Russian Beauty Queens Stares Down Putin
 An extraordinary thing seems to be happening in Vladimir Putin’s Russia these days. Even as every other stratum of political opposition falls away, Putin finds himself besieged on an entirely unexpected new front: the runways of Russia’s beauty pageants. In November of last year, Russian Miss Earth contestant Natalia Pereverzeva gave one of the most stunning answers to a beauty-contest question in history. Asked what made her proud of Russia, she voluntarily added what made her ashamed. She stated: But my Russia — it is also my poor, long-suffering country, mercilessly torn to pieces by greedy, dishonest, unbelieving people. My Russia — it is a great artery, from which the “chosen” few people draining away its wealth. My Russia is a beggar. My Russia cannot help her elderly and orphans. From it, bleeding, like from sinking ship, engineers, doctors, teachers are fleeing, because they have nothing to live on. My Russia — it is an endless Caucasian war. These are the embittered brother nations who formerly spoke in the same language, and who now prohibit teaching of it in their schools. My Russia — it is a winner which has overthrown fascism but bought the victory at the expense of lives of millions of people. How, tell me, how and why does the nationalism prosper in this country? My dear, poor Russia. The reigning Miss Russia, Elmira Abdrazakova, now has stepped into the political ring as well. That Abdrazakova dared to walk down the runway at all was a poke in Putin’s eye. ---------- Women have long been a thorn in Putin’s side. Recall Galina Starovoitova, the firebrand parliamentarian who was the leading opposition voice when Putin took over the KGB. She was soon thereafter shot and killed. Then there were journalists Anna Politkovskaya and Anastasia Baburova, and human rights activist Natalia Estemirova, who fearlessly shone light on Putin’s atrocities in Chechnya. Likewise, all three were soon murdered. ---------- In Putin’s Russia, one woman is brutally murdered by her spouse every hour — a horrifying 14,000 per year. But heroic women from Pereverzeva to Chirikova are unbowed, and continue to speak out for justice despite overwhelming odds against them. http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=271629 |
1 comment:
Brave lady...Natalia Pereverzeva!
I was in that country and can undersign under everyone of her letters!
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