Russia Fears Viktor Bout Could Reveal Secrets

[brahmburgers]

He'll probably end up as a US citizen, make a book deal, host a tv talk show and get even richer. Don't worry about him, if he talks, he will be able to get a sweet plea deal.

Sounds like what happened to Olie North, ha ha.

[geriatrickid]

Russia fears 'Merchant of Death' could reveal secrets

No shit, Sherlock!

[geriatrickid]

He'll probably end up as a US citizen, make a book deal, host a tv talk show and get even richer. Don't worry about him, if he talks, he will be able to get a sweet plea deal.

Sounds like what happened to Olie North, ha ha.

Not really. Col North was acting as part of a bonafide illegal operation. President Reagan had circumvented the US Congress and flouted the rules and laws in place to prevent such illegal conduct. Col. North became the darling of the Republicans and is probably a great hero to the teabagger party. In my eyes, he is a treasonous criminal that thumbed his nose at the US Congress and engaged in the same behaviour as Thai military officials.

Mr. Bout was not a military operative. He was a contractor. The Russians will at least have the defense of saying but he acted on his own etc. Sort of like Blackwater contractors in Iraq.

I will be surprised if Mr. Blout lives to sing. He may soon be silenced.

[TAWP]

Russia is a dictatorship now and still has secret police to keep the people in fear. The same people who ran the mass slave prisons are in the government, including PUTIN. The sympathy shown towards the Russian side in this dispute is both comical and sad.

Russia is as much a dictatorship as the USA is run by socialists...

[Jingthing]

Russia is a dictatorship now and still has secret police to keep the people in fear. The same people who ran the mass slave prisons are in the government, including PUTIN. The sympathy shown towards the Russian side in this dispute is both comical and sad.

Russia is as much a dictatorship as the USA is run by socialists...

You may want to rethink that.

[SergeiY]

I had a small time arms dealer as a neighbor - once, in the sticks of northern California. No fun.

Besides having loaded automatic weapons around, he had attack-trained dogs on steel tethers all around his property. A very paranoid and unpleasant person to have next door. I once went to his house to see if he was home, and I walked by his dogs, who just panted and licked my hand. When the weapons dealer found out, he was livid, and promised to kill me if I told anyone that his dogs were wimps.

So you had a very paranoid and unpleasant American as neighbor, there in northern California. Nice and believable story, but don't has much to do with the topic and the Bout dude has no intention to go to the USA at all.

[mogoso]

Personally I'd prefer to see George W "half a biscuit" Bush extradited to Iraq to face charges of invasion and the deaths of 110,000 people who did (and do) nothing more than defend their country from a group of well armed foreign invaders that came from a land far far away, some of whom carry army issue Zippo lighters engraved with "Death is My Business, and Business is Good" - pathetic... - set the Russian free...

Saadam would've killed more than that figure if he had stayed in power. Just what was his yearly average of slain citizenry.

[mogoso]

Russia is as much a dictatorship as the USA is run by socialists...

Last I looked the US is run by socialists.

[LaoPo]

...secrets...

We will finally find out what that was on Gorbachev's head.

CIA planted Intel chips unerneath his skull...; everybody knows that.

LaoPo

[Jingthing]

Last I looked the US is run by socialists.

One can hope ...

[TAWP]

Russia is a dictatorship now and still has secret police to keep the people in fear. The same people who ran the mass slave prisons are in the government, including PUTIN. The sympathy shown towards the Russian side in this dispute is both comical and sad.

Russia is as much a dictatorship as the USA is run by socialists...

You may want to rethink that.

Shouldn't you supply facts before you ask someone to rethink something?

[Jingthing]

Here's a good link to chew on --

http://www.acus.org/new_atlanticist/why-obama-can%E2%80%99t-reset-relations-putins-russia

Under Vladimir Putin’s guidance, Russia has moved decisively away from democracy.

These are the features of a populist authoritarian state—one that has moved beyond simple repressive authoritarianism and is well on the way to becoming fascist.

Probably related to this, there is a large and growing Neo-Nazi youth movement in Russia. They are as you would expect white supremacist and have been responsible for acts of heinous violence and murder against all kinds of non-white people, including Asians.

[IAMSOBAD]

Denial of Bouts background does not change the fact he is very bad man.

I hope he goes free and we can all watch Russia end his life sooner than America would.

Or Bout could be sentenced to Life Reading certain TV posters showing their unhuman ignorance.

[animatic]

Russia is a dictatorship now and still has secret police to keep the people in fear. The same people who ran the mass slave prisons are in the government, including PUTIN. The sympathy shown towards the Russian side in this dispute is both comical and sad.

Russia is as much a dictatorship as the USA is run by socialists...

You may want to rethink that.

This is called:

Turning the other cheek.

[TAWP]

Here's a good link to chew on --

http://www.acus.org/new_atlanticist/why-obama-can%E2%80%99t-reset-relations-putins-russia

Under Vladimir Putin’s guidance, Russia has moved decisively away from democracy.

These are the features of a populist authoritarian state—one that has moved beyond simple repressive authoritarianism and is well on the way to becoming fascist.

I think you again forget that there is a step between dictatorship and 'steering away from democracy'.

Much how implementing socialized medicine isn't turning the US into a socialist puppet state of Russia and China. Yet.

[kuffki]

The Russian worm is squirming on the hook. Can't wait to see what will be caught and why the Ruskies are so peeved at all this. Must be big!

So far its the US who is doing all the squirming.

Russia has not made any statements as yet. It is the American Experts who have been predicting and assuming and presuming.

