Isidingo - The Need

Comparing the run up to Russia's elections to the noise and hoopla of the American brawl, makes them seem much more dignified. This is because there is no urgent need for a "change" in the Kremlin. People in Russia don't want that. They want a steady leadership that will not allow the country to slide into chaos.

However, listening to Dimitry Medvedev speak it seems as if he is desperate to appease the west by making all the right sounds - protection of personal property, freedom of press, protection of personal freedom, tax cuts to stimulate certain areas of growth, an increase in pensions to keep up with inflation. Many of these policies seem out of step with Putin's, and he is at pains to point out that he is not Putin's man.
The heir apparent to Russia's throne, Dimitry Anatolyvitch Medvedev, said on Friday that his programme would include reforming the tax system to support economic growth. He will also work towards making the country's judiciary independent from government control and he promised to further clean up the executive and legislative branches of power.
Speaking in Krasnoyarsk, Medvedev, 42, repeated his earlier promises to protect personal freedoms and an independant media.
In contrast to the more forthright Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, he did not mention the military or Russia's rising military powers.
On the issue of the United States, Medvedev talked about co-operation and did not mention a huge gap between the countries' ideals on issues such as the US missile defence shield, and Kosovo.
Putin, on the other hand, was making his intentions crystal clear.
"We consider that the one-sided support of a declaration of independence by Kosovo is not moral or right," he said at a press briefing on Thursday. "Are you not ashamed in Europe of the double standards you are applying to settle the problem?"
On the missile issue he said; "Who asked the Czechs or the Poles if they want to have these systems on their land. Who asked them? In my understanding these countries are not thrilled about these systems".
Responding to the accusations of a power struggle with Poland he pointed out that Russia has not taken a single action to worsen ties with Poland. “We provide Poland with all of the energy resources it needs, without any limitations, without any cut offs... and we do not plan to cut anything off in the future."
But he did say that Russia had asked the parties of the missile crisis to stop, and no one had taken note. He once agained warned that Russia would repond "appropriately" if the missiles were deployed.
It seems that Dima Anatolyovitch is a much softer, more diplomatic man than Putin. Is this perhaps because of his age, and does he have what it takes to manage a country like Russia?
As he said last month "We need to understand clearly: If we want to become a civilized state, first of all we need to become a lawful one."

Labels: kosovo, medvedev, putin, Russia, US

Just for fun, as business has become almost non-existant this week in Asia, I decided to trawl sites on the net, like Rense and The Ugly Truth and such. It struck me that Americans love to feel threatened. I know not all of them are reading this crap - and believe me it is crap, but those who do all nod along like daisies in chorus to ideas of a "new world order" the jewish, CIA, FBI, communist, banker, feminist, reptilian alien uber government that wants to destory "The American Way of Life".
The mention of one of these people gets Noiks frothing at the mouth. He calls himself Dr Henry Makow. I think he should be "Dr Wacko". Here is a man - and I use the term very loosely - who only ever does it in the missionary position. He believes that homosexuals and feminists are destroying the world and are definitely "out to get" good, wholesome, decent Americans. THEY have emasculated men, he rages. Feminism is a communist cult.
I think he believes this because under communism women were liberated, with the idea of equality for all. In the Soviet Union women had fought alongside men to protect Rodinya against the facists. Many of them died. Today women still serve in the armed forces in key positions and across all disciplines.
The difference here is that Russian men have not allowed themselves to be emasculated. They have not surrendered and slunk off into the corner to whine about it and blame "THEM". They don't mind working with women and welcome them for their ability and competence. Russian men don't fear that women will take their jobs, they get their jobs on their abilities, not through some strange job reservation project.
We know these people frown on equal rights for women and gays, Wakow actually puts up Muslims as being the people to follow. I am not joking.
The writer of the blog Ugly Truth has this to say . . . "He points to the resources the NWO forces have devoted to painting Muslim women as oppressed by their male-dominated societies: ‘Look at all the attention paid to the burkha and headscarf while failing to show the low rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock children in the Middle East.’ he says. ‘They see the success they have achieved in the West by confusing the roles of women and men and are repeating it in the present ‘war on terror’."

