Why is Russia our enemy?

What kind of threat does Russia pose to the U.S.?

I read a PBS interview, "President-elect Trump has said he would like to improve relations with Russia. But his choice for defense secretary, Gen. James Mattis, views Russia as America’s number one threat. What’s the reality of the White House-Kremlin dynamic? Steve Inskeep discusses with Evelyn Farkas, a former Defense Department official, and Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia."

I received this link in response to a Facebook question I posed, "I am baffled by the constant refrain (meme) of Russia as America's vital enemy. Can anyone please list any proven action by Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union that actually harmed or threatened our nation or our people?"

In response I wrote: First, anyone who uses the term, Russia "invading Ukraine", is not to be trusted because this meme ignores the historical and geopolitical reality of the situation. Ukraine is far more complex than the good-guys in white hats, bad-guys in black hats scenario presented by these people in the Deep State and their media allies. Ukraine was undone by a US-sponsored coup by anti-Russian Neo-Nazis (very unpleasant people, the real guys in black hats) and oligarchs. The Kiev government is now busy undermining the life and welfare of the Ukrainian people while at the same time perpetuating the civil war (that they started by attacking the ethnic Russian population) by reneging on the Minsk Treaty.

When Kiev sent militia against Crimea (and NATO officials were salivating at the prospect of taking over Russia's Sebastopol base), the Russian soldiers at the base defended the Crimean people who had voted to secede from the illegitimate Kiev government and return to Russia, which they were a part of until Khrushchev 'gave' Crimea to Ukraine. Aiding the separatists in Eastern Ukraine is not an 'invasion' by Russia, but a natural response to encroachment by NATO (and it is very doubtful that Russia shot down any airlines).

Russian cyber warfare is problematic, but I have not seen much evidence of that, nor has anyone else, but the Russian 'hack' of the election seems to be confined to releasing emails to Wikileaks, and we have never seen any real evidence of that, either, just assertions and allegations. There is enough evidence of a 'leak' to make me dubious of official claims. Also, McFaul lies through his teeth saying that the US has not interfered in Russian elections.The key here is McFaul and others of the Deep State see Russia as a rival that will not submit to US hegemony, will not play by the Imperial rules, so Russia becomes our mortal enemy and Putin must go--precisely the line that Hillary took.

I recently read an article claiming that "If you were Russian, you would love Putin." This is because Putin undid much of the damage wrought by Yeltsin (aided by, guess who, the US) at the fall of the Soviet Union. This is perhaps Putin's singular sin and the reason our hegemons hate him so.

Trump's Russian Extravagance

Since Putin kicked out Yeltsin in 1999, the West has been on an anti-Putin, anti-Russia terror. Not only have careers been made, but entire industries created in the service of seeing Russia as enemy. This has only increased over time with vicious and mendacious propaganda attacking Putin and Russia. Examples would be the characterization of Aleppo as a "war crime" (see: http://www.globalresearch.ca/media-disinformation-war-crimes-and-the-liberation-of-aleppo/5562729) and Russia's absorption of Crimea as an "invasion"(see https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Russia-annex-Crimea). Furthermore, various military figures claim "Russia is an existential threat" (see: https://www.rt.com/usa/355053-airforce-secretary-russia-threat-us/). So, NATO gets expanded, troops move into Estonia, missiles into Poland. Lots of money gets appropriated.

Along comes Trump, who wants to deescalate the conflict and restore relations. Now, sanctions dropping will surely benefit Exxon, but Trump's policy scares the Washington Consensus into desperately exerting their considerable powers to delegitimize Trump and stop his foreign policy. Billions of dollars in defense and thousands of careerists are at stake. Extraordinary efforts have gone into neutering Trump. I don't buy it.

Trump appears to be a disaster generally, but his foreign policy in regard to Russia seems sound, and it is a major improvement over what he now have. However, if the spooks and ideologues destroy this aspect of his foreign policy, we all lose.

