Russia – Page 31 – praag.org

Obama’s Soviet Mistake

Putin in 2009 outlined his strategy for economic success. Alas, poor Obama did the opposite but nevertheless was re-elected. Bye, bye Miss American Pie. The Communists have won in America with Obama but failed miserably in Russia with Zyuganov who only received 17% of the vote. Vladimir Putin was re-elected as President keeping the NWO order out of Russia while America continues to repeat the Soviet mistake.

After Obama was elected in his first term as president the then Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January of 2009. Ignored by the West as usual, Putin gave insightful and helpful advice to help the world economy and saying the world should avoid the Soviet mistake.

Recently, Obama has been re-elected for a 2nd term by an illiterate society and he is ready to continue his lies of less taxes while he raises them. He gives speeches of peace and love in the world while he promotes wars as he did in Egypt, Libya and Syria. He plans his next war is with Iran as he fires or demotes his generals who get in the way.

Putin said regarding the military,

“…instead of solving the problem, militarization pushes it to a deeper level. It draws away from the economy immense financial and material resources, which could have been used much more efficiently elsewhere.”

Well, any normal individual understands that as true but liberalism is a psychosis . O’bomber even keeps the war going along the Mexican border with projects like “fast and furious” and there is still no sign of ending it. He is a Communist without question promoting the Communist Manifesto without calling it so. How shrewd he is in America. His cult of personality mesmerizes those who cannot go beyond their ignorance. They will continue to follow him like those fools who still praise Lenin and Stalin in Russia. Obama’s fools and Stalin’s fools share the same drink of illusion.

Reading Putin’s speech without knowing the author, one would think it was written by Reagan or another conservative in America. The speech promotes smaller government and less taxes. It comes as no surprise to those who know Putin as a conservative. Vladimir Putin went on to say:

“…we are reducing taxes on production, investing money in the economy. We are optimizing state expenses.

The second possible mistake would be excessive interference into the economic life of the country and the absolute faith into the all-mightiness of the state.

There are no grounds to suggest that by putting the responsibility over to the state, one can achieve better results.

Unreasonable expansion of the budget deficit, accumulation of the national debt – are as destructive as an adventurous stock market game.

During the time of the Soviet Union the role of the state in economy was made absolute, which eventually lead to the total non-competitiveness of the economy. That lesson cost us very dearly. I am sure no one would want history to repeat itself.”

President Vladimir Putin could never have imagined anyone so ignorant or so willing to destroy their people like Obama much less seeing millions vote for someone like Obama. They read history in America don’t they? Alas, the schools in the U.S. were conquered by the Communists long ago and history was revised thus paving the way for their Communist presidents. Obama has bailed out those businesses that voted for him and increased the debt to over 16 trillion with an ever increasing unemployment rate especially among blacks and other minorities. All the while promoting his agenda.

“We must seek support in the moral values that have ensured the progress of our civilization. Honesty and hard work, responsibility and faith in our strength are bound to bring us success.”- Vladimir Putin

The red, white and blue still flies happily but only in Russia. Russia still has St George defeating the Dragon with the symbol of the cross on its’ flag. The ACLU and other atheist groups in America would never allow the US flag with such religious symbols. Lawsuits a plenty against religious freedom and expression in the land of the free. Christianity in the U.S. is under attack as it was during the early period of the Soviet Union when religious symbols were against the law.

Let’s give American voters the benefit of the doubt and say it was all voter fraud and not ignorance or stupidity in electing a man who does not even know what to do and refuses help from Russia when there was an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead we’ll say it’s true that the Communists usage of electronic voting was just a plan to manipulate the vote. Soros and his ownership of the company that counts the US votes in Spain helped put their puppet in power in the White House. According to the Huffington Post, residents in all 50 states have filed petitions to secede from the Unites States. We’ll say that these Americans are hostages to the Communists in power. How long will their government reign tyranny upon them?

Russia lost its’ civil war with the Reds and millions suffered torture and death for almost 75 years under the tyranny of the United Soviet Socialist Republic. Russians survived with a new and stronger faith in God and ever growing Christian Church. The question is how long will the once “Land of the Free” remain the United Socialist States of America? Their suffering has only begun. Bye bye Miss American Pie! You know the song you hippies. Sing it! Don’t you remember? The 1971 hit song by American song writer Don McLean:

“And, as I watched him on the stage my hands were clenched in fists of rage.

