USSR2 File: Russia responds to NATO summit in Chicago, launches new ICBM; Putin, Medvedev attend Victory Day parade as 14,000 troops march past with tanks and missile launchers, Red Square festooned with enormous hammer-and-sickle banners; Kremlin crushes dissent with draconian fines
Posted by on May 25, 2012
- Communist Party of the Russian Federation Receives 5,000 Boys and Girls into Young Pioneers in Red Square Ceremony; Bolsheviks Founded Pioneers in 1922 to Indoctrinate Youth for Party Membership
Pictured above: No, this is not a photo of Red Square in 1982 but, rather, 2012. The Putinist regime uses the Victory Day military parade to glory in Russia’s Soviet legacy. Canada’s National Post has a gallery of pics of this May 9 event here.
Two days after the NATO summit wrapped up in Chicago, Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces launched a brand-new intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwest Russia. The projectile with its dummy warhead successfully struck a designated target thousands of miles away on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in Far East Russia. “The new ICBM will strengthen the combat capability of the strategic missile forces thanks to its ability to penetrate prospective missile defence systems,” boasted the Russian Defense Ministry, no doubt referring to NATO’s anti-missile batteries in the “ex”-communist states of Poland and Romania.
The latter is a bone of contention between Moscow and Washington, which insists the North Atlantic Alliance needs to be protected from missile attacks from “rogue states” like Iran and North Korea. NATO has acknowledged its willingness to cooperate with Russia on European security, but has rejected Moscow’s proposal to jointly operate the missile defense network. Without a cooperation deal, the Kremlin has sought guarantees from the USA that any future missile defence will not target Russia, and on several occasions has threatened to take military countermeasures if no deal is inked.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not offer a name for the new ICBM, but some military analysts suspect the weapon is a modified Topol-M that uses a more advanced propellant. The Kremlin did admit, however, that the missile was launched from a road-mobile carrier. The Russian military also announced that it had commissioned a new early warning radar this week. The Voronezh-M-type facility in Irkutsk has an improved range compared to older Soviet-era radars.
Two weeks ago, on May 7, “ex”-communist and career Chekist Vladimir Putin re-occupied the Russian Federation presidency, after four years of holding the post of prime minister. As before, in 2008, Putin switched posts with lackey Dmitry Medvedev. In both capacities, Putin has been the visible and not-so-pleasant face of the neo-Soviet leadership since 1999.
To make sure the West trembles before Russia’s military might, Putin was not content to launch the country’s latest ICBM but also, two days after his re-installation, presided over the annual Victory Day military parade. At that time, 14,000 impassive Russian servicemen marched past his Red Square platform, followed by rumbling T-90 tanks and mobile ICBM launchers. In his Victory Day speech, which commemorates the Allied triumph over Nazi Germany, he intoned:
Russia consistently conducts its policy for strengthening security in the world, and we have the great moral right to fundamentally and insistently stand up for our position. Your courage and ability to love and defend your homeland will never recede into the past and will remain the hallmark of morals, patriotism and sense of civic duty in the eyes of the younger generation.
To reassure Western communists that Russia’s rulers are still committed to world revolution, notwithstanding Putin’s nationalist rhetoric, the soldiers and military hardware passing through Red Square on May 9 did so under enormous hammer-and-sickle banners. We got the message, Vlad, loud and clear.
To make sure freedom-loving Russians, who objected to his re-election back in March, no longer voice their opposition, Putin directed the State Duma to pass heavy fines for unauthorized protests. The new law raises fines for participating in unsanctioned rallies from 5,000 rubles (US$160) to 1,000,000 rubles (US$32,250). Although United Russia lost its supermajority in December, Putin’s political support group in the Russian parliament still commands a small majority over the other three parties represented there (Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Just Russia, and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia).
The day before Putin’s inauguration, a demonstration of 20,000 people turned ugly after some protesters tried to march on the Kremlin but were repelled by Moscow’s “finest.” Scores were injured in clashes and hundreds were detained as police chased oppositionists around the Russian capital.
On May 22, Moscow police again quickly rounded up several members of the liberal Yabloko party, who attempted to protest the new bill outside parliament. Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin contended that the law was intended to crush dissent. “A direct signal is being made by those in power: Sit down and keep quiet!” Mitrokhin told reporters before his detention. Just Russia leader Sergei Mironov, who fell out with the Kremlin several years ago, described the anti-protest bill as “odious” and intended to “shut the people’s mouth.”
