Posted on 07/29/2013 7:22:22 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
Putin cares for his pocket and power, and so he has to care about Russia since it's his money/power source. You needn't be afraid of Socialism from Russia. Russia is run by practical people nowdays.
Putin is a good gambler and negotiator, I think he's better in this than most other current world leaders, so he deserves some respect.
But he's no way a liberty champion. He doesn't know how to rule in a way different from the authoritarian one. Similarly, he's afraid of public politics.
Thanks for the perspective.
Seems a reasonable accessment.
<.....”Snowden went somewhere where Obama cannot send operatives or drones, simple as that.....>
Oh really.... You might want to rethink your post:
“Moscow Subway To Use Devices To Read Data On Phones”...
.... stations will soon be equipped with devices that can read the data on the mobile telephones of passengers. ....according to experts, the devices can be used more widely ‘to follow all passengers without exception’.
http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-moscow-metro-phones/25059582.html
then why didn’t they get Tsarneov bros or that moslem shrink
Because they didn’t want to.
<....”We are witnessing the convergence of the Left, the Global Fascists and Islam against the Christians and Jews.
That is where the battle lines have always been drawn. Between Daylight vs Dark, Truth vs Lies, Good vs Evil.
In the end God will prevail, but between now and then there is a great battle with will be fought. Are we near to that? We won’t know exactly until it happens.”.......>
That’s exactly right....thank you!
As most know I’ve been tracking hard and strong the developments in Egypt ....one thing which became remarkably and distinctly evident, time and time again, was exactly what you stated above........the dark side will generally conceal itself for quite a while but when the battles begin the ‘masks’ drop quickly and you see evil for what it is...and the lies are revealed.
Putin has become an Enigma himself now......presenting of late what everyone wants to see in a leader regardless of his politics...he’s steadfast, strong and decisive but now with the “softer side” being presented as well.....
I’d say look at Putin always with one eye clearly on his other hand....he is one shifty character.
Agree and basically right on concerning Putin....
Interesting you mentioning he’s afraid of ‘public’ politics...that would explain some of the struggling I’ve seen at times. But he IS putting on a good show and it’s the perception he’s appealing to....in that respect he has the world’s attention for the most part.
Great thread...enjoying the comments as well....easy to see some are still denying what Snowden has done but understandable why they think as they do......people like the underdog when it comes to anything regarding our government.
Some of the historically Russian allies date back to before the Communists. Before the Russian Revolution. ie. Serbia & others (which in my opinion should have always been an ally of the US, but for the Russian Connection). That connection made sense before the Commies because of the excesses of German domination. The Russians under the Czars steeped in the breech and pushed back the Germans in the Balkans.
At the end of WWII, FDR at the Yalta Accord precipitated a black mark for the US that sentenced 2 generations of Chezks, Pols and Serbs to Communist rule. A tragedy and a loss for the US.
why didn’t they want to
When Putin prefers to manipulate elections, inspite of having enough public sympathy to win, though he'll probably need a second round, this says a lot, doesn't it?
He accepts no risk in this. But when he needs to risk good relations with Euro leaders with cutting gas deliveries to Ukraine he does it.
See post #2 at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2619313/posts
—
Thanks! Very interesting post - I had not heard that quote before.
The quote was from an obscure book by a french writer. I have, since finding it, done a little history on Diderot. He was bright, but plagued with problems. Perceptive for his time and had some of the monarchs of the time supporting him.
But the part of the quote I found most accurate was the part I put in red text.
I wasn't going to bother. Those of you who think he isn't can have a thread chatting to each other how much you love losing all of your freedoms.
I wasn’t going to bother. Those of you who think he isn’t can have a thread chatting to each other how much you love losing all of your freedoms.
+++++++++++++++
Nope. Not interested in losing all my freedoms. And I recognize that Snowden has raised some important 1st and 4th Amendment issues.
But unlike the big Snowden fans here on FR I don’t accept everything he has told us as sacred truth. And I don’t know how much damage he has done to our national security - that’s not easily determined from the outside looking in. But don’t presume that the damage is minor. It could easily be severe. It could easily cost lives in the future.
There is nothing wrong with advocating for freedom from government monitoring and the illegal use of government data for political purposes. But I don’t think that fact equates to Snowden the hero. We see the good part that resulted from his disclosure but not the bad. Don’t forget that among the Snowden fans you will certainly see the FR libertarians but you wil also see the far left anti-defense wackos as well. Different motives but both are strong advocates for their positions. Strange bedfellows in spades.
So let’s both be patient. Snowden may yet turn out to be the hero. But that’s far from a done deal at this point.
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