No angel born in Hell could break that Satan’s spell

And, as the flames climbed high into the night to light the sacrificial rite, I saw…

Satan laughing with delight the day the music died

He was singing, bye bye Miss American Pie

Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry

Them good ol’ boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing…

This’ll be the day that I die

So, the question remains:

How long will America suffer and to what depths?

Pravda

Politics doesn’t pay says IKEA

Furniture firm IKEA has removed a photograph from its Russian website of people in colourful ski masks like those worn by punk band Pussy Riot, three of whose members were jailed after staging a protest against Vladimir Putin in a church.

The picture, which showed four people in the masks sitting on IKEA furniture, had been posted on a section of the site which displays photographs of customers posing at stores.

A notice on the website confirmed the image had been removed and said: “IKEA is a commercial organisation that conducts its activity outside of politics and religion.”

“We cannot allow our advertising project to be used as a platform for campaigning of any kind,” it added.

Pussy Riot’s band members were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after belting out a song criticising Putin, then prime minister and now president, in Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral in February. They were handed two-year jail terms.

The brightly coloured balaclava masks they wore during the protest have become the band’s trademark.

The Russian Orthodox Church head has called the cathedral protest part of a campaign aimed at curbing the resurgence of Russia’s main faith.

Russia has dismissed the criticism from abroad, which the Foreign Ministry said pointed to a “clash of civilisations”. Putin has said the state is obliged to protect the feelings of the faithful.

A representative of IKEA in Russia confirmed on Sunday the notice had replaced a photograph of people wearing ski masks and declined to comment further immediately, asking for a written request which would be answered on Monday.

IKEA has invested about 2.5 billion euros ($3.25 billion) in Russia since 2000, building stores that anchor malls on the outskirts of big cities. When it posted record profits for the fiscal 2010/11 year in December, the company said some of its biggest sales gains were in Russia.

In 2009 IKEA had threatened to halt further expansion in the country, citing corruption and red tape, but last November it said it was looking to at least double its three-store footprint in Moscow and refurbish its 14 MEGA malls.

A Moscow court is to begin hearing an appeal against the convictions and sentences in the Pussy Riot trial on Oct. 1.

Russia and China again veto Syria resolution

Russia and China again vetoed a Western-backed U.N. resolution Thursday aimed at pressuring President Bashar Assad’s government to end the escalating civil war in Syria, sparking dire warnings of even greater bloodshed and spillover to the wider region.

The 11-2 vote, with two abstentions from South Africa and Pakistan, was the third double veto of a resolution addressing the Syria crisis, now in its 17th month, by Damascus’ most important allies.

The key stumbling block was the West’s insistence that a new resolution include the threat of non-military sanctions to step up pressure against Assad’s regime. The sanctions are under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which also includes provisions authorizing the use of force, but no force was authorized in the British draft.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the resolution should never have been put to a vote because the sponsors knew it had no chance of adoption.

“We simply cannot accept a document under Chapter 7, one which would open the path for the pressure of sanctions and further to external military involvement in Syrian domestic affairs,” he said.

The defeat leaves in limbo the future of the 300-strong U.N. observer mission in Syria, which was forced to suspend operations because of the intensified fighting. Its mandate, to monitor a cease-fire and implementation of international envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point peace plan, expires Friday.

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, who sponsored the Western-backed draft, said he had circulated a new draft resolution that would extend the mission of the unarmed observers one last time, for a final 30 days. A copy of the draft obtained by the AP showed the mission would continue only if the council confirmed that Assad’s government had pulled artillery and heavy weapons back from the cities and sent his troops back to barracks.

Pakistani circulated a rival draft that would extend the mission for 45 days, with the possibility of further renewals.

After closed council consultations late Thursday, Churkin emerged visibly upset and said the British draft was imposing political conditions on the mission’s continuation. He said Russia would oppose that and would support the Pakistani text.

Churkin said he expects the council to vote on both drafts Friday morning.

Lyall Grant said he was “appalled” at the third double veto of a resolution aimed at bringing an end to the violence in Syria and creating conditions for political talks. He called Russia’s argument that the resolution would allow for military intervention “irrational,” saying Article 41 deals only with non-military sanctions “and could not, therefore, be construed as a precursor to military intervention.”

“The consequence of their decision is obvious,” Lyall Grant said. “Further bloodshed, and the likelihood of descent into all-out civil war.”

U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice told reporters history will judge the Russians and Chinese “harshly,” saying their vetoes at a time when the conflict is deteriorating rapidly “threatens to engulf the region in a wider war.”

