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Russian Historian Arrested And Sent For Psychiatric Test by Putin Officials After Detailing Stalin Atrocities

225px-Vladimir_Putin_official_portraitCroppedStalin1943The erosion of free speech in Russia under Vladimir Putin has been an unfolding tragedy for Russia.  As is often the case, the loss of freedom of speech often goes hand-in-hand with the loss of academic freedom.  However, the arrest of a Russian historian, Yuri Dmitriev, 61, is particularly chilling and raises legitimate comparisons with the Stalinist period. That is fitting given the fact that Dmitriev is being forced into psychiatric testing after writing about the discovery of thousands of bodies from the 1930s — victims of Joe Stalin.  Putin has ordered a revisionist history on Stalin to glorify his reign and downplay the millions killed by the bloodsoaked dictator.

Dmitriev remained committed to the truth despite constant pressure from the government.  He excavated areas bordering Finland and focused on victims near the notorious Solovki prison camp.  He found more than one mass grave in the region, documenting 13,000 of Stalin’s victims in Karelia alone.

After his academic work achieved international attention, Dmitriev was arrested  on a variety of charges that critics insist are trumped up by Putin officials.  They include child pornography (involving pictures of his adopted daughter), illegal possession of “the main elements” of a firearm, and depravity. They have now forced him into psychiatric testing.

The work of Dmitriev came out after Putin ordered the an end to the “excessive demonization of Stalin.”  The Russians have worked tirelessly to scrub the history surrounding World War II, including not just the millions who died under Stalin’s rule but the Russian pact with Hitler (and subsequent invasion of neighboring countries) before Hitler turned on Stalin.  Stalin by all accounts was a paranoid moron who left his country vulnerable to attack and made horrendous decisions both during the war and after the war that killed millions.

While Dmitriev was previously found sane, prosecutors are trying again with a new round of tests to look at his “sexual deviations.”  As if to guarantee comparison with Stalin, the Putin government has flown Dmitriev to be evaluated at the Serbsky Centre, the infamous facility used during the Soviet period to lock up political dissidents as mentally ill.

293 thoughts on “Russian Historian Arrested And Sent For Psychiatric Test by Putin Officials After Detailing Stalin Atrocities”

      1. Freedom of the Press foundation huh? That sorry organization (linked to Paypal’s Pierre Omidyar, owner of The Intercept) which just stopped processing donations for Wikileaks? Shill organization.

        Julian Assange’s Dec 2017 email “…it is important to recall why FPF was set up.

        John and I felt strongly that donating to WikiLeaks was an act of
        free speech and free association. The fundamental motivation of the
        FPF was not only to protect WikiLeaks’ directly but also to protect
        its US readers’ speech and associational rights in their act of
        donating to WikiLeaks. FPF was also designed to litigate on behalf
        of WikiLeaks and its donors. Its name was chosen for the impression
        that it would convey on a docket.

        The structure of FPF is the way it is because it was customized to
        counter political and legal pressure against WikiLeaks, its donors,
        and upstream financial intermediaries. FPF was set up to anonymize
        WikiLeaks donors by also collecting for other organizations so that
        financial records could not be used to determine which organization
        received funds from which donor.

        The FPF faces criticism for receiving donations on our behalf, but
        that is its function. If it bows to political pressure it becomes
        part of the problem it was designed to solve and yet another spurious
        free speech organization–of which there are plenty. WikiLeaks
        cannot be ‘cycled off’ as political pressure increases or as FPF
        seeks to embrace establishment foundations such Ford, whose historical
        relationship with the CIA is well documented. To do so is a betrayal
        of the FPF’s founding purpose.”

        https://pastebin.com/raw/qnB5gMam

    2. Lookin at da list of those who voted no way. Ellison is on it. This blog calls him “evil”.

      1. Keith Ellison tweeted a photo of himself holding The Antifascist Handbook and promoting it as a tool to strike fear in Trump, and by extension, anyone who isn’t aligned with the DNC. That tweet to me indicates he supports the content of the book. We all know the damage antifa members have done to Americans and their communities nationwide. That’s proof enough for me to call Ellison “evil.” How about you, Ken?

            1. CCS – antifa has been pretty quiet since it got cold. Spring is coming. 😉

              1. PCS, It’s not cold in CA. I imagine Felarca’s fine has had somewhat of a chilling effect on the movement, as the black-masked fascists are starting to realize they might have to pay a price for their law-breaking. Nevertheless, statements on AntiFA activity level are beside the point. This is a question of Ellison’s support of a toxic, evil, ideology, and Ken’s inability to acknowledge that.

        2. You make good sense Cape Cod. Those that disagree don’t seem to understand cause and effect.

    3. John Arnold and Pew are working together on aerial community surveillance projects. (They also worked together on an anti-pension project, visiting state capitols to give testimony.) The Baltimore Sun reported on Arnold funding for a surveillance program conducted by the Baltimore police, about which elected community leaders were provided no information.

      A similar theme of community surveillance is stated as a goal at the Walton’s GenNext site. Two people featured at the site were Donald Rumsfeld and Janet Napolitano.

      1. I looked up into the sky and saw a combat aircraft with a long trail behind it. Chemtrails! Probably to keep up in the dark about the reptillians who are descended from Roswell. Thank you Linda for donning your best tintoil hat and clueing us all in. By the way, tell us about your ocholocracy. I’ve been asking for a while now.

      1. Linda, it sounds like you didn’t understand what Independent Bob had to say. I think you are possessed with a concrete thinking process.

  3. Do you know what else this reminds me of? The Clinical Assistant who has been on the news claiming that Trump should be forcibly restrained for a psychiatric evaluation against his will. Mind you, she does not have a degree in psychology.

    The Left has declared that those who disagree with them are mentally unfit for many years. That’s what led to the Goldwater Rule. Polarization of the psychiatric industry led to severe abuse of the profession. Every single time a Republican runs, he is deemed unfit by the Left, both unintelligent and mentally unstable. It’s a strong pattern. Rather than simply agree or disagree with policy, it always goes to mental capacity. Same with Reagan, Bush, Romney.

    Barry Goldwater’s father was Jewish. Although he was raised Episcopalian, he could have been the first sitting President in history with a Jewish family. Now Trump has that distinction.

    1. yah, but too bad Trump didn’t leave them at home. No one sane wants Jared meddling in international affairs.

    2. Da obsession with T rump’s daughter Javanka interfaith marriage is creepin me out. Chelsea and Huma married Jews. Should not be a big deal unless one has a problem with the marriages . Is 2017 not 1937.

