Important: Russian Cold War dissident gives west advice.

I read this story and was very impressed with what this man (Sergei Kovalyov) has to say. What was real interesting is how so many of the conspiracies that we believe in have almost a mirror image of them over there. I will go through and quote some of the story and give my feed back. I would like to here what everyone else has to say about this true Russian Patriot.

Kovalyov says that even liberal media, which reach a relatively tiny audience, seem reluctant to air his views. Today it's not the KGB that he and other critics of the government fear, but the unknown assassins who have shot, beaten or poisoned several of them.

This seems to be a comon fear of so many people that become activists. Most of us fear that we will either die from a "suicide" or be silenced by a "accident" if we become to vocal about our dissident opinions. We talk a big talk on the computer but in the back of our minds we hold back our public activism out of fear of "silencing". The Russian media seems to be the same as ours. They only inform us on what the people who pull the strings want us to hear, very rarely do they tell the stories that will make the "pupet masters" look bad.

Kovalyov is as tough on Russia today as he was on the Soviet Union. He speaks of a "bandit society" and urges the West to join his struggle. His critics call this lifelong Muscovite a "Russophobe."

Looks like when the Soviet Union crumbled, the people got "change". What is interesting is that it doesn't seem to be the "change" that they thought it would be. I would think that this "bandit society" that he speaks of would be similar to the corporate society that we live in. Both societies seem to prey on the weak and poor.

In Kovalyov's view, the West doesn't realize that hiding behind a democratic facade is an authoritarian country that violates free speech and manipulates elections.

I think that some of us in the West most definately understand and also feel the same about their current government. We are not allowed the free speach that we were promised. As far as elections go, I cannot honestly say that we even have fair elections. I personally feel that whom ever it is that the "pupet masters" want to be elected, will be elected.

"You fear the Cold War, but you won it!" he said. "And now you allow this dragon to grow new heads. I absolutely don't understand why you are doing this."

This is interesting, it is almost like a warning as to what is going on in Russian politics. I am curious as to why he is all but demanding a new arms race. It does make me wonder what he knows that we do not.

The antagonisms grew especially sharp after five apartment blocks were bombed in 1999, killing about 300 people.

The government blamed Chechen terrorists, but Kovalyov helped form an independent panel of liberal legislators who suspected that government agents had set off the bombs to drum up public support for its second war in Chechnya.

One member of the so-called "Terror 99" commission was shot to death in a Moscow street in April 2003. Another died of a mysterious illness four months later; friends and family suspected he was poisoned. A third was beaten unconscious in his elevator. An investigator working for the commission was arrested, convicted of divulging state secrets and imprisoned.

Kovalyov said he regularly receives anonymous threats against his life.

The crusading journalist Anna Politkovskaya was gunned down in 2006, and no one has been convicted in connection with her death. In Kovalyov's view, she was murdered because her enemies could no longer lock her up in the gulag.

"It was impossible to shut her up," he said. "It was impossible to try her and sentence her; that would have been a scandal. It was impossible to bribe her. So she was killed."

Wow..!! False flag operations and government asassinations. This is all to similar to our country and the way it handles the public. In order to drive us into several wars in the past, our government has participated in false flag operations to gain public support for military actions. Is it not interesting that the people of other countries are subjected to the same kind of oppresive behavior that our country uses? Seems to me to be further proof of a controling group of "elite" that call the shots globally.

The government structure that Putin built during two terms as Russian president shows few signs of cracking under Medvedev, his successor. But Kovalyov draws a "very vague, distant optimism" from Karl Marx's image of the "old mole" of history, silently tunneling, relentlessly undermining the status quo.

"The mole is digging," he said. "But his work isn't visible on the surface."

I love this quote. This "old mole" describes what so many of us do. We quietly work trying to change the course of history for our nation. Though so much of it goes unseen we do make a difference. Even if all we can do is reach a few people and show them how the world really works, then maybe they will show a few more and make it viral.

The history on this man is amazing and a very good read. He seems to be our counterpart only he is in Russia and we are here. It seems that in every nation be it democratic or not, the people are being oppressed in some form or fashion by the controling elite.

Check out the link below, it is a very interesing insight into a nation we were told was so much different than ours. Turns out that it is not much different at all.

Old dissidents still a voice in Russia, but fading.

reply to post by LeaderOfProgress


Star and flag. I believe that he is speaking the truth. The world leaders are corrupt, but then I think they always have been, so in a sense nothing is new.

However, with the world in the critical state it is in, we need truthful leaders. I sadly believe that that is an oxymoron. I don't think truthful people get to be leaders. Maybe the last one was JFK.

Speak or be silent.

If you speak you will be silenced.

If you are silent, no one will hear what you have to say.

reply to post by spellbound


I guess what has gotten me so intrigued by this man is just how similar he sounds to so many of us on these boards. He talks of the same things that we are accusing our government of. I think this article could be an eye opener for those who do not believe that there is a controlling elite that runs globally.

reply to post by LeaderOfProgress


I think there has always been a global elite running the world, and there always will be, because they watch each other's backs.

But I think that we are in critical times now, and it could be different if enough people just stood up and said "Enough".

reply to post by spellbound


The only trick to the problem is perscribing new glasses for an entire populace. People like the man in article are trying to give out glasses to the people but yet they will not wear them. It is the same here. If you ask 100 random people in a day if the government is corrupt then you will get a minimum of 90 people that say yes it is. So why do they do nothing?

reply to post by LeaderOfProgress


Because each individual feels powerless, and people stay distant from each other. That is a huge problem these days.

Humanity has drifted apart, waiting for the end. I truly believe that we are almost extinct, because we have managed to ruin eveything that we were given.

reply to post by spellbound


It's is not only that but the self centered attitude that is so prevalent these days. The current youth feels entitled and does not feel like they have to do anything to get what they want. This may be a big part in why we don't see many people under the age of 25 protesting these days.