Saturday, September 21, 2013

Learn first what America is! - Letter to "Pravda"

9.23.13 - Update: 
The comments of: 
14:58 21 сентября, 
17:41 21 сентября, 
and 17:19 21 сентября 
were deleted by "Pravda" without any explanations. 
Interesting. 
I do not have any further comments at this point, except, maybe just to repeat that old adage: actions speak louder than words. 
"Будем надеяться": Let us hope that the "dialogue" will continue but in a proper and civilised fashion and that no one will try to take the others for the easy dupes (I think that we certainly do not do it). 

 9.21.13 - Update: 
This post was eventually published as a comment on the page hyperlinked below and evoked some very interesting responses from some anonymous (although I do have some idea who it is) mad Facebook pussycats and Twitter accounts without names and faces (both opened for this specific purpose, on 9.21.13), which, I think, reflects the depth of social psychopathology among "Pravda" commentators paid by the KGB or recently rehired (maybe, also for the same specific purpose and as a reward for the past "achievements") by some "higher-up" sources. Please, read these responses (most likely, they are from the one and the same "person"); it is quite enlightening. 

 Mr. Editor:
In the article:
"Американцы считают, что Маккейн в статье говорит о США, а не о России" (http://www.pravda.ru/news/world/20-09-2013/1175018-mccain-0/, in translation, "The Americans think that McCain in his article talks about the USA, not Russia" - I could not find this page in English on your site, strangely enough; was it intended mostly for your gullible Russian readers?)
there are names of some people, who as you claim, send their comments or responses to your paper.
Who are these people? How do we know that these responses are genuine?
Why there are no connections to their Facebook or Twitter pages?
I would not be surprised if these responses are manufactured by you with the purpose to confuse readers and that they are nothing more than falsifications.
For example, the name of "Nava Nova", which appears on the top of this list should not be confused with my blogging or pen name: Mike Nova, which appears in my blogs: RUSSIA and THE WEST (http://east-and-west-org.blogspot.com/), Mike Nova (http://mn-3.blogspot.com/) and others. My real name is Michael Novakhov, and I never hid or concealed neither of these names in my writings and comments, including the comments in "Russian Journal" starting from several years ago; I did not and do not have any reasons to do that. I suspect that this name "Nava Nova" was placed there specifically to create a confusion with my blogging name. If the responses that you publicised are real and from the real people, please present the proofs of it and present the connections with their other pages on the Internet, just like most other publications do, including the same "Russian Journal" and establish this as a matter of your general policy. If you are not able or willing to do this, then it can be assumed that these responses are fictitious, and it will also confirm, that contrary to the name of your paper, "Pravda" or "The Truth", there is no a grain of truth in whatever you publish and you are the same liars and manipulators, as you were in Soviet times. 
By the way, "America" is spelled exactly as it is, with the "c", not "Amerika", as it appears on your front page. Learn first the correct spelling and learn first what America is, before publishing your lies and nonsense. Even in this incorrect spelling you manage to exude your poison or just showing your ignorance, or trying to "rusify" the name and your understanding, or rather, misunderstanding of our country. This will not happen: you are not and will not be able to "rusify" America; this misspelling might just betray your own conscious or unconscious dream or desire: to "americanise" Russia, from which she will greatly benefit.
Absolutely sincerely and directly, Michael Novakhov

 I tried to send this letter to "Pravda" several times, but their email connection simply does not work, generating the "error" response: "Ошибка при отправке сообщения". 
Nothing works in Russia, except for her criminal state and for her criminal enterprises; the whole Russia is one huge "error response", very unfortunately for her perpetually suffering people; just like there had never been and there is no now any "truth" in "Pravda". 


