Russia is governed included an end to the direct popular election

[Dissident Dan]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/09/14/russia.putin.ap/index.html

The former KGB spy's directive for revamping the way Russia is governed included an end to the direct popular election of governors and a major rearrangment in the rules for selecting members of parliament, already deeply loyal to the Kremlin.

Critics charged the Russian leader was using the bloody outcome of the Beslan school siege to grab more power.

Putin, saying the future of the country was at stake, called for creation of a powerful anti-terror agency "capable of not only dealing with terror attacks but also working to avert them, destroy criminals in their hideouts and, if necessary, abroad."

This is egregious! It is an affront to freedom and will only backfire. Why is this not THE story of the year? It's not even the story of the day, according to the major news outlets.

Russians, however, feel that the elected governors and legislators are even more corrupt than Communist administrators in Soviet times. They also have traditionally clamored for a firm hand to restore order and now want action against terrorism, often telling journalists terrorist attacks would never have happened under the late dictator Stalin.

Are they ****ing insane?

 

[Gza]

These seems all too eerily familiar to another leader of a large country, name begins with a B, ends with h, rymes with Bush...oops. :tongue2:

 

[Dissident Dan]

Just heard about this, too:

The Kremlin has introduced a draconian election law which threatens the media with closure if they give details of candidates' personal lives or analyse their policies.
The new law aims to stem the "black PR" and slurs which marred past elections. But it has infuriated opposition MPs and journalists. Some said it represented a return to the Soviet era control of political debate.

The decree, signed by President Vladimir Putin, places a blanket ban during campaigning on forecasting results and requires candidates to be given equal coverage - a practical impossibility because there are 44 parties.

A media outlet can be shut during the electoral campaign after two warnings.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,1038428,00.html

 

[Gza]

The Kremlin has introduced a draconian election law which threatens the media with closure if they give details of candidates' personal lives or analyse their policies.

Just give Bush another four years, he'll figure out a way to take it this far too.

 

[JohnDubYa]

Yes, Bush is Stalin and Hitler rolled into one. Bush will establish his own NKVD and begin killing everyone around him. It just goes to show you that you have to get up PRETTY early in the morning to get one past you guys.

Now, about that missile hitting the Pentagon... do you think Bush was trying to kill someone inside the Pentagon, or simply trying to "divert attention from his failed economic policies"?

 

[Smurf]

Ooh! Ooh! I know this one!
ummm..
uhhh...
The Economic Policies one!

 

[studentx]

nono, he was trying to make Islam look bad so he had an excuse to attack it.

 

[Dissident Dan]

Thanks for the germane discussion, guys.

 

[GENIERE]

You might try citing a non-liberal-biased source for a germane response.

 

[Gza]

You might try citing a non-liberal-biased source for a germane response.

Can you dictate which sources those would be, because you guys seem to do a lot of complaining about the whole media having a liberal bias.

 

[russ_watters]

Putin's KGB connection has always given me the heebie jeebies. We'll just have to see what happens when its time for him to leave office...

 

[GENIERE]

Can you dictate which sources those would be, because you guys seem to do a lot of complaining about the whole media having a liberal bias.

I dictate you try a Russian source http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2004/09/17/001.html

 

[GENIERE]

Can you dictate which sources those would be, because you guys seem to do a lot of complaining about the whole media having a liberal bias.

I dictate you try a Russian source: http://www.moscowtimes.ru/stories/2004/09/17/001.html

 

[Dissident Dan]

Gimme a break, geniere. CNN is not a liberal bastion. That source presents basically the same information, only more fleshed out as the CNN article. CNN is one of the most trusted names in news, and you act like it's Air America.

The article was neutral and as-is.

 

[Smurf]

CNN is one of the most trusted names in news

Wow people accually believe that?

I saw a bumper sticker the other day, it said 'Ban Weapons of Mass Destruction' and had a picture of a red circle with a cross through it with CNN written in the middle.

I can say with some confidence that this reflects the general attitude towards CNN, at least outside of the US.

 

[Dissident Dan]

Well, actually, more people probably great deal of trust in fox...which only shows that what people trust isn't necessarily trustworthy. I'm sick of the "liberal media" lie though. If the media were predominantly liberally-biased, bush could not survive his term, because they would have such rich material with which to slam him.

 

[kat]

Gimme a break, geniere. CNN is not a liberal bastion. That source presents basically the same information, only more fleshed out as the CNN article. CNN is one of the most trusted names in news, and you act like it's Air America.

Wow Dan, you know this may have once been true but...It's just not any longer.

 

[Mercator]

It's amusing to see political discussion between Americans as an outsider. What amazes me is that no one even does an effort to get the terminology right. The discussion is apparently between "Republicans" and "Democrats". If you're not a "Republican", you're a "democrat" or a "liberal" (and regard it as an insult on top!). I wish Plato was here to give you all some basic insight in politic terms and their meaning. In the US Democrat and Republican are names chosen by parties. But it is absolutely absurd to divide Americans in Republicans and Democrats. My thesis is that most here are Republicans AND Democrats, since few would choose to be the opposites: monarchist autocrats. It's a terrible disgrace to degrade Democracy into an insulting term.

 

[wasteofo2]

Man, it's about time, we needed a new big totalitarian govt. on the scene, China was getting boring. Maybe we can use Russia like we did in WWII on the war on terror...

 

[Integral]

Yes, Bush is Stalin and Hitler rolled into one. Bush will establish his own NKVD and begin killing everyone around him. It just goes to show you that you have to get up PRETTY early in the morning to get one past you guys.

Now, about that missile hitting the Pentagon... do you think Bush was trying to kill someone inside the Pentagon, or simply trying to "divert attention from his failed economic policies"?

No, Bush couldn't pull it off, he ain't bright enough. God only knows what the goals of his controllers, who ever they may be, are.

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/sovereignty.mov

 

[wasteofo2]

No, Bush couldn't pull it off, he ain't bright enough. God only knows what the goals of his controllers, who ever they may be, are.

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/sovereignty.mov

Hmm...

While he clearly is an idiot, and struggles for words, the phrases he managed actually wouldn't seem that bad if written out. I mean, he didn't actually answer the question fully, but that's to be expected with politicians, it's not like he said "You know, you injuns should shut the hell up" or anything.