I was reading today's report of the comments made by Putin and those made by Gates. Putin can say what he wants but, he's nothing but a bully.  I was recently in St. Petersburg previewing a private Fabergé collection and I've got to tell you that it's not a place you want to visit as an American.  In fact, you felt good just leaving the city and heading over to Estonia.

St. Petersburg is ripe with poverty, people still sharing living quarter's, secret police just about everywhere you go and total "paranoia". People are afraid to talk, they think there are still microphones hidden in fountains and in street lamps (they're probably right). They know Putin has a new KGB and as such, are extremely afraid to voice their opinion of Putin and his band of merry mob men. You can see him running all over the city with his little motorcade. He makes no bones about who is boss. In fact, he makes Tony Soprano look like an angel.

Step outside of St. Petersburg and it's a different world. The people welcome you, talk with you and love Americans. Go to Estonia and they will openly speak of Putin as being a tyrant, a mobster and a bully (especially in the operation of the St. Petersburg port). Estonians celebrated when the last of the Russian troops left their territory.

Go to St. Petersburg on a cruise ship and if you want to leave the ship, be prepared to fork over up to $1,000.00 for tour. They (Putin) has a cute thing going at the port. They put up a mobile immigration van, which you must go through and if you don't pay for a tour, you can't leave the ship or walk through the city. It gets better. They make you hand over a copy of your passport and then take out the copy and tear it up in front of you and throw it in the garbage. This is their way to show you who's in control. However, at the other end of the ship, the crew is coming and going and they only have pay a $10.00 fee for a temporary visa.

Celebrity Cruises actually has no problem screwing passengers and/or allowing the Putin Mob to do so, as they're all sharing in the money. Putin is raping St. Petersburg for all he can get as he's supposed to leave soon however, no one really knows the date