Revelation 20:1-10 -- The Millennial Reign of Jesus

Satan Bound 1,000 Years
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

The Saints Reign with Christ 1,000 Years
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.  Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Satanic Rebellion Crushed
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.  They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:1-10

Pastor Danny Forshee.  Great Hills Baptist Church.  October 11, 2015:

The Millennial Reign of Jesus - Dr. Danny Forshee - October 11, 2015 from Great Hills Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Highlights:

• Jesus Christ prevails and He Wins!!!

• Millennial kingdom mentioned six times in seven verses.

• Isaiah and Ezekiel both foreshadow the Millennial Kingdom.

• Satan.  Is.  BOUND!!!

• The devil is crafty at deception and powerful in accusation.

• The Bible gives A LOT of attention to the devil.

• The presence of evil is one of the greatest apologetics for the existence of God!!!

• The Saints of God REIGN!!!

• The "second death" is Eternal Death.

• The Satanic Rebellion is CRUSHED!!!

• Magog is Russia.
• Note: That's Pastor Danny's view, we do not necessarily concur.

CTRA: Kevin Freeman discusses Global Economic Warfare

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
But the simple pass on and are punished.
Proverbs 22:3

Texas Land and Cattle -- Kevin Freeman, author of Game Plan, spoke to the Central Texas Republican Assembly last night.  He discussed foreign activity behind the 2008 stock market crash.  He also outlined the current ominous geo-economic situation:



Highlights:

• The past two days have been the biggest stock market drop in a year and a half.

• "I'm really worried about Radical Islam crashing the stock market."

• Brand new kind of war: Cyber-Economic

• 2008: Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia went after Lehman
• Putin went after Fannie and Freddie

• Saudi Arabia is going broke.

• Kanjorski's "electronic run on the bank" quote.

• Russian media predicting U.S. market collapse this fall.

• Financial Crisis Inquiry Report was a cover-up.

• July, 23 2015 -- China accuses U.S. of crashing their stock mkt.
• Commies always accuse their opponents of doing what they're about to do.

• Chinese role model is Soros' attack against the British Pound in 1992.

• Russians hacked NASDAQ in 2014.

• "You can do a lot of damage with fake tweets."

• China called for an end of the dollar in 2013.

• Kerry dollar comment -- What if they know it's coming and are trying to blame Congress?!?

• Texas needs to get Gold Depository operational.
• Texas could issue "Gold-Backed BITCOIN"

How Vladimir Putin Played Idiot Texas Secessionists Like a Fiddle

These people allowed themselves to be used in a Kremlin propaganda video; how stupid could you be?!?



Highlights:

• They make some decent points about money, but this isn't the solution.
• Author's Note: THIS is.

• These people are a bunch of civil war re-enacter dipshits.

• Ignore the Fed -- That's actually not a bad idea.

Trevor Louden: An Urgent (pre-election) Message for America

Trevor Loudon, author of Barack Obama and the Enemies Within, sends this urgent message from New Zealand on geopolitical implications of the upcoming U.S. Election:



Highlights:

• There's a ChiCom backed Marxist Govt. in Fiji, 1500 miles away from New Zealand

• The bad guys around the world are getting bolder

• In 1984, New Zealand fell for a Commie influence operation planned in Moscow that drove a wedge between New Zealand and the West.

• The U.S. Military has always been the international Left's #1 target.

• Stalin wanted as many American Commies in Hawaii as possible because it was home to the U.S. Navy.

• Alice Palmer, an agent of Moscow, got Obama his first job in Politics.

• Leon Panetta is was a longstanding friend of a know associate of Frank Marshall Davis.

(h/t Right Reason)

Bow to Nobody

Wow:

President Mitt: The Long Haul

I want to touch on an aspect of Mitt that many have missed: over time, I think President's Mitt's administration will be more open to conservative influence than any administration in recent memory.

As I said when I endorsed him, I only have two expectations for President Mitt: sign the legislation a conservative Congress sends him and be a better Commander-in-Chief.  Any other domestic policy leadership Mitt shows is a bonus.  I also think that, given his business background, Mitt might produce many Tea Party friendly outcomes for different reasons than tea partiers might name.

