SINCE WHEN HAS THE USA ACTUALLY RESPECTED THE WORLD?

[teddytennisfan]

Lol teddy, you claimed in the previous post Brits shouldn't even be allowed an opinion regarding Eurasia... when we're actually a state within.... yet, you're quite comfortable discussing Africa.... not that I have a problem with that... just your contradictions.

YOU -- are a 'state within? eurasia?

what CULTURAL TIES DO YOU REALLY have besides the angl0-saxons IN WESTERN NORTH EUROPE -- LET ALONE AS CONQUERORS AND INVADERS

FOR CENTURIES as far away as china , japan and asia, or africa?

were the SAXON nfluence in england and mainland britain removed -- what are the biritsh isled? CELTS?

WITH relations to the french and the portuguese?

in that sense -- we are both of 'peripoheral island" peoples who are derivatvies of the asian landmass

BEFORE there was any notion o ''europa"

as originally defined by the ancient greeks in order to differentiate in their minds from an even older asian description of

"where the sun rises -- east -- and where the sun sets -- west...with ''europa" merely a transliteration by the greeks through their mythollogy

of an 'entity--and one of the bastard children of zeus" to the 'west'.

but n the total scheme of things what IS europe , including yourselves?

youa re a BUTT-END of the superlandmass that comprises of civilizations far, far older than you ever WERE even tribes.

and YET


from these peripheries you DARE to call the ENTIRE WORLD


somehow as SUBJECT of yoru ''western" ideologies. of how societies ought to behave in order to be ''properly manageable" ...

were engaldn and britain to SINK tomorrow -- the erurasian landmass wouldn't MISS IT. in contrast i MAKE no claims FOR THE PERIPHERAL philippines as somehow the CENTER of the world


like YORU london OR WASHINGTON or WALL STREET DEEM THEMSELVES TO BE and have -- for centuries even as countries that ARE THE truE PILLARS OF THE EURASIAN LANDMASS -- ARE AND HAVE BEEN TELLING YOU FOR CENTURIES


''YOU DON'T RULE HERE"

AND IF THAT MEANS -- they do - and they wield influence

what is that your business about?

 

[britbox]

Yeah, last time I checked Britain was in Europe, with the underlying populace formed from invasions of Celts (Bronze Age Central Europe), Normans (French), Romans (Italians), Vikings (Scandinavians) and Saxons (Germans) and later various immigration.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Yeah, last time I checked Britain was in Europe, with the underlying populace formed from invasions of Celts (Bronze Age Central Europe), Normans (French), Romans (Italians), Vikings (Scandinavians) and Saxons (Germans) and later various immigration.

fine by me -- however you describe it.

in the same vein were EURASIA considered a landmass in itself -- SEPARATE from islands in the peripheries -- which can be considered extensions of break-away parts in the movement of continentns --

japan, hongkong, philippines, indonesia, etc...can be considered "non-eurasian"

HOWEVER there is a distinction as to what constitutes cultures .

the WEST have considered themselves some kind fo ''global rulers" -- NOT satisfed with their own empires and kingdoms and quarrels to the point of going across oceans to order other cultures around .

at the end of the day - EUROPE as a culture is but a TINY SLIVER of human presence that ought by now - to STOP your notions that the world revolves around what london or washington dc say or brussels...

and thinking you can isolate a russia or china unless they ''take their place in the international community'' according to this so-called ''europa"...notions of yours.
just as your ''europe" took turns to tell others in places across the world that they exist in order to serve YOUR ''west" - be it as overlords in countries -- with your NATO EXPANSION AND GIVING itself ''reasons" to go to LIBYA or talk of ''sanctions against iran" - or tell the russians they are somehow not ''good enough" unless they sell their souls to your ''angl0saxon/;celtic,scandinavian.american" whatever west you call it notions of order...

i'll ;put it this way -- without the REST OF THE GREATER LANDMASS that comrpises EURASIA -- -- OR THE ASIA part of it beyond the borders of poland , bulgaria, romania

what are you really?

you're tiny part of human civilization with LITTLE resources or expanse and room to grow in even amongst yourselves...that depends
to a very great extent on IMPORTED ON THE CHEAP GOODIES and resources from other lands YOUR system has rigged global relations with your imperialisms

in order to enrich and build your empires and ''civilziations" .

