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Russia's Putin Calls For Web Activities of Some Firms To Be Monitored (reuters.com)
President Vladimir Putin said on Monday the Russian authorities should monitor the activity of "some companies" on social media during next year's presidential election and assess the extent of their involvement in domestic politics. From a report: He did not name the companies or say if he was concerned about the activities of foreign or local firms, but Russia has been accused by the United States and other Western nations of meddling in their elections. "We need to look carefully at how some companies work in internet, in social media, and how widely they are involved in our domestic political life," Putin said, speaking at a meeting with leaders in Russia's parliament about a new "foreign agents" law.
Need I say more?
Who else here remembers the 1996 Russian elections? I do. Putin does. Everyone in Russia does. How is it that Americans don't remember? Here's a quick refresher, from Time magazine:
Time was so proud of getting that drunk Yeltsin elected that it ran its cover bragging about how we interfered in the Russian election. Yep. This happened.
Yeltsin sent troops into a quagmire in Chechnya, his economic reform programs resulted in widespread poverty and misery, and he had little respect for the law. He was a bad choice for Russia. He colluded with a hostile foreign power to get elected, something Americans have forgotten but Russians never will.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
The leading German political comedy show "Die Anstalt" had a whole show dedicated to that topic.
It wasn't Time. It was the CIA and 300 million dollars VS 5 million dollars and permanent harassment of the competitor. I guess that's the same thing in the US though. Media == TLAs = politicians == corporations.
Buut of course, certain Americans here want to uphold their Stockholm syndrome reality distortion filter bubble ... similar to North Koreans .. and downvote you as "Troll".
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I compare Russians and Americans like this: Both their leaders are fucked-up. But at least the Russians have truly accepted it. That's why they drink. :)
Goes with the culture. The US culture is all about fake smiling and putting up a front of minimal (human!) emotion and maximum "plastic fantastic" as we call it. The Russians are more upfront and pragmatic, with even the lowest (gopniks) seeing intelligence as a good thing. Also, frankly, a large difference is that Americans have become such insane pussies (emphasis on both words) in the last generations, that their ancestors must turn in their graves.
I just wish they got better. Quickly. Be it through stepping on the brakes or through hitting a brick wall.
Because some people around here are shills for the military-industrial complex and want to promote anything to attack Russia and bury anything that is critical of the Russiagate narrative.
Now, to be fair, the Russian government is evil. But so is the U.S. government. Why the obsession with resurrecting Joe McCarthy? Do you miss the Cold War and constant threat of nuclear holocaust? Do you want World War III?
Yeah, okay, it is entirely fair and right to criticize Putin for this. Unfortunately, that is not the motive. The motive is bloodthirsty warmongering.
AC Re "And one, why is this news on Slashdot, and two, why is this news at all?"
The USA is giving away stories for free that are pro USA and against Russia every day.
The "Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
All that fictional US gov/mil/NATO created propaganda ends up on domestic US publications as "news" everyday.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"