tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19791491.post734036580045940928..comments2023-09-28T15:43:24.855+02:00Comments on Vilhelm Konnander's weblog: Zyuganov steps up to step down?Vilhelm Konnanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09167606906861836286noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19791491.post-1516403159301692182008-01-31T04:23:00.000+01:002008-01-31T04:23:00.000+01:00Dear Wally,I guess I would not have spent so many ...Dear Wally,<BR/><BR/>I guess I would not have spent so many years dealing with Russia if I did not on a subjective level have some sort of a positive image of the country, its culture and people. <BR/><BR/>Still, I have difficulties portraying any country in positive or negative terms, because there is little objective ground from which such an observation can be made. <BR/><BR/>What exactly does one refer to when one speaks about a country as "noble and beautiful"? Is it some kind of metaphysical entity? Is it the political system, the culture, the landscape or something else? <BR/><BR/>Exactly because of this ambiguity, I would never refer to any country as "noble and beautiful" - not even my native country of Sweden. I am basically skeptical to this kind of generalisations. <BR/><BR/>Therefore, I would also never portray any people as monsters. Individuals may be good or evil - people are neither.<BR/><BR/>So, I guess I do not agree with you that Russia is "noble and beatiful" simply because I am of the opinion that such views are irrelevant, regardless of what entity is considered - Russia, the US, Sweden or whatever.<BR/><BR/>Yours,<BR/><BR/>VilhelmVilhelm Konnanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04506899921990227704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19791491.post-32761323609419730922008-01-31T02:34:00.000+01:002008-01-31T02:34:00.000+01:00I have always loved and admired Russia. We made yo...I have always loved and admired Russia. We made you out to be monsters for years. Yet all you have to do is read history of Russia. To know what a noble and wonderful country Russia is.Wally Bannershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00978852779707676321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19791491.post-11793546925647809702008-01-27T15:07:00.000+01:002008-01-27T15:07:00.000+01:00Dear Anonymous,Why don't you read the article from...Dear Anonymous,<BR/><BR/>Why don't you read the article from Nezavisimaya Gazeta yourself? As for election outcomes, the Kremlin can apply so called administrative resources to get desired results. Moreover, the electronic system used to report votes is controlled by Russia's equivalent to US Secret Service, viz. directly subordinate to the president. I could probably go on for hours, but I am confident that you may draw your own conclusions - whether in the positive or the negative.<BR/><BR/>Yours,<BR/><BR/>VilhelmVilhelm Konnanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04506899921990227704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19791491.post-41349887492749016422008-01-25T21:15:00.000+01:002008-01-25T21:15:00.000+01:00Can you clarify: "According to a source in the pre...Can you clarify: "According to a source in the presidential administration, the communists are currently seeking support in the Kremlin for receiving 15-20% of votes instead of the prognosticized 6%."<BR/><BR/>Do you mean that the communists aren't "allowed" to win more than 6% of the vote unless they get the Kremlin's "permission" first? In other words, that the Kremlin controls the outcome?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com