That's fine.

Big picture items will dominate President Mitt's first year: Economic Recovery, Entitlements, Cleaning up the mess abroad, Vladimir Putin, and Repealing Obamacare.  I'm not sure anything Congress and President Mitt produce that first year will set hearts afire, but it'll be good enough.  The 60 to 70 percent of what we want that we'll get under President Mitt is a lot better than the zero percent we'll get in an Obama second term.

Once we get into year two and three of President Mitt's administration, however, I think we could see policy take a major Tea Party shift.  The silver lining of the late Bush/Obama spending spree is that it woke up the conservative grassroots.  The conservative grassroots is more engaged than we've been in a long time.  We've learned that it's not enough to elect our candidates, we have to influence the policy-making process as well.  We're not going anywhere.

The tea party is going to grow more mature and sophisticated over the next five years.  As Sen. Mike Lee pointed out at FreePAC Dallas, it took 14 years to get from the Boston Tea Party to the Constitution.  Tea Partiers understand this is a long term fight, and we're in it to stay.

President Mitt's first year will be (a lot) better than the alternative.  It might not be great, but it'll be good enough.  From year two onward, however, a maturing Tea Party could exert tremendous influence over his administration.

Mitt's good, but not great, National Security speech

Mitt spoke about National Security today in Virginia:

Highlights:

• The attacks against us in Libya were not an isolated incident.
• A larger struggle is playing out across the Middle East.
• The 9/11/12 attacks were committed by folks aligned with the folks who pulled off 9/11/01.
• Iran has never been closer to nukes, more emboldened, or less deterred than it is now.
• Hits Obama had for squandering our victory in Iraq.
• Mitt thinks Turkey is an American ally; it's not.
• FREE TRADE IS A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF OUR STRATEGY.
• The first purpose of a strong military is to prevent war.
• No flexibility for Vladimir Putin.
• Endorses Palestinian State (barf!)

Bottom Line: On the biggest issues of Peace through Strength, Trade, Iran, Russia, and standing up for our friends, Mitt did a really good job.  Unfortunately, the strong parts of the speech were mixed in with too much George W. Bush style "freedom agenda" talk.  That being said, the strong parts of the speech are solid, and I think, over time, conservatives can disabuse Mitt of the notion that greater 'democracy' (ie. Sharia) in the Middle East is an American interest.

War, whether we like it or not....

"To everything there is a season...a time of war and a time of peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1...8

I already did my 9/11 reflection piece; I now have a quick comment looking forward.

Today, on the anniversary of 9/11, the United States Embassy in Egypt was attacked.

This is a clear act of war.

This is an ongoing situation, and I want to sleep (and pray) on it before saying anything specific.  We need a better strategy for dealing with foreign threats.  I'm not sure what that strategy entails, but it runs through Tehran.

  For now, I want to expand on a point I made about Afghanistan in March:

Some will argue that we should leave entirely because the Jihadists and Russains will leave us alone if we leave them alone.  This is nonsense; Vladimir Putin and the Jihadists don't want to be left alone, they want to dominate the globe.  They're going to play that game whether we like it or not.

That Afghanistan-specific quote also applies to the broader world.  This world is fallen and, as such, evil people will continue to be at war with the United States.  We can't change them; they view the United States as an obstacle.  I'm all for developing a more effective approach, because the current mix of appeasement and nation-building isn't working, but naive myopia won't cut it.  America will continue to be at war, whether we like it or not, for the foreseeable future.

The Walk of Shame Democrats

"he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance." Proverbs 29:3

I've been trying to characterize the Democrat convention since it opened; today, it hit me.

The Democrat convention was a walk of shame.

The lame excuses and justifications Democrats offered for the corrupt devastation of the Barack Obama years are just as pathetic as the lame excuses and justifications people offer after one-night stands.

The walk of shame Democrats cannot defend 8%+ unemployment (which would be closer to 11% if they weren't cooking the books), $16 trillion in debt, health care corruption, running guns to Mexico, and appeasement abroad.  Instead, they excuse and justify their actions.  The walk of shame Democrats tell us "the crisis was worse than we thought," "Obama saved the auto industry," or "we got bin Laden."

