And this is a photo post in Russian. Don’t click on this link if you can’t stand to look at blood: http://lgbt-grani.livejournal.com/1744822.html It’s actually ketchup in that young man’s hair and maybe on his cheek (because the attackers squirted ketchup at the activist, no kidding – I guess that’s the messiest thing other than eggs they thought of). But his nose is really broken and bleeding. I don’t know for sure how bad the damage is; I know his boyfriend online, but I don’t want to bother him.

Now my Russian sources say that the first reading of that federal bill was scheduled for tomorrow, and there is going to be a new protest against it. One of the organizers is a young lesbian activist whose partner got beaten up the other day. I don’t have enough imagination to imagine her courage.

I also don’t think that it has much to do with the Catholics and the Howard Foundation. They seem to be minor players in this business. The Patriarch sure as hell wouldn’t accept any “tutoring” from a Catholic Cardinal.

Their list of partners starts off with
The American Family Foundation
American’s for truth about homosexuality
And continues with the usual list.
http://www.profam.org/sponsors.htm

World wide leader and NOM partner
http://www.profam.org/press/wcf.pr.011613.htm

This is the video I remember watching
http://en.familypolicy.ru/
There is a slide show click on slide 10 and you get the video.

I remember more videos, specifically the video of the Russsian Orthadox Patriarch meeting with that Catholic Cardinal/Bishop I cant’t find that video, but if you change the language to Russian over on the right you get more videos in Russian.

If you listen carefully to the video the group is Catholics and Russian Orthadox. They used to have a lot more videos, my main takeaway after watching them is that they are really worried because the Muslim Russsians are out breeding the Orthodox Russians.

Although stated that the Howard Center is of many Faiths you can be darned sure they are hiding their Catholic foundations. Yeah, they really hate contraception also, big Catholic tip off there.

LOL. I could never claim to know that, but you may be closer to a truth than you think.

I understand that alcohol abuse and alcoholism are tremendous problems there, some of the worst in the world.

Whether that is a relic of the Soviet era, or runs through the whole history, I don’t know. But alcohol is a cheap palliative if you’re poor, and most of the people of Russia have always been poor, and Russia has never been a nice place to be poor.

“There’s something in the water.”

(sorry–I can’t resist)

Vodka?

If you’re interested, anything about Russia by Orlando Figes is immensely useful, most particularly “A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924,” a sad and harrowing book, and “Natasha’s Dance: A Cultural history of Russia.”

Figes also writes of life under Stalin in “The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin’s Russia,” a book that you will lay down from time to time because you are weeping. This may be the best explanation of Russia today.

A good quick overview of Russian history from the beginning to Putin is “Russia, a Short History” by Abraham Ascher.

Also, three works by Robert K. Massie, although somewhat “popular” and book-of-the-month in conception, are actually well-researched and beautifully written. His biographies of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great are truly worth the time; his story of Nicholas and Alexandra is, I think, weaker. I haven’t read his history of the Romanovs.

I say all this not to parade, but because Russia, of all nations, can be such a conundrum. And not just today, but through all it’s history. Personally, I think that no country in history has been more able and more willing to shoot itself in the foot than has Russia. There’s something in the water.

There is another variable. Russia’s nationalism means that they have expelled many non-Russians and have made it hard/unwelcome to anyone thinking of migrating there (assuming someone really WANTS to). The U.S. birth/death rate would likely be 0 or negative if NOT for immigration (and that’s WITH the anti-immigrant attitudes of OUR right wing).

US birth rate: est. 13.7 per 1000
US death rate: est. 8.4 per 1000

Russia birth rate: est. 12.3 per 1000
Russia death rate: est. 14.1 per 1000

You see the problem now?