Seoul National University

The little part-time job I now have, funded by the Department of Labor, is described as a 'Training' position and I am required to apply for one job a week. I saw a notice for an English Teacher at Seoul National University in Korea, so I applied. The application required a 'cover letter', which I tossed off in an email, but they told me that was not enough. Well, given such an invitation, I wrote quite a bit. I liked my story, so I wish to share it. Who knows if anyone will read it!

October 12, 2016

신재연 (Jaeyeon Shin)

College English Program

Seoul National University

Dear Ms Shin;

As a cover letter, this will be a bit of an autobiography. Of course, I will state that I am fully qualified to serve as an English teacher, and have performed that duty successfully in the past.

I began thinking about teaching in 1993. I had been working in software development on the Apple Macintosh platform when I was approached by representatives of the California Department of Employment to develop a bilingual software program for the Mac to teach ‘computers’ to a group of Hispanic women who had been laid off by the Green Giant Corporation when it moved its frozen food plant to Mexico. These women were highly skilled and highly paid (thus the concern of the Department because they had to pay these women a large portion of their previous salary), but practically uneducated, so the program had to be tactile and fundamental, not intellectual. In the process, I realized I knew a lot about programming, but nothing about teaching. It occurred to me that people had been teaching language for centuries and that I was essentially teaching the language of computers.

I entered the Linguistics and Language Development Department at San Jose State University (SJSU) in their Master’s Program in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) in 1995, and graduated in 1997. One of my colleagues at SJSU, Park Jeong Suk, got me my first teaching job at Kyeong Nam University in Jinju. There, I was able to put theory from SJSU into practice, employing a kind of ‘language in action’ program, utilizing the idea that language was a tool and it was necessary to use the tool to learn the tool. This went well and I found my students to be delightfully responsive and creative, The classes were a lot of fun and productive, although there were some in the department who did not appreciate my methods, mostly fellow native English speaker teachers, who felt I was not working “in the trenches” as they were. 

I really loved being in Korea—food, culture, language. During Chuseok, I took a bus to a Buddhist temple my department head recommended—I cannot remember the name exactly, but it was something about chestnuts, and was situated at the head of a valley, protecting the spring. The monks informed me that things had changed since Professor Kim had been a guest there, that I was welcome to stay but had to stay as a monk and participate fully in the life of the temple. It was wonderful! I bowed and meditated day after day, full of vigor and light. At the end of the week, the monks drove me home.

Back in Jinju, I made a big mistake. I kept up my bowing and meditating practice in my room and on the roof of my building. I also felt much more free socially, and I began meeting Korean students from outside my department. They informed me of a terrible tragedy that had occurred where a young student had been murdered by the Korean Secret Police. I learned more about the incident and was deeply moved. Some students had set up an altar with a bowing mat and incense to offer. I saw that and said to myself, “I know what to do.” So, I made three full bows and offered incense, then went home. Very innocent, I thought, just me showing solidarity with the students. I did not understand the impact of an American doing so, but I soon learned.

The next day, two Immigration agents grabbed me, packed up all my things, and drove like madmen to Masan, constantly looking back. They put me on the first airplane out of the country, in this case to Japan. They informed me that they had learned that the Secret Police were going to arrest me and they felt they had to get me out of the country fast, thus explaining their strange driving and behavior. By the way, it was quite difficult to get back to the States from Japan!

I worked as a teacher constantly after this episode, even going to China to teach. Then, I settled down in Santa Cruz, teaching at the University of California’s English Language International (ELI) program. At ELI, I was a regular English teacher, but because of my education, was assigned to teach Humphrey and Fulbright scholars how to be successful graduate students in an American university. This task brought into play my fullest abilities and knowledge from my time at university, both undergrad and graduate. Later, I was the chief teacher for a group of Chinese mid-level bureaucrats at ELI for a semester to learn English, computer applications, business, public relations, etc. I did the same for a group from Mongolia. This job at ELI was quite fulfilling, until one day in December, 2008, I learned that ELI was closing, that the university bureaucracy had determined it was not cost effective. This decision still baffles me since the people I knew in our administration informed me that ELI was quite profitable. Furthermore, our program had created good will towards America in thousands of students from all over the globe, value not measurable in ‘profit’.

