Czar Putin?

[slim 1,533]

Putin is smart enough to know the more American "interest" in Russia, the more American dollars will be there as well.

[visaveteran1 33]

I don't care for Putin much, but i don't think there is reason to over-react. I do not believe we are seeing the return of communism. If you look at the younger generation, you can see the seed has been planted. With increased communication abilities allowing information to be shared, I do not think they could 'get away with it' anyway.

Russians love their country, they have a pride that is different the Americans, that I think we cannot fully understand it. They want an iron-handed leader of sorts. They do not want a 'wishy-washy' government like the US. We never should have expected such a fast, dramatic turn-around there. That is really thier business, and I really do not think we have anything to fear from Russia.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Western style democracy is not something that will work for everyone else, and it's foolish to think it should. Russia will get it figured out, and it will resemble ours in some ways, but be very different in others. In the end it be uniquely Russian.

Yes, uniquely Russian. Bribes get things done.The Russian mafia is taking over everything it can. The Putin government has shut down the free press, runs a shady KGB style operation, installs puppet leadership, and probably has had people assassinated. The cost of things is insane given the quality received. Fake products abound and you may think you bought French wine or perfume but it was most likely from Turkey or China. Crime and hooliganism is way up. Basic services in the hinder lands are awful. Take away Russia's oil and it's got nothing much economically to brag about. And then there's those nutty Russian bureaucrats that always make registering your visa or doing some kind of official transaction "interesting."

What we American men like about Russia is its women! Let's be real and genuine about this. The women are the jewels of Russia. The rest we tolerate and suffer with.

[shikarnov 7]

Yes, uniquely Russian. Bribes get things done.The Russian mafia is taking over everything it can. The Putin government has shut down the free press, runs a shady KGB style operation, installs puppet leadership, and probably has had people assassinated. The cost of things is insane given the quality received. Fake products abound and you may think you bought French wine or perfume but it was most likely from Turkey or China. Crime and hooliganism is way up. Basic services in the hinder lands are awful. Take away Russia's oil and it's got nothing much economically to brag about. And then there's those nutty Russian bureaucrats that always make registering your visa or doing some kind of official transaction "interesting."

What we American men like about Russia is its women! Let's be real and genuine about this. The women are the jewels of Russia. The rest we tolerate and suffer with.

I agree with much of what you've just said. But, we have bigger problems to worry about in the United States than what Putin is or is not going to do. In the United States, I feared for my life as police officers approached my car window with their hands ready to draw their sidearms during my last two traffic stops. We're forced to identify ourselves for everything, register ourselves everywhere (unless you live off the grid), and more. Our government trusts us as much as Russia trusts its own citizens, and treats us to the same level of surveillance.

I don't like a lot of things about Russia. Living here the past couple of years has been akin to an exercise in self paid torture. But aside from economics and advanced technology (medicine specifically), I don't see our society as any better or worse than Russia's. I walk freely amongst the people here, talk about whatever I want to, I've registered a business, made purchases large and small, and live life almost the same as I do in the US. The one thing I haven't done here is worry about getting shot by a trigger happy police officer.

And say what you will about the bribing system -- but we've got it in the US too, just with a few more zeros. I'd bet that any one of us walking into a service center with $20,000 in an envelope would walk out knowing that our petitions were on the way to the NVC or would be soon after.

Z

[shikarnov 7]

And our press, while largely free from government influence, is hardly free. The US press is controlled by corporate interests, limited by foolhardy notions of political correctness, and increasingly motivated only by money -- hence more stories about Brittany Spears' custody escapades, and less about congressional debates. And our media is far from responsible. The Valery Plame story is a good example. Did Novak need to expose her in his story -- in spite of being tipped off by a very corrupt VP? No. But he, and all the media that continued to beat his drum (what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and all that jazz), I might have thought they had some restraint.

Before you lob too many stones at Putin's house, you might want to make sure your own is made from more than glass...