facebook_100006161706609 в 14:58 21 сентября
уебан  во  всем своем безвкуссии, собственно  лицо тому подтверждение... Интересно   дети такие же дебилоиды или все таки от соседа??? будем надеятся  его жена была предусмотрительна в плане зачатия  и уберегла род  от копирайта этого   задолбыша
Ответить
  • Mike Nova в 17:41 21 сентября
    "будем надеятся" should be written "будем надеяться". Learn to speak and write the great Russian language, уёбок (as in "закрой свой рот ебучий уёбок сын ты сучий")! Будем надеяться that Haldol will help you with your mad logorrhea, this is your last hope, pussycat.
    Ответить
    • Mike Nova в 17:19 21 сентября
      Take your Haldol, pussycat; put it in your tap water.
      Ответить
    Twitter_576950237 в 12:10 21 сентября
    Die out of your poison!! All the world knows ameriKans are zombies and stupid robots. The US of AmeriKa is a state of devil ,false and shit! Wait a little,you will be destroyed soon!!!
    Russia was ,is and will be always.
    Spit onto you.
    ОтветитьСвернуть ветку⇑
    • Mike Nova в 17:21 21 сентября
      Twitter account without a face, commentator without brains: very symbolic of modern Russian "socium (социум)".


      First Posted on 9/20/2013 05:56:00 PM     Last Update on 9.21.13

    Posted by at No comments:

    Thursday, September 19, 2013

    Senator John McCain: Russians deserve better than Putin | McCain slams Putin in opinion piece for Pravda | Putin's New York Times Blunder - By Buck McKeon

    McCain slams Putin in opinion piece for Pravda

    BY DONNA CASSATA

    ASSOCIATED PRESS



    WASHINGTON -- Republican Sen. John McCain is accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of corruption, repression and self-serving rule in an opinion piece for Pravda that answers the Russian leader's broadside published last week in an American newspaper.
    In an op-ed headlined "Russians Deserve Better Than Putin," McCain singles out Putin and his associates for punishing dissent, specifically the death in prison of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. The Russian presidential human rights council found in 2011 that Magnitsky, who had accused Russian officials of colluding with organized criminals, had been beaten and denied medical treatment.
    McCain also criticized Putin for siding with Syrian President Bashar Assad in the 2½-year civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people.
    McCain insists that he is not anti-Russian but rather "more pro-Russian than the regime that misrules you today."
    "President Putin doesn't believe ... in you. He doesn't believe that human nature at liberty can rise above its weaknesses and build just, peaceful, prosperous societies. Or, at least, he doesn't believe Russians can. So he rules by using those weaknesses, by corruption, repression and violence. He rules for himself, not you," McCain wrote.
    The senator submitted the editorial to Pravda and was told it would be posted on Thursday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the editorial.
    McCain assailed Putin and his associates for writing laws that codify bigotry, specifically legislation on sexual orientation. A new Russian law imposes fines and up to 15 days in prison for people accused of spreading "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" to minors.
    On Syria, McCain said Putin is siding with a tyrant.
    "He is not enhancing Russia's global reputation. He is destroying it. He has made her a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed, and untrusted by nations that seek to build a safer, more peaceful and prosperous world," the Arizona senator said.
    McCain also criticized the imprisonment of the punk rock band Pussy Riot. The three women were convicted of hooliganism after staging an anti-Putin protest inside a Russian Orthodox Church.
    The article by McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, comes just days after the U.S. and Russian officials reached an ambitious agreement that calls for an inventory of Syria's chemical weapons program within a week, and its complete eradication by mid-2014. Diplomatic wrangling continues, however.
    Last week, Putin blamed opposition forces for the latest deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria and argued President Barack Obama's remarks about America were self-serving in an opinion piece for The New York Times. Putin also said it was dangerous for America to think of itself as exceptional, a reference to a comment Obama made.
    McCain was not the first U.S. lawmaker to respond to Putin. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., wrote in an editorial for the Moscow Times about the suppression of the Russian people and the disregard for basic human rights. 


    Senator John McCain: Russians deserve better than Putin

    19.09.2013
    Senator John McCain: Russians deserve better than Putin. 51143.jpeg
    When Pravda.ru editor, Dmitry Sudakov, offered to publish my commentary, he referred to me as "an active anti-Russian politician for many years." I'm sure that isn't the first time Russians have heard me characterized as their antagonist. Since my purpose here is to dispel falsehoods used by Russia's rulers to perpetuate their power and excuse their corruption, let me begin with that untruth. I am not anti-Russian. I am pro-Russian, more pro-Russian than the regime that misrules you today.
    I make that claim because I respect your dignity and your right to self-determination. I believe you should live according to the dictates of your conscience, not your government. I believe you deserve the opportunity to improve your lives in an economy that is built to last and benefits the many, not just the powerful few. You should be governed by a rule of law that is clear, consistently and impartially enforced and just. I make that claim because I believe the Russian people, no less than Americans, are endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
    A Russian citizen could not publish a testament like the one I just offered. President Putin and his associates do not believe in these values. They don't respect your dignity or accept your authority over them. They punish dissent and imprison opponents. They rig your elections. They control your media. They harass, threaten, and banish organizations that defend your right to self-governance. To perpetuate their power they foster rampant corruption in your courts and your economy and terrorize and even assassinate journalists who try to expose their corruption. 
    They write laws to codify bigotry against people whose sexual orientation they condemn. They throw the members of a punk rock band in jail for the crime of being provocative and vulgar and for having the audacity to protest President Putin's rule.