  4. Nice to see Putin hasn’t forgotten his Stalinist upbringing. Give me the child and I will give you the man.

    1. Paul, that quote reminded me of a documentary – Seven Up! If you’ve not seen it:

      “In 1964, director Michael Apted (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorky Park, Gorillas in the Mist) was a young researcher on the experimental documentary series World in Action for a program called Seven Up!, produced for England’s Granada Television. Taking its cue from the Jesuit maxim “Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man,” the film focused on 7-year-olds from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. By asking 14 children about their lives and their hopes and fears for the future, the filmmakers aimed to explore contemporary English attitudes, especially regarding the class system, as expressed by children. And by following the youngsters as they progressed through life, the Up series looked to test the strength of that system and the truth of the Jesuit saying. Was the adult already visible in the 7-year-old?”

      “After Seven Up!, Apted took the series’ directorial helm, and over the half-century since, he has returned every seven years to ask the same subjects to talk about how they see their lives. The result has been a unique, inspired and always-surprising chronicle of lives-in-the-making. In 56 Up, Apted finds the “kids” have mostly weathered the marital, parental and career tumults of middle age with remarkable aplomb, even as they begin facing the challenges of aging, illness and economic crises.”

      My husband and I have watched all the of the series and looking forward to the next one. It is remarkable to observe how certain traits the people had at 7 as well as class consciousness (it is Britain after all) remain intact throughout the years.

      1. Autumn – I have watched 27 Up but not any of the others. I think the idea behind a longitudinal study like this is great.

  5. Geez, you would think this guy was a student at a university explaining to his professors that Communism and Socialism are worst than Capitalism, killed more people, impoverished more people, starved more people, and led to the loss of more human rights.

    1. You kind of get the same reaction if you try to tell an academic that Communism is a really bad economic paradigm, and Capitalism is better. After they tell you that you are heartless and hate the poor, then they think that you are mentally deficient.

      So I don’t really blame Putin as much as I blame close-mindedness from those who subscribe to Communism and Socialism, and who violently push back against facts.

        1. Thanks for the link, John. Mr Pinker describes the phenomenon of the alternative culture rebelling against repression of truths and PC quite well. Plus, he illustrates that you cannot talk about certain subjects or data without being branded racist. You cannot even voice your support for Capitalism as a superior, and just form of economics, the paradigm that human beings instinctively seek, without being attacked.

          There is such a disconnect in critical thinking. Yes, of course the data shows that African Americans far and away commit more crimes. But if you say the former, Liberals will not allow you to explore the relevant topics of what has put African Americans into this cycle. They will brand you racist and shut down the conversation, and you never get to explore cycles of poverty, failed and destructive social programs, the destruction of the nuclear family, victim profiteering politicians, intense social pressures to become single mothers, the rise of single motherhood, and the overall failure to provide children a safe place to learn and walk to school, away from gangs and drugs. Instead of working on a compassionate solution, it becomes ad hominem at the first sentence.

          To illustrate the double standard, white men commit more mass murder. Therefore, the Left would have you think that white males are the problem and the biggest threat to society. They will not discuss the reason behind the data, such as that most gun violence perpetrated by black men is classified as completely different crimes, such as gang violence or domestic violence, and thus is not counted in mass murder statistics. That doesn’t mean that the crimes don’t occur, just that each classification has its own unique driver. Can you imagine the outcry if white males had the same crime statistics as black males? This is an example of how destructive it is to insert politics and divisiveness into crime prevention and analysis.

          This is not about being racist, at all. It’s about battling the causes for these gaps in order to make race irrelevant to the prospects for every single child.

          I think the PC police, Social Justice Warriers, and anyone else who refuses to acknowledge facts and data, and who label all conservative evil, not only push the fringe to extremist positions; they also alienate many people. Those people are not racist, or xenophobic, or any other “ist” or “ism” or “phobe” but they are polar opposites to SJW and instead are free speech purists and oppose any and all attempts to erode freedom. They seek oppositional views to Liberal or Progressive policies or positions because they find them destructive. That was one of the original seeds of alternative conservative movements. They believed that the Establishment was part of the problem.

      2. Karen S — There are no such academics any longer. Quit living in the remote past.

        1. In the link i provided there is evidence of academics doing precisely what Karen described.

        2. So, you do not read Professor Turley’s blog very often, do you? As he often remarks about ultra far-Left Professors engaging in discrimination against non-democratic students, nor have you read any of the numerous articles and studies illustrating that there is discrimination against conservative professors and students, preferential hiring of Liberals, and that Capitalism is unpopular among academics. Or surveys that find common support for Communism among academics as well as the millennials they teach.

          Your statement is easily demonstrably false. You, too, can look this up and choose the sources that you most trust.

          1. Karen S — Only in your fevered mind. I’m a retired professor and I assure you that there are no communists here. Or anywhere else on the Left Coast that I am aware of.

            1. David, you are a retired professor intolerant of ideas that directly conflict with your vision. Karen is entirely correct.

  6. Never trust the opinion of a shrink when it comes to politics. Or anything. Especially some Freud shrink. Go to the Orgnanicist Scholl of Psychiatry at Washington University Med School in St. Louis for shrinks who can take an objective “organic” look at a mind.

  7. “Socialism is a piloophy of failure
    The creed of ignorance
    The gospel of envy
    It’s inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.”
    Churchill

  8. I don’t believe any of this. It sounds like another bs story concocted in Tel Aviv to sully the US’s relationship with Russia.

  9. Socialism is socialism is socialism under any other name is still socialism with very minute diffrences be they international, national or progressive.

    The best news is the countries most mentioned as being ‘good’ socialists like sweden are kicking them out and even better specifically banning welfare.

  10. Socislism is socialism is socialism under any other name is still socialism with very minute diffrences bet they international, national or progressive.

  11. Something to please all the fans of Marxist Lenism….don’t forget your dialectics.Classes available at 430 S. Capitol in Washington DC

    1. and the delete button for the extras quit working… never mind that lesson needs repeating

  12. Stalin and Putin sitting in a tree.
    K I S S I N G
    First came sex, then came marriage…
    Now comes Stalin in a baby carriage.

    Putin is a rascal bigger than his pee
    Putin likes Nazis, Commies and tea.
    Putin goes South in the winter..
    He eats raw weeney in the spring.

    1. Enigma, you are surely 20 years behind events. Hopefully you’ll catch up soon. The American Exceptionalism is the tripe that binds the neocons. Twist that into Exceptional American Political Correctness, and you have the Leftist PC fascism unites the neolibs. They end up in the same place to be one hideous perverse amalgamation. Put those two together, and you have a self-realized authority to change anything, anywhere in the entire world that does not fit the current perceived narrative–and that’s the scary part, since the movement is totally soulless and deviod of ideals (mainly western ideals, including newly attacked accepted traditions like 1+1=2, and probably that the square root of pi is an irrational number), there is no consistent argument. Pretty much the state of things. The fascist left has already lashed out at everything and is finally eating themselves, but the neocon scourge seems to be continuing along quietly.

      1. They have more influence than old Putie at this point in time. Adelson pushed for da embassy move and he got it.

      3. Your comparison of the left and right might be apt except that one group controls both Houses of Congress, the Presidency, and most state Governments. The other is at best nibbling,

        I could agree with you there is such a thing as a fascist left, stipulating that they are a minority on the left and control nothing.

