RSS 2.0 FeedPutin Proves Opponent’s Point
by Brad WarbianyVarious groups in Russia have been claiming that Vladimir Putin is shutting down free democracy. So when they decided to organize a march in Moscow, Putin did what any self-respecting bastion of freedom would do: sent in the military and arrested people.
Russian riot police detained as many as 200 demonstrators Saturday, including opposition leader and former chess champion Garry Kasparov, in a crackdown on a banned protest in central Moscow.
Thousands of riot police and interior ministry soldiers in camouflage battledress flooded the city centre to prevent a march by The Other Russia, a coalition of groups that accuse President
Vladimir Putin of dismantling democracy.Kasparov, one of the leaders of The Other Russia, was detained as he attempted to lead demonstrators on to the historic Pushkin Square, an AFP correspondent saw.
Sometimes I wonder how I was lucky enough to be born in America. I routinely criticize our government for their designs on restricting freedom. But here, freedom is the rule, not the exception. In most other countries, it’s the exact opposite.
Now, considering April 15th is almost upon us, it would be nice if our government could learn a little bit from one of the good things Putin has done…
How dare you compare the United States of America to the Soviet Union! People like you should be sent to some kind of camp in Alaska to learn true patriotism. The next time you feel like insulting our troops I hope your tongue gets frostbite.
Comment by Kirk — April 14, 2007 @ 3:59 pmCertainly Putin can implement a flat tax. They don’t have to support the world’s largest police force (sorry, I mean military), they don’t have two percent of their population in jail yet, they’re not major sponsors of corporate welfare, and they don’t have 3/4 of the world’s dicators on their payroll. Their infrastructure is crumbling worse than ours, and the state owns many of the largest corporations. So yeah, maybe it works for them. But here, where we have the greatest disparity between rich and poor since Dickens’ England, we just might need to level the field a wee bit. What’s interesting is, the super rich who actually earned it are not whining for lower taxes. Its the corporations and inheritors who cry for more pie. Oh, yeah, I think Russia has national health care, too. On 13%. Go figure.
BruceR
Comment by bruce reynolds — April 14, 2007 @ 4:03 pmWho do you think writes the tax code, Bruce? Who do you think benefits from all the loopholes? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not the poor or the middle class.
A flat tax would probably result in a lot of rich people paying more in taxes, not less. Right now they can structure their finances to minimize their tax burden using all the loopholes in the code.
Comment by Brad Warbiany — April 14, 2007 @ 4:13 pmGood grief, Kirk. Seriously, what’s your problem?
First, the Soviet Union (technically, USSR) was a geopolitical entity that ceased to exist in 1991. I don’t see anywhere in Mr. Warbiany’s post that compares the Soviet Union to the United States. Granted, Putin was formerly a KGB officer for the former USSR, but I don’t see any allusion to such a comparison with America.
Secondly, what kind of a vision do you have for the United States. In the America I know and love, we don’t send people to off to some “camp” just because they think a particular (and perhaps unpopular way). Doing such a thing is completely antithetical to my understanding of this country and frankly, it beckons much more to totalitarian regimes such as the former Soviet Union.
Hence, if you’re one to keep score, I think your patriotism is much more in question.
Comment by Steven — April 14, 2007 @ 4:22 pmBrad is right. Only the lunatic fringe on the left think that rich people pay any taxes with our current system. This is exactly why successful patriots like Ross Perot advocate a flat tax system. Tax fairness for the middle class and poor.
Comment by Kirk — April 14, 2007 @ 4:29 pmSteven: You are hardly one to teach me anything about geopolitics. My degree from the University of Chicago was in economics; which is very tightly integrated with world affairs, in case you are unfamiliar.
As far as camps, your hero FDR thought they were a good way to teach Japanese Americans how to love and respect their country. So, why the hypocrisy?
Also, only liberal traitors question someone else’s patriotism.
Comment by Kirk — April 14, 2007 @ 4:35 pmKirk, I doubt you want to play the “who’s more educated game,” unless you have a PhD in economics–mine’s from Minnesota.
Also note that I made no assumptions about you, but you seem to have assumed plenty about me. I don’t know many careful thinkers who are so blase with facts. My statements were carefully considered and modestly rigorous, so I’m surprised that you can so quickly and easily paint political stripes.
Further, you have quite the penchant, it seems, for making very broad generalizations. This again does not live up to your supposed U Chicago training. Really, it’s rather hard to take anyone who communicates in such a way.
So that’s the point I want to make to you. Your exposition is inconsistent with what I think your message is. (That is, your first comment has a clear logical inconsistency that I pointed out.) I’d implore you to step back and think more carefully of the implications to what you say.
(Here’s an example: you question Mr. Warbiany’s patriotism in your first commment. In your rebuke of my first comment, you state “only liberal traitors question someone else’s patriotism.” Are we to believe that you are implying that you yourself are a “liberal traitor?”)
Comment by Steven — April 14, 2007 @ 5:02 pmKirk,
I clicked over to your blog… Funny stuff. Interesting work on your photo, I don’t think many people quite get that joke…
Just one question: If you’re in Corpus Christi, why is your ISP in Irvine, CA?
Comment by Brad Warbiany — April 14, 2007 @ 5:12 pmSteven: No Steven, I don’t like to play elitist games like the one you propose. That’s why I don’t wave my PhD in everyone’s face like you have done.
If you are indeed the economist that you claim to be, then you must realize that one uses indicators to draw conclusions about various situations. Therefore, I have not made “assumptions” about you. Rather, I have analyzed what you have written and have come to an educated conclusion that you are a stark raving moonbat.
