Re: Death of Zoya Krakhmalnikova, Russian Christian writer jailed

Marko Amnell wrote:

>On 16 touko, 00:48, ++ <fri...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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>>Marko Amnell wrote:
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>>>I guess Shafarevich is a creature of the new Russia,
>>>Putin's Russia (to borrow the title of the late Anna
>>>Politkovskaya's book) where ultra-nationalism
>>>and antisemitism are common.
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>>The new Russia is western and has a rising standard of living and is
>>tolerant of other peoples and faiths, but sometimes has missteps on the
>>road back to their European roots.  You cannot so generalize, I don't
>>think.
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>Under Putin, Russia has taken a path that is taking the country
>away from the West. Russia has roots in both the East and the
>West. More Russians have been able to join the consumerist
>lifestyle but the Russian economy is not in good shape. Much of
>the new wealth is built on the rising price of oil, but other sectors
>are underdeveloped, such as IT. There is too little investment in
>education and infrastructure, inflation is very high, and pensions
>and social security have deteriorated. Seventeen years after the
>end of Communism, Moscow and St Petersburg still have no
>hot running water in the summer, so people must heat water
>on a stove in the kitchen. Even the military (recently showcased with
>a Soviet-style Victory Day parade in Red Square including Topol-M
>ICBMs) which has received more funding, is plagued by lack of
>funds at the grassroots level. Russia lacks freedom of the press.
>Democractic institutions exist but do not function as they should.
>Corruption is rampant. Half of the price of a public contract goes
>to kickbacks. It is simply wrong to say that Russia is a Western
>country. Opinion polls show consistently that Russians see
>themselves as part of a separate Orthodox Eastern civilization,
>not as a part of Western civilization. The socio-political system
>is not Western. It is best described as semi-democratic
>state-controlled capitalism, and is similar to the Chinese model.
>Despite Putin's failures and the rampant corruption, Putin
>remains very popular among Russians. Yeltsin, who tried to
>introduce true Western institutions, is reviled.
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You make some blanket statements here that far exceed the reality of the 
transitional and economic problems you suggest.  If you would like to 
continue discussion, you might want to attempt to back up your 
generalizations with reading links.

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>>However, as for Shafarevic himself, he doesn't seem to have
>>retracted some of his worst statements, only tried to recast them.  He
>>is quoted by the worst:  He was given the equivalent of a lifetime
>>achievement award for matematics, which he deserves, by Putin.  Perhaps
>>he has spent too much time contemplating Gallois and not enough time
>>contemplating the Orthodox concept that every single individual on earth
>>present or past was created in the image of God?
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>>http://christianparty.net/russia.htm
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>>The above, a fascist party, typically misuses and therefore abuses
>>Christianity for its purposes.
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>>I understand how difficult it is for you to consider someone who was a
>>great dissident with Solzhenitzen falling prey to this incredible
>>nationalist tripe in his dotage,
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>Dotage? Shafarevich wrote "Russophobia" in 1982, at the age
>of 59.
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>>like Sozhenitzen but worse.  In fact,
>>Sozhenitzen's ideas may have played a part in those of the less
>>compellingly well written Shafarevic.
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