Labels: makow, sexuality, ugly truth, US

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdamOzrfZI0

So who's paying for it?

Labels: Anthrax, US

It's clear that US President George W Bush no longer cares about the US, if he ever did. His decision to put cash into the economy must have his ecnomists cringing.
How can anyone in their right mind believe that the goverment, who is in debt so badly that it would need each household in the entire country to pay $400,000 right now, would fling money back into the black hole?
For some reason he believes this will stimulate the economy, though just how is unclear. People are meant to spend that money on goods which will then provide jobs. Well, that's the song he's singing. And yes it will provide jobs - in China, India or Qatar. It will do nothing for the average Americans. It might put a few extra bucks into the hands of importers. But once the US$500 is spent what will happen?
How much money can the crippled government toss at the people? How much longer can it fool the people before they wake up to the fact that they have spent their children's future, and in fact their own future.
Bush's last budget was so false it should have been called a "fudgit".
According to the General Accounting Office of the United States, the US government needs US$53 TRILLION to fulfill its obligations. Every business in the captialist worlds has to include future liabilities on its balance. But the US government does not do that.
And the gulliable, stupid US people do not realise it.
On the other side of the world the opposite is happening in China. Chinese don't spend their money, they save it or invest it, and that is worrying Beijing as their economy overheats. Call it the remnants of Communism, but unless the Chinese cut loose and put down the cash they'll be facing higher food prices and rents.
It is also astonishing that sitting with such a large deficit, the goverment does not improve its social services. Although a lot of money is being spent on infrastructure it is lacking in quality and the high accident rate in the coal mines also needs to be addressed.
Meanwhile the fastest growing economy in the world today seems to be Qatar. It seems the balance of power has shifted out of the hands of the west.

Labels: bush, Russia, US

So da bubble's finally burst for the US. You can tell how bad things are when you walk into like Armani and da only peoples buying is like da gangsta - euro trash, or my homies. It looks like da Americans have finally learned that ya can't be living on credit for all yours life and dat it's a freaking stupid thing to mortgage ya house to pay for the plastic man. It seems dat's what's been happening. Talk about a country sucking up da happy gas.
Now dat China officialy owns America here are a few tings dat should happen.
First off, put your children in school and make em freaking learn ta read and write. A bit of geography, some history and some dress sense would be good too.
Second, ban American idol and execute Simon Scowl, Poora Abdullah and Randy Jackoff in Tienaman scare.
Third, expense accounts have all been cancelled and yous are now gonna work like da brothers to get anywhere.
Fourth, learn to use chopsticks, it's two pieces of wood, how freaking hard can it be?
Fifth, Da screechy Star Spangled Banner is gone. Yous all better learn Arise! All who refuse to be slaves! in Chinese, dudes.
Altogether now Qilái! Búyuàn zuò núlì de rénmen ...