KAZAKHSTAN in central asia alone can SWALLOW all of continental europe...and has little or nothing to do with what europe developed as cultures - except that europe wants that richness under the land ...along with russia's china,s and other lands...

so what i am really talking about is

people of certain ENDS of the earth or continents who derive from such a TINY limited area who quarrel among themselves endlessly - far more than n other regions --

and EXPORT their quarrels as to whose turn it is to be ''ruler" of th eWORLD -

such as through your rigged institutions -

shouldn't be telling peoples n the majorities elsewhere sitting on vast lands and resources that they have to kneel before your overlords.

and that in order that they ''comply" your countries ply the world with your armadas wth NOTHING to protect really BUT the PIRACY of europe upon other lands and the power of 'threat" .

uch as amerca\'s ''freedom of navigation" fake excuses in being where it doesn't belong -- where its ''investments' DON'T create jobs for people -- but in fact DESTROY livelihoods -- unlike what china, or iran or russia are doing as they construct REAL beneficial relations with countries.

i sometimes wonder -- were the ORIENTAL and larger size of eurasia (which inlucde russia -- at least as quite a sizable part of russian philosophers themselves consider as their being ORIENTALISTS) -

TO COME UP with the means, the finance and construct the ''EURASIAN INTEGRATION FROM VLADIVOSTOK TO LISBON"

they might as well put a big,k big FENCE separating ''EUROPE" RIGHT AT THE BALTICS, POLAND, ETC...


since - it's YOU ''westerners" that have been at IT -- this game of ''isolate rusisa, russia is A THREAT, russia must be conquered, russia must be contorlled. "

LIKE RUSSIA IS SOME ALIEN in HER OWN HUGE CONTINENT of which YOU wetserners are but a SMALL part - with half of you even hardly connected by land -

and let you all iin the west wallow in your own internecine jealousies as to who is the KING of the SHINING CITY on the HILL"

that the rest of the wider world doesn't have to be bothered with.

and then when your leaders and nstitutions and THNKING start BEHAVING like you OUGHT to -- whch is: thjat you ARE NOT the rulers or arbiters of anything N THIS WORLD about how other countries should behave among thesmelves

then you can be ALLOWED to enter and do trade . lol. and if you don't like it

go and build your spaceships

and bring your queen to

EUROPA the moon of jupiter. lol.

 

[britbox]

It works two ways teddy - if you want to sell goods you need a market. China's exports to the US, UK and Europe dwarf their imports.

...and on the subject of empires and influence, history tells us this all cyclical and there have been plenty of Eastern Empires in the past also. There were no boundaries to begin with on Earth other than natural ones and they get redrawn all the time throughout history.

 

[Billie]

History also tells us that all great empires fall apart and get defeated at some point. We have a saying that goes along these lines: Nobody's candle burned till the morning after (if that makes sense in English).

 

[teddytennisfan]

History also tells us that all great empires fall apart and get defeated at some point. We have a saying that goes along these lines: Nobody's candle burned till the morning after (if that makes sense in English).

i once got very acquainted with an old ITALIAN gentleman -- a real ''ROMAN" - as he called himself , rather than 'italian" -

he was THEN -- WHEN i knew him where we would occasionally sit down in a garden with some 'espresso' and italian pastries - and talk about things...102 years old.

but very, very health, very tall, very erect, he didn't wear glasses at all as he read news papers in at least seven languages...

and he only had a slight limp with his cane..with ane xtremely sharp mind and memory.

and after reading quietly the news one time -- he looked up and remarked softly:

"our leaders are just as BAD as ever....i grew up and experienced BOTH world wars...my rothers and I were stll playing as very young men in the roman squares when the fascists came around -- and we knew at once this was something very , very bad like before...

