[quote]They flexed their energy muscles over Europe this past winter and France, Germany and Spain started playing footsies with Putin.[/quote]

… by pledging to spend 250 million euros on an alternative gas pipeline that would bring Caspian natural gas via Turkey, completely bypassing Russia and Ukraine, not 3 weeks after Russia tried to flex its muscles.

[quote]About 2 or 3 years ago Putin told his people to start growing their own food. [/quote]

I’m not sure where you got this from. Russians have been growing their own food since Brezhnev era. That’s how many people made it through the 90’s.