BarkellWH -> RE: I Demand A New Cabbage ( Anglow Warning) (Oct. 25 2022 16:48:34)
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Russia has tried to be a democratic state since the early 1990s and it has all of the trappings of a democratic state. Russia has none of the trappings of a democratic state. There was a very brief period under Yeltsin when it had a free election, but there were not, and there still are not, embedded institutions required for a democratic state to survive. One man, Putin, controls the system, and he does so overtly, not covertly. There is no rule-of-law, no court system to which someone can appeal a case with any degree of objectivity, no free elections, as Putin decides who can and cannot run a campaign. Putin was originally elected under the Russian constitution, but he has ensured his win in all subsequent elections through intimidation, plus he has convinced the Russian population that the West is the enemy and only he can save Russian honor, dignity, and a restoration of Russian greatness. You might recall that Hitler also came to power in accordance with the German constitution at the time. He was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg, because Hindenburg and others thought they could control Hitler. Democratic indeed. No, I'm afraid you misread both Putin and Russia entirely. Putin is using all the tools that have been used by previous fascists to overtly (again, overtly, not covertly) get his way with what he thinks is a veneer of legitimacy. I repeat a paragraph from my post upthread. Putin is attempting to reassemble, at least in part, the old Soviet Russia by invading both Georgia (2008), Crimea (2014) and Ukraine (2020). Were it not for their membership in NATO, Putin would certainly have invaded the Baltic states and reincorporated them into his vision of a "Greater Russia." He refers to the breakup of the Soviet Union as "the greatest catastrophe in history." He imprisons or kills any opposition to him or his political and economic programs. He runs a centralized government every bit as autocratic as was that of Hitler and Mussolini. That paragraph not only describes Putin's regime, it has all the hallmarks of fascism inherent in my definition which you have quoted in your post above. Bill
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