Irish Neutrality is not Obsolete

by disappointed Fri Apr 21, 2017 23:51

"However, such threat-perceptions ignore how far the NATO-based system has played into President Putin's hands by reviving cold-war-era fears of encirclement."

Good letter however I'm somewhat disappointed to see that Shannonwatch has bought into the US propaganda about Putin being evil and is routinely
regurgitating it in it's communications.

Putin is merely the patriotic leader of a proud independent people who are in a desperate existential battle for survival against a superior and belligerent force
intent on dominating them, taking their resources, silencing their dissent and integrating them into a global system of control.

I guess if you repeat something often enough, even people who really should know better eventually start to parrot it as truth too. :-(

by Bengt Sat Apr 22, 2017 07:42

Russia is being encircled provocatively by USA--led NATO. What kind of regime is Putin leading, however? Is it democratic? Do dissenting journalists move freely without threats to personal safety? What about the clampdown on Jehovah's Witnesses? (JWs were among the assorted categories of political prisoners in Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago.) And the ex-communist party bosses are economically in cahoots with the oil, gold and natural gas oligarchs. Not a nice country to live in.

by fred Wed Apr 26, 2017 01:17

Half the foreign journalists that "report" on Russia are nothing but cheap propagandists paid by western interests to badmouth them on the world stage
and if I were russia I'd keep tabs on the bastards too! They are mostly up to no good at all.

As for NGO's, half them are funded by the likes of NED and we all know what monkey business they get up to. Russia was right to crack down on their
foreign funded " fostering democracy" activities. (translation: deliberately attempting to create unrest and start off another colour revolution).
We've all seen what effect 5 billion of US/NED "fostering democracy" money has had in Ukraine. Not pretty!

Russia would be naive not to see this and not to take measures to protect themselves and limit the damage.

The fact is, NGOs from foreign countries are watched and have to register in the US too but nobody brings that up
The US cracks down heavily on dissent too (see 8000 arrests in occupy wall street and all the military equipment and snipers brought in for ferguson protests).
The US government spies on EVERYONE as we know thanks to Snowden. Especially social activists.
But of course that is different. If the US government spy and crack down on dissent it's considered "freedom and democracy".

Russia should be left alone, but there is far too much money at stake in military sales. The US hates any country willing to stand up to it on the world stage.
It is spiteful, deceitful and vengeful and it never forgets. Plus demonising Russia is just so profitable and has the added bonus of weakening Europe by
driving a wedge between it and Russia. Because otherwise it might pose a serious threat to US economically if Europe were to have a really strong healthy relationship with Russia.

As for the European leaders, they do what they are told, probably in many cases just for US money, or in others, to appease the worlds biggest bully to avoid getting on their shitlist.
Because we've all seen what happens to countries / people on their shitlist

by Bengt Wed Apr 26, 2017 08:44

At the US embassy in Ballsbridge there are often queues of Irish people waiting to apply for green cards so they can emigrate to the USA and find satisfying careers. There are no similar queues for working visas at the Russian embassy. Police violence against Wall Street occupiers and against Black Americans are reported in newspapers and on television. Brutalised protesters in Russia don't get equivalent coverage in the Russian media.

by fred Thu Apr 27, 2017 00:21

a few people swallowing the american dream bullshit they are fed over and over proves nothing.
"It's called the american dream because you have to be asleep to believe it" - George Carlin

As for the media, well all media distort and lie. Russia is no different. But still, you do have many anti putin TV channels and newspapers operating in Russia.
In the US however, only 6 corporations own most of the news outlets and they are pretty much all in lockstep, Bought and paid for. And they are always trying to get RT, the one russian news outlet, closed or blocked. Free speech rules! Yay! (but only as long as it's saying what we approve of it seems!!)
Press TV, Iran's broadcasting network was blocked already from the sky EPG. So much for dissenting news outlets in the west!!

You have a very naive and rose tinted view of western freedom of speech. No surprise there since the daily bath of propaganda we are immersed in is all pervasive and very effective indeed

by Bengt Fri Apr 28, 2017 00:25

I am devastated by your refutation of my illusions about the USA. I now realise that if I want happiness in life I've got to apply for a work visa in Russia. I might marry a Russian woman with an engineering degree and live with growing babushkas in Eastern Siberia.

by fred Fri Apr 28, 2017 05:11

I doubt any sensible russian woman would be daft enough to fall for a spoofer like you! :-D
Find yourself a nice amoral US democrat female. A much better match!