it is not them who are to blame, but us, who naively thought that there was no going back to the old ways. And for the sake of good, it’s okay to rig elections a little bit here, or influence the courts a little bit there, and stifle the press a bit over here.”
Thank you Bari for your amazing reporting! You are making this world a better place. Navalny's wife Julia just published a very moving video saying that she will continue his fight against Putin's regime. Unbelievably brave and amazing family!
"And for the sake of good, it’s okay to rig elections a little bit here, or influence the courts a little bit there, and stifle the press a bit over here. " Why does that sound familiar?
Can I ask a simple question? Yes? Why does no one care that this EXACT THING is going on in Cuba, NOW? At this moment? The Cubans tried to revolt during COVID, when the collectivest jail cell they live in as a country got so small death and suffering seemed preferable to continuing to pretend that the whole country is not ruled by sadistic megalomaniacs.
Biden didn't care. The American press didn't care. The huge protests against the callousness and cruelty of their governments made in Cuba and Venezuela made no impressions on the American Left. Why not?
Does it bother you when people are kept in solitary confinement? How about Cuban dissidents, who were and as needed presumably still are kept in cells the size of dog cages, where they can't properly stand up or sit down, and which have only small slits that can be opened and closed for air? These things are designed to break peoples minds quickly and efficiently, and so terrorize people that they spend the rest of their lives shaking in silence.
No, there is no principle here. None. Bernie Sanders spent his honeymoon in the Soviet Union when the KGB still ruled, and when Soviet agents were still trying to overthrow governments to create their own system of privation and privilege all around the world.
This is silly. Yes, Navalny is or was admirable. But let's not pretend that the American and European Left was not perfectly content with things when Solzhenitsyn was suffering the frozen North.
Dear God. It never end with you people. Your only reality is only EVER what is being put in front of your eyes at that moment. You have no memory, and lack the principles to create a future of your own.
Thank you not only for obtaining these but for publishing them as well. It is yet another reminder of the fragility of this thing we call "freedom;" and, sadly, the predictability of events does not reduce their tragic nature.
I hope this can harden us, here in the West, against the increasing attempts to reduce and rearrange our freedoms "for the common good." We can allow absolutely no slack on this issue, regardless of which party/ideology is attempting it.
If you ever find your vigilance waning by leaning on that old saw of "it can't happen here," read these letters again.
What monumentally heroic men these Russian patriots are, and what vitally important communications they provided to the world. These letters should be included in every study of bravery in the face of brutal dictatorship, torture and death; should be required study in all our "woke" universities and among our frivolous political class. The line about the false belief that it is possible to "modernize authoritarianism" is a warning to all who put their faith in powerful leaders who offer simple solutions to complex problems (i.e. "Only I can save America!"). The world lost a true hero and a friend of freedom with the murder of Navalny. Thank you for publishing these important letters between two towering heroes of liberty.
For me, again I date myself because imo it’s relevant, as a gen x-er; while awful and poignant- the letters aren’t shocking or illuminating.
The Cold War (Stalin and Mao) after Nazi Germany (Hitler) was not THAT LONG ago.
Why the shock? Why the fascination with these letters and this man? MILLIONS upon MILLIONS died under the leadership of the three …THREE MEN mentioned above. And we; the media and the West are obsessed with a few recent characters? And why?
IMO lack of education -period.
Wikipedia just about gushes with admiration for Mao; as if he’s Thomas Jefferson or George Washington or Mother Theresa.
The stories presented by the FP good. But for me there is NO shock value; no consideration of how we got here- no evaluation of why we are so surprised and also outraged (but are we really?)
We have BEEN HERE. WE collectively turn a blind eye and have politicians who know damn well the history and ideology and methodology of these nations annd those like them. And yet- we turn a blind eye for 100 years. And what about Cuba? Venezuela? Haiti? Mexico? What about the horrible human rights violations of our “partners” in Qatar? Saudi Arabia? Bahrain?
There is nothing surprising or shocking or NEW for us. And how sad history will continue to repeat itself because the WEST refuses to put morality and the values it says it’s for before money and greed.
"But in the current situation, it is not them who are to blame, but us, who naively thought that there was no going back to the old ways. And for the sake of good, it’s okay to rig elections a little bit here, or influence the courts a little bit there, and stifle the press a bit over here."
Russia has never known true freedom, true democracy, but then neither did Imperial Japan, Nor Der Kaiserzeit deutchland oder Der dritte Reich. It took a major war to change this.
