[justasking]

To whom it may concern:

I live in the United States of America.

Please refrain from telling me America needs to be modeled after Australia or England, with regard to ANY isuue.

I live in the United States of America.

I can move to one of those two places if I choose to leave some of my rights behind and live a lesser life of public property and no shooting sports.

I have been to England. I don't want to live in a land where my property has a gate reminding the rest of the country to please close the gate behind them when they walk across my land, because IT ISN'T REALLY MY LAND AT ALL. Where the roads are so narrow you are at risk taking a country bike ride on many of them.

I live in the United States of America.

I vote. There is no royalty here and I will not tolerate my President placing himself upon a royalty-like pedestal and telling the whole country his opinion is the only one that matters.

I live in the United States of America.

I don't believe for one second you have more credibility on an issue because you speak in a loud voice with a British accent against the freedoms I enjoy.

I live in the United States of America. Do I honestly think you should move if you don't like the constitution, even if you were born here?

Yes, i do.

 

[JonnyP]

Piers Morgan does not speak for all Brits. Trust me. I put in my time in the British military alongside my American Allies in the first Gulf War and in Germany before throwing the towel in and natrualizing as a US Citizen (after $40,000+ of my own money and waiting legally in line for 10 years to do it right)

Piers is an idiot, there's a reason he was over here, they didn't want him over there. I speak in a loud voice with a British accent - frequently as it happens to my elected representatives and it's loud due to either my damaged hearing as a veteran or to get heard above the noise my magazine emptying

Oh and one other minor detail, not picking a fight but the Queen (or Royal Family) has any no say over the politics, the Brits elect thier own idiots, just like we do. When the original firearms blanket an came down in the 80's after the Hungerford shootings, just like our country, it was the innocent, law abiding gun owners that suffered, not the physcopaths or criminals.

 

[grumpy_old_man]

To whom it may concern:

I live in the United States of America.

Please refrain from telling me America needs to be modeled after Australia or England, with regard to ANY isuue.

I live in the United States of America.

I can move to one of those two places if I choose to leave some of my rights behind and live a lesser life of public property and no shooting sports.

I have been to England. I don't want to live in a land where my property has a gate reminding the rest of the country to please close the gate behind them when they walk across my land, because IT ISN'T REALLY MY LAND AT ALL. Where the roads are so narrow you are at risk taking a country bike ride on many of them.

I live in the United States of America.

I vote. There is no royalty here and I will not tolerate my President placing himself upon a royalty-like pedestal and telling the whole country his opinion is the only one that matters.

I live in the United States of America.

I don't believe for one second you have more credibility on an issue because you speak in a loud voice with a British accent against the freedoms I enjoy.

I live in the United States of America. Do I honestly think you should move if you don't like the constitution, even if you were born here?

Yes, i do.

Thank you, justasking.

You got it just right. I lived in Japan for a while, and it would not have gone down well if I were to tell the locals that they had a fine country but they really needed to change their laws to meet American standards on this whole gun thing. They rightly would have told me to go home and keep my nose out of their business, while muttering "norowareta gaijin" (damn' foreigner) under their breaths.

Why is it that we're bad people when we tell a bunch of foreign activists like Piers Morgan the same thing? Why is it that we're bad when we tell disgruntled progressives to leave for the UK if they want socialized medicine?

All the best,
Grumpy

 

[justasking]

Piers Morgan does not speak for all Brits. Trust me. I put in my time in the British military alongside my American Allies in the first Gulf War and in Germany before throwing the towel in and natrualizing as a US Citizen (after $40,000+ of my own money and waiting legally in line for 10 years to do it right)

Piers is an idiot, there's a reason he was over here, they didn't want him over there. I speak in a loud voice with a British accent - frequently as it happens to my elected representatives and it's loud due to either my damaged hearing as a veteran or to get heard above the noise my magazine emptying

Oh and one other minor detail, not picking a fight but the Queen (or Royal Family) has any no say over the politics, the Brits elect thier own idiots, just like we do. When the original firearms blanket an came down in the 80's after the Hungerford shootings, just like our country, it was the innocent, law abiding gun owners that suffered, not the physcopaths or criminals.

Thanks for the inputs. To be clear, my time in England was both enjoyable and educational. I thought the people were great. I actually did have a bicycle incident that was handled wonderfully by a farmer and his wife and two other folks on a country lane. I was over there doing an exercise with the British navy back in the late 80's. Nice place to visit, but it was good to get home too.