ELI had a cap in hours for us teachers that if we went beyond would trigger all kinds of expensive benefits that the University wished to not pay. So, I worked there ‘part-time’, usually 12 hours/week. This suited me fine because I decided to study for a degree in Computational Linguistics (I never ceased interest in computer applications for language learning). To accomplish this, I took courses in computer science and mathematics at the local community college, then entered SJSU in 2004 in the Linguistics Department Master’s program. I fit classwork into my ELI schedule.

When I started studying, the Department head asked me to teach a course in Academic English, a course for entering freshmen who failed their English entrance exams, primarily essay writing, but some grammar. I did so, and the next year was offered three courses. Even after graduating, ready to work for Silicon Valley in computational linguistics, I stayed on teaching. I liked the work, I loved the kids, and I felt needed, i.e. I was the only one who could help these young people succeed at university. I took this responsibility very seriously.

Then, the troubles started. Because of the financial crisis, in 2007 the State of California’s revenues decreased abruptly. To balance their budget, the State decreased our salaries by 10%, promising to restore them as soon as possible (the irony is that teachers cannot teach 90%, so this was just a pay cut). Of course, I also earned a salary at ELI; however, the next year, the State cut the salaries another 10%, and they eliminated half of the Academic English program, that is, we considered our program to last two semesters and they cut the second half of the program, which I considered cruel, shortsighted, and stingy. However, we teachers soldiered through and close to 90% of our students passed their exam after one semester—but it was an incredible amount of work.

When ELI folded, I was faced with teaching only two or three classes for only one semester at SJSU, so, I decided to retire early and let some of the younger teachers have my classes. My daughter and son-in-law had just landed jobs as professors at Florida State University, so I moved to Florida. Then, I used my pension money to buy a 10m sailboat, and I now live on it in a small fishing village on the north end of the Gulf of Mexico, Apalachicola.

It is lovely here, except for the occasional hurricane. I teach ESL sometimes  to the local Hispanic immigrant community, and I tutor high school students in math. However, I feel underutilized. I am 71, but quite healthy and vigorous and still have a number of good years to engage the world. So, I keep an eye on the careers.tesol.org website, and when I saw your solicitation, I thought it would be worthwhile to give a try. I remember Korea so fondly that I would love to go back, especially since Kim Dae Jung disbanded the people who wanted to punish me for bowing. I sincerely believe that I would be an asset to your school and could teach your students well. Also, I believe Korea to still be a Buddhist country, so I, as a Buddhist, would offer less cultural clash than the typical American. And, my English is excellent. I write and edit and during my years at Stanford, I was an English major until I got too baffled by deconstructionism and changed to Chinese. I studied Korean as well, linguistically and practically, and still remember chogum.

Thank you much for your consideration,

Edward Lyle Tripp (Ted)

Why I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton

Neoconservative and liberal interventionists such as Hilary Clinton have committed terrible acts causing untold suffering and damage in the years since WWII. The most egregious of these interventions that I know are Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Cuba (1959-2014), Chile (1973), Afghanistan (1978-79, 2001), Panama (1981-1989) Iraq (1991, 2003), Syria (1955-2011, 2015), Ukraine (2014-15) and surely many more that I am yet to learn of as these people are capable of anything.

This is a sad list, marked generally by American interests attempting to overwhelm local interests, often by destroying democratic movements, especially if the leaders were inclined towards socialism. These actions are justified by American exceptionalism and a kind of perverse idealism. The meme of (neocon or liberal) intervention, whether by military or covert forces, is rock-bound Washington. Hillary Clinton believes in this way, apparently, even though all of its fruits have been poison. I reject this perverse notion absolutely, and I hope that Bernie Sanders can, too.

