posted December 17, 2006 01:49 AM              

About 2,500 Russians rallied in central Moscow to protest recent electoral law changes that the demonstrators said is enlarging Kremlin's growing authoritarianism.

The protesters were met on Saturday by thousands of helmeted riot police, soldiers, attack dogs and a circling helicopter.

Opposition leaders said the show of force revealed the Kremlin's fear of dissent.

The demonstration, organised by several opposition groups who united under the banners of the Other Russia movement, was dubbed the "March of Those Who Disagree".

The activists held banners reading "Russia without [president Vladimir] Putin" and other placards criticising his government.

A police helicopter made an almost continuous low circle over the crowd, drowning out chants of "We need a different Russia!" and "defend the constitution!"

Speeches were made by opposition leaders including Garri Kasparov, the former world chess champion, and Mikhail Kasyanov, former prime minister.

Organisers said police had detained 40 activists for alleged violations in Moscow and about 200 other protests had been detained on their way to Moscow.

Natalya Morar, spokesman for Other Russia, said many had been taken off trains and buses and put into detention cells.

Show of force

Two water cannon trucks, huge rolls of razor wire and at least a dozen large alsation and rottweiler dogs were held in reserve.

Opposition leaders said the show of force revealed the Kremlin's fear of dissent.

Russian police arresting demonstrators
during the rally on Saturday

"I'm in shock," said Vladimir Ryzhkov, one of the few remaining independent deputies in the parliament.

"All this shows that Russia is not a democratic state, but a police state where any peaceful opposition demonstration is taken as a threat to the regime."

Polls consistently show that president Putin is highly popular, with ratings above 70 per cent.

However, Kasparov said: "If there were two weeks of television without censorship, this government would collapse. They are afraid of us because they are scared that what we say will resonate with millions of people."

Source: Agencies

I don't like Putin. Just a few months ago he was heard saying that the American soldiers who raped and shot a 14 Iraqi girl to death were lucky and got to do what men dream about as in rpaing a woman and killing her.

Sick ******* . I bet he's related to Stalin and has a bit of power.

posted December 17, 2006 11:20 AM              

quote:

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President Putin, a son and grandson of Stalin's admirers (his grandfather was one of Stalin's cooks), whose professional life revolved around the infamous KGB where he was a career spy, has definitely made the restoration of Russia’s superpower status a priority, as he has so stated on numerous occasions. Under President Putin’s leadership, any hopes for freedom and prosperity in Russia are being betrayed as he has effectively wiped out all voices of dissent and is steadily moving towards authoritarian rule in all spheres. He raised toasts to Stalin, and in his Statement to the Federal Council he referred to the collapse of the USSR "as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century."

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heres the site:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/maltsev3.html

you might like this site too:
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25239073_ITM

posted December 21, 2006 03:36 AM            

I'm wondering if this is getting mixed up to when Putin made a rape "joke" that you can read of here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6069136.stm?ls

I'm far from being a fan of Putin, but I'm willing to at least try give him the benefit of a doubt (dang my Libra sun--and dang Putin for having a Libra sun, too!), but if he did it again in those circumstances, then I'll feel justified in not doing so any longer.

Something else I also find a bit disturbing (yes, I'm aware that some of the older Russian men will sometimes kiss each other on the face...heck, I saw men do it at a Russian Orthodox Pascha celebration a few years ago in America...but I still find this disturbing) but I'm giving him the benefit of a doubt on:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5155448.stm

(about Putin kissing that boy's belly)

And yeah, Ukrainians ("little Russians") tend to not get along so well with Russians. I know of an American that was nearly assaulted because she tried speaking Russian to a Ukrainian and when the Ukrainian asked what she was doing, the American said, "Speaking to you in your language."

If the Ukrainian woman's husband hadn't restrained her, the American would've got a taste of the stereotype of a butt-kicking Ukrainian woman (whose husbands don't dare to lose a game lest their wives beat them up). ;-)

posted December 21, 2006 12:33 PM            

Hell will freeze over before Sweet Stars will be able to prove her outrageous allegation. She has been here for more than a year now and has been banned almost 8 times, mostly for racist comments and gender biased remarks. Her favorite is to get angry at someone and call them dirty wh*res, so you can imagine how her response will be to this post.

Welcome to LindaLand- GU is tough but we get through it

posted December 21, 2006 01:17 PM              

and a stalker

Well Putin being related to Stalin is enough for me to not like him anyways.

Corrupt b******.

posted December 21, 2006 08:39 PM            

quote:

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Well Putin being related to Stalin is enough for me to not like him anyways.

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posted December 21, 2006 08:43 PM            

As for Anna Politkovskaya, im amazed how utterly funny people in GU can be...here they are blaming the US for getting involved in Iraq and messing with their culture...Being a journalist in russia is a DANGEROUS job...when u start speaking against the government and high bussiness leaders you get killed...circle of life...she knew that, we all know that...its how the cookie crumbles there. Is it right? No...but arent we all against judging nations for their culture...

posted December 22, 2006 01:53 PM              

quote:

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is grandfather worked for Stalin which makes sense

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I just knew there was some kind of relation there with Stalin.

I'm so smart

posted December 22, 2006 07:00 PM            

quote:

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In the same book, Putin notes that his paternal grandfather, a chef by profession, was brought to the Moscow suburbs to serve as a cook, at one of Stalin's dachas.

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