From memory Russia expressed its grievance about the extradition and the whole case has now again been drowned. for months and months to come

[craigt3365]

Personally I'd prefer to see George W "half a biscuit" Bush extradited to Iraq to face charges of invasion and the deaths of 110,000 people who did (and do) nothing more than defend their country from a group of well armed foreign invaders that came from a land far far away, some of whom carry army issue Zippo lighters engraved with "Death is My Business, and Business is Good" - pathetic... - set the Russian free...

set him free? You cant be that ignorant! well, i hope he ends up as your neighbor.

Yep, set him free. And why not having him as a neighbor, he sounds like a very intelligent and decent man unlike some Americans who go totally paranoid over him.

What about all the deaths caused by Iraqi's killing each other. Doesn't seem they are fighting foreign invaders. Same in Pakistan...they are killing each other due to different branches of Islam. For sure the invasion was wrong. America does not belong there.

Americans are not paranoid over Bush...more like embarrassed. It's the rest of the world who gets all worked up over him. Mainly due to Iraq...so a good reason.

[brahmburgers]

that photo is a crack-up. If that's what they do in public, I don't want to imagine what they do behind the curtain (iron, bamboo, or otherwise)

reason for edit: spelling

[brahmburgers]

He'll probably end up as a US citizen, make a book deal, host a tv talk show and get even richer. Don't worry about him, if he talks, he will be able to get a sweet plea deal.

Sounds like what happened to Olie North, ha ha.

Not really. Col North was acting as part of a bonafide illegal operation. President Reagan had circumvented the US Congress and flouted the rules and laws in place to prevent such illegal conduct. Col. North became the darling of the Republicans and is probably a great hero to the teabagger party. In my eyes, he is a treasonous criminal that thumbed his nose at the US Congress and engaged in the same behaviour as Thai military officials.

Mr. Bout was not a military operative. He was a contractor. The Russians will at least have the defense of saying but he acted on his own etc. Sort of like Blackwater contractors in Iraq.

I will be surprised if Mr. Blout lives to sing. He may soon be silenced.

Like I said, ....sounds like Olie North.

and I agree that Bout could meet his demise in a Bkk detention cell. ...made to look like suicide...

[chainarong]

Sorry, anybody that is anybody already knows , who is the clown writing this , even Obama has been briefed.

[frankybaby43]

Thailand is smart

whoever pays the most Russia or USA will get him

[gemini81]

Thailand is smart

whoever pays the most Russia or USA will get him

truth in that actually, haha. The one place in the world where you can negotiate anything based on money.

[Jingthing]

Here's a good link to chew on --

http://www.acus.org/new_atlanticist/why-obama-can%E2%80%99t-reset-relations-putins-russia

Under Vladimir Putin’s guidance, Russia has moved decisively away from democracy.

These are the features of a populist authoritarian state—one that has moved beyond simple repressive authoritarianism and is well on the way to becoming fascist.

I think you again forget that there is a step between dictatorship and 'steering away from democracy'.

Much how implementing socialized medicine isn't turning the US into a socialist puppet state of Russia and China. Yet.

I think you ignore that you are not seeing the context of this -- RUSSIA -- a country that has NEVER had a strong democracy in place, because iron fist authoritarian rule, with STALIN being the apex, is much more the cultural norm. No surprise indeed that under PUTIN who almost definitely will be President again in 2012, nostalgia towards the STALINIST era is being promoted. Also, please don't forget that many of the same government types, including PUTIN, were in the previous governments that ran the mass SLAVE camps are still in the Russian government. Just telling a joke about the government (or missing a few days of work on the outside) could get you many years in the slave labor gulags.

[rubin]

agree with Jingthing, Russia is one of the most corrupt states in the world. Police is worse than criminals. Putin's dictatorship is outrageous. There are no free mass media. Oligarchs who stealt state property in early 90s are the rulers. Total control and corruption.

[rubin]

Thailand is smart

whoever pays the most Russia or USA will get him

Cannot disagree. +1

[craigt3365]

Thailand is smart

whoever pays the most Russia or USA will get him

If it was only about money, he would have bought himself out already. He is a fairly wealthy man....

[Jingthing]

There has never been any doubt he is going to the US. This has all been a big show to give the impression that due process was carried out.

[gemini81]

agree with Jingthing, Russia is one of the most corrupt states in the world. Police is worse than criminals. Putin's dictatorship is outrageous. There are no free mass media. Oligarchs who stealt state property in early 90s are the rulers. Total control and corruption.

agreed. and when I visited moscow on business, I couldn't believe how careless and aggressive everyone was. no one stopped to help at a bad traffic accident I saw. Also, seemed like everyone actually admires stalin and all the other previous tyrants..... rough place, but another place smilar to thailand where if you have money, the sky is the limit, instead of morals and a law that applies to all.

[rubin]

actually he was a wealthy man and it's not him who is supposed to pay but the Russian or the US Government.

[SergeiY]

agree with Jingthing, Russia is one of the most corrupt states in the world. Police is worse than criminals. Putin's dictatorship is outrageous. There are no free mass media. Oligarchs who stealt state property in early 90s are the rulers. Total control and corruption.

agreed. and when I visited moscow on business, I couldn't believe how careless and aggressive everyone was. no one stopped to help at a bad traffic accident I saw. Also, seemed like everyone actually admires stalin and all the other previous tyrants..... rough place, but another place smilar to thailand where if you have money, the sky is the limit, instead of morals and a law that applies to all.

yawn.