In our Republic we’ve managed to create an amalgamation of Soviet philosophy with a philosophical darkness. They march in the streets & college campuses advocating hate. They destroy for failing to use the “correct” pronoun. We elect dung & expect a bed of roses! Be afraid. Do something.
I originally subscribed to TFP to stand with Bari after her shameful treatment by the NYT. This article exemplifies the immense value I have received in return. Thank you Bari - and the rest of the TFP staff - for your honest and insightful journalism. You are a beacon in a profession that has lost its way.
May we now agree that moral relativism needs to be rejected at every turn, that there is indeed evil in the world and that measuring people on a good versus evil scale is not only appropriate but necessary? Unfortunately there are millions among us who bought into the moral relativism BS and parrot what they were taught in far too many schools and universities.
Thank you Bari and TFP for publishing these letters and giving voice to those who stand for freedom. May we continue to be inspired by them and others to stand up and no longer be silent ourselves.
Tucker’s point was that we need to understand the grievances and thought process of our self-proclaimed adversary. What reasonable person could disagree? As for Navalny, as long as we have hundreds of political prisoners who are being denied fair trials…I’m just not interested.
Reading this correspondence, one is reminded what real heroism is. It is not yelling inarticulated slogans at protests or death threats at a police officer; it's not vandalizing shops, intimidating a student walking on campus or banging on the car of a doctor trying to leave a Jewish hospital; it's not twerking for pre-schoolers in drag at a library, nor throwing tomato soup on Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," nor sitting on a street blocking motorists. And it is not surgically lopping off or adding parts to young bodies that have deliberately and insidiously been broken inside. Both these men and many men and women who can choose to be silent but speak up against true evil in this world, they pay dearly with their freedom and sometimes with there lives. These people are heroes. Let us raise a glass or say a prayer for Alexei Navalny and other such exceptional, honorable human beings.
Thank you Bari for sharing these letters. It is deeply moving to read the words of two men of profound truth, courage and conviction in a world that seems to be so lacking in these virtues. I sit here pondering what does it mean for me as I watch the erosion of freedom that I am seeing and do nothing. By sharing these stories, you allow Navalny to continue to "influence the souls of millions of people worldwide."
it is not them who are to blame, but us, who naively thought that there was no going back to the old ways. And for the sake of good, it’s okay to rig elections a little bit here, or influence the courts a little bit there, and stifle the press a bit over here.”
Did anyone else get a chill reading these words?
Thank you Bari for your amazing reporting! You are making this world a better place. Navalny's wife Julia just published a very moving video saying that she will continue his fight against Putin's regime. Unbelievably brave and amazing family!
"And for the sake of good, it’s okay to rig elections a little bit here, or influence the courts a little bit there, and stifle the press a bit over here. " Why does that sound familiar?
Can I ask a simple question? Yes? Why does no one care that this EXACT THING is going on in Cuba, NOW? At this moment? The Cubans tried to revolt during COVID, when the collectivest jail cell they live in as a country got so small death and suffering seemed preferable to continuing to pretend that the whole country is not ruled by sadistic megalomaniacs.
Biden didn't care. The American press didn't care. The huge protests against the callousness and cruelty of their governments made in Cuba and Venezuela made no impressions on the American Left. Why not?
Does it bother you when people are kept in solitary confinement? How about Cuban dissidents, who were and as needed presumably still are kept in cells the size of dog cages, where they can't properly stand up or sit down, and which have only small slits that can be opened and closed for air? These things are designed to break peoples minds quickly and efficiently, and so terrorize people that they spend the rest of their lives shaking in silence.
No, there is no principle here. None. Bernie Sanders spent his honeymoon in the Soviet Union when the KGB still ruled, and when Soviet agents were still trying to overthrow governments to create their own system of privation and privilege all around the world.
This is silly. Yes, Navalny is or was admirable. But let's not pretend that the American and European Left was not perfectly content with things when Solzhenitsyn was suffering the frozen North.
Dear God. It never end with you people. Your only reality is only EVER what is being put in front of your eyes at that moment. You have no memory, and lack the principles to create a future of your own.
Thank you not only for obtaining these but for publishing them as well. It is yet another reminder of the fragility of this thing we call "freedom;" and, sadly, the predictability of events does not reduce their tragic nature.
I hope this can harden us, here in the West, against the increasing attempts to reduce and rearrange our freedoms "for the common good." We can allow absolutely no slack on this issue, regardless of which party/ideology is attempting it.
If you ever find your vigilance waning by leaning on that old saw of "it can't happen here," read these letters again.
