Posted on 01/06/2006 12:00:16 PM PST by lizol
If a people want a strong leader that would suppress the rights of all those who do not want this strong leader, then it is not democracy, it is fashism. In the rest of your post you are right.
Well I have a PhD, too and am not impressed.
Likewise.
I don't beleive the question posited to folks was do you want a leader who supresses rights.
Putin has increased legislation over the media but not to an extent beyond other demoracies. Also Bush won here despite almost no media not having a bias against him.
Putin has gone to essentially appointment of regional governers rather than votes for this office, it is less democrating but hardly repressing rights. Also we had senators voting on the president before the electoral college came about. The founders did not feel that was a violation of democratic ideals, and I do not think direct election of the president has been necessarily good.
(I personaly wish they would make a requirement to own land again in order to vote, There is a massive voting block of uneducated folks voting for handouts, basically voting to stick the bill for their short sighted life to those who do own land and pay tax on it).
The rest of his actions are par for the course in many a place we call a western style democracy.
It is propaganda to say that Putin cut off gas to all Europe. 1, there was still gas for the germans in the line. 2, It was Ukraine that took Europe's gas insisting they had a right to gas. 3. Russia has garunteed all it's market price paying clients in Europe their gas will not be shut off. 4. Asking higher prices for gas is not a political motivation.
On another point Hodorkovsky violated the law, he thought his money could protect him from the consequences of that. He was a fool to do so. If it wasn't for how Soros loves him the media would not be behind the guy. Also most of Russia's billionaires are soviet croonies who got privatized companys for pennies because of their freinds in high places. So basically we're talking about a guy who stole the private company he headed, stole billions from it, commite massive tax evasion, and then got arrested for in violation to the law trying to sell off a national asset to foreigners.
http://www.gateway2russia.com/st/art_290514.php
And sticking this money into weapons that have no other purpose than to attack the US.
That is a ridiculous and baseless assertion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.