Posted on 09/16/2004 1:32:40 PM PDT by Luis Gonzalez
Soviet Unions last president Mikhail Gorbachev and Russias first president Boris Yeltsin expressed criticism regarding Vladimir Putins proposed reforms in Russian electoral system. Statements by Yeltsin and Gorbachev were made in exclusive interviews to Moskovskie Novosti (The Moscow News) weekly, and will be published in that newspapers Friday issue. MosNews, which is a partner publication of Moskovskie Novosti, posted full translation of both statements on our website on Thursday.
Our common goal is to do everything possible to make sure that bills, which, in essence, mean a step back from democracy, dont come into force as law. I hope that the politicians, voters, and the president himself keep the democratic freedoms that were so hard to obtain, reads Mikhail Gorbachevs statement. Soviet Unions last president, who ruled the country from 1985 to 1992, is convinced that Russian authorities must search for political solutions, negotiate with the middle-of-the-road militants, separating them from the unappeasable extremists.
His successor Boris Yeltsin, whose second presidential term ended on December 31, 1999, with a surprise announcement of his voluntary resignation (
I firmly believe that the measures that the countrys leadership will undertake after
Boris Yeltsins statement is viewed as a surprise move by many observers in Moscow. Unlike Mikhail Gorbachev, who is still active on Russian political scene, Yeltsin chose to refrain from public comments about Vladimir Putins politics ever since his retirement. Recently Boris Berezovsky, an exiled tycoon, renowned for his criticisms of Kremlin and Putin, published an open letter to Russias first president, urging Yeltsin to speak up and reminding him of his responsibility for the establishment of Russian constitutional democracy. Yeltsin makes no mention of Berezovskys call in his statement, but some observers tend to link his decision to break silence with the exiled oligarchs request.
What about that russian theatre that was taken by some group wearing explosives and deadman switches some time back? I do recall that they claimed to be acting with relation to problems in chechnya.I don't remember that, WoofDog123.
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Still, if terror tactics were standard fare in the Chechnyan arsenal, we'd have seen many more "terror" attacks against Russian citizens.
I think the Russian government is lying about the genesis of the school attack.
Putin's Putzes are in full battlecry tonight...rally round the Soviet.
Well sh%t!
That's what I'M doing and you're accusing me of supporting terrorism!
it was in october 2002, there are a number of articles around on FR here is one
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/778156/posts
russia raised my eyebrows with the post-counterstrike PR by refusing to identify the gas used to subdue the attackers even when hostages were dying...
Yep.
I made a remark that Free Republic's resident Chechnya Cheerleader thinks is disgusting. So should I feel remorseful?
No. I feel validated.
Reichstag fire. Putin has been maneuvering things for some years now to this moment when he has an excuse to destroy the new Russian government and restore his beloved Soviet empire.
I'll see your argument half-way.
Whenever an extrodinary claim of a "government conspiracy" arises, I get suspicious. Without serious evidence, it looks kooky and Art-Bellish.(Although Art Bell is actually entertaining!)
But I'd buy the Putin power grab line easily. That can be demonstrated. Putin's actions over the last few years give me pause. He likes to punish enemies, again, an old Russian tradition....hehe. In another age he would have made a great party secretary.....
That said, terrorist often play into the hands of their enemies. Just ask Mr. Arafat...hehe.
As for banning people, I'm generally against it.
If people wanna be pro-Chechen, as long as they are sensible and can make a legit argument, why not?
I could even listen to an Al-Quaedaish poster under certain conditions....if they acknowledged that terrorist act were not justified, and wrong, and decided to fight in the realm of ideas, isn't that what it's about?
Granted, it gets hard to defend the indefensible, but as long as no knives are pulled, it's a healthy debate.
just my 2 cents
I agree.
Now we're confronted with an ex-KGB agent who has been publicly bemoaning the fall of the Soviet Union, has been pushing his nation backward to the darkness, is now making his move to take over the government, muzzle the media and raise his Soviet empire from the ashes...and some people in America are worshiping him.
Check out post #51
Over here!
Sad. There is plenty of well documented reports on Putin's abuses...but some seem to think it's alright when the KGB does it.
What you advocate is no better than what the Beslan terrorists did.
Yet silence by almost everybody on this thread.
"Now we're confronted with an ex-KGB agent who has been publicly bemoaning the fall of the Soviet Union, has been pushing his nation backward to the darkness, is now making his move to take over the government, muzzle the media and raise his Soviet empire from the ashes...and some people in America are worshiping him."
The media gives americans a terribly shallow view of foreign governments, especially those not-so-nice governments like russia, china, north korea, and of course our friends in cuba. My own comments about russia above have nothing to do wiht the general disinformation about russia that is what passes for news in the US.
You would.
Yes, you sure cannot trust American news sources like the Wall Street Journal or STRATFOR.
Forgive, I think you misunderstood me..
What I meant to say is this..
If you (the Chechnyans, not you, personally, as an individual) are outraged by Russian atrocities, you can do much better by having the "Black Widows" take off their bomb belts and the angry guys could take off the mask, maybe put down the guns and and get your story out...
On the other hand, If you (again, not you Luis, You as in the angry Chechnyans) are not gonna go the "peaceful" route, and opt for violence, then direct the violence where it belongs.
If you (the Chechnyans, not you)engage in the same behavior as the Russians, you lose your argument, and your moral standing.
That's all I have been trying to say.
It really doesn't matter how many Chechen kids vs. Russian kids died last month, last year, or least century. All that matters is where we go from here....
and if someone says that killing kids is bad, but hey, look, they started killing kids first......
I have a hard time feeling sympathy for their argument.
To: exodusThere is nothing "extraordinary" about a government conspiracy, Will_Zurmacht.
"... Whenever an extraordinary claim of a "government conspiracy" arises, I get suspicious. Without serious evidence, it looks kooky and Art-Bellish ..."
# 88 by Will_Zurmacht
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Politics is conspiracy, and governments are composed of politicians.
Even "serious evidence" of a crime committed by a government is ignored by that government's citizens; no one wants to believe that their leaders are evil.
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