" always loved cultures, history, other lands and peoples -- and i wanted to be LIKE MARCO POLO so i eventually became a nautical engineer because i could travel and understand other cultures -- i went all over the world -- the far east, china, japan, the northern europeans, americas, africa....the middl east...i have led a very FULL life...

"I know about history because i love history -- i know abotu EMPIRES - i know about the ROMAN empire BECAUSE i am ROMAN...

"'TODAY that roman empire is the USA - and before that the British...THE nazis tried..."

:"the TROUBLE WITH US -- WESTERNERS has always been this:

"we went to other lands -- far, far away from us -- to subjugate them and take their land sand treasures and leave their peoples with nothing but MISERY...AND THEN we are very surprised and offended that they come to our shores looking for a better life....

"since WE have REALLY had no intentions , sincere ones of being friends and just TRADING fairly and respecting other peoples in their own lands for their riches...we should have just LEFT THEM ALONE".

"THIS is still the same with us today and it is to our shame -- not that of other cultures".

 

[teddytennisfan]

History also tells us that all great empires fall apart and get defeated at some point. We have a saying that goes along these lines: Nobody's candle burned till the morning after (if that makes sense in English).

BILLIE --

the former very high official of germany -- he is today , i think in his very late 80's WIMMER --

once wrote an open letter to SCHROEDER in the 1990's demanding THAT GERMANY reveal and remove the DIKTAT of the USA AND UK

to germany after the ''ussr dissolution" --

and exposed what was in the MEETINGS - where only HE disagreed with what the MAERICANS AND BRITISH were ordering everyone to do :

and it ncluded (all in german, though) -

that seeing the USSR dissolving -- and RUSSIA was facing real challenges on keeping itself together --

that it was time to ''CHOKE RUSSIA" -- those were actual words by americans in those meetings...

and that they designated the EXACT parameters of what they set otu to do -- IN INTENTIONAL VIOLATION of the treaties...

that as soon as RUSSIA removed her military from tghe east -- THEY WERE GOING TO MOVE NATO IN -- regardless..

and when GEORGE BUSH the first was told that ""the russians might object"

the RESPONSE WAS :

"WHO CARES ABOUT THE RUSSIANS/ ? WE WON ...what they say isn't important -- we'll do WHATEVER WE WANT".

and that in THAT meeting in which the AMERICANS/UK dictated to the germans and other european leaders the NEXT steps...with NO ONE OBJECTING - except WIMMER himself --

THESE WERE THE EXACT ''FIELD OF OPERATIONS" TO ''choke russia' with

as PRELUDE to eventually taking over russia herself. :

"all the east -- from SWEDEN, FINLAND, ALL THE BALTIC COUNTRIES, THE BALTIC SEA MUST BE CLOSED OFF FROM RUSSIA so SHE has NO capacity there at all...POLAND UKRAINE , ROMANAI, BULGARIA WILL BE INCORPORATED under our command....EXCEPT , for the moment, SERBIA..."..

THEY ALSO demanded that ALL EU countries WILL then be reformed and restructured so that NATO command will ALWAYS be under AMERICAN final say.

its all in that open letter WIMMER exposed BUT hasn't found any traction of course...

beucase of course "russia is exapnding" and ''aggressive" --

is the ''STORY" ...

BUT THE CLINCHER IS THIS -- in HIS open letter to SCHROEDER -- THIS WAS decades ago of course in the 1990s EXACTLY AS THE USA/UK/ and gang were PLUNDERING russia with their B

EXXON, CHEVRON, BRITISH PETROLEUM, FRANCE TOTAL, etc...among other corporatist ''privatizing of russia" schemes that PUTIN KICKED OUT by 2001 -

he pointedly summed it all up -- those meetng of american british emands ON THE european VASSAL;S on how to behave :

"I HAD lready voiced to them my objections -- and was met with complete total silence -- and as i reminded them -- :

"what you are proposing follows the EXACT PARAMETERS OF WHAT ADOLF HITLER DID".