I know Morgan is a putz and could say all the same stuff he says here, over there. In fact he did. He is not the only one advocating we follow other countries. He is just the guy of the minute.

God Bless!

Ron

 

[headedtotexas]

We've got our share of idiots too. They come out of the woodwork every time there's a crisis they can use for political gain. Now is one of those times. I think it's important we rant and profess our dedication to the principles our founders and our Creator bestowed upon us, just like Justasking has done here. Us PerfectUnion members are probably pretty like-minded, so it's important to put those rants and that conviction out in more public places where progressives and peeping government "auditors" are more likely to find them. My choices are Facebook, my website at blogspot.com and my network of friends and family. Spread the word folks, before it's too late.

 

[grumpy_old_man]

Piers Morgan does not speak for all Brits. Trust me. I put in my time in the British military alongside my American Allies in the first Gulf War and in Germany before throwing the towel in and natrualizing as a US Citizen (after $40,000+ of my own money and waiting legally in line for 10 years to do it right)

Piers is an idiot, there's a reason he was over here, they didn't want him over there. I speak in a loud voice with a British accent - frequently as it happens to my elected representatives and it's loud due to either my damaged hearing as a veteran or to get heard above the noise my magazine emptying

Oh and one other minor detail, not picking a fight but the Queen (or Royal Family) has any no say over the politics, the Brits elect thier own idiots, just like we do. When the original firearms blanket an came down in the 80's after the Hungerford shootings, just like our country, it was the innocent, law abiding gun owners that suffered, not the physcopaths or criminals.

Hi JohnnyP;

Welcome to the US and I hope everything is a-ok.

Didn't mean it to come off implying that all Brits are antigun! I looked into a teaching job a few years ago in the UK and in researching life and laws there I did find that there is a small but apparently active service rifle community ('course they have to use No.4 Enfields instead of semi auto only SA80 or L1A1 as would be more appropriate). Looked fun! And yes, UK gun owners got reamed by their own gov't.

Good to know that Piers Morgan is about as well loved as a good bout of the flu over there. After what he did with the faked pics in that rag he edited, I can see why.

Anyway, hope that things are going well and that you don't let the obozo crowd or our socialist media types get you down. Most Americans are sane good people, unlike the clowns in DC and the media. I have fought many of these gun control battles before, and with one notable exception - 1994 - been on the winning side every time. I personally think that if we all call our congressmen, write letters and email, and generally be a PITA to 'em that we will win this one too.

All the best,
Grumpy
PS Any opinions on the SA80 vs the AR15/M16 family of weapons? I always admired the SA80 from afar but will never in all likelihood be able to even handle one.

 

[justasking]

We've got our share of idiots too. They come out of the woodwork every time there's a crisis they can use for political gain. Now is one of those times. I think it's important we rant and profess our dedication to the principles our founders and our Creator bestowed upon us, just like Justasking has done here. Us PerfectUnion members are probably pretty like-minded, so it's important to put those rants and that conviction out in more public places where progressives and peeping government "auditors" are more likely to find them. My choices are Facebook, my website at blogspot.com and my network of friends and family. Spread the word folks, before it's too late.

Ah facebook. This rant has generated a big discussion on my page...lol. There are friends who simply show up once you hit the correct raw nerve and this one did it. These folks are not ever around when you need a friend...lol. Fortunately, they are not that versed in the bill of rights, Thomas Jefferson (who they love to invoke as an amender..so why not just keep amending the amendments...) or debate. Often times they lock in on a single sentence and don't even read the rest of the post. I appreciate the feedback and kind words.

God Bless!

Ron

 

[chill1955]

Hi JohnnyP;

And yes, UK gun owners got reamed by their own gov't.

No, they surrendered their firearms and with their freedom. Ain't gonna happen here.
This talk of clowns and idiots is misinformation and dumbs down what is happening. They are intelligent, they hold the power, they have corrupted our Government, they own the media, they have expanded "their voters", through illegal immigration and fraud.
I will never be a subject. I will never fill out any federal forms from any agency describing my personal possessions, I will NEVER turn over one dam thing to the feds not a bullet,, not a magazine, not a stock, nothing. And I will never hide behind " I sold all my guns" I WILL die in my own door way in the hope to inspire just 1% of owners to STAND UP!
This is not directed at you Grumpy, I just can't stand whats happening anymore and we MUST hold the line HARDCORE.