Unfortunately, for the walk of shame Democrats, none of this is true.  Barack Obama didn't exactly undersell the crisis.  Obama's takeover of the auto companies was a corrupt boondoggle that rewarded Obama's union cronies.  Obama's version of the bin Laden raid is a fairy tale.  The walk of shame Democrats offer excuses and justifications to avoid the consequences of their actions.

The Barack Obama years wrought an orgy of destruction.  Incomes are down.  Divorce rates are up.  Food Stamp records are shattered.  Undaunted, the walk of shame Democrats ask America to continue gambling with the wages of sin.

We learned a lot about Democrats in Charlotte.  Facing entrenched unemployment, a looming debt crisis, and impending peril abroad, the walk of shame Democrats chose to define themselves as the party of subsidized fornication.  Sadly, that's all you need to know.

On Republican "Obstruction"

One of the pieces of tripe I expect the Democrats to push at their convention is the canard that the mean Republicans have obstructed our poor little manchild President.  Bull-crap.  Except for cap-and-trade (*), Barack Obama has gotten every major legislative priority he set.

• Barack Obama got his $800 billion stimulus.

• Barack Obama got Cash for Clunkers.

• Barack Obama got Sonia Sotomayor confirmed to the Supreme Court.

• Barack Obama got his corrupt, destructive, Health Care law.

• Barack Obama got Elena Kagan confirmed to the Supreme Court.

• Barack Obama got his Financial reform law that doesn't do squat to end 'too big to fail'

• Barack Obama got his disastrous arms control treaty with Vladimir Putin.

• Barack Obama got his debt ceiling increase.

• Barack Obama didn't have his war in Libya defunded.

• Barack Obama got his indefinite detention law.

• Barack Obama got his payroll "tax cut" extension.

Republicans haven't obstructed squat.  Obama has accomplished his entire legislative agenda (except cap-and-trade).  The results speak for themselves.

* Even cap-and-trade was killed by Democrats.

RNC 2012: Mitt Romney

Highlights:

• "President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet....MY promise is to help you and your family."

• "In America, we celebrate success, we don't criticize success."

• "But driving home late from that second job, or standing there watching that gas pump hit 50 dollars and still going, when the realtor told you that to sell your house you'd have to take a big loss, in those moments you knew that this just wasn't right."

• "Under my administration...Mr. Putin will see less 'flexibility' and more backbone."

• "As President, I will protect the sanctity of life.  I will honor the institution of marriage. And I will guarantee America's first liberty: the freedom of religion."

35 Undeniable Truths about Barack Obama

35 Undeniable Truths about Barack Obama:

1. On election day 2008, U.S. National Debt was under 70% of GDP.
2. Barack Obama's budget didn't garner a single vote in Congress; two years in a row
3. On election day 2008, unemployment was 6.7%.
4. Solyndra was run by a major Barack Obama fundraiser.
5. Ditto Abound Solar.
6. Ditto Ener1.
7. On the 2008 campaign trail, Barack Obama promised "if you like your current health care, you can keep it."
8. On the 2008 campaign trail, Barack Obama promised "if you make under a quarter million dollars a year, you will not see your taxes increase by one dime; not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains tax.  No tax will go up."
9. Barack Obama's health care law was, according to the Supreme Court, a middle class tax hike.
10. Since Barack Obama signed his health care law, Health Care costs have gone up even faster.
11. Barack Obama expanded George W. Bush's Wall St. bailout.
12. Barack Obama claimed Dodd-Frank would end 'Too big to fail."
13. Barack Obama re-appointed Ben Bernanke.
14. Barack Obama claimed the U.S. southern border is "more secure than ever."
15. Barack Obama subsequently invoked executive privilege on Fast and Furious.
16. Barack Obama hired Eric Holder.
17. Barack Obama launched a major war in Libya without congressional authorization.
18. Barack Obama promised Vladimir Putin (via Medvedev) more 'flexibility' in a second term.
19. Barack Obama has already cut the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
20. Barack Obama's Pentagon called the Ft. Hood jihadist attack "workplace violence."
21. Barack Obama didn't listen to the military in Afghanistan.
22. Barack Obama's administration has leaked national security information, specifically as it relates to sources and methods.
23. Barack Obama wants Israel to return to the Auschwitz Borders.
24. Barack Obama invited Egypt's new Islamist President to the White House.
25. Barack Obama, shortly after banning deep-water drilling in the United States, subsidized it in Brazil.
26. Barack Obama returned the bust of Winston Churchill.
27. Barack Obama was the first U.S. President to EVER back Argentina over the Falklands.
28. Barack Obama chose Joe Biden.
29. Frank Marshall Davis was Barack Obama's mentor.
30. Frank Marshall Davis was a Communist.
31. Barack Obama called the United States' Constitution a "charter of negative liberties."
32. In 1991 Barack Obama claimed to be from Kenya.  He didn't retract that claim until 2007, when he was running for President.  Both claims cannot be true.
33. Before becoming a national figure, Barack Obama worked extensively with Bill Ayers.
34. In 2008, when asked about Ayers, Barack Obama lied.
35. Barack Obama spent 20 years in Jeremiah Wright's Church.

