In a bizarre confluence of geo-political opinion, seeming polar opposites David Swanson and Richard Spencer agree on one thing: friendship with Russia is a good thing.
Spencer—known widely as founder of the alt-right movement, and a self-proclaimed identitarian—held a highly controversial, torch-lit rally in Charlottesville last weekend regarding the proposed removal of the General Robert E. Lee Statue from Lee Park. The gathering of mostly out-of-towners were reported to have repeatedly chanted several peculiar slogans, including, “Russia is our friend.”
Swanson—a former board member of the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice, and proprietor of WorldBeyondWar.org—is well known in the Charlottesville community as far-left peace activist and a promulgator of political and economic socialism. Swanson, who recently returned from a trip to Russia, sent a pre-travel press release on May 8 entitled, “C’ville Resident Carries Messages of Friendship to Russia.” Swanson claimed to have more that 8,500 American endorsers of the following statement:
To the people of Russia:
We residents of the United States wish you, our brothers and sisters in Russia, nothing but well. We oppose the hostility and militarism of our government. We favor disarmament and peaceful cooperation. We desire greater friendship and cultural exchange between us. You should not believe everything you hear from the American corporate media. It is not a true representation of Americans. While we do not control any major media outlets, we are numerous. We oppose wars, sanctions, threats, and insults. We send you greetings of solidarity, trust, love, and hope for collaboration on building a better world safe from the dangers of nuclear, military, and environmental destruction.
While Swanson (and his followers) and Spencer (and his followers) may diverge on ninety-nine percent of the social, economic, and political issues that face Americans today, they do agree on one thing: Russia is our friend.
Just my two cents, but I would prefer to do without either of these two agitators. Unfortunately the world is fertile breeding ground for extremists of all types. A media is always anxiously standing by to generate headlines and and ‘hits’ which gives them credibility.
As for the statues, maybe they would be more beneficial located someplace like
Staunton where they would be viewed in a different way. I’d suggest Albemarle but I suspect that would cause an outcry also. And to think that Robert E Lee was offered command of the Union Army.
War is a crime became a movement and then it was swallowed by special interest campaign of nonviolence pace e bene. So he is probably going as a lay representative on a peace mission. After the war is over some place else, he may go there minus the crucifix. But also there is a very strange loyalty that far-lefties have after having been on air at RT. Think of them as believing perhaps in geopolitics new world order from the left. Read Tomgram: Alfred McCoy, Washington’s Great Game and Why It’s Failing. The emissaries of the far left and far right both agree that if the great game is not being played from one end, then the other. If not Russia, then China. Any way, the Heartland is US-ours.
Very disappointing because unless you are in a special protective status, you can’t miss the trolls. Just visit YouTube under any Bernie or Pelosi video you can see all the hate messages and those are not real people who watch those videos. Those are bots or trolls most likely foreign, either Russian, possibly North Korean. Always rube.
So yes, how could David Swanson/Jill Stein be so clueless? They have to be faking it, because they are paid off.
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