Posted on 05/22/2012 4:33:04 AM PDT by Navy Patriot
Now that Vladimir Putin is back in the Kremlin's highest office as the result of another fraudulent election, Americans should expect ever more hostile relations with Russia.
Putin, a vain and vulgar man, was born and bred to despise the United States. And in recent times, Washington has given him little reason to change his mind.
The latest example: President Obama waited several days before calling Putin to congratulate him on his inauguration as president this month - though Obama did manage to call Francois Hollande just a few hours after he was declared the winner of the French presidential elections. And if you want to see what Putin has in store for the United States, there's no better example than his government's treatment of Michael McFaul, the new ambassador from Washington.
Ever since McFaul arrived in January, the government and the state-owned news media have treated him as a pariah - heckling and harassing him, bugging his phones and reading his e-mails while accusing him of plotting with opposition figures to overthrow the government. "Aren't you ashamed to be doing do this?" McFaul asked a TV crew that ambushed him. "This is against the Geneva Convention." Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, reacting to McFaul's complaints, sniffed and called him "arrogant."
What makes this seem so odd, at least on the surface, is that McFaul had come directly from the National Security Council, where he'd been charged with directing the "reset" with Russia, Obama's effort to improve relations with Moscow. McFaul, on leave from Stanford University, has spent most of his life studying and writing about Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Volgograd journalists resist closing paper after cartoon scandal - February 17, 2006 - Journalists in Volgograd, a major city in southern Russia, protested Friday against closing a local newspaper embroiled in a controversy over the publication of a religious cartoon. "The decision of the Volgograd administration to close down the Gorodskiye Vesti newspaper for publishing a religious illustration casts doubts on the main principle of a democratic state - freedom of speech," journalists said in an open letter.Volgograd Deputy Mayor Andrei Doronin said the City Hall, as the founder of the newspaper, would close down Gorodskye Vesti. "We have carefully studied the article and decided to close down the newspaper in order not to inflame ethnic hostilities," he said.
Gorodskiye Izvestia Editor Tatyana Kaminskaya apologized for any offense that may have been caused, but added that she had received no complaints from religious or ethnic communities.
Russian editor fined over prophet cartoons - April 14, 2006 - The Vologda city court found weekly Nash Region editor Anna Smirnova guilty of deliberately stirring up religious hatred and intolerance, as well as abuse of her position. She was ordered to pay 100,000 rubles (2,978) in fines. Smirnovas husband, who owned the now-defunct weekly, called the ruling absurd and said she would appeal. President Vladimir Putin has condemned any publication of the cartoons, apparently out of concern that it could destabilise Russia, which has about 20 million Muslim residents nearly 14% of the population.
The newspaper you linked probably just took over the generic name "City News" after the previous paper was closed. Those who say that Russia is now more free than the USA are wrong. Dead wrong. To even draw a picture of mohammed is a hate crime in Russia and KGB Putin will not put up with blaspheming the name of "the prophet."
Well, it seems like you are right. Pretty disgusting, true.
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