Dulce et Decorum by Fred Reed…

Source: Dulce et Decorum by Fred Reed.

I am a soldier. I am dirt. With Joshua I put the cities of Canaan to the sword while women screamed and tried to protect their babies. I spent long days in Nanjing butchering and butchering civilians because I enjoyed it. For I am a soldier. I am dirt. I firebombed Hamburg till the wind-fanned flames left nowhere to hide and the people burned screaming and their fat puddled in the streets. I am a soldier. I am dirt.

On the crumbling walls of Angkor Wat, the Cold Lairs, trees now crawling over the walls, you may see me carved, marching, marching to kill forgotten peoples, it matters not whom. In the sweltering heat of Chichen Itza and the terrible winter of Stalingrad and the flaming paper cities of Japan and on the Death March of Corregidor I killed and killed, for I am a soldier. I am dirt. I kill.

In this I glory. I spend my declining years drinking in bars with old soldiers I knew when Breda fell to us and we raped and killed and looted, when we torpedoed the troop ships and left the soldiers in their thousands to drown slowly as their strength gave out. The fierce exultation of watching Atlanta burn, Pearl Harbor, Nagasaki, these I remember lovingly. For I am dirt…

Brings back memories… (You should read the rest! Link at beginning of article…)

Windows to Russia…

Hillary Clinton: thwarting re-Sovietization or imposing Americanization? by Boris Volkhonsky…

English: Signature of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
English: Signature of Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“We are trying to figure out effective ways to slow down or prevent it.

”Indeed, they are. For that, the US has launched full-scale wars in close vicinity to the region (not to mention local clashes and a “limited” use of drones on a wider number of countries), slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans, depriving them of the basic human right – the right to live; successfully destabilized the situation in their “Greater Middle East”, flooded the whole of Central Asia with Afghan opium and heroin (with metastasis reaching as far as Russia and Western Europe). And after that Ms. Hillary is trying to present her country as a champion of human rights and finds it OK for herself to criticize others.

As reported by the Financial Times, on Thursday, hours before meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference that the US is to prevent Russia from integrating more closely with its neighbors in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

“There is a move to re-Sovietise the region,” said the US Secretary of State. “It’s not going to be called that. It’s going to be called a customs union, it will be called Eurasian Union and all of that. But let’s make no mistake about it. We know what the goal is and we are trying to figure out effective ways to slow down or prevent it.”

What irritated Ms. Hillary to the extent that she is obviously going to rethink the “reset” policy in relations with Russia, declared in 2009 and launched with her direct participation, is the process of growing integration between former Soviet states, and in particular Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which formed a customs union in 2010. In 2012, the union was transformed into a common economic space with prospects of turning into a Eurasian Union that would enable other neighboring countries to join it along lines similar to of those of the European Union.

In October 2011, in an article published by the Russian Izvestia newspaper, the then-premier of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin wrote, “There is no talk of reforming the USSR in some form. It would be naive to restore or copy what has been abandoned in the past, but close integration – on the basis of new values, politics and the economy – is the order of the day.”

So, there is a clear impression that when Ms. Hillary speaks of “re-Sovietization” , she barely notices the real goals formulated by Russian politicians, but rather suspects that Russia in its policy regarding its neighbors is following a pattern with which she, as the head of American diplomacy, is well acquainted.

Hence, her claims that Russia is following an expansionist policy, and hence her desire to see the retreat “of so many of the hoped-for indicators of progress” she saw 20 years ago.

And when Mr. Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov called Ms. Hillary’s comments “a completely wrong understanding” of integration efforts and said. “What we see on the territory of the ex-Soviet Union is a new type of integration, based only on economic integration. Any other type of integration is totally impossible in today’s world,” he was right in essence, but his words are sure to fall on deaf ears. As, for example, the vote in the US Senate on the so-called Magnitsky Act has shown, the top brass of US foreign policy are too blind-folded by the old stereotypes, and still believe they are living in the times of the Cold War.

