Conservative Politics, Religion, Culture, and Anything Else
From the category archives:
In what appears to be a move to ignite Cold War II, the Russians are threatening to station Russian military bombers in both Cuba and Venezuela. This is a blatant attempt to provoke the United States, or at the very least test the mettle of The One. What frightens me is that Obama does not [...]
{ 1 comment }
I’m kind of glad to see this year go. While fun was had, disappointments and external events put a particular funk on this year as I look back on it.
The biggest story of the year happened on my birthday when America chose to embrace our new status as an Obama Nation. We deserve what we [...]
{ 0 comments }
In cross-border raids yesterday from Iraq into a border-town in Syria, word has it that Abu Ghadiyain, a significant al Qaeda planner of operations in Iraq, was nabbed by US forces. Iran and Russia condemned the attack, but the Iraqis were not apologetic — they knew where the bad guys were.
I think the US decided that since [...]
{ 1 comment }
In his latest column, the syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer endorses John McCain for President. I love his column partially because he picks on the lily-livered, weak-kneed RINOs who are prematurely giving up or even jumping ship.
Then he makes a few simple points: the economy will return to normal like it always eventually does, Obama was dead wrong on the Surge and [...]
{ 0 comments }
There were discussions. There were negotiations. They lasted years. For some reason, today is the day Donald Tusk agreed to allow American-made missile interceptors on Polish soil. In exchange, the United States will provide assistance to Poland so that they can strengthen their military. The timing of today’s agreement is obviously anything but a coincidence.
Having [...]
{ 0 comments }
Most criticism of George W. Bush is off base and will look downright silly in a few years; however, one criticism of Bush is completely warranted. When Bush looked into Vladimir Putin’s eyes and saw a man he could trust, he should have done a double take. Today was the double take.
When the [...]
{ 2 comments }
…And I’m sure Putin is reeeally shuddering! Of course, it’s only a matter for the UN because Georgia’s Black Sea oil supply-line and port is being targeted, otherwise they’d wait for a few more Russian-on-Georgian calamities, like a decade of famine or ethnic cleansing policies, to take place. Either way, Russia’s Security Council veto will be exercised [...]
{ 3 comments }
Finally a journalist who has some sense of historical perspective beyond the contemporary headlines! Andrew Roberts wrote this article* comparing George W. Bush to another heavily maligned US president in his day, Harry S Truman.
I think the comparison may stand in historical perspective. Harry Truman was deeply disliked by the American people in 1952, blamed for an [...]
{ 5 comments }
NOTE: A FEW LIGHT SPOILERS:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008 ) was a damn great flick, following in the serious, yet sometimes tongue-in-cheek, pulp action of the originals! It was full of fun and outrageous death-defying action sequences, mystical plot twists, and of course the commies are the bad guys this time!
In [...]
{ 0 comments }
Russia inaugurates its new President, Dmitry Medvedev tomorrow, and no one is really sure whether Russia will turn toward democracy as they did under Yeltsin. Many argue that despite Medvedev’s constitutional role, the real power will continue to rest with the puppet-master Vladimir Putin, the soon to be Prime Minister. If this is [...]
{ 0 comments }
The first conspiracy theory I heard regarding the last Russian tsar’s family was that Princess Anastasia escaped execution by the Bolsheviks and was living somewhere in Europe. Leonard Nimoy (or whatever that dude who played Spock is called, help me out Ryan) even hosted spooky shows about it. That is, until 1991 when [...]
{ 1 comment }
While the voting is not finished over in Russia it’s safe to say that Putin’s hand-picked successor, who’s practically running unopposed by any serious candidate, Dmitry Medvedev will become Russia’s third president. Somehow I can’t see this guy turning into a Thomas Jefferson-type 3rd President, even though on the surface he seems marginally different than his [...]
{ 0 comments }
By now, most have heard about the sectarian violence which ensued after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. Some of that violence, pictured above, was directed at the United States embassy in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. America was of course outraged at the lack of security around our embassy and has protested through appropriate diplomatic [...]
{ 0 comments }
With the help of 16,000 NATO peacekeepers (of course), Kosovo officially declared its independence from Serbia! Good for them, and it’s about time!
Yet, Serbian nationalism is closely tied to Kosovo, for in June 1389, the Serbs were defeated by the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Kosovo Polje. Up until that point, Kosovo was a region [...]
{ 0 comments }
Vladimir Putin. Tsar Commissar General Secretary Vladimir Putin the Great/Terrible, Man of the Year. Seems to work for this power-hungry new version of an old Russian habit: autocratic rule through violence, intimidation, political assassinations, and saber-rattling. I’m disappointed. I honestly thought that Time would have chosen Algore for his global warming farce and anti-American rants at international [...]
{ 1 comment }
A very scary development out of Slovakia today: Slovak authorities indicated that two Hungarians and a Ukrainian were intercepted trying to sell their weapons-grade uranium powder to undercover investigators. Early indications are that the uranium was probably from Russia or some former Soviet state. It wasn’t enough material for a full-fledged nuke (this was only about a [...]
{ 0 comments }
Vladimir Putin is trying to whitewash Soviet History in a way reminiscent of the old Soviet propaganda newspaper, Pravda, which used clever language and bold-faced lies to advance the Bolshevik’s totalitarian agenda. As an historian, this kind of thing really bugs me and is often a harbinger of reactionary and revisionist politics, which Putin is steeped in [...]
{ 2 comments }
Yesterday I had the pleasure of hearing a lecture from Major General Oleg Kalugin, KGB (Retired) at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC through the American Institute for History Education (AIHE) grant through my school district. Not only was the International Spy Museum a really cool experience, but Oleg’s lecture was absolutely ground-shaking!
His credentials [...]
{ 2 comments }
Everyone’s favorite ex-KGB goon Vladimir Putin had a unique take on the USA and NATO at a speech commemorating the 62nd anniversary of the end of World War II on May 8: America and NATO’s foreign policy is like that of the Third Reich! Now he didn’t just come out and say that so bluntly, but in [...]
{ 0 comments }
Boris Yeltsin, the first President of post-Soviet Russia, died today at the age of 76. Known to many as the father of Russian democracy, Yeltsin is best remembered for his bold and courageous leadership against hard line Communists during a coup attempt while the Soviet Union was on the threshold of that ash heap [...]
{ 1 comment }
It has often been said that a new democracy’s first true test occurs when its second leader is in power. A democracy’s first leader is usually more of a consensus figure genuinely committed to the ideals of the new system. This dynamic now appears to be playing out in Russia, and it doesn’t [...]
{ 1 comment }
