Dignity at last: The bodies of victims of the terrorist strike
on MH17 began
to arrive home in the Netherlands today, even as the crash site
continues
to be unpoliced and unexamined by
investigators.
As We Dutch Mourn Our Dead, Russians Should Mourn their State (Elsevier, The Netherlands)
"Since 1917, the land of Pushkin, Anna Akhmatova,
Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and other great minds, has been in the hands of rulers who
invented the dissemination of lies as a method of control. ... Unfortunately, that
hasn't changed despite the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The Russian people
strongly stand behind Putin, even as they lack accurate information. ... It is
sad to note that the Russia of Tolstoy and Akhmatova is
once again held hostage by a barbaric tyrant. Today we mourn the Dutch victims.
The Russian people must also mourn the barbarism that has seized the Russian
state."
Our
people have nearly all returned. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been working day
and night to bring the victims home to the Netherlands. That has now been
achieved, but the process by which that happened was staggering.
The Russian
Federation of President Putin has shown its true face. In every possible way, Russia
is trying to impede a fair and rapid solution. Truly shocking! Anger now take
the place of astonishment.
'Beasts'
A few
Russian drunks stood around rummaging through the personal effects of the
victims. The bodies were left in the open for days, even though it was 38° [100° F]. No
one was permitted to recover and store them in a dignified manner.
For each
simple step taken, the Dutch prime minister had to call the Russian president
on average twice a day. Finally, the victims were permitted to be removed.
I'm not
judging Russian citizens in east Ukraine here. Indeed, they are the victims of
mass manipulation by Russian media. I am talking here about the wild beasts
that call themselves "rebels" and are led by Mr. Putin.
Misled
The
media manipulation by the Kremlin reminds us of the Soviet era. Even today,
Russians are being misled and lied to.
Vladimir
Putin is the real rebel leader in eastern Ukraine. Since 1917, the land of
Pushkin, Anna Akhmatova, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and
other great minds, has been in the hands of rulers who invented the
dissemination of lies as a method of control.
Unfortunately,
that hasn't changed despite the dissolution of the Soviet Union. That makes
dealing with Russia a very complicated affair. The Russian people strongly stand
behind Putin, even as they lack accurate information.
For this
reason, we have to take care not to accidentally designate the Russian people
as the enemy. At the same time, we must also dare to investigate the causes of
tyranny in Russian popular culture and attitudes.
Goals
Some of
us had expected our government to take a hard line against Russia - and by Russia,
I still mean Putin's Russia. So what did the government need to do? A hundred
ninety three Dutch were killed in a terrorist attack. The first thing a
government should do is bring the victims home.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
In
addition, it should gather evidence to identify who was behind the attack. Prime
Minister Rutte rightly noted that a tough stance
would not facilitate the achievement of these goals. Now those goals have been
partly achieved. Our people are home.
Downsizing
For the
first time, I've heard several people ask why we didn't use the military to
bring back to our people. A remarkable question! My question in reply is, why has
the Dutch population agreed to further reductions to our armed forces?
In the
short term, a military operation was ruled out for many reasons. If the
Netherlands wanted to act in the context of NATO, that would have been
different. Moreover, we mustn't lose sight
of the fact that with the murder of a member of the States General, the
separatists have committed an attack on the Dutch state. [Willem Witteveen
was a member of the Dutch Senate, one of the two houses of the legislature,
known as the States
General].
An
attack on one is an attack on all! Such a scenario, however, is not very
realistic. It would, of course, involve NATO in an ethnic war without proper planning,
and what would the ultimate goal of such a mission be?
Evidence
The
evidence is vital in order to identify who carried out this attack, but we knew
from the outset that the Russian authorities and the riffraff on the spot would
attempt to make the evidence disappear.
Nevertheless,
a technical examination can still provide a lot of information about the way the
aircraft was brought down. It is all but obvious that an SA-11 missile was fired on the
passenger plane.
It is
also nearly certain that this air missile was fired from an area under rebel
control. Who gave the order and which individuals operated the missile isn't yet clear. Rebel leader Putin will undoubtedly know
more about this brutal attack.
Violence
It is very
much in question whether the criminal investigation into this attack will ever
lead to a criminal case. That is not the most important question. Why not? Because
the rebels are armed by Moscow, and in a odd manner, Russia recently annexed
part of Ukraine: the Crimea.
In the
same way, Russia is now trying to destabilise east Ukraine. Moreover, Putin
speaks the language of the Soviet Union. Rest assured, the Soviet Union is not
coming back. What Putin is busy doing to creating an ultra-nationalistic state.
The new Russian state is internally managed by corrupt, mafia-like groups and externally,
it is a state that will act with violence and intimidation toward neighbouring
states.
Evil
The
state Putin is working to establish is a new axis of evil, with Iran, Syria,
and possibly Iraq after its oppression by ISIS. Who then, are the true allies
of the Russian state? Tyrannical states with criminal leaders.
Rebel
leader Putin has only a few good friends and allies: Assad (Syria), Khamenei
(Iran), and Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea.
That is the milieu that Russia is part of.
Tyrants
On July
17, 2014 the attack on a passenger aircraft altered relation between the West
and Moscow.
It is
sad to note that the Russia of Tolstoy and Akhmatova is
once again held hostage by a barbaric tyrant.
Today we
mourn the Dutch victims. The Russian people must also mourn the barbarism that has
seized the Russian state.