    Sergei Magnistky wasn't a human rights activist. He was an accountant at a Moscow law firm. He was an ordinary Russian who did an extraordinary thing. He exposed one of the largest state thefts of private assets in Russian history. He cared about the rule of law and believed no one should be above it. For his beliefs and his courage, he was held in Butyrka prison without trial, where he was beaten, became ill and died. After his death, he was given a show trial reminiscent of the Stalin-era and was, of course, found guilty. That wasn't only a crime against Sergei Magnitsky. It was a crime against the Russian people and your right to an honest government - a government worthy of Sergei Magnistky and of you. 
    President Putin claims his purpose is to restore Russia to greatness at home and among the nations of the world. But by what measure has he restored your greatness? He has given you an economy that is based almost entirely on a few natural resources that will rise and fall with those commodities. Its riches will not last. And, while they do, they will be mostly in the possession of the corrupt and powerful few. Capital is fleeing Russia, which - lacking rule of law and a broad-based economy - is considered too risky for investment and entrepreneurism. He has given you a political system that is sustained by corruption and repression and isn't strong enough to tolerate dissent.
    How has he strengthened Russia's international stature? By allying Russia with some of the world's most offensive and threatening tyrannies. By supporting a Syrian regime that is murdering tens of thousands of its own people to remain in power and by blocking the United Nations from even condemning its atrocities. By refusing to consider the massacre of innocents, the plight of millions of refugees, the growing prospect of a conflagration that engulfs other countries in its flames an appropriate subject for the world's attention. He is not enhancing Russia's global reputation. He is destroying it. He has made her a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed, and untrusted by nations that seek to build a safer, more peaceful and prosperous world.
    President Putin doesn't believe in these values because he doesn't believe in you. He doesn't believe that human nature at liberty can rise above its weaknesses and build just, peaceful, prosperous societies. Or, at least, he doesn't believe Russians can. So he rules by using those weaknesses, by corruption, repression and violence. He rules for himself, not you. 
    I do believe in you. I believe in your capacity for self-government and your desire for justice and opportunity. I believe in the greatness of the Russian people, who suffered enormously and fought bravely against terrible adversity to save your nation. I believe in your right to make a civilization worthy of your dreams and sacrifices. When I criticize your government, it is not because I am anti-Russian. It is because I believe you deserve a government that believes in you and answers to you. And, I long for the day when you have it.

    » John McCain aims broadside at Vladimir Putin with reply editorial - The Guardian
    19/09/13 12:56 from world - Google News
    The GuardianJohn McCain aims broadside at Vladimir Putin with reply editorialThe GuardianHe has made her a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed, and untrusted by nations that seek to build a safer, more peaceful and prosperous...

    Read also:

    Сенатор Джон Маккейн: "Россияне заслуживают лучшего, чем Путин"

    19.09.2013 | Источник:

    Правда.Ру


    Я верю в величие российского народа и его стремление жить в обществе справедливости, открытых возможностей и иметь правительство достойное его устремлений и принесенных жертв. Когда я критикую ваше правительство, я делаю это не потому, что я настроен против России. Я делаю это потому, что вы заслуживаете такое правительство, которое верило бы в вас, уважало вас и было бы вам подотчетно. Я надеюсь увидеть тот день, когда это произойдет.