During the debate in parliament, Communist deputy Valentin Romanov asserted that the Kremlin concocted the new sanctions against protests “in anticipation of anger against upcoming unpopular social reforms.” Comrade Romanov said: “It’s a pre-emptive move preceding a rise in social protests across the country.” During a round-table discussion on Thursday, party boss Gennady Zyuganov opined: “This law is a provocation. We will not support it. The main reason for the mass protests is the deepening [European] financial and economic crisis, turning into a political one.”
Since the stage-managed collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Soviet communists have held aloft the red banner of world revolution. This week they passed this banner to a new generation. Kremlin-run Russia Today reports that on Monday more than 5,000 boys and girls be-draped with red ties and side caps flooded onto Red Square to be received into the ranks of the Young Pioneers. The Bolsheviks founded the Pioneers 90 years ago to indoctrinate the youth of the newly captive nation and, after 1993, the CPRF resurrected the organization to recruit youth.
Historically, after passing through the ranks of the Young Pioneers, Soviet children graduated to the Communist Youth League, which prepared young adults for full membership in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. For example, Russian Prime Minister Medvedev and Julia Tymoshenko, the imprisoned former PM of Ukraine, were both subjected to Komsomol indoctrination. The CPRF maintains its own version of the Komsomol too.
Addressing the burgeoning communists, Chairman Zyuganov said: “Pioneers have always been model examples of how to love one’s motherland, how to be a good and honorable student, and how to help one’s elders and juniors alike.” The children who were sworn in on Sunday came from Moscow and surrounding regions. CPFR spokesman Yury Afonin explained that there were also delegations from 30 different regions across the country, including Siberia and beyond. Afonin insists “It isn’t just a tradition; they are doing real work with the children.” Yes, indeed, real work like inculcating Marxism disguised as Russian patriotism.
Buncha Commies Corner: Ongoing US-Russian paratrooper drill in Colorado, President Putin’s no-show at G8 meeting, and PM Medvedev’s farcical fill-in at Camp David sink below MSM “radar”; communists descend upon NATO summit as alliance leaders swap notes in Chicago
Posted by on May 23, 2012
- Flashback: 150 Russian Troops Trained at Fort Riley, Kansas in 1995, Carried Out Peacekeeping Scenario with US Soldiers
Pictured here: Chicago’s “finest” arrest anti-NATO protester, presumably on the second day of protests on Monday, May 21.
What is most disturbing about the US-Russian military drills at Fort Carson, Colorado, which began on May 15 and will continue until May 31, is how little coverage the MSM has allocated to this politically significant event. The fact that only 22 Russian airborne (VDV) commandos, Russia’s “blue berets,” are whacking “terrorists” alongside the US Army’s “Green Berets” is beside the point. From the vantage of Kremlin-scripted East-West convergence and the creation of a third-party threat (radical Islam), the camel’s nose is in the tent. Not to fear, the Russians view the joint exercises with a healthy dose of historical perspective:
When Baby Boomers [and their offspring, the Baby Busters, such as your resident blogger] think of Russian paratroopers on American soil, they may recall the Hollywood movie “Red Dawn,” in which the American heartland [ironically, Colorado] is occupied by the Soviet Union, and only Patrick Swayze and his high-school friends can fight the invaders.
“Plans are in place,” says Russia Beyond the Headlines, above, “to send a handful ofUS service members toRussia next year for similar training [indoctrination?].”
“Some people have seen sinister motives behind the appearance of troops from America’s longtime Cold War enemy at a U.S. Army post,” remarked Lt. Col. Steven Osterholzer, public affairs officer for the 10th Special Forces Group, which is based at Fort Carson. “Conspiracy theorists are alive and well,” he said, adding: “Some people who’ve called me have said President Barack Obama is a communist, or that the Russians plan to kidnap Americans and take them back to Russia, or that the training is a step toward universal world government.” He concluded, somewhat tongue in cheek: “It’s been an interesting two weeks at the public affairs office.”
To dispel any fears that the Russian special forces might use their “R&R” to conduct a little espionage and sabotage in nearby Colorado Springs, the Denver affiliate of CBS informs us that “The Russians will be escorted around the clock by senior ranking U.S. military officers and no classified information will be exchanged.” Whew, what a relief! The same source, too, reassures us that reports claiming “the drills would involve the Russians seizing CIA computers in Denver and taking over the city’s airport” were false.
Feigning ignorance, Kremlin-run Russia Today says: “It is unclear where these reports originated, as RT verified with Russian Airborne Forces spokesperson Col. Aleksandr Kucherenko that he had said nothing pertaining to the capture of Denver airport.” Sure, comrade, we believe you!
As it turns out, according to an ABC News story correction, this is not the first time Russian soldiers have trained on US soil. In 1995, four years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, 150 Russian troops participated in a joint peacekeeping exercise at Fort Riley, in Kansas. While we can all squirm under the embarrassment of reporting this month’s drill at Fort Carson as the first such exercise, the fact that it is the second known US-Russian military exercise in North America exposes the apathy of the shopping mall regime.
