DAUT:

Well, I'll explain it to you then. If you thought La Russophobe should have been doing more to honor the memory of those who perished at the hands of Russia's race violence, why didn't you speak up sooner? In fact, why didn't you provide La Russophobe with some material to be used for that purpose? Was it just laziness? Racism? Or have you just drunk too much Russian water?

Now as for the explanation: Most people never heard of those folks you mention, which means the Kremlin could feel it could kill them with impunity. What's more, if you look into it, I think you'll find that that most Russians don't view the life of a dark-skinned foreigner like Lanzar and white-skinned Slavic like Anna to have anything like the same value. Of course, since only 1,000 Russians out of Russia's giant (cowardly) population attended Anna's funeral, it appears the Kremlin knew they wouldn't care much about, much less defend, her life either, just like they didn't lift a finger to defend Dosteovsky or Solzhenitsyn when the Kremlin sent them to the camps. But being so famous, the Kremlin still crossed a rubicon when it killed Anna. It announced to the world that it couldn't care less what the world thinks and is going to do whatever it damn well pleases, just as in Soviet times. If La Russophobe had to cancel something every time Russia kills a dark-skinned foreigner, she'd be postcard by now.

Then again, it could just be that Anna, a general, was a bigger loss to the struggle than a foot soldier because she was famous for reason. I guess you find it strange that American blacks mourn Martin Luther King's loss more than they do an anonymous lynching victimk, but that's probably because you've never lifted a finger to involve yourself in civil rights in any serious way, like most Russians. However, perhaps you will take some comfort in knowing that the Sunday Funnies were hotly debated while they were in action, with some arguing that Russia has never been a joking matter and some arguing that jokes were necessary to lighten the load sometimes, like in M*A*S*H

As for whether the Sunday Funnies were funny, funniness is in the eye of the beholder, like beauty and lots of other things. For instance, many people might think that the music you listen to is godawful sludge, but that doesn't keep you from blowing your "mind" to bits with it. However, I will go so far as to agree that Russia bores the vast majority of the world to tears and disgusts the most of the rest, so the best and brightest cartoon artists don't devote much of their energy to it and a lack of funniness wouldn't be surprising. In fact, that might even have been the point of the Sunday Funnies, for a entity with a slightly broader mind than yours (say, a common tree slug -- haha, now THAT was funny!).

Thanks for your comment, and thanks for reading La Russophobe!

DAUT:

You can talk all you like about your opposition to the Kremlin, but then Vladimir Putin says lots of things too, now doesn't he? Talk is cheap. As Russians say, I can't put it in my pocket.

I didn't say I'd ever done anything about racism, and the fact that you can only defend yourself by attacking me rather than pointing to your concrete actions against it conclusively proves I was correct. Even if we assume I've done nothing, I still understand why A.P. is more important than anonymous victims while you don't. That is the point.

As it happens, though, I've been saying that what is happening in Russia now would happen for months, persistently sounding the warning call while a clan of Russophile wackos attacked me as an extremist. Recent facts show that, perhaps, I wasn't nearly extreme enough. You may choose to call that nothing if you like, I choose to disagree. If the world had moved more quickly along the linves I've suggested, dear Anna might still be alive today. And even now, I'm still facing harassment from the likes of you, rather than encouragement and cooperation.

The Kremlin is as responsible for the race killings as if they'd put the guns to the heads and pulled the trigger, and so are the ordinary Russian people themselves. You very well may not be a racist, but rather something far worse than a racist, as Martin Luther King said, a white moderate who rationalizes and deflects blame for racism rather than focusing and intensifying it. He said he'd rather face an army of skinheads than an army of white moderates and day, and so would I.

The Kremlin has created a climate where individual human lives mean nothing, where blind hatemongering Russian nationalism flourishes and where anyone can feel justified in striking down the "enemies of Russia." The Russian people have voted for and participated in that climate. They are both complicit.

If you think Nikoilai Girienko was important, what have you done about it? I haven't seen you raising his name in the blogosphere. Had you written something about it for me, I would have published it. Had you written something about him for somebody else and they'd not published it, I would have roasted them for it.

Talk is cheap, little boy.

DAUT: I issue you a challenge. Girienko has no entry in Wikipedia. Write one, doing quality research full of useful links. Put it up, then tell me about it and I'll publicize it. If you really believe in him, you should have done this long ago rather than tossing around your crude little insults and blasting your brain with noise.

Put up or shut up.

DAUT:

Here's a tip: in future, if you want to "get along" with someone, then try to mix in some encouragement along with your criticism. Otherwise, you might be misunderstood.

No offense intended, but not all that many people read your blog, so what's written on it doesn't matter that much in the scheme of things. What's more, even if they did, if you really cared about poor Nikolai you'd spend a bit more effort than that, and go out into the world and put things on other blogs as well.

I'll look forward to seeing and touting your work product on Wiki (and elsewhere!). And by all means don't stop with him; I'm sure you can think of lots of others who have been murdered in Russia for defending democracy and put their names on as well. I'd do it myself but, being identified as a partisan warrior, it's not appropriate.

No, they're not being on Wiki doesn't mean they don't exist. It just means that lazy white moderates like you have done nothing to put them on there, hence advancing the cause of Russia's racists. Spend more time doing something and less time complaing about what others are doing, you might actually get somewhere in life.

The quote from MLK is on my blog. You should read it more often, you'd be a better educated young man! Here's the info:

"I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that that Negro's great stumbling block in his stride towards freedom is not the White Citizens Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice"

http://russophobe.blogspot.com/2006/06/is-david-johnson-worse-than-russian.html

Again, what I've done has nothing to do with anything. I didn't criticize you for doing nothing, I suggested that the reason you don't understand the need to make a big deal out of Politkovskaya is that you've never done anything.

And don't underestimate the value of my typing. In a few short months I've become by far the strongest voice in the blogosphere for racial justice and democracy in Russia. If somebody comes along and does it better, I'll be happy to step aside and move on to other activity. Until then, it's a full-time occupation.

PS: That's the English-language blogosphere I'm referring to, of course. It's a matter of ongoing interest to me to learn whether there are serious, substantive voices in the Russian blogosphere that are sending the same message I do, and if so to translate and publicize them. It's something else you could be helpful with if you had a notion since I've got more than enough on my plate as it is. As I understand it, if I did what I'm doing in Russia, I'd get arrested or at least sued.

UGLY: Yes, we agree that you're a really amazing meglomaniac. But not at its "strongest" -- that title is surely reserved for your Great Leader, Putin the Magnificent. Are you confirming that there is no counterpart to La Russophobe in Russian?

UGLY: Who would you prefer to see in charge of Russia? Zhirinovsky maybe? If you are against Putin, please give an example of something you've published with the intention of helping to drive him from power.

UGLY: I other words, you refuse to name anybody and take responsiblity for your choice. Just like I thought.

Meanwhile, even if somenone as bad or worse than Putin replaced him (really great confidence you have in your country there, I guess Russia is just like Iraq, huh?), his being driven out would still show the people it could be done and that they need not fear their leaders.

BTW UGLY, you say that if I never lived in the USSR then I can't speak about it. Do you know Zhirinovsky personally, or have you only observed him from afar? If the latter, you can't speak about him according to your own rule and you are a hypocrite.