>>>By Kim Arx ( - 192.65.184.131) on Saturday, July 1, 2000 - 07:57 pm:
...
You describe Latvians taking their hatred of the Soviets out on individual Russians. I certainly don't condone that. I think it is tragic for both sides.
This is why I hate nationalism, religion,etc. because they create an identity based on what others are not.
... There are idiot, uneducated, unthinking, unfeeling people in every country.
By claiming that ALL Latvians are "whatever" aren't you just sinking to the same level as those Latvians saying ALL Russians are "whatever"?

Isn't it interesting that most people say the same thing along the lines of:"I don't like PIGMIES generally, but I have met one or two nice ones, I suppose"?
When we are dealing with a large group based on Nation,belief or interest we feel threatened. This of course is why such groups are formed. So that individuals within that group can feel secure in the knowledge that their way of life is right and they don't have to question their beliefs.
When we deal with each other as individuals, however, we find that despite our national identities we have things in(or not in) common as human beings. >>>

That's great Kim. You expressed how I feel on the subject very well.

I think we are living in a great transition period of humanity.

Just think of it, at one extreme, we are at the threshold of great scientific discoveries which have potential to enrich our lives enourmously. On the other extreme we have still dangerous, primitive impulses, which makes us to see things in black and white. Somebody is either a friend or enemy, something is either good or bad, to survive you need to kill, to win others need to lose, etc. Naturally, the truth is somewhere in between, or maybe in an entirely different place.

I don't make a secret that I hate Russia, due to the fact that she brings enourmous suffering, not only to other nations, but Russians as well. Just a brief look at Russian history shows how much Russian people have suffered.

The reason to me is simple. Russian leadership always sees the things in win-lose scenario. They always try to win. Nothing is wrong with that. Unfortunately others don't like losing, so there is always this tension, strugles, wars, etc.

On the other hand Western countries realised that, it is to their benefit if they cooperate, and share the benefits of economic development. Western leadership understood very well, that if a country bordering yours, is poor, and unstable, that only brings trouble. Russia still is too far away from this paradigm.

Maybe 5 or 10 years later, Chechnia will be fully independent, and be recognised by the world as such. We will look back and say why so many people had to die, and so much destruction had to be brought to this land. Surely this is a lose-lose situation.

Personally, I can not swap my son, or brothers,for all the wealth on this world. That is the reason, I can not understand how someone can make a decision to send thousands to their death, and others (like Igor and Dimitri) cheers on the sideline, from the comfort of Canada and USA.

Kim,

I only feel pity for Antonio. I think He is suffering enough without me adding more to his pain. I don't think he is in a state of mind which is open to constructive criticism, and suggestions. I hope he can get well soon.

By Kim Arx ( - 192.65.184.131) on Saturday, July 1, 2000 - 10:48 pm:
>Antonio, go Fidyadee yourself elsewhere.

"Fidayee" is originally an Arabic word that means "freedom-fighter". It is also an Armenian and Persian word. As I was fighting with the Christian Armenians against the Mohammedan Turks, and the Armenian freedom fighters were called "fidayees", I retain the name. I was offered the position of an officer, but I declined and chose to be a private at the lowest level so that I could get into battle at the front in the trenches.

>Are you so thick that you can't distinguish
>between the person and the Nation.

You are mixing apples and oranges Kim. I refered to the person and what he stands for. But like persons, there are also families, clans, tribes, nations etc., all composed of their smaller building blocks. Your intellect is really inferior if you can't grasp that Kim.


> Are you so sick that you can't see when someone
>expresses a genuine emotion.

Oh, so you are an emotionalist? Well, Kim, this truth may hurt you then, but truth is not determined by emotion. Go read St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologia and learn something.

> You emotionless, godbranding, selfsatisfied,
>ignorant,humourless, lifeless cyborg.

Kim, you are woking yourself into a heated passion.

>Where did they put the computerchip? Up your
> fire and Brimstone spewing anal-retentive
>backside?