 

[teddytennisfan]

It works two ways teddy - if you want to sell goods you need a market. China's exports to the US, UK and Europe dwarf their imports.

...and on the subject of empires and influence, history tells us this all cyclical and there have been plenty of Eastern Empires in the past also. There were no boundaries to begin with on Earth other than natural ones and they get redrawn all the time throughout history.

THAT IS TRUE OF COURSE -- PARTICULARLU about borders beng redrawn here and there -- but as likely natural occurences between NEIGHBORS -- very ofent like family squabbles.

rubbing shoulders, elbows, etc...

BUT DO YOU AND HAVE YOU SEEN THE ''russian empire"

crossing to LAND OCCUPATION TROOPS to tell argentina what to do ? the americans HAVE DONE THAT .

DO YOU HAVE THE CHINESE ''empire" or what they prefer to call "middle kingdom" since 5,000 years ago"

putting CAMPS in just about EVERY country manageable around like the BRITISH AND AMERICANS or western europeans have done

FAR, FAR beyond THEIR CONFINES> ?

YOU SEE THE russians INSIST on

"freedom of navigation" fake excuses at the coasts of california? or miami?

like the USA does in south china sea hwere the USA - insisting on being ''guarantor of freedom" - ISN'T even a signatory to ''LAWS OF THE SEA?" reserving for ITSELF the right to CHANGE things as it wishes?

you see the RUSSIAN empire or EVEN the USSR -- send war planes to create "no fly zones" as usual as PRELUDE to invasions and ''regime change" such as in

DOZENS of countries by the USA/UK/NATO/ VASSALS?

list them - as many - by russia or china or iran -- which have bene empires within their borders or in their immediate neighborhoods - with whom tney actually share cultures anyway --

to COMPARE wtih that of the AMERICAN AND BRITISH and western europeans

over people with whom they HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON -- not even as ''distant" relatives or neighbors...

except that they wanted the RESOURCES of lands, far, far, far, far away...

hongkong is somehow -- or WAS a THREAT to england? maybe hongkong was going to SWIM to london and threaten the english with invasion and make everyone speak chinese only?

so why and what were YOUR country's invaders doing there and around the coass of china sellng and smuggling OPIUM?

JUST AS WHAT IS THE USA doing ''FIGHTING TERRORISTS\" IN THE MIDDLE EAST that NO ONE BELIEVES is honest? where it doesnt belong? and has NO historical or cultural connections -- either in the ancient silk roads from shanghia and beijing or from siberia to turkey and syria for hundreds, even thousands of years?

i mean -- right now -- the USA is trying to find justification -- AGAIN -- for its EXPANSION of military in IRAQ -- again -- AFTER having destroyed it -- on FALSE EXCUSES --

AND HAS NOW GOTTEN A REAL WARNING from the iraqis --

"any american adn western actions inside iraq are ILLEGAL AND WE HAVE GIVEN AMERICANS NO PERMISSION OR AGREEMENT AS TO THEIR PRESENCE HERE ".

same as with SYRIA,. TUNISIA, MOROCCO are standing up with the same remarks -- while asking - ASKING the russians to help them build AIR AND COASTAL DEFENSES -- against what they HAVE seen were WESTERN assaults on fellow countries like syria, libya, iraq, yemen, etc...

now-- WHY is that?


it is simple

it IS the west -- AMERICA, UK, FRANCE, GERMANY as the leading powers


that are COLONIALISTS AND IMPERIALISTS who are LIARS and have NO CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER for their excuses of TRAMPLING on foreign soil

with your armies and your ''diplomats"

for one simple fact>


THE WEST do not UNDERSTAND ANYTHING EXCEPT FORCE - AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND

when other cultures -- in the face of assaults by the WEST upon their economies and ABOVE ALL -- their CULTURES --

does not undestand the WORD :

"NO".

it is time you DO.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Bit of a one-eyed viewpoint teddy.

