Read this article on Putin's Russia, promoted on the Washington Post's front-page with this blurb: "Life in Putin's Russia: The right to commit crimes has become part of official privilege."
The most striking thing about everyday life in the Russia of Vladimir Putin (and make no mistake, it is Putin's Russia, despite the election of a new president, hand-picked by the great man) is the incredible corruption of ... all the institutions that are supposed to uphold law and order in a democracy and that in Russia today have been transformed into a cancer that's devouring the state.
More after the jump...
Now look at the Democratic-led capitulations to Bush, whether it be in attempting to Legalize Torture (The Military Commissions Act of 2007), taking impeachment "off the table" in the face of clear war crimes and criminally illegal surveillance of American citizens. In fact, now they are attempting to Legalize Warrantless Surveillance and immunize corporations who broke those (New FISA legislation), in clear violation of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution.
As this frightening picture of current Russia is promoted on the front-page of the Post, with stories like:
On May 20, 2005, in Moscow, a car driven by the son of Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov struck and killed 68-year-old Svetlana Beridze as she crossed the street. Beridze, who was in the crosswalk, was hit with such force that she was thrown high into the air and the keys in her handbag were crushed. No criminal charges were brought against the minister's son, who, his father publicly stated, had "experienced physical and emotional suffering" as a result of the accident. Instead, in what appeared to be an effort to intimidate the dead woman's family, authorities opened a criminal investigation against her son-in-law, for allegedly assaulting the minister's son.
Does this remind you of the story about the CEO of QWEST, Joseph Nacchio, who refused to co-operate with the Bush Administration's illegal spying request, and was subsquently investigated for "insider trading" and sent to jail?
Meanwhile, our Democratic-led Congress is busy immunizing top officials' and their friends at giant corporations' illegal spying on us. Congress is granting top (and often unelected) officials, as well as their top corporate friends, the "rights" to violate our most serious laws -- laws against torture, spying on citizens, and starting wars of aggression.
Stop turning the rule of law upside down. The results aren't pretty. Putin's crime state is certainly a warning to citizens. It should be a warning to the ruling Establishment Class as well. The way things keep going, it looks to be a roadmap.