    Когда редактор "Правды.Ру" Дмитрий Судаков предложил опубликовать мой комментарий, он назвал меня политиком, "выступающим с антироссийской точкой зрения уже много лет". И действительно, российские граждане уже не в первый раз слышат обо мне как об их противнике. Поскольку моя цель сегодня разрушить фальсификации, используемые правителями России для сохранения их власти и оправдания коррупционности, позвольте мне начать с исправления этой неправды. Я — не антироссийский. Я пророссийский, более пророссийский чем тот режим, который плохо управляет вами сегодня.
    Я заявляю это потому, что я уважаю ваше достоинство и ваше право на самоопределение. Я верю, что вы должны жить в соответствии с предписаниями вашей совести, а не правительства. Я верю, что вы заслуживаете возможности улучшить вашу жизнь, живя в стране, где экономика процветает и создает блага для многих, а не только для кучки власть имущих. Вы должны жить в правовом государстве, где законы ясны, справедливы и применяются последовательно и беспристрастно. Я заявляю это потому, что я верю, что люди в России не менее, чем американцы наделены нашим Создателем неотчуждаемыми "правами на жизнь, свободу и стремление к счастью", как гласит американская Декларация Независимости.
    Российский гражданин не мог бы опубликовать заявление, подобное тому, которое я сейчас сделал. Президент Путин и его окружение не верят в эти ценности. Они не уважают ваше достоинство и не признают вашу власть над ними. Они наказывают несогласие и арестовывают оппонентов. Они манипулируют вашими выборами. Они контролируют ваши средства массовой информации. Они преследуют, угрожают, и запрещают организации, защищающие ваше право на самоуправление. Чтобы сохранить свою власть, они поощряют процветание коррупции в ваших судах и в экономике, терроризируют и даже убивают журналистов, пытающихся разоблачать их коррупционность.
    Они пишут законы, устанавливающие непримиримость в отношении тех, чью сексуальную ориентацию они осуждают. Они сажают в тюрьму участников панк-рок группы за преступление, которое состояло в том, что ее члены были провокационными и вульгарными и имели дерзость протестовать против правления президента Путина.
    Сергей Магнитский не был борцом за права человека. Он был бухгалтером в московской юридической фирме. Он был обычным русским человеком, который сделал нечто необычное. Он разоблачил одну из крупнейших в Российской истории краж частных активов государством. Он верил в торжество закона и считал, что никто не может быть выше закона. Из-за его взглядов и мужества он оказался в Бутырской тюрьме, где его держали без суда, где он был избит, заболел и умер. После смерти над ним провели показательный процесс, напоминающий процессы сталинской эпохи, и, конечно, он был признан виновным. Это было преступление не только против Сергея Магнитского. Это было преступление против российских людей и вашего права на честное правительство, правительство достойное Сергея Магнитского и вас.
    Президент Путин утверждает, что его цель — восстановить величие России как в глазах сограждан, так и на мировой арене. Но какими средствами он восстановил ваше величие? Он дал вам экономику, которая почти полностью базируется на нескольких природных ресурсах и будет подниматься и падать вместе с ними. Ее процветание не будет длительным. А пока оно будет сохраняться, эти богатства будут во владении кучки коррумпированных власть имущих. Капиталы бегут из России, которая при отсутствии правового государства и диверсифицированной экономики воспринимается слишком рискованной для инвестиций и предпринимательства. Он дал вам политическую систему, которая поддерживается коррупцией и репрессиями и недостаточно сильна, чтобы допустить несогласие.
    Как он укрепил международные позиции России? Взяв в союзники России самые агрессивные и угрожающие всем тирании. Поддерживая сохранение у власти сирийского режима, убивающего десятки тысяч собственных граждан, и не допуская даже осуждения этих зверств Организацией Объединенных Наций. Его отказ принимать во внимание уничтожение невинных, тяжелое положение миллионов беженцев, растущую вероятность большого пожара, способного распространить свое пламя на другие страны, должен стать предметом мирового внимания. Он не поднимает репутацию России в мире. Он разрушает ее. Он сделал Россию другом тиранов и врагом угнетаемых, ей не доверяют народы, которые стараются сделать нашу планету более безопасной, мирной и процветающей.
    Президент Путин не верит в эти ценности потому, что он не верит в вас. Он не верит, что на свободе человеческая природа может подняться над своими слабостями и построить справедливое, мирное и процветающее общество. Или как минимум, он не верит, что это могут сделать граждане России. Поэтому он правит, используя эти слабости, с помощью коррупции, репрессий и насилия. Он правит для себя, но не для вас.
    Я верю в вас. Я верю в вашу способность к самоуправлению и в ваше стремление к справедливости и миру открытых возможностей. Я верю в величие российских людей, которые тяжело страдали и смело боролись с ужасными невзгодами, чтобы спасти свой народ. Я верю в ваше право создать цивилизацию, достойную ваших стремлений и принесенных жертв. Я критикую ваше правительство не потому, что я антироссийски настроен. Я это делаю потому, что я верю, что вы заслуживаете правительство, которое верит в вас и подотчетно вам. Я надеюсь увидеть тот день, когда это произойдет.
    Читайте также:


    Putin's New York Times Blunder

    18 September 2013 | Issue 5215
    By Buck McKeon


    In his much-discussed op-ed in The New York Times last week, President Vladimir Putin has made a curious case to the American people and the international community about the conflict in Syria. Using flowery language about internationalism, diplomacy and compassion, Putin made a few reasonable points, but by and large he drew entirely the wrong conclusions about the nature of the Syrian conflict and the lessons he should learn about the U.S. response.
    Putin wryly characterizes his opposition to Western involvement in Syria as a benevolent appeal of empathy for the innocents and respect for international law. Putin has warned that the violence in Syria would be worsened by U.S. intervention. He humbly omitted Russia's role in that affair: in the millions of tons of equipment, ammunition and arms that he has sent to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. These weapons have killed far more Syrians than chemical weapons. With more than 100,000 Syrian civilians killed, the blood of scores of innocents is on Putin's hands.
    The readers of Putin's op-ed know irony when they see it — especially when it's Putin who is urging Americans to observe the rule of law.
    Putin speaks grandly on the importance of the United Nations and chides the U.S. for failing to seek UN Security Council authorization for humanitarian interventions. Of course, the U.S. has not been alone in seeking this authorization to deter the Assad regime — and other tyrannical regimes like it across the globe — from committing more crimes against humanity. It is Putin and his Chinese counterparts who have blocked this avenue. The world continues to wait for leadership from Putin or the Chinese Communist Party when it comes to human rights.
    My suspicion is that Putin's sudden inspired confidence in the UN isn't so much warmhearted goodwill as it is a place where he has a veto over Western strategic interests. After all, I imagine the Security Council was as surprised as I was to see Putin's tanks rolling towards Tblisi, Georgia in 2008.
    I acknowledge that U.S. humanitarian interventions are controversial and often unpopular. We have seen successes and failures. With that said, I welcome any humanitarian comparisons between the Western intervention in Libya and Putin's intervention in Chechnya.
    To be fair, Putin did get one thing right. Neither the U.S. nor Russia is interested in seeing a fundamentalist Islamic state emerge from Syria. But with that said, he is spinning a tall tale that the American people don't buy and the international community shouldn't believe.
    The Americans who read Putin's op-ed are not dupes. They are aware of the suppression of the Russian people, the intimidation of journalists and the wanton disregard for basic human rights. In addition, they are able to identify irony when they see it — particularly when it is Putin who is making a spontaneous appeal for humanitarianism and the observance of rule of law.
    But it is difficult to overlook his glaringly obvious strategic aims. Putin is trying to achieve two simple objectives. First, he wants his puppet Assad to remain in power, and he wants the Russian Navy to have the ability to park their ships at the five heavy piers in Tartus, Syria. Second, Putin wants to mischaracterize the resolve and nature of Americans, suggesting that the U.S. is in decline and rules without a rudder.
    Western intervention would likely mean a degradation of Assad's tools of terror. Putin knows that the U.S. may have its challenges, but we have no equal when it comes to destroying a dictator's tools of war. All Putin can do is be a spoiler. No wonder Putin would be interested in bringing any Western initiative before the UN, where he has veto power — his only true measure of great-power status.
    Putin miscalculated when he tried to mask his self-interest with benevolence. He also miscalculated in achieving his second objective, using a surreal blend of hypocrisy and convenient ignorance of the facts. No one should confuse U.S. reluctance to use force at this time in Syria with a reluctance to defend our national security or to use all means necessary to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
    U.S. President Barack Obama may well not have persuaded Americans that Assad's use of chemical weapons in the midst of the Syrian civil war affects our national security. Likewise, many members of Congress remain unconvinced that the limited military action he proposed would achieve the aims that Obama outlined. Some say that the uncertain outcome of military action with such limited goals isn't worth the strain on U.S. military forces. But this is a temporary failure of leadership, and the current circumstances are unique. Demonstrate to us that vital U.S. interests are at stake, and we will act decisively.
    History is on our side. Putin may be a fair-weather UN fan. So be it. But make no mistake: It is the U.S., not the UN, that has provided the strategic framework for stability and peace since World War II.
    That responsibility will continue for decades to come — with or without the approval of Putin.