 

[grumpy_old_man]

Hi JohnnyP;

And yes, UK gun owners got reamed by their own gov't.

No, they surrendered their firearms and with their freedom. Ain't gonna happen here.
This talk of clowns and idiots is misinformation and dumbs down what is happening. They are intelligent, they hold the power, they have corrupted our Government, they own the media, they have expanded "their voters", through illegal immigration and fraud.
I will never be a subject. I will never fill out any federal forms from any agency describing my personal possessions, I will NEVER turn over one dam thing to the feds not a bullet,, not a magazine, not a stock, nothing. And I will never hide behind " I sold all my guns" I WILL die in my own door way in the hope to inspire just 1% of owners to STAND UP!
This is not directed at you Grumpy, I just can't stand whats happening anymore and we MUST hold the line HARDCORE.

No problem Chill1955, I'm with you 100% on NO COMPROMISE.

On the "what do we do if we do lose the political battles ahead", I would respectfully submit that we will all have one of several choices to make - a. we can be Vichy and surrender to the socialists, "making the best of things", b. we can be Maquis and resist the enemy waiting for a chance to take back our country, potentially after a long and painful struggle c. we can go out in a blaze of glory at a time and place of the enemy's choosing (i.e. our front porches at 3 am), or d. civil disobedience that could potentially break the power of our new socialist elites in a direct parallel to the fall of the communists in Russia. There are some hints that this is already happening, with the massive sales of fighting rifles and ammo, the wave of guns being reported lost or stolen out of unlocked cars, etc. Civil disobedience appears to be starting already.

It is something that each of us will have to square with our consciences. I can't make a choice for you, nor you for me, but we all have to know that the choice will have to be made in the event that our Weimar era has truly ended. Dark as it may seem, I think we can still win politically, but I could be wrong. Frankly no matter what we all think we will do, it is hard to say if we will have the moral conviction to stay the course when it becomes real.

Whatever you do choose, I suggest you not spread it on the internet - if you decide to go out in a blaze of glory, why tell the enemy where a "media example" can be found? If you decide to take a longer more painful path of appearing to collaborate, you similarly should not tip your hand. Information is power and you should not give power to the enemy.

In the UK their loss of freedom actually happened in 1920 with pistol and rifle registration; every generation since then has lived in the specter of gun confiscation. People who took the long view could occasionally lose a gun here or there - and they had 4 generations to do it before confiscation arrived. No way of telling how many guns went underground and off the books at that juncture, but I have seen numbers that only about 1/6 of Canadians registered their rifles and about 1/5 of Australians surrendered theirs. The others are off the books, held by free men. Officially with the massive noncompliance, both countries decided that there were less guns in them than previously thought.

National registration lists are the real battle I think is coming up next. The traitors in DC are going to use the red herring of a confiscatory AWB to get compromise from the weak spined Republicans - if we let 'em. The confiscatory AWB will only happen IMHO after they get registration.

Politically we're holding the line so far - just found out from my friends in Illinois that their legislature has adjourned so we beat them there, which is a very good sign for the national struggle.

Anyway, hang in there and keep the (polite but forceful) letters and phone calls coming in to Congress. We beat the ******** in Illinois and we can do it again nationally if we are all strong and stay the course.

All the best,
Grumpy
PS Sorry if calling the fearless leader a clown or idiot isn't serious enough. I just don't like to weigh down my posts with what I really think of our new National Socialist Party (i.e. the progressives). They are evil, traitorous scum who are working very hard to tear down the Republic to which many of us swore an oath. After that point, words fail me.

 

[MDsonofthesouth]

I have hope if IL fought the wave of making the populace into sheep.

 

[grumpy_old_man]

I have hope if IL fought the wave of making the populace into sheep.

So do I. I'm originally from there, and living in the hell that was the 'burbs was a never-ending struggle against the socialists and statists that wanted our money and our guns (sort of like thieves, aren't they?). The fact that we beat 'em again, even with the fallout from Sandy Hook should put some wind in our sails.

