re: #453 Nyet

Article one is a reprint of a Reuters News opinion piece. (It got far more exposure at Reuters than in The Nation.) It also lays out facts about Putin. It says to stop demonising him, it does not claim he is not dangerous. It also appeared four years ago.

The second quotes various news sources and notes those news sources did not provide evidence for their assertions. It also challenges the assertion that Russia manufactured the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe (that challenge has been made in the past), since there is no evidence for that.

The third calls out newspapers such as the Washington Post and New York Times for blurring the distinction between facts and opinions. This has been going on since the Bush Administration sold the Senate and the public on the idea of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It seems fairly apparent to me that the Foxification of the media is well under way, and has been for a while. That article calls out that blurring of lines.

Article four calls out the idea that Russia is not the only bad player in Ukraine but also the government after the Maiden Revolution. It cites various incidents (such as actions by Right Sector, a fascist group), and questions why the narrative in the press is one-sided (Russia evil). Neither side in this conflict is coming out smelling like roses, though I don’t know all the details (I doubt our own government does).

The fifth article is about the snub on Russia’s celebration of Victory Day, attended by our allies but not by us. I agreed then it was a snub. I still think it was a snub. The Soviet Union suffered mightily in World War II, and they were our allies in that war.