More Disturbing News From Russia
Russia is currently undergoing some serious political changes, and these changes do not bode well for democracy or our nation. President Vladimir Putin is about to become Prime Minister of Russia. This new position assures Putin nearly a lifetime of power as long as his party continues to win elections. But the prospects of Putin’s party losing an election appear grim because he has instituted a number of policies making it nearly impossible for opposition party members to win. Russian television stations refuse to air ads for opposition candidate, and stories about intimidation tactics being used during the elections are widespread. These tactics ranges from verbal treats to public beatings and arrests.
If this does not concern you, what I’m about to share with you certainly will. Putin is now indoctrinating the Russian youth with anti-American propaganda. He is accomplishing this through two groups that are funded by the government and pro-Kremlin businesses. They are called Nashi and Mishki. Nashi means “ours” in Russian, and it is comprised of members from ages 16-25. The group has over 100,000 members who participate in a wide range of nationalist activities. Some of these activities appear innocent on the surface. They put on plays, hold rallies, and travel to summer camps. But closer examination of these activist leads to further concern. The plays and rallies are laced with anti-American messages. Nashi doesn’t stop there. Members engage in citizens arrests, and they have been involved in numerous violent street confrontations with members of other opposition parties. Last year after Estonia moved a statue commemorating the service of Russian soldiers in World War II, Nashi and other pro-government youth groups camped outside the Estonian Embassy for over a week, throwing eggs and paint at the building. Nashi’s action became so disturbing it forced the Estonian ambassador to leave the country temporarily.
The next step in the indoctrination process of Russian youth involves even younger children. Mishki means “teddy bears” in Russian and is currently comprised of 3,000 members ages 7-15. They bus these children from various villages and towns to Moscow on buses playing famous Russian military songs and anthems. Most of the children are too young to fully comprehend the nationalist messages being advocated by group leaders or understand the purpose of the activities they engage in. But at this critical age for the development of child’s mind does it really matter?
This might seem all too familiar to those of us who study history. The efforts of Nashi and Mishki are very similar to those of the Hitler Youth. It was this same type of propaganda that led to World War II and convinced a society to exterminate over 6 million Jews. People often reflect on the Holocaust and wonder how an entire society could let something like this take place. Joseph Goebbels, famed Nazi propagandist, would tell you it is easy…just “simplify and repeat”.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:51 pm
John McCain said it best when he said he could look into Putin’s eyes and see nothing more than three letters:
K - G - B
This man must be taken as seriously as that sort of statement suggests.
That nations like this are reaping a bountiful harvest from the steady growth of oil prices argue strongly for our need to free ourselves from dependency on fossil fuels.
The people of Russia rose up in 1991 to defend Yeltsin against the hard-liners. Let us hope that kind of courage still exists among the Russian people.
If it does, in the end, Putin will be foiled. If not, then let the West beware.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I don’t know about Nashi, but Putin has repeatedly defended the East Orthodox religion and his people’s interests from that of foreigner workers and the Oligarchs.
While McCain and Obama fall over each other trying to grant amnesty for cheap labor, Putin will actually put his people first.
Your Hitler analogy is a bit much; I haven’t heard Putin speak of preemptive strikes etc. He seems to be the only one willing to stand up to the globalist nuts who’ve taken power over our government, driving it into the ground.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I don’t understand why you guys don’t see what is happening in America . I feel like I already live in Russia and you will all get your turn, I promise.
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Frank - the one thing you point out that few people notice is the role played by Russia as the defender of Christianity in the East.
Westerners who feel there can be “peace in our time” with radical Islam need only go to Russia to see the real truth for themselves. They would see the price that has been paid, and the price the West would have paid had Russia not chosen to draw the line the last few centuries.
February 23rd, 2008 at 8:26 am
Putin has taken a hard stance against the Chechens to be sure, but it’s also amazing to me that he’s willing to defend his people from the globalists (esp cheap labor which businesses want.) He’s returning religion to the schools too.
It’s funny that the neocons have been pulling for the Chechens and the Albanians while pretending to be concerned about “Islamofascism.” The only people they hate more than Muslims are Christians it seems…
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I’m, ah, old stock Southerner, not Slavic, so I’m more concerned about Western Europe and the Southern US. However, I see in Putin many things that I wish the West would copy.
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:51 pm
This is noting new… what- people have thought Russia is a democracy? Never was, not even after it’s break up in 91. It’s still remained hostile to open markets, and democracy. Putin is just an example that he won’t go- willingly.