Z

[visaveteran1 33]

Yes, uniquely Russian. Bribes get things done.The Russian mafia is taking over everything it can. The Putin government has shut down the free press, runs a shady KGB style operation, installs puppet leadership, and probably has had people assassinated. The cost of things is insane given the quality received. Fake products abound and you may think you bought French wine or perfume but it was most likely from Turkey or China. Crime and hooliganism is way up. Basic services in the hinder lands are awful. Take away Russia's oil and it's got nothing much economically to brag about. And then there's those nutty Russian bureaucrats that always make registering your visa or doing some kind of official transaction "interesting."

What we American men like about Russia is its women! Let's be real and genuine about this. The women are the jewels of Russia. The rest we tolerate and suffer with.

I agree with much of what you've just said. But, we have bigger problems to worry about in the United States than what Putin is or is not going to do. In the United States, I feared for my life as police officers approached my car window with their hands ready to draw their sidearms during my last two traffic stops. We're forced to identify ourselves for everything, register ourselves everywhere (unless you live off the grid), and more. Our government trusts us as much as Russia trusts its own citizens, and treats us to the same level of surveillance.

I don't like a lot of things about Russia. Living here the past couple of years has been akin to an exercise in self paid torture. But aside from economics and advanced technology (medicine specifically), I don't see our society as any better or worse than Russia's. I walk freely amongst the people here, talk about whatever I want to, I've registered a business, made purchases large and small, and live life almost the same as I do in the US. The one thing I haven't done here is worry about getting shot by a trigger happy police officer.

And say what you will about the bribing system -- but we've got it in the US too, just with a few more zeros. I'd bet that any one of us walking into a service center with $20,000 in an envelope would walk out knowing that our petitions were on the way to the NVC or would be soon after.

Z

There's one clear difference between US and Russian sociological trends...tens of thousands of American women are not trying to leave their homeland, and families and friends to find a husband and a better life in Russia.

[shikarnov 7]

There's one clear difference between US and Russian sociological trends...tens of thousands of American women are not trying to leave their homeland, and families and friends to find a husband and a better life in Russia.

Since the main reason for the US being "better" than Russia you cite is the number of women that want to leave for a better life, I ask you, sir, then what does it say about the US that tens of thousands of men are seeking foreign spouses with which to build that better life?

Z

[visaveteran1 33]

There's one clear difference between US and Russian sociological trends...tens of thousands of American women are not trying to leave their homeland, and families and friends to find a husband and a better life in Russia.

Since the main reason for the US being "better" than Russia you cite is the number of women that want to leave for a better life, I ask you, sir, then what does it say about the US that tens of thousands of men are seeking foreign spouses with which to build that better life?

Z

The answer, sir, is American men have the money and mobility and vision to try other romantic options.

And you should reread my post. I said nothing about "better." I said "There's one clear difference between US and Russian sociological trends...tens of thousands of American women are not trying to leave their homeland, and families and friends to find a husband and a better life in Russia."

[visaveteran1 33]

Actually Valerie Plame is a great example of not just the loss of media responsibility, but also of increasing government manipulation. There can be no doubt at this point that Plame was outed by ####### Cheney and/or Karl Rove. Bob Novak, who should have known he was being used as a tool and refused to run the story, tripped all over himself to run it. And finally, except for the likes of The Daily Show and some blogs, nobody in the media held Novak's employers responsible. Nor has congress held the administration responsible. (Libby is a fall-guy, and will be pardoned before Bush leaves office.) Reporters who have photochopped pictures have been strung up in public and fired for less. Meanwhile, Novak has a book that was up until recently on the Amazon top 100 list.

There's one clear difference between US and Russian sociological trends...tens of thousands of American women are not trying to leave their homeland, and families and friends to find a husband and a better life in Russia.

Nobody is denying that things are bad in Russia right now. But the fact that "tens of thousands" (which sounds pretty high to me, but I doubt either of us knows the actual numbers) of Russian women are looking for western (not necessarily American) husbands does not imply that their lives are miserable. My SO, for example, has a very good life. She's not leaving Russia to escape her life, she's leaving Russia to be with me.

