News from the Soviet Union
Editorial Board of
Proletarskaya Gazeta
We call upon the proletariat of all the countries of the world, communists and especially the revolutionary youth, on all progressive forces to provide moral support to the Latvian internationalists and put pressure on the government of Latvia in order to free from jail Alina Lebedeva, a school girl who has been arrested by the authorities for political reasons. The 15-year- old Alina Lebedeva is facing up to 15 years in jail for the accusation of terrorism. Alina Lebedeva, an anti-NATO activist, tried to throw a bunch of flowers in the face of Charles of Britain, who was in Latvia on an official visit. This is how the treacherous bourgeoisie in Latvia deals with activists who struggle against international terrorism, led by NATO.
Latvian internationalists are struggling against the integration of Latvia into NATO, under the conditions of rigorous fascist terror inflicted by the dictatorship of the local bourgeoisie. The Latvian bourgeoisie is inflicting on the working masses and the progressive forces of that country a campaign of raging terror. This is done with the support of the Russian and Western bourgeoisie.
It is our duty to support the Latvian proletariat and progressive forces of this small country in their struggle against capitalism. We ask you to distribute the text of this call in order to expose the infamous arrest of this school girl Alina Lebedeva, using all available progressive channels at your disposal.
Addresses to send protests to:
* Latvijas Valtsts prezidentei V.Vike-Freibergai
LR Valsts prezidenta kancelejam, Pils laukums 3
LV-1900 Riga, Latvija
* Latvijas Republikas Generalprokuratura
O. Kalpaka bulbaris 6, 1050,Riga, Latvija
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| Felix Gorelik |
Art and culture is just like a mirror; it reflects reality whether it is a bourgeois culture or socialist culture. Thus, what has transpired after the dismemberment of the Soviet Union, a mighty country not too long ago, you can judge the situation by the films that are made or that are shown on the movie or TV screens. These films reflect the present state of culture.
The real life in Russia and in other so-called "independent" states of the former USSR are hidden from the world public by a thick fog. The statement by Putin – Yeltsin’s "anointed" and his helpers whose hands are in the trough about "democracy", and that he brought Russia into the "civilized world", "humanistic ideals", "freedom". But what is factually hidden is that these words are nothing but plain foul air and nothing else.
All these words are completely different and absolutely have nothing in common with what is really shown on TV screens or on movie screens.
Aside from the imported American TV serials on the theme that "The rich also cry", the Russian TV screens show new Russian serials, called "Destructive Might", "Streets of Broken Lanterns", "Bandits of St. Petersburg." You can say that these films are the daily encyclopedia of today’s everyday life in Russia. Who came out on top after the dismemberment of the USSR and the CPSU. In whose hands are the people's riches? What are the real "rights of man"? This can be seen as a biography of former CPSU-Central Committee member and the mayor of St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Mr. Sobchak – the teacher of Mr. Putin. Here are just some examples.
There are violent and clever robberies, killings, manipulation of votes, grabbing people’s property, amassing illegal fortune, contacts and cooperation with the Mafiosi elements and other ills of capitalism and ill-gotten gains. The actors portray these episodes and it is presented as fiction. But... in reality, even though the actors and directors try to hide the facts that these are really the daily happenings and outright robbery... the "actual and very real criminal revolution"... most people know that these episodes are real daily life that they are experiencing.
Very cleverly this is presented as fiction entertainment and the end always shows that these elements are arrested and the truth of present day government of Putin again is presented as the "White Knight charging to fight crime and evil."
According to the government itself, they published these facts that there are more than 600,000 bandits in Russia, which could be formed into 4 divisions. These bandits are composed mostly of former sportsmen, former soldiers, those who fought in Afghanistan and are now unemployed and also forgotten, Chechen veterans, former officers of the KGB and militia members. They are now being replaced by the unemployed youth. That is why crime is on the rise and growing by leaps and bounds.
Why is this happening? Because, instead of collective thinking and building of the state or Soviet patriotism, there came along a cult of individualism and get rich at someone’s expense or life. The aims and driving force is the question of getting rich before someone else does. Private enterprise as opposed to people’s collective undertakings is what is demanded.
Banditry is the shortest road to getting rich! The criminality arises from the policy of the state and the market economy of "Yeltsin and Gaidar", Putin-Greff, that left the working people on the brink of disaster.