But what Ms. Hillary’s statements do really reveal is the unchanging US strategy towards Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Despite her obvious blunders concerning the nature of Russian policy with regard to its neighbors, her statements concerning the US line really ring true. “We are trying to figure out effective ways to slow down or prevent it.”

Indeed, they are. For that, the US has launched full-scale wars in close vicinity to the region (not to mention local clashes and a “limited” use of drones on a wider number of countries), slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Afghans, depriving them of the basic human right – the right to live; successfully destabilized the situation in the “Greater Middle East”, flooded the whole of Central Asia with Afghan opium and heroin (with metastasis reaching as far as Russia and Western Europe). And after that Ms. Hillary is trying to present her country as a champion of human rights and finds it OK for herself to criticize others.

In fact, one passage from her speech is worth quoting once more – “Let’s make no mistake about it. We know what the goal is.”

Thou hast said it, Ms. Hillary!

Boris Volkhonsky, senior research fellow, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies…

Windows to Russia…

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This is something to think about: Russia borrowing money?

In the news today they are talking about the fact that Russia will borrow $7 billion on foreign markets with US dollar-denominated Euro-bonds during 2013.  This is because they are predicting a budget deficit of 0.8 of a percent for the 2013 budget…

Okay I then looked around and saw this:

In 2010, Russia took out Euro-bonds worth $5.5 billion for the first time after a 12-years of not taking any money. Then in 2011, Russia did not borrow any Euro-bonds and in 2012 it is predicted to borrow $7 billion total in external borrowings…

Have you taken in what was just said above?

If you are from the Western World and feel a little bit overwhelmed with the trillions and trillions of borrowed money being thrown about all over the news. Then stop and grab a cup of coffee and think about how many countries in the world literally do not borrow money, nor have hardly any debt…

Then to top it off we are literally the only ones (The Fed!) which is buying or bonds. That is a whole bunch like using a “visa card to pay your visa payment.”

It just does not work…

Try looking it up on the internet! What you will find will surprise you and there is so many ways to be in debt that it is scary. The scariest issue is derivatives and I have heard Ron Paul talk about this issue and what he says should make you cringe…

9 Biggest Banks’ Derivative Exposure – $228.72 Trillion… >>>

We should be very scared and you should be trying to understand it and we should be doing something about it…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Video: The $1.5 Quadrillion Dollar Derivatives Crisis, & Growing…

Hmm…

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Good Example of being Russian…

This morning while I was sipping that wonderful cup of coffee and contemplating another cup on this cold and blowy snowy/rainy day. Sveta is at the dentist and that is in the back of my mind as I am having some thinking’s…

Once again that Russian smile comes to mind and it was brought about when I was walking Boza the other day and I saw a couple walking along talking and laughing and heaven forbid smiling…

According to the Western world and the new media, Russians have some sort of illness that makes them never smile. In fact I have seen a new article a week on the subject and sometimes two or three pop up. This is on the main news sites and not some blogger that has nothing better to do… 🙂

This couple was happy and you could tell that they enjoyed each others company very much. Now in Russia people who are close to each other smile and share their feelings. But if you are just someone who they do not know or just see once in awhile, smiles are not forthcoming. Smiles are special and reserved for special…

It was all brought forth full force as I watched some videos from America. The people on the videos were forced smiles and happiness. It was all fake and unbecoming to reality…

That then brought back memories of working in the US and everyday, I had to remind my employees that a happy face is a productive face and when you answer the phone say hello with joy…

I like the Russians, they do not understand false emotions and are confused by those emotions…

A smile is one of the most important things in the world and to toss them around like last weeks leftovers is a mistake. A smile has meaning and should have the power behind that meaning…

This is from someone that grew up with everyone telling him, “SMILE KYLE!” and laughing as they ran away to play… 🙁

I smile when it means something and I smile at Sveta, because she means something to me, just like she smiles back. But the local store personnel gets no smiles and they do not expect a smile/nor give a smile either…

As Sveta would say, “That is just right!”

