I wrote a letter to President Vladimir Putin. The letter was an "activist" letter that was about the Chechen conflict and the corruption that is preventing compensation money from being used the way it should be in Chechnya. I know this sounds a little extreme (ok maybe more than a little) but after all that stuff about those two KGB guys being poisened I'm getting a little paranoid. I do realize that as a single person I am no threat to Putin and his government but since I am planning to send the letter to some newspapers to get some attention on the subject my paranoia isnt getting any better :{ I dont even know if this letter will reach Putin, it may take a long time to get to him and since my Cyrillic isn't very good I had to address the letter in English and I'm not sure how many Russian postal workers read English (this is the no. 1 reason why I might be sending the letter to some newspapers). I might post the letter here eventually when I'm not feeling lazy :) Wish me luck!
The Letter That Spelled Trouble
By DancingEwok88 - Posted on December 7th, 2006
Good luck, don't go near any radioactive anything, maye hire a food tester.
Res ipsa loquitur.
memor mori, mahalo.
Thank you for the advice :) I think I'll use my two younger brothers as food tasters :)
You might want to consider some bodyguards, too, with the food testers..I would really like to read that letter.
Just remember this letter wasnt meant to be a fiery activist letter, it was written so that Pres. Putin will know that people are aware of the situation and think something should be done. The letter is short because most politicians wont read anything longer than a page because they dont have the time(also I didnt put too much background info on the subject in the letter because I know that Putin knows, if you would like more info on the situation I can post the short research paper I had to write before writing the letter). So here is the letter:
December 5, 2006
Vladimir Putin
President of Russia
4 Staraya Square
Moscow 103132
President Putin,
I am a college student concerned with the situation in Chechnya. I have been aware of the Russian conflict with Chechnya for quite sometime now, but the death of Anna Politkovskaya served as a reminder of what we were all beginning to forget. I understand the difficulties Chechnya poses for your government and I know fixing centuries of problems will not be easy, but something must be done.
The wars with Chechnya have come at a great cost to a great number of people. I have seen photographs of orphaned children mangled by explosions, of parent’s grieving for their children, wives weeping for their missing husbands, buildings, and more importantly homes, destroyed, and images of cities left in ruins. Just as the Chechens have suffered Russians have also been killed by acts of terrorism; making it seem as though the terrorists have the upper-hand. Terrorist groups are making the people of Chechnya suffer for the acts they commit against the innocent in Russia. Neither Russians nor Chechens as a whole should have to suffer for the acts of a few.
I know that at some point the Russian government allotted compensation funds of up to $13,000 for each destroyed property. Apparently much of this compensation money has not fulfilled its purpose because of corruption; Do not be insulted by this, corruption is something that exists everywhere, in every country and every government. As every government in the world should do, your government must take action against this corruption which threatens to do more harm than good in a difficult situation. I urge you to help your country solve its problems with corruption so that Chechnya can become a better and safer place. Ending corruption will benefit Chechnya and all of Russia.
I sincerely hope that your administration will be able to continue to improve Russia in the future and that Chechnya may recover from years of destruction.
Sincerely,
Raquel Arteaga
Orange Coast College Student
Post the research paper! I'd like to learn the background of this incident.
I hope your later do reach Putin. Rather he cares or not is a different issue. But good for you to write to him. it makes him aware that their are some intelligent americans who care about more than just themselves. you should send it to newpapers.
and dont let the KGB scare you, if something happens to you, we all will know who did it!!!
Hahaha. Well, good for you! More people need to make a stand to Putin.
If you're really concerned, I'll write a similar letter with more fury, and encourage others to do the same. He can't kill us all!
Or can he...
Don't worry about it. Your letter doesn't show malice or hatred towards him, only concern. And go ahead for the newspapers also, that way if you're ever killed in a freak accident, everyone will know the truth. :-)
Sorry I didnt post this sooner. I was really busy over the holidays and then I got sick so I totally forgot to post this. The paper is fairly short so if you have any more questions about the situation in Chechnya I'd be glad to answer them. Also if you think I should add anything to the letter or any suggestions about what newspapers, sites, or magazines I should send this to I'd love to here them.
Arteaga 1
Raquel Arteaga
Engl 100 TTh 8-10
Martin
November 28, 2006
Chechen Conflict
Chechnya and Russia have been in conflict for hundreds of years
ever since the invasion of Chechnya by Russian troops in the 1720s.
Chechnya, a part of the former Soviet Union and still a part of
Russia today, attempted to declare independence when the USSR began
to break up. In 1991, during the Soviet collapse, former air force
general Dzhokhar Dudayev toppled communist rule in Chechnya and
declared it an independent state, however Russia refused to
recognize Chechnya’s independence. There are two main reasons why
Russia will not recognize Chechnya as an independent state, one
reason is that initially when the Soviet Union was falling apart
allowing Chechnya to go would lead to further instability because
more regions would begin to demand independence. The second reason
is that an oil pipeline goes through Chechnya and the region also
produces some oil as well, granting the region independence would
mean a great financial loss for Russia. Chechnya, a predominantly
Muslim state, has been targeted by the Russian army for quite some
time now and has suffered constant bombardment and heavy damages.
Because of the situation in Chechnya many terrorist groups have
formed, causing the deaths of many, including Chechens, Russians and
people from the regions surrounding Chechnya. In September of 2004
terrorists seized a school in Beslan, located in neighboring
territory North Ossetia. About three-hundred and
Arteaga 2
thirty people were killed, half of these were children. These
terrorist groups have only served to enforce Russia’s decision to
continue their refusal of Chechen independence. Russia
continues its attempts to keep the Chechen conflict concealed. In
October of this year Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was
murdered. Politkovskaya was a well known critic of the Putin
administration and the conflict in Chechnya and many suspect the
government to have had a hand in her death. Because of corruption in
Russia the allotted compensation funds of $13,000 for destroyed
property has done little good because much of it hasn’t reached the
Chechens. The Second Chechen war officially ended some time ago but
after years of death and destruction the people of Chechnya are now
trying to focus on their basic needs instead of independence. But
because of politics and corruption their lives continue to be a
constant struggle.
--Pauperes Commilitones Christi Templique Salomonis--
wow. strange thing is I heard about Chechnya's history just last night. i started thinking about you, and hoping you were still alive... haha
Thanks for posting this. I don't know what this world has come to, what is in store for Muslims and critics around the world.
EeeekKK Paranoia up a notch, two more people have been poisened, whether or not it was unofficially done by the government who knows. Well anyway I'm pretty close to finishing the companion video I'm making for this letter, I'll post again when I'm finished and tell you where to find it.
--Pauperes Commilitones Christi Templique Salomonis--
~ check out my art at http://miniwookie.deviantart.com ~
awesome! I'd love to see the video please.
It may seem a small step to you, but if people took the small steps, the big ones would not seem so distant...