Small: Could Biden have a worse energy policy?

Could Biden have a worse energy policy?

By Jonathan Small

If one deliberately tried to devise a U.S. energy policy that would harm national interests and working families alike, it would look a lot like the Biden administration’s current policy.

The administration’s approach combines a willful ignorance of reality with a dismissive attitude towards working families. This could be seen when Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg blithely declared the people who would benefit most from driving electric cars “are often rural residents who have the most distances to drive, who burn the most gas.”

That rapid charging stations for electric cars are nonexistent in rural areas apparently never occurred to Buttigieg, nor did the reality that the price of electric cars makes them luxury items, not a practical purchase for the working class.

But that’s far from the worst aspects of Biden’s energy policy.

FEMA: don't forget to mask and social distance if taking shelter from nuclear blast

With Soviet Russian President Vladimir Putin putting his nuclear forces on high alert and not-so-subtly warning the West to not tempt him to use them, somebody decided to take a look at what FEMA suggests for citizens to do in the event of a nuclear explosion and noticed something that has now gone viral:

Lankford calls for "crippling sanctions on Putin, Russia", increased US energy production after invasion of Ukraine

[Since I messed up the email newsletter link twice, here's the correct link about Senator Inhofe.

Report: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe to announce retirement on Monday]

Lankford Statement on Russia’s Invasion on a Sovereign State

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement on Russia’s invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine:

“Cindy and I pray for the people of Ukraine. Today they face the unfathomable: an unprovoked attack on their families, homes, and communities—simply for who they are and what they stand for: a free people living in a free country living next door to a murderous dictator.

“America and our allies must respond quickly and decisively with crippling sanctions on Putin, Russia, and anyone who seeks to aid their actions. We will absolutely impose trade restrictions and enforce sanctions on countries who continue to work with Russia.

Inhofe condemns Putin's invasion, says "Putin’s ambitions won’t stop with Ukraine"

Sen. Inhofe with members of the OK Nat'l Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Ukraine in 2017.

Inhofe Statement on Putin's Escalating Invasion in Ukraine

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on Russia’s escalation of their invasion into Ukraine:

“My prayers are with the brave men, women, and children of Ukraine, who are suffering an unprecedented, unwarranted and unprovoked attack ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“For months, we’ve seen this coming - but Putin’s massive, shameful breach of international protocol is shocking and devastating nonetheless. 

OK Congressmembers comment on Ukraine, Biden's foreign and energy policy

Four of Oklahoma's five congressmembers issued statements today regarding the simmering Soviet Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine. Soviet Russian President Vladimir Putin lent official recognition of two Russian-assisted breakaway regions, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic.

In public remarks, Putin seemed to pine for the "good old days" of the Soviet Union, when much of eastern Europe and central Asia was under the thumb of the Kremlin. He seems to be well on his way toward bringing some of those regions and countries back under the direct control or indirect-but-domineering influence of Russia.

Following are press release from U.S. Reps. Stephanie Bice (5th District), Frank Lucas (3rd District), Kevin Hern (1st District), and Tom Cole (4th District):

Lankford: Putin is "trying to... recreate the USSR" with aggression toward Ukraine

Lankford Warns Russian Aggression an Attempt to Start New USSR

Lankford: “Let’s pray for the people of Ukraine who, right now, who hear the guns practicing on the other side of their border. Let’s pray for peace.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today warned that Russian aggression on the border with Ukraine and military posturing in general should be taken seriously. He shared his support for helping the Ukrainian people defend themselves amid an escalating situation developing on their border that Russia is trying to pretend is nothing. Lankford has consistently called out President Biden’s failed foreign policy, especially against Russia, as Biden has refused to sanction Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Europe, which threatens energy security.

Lankford introduced the Never Yielding Europe’s Territory (NYET) Act to provide the critical support Ukraine needs to defend itself and deter Russian aggression today, while imposing real costs on the Kremlin for its ongoing and potential future aggression against Ukraine. Lankford introduced the Belarus Aggression Accountability Act to deter Belarus from allowing Russia to use its territory to invade Ukraine. Lankford’s bill would sanction Belarus or any country that aids Russia’s ongoing, unprovoked aggression toward the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Lankford supported legislation to impose US sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany running through the Baltic Sea.

