Saturday, August 10, 2013

Open Letter To Father John

Dear Father John:

I do appreciate your responses and do feel a real and sincere person in you. I also understand the somewhat uncomfortable situation I might put you in with this correspondence. However, as a truly religious person, which I think and hope you are, I am sure you understand the importance of the issues that we came to discuss (maybe incidentally and at the random confluence of circumstances, but at the same time, possibly due to a certain higher will, whatever we call and interpret it). If you allow me (and apparently, even if you do not

), I would like to take just a little bit more of your valuable time and to mention another issue which seems to be of utmost importance and of real life and symbolic significance for both Russia (her history and culture) and the Western values and conscience: the Pussy Riot case. If you permit me this strong and maybe somewhat exaggerated but exact expression, the persecution and prosecution of Pussy Riot reeks to high heaven!

Some might view it as an "offence against religion and public worship" and others as a violation of freedom of artistic expression. Whatever this difference of opinions is (both of these opinions should be equally recognised, respected and explored further to advance our better and contemporary understanding and conceptualisation of this dilemma), these girls do suffer and undeservedly so, I think. They made the modern day saints out of them, unwillingly and unwittingly. I think that the spirit of Mother Russia resides in their souls, and the touch and protective shade of Bogoroditsa is upon them.They have to be released, and as soon as possible! This affair covers Russia as a state and ROC with shame. It will be better for everyone if this problem is resolved. I also think (and I wrote about this before, and, in part, maybe very sharply and satirically, which also is my right to the freedom of artistic expression) that this story raises a more general, very interesting and important for our understanding of Russian history, issue of historical tragedy of Russian Byzantism, which might be at the heart of her problems as a state and as a culture.

Whatever our understanding and interpretations of this subject are, and I am sure we might differ on it radically, the bottom line remains the same: these girls have to be released! Another aspect of this issue: feminism, and maybe even "militant feminism" as an ideology relates closely to the previous issue that I had a chance to present to you in my first email: gay rights, which include also human and gay rights of the clergy of all Churches. ROC and OCA will have to deal with these issues, sooner or later, and better sooner than later. Catholic Church (may God bless Pope Francis, if I may say so, even if I am a non-believer) started to deal with them, quietly, but courageously. Apparently the Orthodox Churches will have to make their moves. These issues will not go away, even if they are called an "Apocalypse" by Patriarch Kirill, they have to be dealt with directly, intelligently and in "good faith", in all meanings of this expression. This spectrum of subjects opens and includes another one: historical Schism of Catholic and Orthodox Churches and their perspectives for ecclesiastical reunion and for ecumenical movement. I think it would be also appropriate to note the positions of Protestant Churches in this matters and, in my very humble opinion, their overall more advanced, more humanistic and much more contemporary approach to these issues.

The beliefs are for humans, they fill their lives and give them a sense of meaning, purpose, direction and moral orientation (regardless, if we share or do not share them, if we agree or do not agree with them; some might say that beliefs have "therapeutic value"); not humans for beliefs, as the objects of anachronistic sacrifices, imprisonments and punishments. Not in the our modern world! If Christian Churches (and in this context, apparently, mostly Catholic and Orthodox Churches) do not change their attitudes, their theological understanding and interpretation of these issues, they risk losing their members, slowly but surely, and risk to become irrelevant to people and eventually, I dare to say, risk entering the road to extinction.

Please forgive me these amateurish ramblings; in our free country, I guess, we feel entitled even to them.

Once again, Father John, I want to say, to yell and to scream; and I wish you and your brothers would do it with me:

FREE PUSSY RIOT!

Thank you and goodbye; I think we will be in touch.

Sincerely and with hopes, Michael.

P.S. I will send a copy of this email and the previous, the first one, to Moscow Patriarchate and to Vatican and will also publish it in my blog as an open letter; I hope and think that you will not have objections to this.

Dear Sirs and compatriots:

I hope that you will not perceive me as being out of bounds if I share this link with you and ask you to convey it to Moscow Patriarchate, since they, apparently do not have or do not want to publicise their email.

Please also allow me to add that this is a very important matter, indeed; and I am sure that you are fully aware of this.

