And on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled back from the sepulchre. And going in, they found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were astonished in their mind at this, behold, two men stood by them, in shining apparel. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their countenance towards the ground, they said unto them: Why seek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is risen.
Some 94% of Russians describe themselves as patriots, more than at any point since surveys first began, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTSIOM) said on Friday.
The increase was driven mainly by a ten percentage point surge in “unconditional” patriotism since last year, which now stands at 62%, VTSIOM revealed. Back in 2005, when the survey first started, it was just 47%.
“Today, the feeling of patriotism is shared approximately equally by men and women (93% and 95%, respectively), the young and the old (87% in the 18-24 category and 94% among those 60+), and residents of cities and the countryside (94% and 95% respectively),” said the pollster.
That’s incredible, and, by the recent election results, accurate. Of course, it’s to be expected from a rising powerhouse that is literally beating down the embodiment of evil on earth. The 2 point difference of women over men is interesting as is the virtual tie between urban and country patriots. But they’ve earned it, pride and joy in a real nation determined to exist. A commenter on the article summed up my thoughts and those of probably billions of people: “I am a Russian patriot… and I am not even Russian.”
US intelligence agencies did not pass on to their Russian colleagues all the information they had about the threat of a terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, fearing to reveal sources, the newspaper writes New York Times with reference to officials from European and American security services.
The suspects in last week’s Moscow terrorist attack were linked to Ukrainian nationalists, the Russian Investigative Committee stated on Thursday, citing preliminary findings. The perpetrators had received “significant sums of money” from Ukraine, the law enforcement agency said.
Investigators have obtained “substantiated evidence” that the suspected assailants received funding from Ukraine in the form of cryptocurrency, which was then used to prepare the terrorist attack, the statement read.
And the FSB obviously knows more than its saying. One wonders how long-range the retribution will be. While we wait to find out, Picnic and Moscovites remain determined and defiant.
Item 3: A concert as both a memorial and a hard slap in the GAE’s repulsive face:
Russia’s religious leader correctly demands a defense of culture, language, and society.
Russians have the right to demand that migrants respect the country’s culture and traditions, as well as acquiring knowledge of the Russian language, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has said.
The hierarch was addressing an extraordinary meeting of the World Russian People’s Council on Wednesday when he observed that some migrants showed no signs of wanting to integrate into Russian society. This could lead to various problems, according to the patriarch, including the emergence of closed ethnic enclaves and the growth of organized crime.
“Many consider migration a threat, but the threat lies not just in migration, but in the reluctance of some migrants to respect the culture of the country where they came to work. Around us live fraternal peoples, with whom we have always strived to build good neighborly relations, understanding the difficult economic situation that has developed in a number of countries of the former Soviet Union,” said Kirill, as quoted by RIA Novosti.
A Russian has but to look at the collapse of immigration law in the former United States for what the ultimate alternative looks like. And, yes, for a Westerner, even one who understands, it is still hard to sometimes appreciate the Russian position on multi-national nationalism. But it works. They intend to keep it working.
Life Imitates Lyrical Art In Sad But Clarifying Fashion
In 1963, Gorki Film Studios released the children’s fairy tale classic, The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors. A little girl is transported to a strange land where evil forces use magic mirrors to reverse and distort reality, thus enslaving the population. At least one cinema review site suggests the presented inversion was partly, subtly a slap at the hypocrisy of Western portrayals of Soviet propaganda during the Cold War. More recently, Metropolitan Hilarion suggested Western sodomite propaganda created a similar crooked kingdom of lies. Both suggestions likely hold water.
As one art sometimes influences another, the movie’s title allegedly inspired the name of Picnic’s (Пикник’s) 2004 song title, “Королевство кривых” (“Kingdom of Curves”). With apologies to the band, here’s a sampling of their lyrics followed by my semi-esoteric commentary.
Огнями реклам
Неоновых ламп
Бьет город мне в спину, торопит меня
А я не спешу,
Я этим дышу
И то, что мое, ему не отнять.
Минуту еще, мой ветер не стих,
Мне нравится здесь в Королевстве Кривых.
Здесь деньги не ждут,
Когда их сожгут,
В их власти, дать счастье и счастье отнять.
