By N.S.
wednesday, june 28, 2023 at 04:03:24 p.m. edt
"Zelensky moves to cancel traditional Christmas"
rt russia & former soviet union
https://www.rt.com/russia/578860-zelensky-cancels-traditional-christmas/
The war on Christmas continues.
Since russia today is Vladimir Putin's personal rag, this "story" is just a part of the spitting contest between the two dictators.
Also,elections cancelled--until further notice--due to marshall law.Biden's people figuring out how to do that here.
ReplyDelete--GRA
Putin's a dictator? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteHe's highly intelligent and thoughtful. The Chechens think highly of him. He has three-hour phone conversations with citizens. He visits a lot of places and talks at length with the people there. Russia was under a communist dictatorship for 70 years. Might it not be a tricky endeavor to try to move past that dreadful experience? He seems popular. Lavrov and Zakharova seem like first-rate people and not at all like people who would be happy being tools of a dictator.
I don't get it.
"I don't get it."
ReplyDeletelol
well, you see there is this thing called the conservatard right, and ...
Somehow I expected better manners from you, Mr. Stix. I'll chalk it up to your having a bad day.
ReplyDeleteDear Colonel,
ReplyDeleteI believe you were responding to someone else ("lol" and "the conservatard right").
"dictator (google) a ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained control by force."
I don't see how being "highly intelligent and thoughtful" precludes one being a dictator.
Oh, drat. I beg your pardon. Senility is a bitch.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't see the total power part. And thoughtful is consistent with his various speeches and efforts to negotiate a new security arrangement for Europe. And his easy familiarity with citizens shows great self confidence and a commitment to persuasion and accessibility. He doesn't hide behind a press secretary. The citizens willingly participate in these exchanges and would not if they sensed it was for show.
So where is the total part of his total power and by what violent means did Putin come to power? There are plenty of rough customers still active in Russia. Organized crime is big there and the siloviki might require a certain sternness.
Too, Putin conducted himself well in St. Petersburg where he apparently showed commendable loyalty to his boss, I think it was. His ending up as president seems to have involved impressive human and political skills. I say character gives him his authority not force.
One sees the same in Syria. Assad is frequently referred to as a "dictator" but he's far from it. The mad dog ophthalmologist, I like to call him.
So people who throw around the term "dictator" have to do more than make casual allegations IMO. A bit like people here who are always on about "our democracy." Well, they need to 'splain to me in what we have a government that's remotely responsive to the will of the people and attentive to their interests.