          1. They certainly don’t control the right wing media which is all perhaps a third of the nation pay attention to. Fox still may be the top-rated cable network. The right controls talk radio and gives us Breitbart, The National Review and more. The FCC just allowed Murdock and others to own even more local stations. Have you read the Wall Street Journal opinion page lately? Saying the left controls the media is laughable.

            1. Peter Thiel, a speaker at the Republican convention, who infamously described women voting and capitalistic democracy as an oxymoron, is making an effort to buy Gawker.

              1. Linda, can you show us where Thiel said that?

                http://time.com/4417679/republican-convention-peter-thiel-transcript/

                Republican Convention: Read Peter Thiel’s Speech | Time

                Good evening. I’m Peter Thiel. I build companies and I’m supporting people who are building new things, from social networks to rocket ships. I’m not a politician. But neither is Donald Trump. He is a builder, and it’s time to rebuild America.

                Where I work in Silicon Valley, it’s hard to see where America has gone wrong. My industry has made a lot of progress in computers and in software, and, of course, it’s made a lot of money. But Silicon Valley is a small place. Drive out to Sacramento, or even just across the bridge to Oakland, and you won’t see the same prosperity. That’s just how small it is.

                Across the country, wages are flat. Americans get paid less today than ten years ago. But healthcare and college tuition cost more every year. Meanwhile Wall Street bankers inflate bubbles in everything from government bonds to Hillary Clinton’s speaking fees. Our economy is broken. If you’re watching me right now, you understand this better than any politician in Washington D.C.

                And you know this isn’t the dream we looked forward to. Back when my parents came to America looking for that dream, they found it right here in Cleveland. They brought me here as a one-year-old and this is where I became an American. Opportunity was everywhere. My dad studied engineering at Case Western Reserve University, just down the road from where we are now. Because in 1968, the world’s high tech capital wasn’t just one city: all of America was high tech.

                It’s hard to remember this, but our government was once high tech, too. When I moved to Cleveland, defense research was laying the foundations for the internet. The Apollo program was just about to put a man on the moon–and it was Neil Armstrong, from right here in Ohio. The future felt limitless.

                But today our government is broken. Our nuclear bases still use floppy disks. Our newest fighter jets can’t even fly in the rain. And it would be kind to say the government’s software works poorly, because much of the time it doesn’t even work at all. That is a staggering decline for the country that completed the Manhattan project. We don’t accept such incompetence in Silicon Valley, and we must not accept it from our government.

                Instead of going to Mars, we have invaded the Middle East. We don’t need to see Hillary Clinton’s deleted emails: her incompetence is in plain sight. She pushed for a war in Libya, and today it’s a training ground for ISIS. On this most important issue Donald Trump is right. It’s time to end the era of stupid wars and rebuild our country.

                When I was a kid, the great debate was about how to defeat the Soviet Union. And we won. Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?

                Of course, every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American. I don’t pretend to agree with every plank in our party’s platform; but fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline, and nobody in this race is being honest about it except Donald Trump.

                While it is fitting to talk about who we are, today it’s even more important to remember where we came from. For me that is Cleveland, and the bright future it promised.

                When Donald Trump asks us to Make America Great Again, he’s not suggesting a return to the past. He’s running to lead us back to that bright future.

                Tonight I urge all of my fellow Americans to stand up and vote for Donald Trump.

                1. Two separate descriptors for Thiel.

                  Unlike Trump, Thiel doesn’t deny his statement.

                  1. You demonstrate how ridiculous you are Linda. I quoted his speech, but you can’t point out where he said the statement you attributed to him.

                    You don’t address the veracity of your statement or provide a reasonable explanation. You are a proven liar.

                2. You need to slow down Allan-son, maybe read more and write less.

                  Linda parenthetically described Thiel as, a speaker at the Republican convention, by use of opening and closing commas.

                  She did not say Thiel uttered his oxymoron statement at his speech at the convention. Read her post again, it’s really quite clear.

                  Thiel wrote his tripe in an essay for the Cato Institute.

                  Here is the relevant passage:

                  “The 1920s were the last decade in American history during which one could be genuinely optimistic about politics. Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women—two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians—have rendered the notion of “capitalist democracy” into an oxymoron.”

                  And a quick source:

                  https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/07/who-is-peter-thiel-rnc-2016-trump/492380/

                  I think I will use this thread to write up an ‘Allan’s Guide’, showing how insincere people like yourself purposely misconstrue other’s positions just so you can get to your always disparaging last paragraph.

                  This thread is a showcase for your favorite, and other’s, well-worn tactic.

                  1. Excellent WWAS, the quote makes more sense than the Linda soundbite for which she is most noted for. Now the question is are women ” notoriously tough for libertarians” and if believed so why? Peter Thiel and CATO are much further up the libertarian line than I.

                    1. “Now the question is are women ‘notoriously tough for libertarians’ and if believed so why?” – Allan

                      I have no idea; you’d have to ask Thiel. I don’t subscribe to Thiel’s, nor Squeeky’s, view of women.

            2. Start asking people where they get their news from. You will find that a lot of people that agree with you get it from comedy shows on late night TV, twitter, etc. which are all on the left along with most newspapers. I admit that there is a good number that watches news from Fox but nowhere near the number you suggest. That group, however, learns things that are not published in the MSM until the net forces such news to be published.

              You suggest 1/3 of the population listens to Fox News, but if you look at the actual numbers you will note the total number even for the top-rated show will be in the low single-digit million range when you propose the number is over 100 million.

              1. I personally get my news from a variety of sources. I don’t read far left articles from The Palmer Report as an example where the source is enough to keep me from reading it. I watch a bit of Fox (although after a few minutes of Hannity I usually turn away). And I read The National Review, Wall Street Journal, and occasional articles from Breitbart. I don’t watch most of the late-nite shows but from time to time make it a point to watch SNL’s opening and news segment. I also run across many a conspiracy theory right here and it’s apparently my lot in life to rebut many of them.

                It is my observation, and there are no doubt exceptions, that the typical Trump voter (different than typical Republicans) get their news from almost exclusively right-wing sources and won’t have any idea what I was talking about if I mentioned “shithole countries” or Trump’s opposition to his own security measures after hearing a criticism on Fox & Friends.
                The constant criticism of the “mainstream media” that somehow excludes the leaders in the industry is confusing to me but I accept it. The constant refrain of “Fake News” to anything negative when there may exist video, audio, or copies of tweets is also dumbfounding. But it does prove if you say a thing often enough, someone will believe it.
                Trump keeps saying, “Everybody agrees there was no collusion, even after two guilty verdicts, two indictments and I believe much more to come. Apparently, the greatest threat to national security is Huma and Hillary, and yes Barack Obama was from Kenya which Joe Arpaio repeated just today. I actually like watching right-wing news sources, it replaces the comedy I don’t see much of.