Lankford pushes for sanctions on Belarus to stop Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine

Lankford Pushes for Sanctions on Belarus to Stop Russia’s Aggression Toward Ukraine

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) introduced the Belarus Aggression Accountability Act to deter Belarus from allowing Russia to use its territory to invade Ukraine. Lankford’s bill would sanction Belarus or any country that aids Russia’s ongoing, unprovoked aggression toward the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Russia has stationed nearly 30,000 troops near the Belarus/Ukraine border, its largest deployment to Belarus since the Cold War. Additionally, Russia has positioned 130,000 troops on the Russia/Ukraine border and deployed six additional naval vessels to the Black Sea.

“Belarus is allowing thousands of Russian troops into their country to line the border with Ukraine. The US should make it clear that strong economic and diplomatic sanctions will be applied to any country that supports Russia’s attempts to invade Ukraine,” said Lankford. “It is easier to stop a war that has never started than it is to end a war in process. This is a strong stance America can take to counter Russia and Belarus as they continue to threaten Ukraine’s independence.”

Dahm: there should be absolutely no American involvement in Ukraine

US SENATE CANDIDATE NATHAN DAHM RELEASES STATEMENT ON POTENTIAL RUSSIA AND UKRAINE WAR

Oklahoma (January 24, 2022) - State Senator and candidate for US Senate Nathan Dahm released a statement on the potential of a Russia and Ukraine war: 

Lucas helps introduce bill to give universities tools to protect COVID research from cyberattacks

Barr and Lucas Introduce Legislation to Give Universities Tools to Protect COVID-19 Research from Cyberattacks

Cheyenne, OK – Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) and House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) introduced a bill today that will help universities and research institutions protect COVID-19 research from cyberattacks by China and Russia.

The bill will give universities and research institutions access to cybersecurity guidance developed specifically for their needs. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) currently sets cybersecurity standards and guidelines for federal agencies and provides voluntary best practices for private industry. This bill directs NIST to produce specific guidance, based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, to universities and other institutions conducting research on COVID-19.

Rep. Barr is a member of the China Task Force, which is working to counter emerging threats from the Chinese Communist Party. “Congress must act to safeguard critical scientific Coronavirus research being conducted at universities nationwide," said Barr. “My bill would have the Director of National Institute of Standards and Technology put forth guidance to preserve COVID-19 research and greatly reduce the threat of cyberattacks. This includes providing best practices and guidelines that will protect our national security.”

Neese: Russians hacked 5th District campaign emails

So... this landed in my inbox this afternoon. Make of it what you will.

RUSSIANS ATTEMPT TO HACK NEESE CAMPAIGN; CAMPAIGN SAYS EFFORT SAME AS EFFORT TO UNDERMINE TRUMP’S LEGITIMACY 

Oklahoma City, OK – Terry Neese, conservative Republican candidate for Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District, released the following statement today after determining the campaign’s email database had been hacked by Russia and other foreign entities.

 “Like President Trump, our campaign has been targeted by the Russian and foreign entities in an attempt to sway our electoral process and destroy our democracy here in the United States,” said Terry Neese. “Contrary to the mainstream media’s reporting, the Democrats are not the only candidates being besieged with downright invasive and illegal tactics by foreign entities. Russia has made it painfully clear its only goal is to spread disinformation and create chaos ahead of the 2020 elections, and after today’s discovery we know they have their sights set on the 5th District.”

On Friday morning, the Neese campaign recognized unusual activity on its campaign email database and subsequently determined it had been infiltrated by over 6,000 Russian and foreign bots. While the campaign can say with certainty that none of this foreign activity affected legitimate campaign subscribers in any way, we have confirmed these bots had been forwarding campaign emails to unknown users as a means to phish for personal information and spread disinformation about the race in the 5th District.

Neese added: “Russian influencers are once again trying to undermine the legitimacy of the election and do to us what they’ve tried to do to Donald Trump. Russian operatives continue to try to manipulate and operate in our electoral system and it has to stop. We see these abuses not just by the Russians, but liberal corporate tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. I will not stand for these kinds of attacks on my campaign or our democracy – the American people deserve better.”

