Russia Lawmakers May Ban Dollar References - Freedom rubles?

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/3884939.html

MOSCOW — Russian lawmakers gave tentative approval Wednesday to a bill that would ban cabinet members from using references to the dollar or euro in public statements, a law that is meant to boost the cachet of the ruble.

Members of the 450-seat State Duma, the parliament's lower house, voted 384-0 with one abstention in favor of the proposed law. The rest of the lawmakers did not take part in the voting.

The bill seeks to oblige government ministers and their subordinates to state the value of various goods and services only in rubles and to avoid converting them to dollars and euros, as is common practice in Russia.

"All government officials must pronounce only the word _ ruble!" said ultranationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

[Dunvegan]

1. ...but, they must say "Ruble" in English!

Seriously, this polarizing uber-nationalism is not a good trend.

Dubya is just fanning the flames here, and others "ovah there, and there, and there."

I see ugly troubles ahead.