Thing that kills me is that I have had to put my "activist" hat on again. Thought after I moved out of that state I could chill out and spend the next few years getting ready for retirement and the quiet life. If there's no rest for the wicked, I must be pretty damn' evil.

All the best,
Grumpy

 

[JonnyP]

Exuse me if you've seen this before.

Western Rifle Shooters Association: Next Steps: The Grey Man

The Grey Man is always invisible in plain sight.

The Grey Man is totally aware of his environs, his own capabilities or lack thereof, his weaponry and his levels of competence with that weaponry. He constantly strives to improve upon both his capabilities and competence. In public, he is always respectful, even to the point of obsequiousness if the situation calls for it. He always appears to be just a little confused by what is happening around him, while in reality he is alertly doing a tactical assessment.

The Grey Man NEVER draws attention to himself by word, dress, action, or mannerism. The Young Grey Man is dismissed as a wimp, the Older as a doddering old fool. The Grey Man derives great inner satisfaction from having this portrayal of himself accepted by all he meets, for it means he is succeeding in his disguise of his actual persona.

The Grey Man is a private man. He practices with his weaponry in private, or only with his fellow Grey Men, always in a secluded location. If he must resort to use of a public facility, he schedules his practice for times when he is likely to be the only one there. At such times he would probably wear bright clothing, to be remembered only as 'that guy in the red jacket and sunglasses', a quite different person from his usual persona. If right-handed, he would always occupy the leftmost station on a NRA bullseye pistol range, with his back to an observer, or the rightmost one for riflery or combat pistol practice. He would not have his name emblazoned on clothing or equipment, nor would he have any noteworthy affiliation proclaimed on his cap. "He's just a guy. Comes every Wednesday morning for his coffeebreak. Always pays cash."

The Grey Man does not drive a pink Cadillac with steer horns on the hood, NOR does he drive the biggest mutherin' 4X4-with-all-the-bells-and-whistles BOV in the lot. The older his vehicle is, the rustier, the less likely it is to draw attention (or to be stolen, for that matter). This vehicle is, under its exterior, scrupulously maintained and in excellent running order. If pulled over by authority on the basis of appearance, it can be shown to meet or exceed all requirements under licensing laws, and an obsequious co-operative manner precludes a search under the seats. The Grey Man does not speed on the highway: cruise control is his friend. So is the Highway Patrol: he waves to any he sees. If he travels the same route constantly, at the same times, The Grey Man becomes a 'fixture' and can be dismissed from conscious observation.

It helps the Survivor to build up this persona of The Grey Man gradually and over time. The anti-gun sheeple neighbors will quickly rat out the 'Patriot' who is always loudly declaiming about his 'Rights' and 'what will happen if they try to take my guns'. The Grey Man goes far out of his way never to offend anyone, imitating the duck which appears calm on the surface of his pond whilst paddling like hell under the surface.

Be seen as conservative in all you do. A Survivor is a Grey Man, and that little old grey man alone over there in the corner is probably a Survivor!

And that young guy next to him? Just another wimp? Or are they both watching each other's backs?

Making the other guy waste precious time in assessing the situation is a big part of staying alive. Practice being grey now, while there's time to build your skills.

 

[grumpy_old_man]

Hi Johnny P;

All good points, and thanks for posting that.

I've read the Grey Man thing before and guess its a good thing everyone thinks I'm a doddering old fool.

Not as grey as I'd like to be right now - this particular gun rights battle is the big one IMHO. If we beat 'em this time, with a socialist run Senate and a tyrant in the WH I think its over for at least another 20 years.

Here's why:
1. Concealed carry is the norm in most of the US.
2. Printable gun magazines are here now and with 80% receivers and CADAM technology the idea of a supply side attack on our rights is already ludicrous. Feinstein and her ilk are just too stupid to understand it.
3. Already the AR has been transformed into a modern sporting rifle platform paralleling the development of the Mauser in the between the wars period, so coming after it in 20 years will not only be futile, it will be openly laughable.
4. And so many of the older, successful, gun grabbers will be gone by then. Feinstein is pushing 80. Biden is no spring chicken. I've already outlived the traitor Metzembaum. Maybe I'll follow Groucho Marx's example and dance a Charleston on each of their graves after nature has claimed them.* Will new ones come along? Assuredly, since one pattern I have seen is that tragic victims of violent crime (McCarthy) sometimes sell out to whatever dark forces pay for the other attacks on our rights - love to follow that money trail and see where it goes. But they have generally been of low quality - McCarthy herself couldn't debate her way out of a paper bag, and on the gun issue she is clueless, except that she doesn't like them.

