Didn't stop a lot of businesses - not all of them German - doing VERY nicely, thank you, out of the regime. Spartacus

Fascism - of which, I suppose, National Socialism is a variant - believed in The Corporate State. They supported, but regulated, capitalism. rather like the fascist Blair, in fact! :wink:

Still, back to this la-*test*-('") bit of nastiness .... Is it a sort of knee-jerk reaction to side with anyone against Russia? Certainly the BBC is reporting one-sidedly from Georgia, and the Telegraph seems to be as partisan. Yet, as far as one can tell, Georgia chose the moment of the opening of the Olympic Games to poke a stick into a hornets' nest, hoping the hornet would not notice, and we are all surprised that the hornet came out stinging! And why, pray, should Russia listen to "World Opinion" ... and especially, why should Russia heed the USA and NATO? Didn't they crush and dismember Russia's natural allies in Yugoslavia? Didn't they side with the separatist Muslims in Kosovo, using their overmastering air power in the Prophet's Cause? Where is the difference if Russia sides with the separatist Muslims in Ostia? I am sure the Russians can't see any! It is "all about oil", is it? But, of course, oil had nothing whatever to do with the Gulf Wars! Such Hypocrisy!

If anyone out there really believed that Russia's attack was about South Ossetia or Kosovo, do get in touch with me. I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. Russia is sweeping into Georgia proper, despite pleas for a cease-fire, and we hear the same question as many heard before: where are our friends? Get used to it - if Russia bullies anyone, the West keeps schtumm. Georgia will get no help any more than the Balts did, or Poland, or Hungary or Czechoslovakia. We shall see no large demonstrations against blood for oil (and believe me, oil comes into it). The UN will not condemn or do anything. How can it, with Russia on the Security Council? Something may come out of the US's unreserved condemnation of the aggression (oh, by the way, did the UN approve this and where does international law stand on the Russian attack on Georgia?), which was supported by Senator McCain. Senator Obama waffled about the UN and the international community. This is just to warn everyone. Can we, at least, offer real help to those who are the next on that list, Ukraine and the Baltic states? As I look through my various postings and articles about Russia I feel that, once again, I have played the part of Cassandra. Appeasement is never a good idea, particularly if the one you are appeasing is strong only through the folly of its opponents. Yes, Russia looks to her interests and makes no secret of it, though nothing good for the country or its people will come from it getting bogged down in another war in the Caucasus. Nothing good came from the Soviet empire and this will be no different. But the Kremlin cares little as we can see from the little trolls that have cropped up on all the sites and forums (even Facebook, I am told). The question is, however, is it not time we all looked to our interests. Do we even know what they are? www.eureferendum.com

We have no business worrying about places like South Ossetia. With hundreds of thousands of troops already deployed on combat missions all over the world the last thing our country needs to do is get involved with another stupid foreign entanglement. Since the war has nothing to do with the security of Israel the NeoCons will blow it off. The Liberals don’t even know what is going on. Georgia is pretty well fracked in drumming up International support. Maybe the Georgians could have conjured up a fabrication that the Ossetians were massing weapons of mass destruction that was a threat to Israel and then the American NeoCon war drums would be beating so loud you could hear them all the way to Moscow.

As in the Invasions of Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovokia 1968, and Afghanistan 1979, Russia will go on killing and smashing, World opinion will go ballistic and afterwards things will settle down and the same dodgy deals between the formerly outraged nations and Russia will go on... It's Deja Vu all over again as Yogi Berra would opine !