Но только не мне,
…
Picnic was the band set to perform on the evening of Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Crocus City Hall theater in suburban Moscow. As the reader may know, the performance and hundreds of lives were abruptly interrupted before the band took the stage.
English with commentary:
Over the lights of advertising
Neon lamps
Crocus City Hall, and the surrounding Krasnogorsk neighborhood, are big, busy, ultra-modern places. Glass, lights, excitement, etc. A venue that fits the song.
The city hits me in the back, rushing me
And I’m not in a hurry,
I breathe it
And that which is mine, cannot be taken away.
Moscow is like a clean, civilized New York or Los Angeles. There’s a constant rush and rumble of urban humanity. In the song’s city, our lyrical protagonist takes the hurry-scurry in stride. He doesn’t let the hectic pace get ahead of him. His sensibility about and enjoyment of the scene cannot be taken by the tempo or rigor of whatever happens. Similarly and in general, Russian life and the Russian spirit in Moscow cannot be taken away. By anyone.
A minute more, my wind is not quiet,
I like it here in the Kingdom of Curves.
Life can be like that little girl’s adventure. Ordinary times bereft of calamity can still twist and turn. However, if one is in it and the setting happens to be among the most beautiful, wonderful places on earth, then what’s not to like?
Money is not waiting here,
When they are burned,
In their power, give happiness and happiness to take away.
But not for me
…
No, the money was in Kiev or London or somewhere. Burn they did. Calculated, though still mindless violence is a kind of power, the happiness of vampire clowns, augmented by depriving good people of genuine joy and camaraderie. But not for the song’s protagonist. Not for Russia. Not for honest, decent people. Let the evil choke on their wickedness; the righteous will live on determinedly.
My interpretation may miss the mark by a kilometer, but the symbolism of it all struck me as important and seemingly purposeful. Picnics—eating outside, not the group—are fun but they’ve been known to attract ants. Ants are known to steal food, annoy, and sometimes bite. A scout ant finds the picnic and chirps or emits pheromones to alert the rest. Then they show up in force.
On March 7, 2024, the US empire issued a mysterious mass casualty alert for the next 48 hours in Moscow. Oddly enough, on that very day, a scout ant showed up and surveyed the Crocus complex. Shaman was supposed to sing at the center within the next 48 hours, and he did. However, his event was allegedly guarded by armed security. The scout ant emitted no chemical markers or sounds. The Picnic concert was guarded by unarmed security, presenting a softer target. And the ants attacked. While Moscow and the world were in shock, the US empire immediately, within one hour, told two lies: 1) Ukraine wasn’t involved, and 2) the ants were from ISIS or ISIS-K. ISIS and ISIS-K might as well be registered trademarks of the CIA. We know the empire was lying because it is the empire of lies and it said something. In this case, as with the original lie, there was a small grain of truth within the Red Herring deception. The empire that essentially created ISIS, its Syrian and Afghan variants, would probably be in an honest position to know if its creation planned to carry out an attack. Especially if the empire ordered and planned the attack.
The reader likely knows much of the late tactical developments. Around 140 civilians were murdered, as many as 200 were wounded, and the Crocus theater was destroyed. The mercenary terrorist ants and many of their associates, all or most from Tajikistan, were quickly detained by security forces. While I was initially skeptical about direct ISIS involvement, I did allow that somewhat connected actors from the group might have played some role. This was confirmed by President Putin, that the attack was directly committed by radical Islamists, though by those acting inexplicably during Ramadan. However, as for the indirect connections, he said, “We know whose hands this atrocity was committed against Russia and its people. We are interested in who the customer is.” Cui bono?
