Russian Government's Proposed Redefinition of Treason Would Restore 'Stalinist Norms'

And while one could say Microsoft is a large company and would not miss a few stolen bucks, smaller companies would. A virtual reconstruction of Parsa a.k.a. Persepolis made by a group of enthusiasts may be in deep trouble without funds, so they need to charge something for their product. And even private forums of interest groups have costs and are supported by member fees or donations.

Laws are not written for particular software manufacturers, laws are written for software manufacturers in general. There is no prohibition to design a new OS better than what Bill Gates made, but I guess it is easier to sit on one's sorry back side and complain about Microsoft than design a new OS. And there cannot be such prices as a few dollars for the whole country. It is not even price dumping, the manufacturer cannot even have one meal on that. I doubt you would like to work for just a few dollars, and even if you would you cannot survive on that. Yes and many illegal download sites charge fees for their downloads or access, so they are NOT free. Or they have conditions like you must have this rating or you cannot download, you must run your poor box at night instead of turning it off and getting normal sleep. You are likely to get unwanted porn ads (contrary to the stereotypical belief, men do not have only THAT in mind), can download a Trojan if lucky :D A Trojan is not bad by itself but carries tons of bad stuff, so you are likely to get your HD formatted or pay excessive prices to computer gurus for fixing it. Free downloads are limited and slow. And if something is not in the store (really good store, maybe on good ol Europe) the warez sites do not have it either. And the CD/DVD prices are constantly falling, some movies are sold for EUR 1 equivalent, uzually not worth buying but sometimes you can find a good one. So legal software is 1) cheaper (considering the costs of fixing your unfortunate computer after at Trojan invasion), 2) safer, 3) takes less time to get, 4) less troublesome, 5) you get support if something goes wrong. btw a serf is a medieval peasant who is owned by a baron, has no political rights, can be beaten up or jailed just because the baron wants so, can be sold to another baron, must sleep with the baron in the wedding night if a girl. Cannot be killed, at least in theory. Never heard of such horrors by Microsoft.

If it's ok to lobby the interests of one software manufacturer in an open manner, to the detriment of some others that offer free software, then I think it's quite logical for people to react as they do. Besides, if it was possible for Microsoft to liberate its serfs using illegal software in Asia, on condition that the entire country goes legal by paying a few dollars for its OS, then it is simply unbelievable that you cannot prepare and submit your tax and income reports at the Latvian Revenue Service's site using Linux. So much talk of opening possibilities, but in reality so many restrictions to use them.

Yes and Latvia has got "stalinists" in power. Mr Sedlenieks, if that is the case, are you not afraid to see a "black crow" (a prison van using for transportation of detainees and prisoners in the USSR) in your back yard tomorrow night? Obviously you are not. Because you know there are no stalinists here. And what makes you think the lecturer was detained just because he is a Russian? That is a misrepresentation in the best case. In the worst case, that is a lie.

I guess if the security police officers "sabotaged", they would be fired like anyone who does not do his work. But we are discussing a non-existing situation. I do not like discussions on dreamworlds and comparisons between conspiracy theories about what would in Latvia "if granny had the wheels" (she would be a city bus then :D - a Latvian joke on discussing non-existing and impossible situations) to the real situation in Russia. And would these brave people say the same things if there actually was a regime controlling their mainds and able to arrest/sentence/shoot on the spot for rebellions against this mind control? I dont think so. They are so heroic only because the enemy they are fighting does not exist. And they know that. And I do not see how software copyright "manipulates people's minds". It may be a revelation for some post-soviet types but respect for property is one of the cornerstones of the western civilisation. If it is ok to steel software (in which the developer has invested work and time) why is it not ok to steel !'s car or money from his bank account? What makes one theft different from another?

Lets put it correctly: not expressing ANY opinions but spreading rumours that may affect the financial stability. A statement "do not keep your money in banks" is not an opinion, it is a call for action. And the Russian law covers not only the financial situation. Off topic in this theme. A typical argument of the "neo-Orwellians", they desperately try to find signs of totalitarianism in western countries (at the same time stating that west has free speech when this free speech is needed FOR THEM to express their own conspiracy theories, and denying freedom in the west otherwise) but at the same time they absolutely ignore developments in Russia and cannot say a single word on them. And were these poeple concerned about free speech and mind control wne pro-Russian TV officials removed the film Putin's System from the Latvian TV program, which is obvious mind control and soviet censorship?

