Tapping into an Allies' phone is almost as bad as being a peeping Tom

Vashper,

Now that's one I appreciate! I'm going to pass that one along! Thanks.

Thanks Vashper,that was good.

Texans are direct and simple

Is it significant that there is no flag in the flag stand?

Great one, Vash.

Little real story.
In 1991-st there was American ambassador in Moscow, Robert Strauss. He was as I remember democrat, but Bush stayed him on his post. And he was Texan.
At this time, the president was Gorby (according to 99% of Russian - a traitor). He was appointed Chairman of the KGB of his henchman, Vadim Bakatin. Also, probably, a traitor, or, perhaps, a useful idiot. And this fruit secretly gave all the documents about the new building of the U.S. embassy (remember that a long story) to the American ambassador. Thus, he offered a lot of Russian agents abroad, because all the materials for the building were imported from abroad.
But Strauss has publicly announced about such a "gesture of goodwill". Bakatin has been compromised, and Gorby, in his usual manner, depicted his innocence.
Such a course of action is impressive, it's somehow very Empire-like.

One day he said about the then Mayor of Moscow: "I like this old man, he would steal everything that is not nailed down." When I heard that, whinnying like a Texas mustang.