This is not just an issue of human sexuality, and not even simply an issue of human rights. It seems to me that this event and Pope Francis' words will have the most profound implications for the histories of Christianity, Christendom and the World itself.

Needless to say, I am sure that you are very concerned with the historical and spiritual fate of Russia and share deeply her pains.

Is this not the proper time to start meaningful and in-depth consideration and discussion of this issue? Orthodox Church in America might have an unique role and an unique responsibility and even an unique and high mission to work with Moscow Patriarchate on resolution of these very complex but extremely important questions.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and I hope that you understand me correctly.

Sincerely, Michael Novakhov

This is a copy of an email that I attempted to send to MP:

Dear Sirs:

I would like to share this link with you:

"If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?"

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely, Michael Novakhov

Attention Patriarch Kirill

Dear Patriarch Kirill:

Please, read my

Open Letter To Father John

And I want to say again:

FREE PUSSY RIOT!

Thank you for your attention to this matter and I hope that God will fill your heart with wisdom, understanding and forgiveness.

Sincerely, Michael

_________________________________________

I was not able to send this email to the addressee, because they turned off their email address.

They want to stay deaf, mute and blind. That's how they minister to Mother Russia.

Apparently what they prefer to see is gold and green paper, and what they prefer to hear is the cheap and hypocritical praise. And this is another example of devious, gangrenous and rotten Russian Bysantism.

The blind leaders of the blind, the deaf leaders of the deaf!

M.N.

____________________________________________

First published on 7.30.13 at 1: 12 PM Last Update on: 8.10.13

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

The KGB, The Moscow Patriarchate & The World Council of Churches

The KGB, The Moscow Patriarchate & The World Council of Churches Collection (10)

by Καταρα του Χαμ

More Info

The "Moscow Patriarchate" was established on order from Stalin in 1943 as a front organization for the NKVD, and later, for the KGB. All key positions in the Church, including bishops, were approved by the Ideological Department of CPSU and by the KGB. The priests were used as agents of influence in the World Council of Churches and in front organizations such as World Peace Council, Christian Peace Conference, and the Rodina ("Motherland") Society founded by the KGB in 1975. The future Russian Patriarch Alexius II said that Rodina has been created to "maintain spiritual ties with our compatriots" and to help organize them. According to the Archive, Alexius worked for the KGB as agent DROZDOV, and received an honorary citation from the agency for a variety of services.

Upon ascending to power in Russia, the experienced Putin and long serving director of espionage also inherited the control over the Moscow Patriarchate. This control presented him with a golden opportunity: why not send his intelligence agents in the guise of spiritual figures to various parts of the world, where their outward identities would permit them conduct their clandestine operations without attracting undue attention?In order to make this maneuver more successful, he launched a
programme to “unite” the Russian Overseas Church Abroad and her
attendant Russian émigré with the MP, thereby placing them under his
control and “legalizing” his field of operations throughout the whole
world. Unfortunately, an undermined ROCA was unable to withstand theneo-communist onslaught of bribery, sycophancy and outright blackmail, and quickly succumbed to his MP.

Fortunately, because of God’s mercy, there were some clergy and laity
among overseas faithful that refused become a subordinate part of
“patriarch” Alexis and his “metropolitburo”. They began to reactivate
church life on the original ROCA beginnings, declaring that they will remain to the true precepts of the Church, and rejecting the betrayers of Christ’s Teachings that have become part of the MP.
The pivotal role played by Putin in this unification can be seen not only by the initiatives that he displayed from the beginning of this entrapment, but by his personal zealous assistance provided to the Patriarchate over the past years, in seizing monasteries and parishes outside of the Russian Federation.

On the 17th May 2007, when the unification was being celebrated in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Putin violated Church statutes, custom and decorum by halting the Church Service to deliver a speech! His behaviour showed that what was transpiring carried a political and not a religious significance.