There are usually many dimensions to consider and most governments are generally pushing forward their own agendas... simplifying everything to be America=Evil Russia=Alice in Wonderland doesn't ring true. Yes, the US have made a LOT of mistakes with foreign policy... but don't forget Russian tanks rolling into countries on their borders during the 80s either.

I've got respect for Putin on various levels, but he isn't Mother Theresa either.

BRITBOX what's your 'take on CAMERON?

he seems to be in some deep doo-doo -- and there's no telling what the HOUSES will have to do - and avoid being dragged into his mess...

OR outside the halls of power -- what YOU the british people do about it.

if HE goes -- you think there's more of a chance of a BREXIT at all, which the USA most certainly DOESN'T want as a UK membership is easier for US empire over the UE USING the UK AS A ''whip? "

this is very interesting turn of events, really.

i personally much prefer to see UK just detaching itself from EU. it's not good for your country and most especially the ordinary folks, imo.

=============================
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Time to pay the piper: Cameron faces wrath of MPs over tax affairs
Published time: 11 Apr, 2016 09:27

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron. © Toby Melville / Reuters
57
Prime Minister David Cameron will announce new laws in the House of Commons on Monday with the aim of tackling tax evasion, but is expected to face a firestorm over his own financial affairs in the wake of the Panama Papers leak.
Following a torrid week, during which Cameron found himself and his family under siege after revelations over his father’s offshore trust and his wife’s £53,000 (US$75,000) taxpayer-funded stylist, the embattled PM published some of his financial records on Sunday.

Read more
Crowds march in London to demand Cameron resignation following Panama Papers leak (IMAGES)
The release of tax details came grudgingly after four carefully-worded statements from his advisers on his tax history over the course of the week.

He has since admitted that he mishandled the disclosure and that he did profit from the sale of his portion of his late father’s fund.

His records also showed he received a £200,000 ‘gift’ from his mother which some commentators are claiming was given as a means of avoiding inheritance tax.

The laws he is expected to announce will make firms criminally liable if their employees aid in tax evasion.

Speaking ahead of what is likely to be a fraught appearance in the Commons on Monday, Cameron said: “This government has done more than any other to take action against corruption in all its forms, but we will go further.

“That is why we will legislate this year to hold companies who fail to stop their employees facilitating tax evasion criminally liable,” he added.

Saturday saw thousands of people attend a rally outside Cameron’s official residence at 10 Downing Street to call for the PM’s resignation. It is possible that opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will go for the political jugular in the House of Commons on Monday.

On Sunday the Labour leader told the BBC that the Panama revelations proved there is “one rule for the rich, one for the rest” and called on MPs of all parties to publish their tax records in order for there to be trust.

“Day by day, a little bit more comes out about the prime minister’s tax arrangements,” he said, calling the Panama leaks as a whole just “the tip of a very large iceberg.”


==================

 

[britbox]

@teddytennisfan

I'm not particularly a fan of Cameron but even less of a fan of Corbyn on the opposition benches.

Cameron is a good debater, a smooth operator but seems to lack convictions - a career politician with little experience of the outside world. Corbyn has convictions - I just don't like them.

I'm all in favour of a UK exit from the EU.

 

[teddytennisfan]

@teddytennisfan

I'm not particularly a fan of Cameron but even less of a fan of Corbyn on the opposition benches.

Cameron is a good debater, a smooth operator but seems to lack convictions - a career politician with little experience of the outside world. Corbyn has convictions - I just don't like them.
==============================

i understand.

but what do you think is gonna happen? the double standards of cameron seem clear enough -- ironic that he has to announce his new ''anti-corruption'' rules while HE himself is ''exhibit A".

AND what's going to be on display is how the country -- from both sides: the law makers on one, and the people on the other --

will really do.

t's strange -- to say the least.

 

[britbox]

i understand.

but what do you think is gonna happen? the double standards of cameron seem clear enough -- ironic that he has to announce his new ''anti-corruption'' rules while HE himself is ''exhibit A".