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

PS: I guess the fact that Russians do not smile as much as Americans is important (?) and the fact that Russia has a thousand times more important things that the Western media should write about is really the most important issue…

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Coffee and the Winds are Changing from that Russian Window…

I hope you are watching and thinking about what has been happening lately. No I am not talking about watching just the Western Press, I am talking about really looking around and checking out what the world is doing…

A whole bunch is happening…

While you are “Drinking the Kool–Aid” and dancing to their (government) tune and watching the stars on TV and not in the sky! Things are changing and changing fast…

You should concentrate on the Eastern half of the world and that is really hard for you to do, because the West is crumbling as we keep the blindfolds on, so we will not see it happen. Those blindfolds also keep us from seeing what is really happening in the world…

The winds are changing and actually starting to blow much harder. I am amazed at the extent that Russia and China have excused themselves from reliance upon the Western World financially. In a few more years the reliance will be very noticeable, as both countries have shifted their priorities to the East…

Want a silent tidbit?

“In 2006, the U.S. was the larger trading partner for 127 countries, while China was the larger trading partner for 70, AP reported. By last year 2011, the two had traded places: 124 countries for China, 76 for the U.S…” Here is one of few links… >>>

There are thousands of such tidbits and you have to look, because the main stream news just is not allowed to print it and or does not want to print it. I guess you would get upset to know that things are a lot worse then you understand…

Time to crawl back into your hole you live in! I hear that Lindsay Lohan is being bad again and that “fiscal cliff” is going to take your world and destroy it…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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Snowy, Cold and Messing Around in Russia: Galaxy Note with Stock Galaxy Note 2 Jelly Bean on it…

Update on my Galaxy Note…

Read this article first: Source >>>

Now lets talk about what is happening now on my Galaxy Note. So join me while I sip a cup of coffee and try to explain what I have done to the phone…

Today I saw that the source code for the Galaxy Note 2 was leaked around the middle of October sometime and that got me thinking. After a few cups of coffee and downloading the source code. I decided to do a little bit of work to it and see if I could port it over to my Galaxy Note…

Okay now I realized that Note 2 has a whole bunch more muscles than Note 1, but I also knew that I can overclock my Note 1 and I know a slew of tricks to speed her up and I figured that she could handle it…

Well she does and it puts a custom Rom to shame. That is not easy to do because most stock firmware has huge limitations on workability and speed, without tweaking it to the point of non workability…

It was fairly easy to port over, but you have to have some knowledge about working with an “Android Rom” and I am not getting into how to do it. I have decided that this is my pleasure and fun, but if someone would want something done to their phone I would take that in consideration and be glad to update the phone physically in my home. That means you would have to ship it to me and allow lots of time for the process to be done. I am not in business, but I would help, for the right price…

I live in Russia by the way… 🙂

The rom I downloaded has all the bells and whistles, plus I was able to install binary for root and busybox right into the installation process. It just does not get any better than that…

Now Samsung Update got a little nasty and threatened me with the “You have unauthorized software installed so you will get no more updates!” attitude and so I turned that off right away. Oh Well! Easy come easy go, I say…

I had already updated to the leaked Galaxy Note stock Jelly Bean rom software, but that was just basically like the Gingerbread and ICS and was made for the Note. It was lacking in the latest and greatest from the Note 2. Like the new multi-window software for Note 2. Now that is really cool and allows a wonderful opportunity to be able to show you how the Note can multitask with the best of them…

So I am now getting ready to write on one of my books that I have been writing and then contemplate some more on the Note 1. It had a rough start and almost became a paperweight, but now that I have isolated and removed the brickbugged section of the eMMC card. (I lost 100mb of space, by the way!) So that is not noticeable in the long term scheme of things…

I hear that Samsung will finally push out an update of Jelly Bean 4.1.2 on the Galaxy Note, but that is still Note 1 specific and I suspect that it will be missing all the real charm of the Note 2 software. That makes sense because why make the Note 1 as fancy as Note 2. Then no one would want to buy the New Note 2…

It is a shame that such a strong running phone has to be plagued by software and hardware issues that degrade the full potential of the device…

But I am seeing how the Note grows on people and once you have become a big screen user and gotten a taste for the size, going back to a smaller phone just seems wrong. My poor 4 inch screened Huawei Honor looks kinda sad in comparison. The screen on my Galaxy Note is bigger than the whole Huawei phone… 🙂

