A puzzler: anti-Russian protests persist even after the dismantling of USAID and VOA.

10 comments

1. Puzzling?
   How is this puzzling?
   Russia is to be protested.
   No puzzle.

2. It doesn’t happen overnight.

3. Almost as if Russia hasn’t had the best reputation in much of Europe for a very long time. Since before the US existed for many of them.

4. Protests mentioned in the article are more against their own corrupt governments that Russia

5. A puzzler only if you think that other people around the world don’t have autonomy or interest that don’t align or even go against US interests.

6. It was just cut off it will take a few months or a month until all the money some non US based NGOs or other orgs exhaust their funds. The most major impact will be on the fact the US no longer is defending against Russian intelligence operations nor being offensive and also no longer aiding anti Putin or opposition groups. All of Eastern and Southern Europe and even some states in Central and West Europe have pro Russian political parties. Not all are directly tied to Russia but most in Eastern Europe are and without US aid and intelligence helping the anti Russian bloc we can logically expect the pro Russian bloc to grow in influence, soft power and to likely make favorable gains in elections.

7. Those aren’t protests, they are gratitude marches to say “thank you”.

8. How is this puzzling? You think people can’t realize Putin is a bad guy just because the US isn’t telling them so directly?

9. A new democratic vision is impossible. Too many leaders in the Democratic party are working for the interests of the billionaires. They are compromising with the fascist party. That is not a democracy. But Im not starting the Progressive party. You are starting the Progressive party. The working class needs a Progressive Party.

   It starts with a commitment to reforming campaign financing. If you are in office or campaigning, reform your self first. That is progress. Each candidate who does that is making progress. The authenticity will win votes.

   Progressives are not sidetracked by culture war distractions. I support the equality of all peoples, everywhere, at all times. Do not be sidetracked. Repeat your personal statement of commitment to fairness and equality every time they try to get you to comment on some niche ‘other’ issue. No matter which group they demonize, trans, immigrants, people of color, etc. None of us are free, until we are all free no exceptions, no compromises Work against the ‘othering’ of any group. Free US from this tyrrany of hate.

   Our political system is broken. The evidence of this is that we have elected an autocrat. This regime is trying to dismantle the government that our ancestors and the working class has built over a long period with alot of struggles. DOGE: Disrespecting Our Government Employees. That is what they are. Punks who know not what they do. They are not safe dispossessing hard working Americans from the retirement funds our government holds in trust. We fight for our right to medical care, free from bankrupting us in old age. Free from our bosses, large and small fro having to fund an army of insurance, brokers to negotiate crappy deals for us at great profit to a small billionaire class. We fight for medical access for all, at comparable quality, at comparable prices as the rest of the free world, no exceptions, no compromises. That is what a progressive government does for the people.

   Doge has also made it their business to Disrespect Our Great Warriors, both retired and active. The disrespect our warriors have endured since the beginning of Trump’s first term must come to an end. Their vision of a “white” army is ludicrous. American patriots come from the people, they fight for the people, not wanna be dictators, and they stand by the people and await a declaration of war frim their representatives in Congress, if it is necessary. Most patriots consider it necessary only when we, or our allies are threatened. It is Congress who is tasked with deciding if our great warriors are to be engaged in wars overseas. Not the president. It is the president’s responsibility to see that the people’s will is carried out. Free us from this warmongering wannabe dictator.

   I have met no one who speaks of invading Greenland, or Canada or Panama. These are not the goals of any patriotic Americans or of its warriors.

   It seems to be the goal of two old men. One dictator, one wannabe dictator. They will be gone soon enough. Do not let them take our sons and daughters or our grandchildren with them to early graves.
   Their goal is to split the territories in the Arctic, for drilling, for mining, for trade routes. Which will make our planet hotter and our climate more unstable. Because they are too old, or greedy to embrace green technology and improve the health of our planet. The ship the Resolute was caught in the ice in the Arctic trying to find a northwest passage The nineteenth century sucked. Nobody but a couple of old dicks want to go back. Our children and our grandchildren have told us about the future they want. It is a healthier planet, that does not rely on fossil fuels. It is equality for all groups, everywhere at all times and it is peace.
   A leader who cannot work for peace is not of the people. They are of a
   class who has been rich all their lives. They have never served in the military. They cannot comprehend the sacrifices that families endure supporting a warrior. They do not work for the people. The designs on the Arctic are for money, for the priviledged. It is a tunnelvision to hell on Earth. They need to be rejected by the people. Free us and our posterity from war for profit.

   The current regime has set us back in our progress towards a world free of tyrants. Amillion people have died in the war for the freedom of Ukraie. More than two thirds are the people of Russia. No one is free until we ate all free. The Russian people were only free from a tyrant for a very short time. Less than ten years. It was glorious.

   It will take a generation or more to help them tealize that freedom again and to develop habits which will enable them to keep it. The Ukrainian people must remain free to teach former Soviet states in Europe that it can, and must be done. Because no one is free, until we are all free.

   Diplomacy is not a business deal. It is not in fact based on the relationship between two heads of state. The world is much more complicated than that. Every modern nation has a team of experts, dedicated to supporting thaeir nations mission and supplying their head of state with what they need to push their agenda forward. We have a sophisticated group of well educated, experienced, thoughtful people who have dedicated their lives to studying a single nation, or continent. specializes in a particular area of world trade or marketing or disinformation warfare. Diplomacy is an art. It is an art that takes decades to become a master. That is who needs to be representing us at critical negotiations with nations who have had the goal of destroying our way of life for the last 75 years. Not a salesman from Miami, not a hillbilly who hangs out with some computer geeks.

   This regime is hurting the people by alienating our allies. Allying with our enemies.

   This regime is also ruining our economy by presenting a facade that claims to ‘go back’ to a 19th century of revenue generation theory. Tarriffs. That was the precursor to the Great Depression. This mechanism is a poorly disguised method for generating bribes for the president from both our allies and our rivals. Most of our allies and rivals wont be bullied. They are, mostly, free peoples. Our products ate being boycotted around the world. Key exports are being tarriffed in response. It is crashing the stock market. Unless it is reversed we will go into a long depression. Much more expensive lumber from Russia is supposed to replace lumber frim Canada? Are you for real? Another ludicrously stupid idea. Who would that benefit?

   Government by billionaires for billionaires is the same kind of government that humans have suffered under for hundreds of thousands of years. It is the reverse of progress. We must reject it everywhere. We have progressed far beyond that.

   Our defense industry is being hollowed out. This is alarming. Defense contracts are being cancelled. New vendors are being sought. Progressive nations will not buy from autocrats. They will not buy technically sophisticated products which may contain a kill switch that they cannot control. Reports from Ukraine indicate that when Ikrainians turn Starlink on, a hailstorm from the Russians show tht their locations have been offered up, why?

   They wont buy built in obsolescence. They wont buy without sevice contracts that can be relied on. The regime has made us the most unteliable partner on the planet. It will take a generation or more to build trust and respect back from our allies.

   They have underestimated the power of a nation of people governed by the people for the people.
   Free our government from a regime of deception, corruption and catastrophic goals.

10. We should join with them and on May 9 march against fascism. Take the spotlight away from the ugliness at Red Square.

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