General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Forget 'evil' Putin - we are the bloodthirsty warmongers [View all]truth2power
(8,219 posts)jailing dissidents - just about every country, including the US, jails dissidents. Two come to mind, here: Chelsea Manning, John Kiriakou. Pot/kettle.
Assassinating the above - really? is Putin assassinating these people by his own hand? Who?
Leveling his own cities - see Sabrina's post, upthread.
Seizing parts of neighboring countries - would you be referring to Crimea? That train has left the station. Russian troops were already there. And Russia wasn't going to give up its only warm water port. Duh!
Pogrom against the LGBT community? Definition of Pogrom: massacre. slaughter, butchery, genocide. Isn't your allegation a little over the top?
In any case, here's something from Wiki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Russia
Make no mistake.. I am wholly committed to gay rights. I am also vehemently opposed to the discrimination that gays endure in Russia. I also recall when "don't ask, don't tell" was the law in the US, and when Pres. Obama was, as he stated, "evolving" on some gay rights issues. He got a pass on that. I seem to detect some hyprocrisy in terms of the present situation I Russia.