Bernie has to come to deny American militarism and liberal interventionism. Nothing good and usually very bad has resulted from the meme that America has the right to intervene in other countries politics, up to and including 'regime change', invasion, and occupation. Look at Hillary's record here: her State Department's interventions in Syria, Libya, and Ukraine have caused almost as much damage as Bush's interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am sure that there is enough angst for Americans to join the Bernie revolution, yet the revolution will be much better if we can finally eschew the arrogance of power.

Je ne suis pas Charlie Hebdo

The reaction to the attack on Charlie Hebdo is another instance of our media mischaracterizing a tragedy, similar to Bush's admonition to go shopping after 9/11 and his analysis that "They hate us for our freedom." This is not a matter of free speech, nor are the idiots chanting, "Je suis Charlie Hebdo" anything close to being Charlie Hebdo.
First, free speech is a right limiting a government to not impede free expression, i.e. Lennie Bruce could not be stopped from speaking obscenities. France does not have an anti-blaspheming law yet, and Charlie Hebdo has enjoyed full freedom of expression of all kinds for years. Unfortunately, they pissed off the Muslim world by depicting the prophet, which is blasphemous in Islam. You know the old song, "Sticks and bones may break my bones, but Muslims will never kill me"?
Second, the Charlie Hebdo cartoons are really way out there. They are totally irreverent and blaspheme just about everyone: the Pope, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, French Presidents, Americans; all the cartoons are culturally relevant, but some verge on, well, bad manners. Very, very few journalists, cartoonists, or people outside of asylums have dared to do what they have done. For more about Charlie Hebdo, see a great article on Slate, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2015/01/charlie_hebdo_cartoons_the_anti_clerical_newspaper_tradition_that_s_as_french.2.html

On another note, Juan Cole's analysis on Truthdig implies the killers' attack was a false flag intended to create the very anti-Muslim reaction that has occurred, all for the purpose of Al Qaeda recruitment. These killers do not care about Islam (they killed a Muslim guard); they only further their cause, although I have not heard much definite about what that cause is lately. Osama Bin Ladin was quite clear in his call to expel the infidels from Saudi Arabia and Palestine, but he is dead.

It is important to understand that the lives of Muslims in France are not so great. French colonialism in Algieria was brutal (see the Battle For Algiers movie), nor did the French behave well in other parts of the Middle East. When the French needed cheap labor, they allowed immigration from their colonies; nevertheless, they really have not treated their immigrants very well. The result is the French Muslims are angry, resentful, and frustrated, perfect conditions for extremist recruitment. It is thus not too far a stretch to foresee more brutal attacks followed by repression, followed by attacks, and so on.

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I finished painting the hull of my pram yesterday and took off the masking tape. So, now the sides are painted 'Seattle Grey' and the bottom is painted with Pacifica Plus black anti-fouling paint, while the transoms and rails are varnished wood. Almost ready to launch!

Torture Works

The essential problem with our current debate about torture is that not nearly enough Americans have been tortured.

Consider John McCain, the only Senator who has actually been tortured and who is adamantly and fiercely opposed to any kind of torture policy. Perhaps a lack of empathy in most Americans allows them to consider torture acceptable; however, compassion and a belief in basic human rights should demand rejecting torture in all its forms. Still, lacking empathy, a bit of experience would go a long way to convince Americans that torture is wrong. I recall that I possess that experience.

I have been tortured, surely not as severe as in a CIA black site, and my tormentors were not interested in information, only punishment and “behavior modification.”

It happened when I was arrested for essentially protesting police brutality in Ignacio, Colorado. Instead, the Ignacio police brutes turned on me. They almost shot me and then proceeded to beat me silly (I later counted 43 separate cuts and contusions), which was really not so bad, but then they threw me in the La Plata County Jail.

What not to do

I got to the jail in the evening and was a less than cooperative prisoner. To punish me (and perhaps “teach a lesson”), two of the guards put me into this specially reinforced canvas jacket with leather wrist and ankle straps and chains, then they tightened the straps and chains, forcing my arms behind me to fasten to my ankles (the straps were so tight that it took almost ten years to restore full feeling in my hands). The jailors, a fat one and a young blond one, placed me on a bench in the cell and the fat one said, “Don’t move from that bench or you won’t be able to get back up.” They then left me alone.