Have a nice day…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

PS: I have to mention for those that run out and try to flash a Note 2 rom on a Note 1. Don’t do it, the rom has to be modified to flash properly on a Note 1. It is made for a Note 2 and that is that. You will brick your phone if you flash a stock rom from another model of phone to a different model of phone. If you do not know what I am talking about use Google and find out what custom rom, custom kernel and recovery image means…

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Pakistan – Russia Geopolitics by Nadir Mir…

Pakistan – Russia Geopolitics: by Nadir Mir

Author of the book “Gwadar on the Global Chessboard”

His Blog: Pakistan and Geopolitics

The author is a retired Brigadier of the Pakistan Army.

Pakistan – Russian amity is natural. It was forsaken at the altar of the Cold War. America’s quest for Soviet Union’s containment and Pakistan’ need of support against bellicose India resulted in the US – Pakistan alliance. Today the world has changed geopolitically, in Pakistan’s favour. The time has come for Pakistan – Russian friendship to be solidified. Pakistan’s COAS visit to Russia was timely and historic. Even earlier Pakistan Air Chief had already visited Russia.

Pakistan’s Geopolitics has often been misunderstood. The time to remedy that has also arrived. In my book ‘Gwadar on the Global Chessboard’ I have already projected Pakistan’s identity. Pakistan is a multiregional state and not only South Asian. South Asia is Pakistan’s Eastern linkage that is Punjab – Sindh Provinces. Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa is the link to Afghanistan and Central Asia while Kashmir, Northern Areas to China and Central Asia. Baluchistan is linked to Iran, Turkey, Gulf – Saudi Peninsula and Western Asian affinity.

Pakistan’s location is globally pivotal. It is located at the cross roads of the historical empires. It is Geo economically a bridge state and Geo strategically the interposing state between multi regions. A friendly Pakistan is a blessing and a hostile Pakistan is a disaster for any world power with interests in these regions.

To ignore Pakistan’s Geo strategic location, its youth bulge demography soaring towards 200 millions and its formidable military – nuclear forces is an act of imprudence. The Americans were the first, Chinese the second and now Russians also appreciate Pakistan’s Geopolitical merits. The Indian propaganda of ‘Shining India’ is fast eroding. The most critical Geopolitical State Actor in these regions is called Pakistan.

Afghanistan

US – NATO forces or bulk will be withdrawing from Afghanistan. Stability in Afghanistan needs the principal player Pakistan on board. Left over US forces besides interests will be dependent on Russian and Pakistan’s logistic supply routes. Pakistani – Russian coordination will help bring peace in Afghanistan. The Chinese are increasing their investments and stakes in Afghanistan. Instability needs to be reduced in Afghanistan and militancy blocked from spreading into Central Asia. Geo economic and Geo strategic interests of Russia and Pakistan coincide. Energy should travel southwards towards Pakistan and drugs stopped from travelling northwards into Russia. Secondly left over US – NATO military presence in Afghanistan should suit neither Moscow, nor Beijing or Islamabad and certainly not Tehran for that matter. Delhi which prays for US military longevity in Kabul is at odds with Pakistan, Russia, China and Iran on that score. Simply because even a small foreign military presence in Kabul will keep Afghanistan on the path of war rather than peace.

Gwadar and Energy – Trade, Transit Grid

The Chinese are arriving in Gwadar. The Russians are also keen to join. For centuries Russians coveted these warm waters. From my book ‘Gwadar on the Global Chessboard’ I quote,: “the quest for warm waters is a coveted aim since Czarist times. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Russia with its firm anchor in Gwadar can support the Asian hinter land development.”   This can join Southern Russia to the Arabian Sea.

From the Baltic Sea near Saint Petersburg, to Archangel in the North, Vladivostok in the East to the hemmed in Black Sea ports, the Russians need warm waters. Gwadar Deep Sea warm water port could fulfill an old Russian dream. In time Russian Gazprom will join the energy grid of Asia at Pakistan’s Gwadar. Russia through Central Asian states can also use Gwadar for trade and transit. Gwadar will bind Pakistan, China, Russia and Central Asian states. Geo economic interests of these state actors increasingly coincide with the Geo strategic interests.