What monumentally heroic men these Russian patriots are, and what vitally important communications they provided to the world. These letters should be included in every study of bravery in the face of brutal dictatorship, torture and death; should be required study in all our "woke" universities and among our frivolous political class. The line about the false belief that it is possible to "modernize authoritarianism" is a warning to all who put their faith in powerful leaders who offer simple solutions to complex problems (i.e. "Only I can save America!"). The world lost a true hero and a friend of freedom with the murder of Navalny. Thank you for publishing these important letters between two towering heroes of liberty.
For me, again I date myself because imo it’s relevant, as a gen x-er; while awful and poignant- the letters aren’t shocking or illuminating.
The Cold War (Stalin and Mao) after Nazi Germany (Hitler) was not THAT LONG ago.
Why the shock? Why the fascination with these letters and this man? MILLIONS upon MILLIONS died under the leadership of the three …THREE MEN mentioned above. And we; the media and the West are obsessed with a few recent characters? And why?
IMO lack of education -period.
Wikipedia just about gushes with admiration for Mao; as if he’s Thomas Jefferson or George Washington or Mother Theresa.
The stories presented by the FP good. But for me there is NO shock value; no consideration of how we got here- no evaluation of why we are so surprised and also outraged (but are we really?)
We have BEEN HERE. WE collectively turn a blind eye and have politicians who know damn well the history and ideology and methodology of these nations annd those like them. And yet- we turn a blind eye for 100 years. And what about Cuba? Venezuela? Haiti? Mexico? What about the horrible human rights violations of our “partners” in Qatar? Saudi Arabia? Bahrain?
There is nothing surprising or shocking or NEW for us. And how sad history will continue to repeat itself because the WEST refuses to put morality and the values it says it’s for before money and greed.
Great work, Bari!
Now why not share the letters of Julian Assange?
How about the political prisoners from January 6?
C'mon Bari!
C'mon team at the Democratic Party Rehabilitation Project!
This really hit home:
"But in the current situation, it is not them who are to blame, but us, who naively thought that there was no going back to the old ways. And for the sake of good, it’s okay to rig elections a little bit here, or influence the courts a little bit there, and stifle the press a bit over here."
Russia has never known true freedom, true democracy, but then neither did Imperial Japan, Nor Der Kaiserzeit deutchland oder Der dritte Reich. It took a major war to change this.
In our Republic we’ve managed to create an amalgamation of Soviet philosophy with a philosophical darkness. They march in the streets & college campuses advocating hate. They destroy for failing to use the “correct” pronoun. We elect dung & expect a bed of roses! Be afraid. Do something.
I originally subscribed to TFP to stand with Bari after her shameful treatment by the NYT. This article exemplifies the immense value I have received in return. Thank you Bari - and the rest of the TFP staff - for your honest and insightful journalism. You are a beacon in a profession that has lost its way.
May we now agree that moral relativism needs to be rejected at every turn, that there is indeed evil in the world and that measuring people on a good versus evil scale is not only appropriate but necessary? Unfortunately there are millions among us who bought into the moral relativism BS and parrot what they were taught in far too many schools and universities.
Thank you Bari and TFP for publishing these letters and giving voice to those who stand for freedom. May we continue to be inspired by them and others to stand up and no longer be silent ourselves.
Nothing new or shocking. It’s happened in history before - not that long ago.
It’s happening today in this very country. Too many Americans are somnamulant individuals to what’s going on.
Tucker’s point was that we need to understand the grievances and thought process of our self-proclaimed adversary. What reasonable person could disagree? As for Navalny, as long as we have hundreds of political prisoners who are being denied fair trials…I’m just not interested.
Reading this correspondence, one is reminded what real heroism is. It is not yelling inarticulated slogans at protests or death threats at a police officer; it's not vandalizing shops, intimidating a student walking on campus or banging on the car of a doctor trying to leave a Jewish hospital; it's not twerking for pre-schoolers in drag at a library, nor throwing tomato soup on Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," nor sitting on a street blocking motorists. And it is not surgically lopping off or adding parts to young bodies that have deliberately and insidiously been broken inside. Both these men and many men and women who can choose to be silent but speak up against true evil in this world, they pay dearly with their freedom and sometimes with there lives. These people are heroes. Let us raise a glass or say a prayer for Alexei Navalny and other such exceptional, honorable human beings.
Thank you Bari for sharing these letters. It is deeply moving to read the words of two men of profound truth, courage and conviction in a world that seems to be so lacking in these virtues. I sit here pondering what does it mean for me as I watch the erosion of freedom that I am seeing and do nothing. By sharing these stories, you allow Navalny to continue to "influence the souls of millions of people worldwide."