AND what's going to be on display is how the country -- from both sides: the law makers on one, and the people on the other --

will really do.

t's strange -- to say the least.

Yeah, quite laughable about the Panama Papers when he has talked so tough about tax evasion... but basically they are all it... hiding money, fiddling expenses on both sides of the house.

As soon as a politician mentions the words "I haven't done anything improper"... I roll eyes.

This isn't confined to UK politics - they are all it around the world to some extent. He hasn't in theory broken the law, because it was his father's assets, but he did benefit.

As for the EU Brexit - I think Britain will vote to stay in. The weight of the Government and largely the media is fully behind the "Stay In" vote.

 

[teddytennisfan]

Yeah, quite laughable about the Panama Papers when he has talked so tough about tax evasion... but basically they are all it... hiding money, fiddling expenses on both sides of the house.

As soon as a politician mentions the words "I haven't done anything improper"... I roll eyes.

This isn't confined to UK politics - they are all it around the world to some extent. He hasn't in theory broken the law, because it was his father's assets, but he did benefit.

As for the EU Brexit - I think Britain will vote to stay in. The weight of the Government and largely the media is fully behind the "Stay In" vote.

how true. i still hope whatever slim chance of brexit the brits do get out -- even if in purely FINANCIAL terms -- EU is costing UK your ordinary tax payers' money in order to ''fit into the rules" of BRUSSELS - that NO ONE really elected...

why the HELL should british and germans and any ordinary folk be made to make the sacrifices int heir own lives -- from their taxes, from their own social safety nets - and their own national integrity just to satisfy those ''technocract" in brussels>

?

for example:

POLAND -- whose DONAL TUSK presides over EU - brings POLAND'S self-interests - at the expense of OTHERS who are paying into EU and brussels.

THAT'S MONEY from the ordinary BRIT to support the dvantages the poles get THROUGH the policies promoted by TUSK. OR STEINHAMMER OR STOLTENBERG or whatever their names are in BRUSSELS for THEIR separate countries...

YOUR schools and nursng homes and health care and pensions are being cut in budgets to SUPPORT EU copuntries? and eu countries do that to each other as well depending on who is in power in brussels as any given point?

i mean that a kind of 'musical chairs|" game of thrones that does nobody any good

NOT LEAST the ordinary folk .

its criminal , imo. i say BREXIT! better that countries go on their own and do their trades and deals and relations just like any normal country does. and deal and live with their decisions -- rather than COMPLICATE them by

other mooching on each other or supporting others who haven't earned the privilege of having to be ''supported". ui know what i mean?

AND -- NOT LEAST


EMPEROR OBAMA -- now busily trying to CLEAR HIS NAME of HIS own war crimes and teh mess HE has created which while HE was directing them was BRAGGING about what a GREAT thing it is his decisions WERE...

he NOW LITERALLY AND OPENLY BLAMES CAMERON AND BRITAIN

for what obama calls "my greatest mistake -- havng NO plan after libya" (nvasion and destruction -- from which really began in earnest the growth of ISIL that migrated and LINKED UP with their counterparts in IRAQ) -

He "'admits to a greatest mistake" -- about libya
BUT IN THE SAME BREATHE -- tries to CLEVERLY PASS THE BLAME TO BRITAIN!!


can you just believe it?

I KID YOU NOT!

i hope cameron -- MORON that he is -- who THOUGHT he belongs in the 'inner circle" of the WASHINGTON FILTH --

but is now being thrown under the BUS WITH THE PANAMA PAPERS --

I HOPE HE JUST opens hi sloud mouth to spill the beans on THEM -- washington...lol -- as to the REAL authors of the libya destruction and the growth of ISIL FROM THERE


KILLARY, KERRY, OBAMA , SAMANTHA POWERS , PENTAGON, CIA. AND THEIR ILK IN MORDOR by the potomac.

that's WHY I MEAN when LATELY -- i've been saying
BRITAIN -- whatever HER mistakes as empire were - and have been


NEEDS TO RID HERSELF OF THE SPAWN USA.