While friendly Russian commandos take in a baseball game in Colorado Springs, the leaders of the G8 nations arrived at Camp Davidto offer solutions to the Eurozone debt and monetary crises. Noting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s conspicuous absence, the Montreal Gazette yawned: “In what has been widely viewed as a snub, Russian President Vladimir Putin skipped the summit, sending Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in his place.” A snub indeed. In all likelihood, “ex”-communist Putin did not want his international counterparts to chew him out over the Kremlin’s harsh crackdown on anti-Putin protests on the eve of his May 7 re-inauguration.
Commenting on the AWOL Russian president and his comical office rotation with lackey Medvedev, the Moscow Times more astutely noted:
If Putin cannot find a way to influence Western leaders in the G8, perhaps his best option is to try to belittle them. Thus, Putin came up with a ridiculous excuse for his inability to attend the G8 summit at Camp David and sent Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in his place. As a result, the leaders of the G7 were forced to sit alongside a powerless stand-in, who seemed to play this role with masochistic pleasure. For example, Medvedev cheerfully posed for photographs with world leaders and posted them on the Internet as if he was sending friends pictures from his vacation, not a global summit.
Thankfully, the Moscow Times cut to the chase by noting the policy differences among the G8 leaders, not to mention the generally useless nature of the meeting:
But in reality, the G8 members split into two opposing camps over how to solve the economic crisis. U.S. President Barack Obama and a host of European leaders contended that increased investment in the economy is necessary to expand production and create more jobs. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the solution lies with strict controls over spending and the money supply to limit inflation. The final communique issued by the summit reflected the delicate balancing act between those two approaches.
For his part, the cocky Medvedev, a Soviet Komsomol graduate, chortled: “For now, the overall situation with our [Russia’s] economy is fine because we had a budget surplus last year. Naturally, this year will be more difficult, but we’ll manage just the same.”
Following the rather pathetic G8 pseudo-summit, master of ceremonies Barack Hussein Obama scurried to his hometown of Chicago to host leaders of NATO. In tow were thousands of the president’s comrades in the US Left, including anti-war protesters, anti-globalization agitators, socialists, communists, and anarchists, who marched down Michigan Avenue from Grant Park to the conference center containing the military alliance’s leaders. The Chicago Police Department hauled away 45 protesters, who carried placards that blared slogans like “War Criminal Summit.”
“We want to show the world that there is a powerful worker movement in America,” said 57-year-old Adam Shels, who spoke on behalf of the little-known American Socialist Movement. Historically, there are at least two reasons communism has never totally corrupted working-class America, namely, the country’s flag-waving unionized workers make too much money and are loyal to the principles upon which the American Republic was founded. Widespread affluence and staunch patriotism do not typically breed proletarian revolution.
Not surprisingly, the websites of the Communist Party USA, Revolutionary Communist Party USA, and Workers’ World Party urged cadres to stir up trouble on the streets of the USA’s third-largest city.
Looking for ideological and tactical inspiration, some protesters referenced the anti-Vietnam War demos surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. “This will partly help Chicagolive down 1968,” said Dick Simpson, a former Windy City alderman who attended that infamous meeting as a state campaign manager for presidential candidate Eugene J. McCarthy. “The images of ’68 will never go away, but what I saw this weekend was that in many ways Chicago has grown up since then.” Yes, if only communists everywhere would also “grow up.”
Breaking News: Bank “jog” begins in debt-stricken Greece: Customers withdraw 700 million euros on May 14 alone as European Central Bank “cuts off” some Greek banks; Athens forms emergency government until June 17 election
Posted by on May 17, 2012
EU File: Greek president announces new election in June after national unity talks collapse over terms of EU bailout; 37-year-old leader of Radical Left Coalition, “ex”-KKE cadre poised to become next PM; popular support for Eurocommunist Syriza jumps from 17 to 28% since May 6 vote
Posted by on May 15, 2012
- Syriza Committed to Halting Repayment of National Debt, Nationalizing Banks, Imposing 75 Percent Income Tax on Wealthy, Withdrawing Greece from NATO
- Cyprus’ Communist President Deplores Rise of Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn in Greece, Hosted Russian Communist Party Boss in 2008
On Tuesday, a spokesman for Greek President Karolos Papoulias announced that five-party talks aimed at cobbling together a government of national unity committed to enacting a European Union bailout package, which would impose deep financial austerity upon the country, had collapsed. A second election has been called for June.
“For God’s sake, let’s move towards something better and not something worse,” Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) leader Evangelos Venizelos told reporters after the meeting. “Our motherland can find its way. We will fight for it to find its way.”
