A Righteous Russian

Who said that I discounted Russian people?
No... I just discount russian (kremlin) propaganda and its stupid
adherents and promulgators...

I quick-translate from an interview appearing in today's Latvijas Avize
for educational purposes:

"Autors: Viesturs Sprude
Par "pedejo padomju disidentu" devetais"

The so-called 'last russian dissident' Vladimir Bukovski visted Riga in

mid-November to participate in a seminar commemorating the 1985
'Freedom Ship' political exursion off the Baltic coast that had been
organized by expat Baltic young people.

Bukovski was also on that ship, and he hasn't lost any of his
revolutionary zeal. He commented that Latvia was the furthest
easternmost place in europe that he could travel to. Since the mid 90s,

russia has refused to issue him any visiting visa.

Regarding his current visa status Bukovski answers; 'I'm an analyst.
While prophets get showered with stones, analysts are well
compensated.' His primary source of income has been from his published
'And the Wind Shifts' and other titles which jave become best sellers.

Bukovski was extremely open and loquacious and his opinions were quite
original, sometimes very much so.

Russia Deluded

In opposition to western opinion, Bukovski doesn't view himself as a
historian, pointing out that he recieved a degree in neurophysiology
from the University of Cambridge, and only was awarded an honorary
history degree at the beginning of the nineties when he was fortunate
enough to unearth a number of secret documents in the communist party
archives in Moskow.

'History is my hobby',stated Bukovski regarding the documentary
evidence that Gorbachov - with support western support - attempted to
suppress pro-independence movements in the Baltics. That western
support consisting of Germany, Danmark, Sweden and even the Vatican.

In his speech before the convocation, Bukovski began by pointing out
that democracy was not the winner in russia in 1991. Power continued to

be held by the same chekists and communist party members. Bukovski also

added particular emphasis to uncovered communist party documents among
which included testimony averring; "We fooled russia. Don't tell anyone

how we did it and won!'

[Didn't fool me. I suspected from the start that it was all a ploy -
and stated so here in SCB]

'In the exchange that freed me from russian prison - when the Chilean
communist Corvalan was freed in return.. Where is he now? He's 89 years

old and lives in a quite nice house in Chile, where he periodocally
writes articles about his former struggles against Pinochet. But I, I
cannot even visit russia as a tourist!

'Since 1996 I have been denied a russian visa. Is that any sort of
democratic vistory? We staked much on the hope of dismantling the
soviet union. But we did not win.' In all of the former communist
nations of eastern europe, the same people sit in the same office
chairs.

(But even more) Where previously the Soviet National Defence Committee
had just been a servant of the political party - now it is the
controlling organization that issues mandates and laws.

Analysts who have conducted surveys conclude that 80% of the personnel
who now govern russia are former USSR governmental functionairies.

The business sector is just as compromised by former chekists according

to those analysts. Can you imagine any circumstances whereby 15 years
after the end of a different conflict - world war II - that a former
nazi gestapo officer could be elected German Chancellor? Can you
imagine that former nazi officers could be controlling banks and media
conglomerates in Germany?
No! Nazism was defeated, but Communism never was.

Asked to comment pn Vladimir Putin's bie of history and the Baltic
occupation, Bukovski replied in inderstandable terms whish are worth
repeating; 'Today, as I am hearing that there hadn't been any sort of
secret protocols, I understand how far people have distanced themselves

from reality. Just recently in Germany when I began a speech, multiple
people in the audience rose up to shout that 'we germans' should thank
the red army for their liberation from nazism.

Oh Lord! If there hadn't been a Stalin, then Hitler would have been
only an insignificant worm existing somewhere in Bavaria. Stalin
created and armed Hitler, assisted him in gaining power because Hitler
had been designated to be the 'revolutionary icebreaker'. Stalin needed

an extraordinary force to destroy the entire European framework. At
which point they (the russian communists) could arrive acting as the
liberators.'

Bilingual Riga
'Remember one thing - if you don't have an official language - then you

also won't have a nation. For that reason you have to insist upon only
one official language - Latvian. All else is matter of personal
choice.'

On a question from the audience as to why russia views Latvia as 'Enemy

No. 1' he replied; 'Latvia is no longer russia's main enemy. Its
greatest enemy is now Poland. As to why they believe that emnity
against Poland could help unite the russian public is also a question
of mine.

Russia has just celebrated the 400th anniversary of the expulsion of
some Polish mercenaries from Moskow. It's an attempt at nation
building. In order to incite anti-polish and nationalistic hysteria
they will try anything. Latvia has been relegated to the second rank.

But you do have a large russian minority that russia has been grooming
for its formulaic purposes; If it is occupied - then it can be
colonized.

>>From former (prison) experience, I remember that when it came time to
release russian criminals from russian jails - that they were
transferred to prisons in Latvia - so they they would be released
there. That's a fact.


And I haven't even mentioned retired military personnel.. but,yes, the
criminals were encouraged upon the Baltics. That was another form of
colonization. Today you've inherited the results of a policy which
could even yet spin out of control. You have to be very cautious.

