Criticizing Putin is strongly discouraged [Archive] - Mania Forums - Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Entertainment

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Al-Dog

03-09-2007, 12:06 PM

Why Are Putin's Enemies Dying?. (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/5/131411.shtml?s=os)

An expert on Russian intelligence was shot and critically wounded in front of his home in suburban Washington, D.C., just days after he charged that the Russian government was behind the death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. . .

Kremlin watchers have found an emerging pattern: Putin cannot tolerate criticism, so he eliminates his enemies one after another — sometimes by poison, and sometimes by a well-placed bullet.

Even the establishment press in the West is suggesting that Putin is a cold-blooded killer. An in-depth article in the Jan. 29 issue of The New Yorker was headlined: "Kremlin, Inc.: Why are Vladimir Putin's opponents dying?"

The magazine notes that since Putin took office, 13 journalists have been murdered in Russia after defying him. Almost all of those deaths happened under strange circumstances, and no prosecutions have resulted.

Other victims include a banker, a potential president of the Ukraine, and an oil executive — all of whom were considered enemies of President Putin for one reason or another.

Of eight persons described here in a NewsMax tally, six died violently, a seventh barely survived a mysterious poisoning, and the eighth is now serving nine years in a prison in the remotest part of Siberia.

I guess the United States aren’t the only bad guys around.

Space Tycoon

03-09-2007, 03:12 PM

Vulgus, you make it all too easy.

Is it possible that you're actually growing less intelligent?

I mean, is it conceivable that at some point in the future you'll bottom-out and be incapable of even the most basic, reptilian instincts?

A drooling, mentally deficient, practically vegetative zombie who will need to be spoonfed by Cub Scout volunteers, simply to survive?

You almost single-handedly cast a shadow over the entire theory of evolution.

You have got to be the stupidest person I have ever come across online.

But as I say, don't leave on my account. You're hilarious! :lol: :lol: :lol:

.

Space Tycoon

03-09-2007, 03:26 PM

Why Are Putin's Enemies Dying?. (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/5/131411.shtml?s=os)

I guess the United States aren’t the only bad guys around.

As far as Putin goes, he has turned Russia significantly towards authoritarianism over the past six years. The very worst example of this would be his criminal aggression against the Chechen people, Putin's "War On Terror," which was as unnecessary as it was futile.

Putin nonetheless has tremendous support among the Russian people, who were fed up with the inebriated ineptitude of the Yeltsin government. You have to give credit where credit is due. He has managed to turn Russia from a generally dysfunctional, corrupt third world basketcase--kept on life support by generous US aid-- into a confident nation with a growing economy.

Obviously, none of this justifies the excesses of the Putin government. But there is a lesson here. It proves that no matter how hard the US tries, and how much money we spend, it is often futile to expect democracy to spring up in nations that have barely emerged from the Middle ages.

Regardless if they're Arabic or Slavic.

.

Space Tycoon

03-09-2007, 03:29 PM

What I find amusing is all the extreme leftists here on our little Sci Fi board twist themselves into pretzels claiming President Bush is a "dictator", yet NONE of his enemies are ending up dead.

Well, now that you mention it...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/kevinsager/86235699_03d1b4dea8.jpg

You actually have a point.

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DarkJedi

03-09-2007, 04:06 PM

Space Tycoon

03-09-2007, 06:31 PM

I'm just giving him what he is begging for.

But whatever, I'll just let his foolishness speak for itself.

Unless the next time he decides to attack me, and then... it's go time.

.

DarkJedi

03-09-2007, 11:14 PM

Who's Binny L?

Is that a personal go?

I don't mind you and everyone else going at subject matter but I won't tolerate personal attacks at the poster themselves. Target the politics if you want. Do not target the person.

To Everyone:This kind of behavior goes against Rule #1 for this community. There is a Ignore User option in everyones USER CP panel. If someone doesn't align with your thoughts and you would only like to discuss stuff with people who think only like you, use that option. I will not accept any excuses for personal attacks on all sides of any debate.

kah

03-10-2007, 05:59 AM

:rolleyes:

Space Tycoon

03-10-2007, 06:42 AM

Dude...

binnie L

bin Ladden

As in Osamma bin Ladden??

I take it back, Vulgus. Your insight is scintillating. :rolleyes:

Learn to spell.

.