The announcement came only nine days after Greek voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the two mainstream parties—the center-left PASOK and center-right New Democracy —by directing one third of their support outside the political establishment. After New Democracy, the Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) achieved the highest percentage, but other parties fared well too, including the venerable Greek Communist Party (KKE), the small Democratic Left party, the centrist Independent Greeks and, surprisingly, the far-right Golden Dawn party.
The KKE rejected an invitation to attend the national unity talks, while Golden Dawn was ignored completely.
In the May 6 election, the far-left Syriza received 16.8 percent of voter support, but its principled stand against the EU’s terms and conditions for a 130 billion euro loan, combined with the “sexy” charisma of 37-year-old party leader, Alexis Tsipras (pictured above), has in less than two weeks bumped up Syriza’s popularity to 28 percent of decided voters. The dashing, unmarried Tsipras is a former KKE youth cadre and civil engineer by training.
Some political analysts believe Syriza could potentially form the next government with the support of only one junior partner, like the disgraced PASOK, Democratic Left or, maybe, KKE. Indeed, polls show Syriza is now on course to win outright, a result that would bestow an automatic bonus of 50 seats to the party in the 300-seat parliament.
After Tuesday’s talks, the Greek president’s office released transcripts of an earlier multi-party meeting, held on Sunday, during which Tsipras stated that there was not sufficient “common ground” with the other parties. “It would be irresponsible to say one thing before the elections and something else afterward,” Tsipras was quoted as saying.
Unlike the eco-friendly, socially liberal Eurocommunist Syriza, which does not advocate a complete departure from the Eurozone, the pro-Moscow working-class Marxists in the KKE refuse to have anything do with the EU’s monetary union. “The Greek Communist Party,” reports the Iranian media, “believes the European financial model is set up so that it cannot function as a unified welfare state, or offer an alternative, lenient fiscal policy towards debt-ridden countries like Greece.” Still, on key points Syriza’s manifesto is similar to that of the KKE: Tsipras would withdraw Greece from NATO and close its bases, halt repayment of the national debt, reverse privatizations, seize banks, eliminate sales tax, and impose a 75 percent tax on the rich.
According to the Toronto Star, Tsipras’ support “now reaches far beyond the confines of the radical left — he is a saviour, the only leader bold enough to seize power from the inept and crooked old men who squandered the future of Greek youth.” The same news site points out: “The economic crisis that has crushed Greece over the last five years has badly hurt its young people, more than half of whom are now unemployed.” One adoring female Tsipras groupie posted on Facebook: “I would marry you in a sec!!”
By contrast, Alekos Alavanos, the veteran communist who picked Tsipras to take over the Syriza leadership, has urged party supporters to acknowledge that rejecting the bailout package probably means leaving the Eurozone. “The left must warn the people responsibly. Not only by telling them that the road away from the bailout is also the road that leads to exiting the euro, but also that it will be particularly painful, but with prospects,” he wrote in an online editorial. This policy move, of course, would reduce the ideological differences between Syriza and KKE even more.
A caretaker government will rule Greece until June, at which time the country may see its first communist regime since the KKE proclaimed the short-lived Provisional Democratic Government in 1946. The Greek Civil War, which ended with the capitulation of Yugoslavia-backed communist insurgents in 1949, is often regarded as the first “hot” conflict of the Cold War period.
Meanwhile, WordPress has removed the Golden Dawn website from its servers, citing a violation of terms of service, especially the propagation of “hate speech” and the inciting of “violence towards individuals or entities.” A poll published on May 13, in the local Greek newspaper, To Vima, indicated that in a new vote, Golden Dawn support would dwindle to less than four percent, which could still exceed the threshold figure (three percent) needed for parliamentary representation.
Three days after the Greek election, Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias, the EU’s only communist head of government, deplored the rise of the Golden Dawn. “It is with shock and horror that we saw a movement which is defined as being Nazi and fascist registering seven percent of the vote about 450,000 votes,” Christofias said in a speech in the capital, Nicosia. “This is a pillaging of modern Greek history. Nazism was responsible for the genocide perpetrated against the people of Greece during the years of its fascist occupation,” Christofias said.
In 2008 the Soviet-educated Christofias hosted Russian Communist Party boss Gennady Zyuganov, who visited the Republic of Cyprus as an official representative of then President Dmitry Medvedev. This month, conceding his inability to reunite northern and southern Cyprus, Christofias declared his non-participation in the 2013 presidential election. However, his Marxist Progressive Party of Working People still commands a majority in parliament. Turkish troops have occupied the predominantly Muslim, northern third of Cyprus since 1974.
