The Russia Connection is Interesting!!

The biggest thing that I remember as a younger American was the threat of a Russian missile attack.  President Ronald Reagan had created a system that would sort of encapsulate the U.S. against any attacks that would come from our formidable adversary.  Many history buffs can recall the stories of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin.  These were iron fisted rulers who sharpened the tools of a nation that was bent on world power.  They were also a state where totalitarian rule was in effect.  I have read novels where there was no privacy and all conversations could be subject to official eavesdropping.  In spite of some of the misinformation that I might have received, Russians are probably not all that different than Americans.

I have more memories of Mikhail Gorbachev than any other Russian leader.  The Russians were in a prolonged war with Afghanistan in the mid to late eighties.  They had to wind up leaving with their tail between their legs.  We are in Afghanistan now and I wonder what the end game is now.  Mr. Gorbachev was known for policies of glasnost ('openness') and perestroika (restructuring') and his reorientation of the Soviet Arms race contribute to the end of the Cold War.  I wonder now why we have a leader who wants to increase the proliferation of nuclear arms.  He had an elegant wife in Raisa Gorbachev and he ruled wisely.  The Soviet Union was dissolved at the end of his rule.

We are now dealing with the rule of Vladimir Putin.  He is the current President of the Russian Federation.  He was a KGB foreign intelligence officer for 16 years before retiring to enter politics.  The Russian Federation annexed Crimea recently after internal strife in that country.  They have also bombed Syrian civilians in an attempt to keep President Assad in power.  He also has a track record of being associated with the untimely demise of those who oppose him: Boris Nemtsov and Alexander Litvenenko are some whose fate could have been determined by their political stances.   It is this leader that has been praised constantly by our current President.

There is a Monday deadline for proof of wiretapping to be produced by someone from the Trump administration.  Last Saturday, Mr. Trump created a firestorm by accusing former President Obama of wiretapping the Trump Towers during the 2016 presidential election.  This is a very serious accusation that could be precedent setting if true.  The current problem is that there is no proof of any such activity by President Obama or any member of his team.  A warrant would have had to be obtained from a sitting judge and a paper trail would be in existence somewhere.  After President Nixon, of Watergate fame, there are checks and balances that have been in place to prevent this type of activity in our government.

Image result for us soviet relations

The Trump Administration is fighting very hard to distance itself from claims that it benefited from the interference of  Russian hackers during the election.  I first became familiar with the term 'fake news' during this election.  Everything was fake if it didn't place Mr. Trump in a positive light.  Former National Security Director Michael Flynn had to resign his job because he was not forthcoming about discussions he had with a Russian leader.  It was just revealed today that a former adviser, Roger Stone, had contact with Gucifer 2.0, which was the online persona of the Russian entity purported to be the source for hacked emails of the Democratic National Committee.  My how the plot is thickening.  Mr. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner and Attorney General Jeff Sessions also had meetings with Russian citizens.

As a political observer, I am candidly awaiting the results of the requests for information from the Trump administration.  One can form their own opinions about the job that President Obama did while he served our country.  His reputation should not be denigrated by baseless claims about spying on the Republican nominee for President.  There was a James Bond movie, featuring Sean Connery, called 'From Russia with Love'.  This movie featured beautiful female spies and the usual murder and mayhem associated with the exploits of Agent 007.  In the present day U.S.-Soviet relations, I can only hope that life does not imitate art with the outcome of the Senate, DOJ and FBI investigations into President Trumps claims of illegal wiretapping.  Hurry up Monday!!

P.S. There was no evidence presented on March 13th, 2017.  We now know that microwaves are actually cameras though. Go figure.

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