terror, the meddling into the internal affairs of countries worldwide, the expansion of the NATO/US military presence all over the planet, and even in the deaths of so many Russian orphans. Yet, as always, it’s the pot calling the kettle black…

For the members of the Russian “opposition” who’re attending the event, one last thought… if there were, in fact, such a “crackdown” here in Russia, as Freedom House claims, then, these individuals would be thinking twice about engaging in such activities or in trying to subvert the state and recreate it in Washington’s image from the outside, such activities used to be called treason, and such individuals used to be shot. That means that their presence at such a forum negates their very argument of totalitarianism and authoritarianism.

25 February 2013

John Robles

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_02_25/Freedom-House-crackdown/

Editor’s Note:

There are analogues of the Freedom House slimers here in diaspora Orthodoxy. All Orthodox people should be wary of four toxic individuals in the District. One is Freddie M-G, who works (or worked) for National Public Radio… that is, she’s a paid minion of the US government. Then, there’s Victor Potapov, who works (or worked) for RFE/RL, a well-known Langley front. Indeed, a ROCOR priest told one of my Cabinet members in the late 80s, “You know, Potapov’s a spy”. That is, I’m unmasking no-one… he’s been a known quantity for some thirty years. Alexander Webster is a stink-tanker and a reserve chaplain in the American forces who writes “religious” apologias for the American warmongering in foreign parts. Bringing up the rear is the clown jester of this ragtag lot, Rod Dreher… he’s a stink-tanker and he pals about with Patrick BuKKKanan. He’s the lightweight of the bunch… he’s bound to go off half-cocked, but then again, he’s a drifting wanderer (he’s lived in Brooklyn, Texas, and the District… all in less than ten years’ time… a veritable rightwing Bedouin!) without roots or compass. These people are haters of the Orthosphere and proponents of Consumerist America (and strong supporters of the Rightwing of the Republican Party).

Don’t forget… during the Cold War, Jordanville lied about its ties to a non-existent “catacomb Church” (to get money from the CIA, as Alexander Lebedeff admitted, “We needed the money and we’re grateful for it”). Sadly enough, the ROCOR was ridden with KONR traitors… whose descendants are still within the body, who’re of suspect loyalty to the Orthosphere and its ethos (they’ve capitulated completely to American Suburban Materialism).

The four named individuals are allied with a suspect “bishop”… James (Jonas) Paffhausen. Paffhausen was a long-time disciple and devotee of Gleb Podmoshensky, a sodomite defrocked by the ROCOR. He lied about his status at Valaam Monastery, and his elevation to “abbot” only one year after his tonsure is questionable, to use the kindest term (Tikhon Fitzgerald was stupid enough to do so). His term as First Hierarch of the OCA (after NO experience at all as a ruling bishop) was, perhaps, the most ludicrous period of history in Orthodoxy in the Americas. As Far Right as the four previously-named individuals are, Paffhausen is worse. He wanted to ally Orthodoxy with Evangelical swine who deny the Eucharist, the Communion of Saints, and the Holy Church Itself (the “invisible Church” heresy). Besides that, he wished to ally the Church with the Uniate traitors… who’ve killed Orthodox clergy and faithful and stolen Orthodox churches.

These five individuals are the diaspora Orthodox equivalent of the Freedom House traitors. Note this well… many of the konvertsy worship these people… I kid you not. Don’t argue with them… but do mark down who they are and where they are. God willing, they’ll leave us because we’re not “good enough” for them… that can’t happen soon enough for my taste, let me tell you. It’ll be “interesting times” until they leave… God do help us…

BMD

“USA Is Russia’s Best Friend”: Absolute Hooey from Zapadnik Yavlinsky

Here’s the real deal on Russia…

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Editor’s Foreword:

The author of this piece of unqualified obsequious bullshit, Grigori Yavlinsky, is an pro-American lickspittle and neoliberal crapitalist cheerleader (think of the Fox News lot, and you have him pegged… he’s a contemporary analogue of the Vlasovtsy traitors of the VOV). His party is unpopular; it has no seats in the RF Gosduma and only 12 seats out of 3,787 in the various local assemblies. Note well that Yavlinsky uses the western-tinged “Primate” rather than the Orthodox “First Hierarch” in his writing. He’s a drooling disciple of Free Market buccaneering and he’s an utterly evil man. Remember, evil doesn’t wear red tights and carry a pitchfork… it wears a three-piece suit, it speaks “properly” and “politely”, it’s attractive and lucid… and utterly amoral and malicious to the bone. This is the sort of rubbish that Potapov and Paffhausen (don’t they sound like a duo of sleazy burlesque comics?) eat up and pass amongst the “true believers”. I’ll have more to say after this… it’s untrue and meretricious… but you MUST know what’s out there.

Warning!

This writer is so pro-American that he distorts facts and his grasp of history is extraordinarily-weak for a Russian (indeed, he’s closer to American lotus-eating than to Russian reverence for the past).

BMD

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US President Barack Obama took his second oath of office on 20 January. The following Sunday, also in Washington, Metropolitan Tikhon was enthroned as the primate of the Orthodox Church in America. A second major phenomenon largely overlooked by the media is that 1 million Orthodox Americans affirm the importance of upholding their faith in that multicultural “melting pot”… even though most speak English and weren’t raised according to traditional Russian customs. Although many American Orthodox believers aren’t Russians or Europeans, and some aren’t even direct descendents of Russian and European immigrants, they often had an even stronger personal connection to the Russian émigrés and anti-Bolsheviks of the 18th and 19th centuries and responded more passionately when the Russian Orthodox Church was driven partly underground.

