Russia’s ‘conversion’: According to the Moscow Times, Russia has the most liberal abortion legislation in the world with the procedure being free for any reason up to the twelfth week and for the mother's physical or mental health thereafter. Russia was the first country in the world to legalise abortion and it has never been outlawed since. Though in Soviet times, live birth rates and early death rates which caused a worrying fall in population resulted in a ‘tightening’ of legislation. Similar concerns today are causing the government to also consider limiting its availability. It is true that the Russian Orthodox Church has urged a tightening of legislation though not a total ban and does not seem inclined to 'push' Putin on the matter. On life expectancy measures, Russia is 105th in the world, behind many third world countries. This arises from poor healthcare provision and catastrophically high levels of alcoholism especially among men which points to a high level of self-medicating for depressive illnesses. The estimated number of prostitutes in Russia is 3 million (2.1% of population). In addition, many Russian prostitutes work abroad, in Europe, North America and Thailand. For the US it is 1 million (including some Russians!) (0.3% of population). This arises from the lack of adequate social security provision for the unemployed and the lack of any legislated minimum income. If this is what a 'converted Russia' looks like, I should hate to see an unconverted Russia.
More on Putin in this article. Someone I follow said that the mainstream news didn't give the right translation of what he said at recent WEF meeting. Seems he slammed big tech and big control in a major way, which actually doesn't sound good. Let's keep praying for Russia. https://www.rt.com/russia/513768-putin-slams-big-tech-in-davos/
This merely supports the argument that the Russians are waking up to the errors of Communism due to the effects of their anti-life policies. They are now where we will be. God is the giver of life. We deny that at our peril. Atheistic Communism brought Russia to where it is. What's our excuse? What evidence is there that Russian abortion laws are more liberal than the laws recently introduced in "Catholic" Argentina or Ireland? More Liberal than what Cuomo celebrated in New York? More Liberal than the UK, France or any of the Northern European countries which also either have or are about to introduce euthanasia? More Liberal than China? Nobody here has claimed that Russia has been converted. That evil people demonise him doesn't make Putin worse than them. It simply shows that they all need conversion.
I haven't gone to the link as yet but the fact that Putin slams big tech and big control seems good to me! I wish more politicians would do the same. Maybe I'm missing something. I'll go to the link.
I like what he says too except that the big tech war is actually a huge part of the invisible WWIII being fought behind the scenes and through veiled headlines, so I see his remarks as menacing. Read this interview on Sharyll Attkisson's site which says it all about the new ways of war. Disinformation: the new tool of war? The following is a transcript of an investigative report on Full Measure News... As America has struggled through a string of seemingly unrelated crises, there are some who say they are not just random events. Lisa Fletcher talks about that with former soldier and national security strategist Sean McFate, author of The New Rules of War: How America Can Win Against Russia, China, and Other Threats. Lisa Fletcher: So, Sean, you said nobody fights conventionally anymore, except for us. What does a war between superpowers look like to you now? Sean McFate: So, the way people fight now is they fight by, uh, I say wars becoming more epistemological. It means telling truth from lies, determines winners and losers, the way that battlefield victory used to. And that's where seeing China and to some extent, Iran and Russia and others as well, engaging in information operations for lack of a better word. And that is how wars are being won and fought through strategic deception. Lisa: You talk about in the book, the Russian military prioritizing information confrontation, basically an empire of lies. McFate: That's right. Lisa: So, you say Russia is now a disinformation superpower. What does that mean? McFate: Well, disinformation is deliberately false information. Misinformation is passing on things that you are false, but you think that they're true, disinformation is manipulation. Think about the Russians trying to swing close elections, not just American presidential races, but across the EU, the Brexit vote. They'd use things like Twitter and Facebook. They use legal means, frankly, right? And they create so much chaos in the information space about people who give up. They don't know what to believe, and so they don't believe anything. And it's turning us into a nation of nihilists, right? That's a way to win. You don't need to, to, you know, take on invade Berlin like it’s 1945. You can reach into a democracy and subvert it from the inside out and let it collapse upon itself. And