Brain-Jockey

Russian hyperbole: Let’s be thankful

Written by Audrie Zettick on November 26, 2008

Igor Panarin, a Russian political punditsky, made headlines via the Drudge Report, claiming that tough economic times in the U.S. foretell a certain breaking apart of the country into regions.  While I can’t argue with his pontificating over our rising debt, his hyperbole only confirms my views that Russian officials and their elite are still so brainwashed by a culture mired in Leninist principles they don’t get it.  While many of us take our rights as citizens for granted, when push comes to shove, we are Americans, not Californians or Pennsylvanians.

 

Yes, we are going through tough times.  Yes, I’m deeply disturbed over the $7 trillion we’ve apparently added to the national debt in recent weeks.  And I’m worried about the tax burden and quality of life that will be experienced by my kids.  Yet, I can’t imagine living in any other country on earth.

 

In spite of it all, thankful to be in the U.S.

 

This Russian hyperbole about the U.S. breaking up reminded me of what I can be thankful for this holiday.  As I’ve blogged before, my family remembers what it was like under oppressive regimes.  I’m second generation American from Ukrainian, Russian and Belarussian immigrants. 

 

• I’m thankful for the peaceful transfer of power:  We may bicker amongst ourselves, but even in the most contentious elections, we transfer power peacefully (okay, except for the nonstop whining of the liberals the past 8 years).  I’ll suck it up and live with President Obama, at least for 4 years….

 

• I’m thankful for the freedom to criticize and offer alternatives:  So while Obama may be “my” president (and I respect the office), I will stand in the virtual square and know I can freely offer my opinion.   Here in the U.S., we don’t (generally) poison our critics with radioactive substances and we don’t send army tanks rolling down the street.  We can blog until the wee hours of the night and not worry about the thought police filtering our internet access. (Okay, there’s that Fairness Doctrine issue as espoused by Chuck Schumer).

 

• I’m thankful for the free market.  In the 1980s, my relatives who came here to visit refused to believe we didn’t stand in long lines to buy bread, shoes, etc.  Stores they saw certainly must be an elaborate set up.  When we went to Ukraine to adopt our son in 2003, it was clear that Ukraine was beginning to break free of government control, especially in housing.  While there, we stayed with our upper middle class translator.  The interior of her apartment was impecable and modern; a glance out her Ikea-clad window provided a view of new-style apartments being built.  But her former-soviet bloc apartment had urine-soaked, graffiti-laden walls; others in similar apartments in Kiev had no flushable toilets or hot water and no electricity in the hallways–a throw back to the days when the government owned the property.   (Government ownership….hmmm…we’d never do that here, right?)

 

• And, I’m thankful to be free to worship my God, to whom I am truly grateful for every thing and ability I have.  Russia, while it has improved regarding religious freedoms, has some recent regulations on NGOs (including churches) that have the potential to allow the government to dictate activities of the church.  (Ask the Catholic Church in Massachusetts why they closed their adoption program).

 

Don’t Take These Rights For Granted

 

While I initially wrote this tongue-in-cheek, it became obvious that our rights are precious and easily lost.  Kudos to the blogosphere and my growing Twitter network for their work in making sure we retain the very things for which I am thankful.   Happy Thanksgiving.