I read the Russian language article linked above and it does say that one
deputy in the Duma, Evgenij Fedorov, actually proposed such a miscreant
law. Like Germany, Russia has never understood the idea of a free flow of
information and opinion.
If this law is passed, and if others follow, Russia will eventually become
irrelevant. Hopefully Putin will understand that this proposal is a trap and
will steer clear.
Even so, the West does have ways of dragging it into line though. For
example, if the Left and the Greens ease up on their phobia of fracking (some of
it justified), Europe can produce its own oil and starve them. But no one wants
that. Putin is losing popularity rapidly now that he has invaded Crimea so the
Russians may take him out next election.
Interestingly, Germany also has laws governing what one may and may not say
in public. For example, if someone writes a book stating that less than 6
million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, there is a jail penalty provided.
Even foreign writers who strayed into places like Austria have been arrested and
are sitting in jail today. Worse, if I recall correctly, the UK has actually
extradited 'offenders' to Germany in compliance with this anti-free speech
law--even though the Brits as a people eschew such repression.
So in this respect, Europe already has and enforces such laws, but you
aren't supposed to know. Let's see if one of our UK friends responds to this
with more information or comments.
But the American press gives these laws short shrift or even defends
them.
In today's world, truth is a matter of who your friends are. We need to be
above that and learn to deal with facts, not hide or gloss over them. Which is
why I passed on reports from Ukraine from friends who are in contact with
Ukrainians--boots on the ground. I had showed that Putin's Russia is less
socialist than the US and more fiscally conservative. Those are facts. But this
development concerning free speech is also a fact.
I think we need to give InfoWars a lot of credit for being on the front
lines with this story. Here is why they deserve credit:
1. Watching the foreign press. I can't think of another Western news site that actually has someone on staff who can translate foreign language articles and actually links to them.2. Being willing to show both sides of the story. Jones has written favorably about Putin and Russia in the past, but here he lets the facts guide him.
Don
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