Suspicion naturally falls on Ukraine and its NATO backers, specifically the US and UK. FSB Chief Alexander Bortnikov said as much: “We believe that this is true. In any case, we are now talking about the factual information we have. This is general information, but they have a long record of this sort.” There is the fact of the ant pre-planning the attack on the day the possibility of an attack was mentioned by a likely chief supporter. There was a rumor that the ants were recruited via a Telegram channel and that they met and coordinated with Ukraine at the Ukrainian embassy in Tajikistan about a mission of the “International Legion.” There’s the fact that this attack does not fit the established pattern of ordinary ISIS activity—during Ramadan, with a determined effort to flee the scene rather than be martyred, and payment that suggests a hired hit job instead of Jihad. The mercenary ants were allegedly promised 500,000 rubles ($5,500) each, in reality receiving only half upfront, to wantonly murder random people. There is the fact they were apprehended trying to cross into Ukraine. There is the fact that as Ukraine and NATO continue to lose horribly on the battlefield, terrorist attacks are their only means of trying to harm Russia. There’s the fact that the Western media instantaneously began parroting a series of ridiculous lies and distortions that would be the envy of any fictional evil mirror.
In addition to all of the foregoing, the ants were painstakingly captured alive. They are talking or will talk. Russian intelligence is obviously far ahead of my estimations and guesses; they likely already have substantial evidence as to whom the ants worked for. The customers, if one will. Or the queens, in ant-speak. Nothing that happened at Crocus degrades Russia’s efforts or abilities. With Russia already visibly quickening its progress in the SMO, this episode will certainly heighten their resolve and the scope and pace of their actions. In fact, it already looks like that is happening. Time will tell exactly how it all unfolds, though there really isn’t much doubt.
Nor is there any doubt there are all kinds of people in the world. Some are heroes and some are sociopathic losers. Some of the losers evidently congregate at a Kiev bar aptly called, in English, Offensive. They certainly are, naming some fried snack “Crocus” just a few days after the attack. Offensive might be thought of as an ant hill if it turns out to be connected in some way to these hideous events. If so, then perhaps someone should kick it. Maybe with a Kinzhal boot? No one in any position of power needs my input. Still, I remind all that when keeping ants away from the picnic blanket, sometimes one just has to spray and kill all of them.
Yet, there are many more good people around. One of them is fifteen-year-old Islam Khalilov, a legitimate Muslim who works part-time at Crocus. If part of the queen customer’s intention was to sow a little division between religious groups in Russia, then Mr. Khalilov did his part to preemptively undo the plan. He’s credited with saving 100 lives by quickly ushering confused patrons towards safety—while ignoring his own. When asked about his personal risk, the young man simply said, “It’s better to sacrifice yourself than to let a hundred people die.” A hero. Shaman also stepped up like a true patriot, offering condolences and vowing to pay all funeral expenses and extraneous medical costs. Behind these two champions, behind the police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, FSB, and military personnel who did their jobs, and behind Vladimir Putin and his government, there are another 150 million strong men and women who will not be frightened, divided, or defeated.
When they are victorious, or even before full victory is realized, I would very much like to join them once the Crocus theater is rebuilt for a concert. I’d happily take Shaman, KINO, or anyone else as the featured entertainment. In light of the circumstances, that especially includes Picnic. I’ll close with a link to their 2022 concert at Crocus.
1999 now appears to be another of the defining years for the GAE and the West, along with 1865, 1913, 1965, etc. As it concerns international awareness of and reaction against the growing unipolar hegemon, that was the year the Chinese codified their Unrestricted Warfare. Thanks to NATO’s evil attack on Serbia, it was also the wake-up call year for Russia. Leonid Savin explains:
On March 24, 1999, the NATO alliance began a military campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which at that time consisted of Serbia and Montenegro.
Over the years, much has been written about the consequences of this aggression – about the blatant violation of the principles of international law, as the UN did not sanction any military action against a sovereign state; about numerous human rights violations during the bombings; about orchestrated propaganda campaigns against Serbs, which had nothing to do with reality; and about the impact of the war on the civilian population – from post-traumatic syndrome to the increase in oncological diseases due to the use of depleted uranium ammunition.
However, several important points should be highlighted. This campaign became the first offensive operation of NATO. The military-political bloc, which was supposedly conceived for defense against a possible attack from the Soviet Union (a product of the wild imagination of Western, primarily Anglo-Saxon politicians), became a tool of military expansion. From a conditionally defensive one, it turned offensive. First in Europe, and then in other parts of the world, particularly against Libya in 2011.
Read the whole thing. 1999 was also the year Boris Yeltsin recruited Vladimir Putin to right the Russian ship of state. And those of us who remember it, remember a completely different USA which was in many ways, many problems aside, almost completely unrelated to today’s dying proxy.