    Buck McKeon is a Republican U.S. representative from California and chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services.





    Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/19/3636149/mccain-slams-putin-in-opinion.html#storylink=cpy
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    Sunday, September 15, 2013

    "A wolf’s grin" - Reactions to Putin's NYT op-ed article: President Putin should give more credit to his audience: Russia will be judged by its actions | Putin's comments caused consternation among politicians and commentators in the United States | Boehner Says He Was 'Insulted' by Putin Op-Ed | Senator Robert Menendez, the chairman of the foreign relations committee, said on CNN he "almost wanted to vomit" when he read the op-ed at dinner on Wednesday | Ketchum has earned more than $25 million working for Russia | "A wolf’s grin" - by ROSS DOUTHAT - NYT: "Vlad": “Oh — and if I should need post-presidential career outside of Mother Russia, I think my Op-Ed sets me up nicely to become a columnist for your New York Times, no?”




    Mike Nova comments: 

     Mr. Putin, If you believe that whatever you say and do is so true, correct and convincing, why do you need to pay millions of dollars to public relations firms (almost two million dollars were paid to Ketchum just in the first half of this year) when so many people in Russia go plain hungry? Maybe this money would be better spent on establishing more soup kitchens in Russia and feeding the poor? Or do you not really believe that it is true, correct and convincing and prefer to influence and buy public opinion abroad to exercise "soft power" rather than to take care of your own people? 
    __________________________________________________
    PATRICK CHAPPATTE

    A Russian Take on Syria


    Patrick Chappatte

    Published: September 13, 2013     Putin takes center stage.

    What Vladimir Putin didn't tell the American people about Syria

    Russia's leader poses as a champion of the rule of law in a New York Times op-ed, but his record as Assad's backer is shameful



    President Putin should give more credit to his audience: Russia will be judged by its actions, both on the international arena and domestically. So far, Russia has been a key obstacle to ending the suffering in Syria. A change towards a more constructive role would be welcome. But a compilation of half-truths and accusations is not the right way to signal such a change.
    • This article was originally published on Human Rights Watch's Dispatches blog and is crossposted by kind permission
    -

    Vladimir Putin wrote 'basic content' of New York Times op-ed, spokesman says


    Russian president's article, which took a swipe at Obama over Syria, was pitched to the Times by pro-Russian firm Ketchum


    Putin's comments caused consternation among politicians and commentators in the United States. Senator Robert Menendez, the chairman of the foreign relations committee, said on CNN he "almost wanted to vomit" when he read the op-ed at dinner on Wednesday. The article "really raises the questions of how serious this Russian proposal is," Menendez said.
    ...

    Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the New York Times, confirmed that it was Ketchum who approached the newspaper. A spokeswoman for Ketchum said she could not comment on the op-ed but that the company would be providing a written statement later.
    According to a Department of Justice filing published by ProPublica, Ketchum was under contract with the Russian Federation to promote "Russia as a place favorable for foreign investments". The contract was extended late last year, and ProPublica reported that the PR firm received $1.9m from Russia in the first half of 2013.
    "The opinion piece was written by President Putin and submitted to the New York Times on his behalf by Ketchum for their consideration," Ketchum said in a statement to the Guardian.
    ...

    Putin unveiled a new foreign policy document in February that named soft power and economic diplomacy the new top priorities of Russia's relations with the world. The country would "develop its own effective means of information influence on public opinion abroad," the document stated.