The problem will not go away. The controlling forces of Moskow will be
playing with those options simply because they haven't accepted
conceptually accepted the break-up of the soviet union.

Hitler too, viewed germany's WWI defeat as something engineered by
Jews. Any russian agent's view is much the same. They think that the
ussr's destruction was not origanic. Just look at Putin when he says
that he
believe's the russian nation's greatest tragedy to be the loss of the
soviet union!
Oh lord!
In my view the greatest tragedy was its creation!'

Will the Interior Ministry Continue to Rule?

On questions refarding the EU, the speaker was a confirmed sceptic. he
explained that the transformation of Europe from an economic union to a

political blok was a socialist idea; "the mid-eighties saw the
completion of a common economic market. For what reason, then, was
there a need for something more?

It appears that the western european
leadership of the time met with Gorbachov and concluded that the idea
of socialism had arrived at an impasse and that the only way to save it

was to undertake a "European Project". The idea of a european market
was corrupted and turned upside down; transformed into a supernational
construct.

'Gorbachov termed it 'Our Common European Home'. Remember that?
The EU's organizational structure is remarkably similar to that of the
USSR. That is a noteworthy observation. The EU does not have a
democratic structure, rather it has a socialistic structure - for which

reason I am opposed to it. '

- During the soviet era your name was closely associated with that of
Alexander Solsheniitzen. Solzheniitzen, now back in russia, has
confounded everyone with with russian chauvanism. What has happened to
your former fellow?

'You have to remember that he is now 87 years old. And that he
sufferred
a stroke from which he barely survived. What he is saying today -
perhaps he doesn't fully comprehend it's impact. I don't know. But I do

know that he did a yeoman's job by bringing to light the history of the

russian gulag system. And for that we have to give him enormous thanks.

The rest is not that important.

- Why is russia antagonistic?

'Listen, who wants to touch upon their own problems? When the seats of
power are still occupied by the same soviet controllers who caused the
problems in the first place?

For the most part the russian people don't have a problem with either
Poland or Latvia. When the Baltics, and later Ukraine, broke away there

wasn't any sort of negative reaction. The russian people thought, 'It's

ok, they are foreigners after all'. The russian people didn't have any
claims on those lands. For the most part russian people are not
imperialists. But, now with the former chekists back in their seats of
power they are, once again, painting Poland as an enemy while you are
being visited with language 'problems'.'


'Russia has normal democratic impulses. The point is that they aren't
allowed to coalesce or develop in a mature manner. Take Boris Nemtsov;
he appears to be a regular guy, but after hearing him speak it becomes
apparent that he's completely naive.

- It now appears that Kodorkovski writing form prison wants to become a

political force..

Get on.. What sort of leader is that? He's a former communist youth
functionairy who during the Gorbachov era was allowed to control
communist party funds. When the USSR collapsed, Kodorkovski got the
idea into his head that the money was his.

Kodorkovski is a zero, He had billions but he ended up in jail. you
have to ask what sort of politician is that? He didn't adequately
comprehend the governmental 'apparatus'. The government openly
suggested that he leave the country - but Kodorkovski instead relied on

bragadaccio; 'Who could touch me and my billions'. .. he didn't have
enough sense.

- You've predicted that russia will be further splintered..

Sure, it will break up. You'll see it happen after the price of crude
oil falls. We don't know yet how and when that will happen, but the
prices will fall. They can't forever be maintained their artificially
inflated levels - as is now the case.

It's been stated that the high prices are being maintained due to the
rapid rate of development in china and india. But chinese economic
experts have told me that china will soon experience an economic
downturn...

***
PS: When asked in 1984 his opinion on the future of russia, Bukovski
answered; 'there's nothing worth speaking of, in 15 years there won't
even be a ussr'.

"UZZINA:
- Vladimirs Bukovskis dzimis 1942. gada 30. decembri.
- 1959. gada par dalibu "pretpadomju" ?urnala izdo?ana, kas tika
sastadits rokraksta, izslegts no skolas.
- Pirmo reizi arestets 1963. gada maija apsudziba par PSRS
aizliegtas
gramatas pavairo?anu. Atzits par nepieskaitamu un nosutits
piespiedu
arste?ana. Atbrivots 1965. gada februari, lai gada beigas atkal
tiktu
ieslodzits psihiatriskaja klinika, jo bija organizejis
"atklatibas
mitinu".

- Tre?o reizi arestets 1967. gada par protesta demonstraciju
organize?anu pret disidentu Aleksandra Ginzburga un Jurija Galanska
apcietina?anu. ?oreiz sodu izcieta nometne kopa ar
kriminalnoziedzniekiem. Pedejo reizi arestets 1971. gada jau
"launpratiga pretpadomju huligana" statusa. Bukovskim piesprieda
septinus gadus cietuma un piecus - nometinajuma, tacu 1976.
gada vinu
apmainija pret Ciles komunistiskas partijas vadoni Luisu Korvalanu.

- Kopuma pavadijis padomju soda iestades 12 gadus, patlaban
Vladimirs
Bukovskis dzivo Londona. "

.

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