OK congressional delegation comments on release of Mueller report

Following Sunday's release of Special Counsel Robert Meuller's report on the "Russian collusion" investigation that vindicated President Trump and his 2016 campaign, the Oklahoma congressional delegation (with the exception of 2nd District GOP Rep. Markwayne Mullin and 5th District Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn) issued their statements on the news:

REP. HERN STATEMENT ON CONCLUSION OF SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION

WASHINGTON, DC - Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) released the following statement after the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into President Donald Trump.

“As I expected, Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of conspiracy or collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and nearly two years of time were wasted in pursuit of this pointless investigation,” said Rep. Hern.  “I think many of my colleagues need to apologize for the hateful and baseless accusations they’ve made against the President, looking to divide our country and discredit the accomplishments of President Trump’s administration. I look forward to the speedy release of the full report to Congress and the public. The American people deserve to see the full results of this massive waste of time and money. In the meantime, Congress can return our focus to the real issues in our country, eliminating regulations on job creators, putting Americans back to work, empowering our people to earn better wages and realize their American Dream.”

On March 14, 2019, Congress unanimously voted in favor of a resolution to make the full report of the investigation public. Rep. Hern supported this bill, you can find his statement on its passage here.

Inhofe Statement on Mueller Report

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) made the following statement after Attorney General Barr released his primary conclusions from the Mueller investigation:

“The summary of the Mueller report Attorney General Barr provided to Congress today was clear: there was no evidence of collusion or obstruction of justice—and this was after nearly a two-year investigation with virtually bottomless resources. Maybe now the Democrats can stop feeding Russia’s goal of sowing discord and start working with Republicans on behalf of American families.”

Senator Lankford Issues Statement on Mueller Report

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement on the conclusion of the investigation lead by Robert Mueller into interference by Russia in the 2016 presidential election.

“After two years, $25 million, 500 interviews, 2,800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, and a team of 19 lawyers and 40 FBI agents, Mr. Mueller was able to complete an exhaustive, comprehensive report that concluded that President Trump did not conspire with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election. The initial summary of the report did not find any evidence that his campaign or anyone associated with it cooperated with Russia to interfere in the election. Now that the investigation has concluded, I believe that the American people should be able to read as much as possible of the report and Congress should get back to legislating.

“During my time on the Senate Intelligence Committee, we worked on a bipartisan investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. We also did not find that anyone with the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to interfere, but it was clear that Russia has continued to work to infiltrate our elections. They were unsuccessful in 2016, but Congress should remain vigilant to address the weaknesses in our voting systems to stop any foreign adversaries from meddling in our election system in the future.”

Lucas Statement on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Report

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement regarding the completion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the principal summary written by United States Attorney General William Barr.

“After two years, two congressional investigations, more than 2,800 subpoenas, 500 witness interviews, and millions of taxpayer dollars, it is undeniably clear that there was no collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Russian government. The summary of the Special Counsel’s investigation, written by Attorney General William Barr, clearly validates what millions of Americans already knew and what the frenzied media and Democrats refused to acknowledge: that Democrats have lost touch with main street America and will push outlandish theories in order to discredit a President.

I hope the report will at last bring a close to the wild-goose chase perpetuated by Democrats so that we may finally focus on the issues that affect the lives of the American people.”

Cole Statement on Special Counsel Mueller’s Completed Investigation

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement regarding completion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the principal summary of the findings described by Attorney General William Barr. The Special Counsel’s report determined that there was no collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump or his campaign, nor did President Trump commit obstruction according to Attorney General Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

“While it’s unfortunate that it took a costly and lengthy investigation to reach this point, Democratic suspicions were finally proven false. There was no collusion between Russia and the Campaign of President Donald Trump,” said Cole. “With completion of the Special Counsel’s incredibly thorough investigation, I hope Democrats will decide to accept the truth of the conclusions and turn their attention and energy toward working on more important issues for the American people. There is no reason for more damaging and divisive distractions that are motivated simply by the desire to condemn President Trump.”