    -
    Boehner Says He Was 'Insulted' by Putin Op-Ed
    Speaker John A. Boehner shared a candid moment with reporters Thursday regarding  Russian President Vladimir Putin's op-ed in The New York Times about Syria.Stephen Crowley/The New York TimesSpeaker John A. Boehner shared a candid moment with reporters Thursday regarding  Russian President Vladimir Putin’s op-ed in The New York Times about Syria.
    WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner said he was “insulted” byPresident Vladimir V. Putin of Russia’s op-ed article in Thursday’s New York Times.
    In the article, Mr. Putin questioned President Obama’s justification for seeking military action against Syria and implored the White House, “We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.”
    Asked what he thought of Mr. Putin’s words, Mr. Boehner told reporters on Thursday, “It’s probably why I’ve suggested I have doubts about the motives of the Russians and Assad,” referring to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
    Because his first answer was so brief, he was asked again what he thought more candidly. He responded, “I was insulted.”
    -
    LETTERS - NYT

    Putin’s Plea: Sampling the Reviews

    Published: September 12, 2013

    -

    U.S. public-relations firm helps Putin make his case to America - Reuters

    Thu, Sep 12 2013
    WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - In April 2011, then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was asked an unusually flattering question by an American journalist: "Are you the coolest man in politics?"
    The interview, which ran on the website of Outdoor Life magazine, was set up by Ketchum Inc., the U.S. public-relations firm that has worked to burnish Russia's image since 2006.
    On Thursday, Ketchum scored another public-relations coup: It helped place a Putin commentary in opinion pages of The New York Times, just as representatives from Russia and the United States were beginning to meet in Geneva to negotiate a plan for Syria to give up its chemical weapons.
    The article made quite a splash in Washington. Putin painted himself as a peacemaker and lectured the United States for what he said was a tendency to use "brute force" in world disputes. U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said he was "insulted" by the article, while the White House noted that Putin was taking advantage of press freedoms unavailable in Russia.
    Ketchum, a division of the Omnicom Group Inc., has earned more than $25 million working for Russia, according to documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice. It also has been paid more than $26 million since 2007 to promote Gazprom, Russia's state-owned gas company.
    In 2007, Ketchum successfully lobbied Time magazine to name Putin its "Person of the Year," according to U.S. Justice Department lobbying disclosure filings that show repeated meetings between Ketchum representatives and Time staffers.
    "He expanded his outsize - if not always benign - influence on global affairs," Time wrote of Putin.
    Meanwhile, Ketchum staffers urged the State Department to soften its assessment of Russia's human-rights record that year, according to lobbying records. The company has also reached out to reporters who have written articles chronicling Russian human-rights abuses.
    Russia's efforts to boost its image in U.S. media outlets have come as the country has cracked down on human rights at home.
    Ketchum also has encouraged reporters, including those at Reuters, to write about Russian trade summits, technology companies, golf and wrestling, as well as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
    In response to questions from Reuters, Ketchum replied with a general statement, saying that its work with the Russian government has focused on "facilitating the relationship between representatives of the Russian Federation and the Western media and creating a broader dialogue."
    'QUITE APPALLING'
    Putin, who started his career in the KGB, was Russia's president from 2000 to 2008, returning to the office last year after four years as prime minister.
    Since then, Russia has passed laws that, to many in the United States, have seemed to echo policies from the Soviet era of rigid government control of citizens' daily lives - and that have created public-relations challenges for Ketchum, Russia's promoter in America.
    Putin's return has brought laws that restrict public protests, limit nongovernmental groups and make it easier for authorities to censor the Internet in Russia.
    Russian media outlets have been pressured to fire editors and reporters who criticize the government, according to the U.S. State Department.
    Anna Neistat, an associate director at Human Rights Watch, questioned whether it was appropriate for a U.S. company to advance the interests of a client that restricts human rights at home.
    "An American company that does operate in a fairly free democratic society should probably think twice before supporting something like that," Neistat said. "From a personal perspective, I of course find it quite appalling."
    Ketchum has done substantial work for the U.S. government, and came under some criticism in 2004 for producing prepackaged news stories that did not disclose that they were government-funded.
    Ketchum also has faced criticism for placing pro-Russian opinion pieces by seemingly independent writers in a range of U.S. media outlets, according to ProPublica, an investigative news organization.
    Other Ketchum clients have included FedEx, Absolut , Mattel and Sony.
    AN 'APPROPRIATE ACTIVITY'
    Foreign governments are a substantial business for U.S. lobbying and public-relations companies, industry analysts say, and there's nothing illegal about representing countries that have less-than-stellar human-rights records as long as the companies provide detailed reports of their activities to the U.S. government.
    "This is a very appropriate activity, and one that helps advance peace and justice," said Roger Bolton, president of the Arthur W. Page Society, an association of public-relations executives.
    "When public relations firms advise clients, they invariably advocate for the importance of listening to and accommodating others' views," he added.
    That appeared to be part of the goal of Putin's opinion piece in The New York Times.
    Putin said the Syria crisis had prompted him to "speak directly to the American people and their personal leaders," but the article seemed to anger key parts of his audience.
    Putin said the United States should work through the United Nations to respond to a chemical attack in Syria last month that the United States said had killed more than 1,400 people. Putin's article did not mention that Russia has blocked the United Nations from taking action against Syria, an ally of Russia.
    Putin suggested that Syrian rebels, rather than the government of President Bashar al-Assad, were responsible for the chemical attack. Putin challenged President Barack Obama's assertion that the United States, as an "exceptional" nation, had a responsibility to take action against Assad for using chemical weapons.
    "It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional," Putin wrote.
    That drew a sharp response from the White House.
    "Russia offers a stark contrast that demonstrates why America is exceptional. Unlike Russia, the United States stands up for democratic values and human rights in our own country and around the world," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
    While, Boehner, the top Republican in Washington, said he was "insulted" by Putin's article, other U.S. lawmakers also weighed in with biting criticism.
    Several foreign-policy analysts questioned whether Russia's efforts through Ketchum were worth the money.
    "Russia pours lots of money into these arrangements, all aimed at dealing with an image problem in the West. But it's unclear to me if there's much return on investment," said Andrew Weiss, a Russia specialist who served under presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
    -