Intelligent_Design

03-10-2007, 08:09 AM

Criticizing Putin is strongly discouraged? Not as discouraged as criticizing ODJ.:lol:

DarkJedi

03-10-2007, 09:25 AM

LOL Os. I don't poison & shoot my critics (Not that you know, at least!). I just state the rules and move on...I don't mind being considered an asshat. Though you are giving me ideas. :D

I have to admit, Mobile....when thinking of Bin Laden, I don't think of nicknames like Binny L. I think of "that *******, psycho numbshit, etc". The first person whom shot to mind with that kind of name is the religious guy even if the context( different name, never seen Space talk about religion in that manner, etc) doesn't fit.

sickness

03-10-2007, 10:39 AM

What I find amusing is all the extreme leftists here on our little Sci Fi board twist themselves into pretzels claiming President Bush is a "dictator", yet NONE of his enemies are ending up dead.

Kind of makes the left's empty claims as stupid as they at first sound.
I would say Putin definitely has crept up on us all and that we should be kicking ourselves in the ass for it but it doesn't forgive what Bush has done. Just because Putin is exponentially worse doesn't erase or excuse what Bush (or the Republican Party in general according to reports of late) has done.

Check the thread on the FBI misusing the Patriot Act.

Space Tycoon

03-10-2007, 03:04 PM

I mentioned this in that thread, but it seems obvioulsy more fitting here.

Did the Russian Security Services carry out the 1999 apartment bombings which killed 300 people, (http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=1243) knowing the public would believe Chechen terrorists were to blame? (You have to scroll halfway down.)

The book by Litvinyenko and Yuri Felshtinsky blames the Russian Federation's Secret Services (FSB) for everything that has happened in the Soviet Union since the fall of Gorbachev in the Yeltsin and Putin eras. They blame the FSB for the outbreak of the war in Chechnya and blame the 'praetorian guards' of the FSB for preparing all kinds of terrorist actions. They claim FSB agents were behind bombings of apartment buildings in Moscow at the end of the 1990s. The agents supposedly wanted to pin the attacks on Chechens and prepare the population for a long-lasting, cruel war in the Caucasus. The two authors claim the FSB had longer-term plans. They wanted to choke off democratic initiatives that had emerged spontaneously after the fall of communism and place in power the strong, determined President Putin, a former KGB agent.... (continued)

If any of this is true, it is a horrible crime, and a perfect example of what this thread is about. Tens of thousands of Chechen, mainly civilians, have been killed in the Caucasus war. Torture is common practise. Thousands of Russian soldiers have died. Russian civilians have been killed by Chechen extremists, in spite of this war to crush "terrorism." Russia's image as a democracy has been tarnished.

Sound familiar?

It also has implications for those of us who believe there is more to 9/11 than we have been told...

.

Bill_the_Pony

03-10-2007, 07:58 PM

http://a778.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/63/m_583c2586b23947516bc6c23e78375059.gif

Intelligent_Design

03-10-2007, 09:31 PM

:popcorn:

rappites

03-10-2007, 09:43 PM

:coffee:

Space Tycoon

03-10-2007, 09:52 PM

Not Too Cool, Vlad. (http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/06/29/littleboy.shtml)

.

Bill_the_Pony

03-10-2007, 10:20 PM

:eek:

sickness

03-10-2007, 11:03 PM

By the way, I find it amusing that the supposed "mod" jumped me the INSTANT he thought (wrongly) that I was doing "a personal go". but the SAME "mode" has IGNORED dozens of "personal gos" against me.

THAT would be because I come from the right whereas his approved buddies come from the extremist left. THEY are ALLOWED to have all the "personal gos" they want.

But, if I even seem to come CLOSE to a "personal go" it's WARNING TIME.

Fuggin hypocrites.
Dude, before you call Jarrod out for being unfair you must first read his posts in this thread! He called both you and Spacey out. In fact, he called Spacey out first and called him out with more gusto.

Secondly, if you want to know if he's only looking out for his pre-approved pinko-commie buddies, you'd be wise to look into his opinions. He's jousted politically (in a friendly way, as he does with everyone) with Spacey on a number of occasions, not to mention myself, ID, Jake, Tstone, pretty much anyone in opposition to him that he could have an intelligent conversation with. Jarrod is moderate-right with the occasional strain of libertainism and even the rare leftist stance. Seriously, just give him the benefit of the doubt, let him do his job and you'll see.

DarkJedi

03-10-2007, 11:49 PM

By the way, I find it amusing that the supposed "mod" jumped me the INSTANT he thought (wrongly) that I was doing "a personal go". but the SAME "mode" has IGNORED dozens of "personal gos" against me.

THAT would be because I come from the right whereas his approved buddies come from the extremist left. THEY are ALLOWED to have all the "personal gos" they want.

But, if I even seem to come CLOSE to a "personal go" it's WARNING TIME.