We have been talking America most of time, Latvia a bit, because the people concerned for freedom are desperately trying to avoid the theme - development of authoritarianism in Russia. But I am sure that the author who knows the country and the theme well, also knows how to read between the lines, and will make conclusions from the fact that two people in 27 comments have not said a single word on, actually, abolition of freedom in Russia, at the same time desperately trying to find signs of "authoritarianism" in Latvia. I addresed the theme in one comment and could say more - Russia is certainly developing a new type of totalitarianism and I hope the author will continue his good work and inform the world about the process. Today's Russia seems to be even more authoritarian than the USSR was in the last couple of years, when the soviet regime was collapsing and was not able to control the economy and suppress the anti-Soviet opposition. And you did not answer the question, what is western democracy, is it freedom which you would like to keep, or is it mind control getting tougher and tougher? You cannot have it both ways! Do not put your matrixes on me, ok? And you should stop watching blockbuster movies as you start mixing them with the reality.

You've missed one important point in all this. We're not talking of America essentially. We are talking of how things look from Latvia, not Guantanamo Base. And that changes it all, starting from major software copyrights that partly intend to manipulate people's minds, up to how one feels about discussion on the 9/11 subject and other clearly controlled schemes to gain more power and control. If you wake up in your Matrix, then we can continue discussing things from here, Riga, Latvia.

Sorry - I did not notice, that discussions here are in English. Just a brief: Latvian Saeima already has passed a similar law about a year ago (or so) in the form of the notorious paragraph which criminalises expression of any opinion about Latvian financial situation if it deviates from the truth. So Russians simply follow into the Latvian path.

Diemžēl Latvijas Saeima jau ir pieņēmusi līdzīgi plaši interpretējamu likumu, kuru ikviens, kas vien gribētu varētu izmantot, lai vērstu represijas pret jebkuru cilvēku: tas ir bēdīgi slavenais likuma pants par nepatiesu ziņu izplatīšanu par Latvijas ekonomisko situāciju. Pirms kāda laika tā dēļ tika aizturēts viens augstskolas pasniedzējs (kuru noteikti aizturēja tikai tāpēc, ka viņš ir krievs, jo analogā situācijā latvieti neaizturēja). Tagad par šo pašu pantu viens jurists ir lūdzis uzsākt kriminālprocesu pret Godmani un Slakteri. Turklāt attiecībā uz Godmani un Slakteri aizturēšana būtu daudz vairāk vietā nekā attiecībā uz Ventspils pasniedzēju Smirnovu. Tas tāpēc, ka Godmaņa un Slaktera gadījumā aizdomām par nepatiesu ziņu izplatīšanu jābūt ir daudz lielākām, turklāt viņi iegūst daudz lielāku publicitāti un sekas viņu izteikumiem ir daudz lielākas. Tomēr varam visai ticami uzskatīt, ka Drošības policija šajā gadījumā piemēros savu izpratni par Ministru Kabineta šēžu zālē esošo uzrakstu un šo iesniegumu ignorēs, jo - kur gan redzēts, ka pašu kliķes spici sauktu pie atbildības? Tomēr stāstam ir arī otra puse: kas notiktu, ja DP vadība nolemtu sabotēt valsts darbu? Tad viņi pilnīgi mierīgi varētu ik pa brīdim aizturēt 'uz pārbaudēm' jebkuru, kas kaut ko teiktu par Latvijas finanšu sistēmu un situāciju. Tik pat bīstams šis likums ir gadījumā, ja šo ieroci kāds varētu un gribētu pavērst pret politisko opozīciju - aizturot un pratinot ikvienu, kas gribētu sniegt reālistisku skatījumu par Latvijas finansiālo katastrofu vai arī vispār izteikties par finansēm. Tāpēc Krievijas parlaments tagad cenšas imitēt tikai to, ko Latvijas staļinisti jau izdarīja pirms kāda gada.