Have you forgotten Kim, that it is you Liberal Brave-New-Worlders who are the proponents of branding everyone with computer chips?

---

By Kim Arx ( - 192.65.184.131) on Saturday, July 1, 2000 - 11:09 pm:
>And I believe Jesus washed the feet of a servant
>girl and all those attending the house to show
>humility.

There is no such words in Scripture to justify your interpretation Kim. Jesus Baptized people to make them lay-members of His Church. He did not wash the feet of any girl, but only His Apostles, and the reason for this was to confer the Sacrament of Holy Orders upon them and make them clerics. The significance of the Washing of the Feet is the cleansing of a man from all contact with the world - i.e., all worldly desires, loves, and goals - and then he will live for nothing except to serve God. There was no one else who could do this except God Himself, and as Christ is God, He did the Washing. And in commanding the Apostles to do this for each other, He was not commanding them to do that at that moment to the Apostles who had been washed already, but for the new bishops and priests that they were to ordain and consecrate in the future. You see Kim, your twisted ideas about the Holy Scriptures of the Catholic Church keep you in ignorance and hatred and bitterness. You are calling white black and black white.


>Practice what you preach, moron.

Unless you knew what I was preaching and believed in it yourself, how could you be in a position to tell me to practice it? Do I tell you to practice the Liberalism and anti-religious atheism and agnosticism and secular humanism that you preach? Of course not, because if I did then I would be an ridiculous hypocrite like you.

>Regarding your friends determining who you are,
>that would make you what? a nobody?

That's how the world judged Christ, and condemned Him to death.


>Come to think of it why am I talking to you?

Because deep down Kim, you know I am right, and the truth terrifies you so much that you must attack it and fight against it till your dying breath to prove to yourself that it is not the truth, because when you realize that it is, your life will be turned upside-down and you will lose the false security with which you have reasuured yourself, and then you will realize that you have no protection and will have to be totally dependent on the grace and mercy of God.

"I hope my leg will have reached heaven ahead of me." -- Shamil Basaev

Saladin: Basayev said it right. The desire of a martyr is heavenly abode.

SALADIN, pure ISLAMIC questions for you. Will Basaev's LEG get 3 PROMISED FEMALE LEGS in HEAVEN? Will it get a chance to MEET THE ALL MIGHTY ALLAH? And have a little CHAT WITH him? Oh, wait, legs can't talk. Though maybe in HEAVEN they can? What does Quran says about MARTYR-LEGS and their abilities?

Hashishu Akbar!

>>>>By Antonio ( - 209.239.212.157) on Sunday, July 2, 2000 - 12:08 am:

... The significance of the Washing of the Feet is the cleansing of a man from all contact with the world - i.e., all worldly desires, loves, and goals - and then he will live for nothing except to serve God. There was no one else who could do this except God Himself, and as Christ is God, He did the Washing. >>>>>>>


019.088 And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son.

019.089 Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing

019.090 Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins,

019.091 That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son,

019.092 When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son.

019.093 There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave.

019.094 Verily He knoweth them and numbereth them with (right) numbering.

019.095 And each one of them will come unto Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone.

019.096 Lo! those who believe and do good works, the Beneficent will appoint for them love.

019.097 And We make (this Scripture) easy in thy tongue, (O Muhammad) only that thou mayst bear good tidings therewith unto those who ward off (evil), and warn therewith the froward folk.

019.098 And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Canst thou (Muhammad) see a single man of them, or hear from them the slightest sound ?


truth, because when you realize that it is, your life will be turned upside-down and you will lose the false security with which you have reasuured yourself, and then you will realize that you have no protection and will have to be totally dependent on the grace and mercy of God.

Turk,
will respond tomorrow, no time to put my feet in the bucket mixed with 50% honey, 50% pure shite, where you're currently residing.

Kim, his heart is up his..bye-bye now, you clueless woman.

‡

Dimitri,
As I said, you won. So no need to reply. However, if you decided to talk sensibly, I am happy to listen. Although, that will be a huge surprise!

