Whatever you think about Vladmir Putin, he is a Christian\nand friendly to Israel. So is Trump. Obviously Putin is a Russian nationalist\n(and so is Trump a nationalist), and that might be distasteful to you. But a\nlot of people still associate Russia with the USSR, and communism. The USSR\nhasn\u2019t been around since 1989. Here is what the Russian Ministry of Foreign\nAffairs (MoFA) has to say about John Brennan, former CIA director, Russia, and\ncommunism:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShould former CIA Director Brennan, indeed, intend to seek\npolitical asylum in Russia in order to escape a treason trial facing him in the\nUnited States…MoFA national security analysts stunningly state they\u2019d\nstrongly encourage President Putin not to grant it\u2014not because of the\nincendiary bombshell explosion it would create in US-Russia relations\u2014but due\nto Brennan\u2019s past membership and support of the American Communist Party, and\nno one being able to explain how he was ever allowed into the CIA in the first\nplace\u2014which is a vital national security issue in Russia where the communists\nhave been outlawed since 1991\u2014and where no tentacles of this deadly and vile political disease<\/em> that\nin the past 100 years has killed 100 million people will ever be allowed to\ninfect and kill again.\u201d [emphasis mine]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source for the last statement about 100 million dead: The Wall Street Journal, <\/em>\u201c100 Years of\nCommunism, 100 Million Dead,\u201d David Satter, Nov 6, 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quote Source: http:\/\/www.whatdoesitmean.com\/index2841.htm<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I read this I was astounded. I grew up in the Cold War\nwhere Russia was synonymous with the Soviet Union. To most people who are older\nthan 40, Russia=Communism=tyranny. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It was shocking to me to read the visceral contempt and dislike of the Russians for Communism. For many Americans, Russia and Communism are synonymous. But that hasn’t been true since 1991, over 28 years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0We know that Trump is a Christian and Putin is a Christian. The US is still (nominally) a Christian country. Russia is Eastern Orthodox Christian. Both men have stated publicly, more than once, their intent to have good relations between the two countries. If the US has an enemy, it certainly isn\u2019t Russia. It\u2019s China, with its annual $500 billion trade deficit. China is still ruled by the Communist Party, and so is anathema to the Russian and the US governments. It\u2019s probably one reason why Trump has been so dismissive of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative and why he has been so tough on the Chinese. <\/p>\n\n\n\n (To understand why Trump is using tariff hikes against the Chinese Communist Party, listen to this: https:\/\/youtu.be\/oSjlGNaWPbc<\/a>) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is a tweet from John Brennan after the meeting last\nyear between Putin and Trump in Helsinki:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This viewpoint was reflected all over American media,\nincluding the New York Times<\/em>, Washington Post,<\/em> NPR, and almost all of\nthe other major media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what the Russians said about it: \u201cHow could a man\nwho admitted voting for the communist party candidate, first of all get a job\nin the CIA, then become director of the CIA and then once the USSR falls, have\na problem with Russia? Who is he to call anybody else treasonous?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In America we have been bombarded, for the past three years, with the idea that Russia interfered in US elections and is the enemy of the US. But this narrative has been promoted by people like John Brennan. It makes you stop and think what the CIA is up to! Remember that Trump\u2019s very first stop after becoming president was at CIA HQ in Langley. It is instructive to read what he said in that speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump and Russia are intimately connected, but not in the\nway we think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s an example from Newsweek<\/em>:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n DONALD TRUMP SAYS \u2018WE\nALL HAVE TO GET RID OF\u2019 NUCLEAR WEAPONS; RUSSIA RESPONDS: LET’S MAKE A PLAN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BY TOM O’CONNOR ON 4\/26\/19 <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA senior Russian diplomat responded positively to President\nDonald Trump’s remarks regarding his desire to seek total denuclearization,\nsaying Moscow was ready to begin working toward that end. Speaking to Fox News\nhost Sean Hannity via telephone Thursday night, Trump welcomed Russian\nPresident Vladimir Putin’s offer to assist in the U.S.-North Korea peace\nprocess. The president said, \u201cWe want to get rid of the nuclear weapons,\u201d not\njust in North Korea, but \u201cwe all have to get\u2014Russia has to get rid of them and\nChina has to get rid of them\u201d in comments subsequently supported by Moscow,\nwhich had accused Washington of loosening restrictions on its nuclear posture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGiven the increasing role of nuclear weapons in U.S.\ndoctrine-related documents and their gradual transition to a class of weapons\nthat can be used on the battlefield, such statements can be only welcomed,\u201d\nRussian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Friday, according to\nstate-run Tass<\/em> Russian News Agency. Ryabkov\nthen laid out a potential road map toward total disarmament at a time when the\ntwo countries appeared more distant than any time in recent history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things are not always as they seem. The media only emphasizes\nthe negative and never the positive, but there are a lot of positive things\nhappening in the world. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Something you might not have known about Russia: Communism has been banned in Russia since 1991. Source: \u201cYeltsin Bans Communist Party,\u201d Jeff Berliner, UPI, 1991. https:\/\/www.upi.com\/Archives\/1991\/11\/06\/Yeltsin-bans-Communist-Party\/1265689403600\/ Whatever you think about Vladmir Putin, he is a Christian and friendly to Israel. … Continue reading ![\"BrennanTweet.jpg\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.kjmaclean.com\/Newsletters\/BrennanTweet.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n