Fuggin hypocrites.

Not a mod. The administrator.

Reread my first post in this thread, Mobile. As sickness points out, I was telling someone else not to personally attack you and warning that future personal attacks against you or you against anyone will have me pushing ban buttons on all parties involved. Also, as sickness points out, I'm a Republican. That really doesn't matter for me though. I banned American( a republican for turning into a Bigot). I banned Spiderr (a republican for turning into a troll). I ban Democrats, I ban Republicans, I ban Martians if they don't follow the TOS of this board of which I uphold. Personal attacks against you by others won't be tolerated by me. Personal attacks by you towards others won't be tolerated by me.

Yes, reread my first post in this thread...Then come back at me with that criticism.

Nostromo

03-11-2007, 03:14 AM

This may have some moss on it (Nov.2006) but it frames it for me. Pre - revolution = Soviet Union = Russia = Thugs R' Us.
N

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1957729,00.html

Bill_the_Pony

03-11-2007, 06:02 AM

I'm going to commit an act of color terrorism here, because ..... well, just because. :Mwahaha:

http://a284.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/34/l_dd91620cbc5aeb265b6cf9f39e0b5373.jpg

Nostromo

03-11-2007, 06:27 AM

Wow! That just blew my motherboard. :wink: :) N

Intelligent_Design

03-11-2007, 10:11 AM

Dude, before you call Jarrod out for being unfair you must first read his posts in this thread! He called both you and Spacey out. In fact, he called Spacey out first and called him out with more gusto.

Secondly, if you want to know if he's only looking out for his pre-approved pinko-commie buddies, you'd be wise to look into his opinions. He's jousted politically (in a friendly way, as he does with everyone) with Spacey on a number of occasions, not to mention myself, ID, Jake, Tstone, pretty much anyone in opposition to him that he could have an intelligent conversation with. Jarrod is moderate-right with the occasional strain of libertainism and even the rare leftist stance. Seriously, just give him the benefit of the doubt, let him do his job and you'll see.

Just another example of the right ignoring facts just to start a (flame) war. :lol:

sickness

03-11-2007, 09:24 PM

Go back and look at post #7, dude. The post you cited is from freaking PAGE 2 of this thread!!!

Also, Spacey got the short-and-not-so-sweet. You got the polite, "you're new to the board so here's the TOS. Please abide by it." If Jarrod gets down to 4 or 5 word warnings with you, you're in a lot more trouble than if he goes out of his way to explain the issue to you. A short answer from Jarrod can be translated to "damn it, you know what you did and you're just trying to push my buttons. Can it or I can you." And he's well within reason to do it, too. Ask Slamshut. He's been to the Cinescape/Mania afterlife.

tstone

03-11-2007, 11:18 PM

If I want pure hatred I'll go to a Democrat Party website.

Free Republic can hook you up, too, I hear.

Just go in there and throw in "Bill" or "Hillary", and it's like a bleeding cow in a school of pihrannas.

DarkJedi

03-11-2007, 11:26 PM

Mobile,

1. You need to research this very thread and find out when I first initiated my first post into this thread. Start at Post #1 and work your way down. See for yourself where my first post was in this discussion.

2. What discussion are you talking about in the past in regards to attacking you for weeks? I never got a violation report for any attacks at you in the past. This is the first time you're mentioning it to me. Was it another political thread? Was it attacks at you or attacks at the Republican party?

There IS a difference. There are individuals here who like summarizing the Republican party in negative light (idiots, homophobes, etc) for years....to the same degree that YOU summarize the Democratic( idiots, nazis, etc) party. This has been going on for years and I will let you know point blank that it will never stop. There is a reason for this. Politcs much like religion are heated issues and everyone has a difference of opinion so it's all too easy to base an entire group of people into a nice little negative "label" or "catch-phrase". This kind of thing happens.

You seem to be calling me out for letting people bash "America", "the president", and "the west" as if that puts me aside them in my own personal political beliefs. You also seem to think I should somehow stunt or stop every conversation that goes on in here that has this kind of topic (negative towards my party beliefs).

I'm sorry but that would also mean my "role" would be stopping you from bashing Democrats, Independents, Green Party and NON-western civilians in the very same context.

The web is a global community. It's not my job to doctrine everyone to love the west, the sitting president of America, or any other party affiliation based in one particular country. That's not my job as Administrator and that's not something I'm willing to do. I'm not going to stop an Eastern civilian living overseas from talking about his native country nor will I stop a Western civilian living here from talking about our own country. Negative or positive about either country.

