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Friday, December 9, 2011

Democracy breaking out in Putin's Russia, "Occupy"-like

First, Vladimir Putin's ruling party got beat up, earlier this week, so "Even with all the ballot-stuffing, cyber-attacks, and manipulations, the pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, only got forty-nine per cent of the vote—results that were hardly cheering to Putin or his allies." Putin blamed the vote on Hillary Clinton, of all people. Now? "Tomorrow, thousands of Russians are expected to come out onto the streets of Moscow and demonstrate against the corrupt and profoundly undemocratic regime..." In the video above, a premier Soviet journalist accuses the media and medium of "getting more and more sophisticated at exciting, captivating and entertaining and amusing the audience but it can hardly be called a civil, socio-political institute." Man, if that doesn't ring true for American television, nothing does. Anyway, it seems Russia is getting it's own "Occupy" movement. "For a long time now, dissent has been taking hold among younger people who are unwilling to forgo freedoms, and promises of freedom, made within living memory" --David Remnick, The New Yorker Magazine. Good for them. Now if more would just break out over here. Maybe we could get a true third political party, one that's for the people and not just the wealthy and corporations. As ever, here's hoping. Links: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/world/europe/russians-vote-governing-party-claims-early-victory.html?pagewanted=all; http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/12/putins-television.html#ixzz1g4XjaZX3; http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/12/09/143461580/russian-government-says-it-will-permit-massive-protest-this-weekend?ft=1&f=1001

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