So yes, I think a philosophy of action is emerging in this and other fora. Be grey, be nondescript in everyday life. Be a PITA to your congress so that they won't trample your rights. Be ready to resist at whatever level you can square with your conscience. And BE CONFIDENT. We CAN and WILL win this one if we just work at it. Don't give up the ship!

In the end, Hitler's "thousand year Reich" wasn't, the Soviet's "historical inevitability" failed, and our own progressives will go down to defeat and historical insignificance. The only question at this juncture is whether they will produce the body count of tyrants like Hitler and Stalin did. If Feinstein gets her bill, they will go down ugly and hard is my prediction. Another WACO. Massive noncompliance, active resistance in some places. If they go the "state of emergency" route, they will collapse like the DDR, and about as quickly in my opinion. The city dwellers that gave the socialists the last election through their efforts (often fraudulent) are unable to take care of themselves and will suffer badly - they made their bed and they can lie in it. I will probably live long enough to see at least the start of it, even given my declining years and poor health. But the body count will be high if Feinstein wins this legislative battle. Hopefully we can beat 'em using normal legislative processes, then crush their social movement into the dust over the course of a generation.

There is hope.
Be strong,
Grumpy
* Groucho Marx had sworn he would dance on Hitler's grave so after the war he publicly danced a Charleston on the ruins of the Bunker in Berlin. Closest thing he could find to it....

 

[headedtotexas]

Ah facebook. This rant has generated a big discussion on my page...lol. There are friends who simply show up once you hit the correct raw nerve and this one did it. These folks are not ever around when you need a friend...lol. Fortunately, they are not that versed in the bill of rights, Thomas Jefferson (who they love to invoke as an amender..so why not just keep amending the amendments...) or debate. Often times they lock in on a single sentence and don't even read the rest of the post. I appreciate the feedback and kind words.

I know what you're saying about fair-weather Facebook friends Ron. I think now is the time for confrontation on Facebook and every other front. If we can't use words and ideas to expose the hypocrisy and sway hearts and minds now, the next phase of the battle is, well, less civilized. The best outcome is for Americans to come to their senses, then for the ruling class to somehow see the rising tide of liberty and vote accordingly.

Unfortunately, the severe disconnect between the tax payers and the ruling class is so profound that I don't see any way for the ruling class to see anything except the expensive lobbyists surrounding them. Don't know about you guys, but I'm not an expensive lobbyist. I have no representation. My only influence over the ruling class is the Second Amendment the Founders bestowed upon me and my buddies and other like-minded folks. To me, we seem irrevocably on a collision course for a Patrick Henry moment.

 

[headedtotexas]

The Grey Man is always invisible in plain sight...

I appreciate the Gray Man concept Jonny, but I don't think now is the time for that approach. I am hoping there are enough loud, perhaps red or neon, men among us to stave off the hypocrisy of the gun control Nazis. If there are not enough Neon Men among us, then we appear doomed to accept whatever fate the likes of Dianne Feinstein wish upon us. At that point one of Grumpy's scenarios will come into play and at that point, being a Gray Man may well preserve one's lineage to fight another day. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the thinking that won the American Revolution though. Rant on, men.

 

[justasking]

The grey man concept is a good fall-back plan when the rest fails. Anonimity of a certain level helps. Vocal, yet unobtrusive. Choosing your true allies is part of the equation. I also believe a group approach and an undisclosed, but well known to your allies bug out location will serve many purposes. I am no "prepper, per-se. I am however aware and prepared in the above ways. It's a big place. Like viet nam or afghanistan in many ways, if need be. Hopefully the system I believe in will work one more time and we will show the world what America is supposed to look like. Not that the world's opinion really matters to a free man.

God Bless!

Ron

 

[headedtotexas]

I have been using the phrase Patrick Henry moment (a PHM?) regularly of late. A question I ask myself and others a lot lately is who is your Paul Revere? If it hits the fan and the prepared bug out, how will we know when to let slip the dogs of war? Tough question.

 

[grumpy_old_man]

I have been using the phrase Patrick Henry moment (a PHM?) regularly of late. A question I ask myself and others a lot lately is who is your Paul Revere? If it hits the fan and the prepared bug out, how will we know when to let slip the dogs of war? Tough question.