Against the backdrop of these two factors, we should take another look at the deeper significance of American relations with Europe and Russia… and not at the shifting winds of political trends that often determine the outlook of provincial-minded Russian officials. First, we should be aware that the USA does have many shortcomings. Even though many American citizens have European roots and might naturally be expected to feel close ties to their forebears across the Atlantic, Americans most decidedly don’t consider themselves Europeans. They refuse to let go of their right to carry arms… even assault weapons. They have a peculiar and very formal justice system. Many states have the death penalty.

Traditionally, Americans (like Russians to some extent) don’t like to compromise. They aren’t so much imperialists as they’re deeply provincial… they hold an overly-high opinion of their own rules and principles. At times, they seem to think that the whole world is an extension of the USA, so they’re genuinely surprised when somebody doesn’t want to live according to their standards. This often leads to serious and dangerous misunderstandings. At the same time, they’re wealthy and truly effective in many spheres of activity. That is why it’s difficult to befriend the USA while maintaining independence and the right to say “no”. However, then, who said it should be easy? Is it easy to get along with Russia… heir to the Soviet empire, and often unhappy not only with itself, but with its neighbours as well? In fact, Russia and the USA are linked by special historical, cultural, and political ties and are united by many common interests. Émigrés from old Russia were probably among the top five largest groups that helped settle and are still influencing the USA today.

The Russian Empire had an excellent relationship with the USA. Washington never took a confrontational stance toward the Russian Empire and even acted as a counterbalance to several European states. Russia supported America’s freedom-loving spirit, which it combined with conservatism and its ability to incorporate and improve upon fresh and dynamic ideas. It’s impossible to imagine the USA without its Russian immigrants. In the 18th and 19th centuries, they were present at Fort Ross and Alaska. There was German the Monk and St Innocent of Alaska (later Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia). After 1917, the USA was enriched by Russians seeking a safe haven from persecution. Sergei Rachmaninoff composed his outstanding music there, Igor Sikorsky created the helicopter, Vladimir Zworykin invented the television, and Wassily Leontief formulated his unique economic theory. More recently, Russian émigrés such as ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and Google co-founder Sergey Brin have made major contributions in their respective fields.

The USA twice helped Russia in wartime. As a result of the October Revolution, Russia withdrew from its alliance with the USA and suffered severe consequences. Although American involvement in World War II was by itself not enough to topple Nazi Germany, without that help, the Soviet Union would have paid a far higher price for victory… a fact that should be firmly acknowledged. The USA gave shelter to many persecuted people from Russia, but also committed an unforgivably-horrible act by repatriating many Russians, dooming them to suffer or die in Stalin‘s labour camps. Over the past 20 years, the Russian economy has been largely built with the aid of American technology and know-how, a lack of access to which would have had disastrous consequences for this country.

Russia must halt its shameful anti-Americanism and stop earning Herostratus-like fame (as well as money, most likely held in dollars) through trivial and dangerous provocations and conspiracy theories. If the USA can be faulted for anything, it’s only that Washington sometimes pays too little attention to Russia. Then, is the USA responsible for solving Russia’s problems? Of all the powers in today’s world, the USA best answers Russia’s need for a strong ally capable of making and fulfilling treaty obligations, more than China, India, Pakistan, or Saudi Arabia. The mutual understanding built up between Russia and the USA is a far more significant factor in world politics than the surrogate peripheral structures that Moscow is member to now. Those might serve well enough for propaganda purposes, but the Moscow leadership understands perfectly well how limited in scope and duration such alliances can be.

Russia should firmly defend its interests… but only when they actually exist. It shouldn’t artificially invent them at every step in order to ”stick it to Washington” and ”teach those Yankees a lesson”, only punishing itself in the end. Russia should not swagger and goad others. Such behaviour does not befit the leaders of a major power, at least not if they want their children to see Russia’s heyday in their lifetime. Hopefully, the USA, with all its diversity, will not forget its roots and will ensure a significant place in this century’s history by winning not only recognition of its might, but genuine esteem for its character.

19 February 2013

Grigori Yavlinsky

Moscow Times

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/us-is-russias-best-friend/475783.html

Editor’s Afterword:

The Russian people have spoken on Yavlinsky and the Yabloko Party… in the last election that it contested, in 2011; it only won about 3.5 percent of the vote. It has NO Duma deputies… they’re a bunch of sorehead intellectual and Free Market wannabes with no roots in the people. Virtually everything that Yavlinsky wrote was a distortion or simply untrue. However, it’s what’s out there… and you need to know that it’s there… and that the USA is still trying to interfere in Russian domestic politics through its surrogates. Yavlinsky should be deported to Washington DC… he’d get on famously with Paffhausen and Potapov and their Moonie pals at the Washington Times. One can hope, no?

Oh, yes… Orthodox people should be aware that Yavlinsky doesn’t stand tall for the Church… he supports American-style religious anarchy. That is, he opposes the special position given by the Russian state to the traditional religions of Russia. For that alone, he’s a traitor…

BMD