Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2016)
16 Wednesday, January 6, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Looking Outward Dan Glode Columnist Putin deserves no admiration “It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his country and beyond… I tell you what I think in terms of his leadership, he (Putin) is getting an ‘A’.” — Donald Trump s s s Let me get my bias out of the way early: I think Donald Trump is a narcissistic, bel- ligerent, bellicose bigot and bully. I think he is extremely dangerous and has done a tre- mendous amount of harm to this country already. I could go on with negatives, but space does not permit. I have a laundry list of things about him that disgust me, but when I heard him utter the above statement I was practically apoplectic with rage. To call Putin some- one who gets an A-rating as a leader is not only nonsensi- cal, it also shows a complete misunderstanding of Russia today and the effect Vladimir Putin has had on that country. I had the privilege of working in Russia from 2004 to 2008 and lived in Moscow much of that time. It was a wonderful experience. I was working for the American Bar Association’s Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative Program (CEELI). The ABA had several projects going in Central and Eastern Europe since the fall of the Soviet Union. (They have now gone worldwide.) The projects were numer- ous and varied, but could loosely be called democracy- building and civil society- strengthening programs. We worked on such things as assisting lawyers on how to conduct jury trials (a new thing there), helping law enforcement with human trafficking cases, gender pro- gram assistance, opening a legal aid office, assisting in training on presenting cases to the European Court of Human Rights, building bar associations, etc. For the most part it seemed we were eagerly received and welcomed. Change, positive change was in the air. It was very slow, as the Russian bureaucracies were difficult and stifling at times but we did make some headway. I went there at the begin- ning of Putin’s second term. Like here, there was a two- term limit of four years for president. He was presi- dent from 2000-2008, then skipped a term and a place- keeper, Dmitry Medvedev, came in for a term and then Putin ran again. He changed the term to six years so he can serve until 2024 if he wishes. He will get little opposition since the United Russia Party — pro-Putin — dominates the Duma. In effect, he is an authori- tarian ruler with few controls. The checks and balances which existed under their new constitution have since been modified to the point where they virtually no longer exist. Human Rights Watch notes many restrictive new laws that make democracy diffi- cult, including the harassment of NGOs (non-governmental organizations like the ABA), new restrictions on the free- dom of assembly, terming NGOs “foreign agents,” intimidating and imprison- ing political opposition, for- eign agent laws, treason laws and many other things have turned Russia from what was considered a hybrid democ- racy into an authoritarian regime. I watched the erosion begin, slowly at first and then speed up. There are 85 fed- eral subjects (with sub-cate- gories), which are kind of like our states. They had elected governors when I arrived; they were appointed by the president (Putin) when I left. The Russian Supreme Court had lifetime terms when I arrived; then they were sub- jected to term limits and were appointed by the president when I left. There was a fair amount of free press when I arrived. The television and broadcast media became government run by the time I left. There were some peace- ful protests when I got there, but it became very difficult to assemble and protest by the time I left. One of the saddest things I witnessed was the out- migration of young, idealistic Russians to other places. It became a very unsafe place for journalists. Anna Politkovskaja, a journalist, was murdered in her apart- ment when I was there. She was writing a story about cor- ruption in the Russian Army. In fact, Russia was second to only Iraq in being the most dangerous country for jour- nalists, and there was a war going on in Iraq at the time. It also was, and is, a very unsafe place for political opponents. Take, for exam- ple, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the CEO of Yukos Oil, who was mounting a political campaign against Putin. He was convicted (quickly, I might add) of fraud and sent to prison in Siberia. More recently Boris Nemtsov was shot and killed in front of the Kremlin, one of the most guarded places on the planet. He was a courageous political opponent to Putin. Sometimes in these cases someone is prosecuted, but no one seems to determine who hires them. So let me see, Donald, the person you give a leader- ship “A” has violated almost every human right there is. He has killed his opposition, squelched free speech, assem- bly and the press, limited any form of political opposi- tion, controls the media, ter- rified foreigners and pretty much eliminated democracy in Russia. Some say he has amassed a $70 billion for- tune overseas. He is one of the most corrupt leaders in a world full of corrupt lead- ers and he has virtual control over the entire country. I am afraid, Donald, we admire different kinds of leaders. Your problem is you were born at the wrong time. There was a place for you in 1930s Europe. Dan Glode is a Sisters resident and former attor- ney and district attorney for Lincoln County. The opinion expressed above is not neces- sarily that of the American Bar Association. Please Connect Your Ray’s All Access Rewards Program Account to Furry Friends Foundation It’s FREE and we get 1% back on your purchases. It’s an easy and great way to donate! With your Access Rewards account information in hand (the number is on the back of your card), you can call, email or visit Ray’s to connect to Furry Friends Foundation. • Call 541-412-0005 • Email AllAccess@ckmarket.com • Visit the Ray’s Customer Service Counter and ask to connect your account number to Furry Friends for the All Access Community Rewards Program. Shop locally, donate locally! Thank you for your support. www.FurryFriendsFoundation.org Sisters Pet Food Bank • Spay/Neuter Sponsorships • Emergency Medical Assistance