France’s U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud said Russia and China must answer for the rise in casualties in Syria – 3,000 at their first veto last October, 7,000 at their second in February, and 17,000 at present. Activists say more than 17,000 people have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011, most of them civilians.

The latest veto was a blow to Annan, the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, who had called for “consequences” for non-compliance with his peace plan, which has been flouted by the Assad government.

The vote on the resolution was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but Annan requested a delay and appealed to the council to unite behind a new resolution – but neither side would budge.

Annan expressed disappointment through his spokesman, as did U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban also accused the Syrian government of failing to protect its people and pledging that with Annan and the U.N., he will “spare no effort” in the search to end the violence and bring about a peaceful, democratic Syrian-led transition, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

“The onus is also on the parties, and with the Syrian government in the first place, who must stop the killing and stop the use of heavy weapons against population centers,” Ban’s spokesman said.

The delay in Wednesday’s vote was announced shortly after the deadly bombing of a high-level security meeting in Damascus that has made Assad’s hold on power look increasingly tenuous.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari blamed elements from al-Qaida and Arab and non-Arab jihadist and terrorist groups for the attacks.

He reiterated the Syrian government’s support for Annan’s mission and a Syrian-led national dialogue.

“However, it also requires a sincere international commitment and political will from all – especially those parties that have influence on the armed groups and the armed opposition,” Ja’afari said. “Some countries are still bent on undermining any serious effort that seeks to solve the problem in Syria peacefully.”

Churkin told the council he would not put Moscow’s rival draft resolution to a vote to avoid continuing confrontation in the U.N.’s most powerful body. Moscow’s proposal called for the “immediate implementation” of Annan’s plan and guidelines for a political transition approved at a meeting in Geneva last month and would have extended the observer mission for 90 days but made no mention of sanctions. – AP

Hefty fines for ‘racist’ Spanish and Russian soccer fans

The Spanish and Russian football associations have been fined 20,000 and 30,000 euros respectively after racist incidents among their fans at Euro 2012 matches, UEFA said in a statement on Thursday.

The 20,000 euro sanction on the Spanish has been imposed after fans sang racist chants and engaged in other racist behaviour during the Group C match against Italy in Gdansk on June 10.

Italy’s black striker Mario Balotelli started in the 1-1 draw.

The Russians have been fined after being found guilty of the same charge in the Group A game against the Czech Republic in Wroclaw on June 8.

Czech right back Theodor Gebre Selassie, who is black, played in their 4-1 defeat. Both associations can appeal.

Balotelli was also subjected to racist abuse by Croatia fans during a match on June 14 and the Croatian FA was fined 80,000 euros by European soccer’s governing body.

The size of that fine was criticised by the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network, who told Reuters there was public concern that Denmark’s Nicklas Bendtner was fined 20,000 euros more for exposing an illegal advert on his underpants.

The Russian FA has already been fined three times for fan trouble at the tournament, including supporter violence.

UEFA said it would dock them six points in qualifying for the next European Championship if their fans were involved in further similar violence, with racist abuse not constituting a violent act under UEFA rules.

Holders Spain have reached Sunday’s final being staged in Kiev while Russia went out in the group stage. – Reuters

Putin ‘has exhausted his potential’

Mikhail Gorbachev said Thursday that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has “exhausted” his potential as Russia’s leader and his inability to change the Kremlin’s political system might prompt more massive anti-government protests.

Putin – who became prime minister after serving as Russia’s president in 2000-2008 – is almost certain to become president again during the March election, despite recent opposition rallies that have been the largest protests Russia has seen since the Soviet collapse.

Gorbachev, a former Soviet leader, said of Putin: “He won’t carry that weight. By now he has exhausted himself. Looks like that.”

Gorbachev recently urged Putin to give up power and annul the results of December’s fraud-tainted parliamentary vote, which triggered the rallies. The thousands of protesters also have joined Kremlin critics in accusing Putin’s government of cracking down on dissent, limiting press freedoms and breeding widespread corruption in Russia.

“If he does not overcome himself, change the way things are – and I think it will be difficult for him to do that – then everything will end up on city squares,” Gorbachev said at a news conference.

“We can’t let it happen. We’ve already seen what happens on city squares,” Gorbachev said, referring to the Arab Spring rallies in northern Africa and the Mideast.

Gorbachev led the Soviet Union from 1985 until its collapse in 1991. He remains admired abroad, but he is regarded as insignificant at home and his comments are not likely to affect public opinion or threaten Putin’s grip on power.