BECAUSE ANY CHANCE that UK has of REGAINING r REAL HONOR and PROSPERITY for her own people -- regardless of the \\cultural ties and race and all that -- with the USA
is BOUND TO FAIL
so long as the BRITISH PEOPLE CHAIN themselves to ''AMERICA" .

 

[Federberg]

@teddytennisfan

I'm not particularly a fan of Cameron but even less of a fan of Corbyn on the opposition benches.

Cameron is a good debater, a smooth operator but seems to lack convictions - a career politician with little experience of the outside world. Corbyn has convictions - I just don't like them.

I'm all in favour of a UK exit from the EU.

I think all politicians are contemptible. My ex- was Cameron's sons doctor before he became PM, and she always said that he was a bit of an a$$, so I don't have great feelings about him. But in terms of policies his are far more palatable than Corbyn's for sure! I do miss Maggie, but even she was a bit of a hypocrite.

Western politicians use things like democracy, human rights and freedom as weapons against the rest of the world, but at the same time are responsible for some of the most terrible genocides in the last century. They get away with it because the western media controls global propaganda and are largely unchallenged by a lazy and gullible electorate

 

[teddytennisfan]

I think all politicians are contemptible. My ex- was Cameron's sons doctor before he became PM, and she always said that he was a bit of an a$$, so I don't have great feelings about him. But in terms of policies his are far more palatable than Corbyn's for sure! I do miss Maggie, but even she was a bit of a hypocrite.

Western politicians use things like democracy, human rights and freedom as weapons against the rest of the world, but at the same time are responsible for some of the most terrible genocides in the last century. They get away with it because the western media controls global propaganda and are largely unchallenged by a lazy and gullible electorate

politics is what it is -- about power , after all..

and it is there because countries have to be organized around some kind of definitions...but the hope , despite what we all know is politics, is that at least there will be SOME strong and with enough integrity that the USE of power is to at least some degree FOR their country and their people.

i remember a video - of coruse clearly INTENDED by the KREMLIN for public consumption ...

of PUTIN - callingan emergency meetng .

which was about MINISTERS in charge of regional affairs and economies..their state industries and so on -- which were partically put as ''public/private" partnerships...

some of these were indeed appointees by PUTIN - WHAT we elsewhere call

''PUTIN'S OLIGARCHS".

BECAUSE certain industries under THEIR responsibility were reported to have had disastrous results -- people losing jobs from loss of earnings, etc...and mismanagement...

he called them to a meeting to defend themselves from the investigations..
and - just one example :

after listening quietly to their successive reports -- which he basically called "your excuses".

and showing the differences with the investigations -- showing some of them were negligent or corrupt and bankrupted ndustries or companies...

he gave them such a TALKING it would sear the SKIN right off teh back of your neck.

he fired some of them outright...others he FORCED them to promise changes and corrections...

and to one he sternly , witheringly said:

"you were given responsibilities as a privagte manager - with all the privileges - and you resulted n the loss of JOBS? these are people who have to eat and feed their families.

WHERE ARE THE earnings? show me right now..."

THAT KND of talk -- papers appeared, documents shown, comparisons made...etc

then putin produced anohter paper -- as to how things will have to be fixed - iincluding reinstating the jobs - and cutting the OLIGARCH'S shares...

and wth that document PUTIN STOOD UP

walked around the table -- dumped the pper in front of the o;ligarch -- and said

"HERE! SIGN!"

boom -- that was it.!

AUTHORITARIAN? YOU BET!


but for the RIGHT reasons --as he puts it>

WHEN THE WESTERN papers accuse him of "putin's 40 billions dollars" ...

he LAUGHS: AND said:

"oh -- yes -- of course I am THE RICHEST, I AM really the wealthiest man on earth..

I am so rich because I collect EMOTIONS -- the support and trust of my people for putting my here - for i am responsible for our country...and it is an honor as well as my obligation ...so yes -- I am THE WEALTHIEST MAN ON EARTH".