Navalny Versus The Emperor Of Russia

 Navalny is a man with courage. Despite having him poisoned, almost murdered and more, Navalny stands tall. Even if he and all the men and women of courage that risk their lives for a better Russia are imprisoned or murdered, it will not erase the need to end the corruption they fight to end. Corrupt, powerful people everywhere imagine themselves untouchable, but even kings and cronies do not live forever. The Russian people suffer, and will continue to suffer, not by the suppression of the brave men and women that fight corruption, but by the fat cat oppressors that treat Russia as their personal kingdom to loot and pillage. 

Putin has nuclear weapons. A vast army, police and intelligence services. Navalny has nothing but a voice willing to speak out against the corruption, the excess, the looting, the extravagance, the luxury and decadence of Putin and his cronies. And still, with billions in stolen wealth, with armies, police forces, intelligence services, nuclear weapons, chemical weapons and much more against an unarmed man and his unarmed followers, Putin feels threatened. 

Things could have been so much different. Putin could have reversed the nuclear arms race. Instead, there is a new nuclear arms race that only makes Russia and the rest of the world more imperiled. Putin could have been a man of the people, setting the example of a leader that puts people first. Instead, he chose materialism, greed, cronyism, corruption, selfishness and worse. He and his cronies have set Russia back. They have enriched themselves while impoverishing others. A Russian leadership full of corruption, armed to the teeth ready to kill anyone that opposes their greed should not put anyone's mind at ease. 

Meanwhile, Russian propaganda networks, RT and more, will keep harping on the failures of the west, knowing that the best defense is to divert attention and go after external enemies and foreign failures. Putin's sycophants in the west, a caldron of phony leftists, are perfectly fine with corruption, false imprisonment, luxury, extravagance and living large by government officials, murder and more as long as it is not the doings of the countries and governments they despise.

The protestors are being dismissed by some as agents of the west and CIA. It is common to delegitimize opposition rather than address their grievances. These are unarmed people facing a highly militarized state. Which side is the real threat to the other? It is not the unarmed protestors. No matter the place, no matter the country, all people have the fundamental right to protest peacefully against their governments without fear of harm. The more that governments brutally crack down on peaceful protestors, the more legitimate are the protestors, not the government.

When Putin decided to pursue supersonic nuclear weapons and a new nuclear arms race, as though this is an accomplishment instead of the lunacy for which it is, it was clear that Russia - along with all other countries following the same lunatic path of nuclear weapons proliferation and expansion - was leading not just Russia, but the world along with Russia, into darkness. 

The world needs leaders that de-escalate conflict and that reduce the nuclear weapons threat, not add to it. Russia and all countries deserve leaders that are freely elected, that do not stay in power forever, that do not become rich from what should be public service, and that tolerate dissent and nonviolent opposition. 

For those that support Putin, prove that he is a man deserving of the adoration. Great leaders do not crush opposition. Great leaders are transparent. They are not greedy. They want an end to violent conflict, not its escalation. They are not afraid of opposition because they have nothing to hide.