Sep 01, 2024 The author (center) with Ilya Volkov (left) and Alexander Zyrianov (right) at Mamayev Kurgan (Volgograd)
I had hoped to make the Summer of 2024 a memorable one—building bridges of friendship to Russia, working to develop knowledge and information as an antidote to the poison of Russophobia in America, and trying to prevent a nuclear war between my country and the Russian Federation.
The U.S. government had other plans.
Growing up in a military family, I was immersed in patriotic themes built around the notion of service to one’s country.
On the wall of my bedroom my parents hung two framed posters. The first showed President John F. Kennedy’s face in profile, with the famous words from his inaugural address superimposed over it: “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”
The second was a poster showing an American prisoner of war behind barbed wire. “The Code of Conduct,” the poster’s title read.
“I am an American fighting man,” the poster read. “I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.”
It was destined that I follow in my father’s footsteps to serve my country as a Marine, and to abide by the code of an American fighting man. When I was commissioned, I took an oath “that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God". Ctd....The last working-class hero in England.
Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018 Jasper the Ruffian cat ? ? ? - 4 November 2021
Ask not what you can do for your country; ask what your country's been doing to you
JFK's phrase neatly reversed by San Fransisco punk band The Avengers (though it sounds like they still had a soft-on for that butcher of Vietnam):
How is Ritter still a true believer after all these years of the empire kicking him in the teeth? People must form these attitudes during their youth and are never quite able to shake them. Craig Murray's another one who you get the impressions would fall over himself to sing the praises of the state if it started making a few token gestures towards justice and liberty for the oppressed.
Nice in a way to have avoided that kind of indoctrination and been radicalised fairly young - at least you never get disappointed!
- best do this by drawing on the experiences in arms control and my knowledge and understanding of Russia to help better inform my fellow citizens about the critical importance of the former and the dangers associated with foregoing the latter.
Interesting info too on the arrest of his Russian host Alexander Zyrianov, for challenging the Novosibirsk leadership's corruption.
He was another source, but Der would term that as just another "anecdote", when an intelligence analyst will use their personal impressions of folk to inform their analysis.
on September 1, 2024, 6:11 pm