Putin tightens grip on power

The Age ^ | September 15, 2004 | Julius Strauss

[snakeoil]

Hi to You! The format and routine have changed a great deal since I last inhabited this site. Maybe even better than before? I'm trying to familiarizing myself with the limited time I have these days.

[Arizona Carolyn]

I saw this coming when Putin was first put in charge in Russia and they said he was ex-KGB... the whole thing ever since has been one big DUH... starting with shuting down their newly-free press.

[watchout]

WTO

[Luis Gonzalez]

What say you about the man in the Kremlin?

[hershey]

And now Chechnyan rebels are saying they'll carry out more school-type attacks in Russia if western countries don't influence Russia to free Chechnya.

[snakeoil]

My quote from Shakespeare says it all. I see Russia leaning towards Fascism and I noticed Putin at a Memorial church service making the sign of the cross. I guess this time they will use religion to help prop up the State.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Can you say Reichstag fire?"

Careful, you might be called a communist for questioning the Kremlin.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Free trade with Cuba?

Canada is communist?

Are you posting from one of those bizarro universes where Superman used to get stuck in once in a while?

[CWOJackson]

LOL! I've been called that so many times these passed few days. I'm amazed at how many people worship Putin around here...the Gorbasims are a little disgusting.

[Luis Gonzalez]

I kept watching the scenes from the Beslan massacre, and only one question kept running through my head:

Who benefits from this?

The answer is now crystal clear.

[CWOJackson]

I've been following the situation in Chechnya for some time now...which of course means I support evil terrorists.

Not that I consider them recommended reading in most regards, but for the last ten years there have been numerous international agencies (now I'm going to be branded a UN lover) pointing out a lot of bloody abuses by the Soviets (oops, I meant the Russians) in Chechnya and makes for chilling reading.

Sure, that in no way justifies the murder of those children, but how much of their blood is on Putin's hands?

[Luis Gonzalez]

"...how much of their blood is on Putin's hands?"

Twenty-five percent of the total population killed, including in excess of 40,000 children.

Genocide.

[CWOJackson]

You have read them. Unfortunately, whenever you try to inject some hard cold history into this debate some people go off the deep end and call you a "raghead" sympathizer. They do not want to consider Putin's actions, all they know is "ragheads" are involved.

[nuconvert]

OOOooohh..........You dared to insinuate that Putin may be partially responsible for some of the hatred the Chechens feel. Tsk, tsk. Putin brutal? His hands are lily white. Btw, how lily white can an ex-KGB member's hands be?

[A. Pole]

Proportional party system is present in many Western democratic countries, so is the practice of central government nominating local autorities. Putin is streamlining system of power after mafia ridden years of Yeltsin.

Same media corporate meedia which pretend to care so much for democracy in Russia were encouraging Yeltin military assault on Parlament after the latter tried to prevent the distribution of national wealth to the great thiefs ie "reform minded oligarchs".

The fact that Putin has 70%+ percent support while Yeltsin had ~7% is intepreted as Putin being anti-democratic while Yeltsin being the champion of people's power.

Luis, did you like regimes of Batista and Somoza?

[A. Pole]

I know I was attacked for daring to question how he handled Beslan.

How would YOU handle Beslan? Would you wait longer untile children die out of thirst? Or would you use Waco approach?

[A. Pole]

Unlikely. Putin is just setting up an old fashioned dictatorship.

Putin IS elected and IS popular. This is not way to dictatorship but to strong centralized presidential system. This is how De Gaulle saved France from the crisis.

Russia had monarchical tradition and cannot take much of decentralization American pre-Lincoln style without falling into civil war.

[A. Pole]

And now Chechnyan rebels are saying they'll carry out more school-type attacks in Russia if western countries don't influence Russia to free Chechnya.

Western countries will do their best (as they did in Kosovo). But citizens of Beslan have other plans - they want to bury Wahabi freedom fighters with the pigs! See text in Russian ( babelfish translation):
http://www.strana.ru/stories/04/09/06/3534/226560.html

[A. Pole]

Twenty-five percent of the total population killed, including in excess of 40,000 children.

Exactly like in Kosovo!

[nuconvert]

Putin Pong