The Conservative View: A Necessary Evil

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner (R-Stilwell).

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

A Necessary Evil

It would be nice if we humans were creatures that could resolve all of our problems in a non-violent and civilized manner. The money that we could save on not having to build planes, tanks, ships, etc. could build a utopia on this planet. It is a sad fact that we humans are incapable of building such a world. There is always a group ready to destroy another group or civilization for the land or wealth that they possess. It is a sad fact that many people are not interested in history. I have found that it is far easier to avoid mistakes in our lives when we listen to the stories of past generations. As for myself, I cherish the memories of my grandparents and the common sense philosophy that they learned from the school of hard knocks. I remember them telling of the hardships of World War 2 and the sacrifices that the Americans of that day endured. I have also watched many programs of that era and have seen the carnage that our forefathers endured. I believe that that war would have been much worse if it had not been for the strength of our military. Over the past week much has been in the news about the nuclear agreement with Russia and how this will make our world so much safer.

I believe that peace is only achieved when our adversaries know that our strength and resolve is so strong that it would be suicide to attack us. Nuclear war would be a horror that no sane person would want to be involved in, but when the bomb was used on Japan that act saved that island nation from being burned to the ground along with countless Japanese and American soldiers. It is sad that civilized people cannot understand the barbarian mind. Our forefathers understood that the only reasoning that barbarians understand is force. Throughout history military superiority can change overnight. Rogue nations like North Korea, Iran and a host of other terrorists groups are in the process of acquiring the bomb. We Americans like to pat ourselves on our backs and claim that we are making the world a safer place when we make ourselves weaker. Granted we have many enemies, but I believe that our biggest enemies are apathy and arrogance. We take our safety for granted. Our weapons and military are a necessary evil; we need to remember that the lack of weapons never makes us safer; only having them makes us safer.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net.

More Russian Aggression Towards Poland

Russia continues to take an aggressive stance towards Eastern Europe, in attempts to bully them to bow to Moscovian pressure.

Russian military, in conjuction with Belarus, recently conducted war games simulating an attack on Poland involving amphibious landings and nuclear missile launches. Fresh in the minds of Poles is the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland, which was just a few months ago.

Vladimir Putin seems to be pushing Russia back to the "good old days" of the Soviet Union. Will President Obama and the West stand up for eastern Europe against the newly-revived Russian Bear?

The Conservative View: Kevlar and Boxing

The Conservative View for this week, from Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner.

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

Kevlar and Boxing

Over the past years more and more police officers and soldiers are wearing Kevlar vests when they are on duty. Without the use of the vests many police officers and soldiers would not have lived when shot in the line of duty. The vest is a defensive tool. The vest cannot be used as a weapon to injure our kill someone but it provides the protection to save the lives of good people that could have been killed or crippled in the line of duty. A wise person always plans for the defense of their family and themselves. With that in mind I have some very serious concerns about the decision by the current administration to scale back the missile defense system in Eastern Europe.

We Americans may have watched too many graphic horror movies or played too many violent video games. May be we have become numb to the horror that can be in the world. I remember the words of one of our presidents when he said that in a nuclear war the living would envy the dead. If a missile defense system could save only one city, the price of the system would be cheap. There are more countries every day that are trying to acquire nuclear weapons. It will only be a matter of time until some one will push the button and use them.

Some nations are pleased with the decision to cancel the system, one of them being Russia. We Americans need to come to the realization that there are people in this world that do not like us. How much sense does it make to not use a protective measure that could save millions of people, if we used the same mentality we would ask police officers and soldiers to quit using Kevlar.

Many of us enjoy the sport of boxing and we can learn a lot about life by watching the sport. In boxing there is a set of rules and after each round the boxers can go to their corners and prepare for the next round. The sport of boxing may be a rough sport but there are rules, in the art of war there are no rules. One side will not stop when the bell rings to allow us to prepare for the next battle. No matter how good of a punch a boxer might have, if he cannot fend of the punches of his opponents he will never win.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, click here.