              2. Since I am posting videos I remember someone asked for certain videos on Planned Parenthood and the list at Veritas was out of order so I didn’t bother spending too much time providing it. However, I have been told that most of the videos are on youtube so I searched for Planned Parenthood Veritas. There is a list likely incomplete for google removes videos for certain understandable reasons, but also removes conservative videos because they may offend them personally even though the content is polite, not sexual etc. When I searched at the top of the list was:

          2. Not Fox…talk a.m. radio…the Koch’s interest in Time… newspapers owned by plutocrats…CBS News run by a former Fox guy…not the Economics Dept. at FSU (Koch’s) …not Gates’ Senior Congressional Education Staff Network nor, his Frontier Set for universities….

            Unique to the media on the left, like the Guardian, pleas to the public for donations.

              1. Media covered the Koch’s strings-attached donation to the FSU Econ. Dept. You can also check the UnKochMyCampus website for info.

                Public universities were created to give middle class and poor students the opportunity denied them by legacy admission colleges. Now, the oligarchs fork over a small amount of money to a tax- built college and get to choose content and faculty.

    2. Enigma-
      You are correct in that humans are very similar regardless of where they happen to be born.

    3. This summer, Missouri’s current governor was at a Koch donor retreat asking for money. The governor is in the news today for a different reason (reflecting his comeuppance from the grave?).
      Missouri is the state with the most lax rules against the political donor class e.g. there are no limitations on campaign spending. The snake pit that ensues was portrayed in the Feb. 26, 2016 Rolling Stone story about a Republican candidate for Gov., by the name of Schweitch. Missouri has Rex Sinquefield, the closest thing to the Koch’s. Schweitch ran an anti-oligarch campaign. He said, ” the Sinquefield machine sought nothing less than the takeover of the state.”
      Being as close to an enemy as evil as the American oligarchs sickened Sweitch’s soul. He committed suicide after his reputation was sullied in the insidious ways perfected by right wing a.m. talk radio.
      And, the present day colonialists succeeded in the takeover of Missouri.

      1. Ryan is da Koch puppet. He got their job done on da tax bill. T rump and Mnuchin said whoopee let’s go in with da Koch’s so we can screw those middle class folks and get richer than richy rich,

        1. Earlier this month, investigative reporter, David Sirota, of IBT, wrote about the Trump admin.’s “mysterious” waiver of punishment for Deutsche Bank.
          Sirota cites public records showing $130,000,000 owed by Trump businesses to Deutsche.

          Trump voters led from the frying pan into the fire.

          2. Linda, why don’t you tell us about what those waivers were and what that means and while you are at it why don’t you tell us why Obama granted the waivers earlier to the five same banks. Is Obama in collusion with Trump? Did you ever consider that there might be a rational reason behind the waivers? I’d like to know more before I blame Obama for the waiver or Trump.

            Aside from the banks, who else would be hurt if the waivers were not granted? Do you know what the waivers were for?

            How do employees fit into this decision?

            Let’s see if you can answer the basic questions involved in this rant of yours. You failed the Piketty test and you were proven a name dropper without substance.

            I’m not an expert on this action so I am willing to learn.

            Correlation is not causation.

        1. Sinquefield, like Gates and the Walton’s, are plotting to destroy public education. In their scheme, voters lose their right to elect school boards and the contractors that are substituted for public schools, have no accountability.

    5. American history should be taught – the good, the bad, and the ugly, but it should be taught in context.

      Our American history of slavery, for example, should also include in depth analysis of the global distribution of slavery throughout the globe and throughout history. It should include the fact that Native American tribes also practiced history, and that slavery still exists in the African continent. This is not a form of minimizing the devastation, but rather to put it into context. This also illustrates how monumental outlawing slavery in America was, since it has existed since the dawn of humanity.

      You cannot treat America to a double standard or judge it anachronistically. Nor should you instill any sort of perverse hatred in their own country in young, impressionable students.

      We have the most robust individual freedoms anywhere in the world. All of our past missteps and failures should be taught in the context of the times, to give the proper perspective. And we should remove political bias from the classroom.

      For example, when my high school teacher taught us Shakespeare, he would spend a lot of time discussing the norms of the society that impacted the work, the politics of the times, the references, so that we understood a bit of the context.

      1. There is a blog rule about posting more than one link in a post (Which I found out by abusing). The one I chose shows America 23rd in individual freedoms, another place I looked showed America in 20th place. Any suggestion we are 1st is wishful thinking.

        If you were then to take a look at freedoms dependent on race and color. In Arizona, it was proposed that people could be stopped of they “looked like” they were illegal. Stop & Frisk has only been applied in minority neighborhoods and separate but unequal schools still exist with Betsy DeVos promoting their expansion.

        1. The people in Hong Kong who desire democracy might be surprized to see that Hong Kong gets the number 1 rating for “individual freedoms”.

        2. Enigma, you use double standards all the time. You think out of context and you believe that you can create an argument that uses a Chinese menu where you pick and choose based on your taste or in this case your argument.

          Cato sets up its measurement system. It is fine to use it in context and with appropriate usage. If one looks at the history of this measurement one will see that the larger and more socialized our government has become the more our ratings have fallen on the freedom index.

          One can pull out the individual components of the freedom index and debate those, but it appears based upon almost all of you prior postings that if you had your way we would fall even further on this freedom index.

          Overall one could say that Americans possess more personal freedom than most people all over the world. Economic freedom (part of the freedom index) has fallen because of the socialist mindset we face in this country. Say out loud F U leader (without profanity) anywhere in the world and in most places, one will be stopped and perhaps even arrested except in the US. I’m not sure if such an attack on a leader can be made anywhere else. Want to name a country?

          1. I didn’t create any of the measuring sticks that show the US down the list in personal freedoms. Btw, over 200 people are being tried by the Justice Department for “felony rioting” associated with Trump’s inauguration although none can be tied to any specific crimes. Despite having the first cases thrown out. Sessions presses on in a move designed to stifle future protests. If you can find articles saying we’re first in personal freedoms. I’d be happy to read them.

            1. Enigma, rioting itself can be criminal. 18 U.S. Code § 2101

              I will compare nation by nation and one can decide for themselves, but as far as the freedom index goes, it is your type of policy that has reduced such freedoms.

              1. You must have my policies confused with Trump and Sessions. Beginning with the right to vote
                Rioting can be criminal but mere presence is not. Crimes must be proven in a free state.

  14. Pingback: Russian Historian Arrested And Sent For Psychiatric Test by Putin Officials After Detailing Stalin Atrocities | Top 100 Blog Review

  15. Putin is leading the way, but is he so different from our Pinkos who are defining an “acceptable truth” and seeking to diminish/silence/tarnish their opponents?

  16. It’s a shame, as we can see it is the time again for the US to be a beacon of freedom in the world–but we have to resist the communist efforts here to restrict speech. Let traditional news organizations fail and accept the new and unfolding model. It’s going to be tough as the communist indoctrination appears to be starting in elementary school. We already have one generation of post modernists who we see are taking positions of authority, and it’s not a good thing. They’ll ride their tax-based and drive us into the ground. Is it too late?