Putin approves new Russian foreign policy doctrine
MOSCOW, July 1 (AFP) -
President Vladimir Putin has approved a new foreign policy doctrine focusing on economic interests, the rights of Russians abroad and intelligence gathering, the Ria-Novosti news agency reported Saturday.

Putin endorsed on Friday a document already adopted by the Russian Security Council on March 24 before his election in May, Ria-Novosti said.

A top priority for the foreign ministry would be to defend Russian economic interests abroad, the agency reported.

The document also focuses on the situation of Russians living in the 14 other former Soviet constituent republics.

Moscow has been particularly concerned at the alleged discriminatory treatment of Russian minorities in the Baltic republics -- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Sergei Ivanov, secretary of Russia's influential Security Council, was quoted as saying Russians abroad should be entitled to the same rights as other citizens of the countries in which they live.

Ria-Novosti also said the role and tasks of the Russian foreign intelligence services would be enhanced under the new foreign policy conception, without giving further details.

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov was quoted as saying: "The special thing about this new conception is that it's more realistic than the one approved in 1993."

Vyacheslav Trubnikov, former head of foreign intelligence, was appointed first deputy foreign minister last Wednesday.

He will have special responsibility for relations between Russia and the 11 other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the loose grouping of now-independent countries that were formerly constituent republics of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991.

The three Baltic republics are the only of the 15 former Soviet republics not to have joined the CIS.

The new foreign policy doctrine is linked to a new Russian security doctrine adopted by the Kremlin earlier this year, under which Russia hardened its line on use of its nuclear arsenal.

The new defence policy goes further than the previous one drafted in 1997, which reserved for Russia the right to carry out a first nuclear strike in response to "an armed aggression that seems to threaten the very existence of the Russian Federation."

The latest version says Russia envisages the possibility "of using all forces and means at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, where all other means to settle the crisis have been exhausted or have proved ineffective."

Ivanov said in February the new military doctrine threatened no one.

"Russia is not threatening anyone and does not intend to use its nuclear forces to bring pressure," he said.

I GUESS THIS IS IRAN'S ANSWER TO BASAYEV

---

Russia, Iran Pledge to Boost Military Ties

MOSCOW, Jul 1, 2000 -- (Reuters) Russia and Iran pledged to boost military cooperation and expressed concern at U.S. involvement in their backyards, officials involved in talks in Tehran and Moscow were quoted as saying on Friday.

The United States views intensified military cooperation between Russia and Iran with deep suspicion.

Washington has criticized an agreement for Moscow to help construct a nuclear power station at Bushehr, saying Tehran is using the deal secretly to acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran's ambassador to Moscow said last month that the Bushehr station's first reactor was on course for completion in 2002 and talks were under way to build the second of four such units.

Itar-Tass news agency, in a report from the Iranian capital, quoted Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov as saying military officials from the two countries had agreed on Friday to hold regular consultations. It was the first such Russian delegation to visit the country since 1991, the agency said.

"We managed to find common interests, pinpoint a common threat to the security of our states and determine ways of neutralizing it," Ivashov, head of the Defense Ministry's international relations department, told Tass. The agency said the two countries had expressed concern at "attempts by the United States and NATO to exert pressure on conflicts in the Transcaucasus region and to draw former Soviet republics into the military alliance".

Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing satisfaction at the "high level of cooperation" during talks held earlier this week in Moscow by Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi.

It said the two countries' positions "on the majority of issues either coincided or were close to each other".

Both sides expressed concern at developments in Afghanistan, particularly the policy of the ruling Taleban movement "supporting international terrorism and drug smuggling". They called for coordinated action in reaching a settlement between the Taleban and insurgents in the north.

A Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Losyukov, told Interfax news agency that both sides hoped to stage a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Mohammad Khatami by next year.

Losyukov, speaking at an exhibition marking "five centuries of relations between Russia and Iran" said the two countries "have many common interests at regional and international level".

