It Could Be Worse-We Could Be In Russia

As much as I bitch about the nefarious acts of political extremists in the United States, I’m the first one to admit that it’s quite a bit worse in other parts of the world. Take Russia for example. The Ruskies still can’t come to grip with the fact that they’re no longer a superpower, so there has been a real explosion of racist and ultranationalist groups in the country in recent years, all promising to return the Motherland to the glory days of the USSR. As absurd as the idea of a Russian Nazi is, there has been a real upsurge in fascist skinhead activity recently, making life even harder on the country’s small population of homosexuals and racial minorities. A group of skinheads recently attacked an anarchist camp in Siberia, killing one person and severely injuring several others. Most disturbing was the fact that the local authorities seemed to be supportive of the attack, as the anarchists in question had recently been launching a series of protests against a nearby power plant. Even more unsettling than these sporadic skinhead attacks is the Nashi organization, which is Vladimir Putin’s own Hitler Youth knock-off. The annual Nashi gathering in Russia this year drew 10,000 nationalist youngsters. The organizers encourage their members to marry early and have many children, in an effort to counter Russia’s rapidly falling population. They even encourage pre-marital sex, while of course providing nary a single condom to the assembled horny kids. Nashi also functions as Putin’s personal thug squad. After the American ambassador to Russia met with political dissidents, Putin’s government gave Nashi a copy of the ambassador’s travel schedule. Nashi members were then present at all of his stops, accosting him on the street and demanding that he “apologize” to the Russian people for his actions. When this generation grows up, the Kremlin will have a dedicated chunk of the population that will be willing to obey their orders without question, and defend their interests by whatever means necessary. I am indeed lucky to be an American.