My column on Vlad v. Vampires is up and running at Reckonin‘.
Also, in a world first, through that article I have been translated into Turkish:
Birkaç yıl önce, genç bir yetişkin olarak ABD Eyalet başkentinde bir asansördeydim. Kendimi takım elbise giymiş dev bir kemirgenle birlikte buldum. Cumhuriyetçi mi yoksa Demokrat mı olduğundan ya da aralarında bir fark olup olmadığından emin değilim ama orta yaşlı, yağlı, yağcı ve kötü kokuluydu. Bu yaratık bir anda ve anlaşılabilir bir sebep olmaksızın, sorulmadan kötü bir tavsiyede bulundu. Sanırım yağlı, konuşan politik kemirgenlerin asansörlerde yaptığı şeylerden biri de bu. Dedi ki, “Önce paranı kazan. Sonra çocuk sahibi ol.” Konuşurken küçük, boncuk gibi gözleri sinsice bir o yana bir bu yana bakıyordu. Burnunu kırıştırdı ve homurdandı. Neyse ki kapılar açıldı ve yağlı canavar muhtemelen başkalarının parasının ya da çocuklarının peşinde koşarak uzaklaştı. Ya da belki sadece peynir.
Yaratığın tavsiyesini istemedim, gerçi o sırada zaten tavsiyeye uyuyordum. Amerikalılar pek çok korkunç hata yaparlardı ve ben de bir istisna değildim. Sonraki on yıllar boyunca bu üzücü olayı mutlu bir şekilde unuttum, sadece geçen hafta iki iyi adam arasında tartışılan iyi ve dolayısıyla zıt tavsiyeleri duyduğumda hatırladım. Başkan Vladimir Putin, 13 Mart 2024 tarihinde ya da bu tarihlerde Dmitry Kiselev ile uzun bir röportaj yaptı. Bu, gerçek bir lider ile gerçek bir gazeteci arasında gerçekleşen ve Batı’da neredeyse hiç bilinmeyen gerçek bir görüşmeydi.
Ergo: (Mekanik olarak tercüme edilmiştir):
Merhaba, Türkiye’deki arkadaşlar! Yazımı çeviren kişiye teşekkür ederim ve umarım hepiniz beğenirsiniz. Tanrı hepinizi korusun!
Also, I’ve lately written about the BOR and Russian policies specifically aimed at helping Russians and not vampire clowns. In the wake of the terrible Crocus attacks, the BOR is instructing banks to ease up on or outright forgive loans made to victims!
Банк России рекомендовал банкам и микрофинансовым организациям списать долги погибших при теракте в “Крокус Сити Холле”, сообщил ЦБ.
“Такое письмо регулятор направил банкам, микрофинансовым организациям, кредитным потребительским кооперативам, сельскохозяйственным кредитным потребительским кооперативам, ломбардам. Организации вправе сделать это без обращения наследников”, — уточнили в Банке России.
That is:
The Bank of Russia recommended that banks and microfinance organizations write off debts of those killed in the Crocus City Hall attack, the Central Bank said.
“The regulator sent such a letter to banks, microfinance organizations, credit consumer cooperatives, agricultural credit consumer cooperatives, and pawnshops. Organizations have the right to do this without the appeal of the heirs, “TAG1> specified in the Bank of Russia.
This is a correct sovereign world response to tragedy.
If we know one thing about the collision and collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore, it’s that whatever happened was not the initial report.
Doomed cargo ship Dali was being piloted by a LOCAL crew who were trained to AVOID obstacles in the Baltimore port – as it emerges 100,000-ton vessel ‘lost control and propulsion’ moments before smashing into the bridge
An initial report found that propulsion may have caused the catastrophe
The crew warned that they ‘lost control’ of the vessel shortly before the smash
The vessel was piloted by a specialist crew trained to avoid impacts
Out of all that, from the video we know the ship hit the bridge. That’s it. This effectively closes the port for a while and, honestly, the ‘Murica may not be capable of rebuilding such a thing. This incident, however it really happened, may well be symbolic of the US’s present and future.