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Think of the Italian Renaissance. The City-States often employed mercenary armies. It wasn't always tidy.

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Jun 26, 2023·edited Jun 26, 2023

While celebrating the spirit of Russia

Let's not forget the powerful "Donbass Behind Us"

https://youtu.be/LSlw9-qfAZM

Hope link works properly.

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It looks like the Wagner coup is yesterday's news and the big topic of conversation is the Zaporizhzhia nuke power station. According to Alex M and The Duran, the neocons are so desperate that they may well take a stab at sabotaging it and blaming those darned Ruskies. He's pretty damning about the Graham and Blumenthal, the Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee of neocon psychopathy.

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Catholic Bishops are like military Generals: you get to be one not because you are a decent human being, but because you're the best politician. As for the P coup, yes, I'm getting a bit tired too of all the hare-brained conspiracy theories. Sure, Putin and the CIA might have known about it beforehand, but at the end of the day, it was a loose cannon getting even looser. And neither was it maskirovka in order to hide troop movements. Like the Russians, Nato has complete satellite coverage of the battle zone. They aren't going to turn off all their sats just to pay attention to some third rate drama happening in Rostov. Finally, you are spot on about Putin's behaviour. He handled this masterfully. Far from showing himself as a weakling to the BRICS, he has given them an object lesson how to handle the an attempted coup with panache and style.

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Self-reverential Russian pop music can be a lot of fun.

Here's British performer Eddy Huntington performing "USSR" in Russia a few years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJUJgDbc_K4

Here's Glukoza performing Танцуй, Россия! (Dance, Russia!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQqapdUXoSU

Disco may not be your thing but the enthusiasm is palpable...and seemingly a far cry from our national dysphoria.

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And then there is this classic, performed with the Red Army Choir, no less:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5GRpA5H3CI

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My wife, our four children and I live in Florida. Our 12yo daughter will be transferring from public to Catholic school this year, all due to the ~$9k/yr voucher the state now provides to any student who asks for it. The new school won't cost us one single penny. If this new system stays in place long term, it will force the public schools to do a reality check that will be the best thing to happen to education in living memory.

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I should've said the Catholic school won't cost us anything *beyond the taxes we already pay to fund the public schools and their union teachers and bloated administrations.*

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LOL! Exactly! I had thought of responding to your earlier comment along those lines. Check this out--this guy is a hero, too:

https://catholicvote.org/portland-archbishop-closes-school-dept-liberal-revolt/

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Good for you, Brad. We've got 4 kids too. There aren't any Catholic schools near hear so we went down the homeschooling route. Hope it works out for you and the youngsters!

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Thanks so much! Only time will tell but we feel really good about it going in.

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The Spectator Index

@spectatorindex

BREAKING: Russian newspaper Kommersant says Wagner Group's chief Prigozhin is still under investigation for rebellion, despite the Kremlin previously saying charges would be dropped.

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M. K. Bhadrakumar

@BhadraPunchline

Wagner has been in Belarus for a long time, at least since the US-sponsored 'colour revolution' of 2020-2021 as Praetorian Guards of the regime. As usual, Daily Telegraph is spreading disinformation.

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"it is very hard to know what is truth and what is rumor -- but the story is clearly not over."

You said a mouthful there! :-) He said the minimum to reassure the populace.

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Yes. I'm not sure how the recent statements by the Russian FM fit into the framework, but it seems clear that--one way or the other--they intend to expand beyond Russian borders. This episode probably strengthens the claim that this war is a response to an external threat, meaning that a declaration should be easier to get politically.

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The Chekist(1992) on Vimeo is Russian and quite disturbing.

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The first can’t ride a bike or walk up a flight of stairs. The second, “where the smart money is,” is a black belt in Judo and does Sambo (Russian martial arts).

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