Thursday, March 20, 2014

Second death

When a loved one dies, at first we can think of nothing else, and the memory of his face and voice is more vivid than the living people around us.

Then, as we slowly resume life, the memories begin to fade.

I know this is necessary so that we can continue forward, but I am unhappy.

Even his child who adored him will remember little of him.

I know that this is as it should be. The beginning of life must not be dominated by thoughts of death. It would be too heavy a burden for the long journey ahead.

But still I am unhappy. Oblivion looks so much like second death.

Sunday, March 02, 2014

Why I hate Russia

I hate Russia because too many of its people are clueless and imperial-minded, unable to build a decent country for themselves and ready to sacrifice their lives to prevent others from living well.

I am sorry to say it but Russians are relatively harmless only when they are starving. As soon as Russian economy provides enough for armament and food, in this order, the "democratically" elected Russian rulers begin bullying and killing non-Russians to boost up their domestic rating, because nothing seems to make the average Russian happier and prouder than seeing non-Russians (preferably civilians) killed or oppressed by Russian troops.

In the Soviet era, we had jokes that Russians "think their borders are secure only if they are steadily expanding" and "feel their borders secure only if there are Russian troops at both sides at the border". These jokes are actual again. Five years ago, Russia attacked Georgia, snatched land from it and got away with it. Now, it is attacking Ukraine after Ukrainians rioted against the "democratically elected" Russian puppet president and forced him to resign.

I do not want to go into detail how ethnic Russians in Ukraine behaved as traitors and hailed as heroes the bloody Berkut anti-riot forces who had killed dozens of demonstrators. Now, Russia has occupied Crimea "to defend Russian speakers" and seems prepared to take all of Eastern Ukraine, much like Hitler in 1938 attacked Czechoslovakia to defend the German-speaking minority there. Below, I am pasting from Laura Mills' AP report without further comments.

"MOSCOW (AP) — Thousands marched freely through Moscow on Sunday in support of Russia using military force in neighboring Ukraine, while at an anti-invasion protest nearby dozens were detained...

At least 10,000 people waving Russian flags rallied in central Moscow. Some dressed in Soviet military uniforms and shouted slogans like "Fascism will not pass!" and "No to Nazism!" — evoking parallels with the repulsion of Hitler's troops from Ukraine in World War II.

But at an anti-invasion protest near Red Square, dozens of demonstrators — one of whom held up just a blank piece of poster paper in protest — were quickly detained by police. The Associated Press witnessed more than 50 detentions and spotted at least five police vans, which carry between 15 and 20 protesters, driving away from the square.

Since parliament gave President Vladimir Putin the green light to use military force in Ukraine late on Saturday, the Russian leader has defied calls from the West to pull back his troops, insisting that Russia has a right to protect its interests and those of Russian-speakers in the strategic Black Sea region of Crimea and elsewhere in Ukraine...

Russia Today claimed that 675,000 of Ukraine's population of 46 million had fled across the border to Russia, and showed the governors of Russia's western-most regions gearing up to accept the flood of refugees. State-owned channel Russia One showed what it alleged were cars lining up to flee the border into Russia — but the sign marking the border was actually for Shegini, a town on Ukraine's western border with Poland...

"We are one brotherly nation, we are all Russians in our souls," said Galina Kravchuk, a retiree at the pro-invasion rally who said she had lived in Crimea all her life but was visiting her daughter in Moscow. "Those protesters (in Ukraine) are hired. They are paid by the West and by America."

But among many at the rally, active support seemed paper thin. Many were delivered to the square by buses marked as city government property, and others confessed that they had been forced by their employers to attend.

"The boss forced us to come," said Elena, who wouldn't give her last name for fear of repercussions at her workplace. "Do you really think that all these people came here voluntarily? Never.""