Having gained control over the overseas parishes, the neo-soviet government can now develop its activities in areas where before they had no bases or logistical support. Putin’s various government
instrumentalities are now in a position to extend their technical services and contacts through the compliant Patriarchate.The political substance embedded in the MP can be seen in its structure.
The government officials in “cassocks” attached to the Patriarchate, have
developed a series of sub-divisions within her, each with specific responsibilities, the most prominent being the security section that protects the “patriarch” and his “metropolitburo”. The security guards
attached to this section are military service veterans, even though they are officially registered as “students” of theological academies and seminaries. They dress in civilian clothing, in cassocks or in pseudo-cossack uniforms. They are armed with small whips and side arms and have German shepherd dogs at their disposal. They are also fully trained in chemical weaponry, explosives and are fully conversant with electronics and computer technology. Within the MP, there is also a section that deals with documents/passports, which is capable (in emergencies) of issuing instant visas or extending them, to prolong stays in the RF of existing

visas, to arrange invitations to foreign dignitaries etc…

Monday, July 29, 2013

PussyPutinka™ - the real vodka for the real men!

Boycott "Stolichnaya", to hell with "Putinka"!

The real men drink PussyPutinka™!

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If it is not PussyPutinka™, it is not the real vodka!

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World news: Russia | theguardian.com

Shame on the IOC, NBC and foreign governments for turning a blind eye on Russia's LGBT hate campaign | Nancy Goldstein

Today, July 29th 7:30am

· Nancy Goldstein

gay rights

international olympic committee

russia

world news

guardian.co.uk

comment

comment is free

As long as the Sochi games are fine, the IOC and others will ignore Putin's moves to intimidate and hurt LGBT Russians

Outrage of the week: this past Friday's announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that it has "received assurances from the highest level of government in Russia" that the country's draconian new anti-LGBT policies "will not affect those attending or taking part in the games".

As a reminder, the IOC is referring to the trifecta of bills signed into law by President Putin this summer thatroll the status of LGBT people back to the Stalin era. One criminalizes any behavior seen as pro-gay. Another bans the adoption of Russian children by gay couples and any single parent from a country that recognizes marriage equality. And a third allows police officers to arrest tourists and foreign nationals they suspect of being homosexual, lesbian or "pro-gay" and detain them for up to 14 days. Next up: it's rumored that a soon-to-be-enacted law will remove Russian children from the homes of their Russian parents, biological or adoptive, if they are, or are suspected to be, LGBT.

So who on earth does the IOC, or Putin for that matter, think they're kidding with their "assurances"? Can they really be so entirely naïve or so thoroughly cynical that they don't think non-Russian LGBT people or our allies care about what's been happening to our Russian counterparts in the wake of Putin's edicts so long as our own skins are safe? That we'll just happily ignore last week's news of skinheads luring gay teenagers with an online dating scam, then taping the sessions where they torture them so long as no one blocks our view of the figure skating events? That we can't recognize Third Reich-style politics or bureaucratic complacency? That,per the IOC, "it remains to be seen whether and how" the recently-passed legislation "will be implemented"?

Gentlemen, guess again. Because we have access to the internet, Facebook, and Twitter (where John Aravosis of AmericaBlog aptly snarked, "The IOC has promised 'safe passage' for gays attending the Sochi Olympics in 2014 - the skinheads will reportedly only beat up Russian fags.") We are already "affected" by a steady stream of articles, images, and videos coming out of Russia that very clearly document what implementation of these first stages of Putin's final solution looks like.

Harvey Fierstein's piece in last week's New York Times aptly linked Putin's "strategy of demonizing a minority for political gain" to "the Nazi playbook," noting that "this kind of scapegoating is used by politicians to solidify their bases and draw attention away from their failing policies".

The timing for this crusade is no accident. Not only is Russia's economy currently in the crapper, but in the months leading up to Putin's sudden wave of anti-gay edicts there's been plenty of public disgruntlement over the $30bn slated for Sochi-related projects that has gone "missing" into his pockets and those of his cronies.

But Fierstein's piece was only the beginning. Next day's BuzzFeed photomontage of "36 Pictures From Russia That Everyone Needs to See" brought millions of viewers image after image of bloodied and crying LGBT Russians clinging to one another — people trying to shield themselves from blows and rotten eggs at peaceful protests turned violent where the police, skinheads, and large crowds of anti-gay protestors beat, mock, assault, and arrest them.