This isn't a democracy (it's a benevolent dicatorship from the person who pays the bills) but we do try to allow everyone their own soapbox and stretch the boundaries of letting people have "Freedom of Speech" to a certain degree. If that freedom of speech goes against our TOS, then I will step in and push the ban button.

3. Another thing which our "Rules" says and which appears first and foremost in our #1 Rule here at Mania.com's forums is the "User Ignore" option. If you do not like people bashing certain politics such as "Americans", "the president", or "the west", then it's adviseable to just put the users responsible on that very feature.Ignore them and don't participate in those threads. Do like I tend to do and just stay out of the threads if it bothers me enough. In other words, do it the common sense way. Don't participate in conversations which make you stress, get angry, etc. With the "User Ignore" option available, I do not take excuses for any personal attacks or pissing contests between users. If they're going at each other, I will tell them point blank to use this feature. If they come back at me with "Screw that, I'm going to defend myself", I'll advise them once again to use the User Ignore option. If they continue arguing personally to one another and ignoring my requests. They will be banned. I'm pretty clear on this rule, unpopular or not. I'm also pretty clear on nobody being safe if they ignore my requests. These are the facts on how I operate any pissing contests between users. Discuss the subject matter until you're blue in the face while standing up on that soapbox but I will not allow or tolerate personal shouting matches towards each other outside the subject matter's discussion.

Example:
User 1: "You're a chickenshit bastard. Blah blah blah"

User 2: "Eff you, you trailer park trash! Blah blah blah"

*This goes on and I get a violation report, read the discussion in question*

Me: "Discuss the subject matter, personal attacks are not allowed. If you can't discuss the subject matter with each other, ignore each other."

User 1: "Piss off, mod. That dudes an effing idiot. He....blah blah blah"

User 2: "Not as much as you, numbshit. You're the ...blah blah blah"

*I get another violation report.I read the thread again and I see my warning wasn't abided*.

Me: Logging into admin panel and banning both user 1 and user 2. Neither one listened to my direction and both broke the "Rules" of our community.

This kind of issue flames up all over the place. The simple and most human answer to this issue is the fact....."Not everyone is going to get along. "

There will always be people whom don't like other people over personal beliefs. God knows, I have plenty of people who don't like me for various reasons. We all have that same issue. Nobody is universally loved. If two people don't get along or frequently come to a head, it always tends to get into a personal flame match.

I don't and won't allow that to occur. If the two people who can't get along resort to this type of flame and personal pissing matches and it's not over "subject matter", I will step in and tell them to use the User Ignore function as well as "cease" the shouting.

That's how it goes, Mobile. I do not read every single thread in every single forum. If somebody is attacking you in a personal manner and it's not over the subject matter itself (politics, religious, life, entertainment), go to a moderator, admin, or hit the User Ignore option. I don't accept excuses later down the road on why personal attacks are warranted. They're never warranted in my book. The reason we have moderators and admins is to enforce the rules of the TOS and the "Rules" I have set up for our community. If someone was breaking the rules, we should be notified and we will read the thread in question. The persons responsible will hear from us and any future attacks, baiting, etc by them will have them getting banned for not listening to Rule #1 and then not listening to the Administrator's warning after the fact.

This is how it works. I allow everyone to speak however they want about "those nasty Republicans did this.." or "the idiotic Democrats did that.." or "those crazy Martians blew up this..". That's fine. That's "political" beliefs having them assume control of their soap box. I won't allow everyone to just resort to personal name calling and shouting matches back at each other. I won't tolerate it and I will ban them rather quickly for that...One for breaking the rules and two for being too close minded to let others have different beliefs. If people gang up on you and start attacking and I get a report on it, I will come in there and tell everyone to knock it off. If certain people continue attacking you in a personal manner, I'll be pushing the ban button. The same exact concept goes for you attacking our other users in a personal manner.

That's as clear as I'm going to make it for you and for everyone else involved.

Space Tycoon

03-12-2007, 05:59 AM

So, Vulgus, do you have any plans to discuss Vladimir Putin, or Russia, or anything remotely Eurasian in this particular thread?

Just curious....

.

Intelligent_Design

03-12-2007, 06:23 AM

kah

03-12-2007, 07:37 PM

I love you, Jarrod. Except when you're being an asshat. Then I only kinda like you. :wink:

Bill_the_Pony

03-12-2007, 08:03 PM

Stay AWAY FROM HIM, he's MINE. :mad:

:p

rappites

03-12-2007, 08:06 PM

No way. He is mine. All mine.

kah

03-12-2007, 08:14 PM

Fine. Can I have you as a booby prize? :Eyebrow:

DarkJedi

03-12-2007, 11:42 PM

Ah shit. Finally, something that made me smile. Thank you, Kah. I love you too......and yes I can be a real asshat at times.

