Putin and Bush
Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:19 pm
What do you think about this article?
Artículo por Eduardo Haro Tecglen, El Pais, 15 de septiembre de 2004
Putin
Muchos le ven como un nuevo Hitler. Los místicos creen que hay una ley
que manda que las naciones han de pasar por un Hitler, como usted tuvo un Franco, los franceses un Pétain y los latinoamericanos una miríada de generales. Otros miran las reformas del lunes que dan al presidente el
poder que tuvieron los secretarios generales del PC. Y los zares. En
realidad, imita a Bush: una agencia antiterrorista, los cambios en las elecciones regionales, la designación de diputados y gobernadores.
Putin acude, naturalmente, al antiterrorismo, "venga de donde venga",
la matanza de niños en Osetia, el desgarro de la imagen más sagrada que tenemos los laicos, un niño en un pupitre, nos impulsa a gritar de odio y a permitir leyes especiales que amarren a quienes ni siquiera son terroristas. Y lanzar palabras: dijo Putin el lunes que "los actores intelectuales y los que ejecutan ataques terroristas tienen como objetivo -y ejecutaba a los Rosemberg-, la "anti-España", decía Franco -y
fusilaba-, (......).
Estas frases sirven para lanzar "la guerra preventiva" que Putin toma
de Bush y también la he oido elogiar en Aznar y ahora están en ella;
apenas nos hemos zafado (¡Afganistan!); y llega a tales extremos que los de Bush se han ganado el odio de toda la población del prevenido intelectual Irak, incluso la que quería zafarse de Sadam. Los civiles son así: no hay que fiarse nunca de ellos. La matanza de veinte más en Faluya es del lunes. Tiene algo de razón Putin: tratan de dividir Rusia. Ni siquiera eso: tratan de ignorar Rusia, de ser ellos solos. Ellos no han cambiado, nosotros, sí.
Cuando los chechenos atacaban la Rusia comunista, les ayudabamos y
arábamos, eran el "valeroso pueblecillo que se enfrenta con el osos soviético", cuando estamos contra el terrorismo y contra las secisones por el Estado grande, odiamos a los pueblecillos asesinos. Y lo son. El Kremlim es el nido de la democracia fuerte: si Putin se convierte en Hitler, es nuestro Hitler."
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Translation by Miguel Benito, with revision by Art:
Article by Eduardo Haro Tecglen, El Pais, September 15, 2004
Putin.
Many people see him as a new Hitler. Mystics think that there is a
[natural] law that makes nations experience [or go through] a Hitler, as you [Spaniards] had a Franco, the French had a Petain, and Latin-Americans have had a thousand generals. Others watch the reforms of this Monday which give the [Russian] President powers that used to be held by the Communist Party's general secretaries. And the Czars. Actually, he is imitating Bush: an anti-terrorist agency, the changes in regional elections, the appointment of deputies [US equivalent: congressional representatives] and governors.
Putin has come to [a stance against] terrorism "wherever it comes
from," obviously because of the massacre of children in Osetias. This event rends of the most sacred image that we average folks carry [in our hearts and minds]: a child in a school desk. It makes us want to yell out with hatred and to allow special laws which will tie up [lock up] even those who aren't terrorists.
And to toss around words: Putin said this Monday that "intellectual
actors [those who are the brains behind terrorist attacks] and those who
commit terrorist attacks have as an objective the disintegration of the State and the division of Russia." McCarthy used to talk about "un-American activities" (and he executed the Rosenbergs), Franco talked about "anti-Spain" (and he executed people by firing squad), ... [and so on].
These sentences are used to launch "preventive war", [a notion] which
Putin takes from Bush -- [and a notion] which I have also heard Aznar praise. And now they are in it [the war]. We have just barely disentangled
ourselves from it. (¡Afghanistan!) Things have gone to such extremes that Bush's people have won the hatred of every highly-educated Iraqi, even those who wanted to be free of Sadam. Civilians are like that: you can't trust them. In the news this Monday is a massacre of twenty more people in Falujah. Putin is right: they attempt to divide Russia. Not only that: they attempt to ignore Russia, to just be themselves. They haven't changed, we have.
When the Chechens attacked Communist Russia, we helped them and armed them [the Chechens]. They were the "brave little people who faced the Soviet bear." When we are against terrorism and against secession from the larger State, we hate murderous little people. And they are [murderous]. The Kremlin is the cradle of strong democracy: if Putin becomes Hitler, he is our Hitler.