Gwadar and Central Asia / Russia / China

(Map from the book by author, ‘Gwadar on the Global Chessboard’)

A Russian – Pakistan friendship pact could prove to the world that both states stand for peace in the world. They seek prosperity for their people, share common values of equality for all nations, freedom for the people, from the Slavic Heartland to Indus River. Both abhor violence; can jointly fight terrorism, separatism, drugs and other evils.

Russia under President Putin’s leadership is striving for Global Peace. Pakistan has suffered for eleven years due to the war in Afghanistan. Now the people of Pakistan ardently seek an end to this long and pointless war. Russia and Pakistan can jointly facilitate an American Exit Strategy from Afghanistan. In this respect an understanding among Russia, Pakistan, USA and China can help achieve peace in Afghanistan. This will radiate peaceful waves from the epi center of Afghanistan. Russia and Pakistan can also help create consensus in the entire Central Asian and West Asian regions for peace and Geo economic bonding.

Pakistan – Russian Geopolitical understanding is not directed against anyone. Pakistan can maintain its old friendship with USA and strategic partnership with China while Russia has its traditional relations with India. Still new friendship between Pakistan and Russia will not only benefit both but also contribute to peace and prosperity in the world.

Geopolitics of Peace: by Nadir Mir. Author of the book “Gwadar on the Global Chessboard” Blog: Pakistan and Geopolitics wwwpakistangeopolitics.blogspot.com/ The author is a retired Brigadier General of the Pakistan Army.

Windows to Russia!

The views of the above author are not strictly only the views of Windows to Russia. They are an independent view from an outside source that brings a better light on the world in general and Windows to Russia is very pleased to have Nadir Mir’s thoughts on its pages today and in the future. So take a look at his site and read a few articles. – Kyle Keeton

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Snow Snow Snow and By Golly Some More Snow in Our Part of Russia…

So that cup of coffee is really good today as I look out the window into Russia. The snow is falling so hard that I can not see the buildings around the complex. So an article on snow seemed good…

Sveta made a big mistake the other day! It is the same mistake that I usually make and it has to do with the weather. I talk about the weather and it does the opposite that I say…

A few days ago Sveta said something like, “This is not Winter, there is NO Snow! Winter means Snow!”

I was thinking as she said it that we are in trouble, because you never gripe about a good thing and no snow with very little moisture is a good thing at times. In fact it was the best start to Winter I have seen here in Russia. No mud and no snow up to your knees…

Oops – Guess what? Father Frost heard Sveta and woke up. The snow is so deep in the last few days that I lost Boza in the snow drifts. I found Boza with this strange look on his face as only his head stuck out at one point and that head was covered in snow also. He tried to bound like a deer through the snow and ran into the end of his 5 meter leash, as he fell sideways into a drift. I then found myself trying to walk our usual path and at one point it was up to my knees. Sorry, I can’t bound like a deer anymore, so I let Boza off the leash to play. While I dredged through the drifts…

Winter is here and Father Frost reminded everyone why he rules Russia!

SNOW!

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

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Today Lets Remember What We Did To Libya: We (USA) are Stupid and Immoral…

When Muhammad bin Halim stepped out of his front door in Benghazi one September morning, he waved at his neighbor before walking toward his candy-apple-red Hyundai. When the head of the financial-crimes unit in the Libyan Interior Ministry opened the door, a bomb exploded, sending him to the ground and showering him with debris. Luckily, he was uninjured; the same is not true for many of his colleagues.

A wave of assassinations targeting security officials has become the latest setback for a country still reeling from a Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that left four Americans dead. Eight months of a revolutionary war in 2011 decimated Libya’s already deeply flawed civic institutions. With no security organizations to ensure order and an ineffective justice system unable to prosecute suspects, Libyans fear their country is slowly crumbling around them.

