A Land Far Away

I thought this was interesting. Apparently, Putin has been a very bad boy recently. Reports indicate torture, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and the press have all been reduced.
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41704.htm

Read through that. I'm a little wary about traveling to eastern Europe now. Especially former soviet territories.

What... the russians are not our friends, and Putin tries to deflect criticism by criticizing everyone else?

So shocking and surprising!

You know, Russia has oil. Lots of oil...

I don't care if Russia has lots of naked women...I still can't abide by these violations of their own constitution. Russia needs a wake up call.

rofl! Russia actualy abides by its own laws now? Since when!? ahahhaha

Nekulor wrote:I still can't abide by these violations of their own constitution. Russia needs a wake up call.

LOL!!

Pot... meet Kettle

Kate

Kate, certain things bother me more than others. Russia's current wave of across the board violations is one thing that has persistently bothered me for about a year now. Its like Russia is becoming The USSR all over again, but under the guise of a democratic free market society.

Nekulor wrote:Kate, certain things bother me more than others. Russia's current wave of across the board violations is one thing that has persistently bothered me for about a year now. Its like Russia is becoming The USSR all over again, but under the guise of a democratic free market society.

Putin was KGB...

Exactly why it worries me Zak, I see what could eventually become the rekindling of the cold war, because Vladamir Putin is a nutty former KGB agent who doesn't want his people to have any freedom. Look how many former Russian operatives have been offed in the last year. The guy here in PG county Maryland, the British citizen that was former KGB, killed by Polonium 237, and a few other suspicious deaths of former or defected Russian agents here in the states. Methinks Putin was doing a little house cleaning, tying up loose ends. He takes more and more executive power every day, something that has me thinking he has no desire to turn Russia into a paragon of freedom and democracy. Honestly, I don't think the general populace will resist, because of the crap economy they have right now thanks to corruption and greed within various economic ministries in their government. The older folks long for the "good ole days" of the USSR when everyone was guaranteed something by the government. What they seem to forget all too quickly is the "big brother is watching" system Russia had in place then, which could be even more invasive with today's technology.

I counter your Putin with the Patriot Act! Go Patriot Act, Go!

Guys... it doesn't matter whether the US also violates its own laws and morals... it just means they're both wrong.

This deflecting of blame by saying "but but but the others!" is a very reflex-like russian behaviour. What the others can do, we have every right to do too! Look, Germany lets protestors only so and so close to the G8-summit! Surely that's undemocratical, and our culling of free media is no worse! Look, we're fighting terrorists in Chechnya just like Bush in Afghanistan! Blahblahblah.

Just because someone else is also wrong, or even more wrong, than you, doesn't make you right.

The point is more that Nekulor continues to support America's violations, but condemns Russia's, not that Russia is better or worse or just the same as America.

Because I feel some of our violations may have valid justification. Unless I have the reports, I can't make the final call.

Nekulor wrote:Because I feel some of our violations may have valid justification.

Sorry... but... Bwuahahahahaha!

Putin only made it as far as Lieutenant Colonel in the KGB but Daddy Bush was the Director of the CIA. Point to Bush.

It's going to be pretty hard for the US to claim the moral high ground on damn near anything going forward because they'll just laugh and say something along the lines of "Well, you've committed the very same offenses so piss off wanker!"

Kate

You can say what you want Nek, but at least Russia isn't pretending to sit on any high horses.