Thread: Bowing to Russia

Two years ago this week, Russian law enforcement authorities, guns drawn, stormed Mikhail Khodorkovsky's plane. His arrest and imprisonment, and the insufficient response of the democratic world to his case, represent a great setback for the march of democracy in Russia.

What about it?
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Re ... p?ID=20007

Originally Posted by DDT

What about it?
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Re ... p?ID=20007

"The Soviet Union was a place where millions worked for the KGB, tens of millions were killed and hundreds of millions lived in constant fear."
The article is full of cr@p. Though what else could write Natan Sharansky, "a former Soviet dissident who spent eight years in a gulag, is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Israel"?

Maybe he was afraid a million times over?

Khodorkovsky couldn't concord his private business interests with interests of Russia. So he hi is both a swindler and a traitor.

Two years ago this week, Russian law enforcement authorities, guns drawn, stormed Mikhail Khodorkovsky's plane. His arrest and imprisonment, and the insufficient response of the democratic world to his case, represent a great setback for the march of democracy in Russia.

This is setback for "democracy" -- but only if "democracy" is the system, in which one, who stole a car go to prison, but one, who stole an multi-billion oil company go to parliament.

The charges against Khodorkovsky ostensibly focus on financial improprieties related to his control of the Russian oil giant Yukos. But one need not be an expert in that company's finances to recognize that the law was used selectively against Khodorkovsky to thwart the political ambitions of a possible future opponent of President Vladimir Putin.

Probably I'll agree. It's a pity Khodor's in the jail alone. There's a lot of guys to make him good company.

The Soviet Union was a place where millions worked for the KGB, tens of millions were killed and hundreds of millions lived in constant fear.

Yuck. This "tens of millions were killed" BS was already discussed in a different threads. The "millions worked for the KGB" is even more laughing matter.
In 5th KGB directorate (the one which confronted "dissidents" and other idiots), in its glory days worked only 500 men (or the like).

The situation today is a far cry from that, not only because Putin is no Leonid Brezhnev, and certainly no Stalin, but, more important, because the virus of freedom has spread among Russians for well over a decade.

"The virus of freedom"?? Hmm, nice metaphor. How about an antidote?

The Khodorkovsky case presents a real opportunity for those concerned about the state of democracy in Russia to take a stand. By pressuring the Russian authorities to end this travesty of justice, the free world would be strengthening democracy within Russia and thereby strengthening an alliance between Russia and the democratic world that is critically important to our common future.

The only problem is what "free world" is little short of ways to blackmail Russia, isn't it?

Why do Westerners think this guy is some kind of freedom fighting hero? You never ask how did he get the oil company in the first place or how many crimes did he commit to rise to become one of the richest men in Russia! How many cars did he run off the road going 120mph in his custom cars that each cost more than the average salery of 120 average Russians? So maybe you think he was just an honest rich guy that was unfairly convicted for tax evasion? DID YOU REALLY THINK HE PAID TAXES? Of course he kept all his money and put it in foreign bank accounts while the pensioners were digging through the trash trying to find a few bottles to recycle for bread money. And you can be pretty sure that his now grieving wife never gave even one of her mink coats to any of the WW2 heros that are so poor now they must beg in the metro.
Before you elevate him to sainthood please post the pictures of all of his homes, cars, planes and dachas so that we can all feel sorry for him and send his wife a few rubles!

Why? Well it is because they see that only he was targeted of all other oligharcs, and they claim it is because he has political motivations. There are alot more Khodorkovskies out there spending money like if it was pirogi.

"For the march of democracy"? Sounds like good old USSR days. I am going to cry... Apparently, being a writer for the Washington Post is a well-paid job.

When one fat cat gets the ax in Russia it's because he stepped on some stronger guy's toes while trying to get more wealth and power. The other robbers (stole the oil, timber, gas, land, etc from the people) will make their move when they get the chance but for now K is the coyote hung on the fence as a warning for them to behave.