Read more: http://world.time.com/2012/11/26/libyas-new-crisis-a-wave-of-assassinations-targeting-its-top-cops/#ixzz2DgJOgx8B

This is nice of the Western Media to start (kinda – in a way) acknowledging that we @$%# UP in Libya and it was an intentional @$%# UP…

But we still lay the blame on everyone but U.S. – I mean us… 🙂

Windows to Russia…

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The Raptor’s Eye in Washington, DC: General Petraeus, JIEDDO and Auntie’s Pervert* by John Stanton…

The United States of America remains the preeminent global empire very much by design. Its expansion was not by accident. In fact, it was a necessity. Indeed, America’s instruments of national power–diplomatic, intelligence, military, economic, financial, law enforcement, information and people–remain unmatched in their productive capacity, global reach and destructive power. There is no nation-state (not even the lauded BRIC group) that has so many instruments of national power within its quiver.

But even with all its mighty power, the United States is tangled in a web of its own design, with little room for escape. America’s prosperity and its way-of-life, depends vitally on global domination, not only in the ethereal marketplace or cyberspace, but particularly of critical land, air and sea routes (choke points).

The center of gravity in the tangled webbing is Washington, DC, the epicenter of political, sexual and egocentric intrigue and the birthplace of projects like the “Surge” in Afghanistan and Iraq, “MISO” (military information support operations), and a host of other tinker-toy concepts and initiatives, many of which have cost nearly 100,000 American lives killed or maimed in action and an equally horrific toll in Iraq and Afghanistan that also includes millions of displaced civilians.

Palace intrigues abound in the Capitol of the American Empire, of course. The latest being the sex life of CIA Director David Petraeus. Speculation over Petraeus’ approval of rogue operations in Libya and elsewhere around the globe runs high as of this writing. Many camps in Washington, DC, are cheering at the Princeton and West Point graduate’s forced resignation from the CIA. None more than those who cautioned against drinking Petraeus’ blinding elixir. Such is life in the empire’s capitol.  It is all part of the grand theater of power politics.

The Petraeus matter is symptomatic of a debilitated US Department of Defense Inspector General’s office. It is largely compromised according to a military insider.

“The biggest reason why stuff like the General Petraeus scandal happens is because the Inspector General’s Office (IG) continues to discount or ignore complaints from subordinates, until they explode in their faces. There is no way Paula Broadwell could have jumped on a plane and appeared in Afghanistan, without someone asking questions, somewhere. Instead of going after General David Petraeus, or Paula Broadwell, the military would save a lot of time and trouble taking a look at the people who allegedly approved Paula’s access to classified information, and the people responsible for safeguarding that access. I guarantee you that you will find someone who raised questions, who was harassed, intimidated, or removed from their position. The IG complaint process is supposed to provide a safety net for people who come forward with allegations of misconduct. This system appears to have fallen apart, and IG offices appear to be either complicit or disinterested in pursuing allegations of suspicious conduct by senior officers and NCO’s.

Senior officers like Petraeus and Brigadier General Sinclair (accused of alleged sexual misconduct) do not conduct themselves in such a manner unless they have been convinced by the people around them that they have nothing to fear, or that an environment of fear and intimidation was so pervasive, that everyone knew these things were going on, and some may have even complained, but that’s as far as it went.”

That the American system can maintain its empire amidst the intellectual and physical shenanigans of its leaders and institutions is astonishing and quite marvelous in its own way.  Who needs Broadway or Hollywood? They are no match for the tragicomedy, theater and “reality television” of Washington, DC, the Capitol of the American Empire.

It was not to New York City, Boston or Baltimore that Wall Street financiers and banking houses ran to in 2008 when they screwed up. It was a sprint to Washington, DC that they made in search of cash to salvage their bank accounts first, and then the American economy, second. This provided a fine lesson for those who deride the citizens and institutions of the National Capitol Region: the action is here DC, not outside the Beltway.

John Stanton’s new book is available here at Amazon. *This article is from the Introduction to The Raptor’s Eye, JIEDDO, MISO, General P and the Prophet Smith. Contact John at cioran123@yahoo.com

Windows to Russia…