the strategic logic is this: who cares about the sword? If you can manipulate the mind that wields it. Lisa: So if we're spending, as you say for a war we're not fighting, where should we be spending? McFate: We should be spending on making Americans better consumers of information. The battlefield is and what people think, especially in a democracy. So how do you make Americans more resilient to false information to disinformation? You know, one way is maybe new types of technology. For example, we all have clothes that tell us where our clothes are made, made in Romania, made in India, made wherever. Look at the plumb of clickbait. Would people be less apt to click on clickbait if it said a label made in North Korea, made in Russia? We need to be thinking about how do we outsmart and out-communicate the strategic narrative of our adversaries. And I believe that a nation that created Hollywood that created Madison Avenue, we have the capacity to do this. Lisa: Let's talk a little bit about shadow wars. What are they, where are they happening? McFate: So shadow war is what I use to describe what modern war looks like these days. So, when people think about war, especially in United States of America, they think about Hollywood. They think about Tom Hanks and D-Day. They think of a conventional war. War does not look like that anymore. War is underground taking place in the shadows. And when things get really bad, it bubbles up to the surface where it makes headline news. And then it quickly goes back into the shadows. And the reason why war is doing that is because we live in an information age and nobody wants headline news or media attention. That is actually a weapon of war that you want to avoid. So, warfare is getting more sneaky. That's the future of war. Lisa: We see a lot of violence right now, a lot of unrest in the U.S. presumably sparked by events that have been occurring. But given the context of your work, is there any room here for some of this to not be organic and to be sparked externally? McFate: Yes, and this is a big concern. We don't know what war looks like today, and that's why I think we are struggling. So yes, we have a cultural war going on in our country today. Republicans vs. Democrats, Fox vs. CNN, et cetera, blue state red state, we know democracy is messy. And if we're having an organic family feud, that's okay, but we're not. We know Russia and China and others are reaching in finding the seams in the fabric of our society and pulling. They are literally flat fanning flames through disinformation, et cetera, is that war? That's what I believe that we are already at war with Russia and China, and do not even know it. They're not creating these seams. They're just exploiting them.
Here's the link ‘Where is the line between global business & attempts to control society?’ Putin asks Davos as he calls out power of Big Tech 27 Jan, 2021 12:10 / Updated 15 hours ago Get short URL © Pixabay / Gerd Altmann 540 27 Follow RT on Technology giants have become powerful rivals to governments, but there are doubts over the benefits for society of their monopoly positions, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin told the annual World Economic Forum, on Wednesday . “Where is the line between a successful global business, in-demand services and consolidation of big data – and attempts to harshly and unilaterally govern society, replace legitimate democratic institutions, restrict one’s natural right to decide for themselves how to live, what to choose, what stance to express freely?” Putin wondered. “We’ve all seen this just now in the US. And everybody understands what I’m talking about,” he added. The Russian leader was apparently referring to the crackdown by Big Tech corporations like Twitter, Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon, mostly on Donald Trump and his supporters, during the recent presidential election in the US. The companies, which, according to some critics, sided with Democratic candidate Joe Biden, blocked President Trump’s social media accounts over accusations of inciting violence, with the same being done to many pages of groups and individuals who’d backed him. However, one-sided bias claim voiced by some might be an overestimation – the accounts of Democrats supporters were also subject to restrictions, but on a much smaller scale. Conservative Twitter-like platform Parler was also forced offline, and now there are calls to block the Telegram app as well. These events have shown that Big Tech companies “in some areas have de facto become rivals to the government,” Putin said. Billions of users spend large parts of their lives on the platforms and, from the point of view of those companies, their monopolistic position is favorable for organizing economic and technological processes, the Russian president explained. “But there’s a question of how such monopolism fits the interest of society,” he stressed. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The above words of Putin sound good to me!, maybe I am not seeing the cunning behind his words; which apparently many see. I will admit that I have been fooled in the past by politicians. But in my estimation, the fact that a central stage politician, be that Putin or some other country's leader, having had the intestinal fortitude to call out Big Tech, Big control/Big money, is a cause for joy! Especially as the overwhelming majority of the worlds politicians, have proven to be lily livered, happily bowing to every eccentric demand made by these BIGS, which in turn has caused the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to be publicly ceased over many months in many countries! with additional untold spiritual, physical, social and financial hardships mandated to the entire world population! unparalleled in history! Surly Mr Putin's words at least indicate that some type of social balance with the "covid pandemic restrictions" be sought? Just my thoughts
My apologies Josephite, I just realised that my earlier comment was not at all clear. I said above that Putin's words were not good, but I actually agree with you and think that they are good. It's just that because I think that there is a war going on below the headlines, I read things in the articles as being quite advanced and serious. The war now is for total planetary dominance through use of technology, AI, satellites (space control) and banking and financial control. Putin is creating his own internet system, his own alternatives to cyber currencies etc. and visibly does not want to be dependent on the systems of the west. While there are alliances of the powers at the top, there has got to be dissent between them. Putin loves his land, his traditions and people (Slavs) and he has said that a world without Russians isn't worth living in (or something to that effect).I don't think that Putin is in favor of the Russian people and culture being annihilated. So what I see in the headlines is that at some point, Russia will react. How? Maybe it's that sudden invasion that the girls in Garabandal saw. His comments to WEF are a warning in a sense because he is saying (and Medvedev too in the above article) that the dominance of US corporate tech powers is a problem for Russia.
The dominance of US corporate tech powers isn't only a problem for Russia. It's a problem for anyone with a conscience.
It reminds me of Bill Gates place. He has several other homes. Proverbs 23:5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
Russia has an economy the size of Spain's and yet Spain's average income is several times that of Russia's even allowing for population difference. Why? Because Putin has decided to invest a grossly disproportionate amount of this poor country's income into 'defence'. What he has done in the Ukraine, Syria and elsewhere demonstrates that his vast array of forces and military technology are not for defence but to help despots where he can acquire influence and to take over other country's territory. Apart from the fact of Putin's aggressive foreign policy is the small matter of the boringly predictable end of his political opponents - they end up imprisoned for long periods or dead (usually from poisoning but sometimes by 'suicidal' falls from high buildings or 'accidental' falls into freezing rivers or mysterious car accidents where the other party is never traced). For goodness' sake, this guy was a KGB operative for decades. He knows all about manipulating public opinion. All his closest relatives and close former colleagues are billionaires and it seems clear that he is one of the richest guys on the planet. He has nothing to teach anyone about anything worth knowing. If he drops a few truths into his interviews and seems sincere, it's because he wants you to regard him as a good guy and some people buy into it! Let's face reality, please. God doesn't use murderous thugs.
An eminently laudable act by Putin was the expulsion from Russia , of the very sinister Jehovah's Witness sect
I am no fan of the JW sect but we might recall that they were the only non-Jewish religious group that were targeted by the NAZI's specifically because of their religious affiliation. Hitler did that because they refuse to obey any law that conflicts with their religious beliefs including the acceptance of military service. It is estimated that 50% of the 20,000 JW's were imprisoned and 2,000 (a massive 10%) were sent to concentration camps. Only a handful of Catholics and Protestants refused military service and suffered the same terrible consequences. Putin does not want JW's for the same reason. It is a pity that Catholics do not show the same defiance against sinful governments. I am one of the cowards and stand in admiration of their single-minded adherence to their beliefs in the face of power and certain retribution.
I cannot stand in admiiration of any sect which denies the divinity of Christ and refuses to recognise His Church
Oh my gosh....Russia is horrible....no wonder Our Lady asked for it’s consecration! It must happen! Pray for it folks....
Oh my yes...”More Liberal than what Cuomo celebrated in New York? “! He reminds me of Satan! For sure, he is a agent of his!
You’re absolutely right! He used that interview as a manipulative tool.It was wishful thinking to want to believe it.