Paul Ryan on National Security

Over the past month, I've had a lot of positive things to say about Mitt's approach to national security.  That's good, because Paul Ryan's national security positions are unspecific and vague.  On national security, Paul Ryan is a blank slate.

In looking into Paul Ryan's record on national security issues I was amazed at it's thinness, especially for someone who has been in Congress for a decade and a half.  Paul Ryan supports standard Republican boilerplate on Afghanistan, he voted for some sanctions against Iran, and he opposed cutting and running in Iraq five years ago.  That being said, Paul Ryan has maintained remarkable silence on many national security issues, from border security, to domestic Islamic subversion, to Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Paul Ryan does deserve credit, however, for his position on Obama's War in Libya.  Last year, Paul Ryan said:

"[Obama] didn't go to Congress, didn't ask for authority, the leading from behind strategy at NATO I think was very strange, and I don't think they had a mission well defined.

This is important, because it demonstrates that Paul Ryan understands that the issue of Congressional approval supersedes any discussion of the merits or demerits of the policy.

I had hoped Mitt would pick Alan West or Michele Bachmann, both of whom have demonstrated national security leadership in the past year.  That obviously didn't happen.  Paul Ryan's addition to the ticket tells us nothing about the national security policies of a Romney/Ryan administration.

Bottom Line: Paul Ryan is a blank slate on National Security.  Unlike Barack Obama and Joe Biden, however, neither Mitt Romney nor Paul Ryan is actively committing treason against the United States.  That's good enough.

Update: John Bolton on this topic.

Why I'll Never Vote for an Atheist

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27

"We hold these truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."  United States Declaration of Independence

"Of all the dispensations and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." President George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

"My objective in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism."  Karl Marx, 1848

"The basis of those ideals is a commitment to freedom and personal liberty that, itself, is realized only where the blessings of God are avidly sought and humbly accepted." President Ronald Reagan, Evil Empire Speech, 1983

Yesterday, on MSNBC, S.E. Cupp made the following statement:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

S.E. Cupp nailed it. I couldn't agree more.  Man was created in the image of God; once you reject that you open yourself up to the temptations of utopianism.  When political leaders start thinking they don't report to a higher power, really bad things happen.  That is why Godless people need to be kept as far from political power as possible.

History is quite clear on this topic.  From the French Jacobins, to the Soviet Communists, to the Nazi's, to countless other examples (*cough* Fidel Castro *cough), governments built on a foundation of Godlessness always lead to Mass Murder, Major Wars, and Economic Collapse.  The reason for this is that, once a government rejects the belief that it's individual citizens are created in the image of God, the earthly temptation to use government to 'perfect' citizens and create heaven on Earth will eventually overwhelm those in charge.

