The Russia Thing

Here’s a parody blog making fun of Russophile paleocons:

http://www.splicetoday.com/writing/paleocon-diary-16

The parody unfairly lumps Russian Orthodox Christians like Rod Dreher in with Putin-adoring Lew Rockwell types, although the writer’s voice resembles nothing so much as one of those neoreactionary bloggers for whom Russophilia is just the next logical step after they’ve gotten bored with Dungeons and Dragons.

I find myself sympathizing more with the paleocons over time. While Putin is not a good man, and Russia is not a place I would like to live, the affinity for Putin’s Russia didn’t come out of the blue. I think I can demonstrate this with an economy of examples.

In 1994, in conjunction with the World Cup being held in the U.S., a concert was held in Dodger Stadium, featuring The Three Tenors, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Opera. The numbers ranged from classical concert music, to opera, to Broadway tunes and the Great American Songbook. It opened with a rousing rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner:

I wasn’t present for the planning of this event, but I imagine the thinking went like this: “The whole world’s eyes will be on America for the World Cup, so let’s bring together the best performers in the world, to play some of the best songs in history, and don’t skimp on American tunes. Also, to make sure we hammer home just who’s putting this party on, let’s forget about the stuffy opera houses and hold it in Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale’s old stomping grounds. And don’t forget the Star-Spangled Banner!” Somehow they brought in two Spaniards and an Italian and made it unmistakably American.

Now let’s fast forward to June 2016. One of the greatest engineering projects of our time, the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland, was just completed and an opening ceremony held. The Swiss, and a number of other European countries who helped build it, have every reason to be proud of what they’ve done, and to throw a big celebration of the best European civilization has to offer.

Instead, what the audience got was hot, Satanic garbage:

While it’s reasonable to wonder whether Europe’s elites are really, truly pushing some form of Satanic paganism, or if this is just an elaborate form of nihilistic trolling, ultimately it’s irrelevant. “Sure, I like to yell ‘Hail Satan’ at Christians, but I’m doing it ironically.” Ironic? Much more so than you can imagine…

Now jump back to last month. Having helped the Syrians liberate Palmyra from ISIS, Putin flew in a Russian concert orchestra to play in the Roman Theater and broadcast to the world a concert entitled “Praying for Palmyra.”

The history, the imagery, is unmistakable. Western Civilization has re-opened a beachhead in Syria, and it’s Russia that made it happen.

How can an American, a Christian, and a lover of civilization, watch the Gotthard tunnel ceremony, then the concert in Palmyra…and NOT root for Putin to get the best of those degenerate European barbarians? I’m not sure this is really a rational reaction, but it’s a deeply felt one.

I hold no brief for Putin. Many of his actions are totally unjustifiable, particularly his practice of assassinating political opponents. He is not a friend of our Church. I am unimpressed with his posing shirtless while hunting.

But, almost uniquely among the current leaders of great nations, he does not hold his own countrymen in contempt. He encourages them to be fruitful and multiply; he passes laws to protect their children from homosexual propaganda, much of which comes from the West. While here in America being “conservative” has come to mean little more than trying to drag GDP up another tenth of a percentage point each fiscal quarter, Putin seems to realize that nations, like men, cannot live by bread alone.

As I say, Putin is not a virtuous man, and while I believe he has been very good for Russia, his sort of rule would be disastrous for America. But when the elites of this country do all they can to extinguish every vestige of the traditional culture that made America, you can forgive the beleaguered paleocons a wistful look towards Moscow now and again.