Labels: American Idol, China, Communism, US

Okay I will tell you what I know and what I think about the whole British Council row.
Firstly, it is possible that this is linked to the Litvinenko death but it is much more than just that. The British seem to be confused by the idea that Russia will not hand over Lugovoi for trial. There is no confusion. Russia's constitution does not allow it to do this. Therefore, Russia cannot hand over anyone for trial in Britain. The second point to this, that I have written before, is why should Russia hand over Lugovoi when Britain does not hand over Boris Berezofsky, wanted for corruption, and Akmad Zakayef, wanted on charges of terrorism. Do they think because they are Britain that they can do one thing and expect Russia to do another?
On to the British Council itself. It has long had problems in Russia, and obviously now the Kremlin is no longer prepared to turn blind eyes. The BC offers English classes to the public which are far more expensive than those of other schools. And yet it is classified as a charity. Being classified as a charity means it pays no income tax. This is hardly fair on all the other English schools that abide by the tax laws. If it does not want to pay the tax then it must fall under the cover of diplomatic missions - for Britain, consulates general. If the BC chooses diplomatic cover then it had no right to operate in St Petersburg of Yekaterinburg.
When Downing Street says that the council is operating legally under international law it is fantasizing. There is a hole in the agreements between the government and council which still has to be closed. This has not happened because of the Litvinenko row. So that is why the foreign affairs ministry of Russia has pointed to Litvinenko as the cause, not because it is any "tit for tat" response.
There is an opinion that the British Council activity “does not fully comply with the Russian government resolution “On the Establishment and Terms of Operation of Foreign Cultural and Information Centers on the Territory of the Russian Federation”,” Chairman of the Federation Council International Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov said.
For instance, the resolution compels the centres to receive permission from Russian authorities before opening. The Vienna Consular Convention says that all entities enjoying privileges and immunities must respect laws and rules of the host state, he said.
Chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachyov said: “The United Kingdom is the only member state of the European Union and, probably, the only foreign partner of Russia, which is trying to thrust its own lifestyle on us and establish the rules, which may be convenient for the UK but have not been discussed and are hardly equally convenient for us,” he said.

Other EU member countries that have their cultural offices in Russia, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain, “are acting in a totally different way. They fully comply with Russian laws and intergovernmental agreements,” Kosachyov said.

“We will insist that the UK must bring the British Council activity in correspondence with international laws, EU traditions and, what is the most important, Russian laws,” he said.
Furthermore it is an open secret that the BC is used as a front for MI6. Not only that but there have been reports of Russian students using the council's tuition being recruited for the British Intelligence services. This is again, not something new and only to be expected under such circumstance.
However, the UK's blatant meddling in the last Russian election in its bid to unseat Putin did not go down well with citizens. It's fanatical acceptance and promotion of "the other Russia" calling it a "democratic opposition movement" was duly noted. The fact that pre-election the British Ambassador Anthony S. Brenton spoke at one of this party's meetings was also duly noted, as was his call to crack down on freedom of expression when young Russians held an anti-facist rally outside his home. The ambassador is supposed to be a diplomat not a political campaigner. How many people in the UK would welcome Russian interference in their elections?
The British media failed to note that about 95% of the members of "the other Russia" are ultranationalists and cranks from the National Bolshevik Party. Its portrayal of Garry Kasparov as "the voice of the citizens" was a joke. The man could not even scrape together enough support to make a run for the presidency.
The constant rumblings against Putin taking a third term are again, complete double standards. When Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev did that, and held deeply flawed elections in May which saw only a single party represented, the American Embassy described it as “a good move for democracy”.
The constant whining about Russian elections being "rigged" is nothing more than lies. Putin enjoys a huge popularity among Russian people and the results of the elections went just the way they said it would. They voted as expected.
It is interesting to note the UK's double standards when it comes to Russia. It will whine about "human rights abuses" in Russia but has no voice when it comes to the suffering of ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia.
Britain stands isolated from the rest of the world in this row, as it did in the Litvinenko row. Its childish petulance has distanced it from Europe and is a testimony to its own diplomatic failure to deal with the confident and stronger Russia. When Russia was struggling under the Yeltsin puppet government the UKUS kicked it like a cur and that will not be forgotten so easily by Russia's people or government. The UK bends at the knee to Syria and Iran and even to its own Islamic extremists at home. It harbours Russian criminals.
The reality is that Britian is now paying for its ridiculously hostile policies to Russia and its dog-like devotion to the United States. If Britain was more co-operative with Europe and Russia this kind of thing would not be happening.
Russia has been provoked and humiliated at every turn with Britain. The UK continues to poke the bear, and if you poke the bear you will get the claws. How can the UK be so arrogant as to say that it will continue operating these councils in the face of their illegality?

Labels: berezofsky, British Council, Communism, kosovo, putin, Russia, UK Litvinenko, US, zakayef