Back from America (impressions about the US)

Noviy Vestnik ^ | June 23rd, 2004 | Natalya Fomina

[Centurion2000]

Thanks for the read.

[struwwelpeter]

Here's something I found in an interview on radio 'Echo of Moscow, May 5th, 2005 (Russian text) (English text):

(Russian version of Rush Limbaugh) M. GANAPOLSKY: I'll now demonstrate for you an example of irresponsibility. Helen writes, "Matvei Yurievich, your guests blame their misfortune on everyone except the Chechen terrorists. What are they doing, justifying their (the terrorist's) actions?" Helen, get away from your radio, you are surely listening to a different broadcast. No, you don't even have to answer this question, because they don't know what they're talking about.

S.GUBAREVA: No, I'll answer. That fact that the Chechens are guilty, this is unambiguous, this is not subject to doubt, because had it not been for them, nothing else would've happened. But we are talking about something else, about how the authorities acted.

P. FINOGENOV: And about how the investigation was conducted.

(SNIP)

(Radio caller) YEKATERINA: I also voted 'for', that it's necessary to investigate further. But I have the only question, which those present didn't answer, your question about what they are trying to get?

M. GANAPOLSKY: What do you think?

YEKATERINA: Follow my, perhaps, not entirely correct logic, that even if the courts recognize and find the guilty, the most they can do is award damages. Is this not so?

M. GANAPOLSKY: If they find the guilty, then these people will be named, right?

YEKATERINA: Will they feel better if this happens?

M. GANAPOLSKY: We will now find that out. Do you want money, punishment, or what?

S.GUBAREVA: More than anything, the punishment of the guilty.

P. FINOGENOV: Our struggle goes on within the framework of a criminal case, and our demands correspond 100% with criminal evidence. That is, the demand that they determine the course of events, what happened there, and to establish who the real culprits are, within the framework of the criminal case. None of us has filed a civil claim thus far.

M. GANAPOLSKY: You're a bit embarrassed to speak about this, and this shows, but I'd like to remind our radio listeners. Yes, they'll have to give money. Svetlana, do you have any other children?

S.GUBAREVA: No.

M. GANAPOLSKY: What will Svetlana do when she is old? Who will get her a glass of water when she's 80? Who? This is the Soviet in us.

S.GUBAREVA: I don't think that I'll make it to 80 with this pain.

P. FINOGENOV: The main objective, which we are now trying to attain, is to determine the specific events that happened during 'Nord-Ost', and which preceded 'Nord-Ost', and to find out the organizers and perpetrators of the crime. Our complaints consist specifically of these demands.

[struwwelpeter]

Oops, almost forget to add svni's comments (she's too shy to try to write in English, after the debacle on her last post):

"Ya khochu napomnit' vam o proisshedshey mnogo let nazad v SShA istrorii, otdalenno napominayushchey nashu situatsiyu, kogda v shtate Tekhas sily FBR, upravleniya po kontrolyu za oruzhiem i drugie gosudarstvennye sluzhby sovmestno shturmovali usad'by sektantov, primenili pri ehtom slezotochiviy gaz. Pri shturme voznik pozhar, pogibli lyudi. Togda po rezul'tatom rassledovaniya chut' ne lishilsya svoego posta ministr yustitsii, neskol'ko rudovoditeley FBR byli snyaty s raboty, byli prinyaty resheniya, izmenivshie rabotu spetssluzhb."

V Rossii za 'Nord-Ost' dva generala poluchili po sekretnomu ukazu Putina vysshie nagrady - 'Geroy Rossii'."

Which I guess kind of translates to:

"I'd like remind you all of a story that occured many years ago in the US, which distantly resembles our situation, when in the state of Texas forces of the FBI, in control of weapons and other government forces together stormed the estate of believers in a religious cult, and in this case tear gas was used. A fire broke out during the assault, and people perished. As a result of investigations the minister of justice was nearly deprived of his post, several FBI supervisors were taken from their jobs, and decisions were made, which changed the work of special services.

"In Russia, two Generals received by secret order of Putin the highest award - 'Hero of Russia'."

[struwwelpeter]

This is the last time I volunteer to play ventriloquist:

"Sovsem zabyla - v fil'me 'Terror v Moskve est' kadry, na kotorykh vidno, kak moyu Sahsu vynosyat iz teatra. Ehto v posledney chasti - snachala viden chelovek so shpritsem v rukakh, a potom spetsnazovets neset na rukakh devochu v svitere i blyukakh (sviter zapominayushchiysya - u net svet menyaetsya ot bledno-sirenevogo sverkhu do temno-sirenevogo vnizu). U devochki obe uki svobodno boltayutsya s odnoy storony. Ehto Sasha.

"A fil'm est' i u menya, i u Lyuby. Ya znakoma i s Denom Ridom (on i prodyusser ehtogo fil'ma, i rezhisser, i stsenarist tozhe), i s dvumya drugimi prodyusserami."

Which translates to:

"I entirely forgot - in the film the 'Terror in Moscow' there are some frames in which you can see them carrying my Sasha from the theater. This in the last part - a man with a syringe in his hands is at first visible, and then a special forces soldier carries in his arms a girl in sweater and trousers (the sweater changes color from the pale-lilac on top to dark-lilac below). Both the girl's hands dangle freely to one side. This is Sasha.

"I have the film, and so does Lyuba. I know Dan Reed (he's the producer of this film, and the director, and the scenarist as well) and two other producers. "

[Skinn_dogg]

Thanks for the translation.

I’ll see if I can find that documentary and watch it again. I know how uncomfortable it was for me to watch it the first time, and I didn’t have first hand experience of it. It leaves you with a dark eerie feeling.

I think it’s obvious the government, after a certain amount of time, decided they were not going to negotiate with the terrorists. They wanted to send a message to future terrorists. The innocents were considered collaterol damage.

And being a Freeper, I sort of understand why they would want to send that message.

My biggest problem is the gas they used. From what I’ve read it was extremely experimental. But I also think the government was going to be second guessed no matter what they did.