Richard Kuklinkski, cyanide killer

Fifteen minutes later, the two barged into my cell and one of them held some kind of spray can. I said, “What’s that?” The blond one replied, “It’s cyanide. We’re gonna kill you.” They then sprayed the cyanide liberally around the room and rushed out before it could kill them, too. Of course, I leapt (clumsily) from the bench and put my nose to the crack under the door to breathe clean air. After a few minutes, I heard them laughing and noticed that the spray was something like Lysol.

I managed to get back on my bench and proceeded to endure the pain of a “stress position.” All night long my hands, feet, ankles, and wrists ached with such intensity that I could only breathe. My Zen training must have paid off, as I managed to breathe through each wave of pain. Pain followed pain. Pain was my world, there was no other.

Finally, about eight in the morning, the lights came on  and the jail doctor entered the cell. He took one look at me and ordered the jailors to untie me. The relief was bliss! Then, at ten that morning, the nice judge mandated me to hospital, and my ordeal was over.

Afterwards, I was ever so polite to policemen and jailors, you bet, yes sir, no sir, three bags full, sir, no, I don’t want anymore, sir! So, torture works, folks, absolutamente. However, I must confess that I was not really cured of my inner unruliness, contempt for cruel and incompetent police, and detest of injustice. I just learned to be a bit more circumspect.

Election whoopdee doo!

Gwen Graham Victory Speech

Well, this has been a pretty demoralizing election. At least, Gwen Graham, a vaguely liberal democrat won in Florida's District 2, my district, so I don't have to read the obnoxious ravings of Tea Party Steve Southerland, or argue with his policies on his Facebook page.

I thought she would lose because the substance of her policy seemed to be attacking Steve Southerland (not hard to do). So, the Second District showed some sense in spite of Graham's pusillanimity.

What I find impossible to understand is why these Democrats cannot find the heart to actually stand for something beneficial to ordinary people. I believe that if they actually espoused the genuinely progressive and radical policies that might help us overcome global warming, the security state, the militarists, the corporatists, the racists, the fascists, the woman-haters, the drug-haters, the children-haters, the democracy-haters, the science-haters, the patriarchs, they might surprise themselves and win an election. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders won this way.

I know that that the conservative elites are so invested in their wealth and opportunity and status, that they cannot think clearly and see any kind of progressive policies as threats. not gifts. For centuries, they have dominated women and feared homosexuality, oppressed black people and poor whites, and exploited the environment, and they are unwilling to give all that up, even though their very lifestyle is a threat to their survival. But, what is puzzling is why anyone shy of upper-middle class status goes along with them.

Howard Zinn reported that the early colonial elites invented racism to keep runaway slaves, Indians, and poor whites isolated from each other due to their fear of a coordinated uprising against them, and I believe this kind of mind-poison is still being slung about. Either that, or that the racism developed over centuries has become 'institutionalized' and endemic in a large part of the population. Just as insidious is the belief some men hold of their right to dominate women, and they do not want to end their privilege. Arms manufacturers (and their employees) thrive off war, business thrives off exploitation, financiers thrive off interest. There are lots of reasons to preserve the status quo, even for the exploited, especially for the average man who oppresses his wife and daughters (why any woman would support Republicans is solid proof of the Stockholm Syndrome, but one writ large).

When I was a naïve young Zen student marching across the United States protesting the Vietnam War, I believed I had discovered 'Zen Politics'. A New York Roshi informed me that my 'discovery' was a delusion, and after almost fifty years, I see what he means. Voltaire's Candide ended up pleasantly tending his garden, perhaps waiting for the crazies to die off.

Even in Voltaire's time, change was coursing, and we are now involved in perhaps the most extensive change of the entire span of mankind's existence. Conservatives by their nature, oppose change, but in this case they are monkeys howling against the hurricane. Good sense is not enough, it seems, so like Shakyamuni's horses, we have to be beat to death before following the Way. Good luck!