>>>The reason to me is simple. Russian leadership always sees the things in win-lose scenario. They always try to win. Nothing is wrong with that. Unfortunately others don't like losing, so there is always this tension, strugles, wars, etc.
FOR TURK..LOL..LIKE FOR A COMPLETE ALCOHOLIC ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE BAR..LOL

>>>On the other hand Western countries realised that, it is to their benefit if they cooperate, and share the benefits of economic development.
SANCTA SIMPLICITAS..LOL
WHEN THIS TODDLER TURK SAID SOMETHING ABOUT IRAQ I THOUGHT HE WAS ALREADY LEEEEEARNING..A FLEETING FEELING..HE SLIDED DOWN INTO HIS USUAL COMFORTABLE 50%_50% HONEY_SHITT MIX BLOWING BUBBLES..LOL

Dimi, I was just responding to the most intelligent thing Turk has said in a while.
Trying to kick someone else off are you.
When will it be my turn, or L'menexe, or Mary, or Better? How about Suleyman?
Please don't censor who I talk to.

Did you read the posts adressed to you or are you in a temper-tantrum again? Its getting really tedious.

>>>>>By Antonio ( - 209.239.212.157) on Saturday, July 1, 2000 - 11:43 pm:

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

24 If I had not done among them the works that no other man hath done, they would not have sin: but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father.

25 But that the word may be fulfilled which is written in their law: they hated me without cause.

26 But when the Paraclete cometh, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father, he shall give testimony of me. >>>>


Antonio,

1. Why do you think that Jesus is talking himself seperate and distinct from Father?

2. Who do you think the Paraclete is?

Could it be that you are committing a sin, by saying Jesus is God, which is vehemently denied by Jesus himself.

Could it be that the Paraclete, Jesus mentioned, is the prophet Mohammad? After all he gave testimony of Jesus, as Jesus predicted.

Could it be possible that you are so blinded with the teaching of the church which claims to speak on behalf of God, you are not able to see whatever little uncorrupted truth left in the bible you are quoting?

And Antonio, Go screw yourself backwards with a barge-pole you brainwashed idiot. your pseudo-psycho-babble is something you learned from my posts anyway. Don't try to hit me with my own weapon,you stupid son of a bitch.

As they say in Ireland, "may you be in heaven, half an hour before the devil knows ya dead."


Hey this is fun!

Orthodox Church greases its psalms

By MARCUS WARREN
MOSCOW
Saturday 1 July 2000

Russia's Orthodox Church is a "gigantic corporation" tainted with the vices of the country's shadow economy, from bribery and corruption to money-laundering and tax evasion, says the first serious study of its finances.

Exploiting its privileged status in the new Russia, the church has developed huge business interests with an annual turnover of millions and possibly billions of dollars. Yet, at the same time, priests in rural parishes are languishing in real poverty, the report claims.

Researchers from a Moscow university say that the church is "a grandiose offshore zone with its own independent financial and manufacturing activity and huge potential for money-laundering by the economy's shadow and criminal sectors".

The world's largest Orthodox church publishes no accounts but, directly or through opaque investments, has been and may still be involved in exports of oil and cigarettes and diamond mining, their study says.

Its impenetrable finances and exemptions from many taxes and duties encourage corruption inside the church and attract criminals from outside, the report by Moscow's Centre for Research on Extralegal Economic Systems concludes.

Criminal money can be laundered simply by being donated to a monastery, which then hands it back after taking a cut itself, one priest interviewed for the report discloses.

Criminals also use the church's freedom from paying excise on the sale of gold ornaments to avoid the state's scrutiny of the precious metal business.

Within the church, bribes are paid to secure positions in wealthy parishes and humanitarian aid is regularly misappropriated by senior clerics, says the report.

The Moscow Patriarchate has refused to comment on the study's findings. In the past, its head, Patriarch Aleksiy II, has sent conflicting signals on the issue of the church's financial activity.


The church's business interests were "demonised" by "convinced atheists and haters of orthodoxy", he said.

TELEGRAPH


http://www.theage.com.au/news/20000701/A45185-2000Jul1.html