So the news fromthe Russian LGBT Network that four Dutch tourists had just been jailed under the new "gay propaganda" law for filming a documentary on LGBT rights in Russia was the last straw. By the time Dan Savage called for a boycott of Russian vodka mid-week, gay bars from New York, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, and LA to Sydney, London, and Vancouver were good and ready to begin pouring Russian booze into the streets.

Had Putin reignited Russia's abuse of its Jewish citizens, it would have been unthinkable for the IOC to issue a statement suggesting that non-Russian Jewish athletes, pundits, and spectators could go have a blast in Sochi because we'd be spared the anti-Semitic violence sweeping the rest of the country. There's just no way. The American Jewish community and the Obama administration would have (rightly) enacted trade sanctions instantly. There would have been no statement from the State Department like the one issued the same day as the IOC announcement saying that it does not support a boycott of the games.

So how does a pogrom against LGBT people and our allies pass muster in 2013?

Twenty-first century queers aren't going to wait quietly for a diplomatic solution while each month more of us are tortured and more of us are murdered. Last month, killers reportedly stabbed and trampled a man to death before putting his body in his car and setting it on fire. Just weeks before, 23-year-old Vladislav Tornovoi's friends murdered him because he mentioned he was gay while they were getting drunk, according to the BBC. They raped him with beer bottles before smashing his skull in with rocks.

We've been here before. And we know the power of economic sanctions and boycotts. When Congress finally came around in 1986 and passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (overriding President Ronald Reagan's veto) that banned all new trade and investments in South Africa, other countries followed suit, South Africa's economy went into free fall. Five years later, its Parliament voted to repeal the legal framework for apartheid.

So it's no surprise that Stolichnaya, which is freaking out over the boycott, is running a disinformation campaign where it tries to convince the public that it's not actually Russian vodka because it's currently distilled and bottled in Latvia. Nice try, guys, but the label on the bottle says "Russian vodka" (three times), you're owned by Yuri Scheffler, one of the 100 richest men in Russia, your vodka is made from Russian products, and you've taken great pains to market Stoli as the iconic Russian vodka.

NBC Universal, which has paid $4 billion dollars for the rights to cover the Olympics from 2014 through 2020, has also been squirmy. Human Rights Campaign president Chad Griffin's letter (pdf) asking them to include news of Russia's human rights violations alongside their standard Olympics coverage has elicited a hasty if mealy-mouthed response from the network saying that it will "provide coverage of Russia's anti-gay laws if the controversial measures surface as an issue during the upcoming Winter Olympics". In short, they're punting for now and hoping we'll all forget about it.

Kris van der Veen, one of the Dutch filmmakers who was arrested, then released last week, told me he wants governments from all over the world to help LGBT organizers have a Pride march in Sochi. A petition calling on corporate sponsors like Coca-Cola, Panasonic, VISA, Samsung, and Procter & Gamble to speak out against Russia's anti-gay laws has garnered around 40,000 signatures in a matter of days.

This much I can promise. No international bureaucracy, corporate entity, or modern-day führer is going to shrug us off with the assurance that we don't need to worry about our brothers and sisters because the haters will never come for us. Our hearts and our history tell us otherwise.

Nancy Goldstein

AdAge.com

Russia's Anti-Gay Laws Put Pressure on Stoli, NBC
AdAge.com
Stolichnaya Vodka has come out swinging against the Russian government's anti-gay policies in an attempt to thwart a growing boycott against the brand in the U.S. Meanwhile, corporations linked to the 2014 Olympics in Russia, including NBC, could be ...

NBC Sports vague over plans to cover Russia's anti-gay laws during OlympicsThe Guardian
Fingers crossed, NBC hopes outcry over Russia's anti-gay laws won't spoil ...Washington Post
Russia is Violently Attacking Gay People, But Watch How Gay Bars Across the ...PolicyMic
The Guardian-Los Angeles Times
all 195 news articles »

» UN Unveils Gay Rights Drive
28/07/13 20:00 from The Moscow Times Top Stories
Amid a surge of anti-gay violence and repression in Russia and several other countries, the United Nations' human rights office has launched its first global outreach campaign to promote tolerance and greater equality for lesbians, gays, tr...

