Panarin, Panarin, where do you Roam?

In Texas, apparently.

It seems that American Conservatives are entranced with the theories espoused by a Russian academic, Igor Panarin, who is a professor at Russia's Diplomatic Academy, which is associated with the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry. He is also a former member of the KGB.

Professor Panarin predicts that by this time next year the USA will consist of six disparate regions, each of which will be controlled by a foreign power (you can see a map of his fragmented U.S.A. here). The fragmentation, Panrain claims, will result from a civil war stemming from economic, ethnic, and moral divisions.

In 2008, he predicted that this civil war would commence "next fall." In other words, this year.

It seems strange to me that Americans, especially patriotic Americans, would so cheerfully embrace the theories of someone who even Russians consider anti-American--and who is closely identified with the Kremlin--that Tea Party activists sponsored one of his lectures while he was in Texas earlier this month (see FaceBook announcement here). Granted, overall, it seems like it's only a minority who have completely fallen for Panarin's ideas, but the fact the he is feted just puzzles me.

I'm curious to know more about the American activists' attraction to Panarin. For example, does he present support material to build his case, or is it based on "what ifs" and "maybes"? When he speaks to these activists, does he suggest how national dissolution might be avoided, or is it merely doom and gloom? In other words, what about Panarin's theories do some people find so compelling?

Aside: Panarin asserts that the American west, post-breakup, will fall under Chinese rule or, at the very least, Chinese influence. His reasoning? "Panarin points out that most Californians' laptops are made in China and that the West has a 'growing Chinese population'" (Mother Jones). Yes, the laptops and the Chinese immigrants (a minority last time I checked) mean that the west coast will, very soon, be part of China.

Obama Did Sweet F A in Asia

That's the MSM's meme, right?

With the recent rush of positive news stories out of China, in which China has agreed to certain US policies and requests (or has become remarkably more amenable to them), there's a lot of egg on a lot of faces, as Andrew Sullivan points out.

For even more in the "let the facts shame the 'journalists' who completely missed what actually happened," see James Fallow's post here, and do take a look at his previous posts documenting the MSM's "professionalism" in covering the Asia trip.

The War on Thanksgiving

Time to gear up for the culture warriors' annual complaints about a "secular war on Christmas," but were you aware that there's a similar "secular war on Thanksgiving"? AlterNet has the details.