Is it not banditry by the state when they took the property of the people and sold it to foreign corporations or privatized it and took it into their own hands?
Bourgeois propaganda tells us daily that we should not worry about these bandits at all. The criminal elements are being replaced by younger people, the children and grandchildren will go into foreign lands and will become "civilized businessmen" and then return back to Russia.
What bitter truth is hidden behind these TV and film production films? They tell us that they are changing totalitarianism into democracy, that they help to guaranteed the "rights of man".
The only way to end with this "civilized method" is to end it completely and reestablish socialism and resurrect the Soviet Union!
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| Prof. Vladimir Herasymchuk |
Time seems to fly very fast, counting the steps taken by mankind during the beginning of the third millennium. Already a month has passed from the time that in Toronto there gathered delegates from around the world, all friends of the Soviet people, to a World Congress. The delegates discussed all of the problems in today’s world and the struggle of the working class for the rebirth of the Soviet Union, for international solidarity of the workers of all countries and continents. The delegates will always remember the ardent speeches of the organizers of this World Congress, Michael Lucas and Ray Stevenson (Canada), Harpal Brar (England) and Mate Zalka (Spain). The speakers asked for unity in the struggle against imperialism and reaction, for peace and socialism.
Yes, the river of time flows on and it leaves its traces in the never-ending Cosmos. It throws out into the void all attempts that try to hinder the progress of mankind in the revolutionary struggles in the world. At the same time, on the chronological tape it records for the future generations the struggles, the successes, and the failures of the pioneers of these struggles. The path to the future of mankind is being shown by the publication Northstar Compass.
But, let us return in our thoughts to those days in September in Toronto where delegates from 17 countries gathered at the World Congress for Friendship and Solidarity with Soviet People. One of the problems that were discussed was the problem of – does there still exist Soviet People even though there is no longer a Soviet Union? But, to be very analytical and look into history... did the Bulgarian people cease to exist after their colonization by the Ottoman Empire? Did the Ukrainians have their identity after they started to form themselves as a nation? Even the American Indians (Native People) who over the period of hundreds of years were practically wiped out by the European colonizers, to this day they remain as Indians (Native People) with their languages and cultures. Some people might disagree with us, that the Indians in America are a definite ethnic group of peoples. They have their history, culture Well, do not the Soviet people, future internationalists, not have their history? The history is a heroic history! Is not Soviet culture and Soviet life in actual fact contemporary humanism and democracy? Therefore, why is it that everything should change after the temporary demise of the USSR because of the psychological war by imperialism? Should the Soviet People as an entity no longer exist?!...
We must point out, the question of integration of ethnic groups and people without question is a natural progression. Even the American Native Indians in time were composed of different tribes, cultures and languages...
To put this question that there are no longer Soviet people because of the temporary demise of the USSR can be done only by those who, somehow do not understand the objective truth of this question. Soviet people were formed in the period of the development of the social-economic and demographic conditions.
The objective basis of its formation was the material-technical base of a Workers State, in reality and practice – a communist society. Soviet people had and also set an example for the whole world when they had a Socialist State. Its honor and freedom they defended in the most trying and tragic times against internal and external enemies. The ideology that guided the Soviet people was Marxism-Leninism. All their energy was geared to achieve the material well-being of all of the Soviet people... that is, the beginning of a Communist society. There was formed a new type Soviet person. This Soviet person if allowed to develop peacefully would be a humanistic person imbued with the most humane principles and morals.
Should all of this that was mentioned above be forgotten and thrown out because of the temporary demise of the Soviet Union?!... Oh, no! We, the Soviet people, did not disappear into darkness!
History has registered us as Soviet people forever!…
Soviet people – first of all are a people of workers, internationalists. At the same they are safeguarding and developing their national identities and culture. Cultural development always formulates the man-creator, developing a New World. The development of the Soviet person is based on international outlook. Therefore the understanding of a Soviet person is not only by looking at demographics, but as a social person. And not only as social, but as ethnic-psychological! People that were formed in the Soviet State have undertaken upon themselves a new moral and humanitarian code of conduct. Even today, under the heel of bourgeois exploitive class and totalitarianism and reaction, citizens of the so-called "independent states" that were formed on the territory of USSR
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