Everyone has a different story. My wife is a successful business woman with close family ties and she is anxious to leave Russia. And her single women friends all lament the lack of available Russian men in her city. They have little hope of finding a local husband...so some single women have to accept being a married man's mistress if she hopes to have any sort of relationship with a local man. It's not uncommon for a successful married Russian man to have 3 mistresses and his wife will accept that because she wants to keep a good life.

I think my numbers are probably conservative if you consider this American-Russian marriage phenomena has been going on for close to two decades.

[visaveteran1 33]

There's one clear difference between US and Russian sociological trends...tens of thousands of American women are not trying to leave their homeland, and families and friends to find a husband and a better life in Russia.

Since the main reason for the US being "better" than Russia you cite is the number of women that want to leave for a better life, I ask you, sir, then what does it say about the US that tens of thousands of men are seeking foreign spouses with which to build that better life?

Z

The answer, sir, is American men have the money and mobility and vision to try other romantic options.

And you should reread my post. I said nothing about "better." I said "There's one clear difference between US and Russian sociological trends...tens of thousands of American women are not trying to leave their homeland, and families and friends to find a husband and a better life in Russia."

Okay well then I'm confused now, because clearly the entire theme of your posts has been that everything about Russia except the women is shite. So while you may not have actually said in exact words that the US is "better," you certainly implied it. And that's fine, you're certainly entitled to your opinion. But now you're saying...what exactly?

I like to be quoted accurately. I said, "a clear difference between the US and Russia...blah blah. I did not say "the main reason the US is better than Russia blah blah." I like the dots to be connected correctly.

[slim 1,533]

See what happens when I go on vacation???

I miss all this good popcorn throwing. Man, I almost feel like I'm in the Off Topic forum.

I hope I'm not too late to jump in!

[slim 1,533]

I guess I wasn't too late to jump in, this just developed yesterday and today.....

I can't wait to post a response or at least my two kopeks but I don't have time right now. Anyway, it seems you guys are actually in agreement on the issues at hand, only squabbling over how you've said it.

[visaveteran1 33]

I guess I wasn't too late to jump in, this just developed yesterday and today.....

I can't wait to post a response or at least my two kopeks but I don't have time right now. Anyway, it seems you guys are actually in agreement on the issues at hand, only squabbling over how you've said it.

For me, your sage feedback, comments, et are always welcome.

[slim 1,533]

I just wasted all my good keystrokes in the Off Topic forum but for me, basically it goes like this:

There's a reason there are 48,000+ women in Russia/FSU looking for men from the west and not the other way around. Call it what you want, say it's because of this or that, but bottom line, it exists.

You can put your own theory or label on it but for me, it's simply biological necessity at it's most basic level. (Adjusted to modern times, of course.) Women seek out a mate with the highest probability of success for their future offspring while men seek out a mate with the highest probablity of creating any offspring.

Western men are "rich" and Eastern women are "attractive."

[visaveteran1 33]

OK...I've figured it out...the reason I really don't like Russia is everything is too SMALL! The cars, the apartments, the kitchen table and chairs, the beds, the refrigerators, the stove the...well...you get the idea.

I love America because things are BIG!

Happy Christmas to my Russian comrades.

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

It is a tad more complex. In the rawest form, Slim's there. For Alla and I, if I had to a break our relationship down, she wants a good man that will love her and only her and bring stability to her life (What she could not find in Russian men). I want an attractive woman that brings me happiness and loves me for me (What I could not find in American women). We both wanted mutual physical, mental, and spiritual attraction. We found it!

I just wasted all my good keystrokes in the Off Topic forum but for me, basically it goes like this:

There's a reason there are 48,000+ women in Russia/FSU looking for men from the west and not the other way around. Call it what you want, say it's because of this or that, but bottom line, it exists.

You can put your own theory or label on it but for me, it's simply biological necessity at it's most basic level. (Adjusted to modern times, of course.) Women seek out a mate with the highest probability of success for their future offspring while men seek out a mate with the highest probablity of creating any offspring.

Western men are "rich" and Eastern women are "attractive."

For the most part I think there's a lot of truth in this, although I think it's slightly more complex than just that. In any case, this is a far cry from what the other poster is saying.