This is not to argue that governments built on a biblical Judeo-Christian foundation have a perfect track record; they certainly don't.  One need look no further that our own government under (Democrat) Andrew Jackson to understand that.  The difference is that governments built on a biblical Judeo-Christian foundation will self-correct and (at least) contain the horrors.  In the United States, as horrific as (Democrat) Andrew Jackson was, he led directly to (Republican) Abraham Lincoln a generation later.  In Russia, by contrast, Vladmir Lenin and Joseph Stalin has led to ... Vladmir Putin.  There's a reason Martin Luther King succeeded where Dietrich Bonhoeffer failed.

Man was created in the image of God.  Political leaders who understand this are far less likely to succumb to the tyrannical temptations of power.  This is not to say they are perfect.  Any honest comparison, however, between the shortcomings of biblical Judeo-Christian governments and the deliberate horrors unleashed by Atheistic, Godless governments speaks for itself.  And that's why I will never vote for an atheist.

Update: Morgan Brook Hancock addresses some similar stuff today.

Mediterranean Update Tuesday on Saturday

Between my Ted Cruz interview and the Obamacare news this week, I haven't had time to comment on the news coming out of the Mediterranean.  There are, however, three stories that came out this past week about which I do want to comment.

First things first, the Muslim Brotherhood has officially come to power in Egypt.  There is no way to spin this, it's an unmitigated disaster.  The Suez Canal is now controlled by Islamists.  Even worse, we can now expect Egypt to become a major state sponsor of terrorism.  I pray Jesus is coming back soon, because every other possibility is catastrophic.

Speaking of Jesus coming back, Vladimir Putin was in Israel this past week.  We was there to talk Natural Gas and Iranian Nukes.  I think Ezekiel 38:12 speaks for itself: "To take a spoil, and to take a prey."

Finally, I wanted to touch on the latest European bailout deal.  Jim Rogers is spot on when he says "Just because you have a way to get to borrow more money, this is not solving the problem, it is making the problem worse."  However, we are now late enough in Barack Obama's presidency that I think there's actually A LOT of value in kicking the can down the road seven more months and into Mitt Romney's presidency.

At a minimum, this AIN'T gonna be boring.

Vladimir Putin's Utter Contempt for Barack Obama

Yesterday, I wrote about the intersection of current events in the Mediterranean and Biblical Prophesy.  I stand by what I said.  I do, however, want to accompany that analysis with a comment on Earthly Geopolitics.

In late March, Barack Obama asked Dimitri Medvedev for 'space' until after the upcoming election when he would have more 'flexibility' to address Moscow's concerns.  Vladimir Putin responded by sending Russian Marines to undermine Barack Obama's farce of a Syria policy.  This reveals everything you need to know about Barack Obama's pathetic performance as Commander-in-Chief.

Barack Obama's vaunted 'reset' with Vladimir Putin might be the biggest policy failure of Barack Obama's administration.  I say that fully aware of the Debt and Obamacare.  Barack Obama has surrendered everything to Moscow and gotten nothing in return.

Barack Obama, much like Franklin Roosevelt at Yalta, surrendered Eastern Europe to Moscow.  In return, Moscow helped Iran accelerate its nuclear program.  Under Barack Obama's watch, Vladimir Putin (with Iran) is also selling Hugo Chavez missiles that can hit the United States.

If this is Biblical prophesy, then so be it.  Scripture is quite clear, however, that we don't know when the End is going to occur.  In the meantime, however, Barack Obama's Foreign Policy has been catastrophic for the United States.  From Libya, to Egypt, to Iraq, to Afghanistan, to Latin America Barack Obama has made the United States a Global Laughingstock (and he lied about bin Laden).  Vladimir Putin's contempt over Syria is par for the course.

Mediterranean Update Tuesday: It's all About God

Last Tuesday, I issued an update on the situation in the Mediterranean zone of chaos.  I was thinking about making this a regular feature.  Events over the past 48 hours definitely merit comment.

On Sunday, in the do-over elections, Greece stepped back from the brink.  Greek voters gave the pro-European party a solid, though not overwhelming, victory.  While we're nowhere near out of the woods, this does buy us some time.  A fragile consensus might exist that economic reform, as painful as it might be, beats the chaos that would follow a Greek exit from the Eurozone.  It definitely beats having Nazi's and Communists take power.