    » Vladimir Putin: arch manipulator with a mission to check US will | Observer profile
    15/09/13 04:38 from World news: Russia | guardian.co.uk
    The Russian president has been vilified for his stance on Syria, but his manoeuvres over American foreign policy indicate his astuteness – and cunning – as a statesmanIn novelist Victor Pelevin's pungent satire on contemporary Russia, Th...

     » In Russia, politics and nationalist pride are the basis of Putin's anti ... - Washington Post
    14/09/13 23:15 from Russia - Google News
    Washington PostIn Russia, politics and nationalist pride are the basis of Putin's anti ...Washington PostMOSCOW — First, Vladimir Putin accused Hillary Rodham Clinton of inciting protests against him at the end of 2011. The next fall...

    OP-ED COLUMNIST

    Call Me Vlad

    By 
    Published: September 14, 2013
    "Vlad": “Yes, yes, I admit, America really is different. Sometimes, deep in my cold, black heart, I even feel flicker of admiration for that difference ...”
    ... 
    “But mostly it makes me insane..." 
    ...
    Ross Douthat: "...But in the long run, you’re a prisoner of your corrupt system. You’ll either hang on while it crumbles or step down and end up jailed by your successor.”
    ...
    He rose, pecs flexing, and looked around my office. “Oh — and if I should need  post-presidential career outside of Mother Russia, I think my Op-Ed sets me up nicely to become a columnist for your New York Times, no?”

    "Then he grinned  —   a wolf’s grin — and showed himself out."

    ________________________

    Posted by at       Last Update on 9.15.13 







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    Gay Man In Russia Apparently Raped By Vigilantes On Video

    Sunday, September 15, 2013

    Russia

    Gay Man In Russia Apparently Raped By Vigilantes On Video

    A screen shot from a video purportedly showing a man being threatened at gunpoint while being forced to sodomize himself with a bottle.
    A screen shot from a video purportedly showing a man being threatened at gunpoint while being forced to sodomize himself with a bottle.
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    Friday, September 13, 2013

    "The tears that have been shed internationally have been of the crocodile variety"

    As for the impact of the revelations about the capabilities of the NSA and GCHQ on allies, Inkster said the reality was any government with a national communications system also had a national signal intelligence capability.
    "The tears that have been shed internationally have been of the crocodile variety," he said in an apparent reference to US allies, notably Germany, which have expressed concern about the activities of the NSA and GCHQ and the extent of their ability to intercept communications.
    Inkster was speaking at a press conference at the launch of the latest annual Strategic Survey published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

    Ex-MI6 deputy chief plays down damage caused by Snowden leaks

    Nigel Inkster's comments contrast with claims made by officials that disclosures have seriously damaged UK security


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