Ruminations on Russia

Actually I couldn't give a damn about democracy. I care about humans treating each other with respect. My wife's business partner is married to a Tibetan who grew up in exile in India and Nepal, as if that was not hard enough. He can barely get from a. to b. without being shaken down by the Militsia (to translate that as Police would be an insult to thugs everywhere). He refuses to travel on the metro after 5P.M. as its prejudicial to his health.

Anyway here is an exert from a report from a Government with a less than stellar track record in the race department, no not my own the US, on the situation. Just because someone else is bad does not make your worse acceptable;

In contrast to developments in a number of countries that increased direct citizen control over government authorities, in Russia changes in parliamentary election laws and a shift to the appointment, instead of election, of regional governors further strengthened the power of the executive branch. Greater restrictions on the media, a compliant Duma (Parliament), shortcomings in recent national elections, law enforcement corruption, and political pressure on the judiciary also raised concerns about the erosion of government accountability. Racially motivated violence and discrimination increased, despite considerable legislative prohibitions. Authorities failed to investigate actions against minorities while subjecting them to more frequent document checks, targeting them for deportation from urban centers, and fining them in excess of permissible penalties or detaining them more frequently. Government institutions intended to protect human rights were relatively weak.