Happy Putin!

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


er, killing American dissidents living in Moscow? That presents other problems, Id say.

If it turns out that Joyal was shot by Russian agents I think it should be noted that AFAIK he is not a dissident, but is an American citizen born and raised.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


If it turns out that Joyal was shot by Russian agents I think it should be noted that AFAIK he is not a dissident, but is an American citizen born and raised.

Good point. OTOH, without knowing anything about the investigation, my bayesian prior is that Joyal is much less likely to have been targeted by the FSB than Litvenenko. So Im not getting too excited about it, not till CSI Bowie, with help from the FBI and Jack Bauer, finish their investigation. Or the guy wakes up and says something about who shot him.


One wonders if Moscow Centre is smart enough to recruit black street thugs to make a hit like this? Or dumb enough to think a white mugger in PG county wouldnt look really, really, odd.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Assassinating people in other countries is not acceptable, full stop.

Why? We do it all the time. It's been part of US foreign policy since for a long time.

If anything, we should be mocking Putin for not being more inconspicuous about his assassinations.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Sava
we should be mocking Putin

Not in this thread!

[Colon™]

[Colon™]

[RGBVideo]

It wasn't hard to predict that you couldn't think for yourself...

Originally posted by Asmodean


And you, sir, are an arsehole.

Can you promise me that you will continue being one?

Asmodean

Hey, **** you too buddy. I've been right in every prediction I've made about Putin during the last 6 years, and I've had it with you idiots who repeat the conventional wisdom without realizing that you're always proved wrong within the next six months. But feel free to continue with your endless mental masturbation instead of learning anything new or trying to think critically for a moment.

Cold war is over, better get used to it.


What's awesome is that you didn't actually promise what I asked, instead turned the debate into nothing but an exchange of ad hominems. That's because deep within yourself you know that I am (again) 100% correct in my prediction about Putin and your prediction is BS.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Colon™

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Colon™

Poor Colon, I wonder how many Becquerels you are going to get for that

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by VJ

Yes.

Actually, all I want to hear is a promise that when Putin stops being President after ruling the country for 8 years and winning both of his elections fair and square exactly as the constitution says, all you idiots who have been sheepishly (dronishly, to make an SMAC reference) repeating what your media commentators and "experts" with their cold war mentality have said to you will admit that you were wrong, you were idiots, and you know nothing about Russia.

Can you promise that, Asmodean? Surely that must be an easy promise to make, for the entire definition of a dictator rests on the presupposition that Putin won't step down after ruling the country for two terms under the rules of a democratic constitution.

I havent said Putin is a dictator. Hes making the Russian state more authoritarian, and less democratic, but that hardly makes him a dictator.

And no, winning elections after having destroyed the independence of all broadcasting networks is hardly "fair and square"

Though he might well have won anyway.

[RGBVideo]

I havent said Putin is a dictator.

It wasn't really directed to you then.

Russia has no reason whatsoever to attack either NATO or USA. What we're having in Europe is old politicians who were praising USSR during the cold war trying to convince the citizens of the countries they rule (and themselves) that they're against the Evil Empire (tm) and always have been.

[Colon™]

Originally posted by LordShiva

Happy Putin.

[Sirotnikov]

I'm saying putin is a dictator

He's an authoritarian. He is probably not the single ruler of the country. There has to be a cabal, but he's important in the cabal, and he'll be replaced by a chosen guy, and will stay in the background.

You don't have to be president to call the shots.

[Solver]

Being authoritarian isn't enough to be a dictator. So I say he isn't a dictator. He's definitely cracking down on civil liberties, freedom of speech, etc., and is pretty aggressive, but not a dictator, although an authoritarian ruler.

And the real concern is that he's an autocrat, too, no one considers the Russian PM to be independent in any way, and it's not like the Parliament has ever opposed Putin.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Solver
it's not like the Parliament has ever opposed Putin.

No wonder he's happy