Yes and some folks have contradictions in their arguments. You say that western democracy is freedom of speech and you would like to keep it that way, and at the same time you are afraid of "media control" and even "thought control". Now which one is it? Is western democracy freedom of speech or is it thought control? Cannot be both! About discussions, every discussion has a beginning and an end. After all facts have been presented and considered, there is a point when the theme has been covered and there are no more points to discuss. The discussion may not be closed legally but it can reach a point when the conspiracy theorists talk to themselves and no one else listens. That is exactly what happened here.

I would not say it would be useful to have DISCUSSIONS ended. And where do you see a DISCUSSION with conspiracy theorists? If your starting point is that anyone who disagrees with conspiracy theories is controlled by some invisible evil forces, which means anyone else is wrong before the conversation even starts, where do you see a possibility for DISCUSSION? btw I was in an American forum discussing 11/09. They shared their own experiences of that day but when someone started about conspiracy theories they closed the thread. That is also a form of western democracy.

And a battery needs no food and no health care, put it in and it works, while the human body needs food (which must be cultivated and cooked, and if made artificially, it is highly advanced organic chemistry, the technologies require a factory with lots of energy, and food must be brought from the factory to the bodies, which requires pumps that need even more energy, and the pipes and pumps need to be built and maintained by robots consuming even more energy, and the robots are built and maintained by other robots consuming... etc.) A body needs health care, adequate temperature (can a human body heat a room? disconnect from heating and try :D etc. You must be from another planet then. On my planet Moore's films are legally sold in video stores, maybe not in Latvia but elsewhere. Is that media control? Removal of the film Putin's System from the Latvian TV was media control, but I did not hear the abstract human rights fans complain! Criminalization of Nazi crime denial has been a form of the Western democracy for some time and is justified, as it is better to restrict some lying deniers than let them deny the Nazi crimes, which would make Nazism an acceptable policy. The same way, restricting some conspiracy theorists only restricts their "freedom" to share conspiracy theories, while denying terrorism makes terrorism an acceptable practice. And not only by international terrorist groups. By anyone. Do you understand what that means? That means a world that would make all violent movies look like Christmas tales for kids. Yes and what kind of "control" are you afraid of? You sit in a public place spending HOURS saying bad things about the US government and nothing happens! Where is the control, the NWO agents in black helos and the underground factories turning the bodies of anti-Americans into soap? :D You would not say those things if there was REAL danger of control and persecution. It is easy to be a hero only when you fight a non-existing enemy.

I intend to write more on the subject tomorrow, perhaps, but it struck me that, while formulating your opinion, you became very categorical about things at least twice - at the mention of a file exchange programme and at the mention of 9/11. You may have missed the architects and engineers for 9/11 truth site: AE911. I think this sometimes results in a desired form of controlled media. You say that it would be fine if such discussions were ended, even imposing a legal prohibition to touch the subject. Is that a new form of western democracy, falling in line with terrorism prevention acts and what not else, to control people even at the level of basic and private communication and thought?

And the human body is a HUGE battery. They would not be able to operate any devices of a mobile telephone size, and the cyborg hunter-killers would not be able to operate, as there are no human bodies attached to them. The rebel ship would not function, as there are no human bodies used as batteries, and there is no other type of batteries, no technologies to make such batteries, no tools, no resources, no knowledge nothing. Do you know how to make a battery? A computer? A weapon? Would you be able to use this weapon against professional soldiers and win? And in order to make that weapon, would you be able to design it, make it reliable (so that it does not explode in your own hand), make tools for producing this weapon, prospect and mine in order to produce metal for this weapon, design the ammo (took centuries in reality)? Can all that by a small group of people? I left out many things like schools for engineers, teachers for these schools, factories for computers, factories for robots in order to operate other factories, schools to train robotics experts, builders to build their homes, industry to produce building materials, schools for architects etc. etc. until we have covered the whole civilization. Took milennia in reality. Can it be done overnight by a small group of people just escaped from a dreamworld? Can you learn any kind of skills in a dream?