Hi HeadedtoTexas;

That is a very good question, and one we all need to answer for ourselves.

Hopefully we will never have to, but I have a bad feeling that the fuehrer is getting frustrated that we have him blocked in Congress. I have a real sense that there is enough heat on now that we can stop a backroom deal. That "man" really is a dictator, and while I have him pegged as a craven coward, sometimes a weakling coward will take overly bold actions to seem strong and brave. Hope I'm wrong in this.

The village idiot's statement today about impending EO's seems consistent with that possibility though.

Remember when Yeltsin stood on a tank and faced down the Commie troops during the collapse of the Soviet Union? We could be approaching a moment like that if the fearless leader takes such an over-reaching power grab.

All the best,
Grumpy

 

[JonnyP]

Hi JohnnyP;

Welcome to the US and I hope everything is a-ok.

Didn't mean it to come off implying that all Brits are antigun! I looked into a teaching job a few years ago in the UK and in researching life and laws there I did find that there is a small but apparently active service rifle community ('course they have to use No.4 Enfields instead of semi auto only SA80 or L1A1 as would be more appropriate). Looked fun! And yes, UK gun owners got reamed by their own gov't.

Good to know that Piers Morgan is about as well loved as a good bout of the flu over there. After what he did with the faked pics in that rag he edited, I can see why.

Anyway, hope that things are going well and that you don't let the obozo crowd or our socialist media types get you down. Most Americans are sane good people, unlike the clowns in DC and the media. I have fought many of these gun control battles before, and with one notable exception - 1994 - been on the winning side every time. I personally think that if we all call our congressmen, write letters and email, and generally be a PITA to 'em that we will win this one too.

All the best,
Grumpy
PS Any opinions on the SA80 vs the AR15/M16 family of weapons? I always admired the SA80 from afar but will never in all likelihood be able to even handle one.

Hey mate, no offence taken at all.

In terms of the SA80, they came into general issue towards the end of my time, in my day we were using the good old 'elephant gun' L1A1 Self Loading Rifle - a semi-auto version of the FN. We also used the LMG, basically a Bren Gun rechambered to fire 7.62mm NATO. The handy thing was that the 30 round LMG mags fitted the SLR handsomely, but were somewhat prone to stoppages as the LMG has the receiver above the breech and gravity assisted the spring - not so on the SLR, but it did look tactical as hell

Here's a couple of pictures of me circa 1987:

Vehicle Check Point (hence the YMCA gloves) This is an SLR with a standard 20 round mag

On exercise, again an SLR but with a 30 round mag

I did get issued the SA80 towards the end of my service, actually the Light Support Weapon (LSW) version with a longer barrel and bipod. I liked the fact it was lightweight and the low recoil of the 5.56mm. I also like the IWS optical sight as standard, I generally found it to be very accurate.
I very much disliked the cheap plastic construction and we had a *lot* of issues with stoppages due to dirt getting in to the working parts and receiver, especially in the desert. It was a very easily broken weapon, unlike the SLR which was almost impossible to break, was very accurate and had a lot of stopping power.

I never fired the AR in the mob, only other weapons I touched were the Browning Hi Power in 9mm, the Stirling Sub Machine Gun in 9mm, which I was issued for one role, horrible thing, inaccurate and very prone to ND's.

Happy days.

 

[headedtotexas]

The village idiot's statement today about impending EO's seems consistent with that possibility though.

Based on the trajectory of the last couple weeks, I now think an Executive Order is inevitable. It's definitely Hussein Obama's style. A fellow Perfect Union member explained in another recent thread how EOs can be rejected by Congress and cited the recent pay increase as an example. Don't recall the specifics though. Can the House reject a gun ban EO with a simple majority? Can we count on Boehner to assemble a majority to uphold the Second Amendment? More good questions.

Say the EO is not overturned because Boehner lets us down again. Yet another fellow Perfect Union member suggested a like outcome would be for individual states to simply ignore the EO much in the way Colorado and California are ignoring marijuana laws. He suggested that the Governors of as many as 30 states would order their law enforcement officials to ignore Hussein Obama's gun ban. That might set up an interesting confrontation much like Yeltsin standing on the tank. Boris Obama?