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Originally posted by Fremdfirma:

Oh the plus side, he's competent.
That counts for a lot over there, a LOT.. never forget it.

-Frem

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Originally posted by Bytemite:
Putin practically had the Russian equivalent of Hitler Youth Camps a while back. He has his own personality cult over there. He could hide just about anything.

He has secret police behind him, and he got away with poisoning his opposition once. I would not be optimistic about Putin simply going away.

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Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Hello,

I'm not sure how Saddam relates.

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Originally posted by Geezer:

Quote:

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Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Hello,

I'm not sure how Saddam relates.

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If you were a Sunni in Iraq, you probably felt that Saddam was competent, since he kept the Shi'a, Kurds, and other non-Sunnis from causing trouble. He probably made the trains run on time as well.

Frem's comment about Putin at least being 'competent', made me think that sometimes folks pay too high a price for that competency.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Oh they do, and I don't think Frem would ever suggest otherwise.

But in Russia, even the oppressed often looked up to Stalin. Revered him. It's a different mindset.

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Originally posted by pizmobeach:
You guys prove my point - you are most likely older and just don't understand/get/feel the 'net, and probably don't know that you don't. I'm not trying to make you feel bad or rag on you for it, just is.
Putin won't get violent, and if he does he'll disappear in shame, another leader who didn't get the Ozymandias rule.

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Originally posted by AnthonyT:

This video outlines some of the reasons I worry for the Russian people. There is still so much idealism of the man by much of the population.

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Originally posted by Kwicko:


It's funny, because I spend a lot of time working with people who are younger, and they keep insisting to me that "protests never work", and that any such kind of thing is just pure stupidity and an exercise in futility. I point out things like the Arab Spring, the recent rethinking of decisions by Verizon, Netflix, ShittyBank™, the Komen Foundation, and others, and they still say protests never work.

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Quote:

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Originally posted by Kwicko:

I'm older, probably older than you, definitely older than Rappy and Frem, and I *get* the internet, I've seen how fast things can happen. Putin and his cronies really have no frame of reference for it, though, and still think that respect comes in an iron fist.

I'd like to hope you're right, but I fear you're wrong, and that this will make Syria look like an Occupy protest.

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Quote:

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Moscow: Thousands join pro- and anti-Putin protests

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