Аццкий креатив.
I wonder how people manage to believe a bullshit like that.

Originally Posted by pisces

Аццкий креатив.
I wonder how people manage to believe a @@@@ like that.

I think that a lot of people will believe it. This is why I posted it it here, to find out what russians think about this.

Just remember that the image of Russia in the west is a curropt, mafia-ridden, pollutive and drunken society. This article tells people what they want to hear, not necessarily what is the turth.

Secondly, I think this article was an op-ed, where people write in to the newspaper with their opinion. It does not necessarily reflect the newspapers stance or that this person is a reporter for the newspaper.

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Just remember that the image of Russia in the west is a curropt, mafia-ridden, pollutive and drunken society.

Well, it's not too far-fetched . However, Khodor is not a hero, his own buddies had him for breakfast. Otherwise, he would have had them. I'd say, he is lucky, many others were shot to death. It's their game, why should normal people care?

Originally Posted by kalinka_vinnie

Secondly, I think this article was an op-ed, where people write in to the newspaper with their opinion. It does not necessarily reflect the newspapers stance or that this person is a reporter for the newspaper.

It looks like a full-size article, not just "a paragraph from our insignificant readers". The paper must have had some good reasons to publish something that bluntly unoriginal, cheap and simply illogical. Don't they have standards to adhere to? It's not the first time BTW I see the WP publishing nonsense of the kind. Personally, I read the BBC news.

I've listened to BBC World service for a year or so and I noticed rather strange thing about their day-to-day news from Russia. When they want to get some news from Russia they interview Westeners who are so-called "experts on Russia" or Russians who are memebers of "independent" and "demacrat" institutes or organisations just because their English is fluent. They seldom ask questions to ordinary people in the streets about their opinion and they never interview Russian athorities.
And these people usually tell them things that Western people want to hear about Russia: corruption, lack of democracy, Yukos, evil Putin etc.
Everything that Russian government or athorities say is implicitly treated as lie and given from second-hand. Although BCC always tries to represent dirrerent points of view on some problem or conflict, that is not true about Russia.

Agree with Bisquit, with the one correction: this isn't only about BBC news. This is a typical bias of western media in the entirety. When I read any article about current affairs in Russia, I always laughing about the choice of "experts" they are quoting. These 3 or 4 "experts" from, presumedly, western-funded organisations, who always can say a very authoritative word about almost everything.

Originally Posted by Bisquit

Everything that Russian government or athorities say is implicitly treated as lie and given from second-hand.

Maybe (just maybe) it's not a bias but a simple sad truth.

Well the Russian media also is just as biased against the west! On Russian TV almost 95% of the news reports about the west are negative, over exagerations and just plain BS. During the big hurricane they reported 100,000 deaths, aligators swimming down every street (yes there was video of an alligator)and the demise of the whole American South. Then came the outrage on the radio talk shows about how the Americans were letting all of the people starve to death after the waters receded. No mention of FEMA, Red Cross, or other disaster services that were taking care of the victims. Only outrage that Bush had not accepted help from the Russian emergency disaster team. Then a week later came the news stories of California on fire and great losses of life and property in Los Angeles. (gee what a surprise when I get to Los Angeles nobody knows what I'm talking about because the "Big Disaster" was a little boring brush fire!)

And when I'm in America I see on TV the same bias against Russia. So in spite of what your history books say, the Cold War is still going on, just dressed up in modern clothing.

Well it IS getting better, the media that is... yes, there is uneven coverage, bias and the like, but, wihtout having first hand experience, it was alot worse during the cold war. I mean, I read several interesting articles in the New York Times about Russia and its culture, where they interviewed people in the street.

I think it just takes some time to get used to not throwing mud at each other, because it is so much fun!

Also Bush makes it so easy to hate America.(I keep telling my Russian friends and family I DIDN'T VOTE FOR HIM!!!) Now whether he is actually responsible for a wrong or not, the world community is ready to report how bad America is.

Well 50% did voted...for the second time...