I am unsure what “broad generalizations” I have made. Perhaps you can enlighten me. Or are you the one making broad generalizations about me?
My message is simple: Don’t denigrate our troops.
This seems like a simple message to me. Why don’t you get it?
As for your last comment: You are using old news to try and extrapolate a ridiculous conclusion. Everyone else has moved on. Why are you still stuck in the past?
Comment by Kirk — April 14, 2007 @ 5:27 pmBrad: Indeed, the liberal vitriol spewed forth in the comments section of my blog is at least useful for a good chuckle.
As to my ISP: That is simple economics. You go with the most cost effective carrier even if that means sacrificing some speed because of the distance to the DSLAM.
Comment by Kirk — April 14, 2007 @ 5:32 pmKirk, I’ll respond to you if you can tell me exactly what a stark raving moonbat is. They didn’t teach me that in Minnesota. If you cannot, I think my point (of which I’ve still had only one) is sufficiently made.
Comment by Steven — April 14, 2007 @ 5:39 pmSteven: I usually don’t like to link to communist publications, but since I know these are the only people you trust: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonbat
It would sure be nice if your side could show the same kind of compromise and diplomacy my side makes on a daily basis.
Comment by Kirk — April 14, 2007 @ 5:47 pmOkay, Brad had a nice post. More matter of factly than anything else. As far as I am concerned there is nothing wrong with being grateful to live in the country and suggesting a tax based way of improving it even more.
Kirk on the other hand hasnt said anything intelligent yet. Seems like the anonymity of internet boosting is giving him a little too much arrogance. I am sure this has something to do with his inferiority complex as well.
- Nothing was said about the Soviet Union in Brad’s post. Think before you type. Maybe even phone a friend if you need to.
- As for your Alaka patriot camps idea, I think you need to visit those japanse camps and find out what really happened in the midst of WWII instead of talking out of your FOX News media warped little mind. What really happened is that the US Justice Dept. saw General DeWitt’s truthful memo about the Japanese concern and told him to rewrite it with their conclusions which were totally fabricated. The Japanese, including 70,000 US CITIZENS (could be you one day) were forced to liquidate all their assets and go live somewhere in the desert for years because of the media induced fear hype that told us all Japanese were not loyal. Actually, the US, in the 1980s apologized for these brutalities and paid all survivors reparations for their discriminatory and unconstitutional actions.
- So yes, Kirk – you have no idea what you are talking about. Maybe you should go back to school and drop that close minded attitude.
It might make you a happier person as well.
Comment by Kirk's mother — April 14, 2007 @ 6:08 pm“It would sure be nice if your side could show the same kind of compromise and diplomacy my side makes on a daily basis.”
BY compromise do mean fabricating intelligence and sacrificing the document which has enabled our country to enjoy the freedoms we have so far?
or do you mean torturing brown people and then letting them go because Australia asks us to (but only on the condition they promise not to sue us)?
Or you must mean calling potential D canditates “faggots”?
Or you mean degrading the homosexual lifestyle that many of your own party practices daily?
I wish my “side” could practice such elite compromise and diplomacy as well.
Call your mother
Comment by Kirk's mother — April 14, 2007 @ 6:19 pmFolks,
Click over to Kirk’s blog… It’s linked in his name. That will quickly help you understand how serious he takes the game that he’s playing.
Or, to put it more succinctly: Don’t feed trolls.
Comment by Brad Warbiany — April 14, 2007 @ 6:40 pmRude Liberal: Alaka? Nice job trying to infiltrate America, but you Islamists stand out like a sore thumb. Not to mention, that only some kind of heathen could actually believe that someone could metamorphize from a pure bred American patriot into an Asian terrorist.
Don’t try to post your “no weapons of mass destruction” propaganda here. Gee, who am I going to believe? Some anonymous poster or the president of the United States?
Q: But, still, those countries who didn’t support the Iraqi Freedom operation use the same argument, weapons of mass destruction haven’t been found. So what argument will you use now to justify this war?
THE PRESIDENT: We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories. You remember when Colin Powell stood up in front of the world, and he said, Iraq has got laboratories, mobile labs to build biological weapons. They’re illegal. They’re against the United Nations resolutions, and we’ve so far discovered two. And we’ll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven’t found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they’re wrong, we found them.
Your other statements are completely incoherent.
Comment by Kirk — April 14, 2007 @ 6:49 pmI’m sorry Brad. I cant help myself. Trolls are so sensitive. This is the last one, then I am going back to my northeastern “Islamist” education.
You know what else is against UN resolutions?
TORTURE.
Why wouldnt Fox News tell us about these alleged laboratories if they were found?
Smells like feed the retard to me.
P.S.: Who said anything about WMDs?
Turn off the Fox News and try to get a different perspective every once in a while. It might help.
Patriotism doesnt have to mean hatred of everyone who doesn’t love Mel Gibson. It can mean loving your country and the values it was founded on.
How did you survive in Chicago? Oh thats right, you probably stuck to some other anonymous form of babbling nonsensical conservative extremist garbage.
Brad – again I apologize. I wont shit on your article anymore by getting caught up in baiting trolls.
Thanks for the good input about whats going on in Russia. Keep up the good work.
Comment by Kirk's mother — April 14, 2007 @ 7:15 pmBrad: Why are you calling me names? Let’s try to be civilized in our debate please.
Rude Liberal: All I’m going to say – because I don’t want to further upset Brad, he seems enraged – is that I back up my statements with reliable sources. I have yet to see you back up any of your statements.
Comment by Kirk — April 14, 2007 @ 7:28 pmWell, looks like I won this debate.
Comment by Kirk — April 16, 2007 @ 1:53 am