I'd barely exhaled over Greece, when this headline about Russia collaborating with Syria came out.  For those of you unaware, Russian collaboration with Israel's enemies 'to the north' is a MAJOR BIBLICAL PROPHESY.  Obviously, we don't know when the end is going to arrive, but when the news of the day reports that Russian Military assets are positioned on Syrian Territory where Iranian proxies can attack Israel, I take notice.  I spent some time yesterday making sure I was ready for the end of the end.  Then, all of a sudden, the Russian ship turned back.

(Sidenote: In the realm of Earthly Geopolitics, Vladmir Putin's utter contempt for Barack Obama must also be noted.)

So, what does this mean?!?

I know some people are going to say I'm crazy for writing this, but I think we've seen two major acts of Divine Protection in the past 48 hours.  I've seen God at work in my own life lately, and I've suspected we'd see His hand in World Affairs.  The Scriptures are clear that He will warn us before the end, and I can't shake the feeling that these were two of those warnings.  Even if one accepts earthly explanations for these events, the fact that Greek voters and British insurance companies are acting courageously is miraculous by itself.  But I don't accept Earthly explanations.

It's easy to get caught up in the affairs of the world and lose perspective.  That's why it's important to check ourselves and make sure we keep Him first.  With God, we can accomplish anything; without Him, we can't do squat.

If I were a Pastor, this is where I'd do the invitation; since I'm not, I'll send you here:



Update (6/20/2012): The Greeks are now paying their back taxes; do you believe in Miracles?!?

Why Vladimir Putin is an Asshole (Partial!)

Recently, Google added analytics to the blogger package, so I've been able to track where readership from this blog comes from.  I was shocked to learn that the #2 country in the world for traffic to Cahnman's Musings is Russia.  Since that either means I'm being monitored by the FSS (the modern equivalent of the KGB), or I'm an inspiration to dissidents, the time has come to talk about Vladimir Putin.

Who is Vladimir Putin?!?

Vladmir Putin is the newly re-inaugurated "President" of Russia; in reality, he's the Dictator of Russia.  He's a former KGB guy.  He's wildly corrupt.  All-in-all, he's a really bad dude.  I stand by my characterization in the title, here's why:

The following seven examples are a small sample of Vladimir Putin's malfeasance.

• Bullying the 'Near Abroad' --  In the imperial Russian mind, former Soviet 'republics' are known as Russia's 'Near Abroad.'  Whether it's murdering the President of Poland, attempting to assassinate a Ukranian Presidential candidate, invading the sovereign republic of Georgia, or any one of hundreds of other examples, Vladimir Putin bullies those countries to keep them dependent on Moscow.  Vladmir Putin makes it impossible for tens of millions of people beyond Russia borders to live in freedom.

• Helping Hugo Chavez -- Over the years, Putin has sold hundreds of Billions of Dollars worth of weapons to America's #1 enemy in the Western Hemisphere, Venezuelan Dictator Hugo Chavez.

• Helping Iran Build Nukes -- Time and again (and long before Obama), Vladimir Putin has run diplomatic interference for and actively assisted construction of Iran's nuclear program.

• Helping Saddam Hussein ditch his WMD's -- In February 2003, Saddam Hussein's WMD exited Iraq via Syria with Russian assistance.

• Murdering Journalists -- Hundreds of Journalists have been murdered by the Security Services in Russia since Putin assumed power.  (Apologize for the Wikipedia link, but it has the full list in one place.)

• Provoking the 2008 Stock Market Collapse -- Yup, Putin helped provoke the 2008 stock market collapse; his exact role is in dispute, but it's now widely agreed he played a part.

• Homoerotic Propaganda Photos -- Whether he's riding a horse, flexing his biceps, or trouncing around with his gun Vladimir Putin has been photographed without his shirt time and again for years.  I can't STAND these photos, they're creepy and gross.  The fact that Barack Obama does the same thing doesn't help....

A small sampling of the evil Vladmir Putin has done over the years.  Vladimir Putin is an Asshole.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.