Poland Cannot Trust the West

Poland Cannot Trust the West

The White House, caving to Russian pressure, announced today that the Bush-proposed missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic was being canceled. The plan had been fairly controversial, especially with the Russian leaders, as they viewed it as a threat to them, despite American assurances that it was to counter Iranian missile potential.

This proves once again that Poland can never completely trust the West.

Poland has a sad history of betrayal by Western powers.

In 1939, in the face of Nazi saber rattling, Britain and France gave Poland a guarantee that if Hitler invaded Poland, both nations would launch war on Germany. On September 1st, 1939, Der Führer invaded and the West did very little to hinder him. On September 17th Soviet Russia joined in, attacking Poland from the east. The Polish doctrine of two enemies (Germany to the west, Russia to the east) was proven true once again. A truly free and independent Poland disappeared until the fall of both Nazism (1945) and the Soviet Union (1989-1991).

During World War II, Polish troops formed a significant portion of Allied soldiery (one of the largest national contingents), contributing greatly in the Battle for Britain and the Italian Campaign. On the home front, the Home Army formed the largest (and most successful) underground resistance movement in Europe.

As soon as Poland itself fell to Nazi and Soviet aggression, the government-in-exile worked with Great Britain and other western allies to form a plan to reestablish Poland, when the opportunity presented itself. Headway was made, until the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union (through Polish territory), bringing the Soviets onto the Allies side - truly a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

From that point on, Polish "squabbling" over territorial integrity (Soviet Russia had annexed eastern Poland) irritated the British. Poland wanted their land back in its entirety, and the Soviet Union wanted Poland.

The preparations for Operation Tempest, the liberation of Poland and reestablishment of Polish government before the Soviets could take over, continued. The UK and US promised help in various ways; materiel, Polish troops currently fighting under British control, air drops and raids, et cetera.

While assuring the Poles of assistance, Churchill and especially FDR made concessions to Joseph Stalin. Without consulting their Polish allies, Churchill and FDR agreed that the Soviet Union could claim the Curzon Line as their mutual border with Poland, thereby giving the Soviets the eastern third of Poland (while "making up for it" by giving Poland some of eastern Germany). Churchill originally took a harder stance with Stalin, but after learning that FDR had privately agreed with Stalin on the Curzon Line, was forced to go along. All of this came out at the Yalta Conference.

The summer of 1944 finally rolled around. The Red Army had been pushing the Nazi Wehrmacht out of Russia, and entered pre-war Poland, hot on the Germans heels. With "Allied" troops now in Poland, Operation Tempest was launched. Initial contact with the Red Army by the Polish Home Army was friendly, but once the front line rolled past, the Soviet NKVD (forerunner of the KGB) viciously murdered or repatriated to Siberia most Home Army or government officials, and deported masses of civilians. Neither the British nor the Americans believed reports coming out of Poland, calling them "anti-Soviet".

Seeing what became of their comrades-at-arms, the Polish government-in-exile altered the objective of Operation Tempest. The aim was now to liberate Warsaw, the capital, and show the world that Poland was still by right a free land. The "Warsaw Rising" commenced on August 1st, 1944, with the Soviet troops within sight of Warsaw.

For two months the Poles fought in the streets of Warsaw, with little of the promised-British/American aid, and with no cooperation from the suddenly sluggish Soviets. The Polish paratroops were not sent as agreed, aid was limited (in part by Soviet AA fire at Allied planes), and pressure was not applied to the Soviets. Initially planned to only last a few days, the courageous Poles had fought for 63 days, and were forced to surrender only after losing nearly all the ground they had ripped from the Nazis grip.

The West looked the other way as brutal Nazi repression was replaced by even more brutal Soviet repression. The aforementioned Polish doctrine of two enemies was clearly proven again. One could say that the Germans systematically murdered and oppressed specific groups of people (such as Jews and ethnic-Poles), while the Soviets systematically murdered and oppressed all groups. After all, the Soviets had been running the Gulag well over a decade before the Nazi extermination and concentration camps were opened.