Artículo por Eduardo Haro Tecglen, El Pais, 15 de septiembre de 2004
Putin
Muchos le ven como un nuevo Hitler. Los místicos creen que hay una ley
que manda que las naciones han de pasar por un Hitler, como usted tuvo un Franco, los franceses un Pétain y los latinoamericanos una miríada de generales. Otros miran las reformas del lunes que dan al presidente el
poder que tuvieron los secretarios generales del PC. Y los zares. En
realidad, imita a Bush: una agencia antiterrorista, los cambios en las elecciones regionales, la designación de diputados y gobernadores.
Putin acude, naturalmente, al antiterrorismo, "venga de donde venga",
la matanza de niños en Osetia, el desgarro de la imagen más sagrada que tenemos los laicos, un niño en un pupitre, nos impulsa a gritar de odio y a permitir leyes especiales que amarren a quienes ni siquiera son terroristas. Y lanzar palabras: dijo Putin el lunes que "los actores intelectuales y los que ejecutan ataques terroristas tienen como objetivo -y ejecutaba a los Rosemberg-, la "anti-España", decía Franco -y
fusilaba-, (......).
Estas frases sirven para lanzar "la guerra preventiva" que Putin toma
de Bush y también la he oido elogiar en Aznar y ahora están en ella;
apenas nos hemos zafado (¡Afganistan!); y llega a tales extremos que los de Bush se han ganado el odio de toda la población del prevenido intelectual Irak, incluso la que quería zafarse de Sadam. Los civiles son así: no hay que fiarse nunca de ellos. La matanza de veinte más en Faluya es del lunes. Tiene algo de razón Putin: tratan de dividir Rusia. Ni siquiera eso: tratan de ignorar Rusia, de ser ellos solos. Ellos no han cambiado, nosotros, sí.
Cuando los chechenos atacaban la Rusia comunista, les ayudabamos y
arábamos, eran el "valeroso pueblecillo que se enfrenta con el osos soviético", cuando estamos contra el terrorismo y contra las secisones por el Estado grande, odiamos a los pueblecillos asesinos. Y lo son. El Kremlim es el nido de la democracia fuerte: si Putin se convierte en Hitler, es nuestro Hitler."
--------
Translation by Miguel Benito, with revision by Art:
Article by Eduardo Haro Tecglen, El Pais, September 15, 2004
Putin.
Many people see him as a new Hitler. Mystics think that there is a
[natural] law that makes nations experience [or go through] a Hitler, as you [Spaniards] had a Franco, the French had a Petain, and Latin-Americans have had a thousand generals. Others watch the reforms of this Monday which give the [Russian] President powers that used to be held by the Communist Party's general secretaries. And the Czars. Actually, he is imitating Bush: an anti-terrorist agency, the changes in regional elections, the appointment of deputies [US equivalent: congressional representatives] and governors.
Putin has come to [a stance against] terrorism "wherever it comes
from," obviously because of the massacre of children in Osetias. This event rends of the most sacred image that we average folks carry [in our hearts and minds]: a child in a school desk. It makes us want to yell out with hatred and to allow special laws which will tie up [lock up] even those who aren't terrorists.
And to toss around words: Putin said this Monday that "intellectual
actors [those who are the brains behind terrorist attacks] and those who
commit terrorist attacks have as an objective the disintegration of the State and the division of Russia." McCarthy used to talk about "un-American activities" (and he executed the Rosenbergs), Franco talked about "anti-Spain" (and he executed people by firing squad), ... [and so on].
These sentences are used to launch "preventive war", [a notion] which
Putin takes from Bush -- [and a notion] which I have also heard Aznar praise. And now they are in it [the war]. We have just barely disentangled
ourselves from it. (¡Afghanistan!) Things have gone to such extremes that Bush's people have won the hatred of every highly-educated Iraqi, even those who wanted to be free of Sadam. Civilians are like that: you can't trust them. In the news this Monday is a massacre of twenty more people in Falujah. Putin is right: they attempt to divide Russia. Not only that: they attempt to ignore Russia, to just be themselves. They haven't changed, we have.
When the Chechens attacked Communist Russia, we helped them and armed them [the Chechens]. They were the "brave little people who faced the Soviet bear." When we are against terrorism and against secession from the larger State, we hate murderous little people. And they are [murderous]. The Kremlin is the cradle of strong democracy: if Putin becomes Hitler, he is our Hitler.