» Vodka Brand Stands With Lesbians and Gays Against the Government
28/07/13 14:25 from The Moscow Times Top Stories
Stolichnaya, one of the most popular vodkas in the U.S., came out swinging at the Russian government last week with a message of support for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community worldwide.

» 'Homosexual propaganda' law signals latest Russian crackdown - NBCNews.com (blog)
28/07/13 14:19 from Russia - Google News
NBCNews.com (blog)'Homosexual propaganda' law signals latest Russian crackdownNBCNews.com (blog)Anti-homosexual crackdowns are nothing new in Russia: In 1933 the Soviet regime imposed a law banning sexual relations between men – pun...

» Russia's anti-gay laws prompt vodka, Olympics boycott - CBC.ca (blog)
28/07/13 06:05 from Russia - Google News
CBC.ca (blog)Russia's anti-gay laws prompt vodka, Olympics boycottCBC.ca (blog)According to the human rights watch, by passing these laws, Russia flouts the rules of the Olympic Charter. The Charter says that everyone "must have th...

» NBC likely to cover Russia's anti-gay laws during Winter Olympics - Los Angeles Times
27/07/13 23:21 from Russia - Google News
The GuardianNBC likely to cover Russia's anti-gay laws during Winter OlympicsLos Angeles TimesAll host nations, including Russia, "come with political and social issues, and we will address those issues as they are revelant at the ...

» LGBT campaigners boycott vodka in protest at Russian gay rights abuses - even though their main target isn't made in Russia
27/07/13 17:42 from - Europe RSS Feed
An LGBT activist's call for a boycott of Russia’s most famous export has gained international attention this week as concerns over Russian gay rights abuses mount.

» Russia faces vodka boycott in backlash against anti-gay law - The Guardian
27/07/13 03:54 from Russia - Google News
The GuardianRussia faces vodka boycott in backlash against anti-gay lawThe Guardian"To show our solidarity with Russian queers and their allies and to help to draw international attention to the persecution of gay men, lesbians, bisexu...

» Russia faces vodka boycott in backlash against anti-gay law - The Guardian
26/07/13 17:56 from Russia - Google News
The GuardianRussia faces vodka boycott in backlash against anti-gay lawThe Guardian"To show our solidarity with Russian queers and their allies and to help to draw international attention to the persecution of gay men, lesbians, bisexu...

» Russia faces vodka boycott in backlash against anti-gay law
26/07/13 17:56 from World news: Russia | guardian.co.uk
LGBT activists target brands including Stolichnaya and Russian Standard in response to ban on 'gay propaganda'There's nothing more Russian than vodka, so when gay and lesbian activists decided to protest against the country's persecution of...

» UN Launches Global Gay-Rights Campaign
26/07/13 14:13 from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The July 26 start of the UN human rights office's "Free and Equal" educational campaign comes amid a surge of antigay violence and repression in some parts of the world.

» Olympics Wins Exemption From Anti-Gay Law
26/07/13 13:46 from The Moscow Times Top Stories
The International Olympic Committee says it has received assurances from Russia's government that athletes and spectators at next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi will be exempt from a controversial law banning anything deemed to promote hom...

Mike Nova comments: This is what is called "selective justice", typical of Russia: they "exempt" the Olympians because it is convenient for them, but persecute all the others, foreigners and their own citizens, because they simply do not matter to them. Boycott the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games!

» Russia court rejects Pussy Riot member's appeal for freedom
26/07/13 12:39 from Russian news, all the latest and breaking Russia news
A Russian court has ruled to keep Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in prison to serve the remainder of a two year sentence for her involvement in a protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's most important Orthodox Church. ...

» Pussy Riot Convict Defiant After Losing Parole Battle
26/07/13 12:07 from The Moscow Times Top Stories
A jailed member of female punk group Pussy Riot lost a court battle to be released but remained unrepentant over last year's protest against President Vladimir Putin in a Moscow cathedral.