    1. Da snowflake T rump wants to stomp out free speech by suin anyone that dares speak da truth resist

      1. As I Said dialectics needs retraining the idea is to bounce off a wall and try something else. Not boring repetititon.

      2. Historically, the President’s party loses 23 seats in the House in the first mid-term elections. If the electorate gets smart about ALEC, the Koch’s, Adelson, Mercers, et.al., that number should triple. The foremost points voters should remember are (1) Trump’s tax plan which benefitted the wealthy (2) his lies about holding China accountable as a currency manipulator and, (3) his unwillingness to show his tax returns which would easily refute or easily confirm, the shadows of Russian collusion.

        1. Your paranoia and preconceptions are an extreme limiter to your understanding. Do you really think the banks don’t control the democrats too? Surely you can’t hide that from yourself. It’s one of the main reasons the Democrats left behind economic disparities in favor of silly social injustices. Wise up.

          1. ALEC is almost exclusively Republican.
            Dems may need to be strongly urged to work harder on raising minimum wage, preserving Social Security (which Ryan and the Koch’s oppose), demanding protections for labor, like China declared a currency manipulator, etc. But, all of those issues are non-starters for Republicans.

            David Brooks, the pompous and stupid and/or duplicitous columnist, who feigned surprise that Dems didn’t work harder to stop the 99% from being fleeced by the richest 0.1%, kept on voting for the fleecers’ candidates. So, if it is Brook’s proposed 3rd party, that you, schorss, are now touting, that sham party can take a hike.

            Bloomberg should have been rejected by Hillary, taking a page from the Dems’ rejection of John Arnold, who works for the evisceration of people’s retirement.

            1. “ALEC is almost exclusively Republican.”

              I don’t know if your statement is true, but I imagine a Stalinist would not be happy with ALEC or the free market. Since you are such a smart name dropper what do you think SiX is? Why aren’t you complaining about both?

              1. ALEC Exposed website.

                ALEC’s corporate sponsors use profits that the free enterprise system prescribes to be used to improve products and reduce prices. Their political influence enables monopoly and oligopoly, ratcheting up concentration of wealth.

                1. “prescribes”

                  Once again, Linda, you demonstrate that you don’t know what you are talking about. Before you make comments like this you ought to learn how the free market works. Your Stalinist type of training has left you without any basic knowledge of economics.

      3. The left wants to stamp out free speech because is an invention of the ‘cisheteropatriarchy’. The social justice left doesn’t care one bit about the truth.

    2. slohrss29 re “it is the time again for the US to be a beacon of freedom in the world” Never gonna happen until we clean up our own country – enforcing rule of law which applies to everyone no matter their social status AND stop destroying other nations.

  17. Putin is a result of an extreme oligarchy. Those in power, including Putin himself, present the workings of an election, but one with a foregone conclusion. This is a more polished version of the elections during the era of the USSR when a leader voted for himself; there was no one else to vote for but the routine was paraded through the media and patriotism along with force kept the myth alive.

    Now, given the better lifestyle conditions, absence of blanket terror tactics, and open borders, Russians need a more refined version to continue the myth. However, force and terror are still ingredients.

    Contrast the Russian oligarchy with our own oligarchy and be thankful that there are some vestiges of a true democracy, freedom of speech allows us to question our history and call a spade a spade. Trump is an oligarch and our system is not what it seems; however, that we can say this, present these truths, and not get trundled off to a prison or psyche ward, is all the difference in the world.

    We have freedoms of speech to criticize and question. Americans must question this system and remove the sleeping single party aspects, the oligarchs and their money. We are presented with the choices by the billions spent by those really in power. The first step towards the democracy that is unfortunately eluding us is to take private funding out of our elections. If the more democratic nations can do this, why not us?

    1. Germany is a tragedy. I won’t comment on the position of Russia right now. Since the western banks were thrown out, Putin’s had to navigate very carefully continued assaults by the NED and NATO stockpiling weapons on almost their entire frontier, and American-armed ISIS attacks in Syria. Any less of a leader there, and we would be in cataclysmic events by now. I think we should be strategic medium range missiles with nuclear payload capability, along with tanks and artillery along the Canadian border, and we’ll see how well that goes over. Putin is winning the world right now, by the way. No one knows what Trump’s plan is–and I’m afraid to say it has to stay that way. If he takes a stance, he’ll have to contend with the cabal of neocons or principleless neolibs-communists. So he dances the dance. I do know that we need to stop villainizing Russia, that serves no good end. But, as we see, the neocons and neolibs don’t comprehend “consequences” to any of their actions. We see strong examples of this time and again on this blog.

      You can continue to hide from it, but the real oligarchs lost the election. The continued onslaught on this President by all sides proves it. An outsider won who was not part of the oligarchy, and that’s what history will show, whether it feels good to you or not.

      1. An “outsider” who selected as his V.P., the Koch’s guy and, who delivered for the oligarchs, with his tax plan.

      2. Excellent post, slohrss29. I agree, particularly with your statements vis a vis Russia and Putin’s handling of NATO’s saber-rattling. The warhawks have to have a boogeyman, though, so they can sell all those weapons and keep people very afraid.

        1. CCS–yes, and as I say, business is good! Some of the short-sighted posters here fail to grasp that when Putin paid off and threw out the carpetbaggers, he was served notice. The bankers what their payday. They refuse to see there are consequences to their actions. Banks, MIC, shadowy NGOs doing foreign policy work… it’s not good. Russia can destroy our country, and the world, and may actually be closing in on first strike capability. But, as we know for the left, feelings mean more than fact, and it’s easy to hate them boorish russkies. Consequences–smonsequences. Makes it easy to come up with a, “…. well…. ahh- Yeah–that’s it, them Russians STOLE the election! That’s it! Has to be it!” Left was played like a fiddle. What silly pawns they are. Maybe one day we can have some disciplined statesmen again.

          Let’s worry about free speech here so we can continue these talking points.

          1. “Worry about free speech here”- like the arrest this week of a teacher in Vermillion Parish, La. for asking why the Republican board of Education gave the Superintendent a raise while student class sizes were increased 30%?

            1. Linda, I don’t have enough of the facts to yet agree or disagree with what was done. In general, I would disagree with the use of any force. Was she preventing the meeting from continuing? She has no right to do that. She had her say since it appears you provided the pertinent details of her remarks.

              You said she was arrested, but I heard nothing about an arrest. You ought to be more careful about details. Your inaccuracies litter the blog.

                  1. As I said before, I don’t have enough of the facts. The article says: “forcibly removed from a school board meeting “. It said nothing about being arrested. Public nuisances can be removed. I don’t like force so I would have to know more about the circumstances.

                  2. As I have said before I don’t have enough of the facts to make a judgment and don’t like unnecessary force being used.