Poland, which gave so much for the war effort, was given over to Soviet rule without so much as a whimper from the West. This only changed with the ascension to power of President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who began to roll back past injuries by their support of the Solidarity movement. A free Poland finally emerged after decades of Soviet rule by Western consent.

After 9/11, President Bush courted Eastern Europe, and Poland in particular. Poland contributed to the liberation of Iraq. In light of the growing belligerence coming from Russia, Poland was glad to move closer to the United States. When President Bush proposed his missile defense shield as a safeguard against Iranian nuclear madness, Poland (along with the Czech Republic) agreed to host the facilities. Russia threw a fit, at one point actually threatening "military action" if the installations were placed.

Poland and the Czech Republic, our closest allies in Eastern Europe, took a great risk in defying Russia in this way, only to be thrown under the bus by President Obama. And to add insult to injury, this announcement came on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland.

Obama is acting a lot like another Progressive liberal Democrat President, bowing to pressure by Russia's latest Stalin wannabe.

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin, 1945 - Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin, 2009

Unfortunately, Poland, the West continues to prove itself untrustworthy in regards to you.

Drudge: Russian Analyist Predicts US Decline and Breakup

From Drudge:

RUSSIAN ANALYST PREDICTS DECLINE AND BREAKUP OF USA
Tue Nov 25 2008 09:04:22 ET

A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.

Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily IZVESTIA published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse."

The paper said Panarin's dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year's events.

When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: "It is already collapsing. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: America will no longer be the world's financial regulator."

When asked who would replace the U.S. in regulating world markets, he said: "Two countries could assume this role: China, with its vast reserves, and Russia, which could play the role of a regulator in Eurasia."

Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: "A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles."

He also cited the "vulnerable political setup", "lack of unified national laws", and "divisions among the elite, which have become clear in these crisis conditions."

And now, for my favorite part:

He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts - the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong.

He even suggested that "we could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all." Panarin, 60, is a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has authored several books on information warfare.

Developing...

It's interesting to see how the Russians view the United States: Chinese in the Pacific, Hispanic in the South, Native American in the central portion (Oklahoma, and the upper Great Plains states?)... I have a feeling that they would be surprosed if they walked through our streets, and saw how different it really was. There's no way the American Indian tribes are going to secede and return to their ancestral ways of life, Russia.

First Steps to the New Soviet Union

Under the guise of dealing with the current financial crisis, the Russian Duma (equivalent to the U.S. House) has passed legislation that would extend the presidential term by two years, and legislative terms by an additional year.

Russian parliament approves longer presidential terms

"Russian lawmakers gave final approval Friday to a bill extending presidential terms, after a speech on the economy by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin revived speculation over his political ambitions.

The bill, which sailed through the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, would extend presidential terms from four to six years and would be the first change to Russia's post-Soviet constitution adopted in 1993."

"Putin took the political initiative and responsibility" by giving a speech at the party congress "that was meant to be given by Medvedev," the Vedomosti daily newspaper reported Friday, citing political analyst Dmitry Badovsky.

The extension of presidential terms has been seen by some analysts as paving the way for Putin's return to the presidency after he left in May having served the maximum two consecutive terms allowed by the constitution.

"The haste in which the Duma adopted this reform leads one to think that the authorities are speeding up to prepare a return to the Kremlin for Putin," said Yevgeny Volk from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think tank.

Vedomosti earlier this month cited two Kremlin sources saying that Medvedev would resign soon after the approval of the amendments and that Putin would then run in a presidential election next year.

The constitution has no provision against former presidents who have already served two terms from running again, as long as some time passes between the end of their second term and their new candidacy."

(rest of article)

And thus begin the first steps to the new and improved Soviet Union...

Russia to start new miltiary build-up

"Russia is to build new space and missile defence shields and put its armed forces on permanent combat alert, President Medvedev announced yesterday.

In a sharp escalation of military rhetoric, Mr Medvedev ordered a wholesale renovation of Russia’s nuclear deterrence and told military chiefs to draw up plans to reorganise the armed forces by December."

"Russia also openly declared its ambition to rival the US in Latin America yesterday as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised to sell nuclear technology to Venezuela."

Click here for the rest of this must-read.

The Russian Bear is stirring again...