Os, don't tell people how soft I am just because you started turning me on around arguement #430 back at the old ubb boards. I'm still awaiting the day you rule the world or a small moon off Jupiter. I've been waiting for years on that.

Bill & Raps, I can be yours any day of the week but I have to say that kind of situation would be a real kodak moment. Outys invited too.

fastcar

03-13-2007, 04:33 AM

http://cache.filmz.dk/756_415x332.jpg

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room.

sickness

03-13-2007, 05:43 AM

rappites

03-13-2007, 06:09 AM

You should have said you wanted his beautiful body. Like the rest of us.

sickness

03-13-2007, 08:15 AM

I forgot about Jarrod's day job as a man-whore.

Space Tycoon

03-13-2007, 08:21 AM

Unfortunately he had a bad experience with Vladimir Putin as a boy. Turned him into damaged goods. :shakehead:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v707/kevinsager/37b82cd82ff157f416e4265273bfc8fa.gif

Keeping it on topic! :lol:

.

DarkJedi

03-13-2007, 10:26 AM

Hah. I didn't think I needed to say my appreciation for trying to steer clear and explain it, sicks. I certainly appreciated it.....I didn't say anything because you didn't profess to loving me or wanting my body....even if I know you do. :D

sickness

03-13-2007, 11:26 AM

And you know I do, baby! :anismirk:

P.S. You may be losing your opportunity to hang out with me. For the first time, I'm considering that I may be in the wrong industry / job. If I do end up switching employers, your chance to feel me up just may have passed you by. :lol:

DarkJedi

03-13-2007, 11:29 AM

LOL Unless I move to California one day.

Don't feel like I'm ignoring you, I've just had things to take care of in a personal manner...I still haven't hung out with my own childhood friends(username: cmatherne) in the past year and he's been my best friend since I was 8 years old. I've been down here almost a year now and I haven't had a chance to share a drink with him either. I still haven't seen him in almost 10 years now and we live in the same area of Houston. So no, it's not you, Chris, Josh(another old childhood friend) or anyone else...It's me and what I've been trying to finish up before I do anything else.

I've had something happened to me and I've focused on taking care of that before coming down to Houston...I finished up last month though.

sickness

03-13-2007, 11:45 AM

No worries, man. It's all good. I know what it's like to have way too much to get a handle on.

Bill_the_Pony

03-13-2007, 12:10 PM

http://a426.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/54/m_388feafaa0d5ab41f5bdef57bb9f3219.gif

Metuzalem

03-13-2007, 12:25 PM

So, Vulgus, do you have any plans to discuss Vladimir Putin, or Russia, or anything remotely Eurasian in this particular thread?

Just curious....

.

Sorry? You're surprised a thread got de-railed? :lol:
Frankly I'm shocked (and a little disgusted) that we aren't speaking about boobs yet.

Space Tycoon

03-24-2007, 08:10 PM

Next he'll be coming after ME! :eek:

"Russia is putting my life in check," says Garry Kasparov (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1560882.ece)

Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion, fears that he could be poisoned because of his forthright criticisms of President Putin.

In an interview with The Times Magazine, the man who was once a Russian hero for his exploits on the chessboard said that his fear of a poison attack meant he avoided flying by Aeroflot, the Russian state airline.

Kasparov has repeatedly denounced “Putin’s corrupt regime” and is a key player in a new antigovernment coalition called Other Russia... (cont.)

Russian Police Trample Anti-Putin Protest (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/world/europe/25russia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, Russia, March 24 — Riot police officers swarmed on a group of several dozen journalists and demonstrators on Saturday in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia’s third-largest city, cutting off a protest against the government of President Vladimir V. Putin.

The police, vastly outnumbering the protesters and wielding night sticks and metal shields, detained about 30 people, the Interfax agency quoted a spokesman as saying. A protest organizer said the number of people detained at the raid was more than 100, plus another 100 who had been arrested in an earlier roundup. Among those detained were several foreign and Russian journalists, including a photographer for The New York Times who was later released.

A small group of elderly people yelling “Fascists! Fascists!” tried to hold back a second wave of police officers, who charged the square after the initial protesters had been carted off. But they fell to the ground under the heavy police shields.

“Look, this is a democracy,” said one woman there who refused to be identified. “Under Stalin we had free education and free health care. Now we are not free to say anything.”

The heavy police presence was necessary to “protect the children” in the area, said Larisa V. Kurylyova, a city government spokeswoman.

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