                    The article states: “forcibly removed from a school board meeting ” There was no mention of her being arrested. Sometimes force is necessary so one can’t make any determination based on the facts in the article.

                  1. It’s amazing how obtuse and stubborn you can be, Allan.

                    Here’s the first sentence from a Newsweek article:

                    “A teacher at a Louisiana middle school was arrested and booked into jail Monday for asking about a pay raise at a school board meeting, according to local police and a video of the incident.”

                    http://www.newsweek.com/teacher-gets-arrested-asking-about-pay-775500

                    She later posted bail and was released; maybe you can find the amount of the bail she posted on your own and let everyone know.

                    In this way you might actually contribute something to the blog.

                    1. “It’s amazing how obtuse and stubborn you can be, Allan.”

                      Yep. That’s Allan

                    2. WWAS, what I said was: “As I have said before I don’t have enough of the facts to make a judgment and don’t like unnecessary force being used.”

                      I also noted that the original article presented didn’t say she was arrested. Based on your article it says she was arrested and the article seems to demonstrate a very intolerant board. If I were there I might have gotten arrested with her if she properly behaved, so I thank you for the additional article that seems to clarify what actually occurred.

                      However, your lack of reading and writing skills demonstrate that you are more interested in fighting than in discussion. Read what I said: “I don’t have enough of the facts to make a judgment and don’t like unnecessary force being used.”Your attitude here only reaffirms what was previously known. You are a complete as$.

                    3. “Yep. That’s Allan”

                      I told WWAS that he was “a complete as$” and you are doubly so. You are the southern part of that as$ that is traveling north.

                      You might not be able to figure out what said so ask a friend.

              2. Allan found “all the facts” when he supported the free speech of White nationalists spewing racist hatred on campuses. But, he’s absent facts to support the free speech of someone speaking out to protect middle class and poor students. Allan and his brethren, the Koch’s and Mercer’s, are reprehensible.

                1. The fact that you want to use qualifiers to assess one’s right or lack thereof to speak is worrisome. Yes Linda, white supremacists have the right to free speech. Some would argue to let them speak so we all can hear first hand just out idiotic they are. And no Linda, unless you can show me contemporary and credible proof, nobody is suppressing the free speech of people like you. After all, you are hear prattling on constantly aren’t you?

                  And you still haven’t told me what ochlocracy is.

                2. “Allan found “all the facts” when he supported the free speech of White nationalists spewing racist hatred on campuses.”

                  Linda, you have such a limited intellect.

                  I believe in nonviolent freedom of speech whether it be from the Nazi’s, the Stalinists, the anarchists, or anywhere in between. The fact I didn’t find was whether or not she was arrested or just handcuffed and escorted out of the room. The other fact I didn’t find documented was whether or not her civil speech was a true disturbance requiring removal from the room or an uncomfortable disturbance that would have resolved on its own.

                  Linda, if you have any substantive facts regarding those issues let us know and let us know when they were made easily available to the public. Your comments demonstrate a lack of education and if one of my kids demonstrated such a low level of thinking while still in grade school I would have changed the school they went to. I have difficulty imagining how you have gone through life with such limited analytic ability.

                    1. “The primary indicator for stupidity in Nov. 2016 was voting for Trump.”

                      That is your opinion Linda and we have to recognize that you started off as that indicator’s level while further descending the intelligence scale.

            2. ““Worry about free speech here”- like the arrest this week of a teacher in Vermillion Parish, La.”

              Tit for tat. We could go back and forth on this the rest of the week. Just continue to be the pawn.

      3. Your narrow focus is precisely what put this buffoon chief oligarch in the White House. Your angst and inability to develop a broad perspective were the primary ingredients that Trump targeted. Trump is not an outsider. He is the quintessential inside man, the con man, the oligarchs’ oligarch. Trump failed at every thing he did except real estate-handed to him by his father, and the carnival that is the mainstay of enough Americans to make him appear outside the box, there through achievements, a stable ‘everyman’ genius. You were and continue to be duped. Trump lies so consistently and knows how to play the game of what he calls the ‘art of the deal’ that it is impossible to identify anything but a huckster. Trump’s first project was underwritten by his father for 70mil. The administrative fees would have been 20mil. Along with this Trump was aided by every connection and insider his father had amassed over his career. Trump is anything but a self made man. Clinton suckled at the teat of the oligarchs, but she and Willy-a disappointment-came out of nothing. Trump talks the talk but has never walked the walk. Both Trump and the Clintons are insiders but at least the Clintons have some history of value; unfortunately overshadowed by other not so delightful traits.

        My point is that the process is at fault. It is the process that presents America with choices such as Trump and Clinton. We are given the lesser of two evils by the oligarchs instead of the best America has to offer. As far as villainizing Russia, Russia has come farther along in the last hundred years than most people realize. However, Russia is a dictatorship that survives because that dictatorship is a marked improvement over the last dictatorship or what ever it was called, formally or informally.

        2. As for your commentary regarding Russia, you obviously know little of the country or why the country for centuries has trended toward despots. I recommend you read “The Russian Syndrome: One Thousand Years of Political Murder” by highly regarding Helene Carrere d’Encausse. Do you know why the Russian flag is red, white, and blue?

      4. I believe early on and during the campaign Trump demonstrated a sincere willingness to deal with the Russians, not because Putin is a good guy, but because of the recognition that Putin is the strongman of Russia today and one has to deal even with nations with governments we don’t like in order to make the best of a bad situation. Additionally, I believe Trump understood our common interests with the Russians.

        As I stated in earlier postings, I believe the outrageous behavior and claims of the left have prevented Trump from conducting a sane foreign policy with the Russians. In addition, the left has raised up Putin’s nationalistic tendencies making relationships between Russia and the US far more difficult than they needed to be.

        I don’t’ think the hard left cares about America and it seems to be doing everything it can to destroy it. The Russian threat is real, but much more dangerous today than it should be. However, I believe whatever power they have to expand will be over within a decade based on their economy and demographics. Look at the lifespan of their citizens and how it is falling. Our ability to produce energy further compromises the Russian economy. Take note of the number of the richest Russians that have bought super expensive homes in the US as one part of their attempt to move money out of Russia and away from Russian control.

        1. Allan,
          Russian oligarchs recognized political opportunities here that they profited from in Russia- and crossed the ocean ?

          You give far more credit to Trump’s reasoning skills than anyone else does. Observations indicate a speech pattern at the 4th grade level. His Secretary of State called him a moron.

          1. Russian “oligarchs” don’t know what the future will be like them in Russia so they are getting money out in advance to live on in case the worst happens to them.

            “You give far more credit to Trump’s reasoning skills than anyone else does. ”

            Only people like you Linda. He won the Republican nomination, won the Presidency and has done a very good job even though the “deep state” and the media have tried to destroy his Presidency. If only our genuis’s could do so well.

              1. Ellen Degeneres is part of the Hollywood crowd that talks a lot about the little people, but live in huge mansions separated from the rest with armed guards while their carbon imprints are many multiples of the common man that they wish to inconvenience by reducing the common man’s carbon print instead of their own. Hypocrites!

                1. Huge hypocrite on government payroll- Gov. Greitens of Missouri who had a messy affair leading to subsequent allegations of him blackmailing the woman. The affair was in 2015. In 2016, he ran as a family values man, backed by Sinquefield, Missouri’s equivalent to the Koch’s. In 2017, Greitens raised money at the Koch’s donor retreat.

                  1. Fine, I’ll let what you said stand, but what about the Hollywood crowd and Ellen Degeneres that are hypocrites. Don’t you agree?

      5. slohrss29 re: “the real oligarchs lost the election” — did they?? Are you sure Trump hasn’t become Mitch’s b!tch?

        1. Autumn, This question arises everytime a negotiation occurs. I wouldn’t draw that conclusion. Trump is only the President and he has to deal with Congress, the media, and the people. It appears that he is dealing with all three attempting to satisfy the people’s needs. However, the people don’t have a unified voice so every action he takes will annoy some segment of the population. Instead of dealing with parties we, as the people, should be dealing with principles and policy and let the parties fight for the individual’s vote based upon principle and policy.

        2. “Are you sure Trump hasn’t become Mitch’s b!tch?”

          I really don’t know Autumn. I know he cannot expose the hand he is playing. So I think very few people know exactly what he will do. He has to work that adage, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” to get anything done in that mess. It doesn’t look good, but I’ll keep analyzing for now. Despite all the criticism, and my personal feelings, I realized one day that under the pressure of a wildcard situation, NK would capitulate and talk to SK, which has happened. He made the point that the very scenario created to fight him is easily done to anyone going forward. Selling arms out of embassies? Pretty repulsive, but it keeps the neocons and NED onboard, for now. And I thought it was interesting he went off on the FISA renewal this am. That speaks directly to us on this blog. Could all this dissent be part of a narrative that will be applied to us in the future? Remember the journalist obama had whacked?

          1. Good points s – He needs to stop listening to the damn neo cons and focus on the growing myriad of issues domestically. Which of course the RINOs/DINOs don’t want. everytime I see Mitch and Paul smiling it sends chills up my spine. I guess we’ll see what happens for better or for worse.

            And yes, FISA is important.

            1. Autumn, I don’t know that Trump is listening to the neocons or their opposition. What is the most important foreign policy initiative you are referring to? Trump seems to be in favor of a strong US but wants to limit our foreign engagements.

      6. slohrrs re: “Since the western banks were thrown out, Putin’s had to navigate very carefully continued assaults by the NED and NATO stockpiling weapons on almost their entire frontier, and American-armed ISIS attacks in Syria. Any less of a leader there, and we would be in cataclysmic events by now”

        Spot on – Obama kept pushing NATO East and we are fortunate Putin is a rational leader. Imagine if he decided to station some heavily equipped FOB in Mexico or Cuba.

        He’s busy negotiating deals with nations around the world which will benefit Russia.

    2. If you wish to remove single partyism you must as a first step remove RINO’s and their masters at DNC HQ. They have evidenced the only single party single leader policy in recent memory.

      1. That was one of if not the main factor that allowed us to put together a 40% largest voting block in the last election and the other was Clinton herself. 40% and the two parties trailed splitting 60%. The only thing to remembere is Republicans In Name Only are Not Republicans just as Democrats In Name Only are not democratic.

      2. MO – the “masters” of the RINOs (and DINOs) are the corporations to which they are beholden.

            1. The richest 0.1% and corporations with offshore profits feel even better about it .

              1. Linda, how do you know? Do you just make things up on the spot?

                I hope you realize that without these companies most of us would be seeing a lot more poverty, but that is your Stalinist vision of equality.

                1. Instead, the U.S. sees and lives the Koch’s version of inequality- the largest share of national income going to the capital class, in all of U.S. recorded history -the future that Lincoln warned against- those eating the bread for which others toiled

                  1. Try and think Linda. Who replaces these people that have created new industries, wealth and jobs? You? Huge numbers of people could have done the same, but they didn’t. Why not?

                    I’m not happy about the concentration of wealth, but being realistic I wouldn’t want to end the wealth producers that produce the bread you eat, pay your salary, pay for your healthcare etc.

                    What is your solution?

    3. Hard for a foreigner to realize but this country has NEVER been a Democracy it is a Representative Constitutional Republic. That coupled with calling the DINO’s drive for a single party single leader system and calling it The Government Party as it is definitely a Government Over People operation enabled us to defeat same last November.

      Little history in the two Constitutional Conventions that wrote the original and still valid Constitution their Journal (minutes) mention the word democracy in it’s various forms exactly nine times all in negtive terms.
      In the End it was rejected as a system of government.

      Republic however means of,by, and for the people and serve to describe both the direct vote still used to elect Mayors, city councils, even state level offices two of which are delegates to the federal congress.

      It also allows for the indirect vote for the two federal offices and for the electoral college which balances against the the dictatorship of the large states and subjugation of the small states.

      Without which there would have been no USA under the Constitution.

      The error which needs correcting is a mistake by the Supreme Court which does not alow recall of Senators and Representatives as delegates to the Federal level. There is a line in the Constitution that points to that …it was ignored…

      Article 1 of the US Constitution Text – Article 1, Section 4

      Article 1, Section 4.

      Clause 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

      ‘and the manner of’ is not restricted and some states have a useful tool called recall as part of the checks and balances system.

      However the Court ruled that did not apply at the Federal level once the Congressional was seated. Not the congress but the court legislating from the bench.

      Clarifying that with an amendment to the Constitution reinstating the power of the states not granted in the manner of the recall to include the States Delegates to the Federal Congress would repair that error.

      Sorry. Nothing is mentioned about the Democracy, democrats, democratics in the entire document. nor does it mention parties especially not the Government Party so that leaves the DNC with no reason to exist but then their actions already hve demosntrated the need.

      1. M O

        Hard to believe that you don’t understand that whatever this country is called due to its governmental structure, its representatives are put in place through the democratic process which is based on the best being chosen by the people. Semantics aside, you might compare and contrast this circus or whatever you like to call it and those of our peer nations that do not allow private funding of the process. The ‘Representative Constitutional Republic’ or ‘Democracy’ or whatever tag you wish belongs to the people, all the people. The fulfillment of the functioning of that which belongs to the people, all the people should be born by the people or the government. The ‘best’ America has to offer should not be vetted by special interests and oligarchs. The ‘best’ America has to offer should be presented to the voters through an unbiased media system where the issues and their views on the issues are the focus of the voters. The people, all the people own the system; therefore the government should bear the cost. This is to be found in our peer nations but not here. Here we are fed lies, insults, circus antics, and if you look carefully a reflection of a disgusting travesty of what the founders intended, all by way of concentrated funding. Now, it’s a good thing to take the time to read your history and get the terms down, but you might compare and contrast this history with today and you will arrive at a different tag, oligarchy of two sides, one more than Russia.

        1. Michael O., after reading Issac’s brand of BS ask him why he left Canada for the US.

          1. If he hasn’t offered a reason, maybe it’s because it’s none of your business, or none of anyone else’s business.

            1. Anonymous, he moved here from Canada and has been quite political and critical of the US. That makes the question valid.

              You are not much of a thinker so I do understand your position.

              1. “he moved here from Canada and has been quite political and critical of the US.”

                All Americans should be “political and critical of the US” to the extent that it makes our country a better place.

                “That makes the question valid.”

                Actually, it doesn’t.

                1. “All Americans should be “political and critical of the US” to the extent that it makes our country a better place.”

                  This surprisingly is a true statement, but Isaac seems to have such disdain for America that one wonders why he moved from Canada to the US. I guess even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

            2. If Allan moves to the Philippines, where the share of national income going to the capital class is hugely disproportionate i.e. “those eating the bread for which others toil”, I’ll shout in joy at the prospect that he takes his illogic with him.

              Isaac brings intelligence so, thanks to him for moving here.

              2. Linda, I love how your brainless wonders keep patting each other on the back yet none seem to be able to discuss a single issue based on facts instead of emotion or stupidity.

          2. Allan

            I’m making a point of government of the people, for the people, and by the people-whichever order you wish. My point is that we the people should be the ones to decide who runs for office and who is elected, based on the issues and the perspectives of the candidates. At present, we have a government of the oligarchs, for the oligarchs, and by the oligarchs. If you can honestly state that the representatives represent their constituents and not the special interest moneyed oligarchs that can mount a campaign to defeat them or support them then there is no place for you in a relevant discussion. America is the result of its critics as well as its supporters. With only supporters America would be as of a time before the Civil War, before the sixties, before the atrocities and colonialism. America is greater today because of its critics. Any fool off the street can rally round the flag. Look at that imbecile in the White House; he got in on ‘Make America Great Again’. In other words take America backwards. America will never be great again. America will always be in the process of becoming great. Read your Plato. We are in the cave seeking the light at the opening. Trump got in because he represents the recipients of his tax plan, the top five percent and speaks to those who easily mob around catchy slogans, blame, and unrelenting exaggerations and lies. Trump has lied over 2000 times in his first year, which is not over yet. Do some research. Read some graphs that illustrate the past twenty years, not the past six months.

            1. Allan only reads Koch approved material.

              A couple of years ago, Prof. Martin Gilens of Princeton published research proving the U.S. is an oligarchy.

              1. Linda, your problem is that you only know a few names and you know less of what those names stand for. No, Koch is not one that I read or even follow. I don’t even think any of the Koch’s have written books on economics or politics. I think what they have written is how to make money or how to be a success. I did both of those things without any help from them. You need to pick up some more soundbites.

              2. “A couple of years ago, Prof. Martin Gilens of Princeton published research proving the U.S. is an oligarchy.”

                A basic theme of Gilens is the dysfunction of our government. I agree with the problem, but what is important is the solution. Do we want a Stalinist type solution that Linda seems to lean towards or a solution where the Constitution is upheld and individual rights are respected?

                  1. Linda, I provided you with more than you know about Gilens and asked a question that remains unanswered: “Do we want a Stalinist type solution that Linda seems to lean towards or a solution where the Constitution is upheld and individual rights are respected?”

            2. “I’m making a point of government of the people, for the people, and by the people-whichever order you wish. My point is that we the people should be the ones to decide who runs for office and who is elected, based on the issues and the perspectives of the candidates.”

              Isaac, if you add the Constitution I agree. Trump wasn’t elected by the “oligarchs”. He was elected by the working person. The Democratic Party of today is closely tied to the corporatists. Obama acted like an “oligarch” where his best friends were from large corporations and he encouraged corporations to grow even bigger.

              I note that some people on this blog come from the left and they recognize what the Clinton machine was. I am shocked at the rest of you that totally lack recognition of anything bad coming from your side of the aisle.

              1. Allan

                You play into the hands of the oligarchs. You miss my point. Oligarchs present the candidates, for both parties. Trump is the head oligarch. Of course the people vote in one or the other but both are put forth by money, not issues or intelligent positions. Trump played on the angst of the ‘working person’ just as Obama played on the hope that the US could have a President somewhat more intelligent than Bush. Neither would have made it to the public eye without the support of a minuscule minority of the richest of America. That is the oligarchy. It doesn’t exist in our peer nations. Their people have more choices, better choices, and, regardless of the nom de Constitution-there have always been constitutions for thousands of years/it’s the reality of the practice that is in question-their systems work truer to intention than ours. Ours is a myth based on a circus. Canada and Great Britain used to have two parties, one more than a dictatorship. Now they have evolved into systems with multiple parties where private funding is severely regulated and limited. If the candidates do not have access to the circus funded by the super pacs, etc. then they tend to focus on the issues and the interests of the people.

                The proof of all this is that between Trump and Clinton the oligarchs funded this past travesty to the tune of two billion dollars. This is not a republic or a democracy but a circus. Time to wake up.

                1. You too babble on and on about so-called oligarchs, carefully defending the oilgarchs you like such as McCabe. Strzok, Page, and Comey. You do so in the name of ochlocracy which, like Linda, you refuse to define here because if you do then you are exposed for the shill that you are.

                2. “You play into the hands of the oligarchs. You miss my point. Oligarchs present the candidates, for both parties. ”

                  Issac, Start naming nations and leaders that could be considered oligarchies or leaders of oligarchies. Stalin is one as was Saddam. The way Obama utilized the IRS, the AG, and our investigative agencies was characteristic of an oligarchy or dictatorship. Both of our parties can push us towards oligarchy and that is why I never put faith in either party, but in today’s world, it is the left that is moving the nation in the direction of oligarchy, socialism, and anarchy, not the right.

                  Trump is not an oligarch. He is the furthest from being one. He neither controls the Congress, the judiciary nor the bureaucracy. He wasn’t voted in by the political elites, the news media or the large corporations. He more than any other recent President was put in office by working people.

                  “Trump played on the angst of the ‘working person’” The word for that is not oligarch. You should get your terms straight. The word populist would better describe him and he is living up to his promises much to your chagrin. His number one pledge was to build a wall and stop the illegal immigration into this nation. He has been tirelessly working on that aim. He passed tax reform which I should not be pleased with because my taxes rise significantly, but what he did was correct and good for the nation. He tried to replace healthcare, but because he is not a dictator he was unable to do so yet.

                  Your discussion about European nations, which are great countries, is unadulterated garbage. As far as the costs to elect Trump instead of Clinton, Trump spent a fraction of what was spent by Clinton and had neither Hollywood nor the media on his side. He won the Republican nomination and then the election because the working people had an unfulfilled need they believed Trump could best satisfy and he has.

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