Two open letters to President Putin (including possibly a fake one!)

Does it matter when private individuals sent a latter to a head of state?  Don't their press services receive hundreds of letters every day?  Yes, they do, but when somebody writes to a foreign head of state, one which is own rulers consider an enemy, this matters.  It matters even more when the people writing express categorical disagreement with their own regime and support or understanding for the foreign ruler.  It especially matters when they chose to do so publicly, because they know that they are exposing themselves to a chauvinistic backlash from all the doubleplusgoodthinking loyal TV-watching "true patriots" whose opinion happens to be best expressed by the MSM.  In this case, the foreign head of state is, in my opinion, by far the most hated and vilified "Hitler of the moment" since the "new Hitlers parade" began with Saddam and Milosevic - Vladimir Putin - and that makes such open letter truly very significant.

To me, as Russian born in the West, it is very important to show that there is what I call "another West" which is both fully aware of what is going on and totally opposed to it.  At the end of the day, we can hate the regimes in power, and we can feel disgusted by the zombies who support them, but we must always remember that the proportion of sober minded and honorable people is the same in any country and that we should always remember the "righteous men who save the city" (if even 10 is good enough for God, surely it should be good enough for us).

Today, I am posting two such letters.  One sent to me by its author, one posted elsewhere on the Internet.

The Saker

UPDATE: I got a warning that the putative author of the 2nd letter now denies having written it.  Okay, so it is either a fake, or he had cold feet.  Either way, I will still leave it - it is better than removing it - but I will strikeout the full text. As for the first letter, I assure you that it is genuine, as I got it directly from its author.
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President Putin, 

In this period of turmoil, I would like to express my shame and sorrow over the treatment, by the mass media in the West, of Russia in connection with events in Ukraine. Please be aware that not all Americans believe what is said by the likes of Barack Obama, a mere stuffed suit raised from obscurity to prove to Americans that the United States is a democracy, or John Kerry, a thoroughly corrupt career politician whose only priority is servile obedience to corporate power. I grew up in the Midwest, a typical American under the thrall of the empire’s doctrinal system, but during the Reagan Administration I was radicalised. There are many decent Americans who share my experience. I became a high school teacher, and have made a career out of opening students’ eyes to the dysfunctions of “the American Way”. I did not fall for the blandishments of Bill Clinton, whose Administration colluded in looting Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union; and during the G.W. Bush term in office I emigrated to New Zealand with my family, having come to the conclusion that no amount of social commitment or direct action could alter America’s destructive behaviour.

I write to you in hopes that my words, meagre as they are, will give you a little strength in your struggle to lead Russia’s people into the Twenty-first century and beyond. Please do not give up. A by-product of your efforts will be a better world for all of earth’s inhabitants. This is the second time that Russia has saved the world from what is essentially Nazism (I speak here not of the fascists in Kiev, but of their masters in Washington, D.C.). Yes, I understand very well that it was the Soviet Union that broke the back of the Wehrmacht in World War II; that America and Britain had little to do with Germany’s defeat. I also understand that the United States is fully committed to balkanising Russia and to eliminating, by whatever means (no matter how murderous or immoral), any threat to its control over the world. Full commitment, however, does not equate with ability, nor does it guarantee success. In the case of the United States, full commitment means simply the taking of increasingly insane risks. The destruction of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 seems a case in point. Whether the event was a false flag operation designed to isolate Russia and force you from office or an assassination attempt, the decision-making that lead to Washington’s giving Kiev a green light is insane, but this is the state of thinking in the United States at present. The empire is crumbling, and its masters are in a blind frenzy to reverse the disintegration.

The death-throes of any powerful entity are dangerous for everyone in its vicinity. This is just as true of the United States as it would be of a shark. The danger is real. Please be mindful, be safe, and continue to use whatever power you possess to end the threat that the United States poses to the world. I say this as a citizen not only of the former, but also of the latter.

Yours Sincerely,

David Lemire
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Dear Mr. President Putin

Please accept our apologies on behalf of a great many people here in the Netherlands for our Government and our Media.

The facts concerning MH17 are twisted to defame you and your country. We are powerless onlookers, as we witness how the Western Nations, led by the United States, accuse Russia of crimes they commit themselves more than anybody else.

We reject the double standards that are used for Russia and the West. In our societies, sufficient evidence is required for a conviction. The way you and your Nation are convicted for ‘crimes’ without evidence, is ruthless and despicable. You have saved us from a conflict in Syria that could have escalated into a World War. The mass killing of innocent Syrian civilians through gassing by ‘Al-Qaeda’ terrorists, trained and armed by the US and paid for by Saudi Arabia, was blamed on Assad. In doing so, the West hoped public opinion would turn against Assad, paving the way for an attack on Syria. Not long after this, Western forces have built up, trained and armed an ‘opposition’ in the Ukraine, to prepare a coup against the legitimate Government in Kiev. The putschists taking over were quickly recognized by Western Governments. They were provided with loans from our tax money to prop their new Government up. The people of the Crimea did not agree with this and showed this with peaceful demonstrations. Anonymous snipers and violence by Ukrainian troops turned these demonstrations into demands for independence from Kiev. Whether you support these separatist movements is immaterial, considering the blatant Imperialism of the West.Russia is wrongly accused, without evidence or investigation, of delivering the weapons systems that allegedly brought down MH17. For this reason Western Governments claim they have a right to economically pressure Russia.

We, awake citizens of the West, who see the lies and machinations of our Governments, wish to offer you our apologies for what is done in our name. It’s unfortunately true, that our media have lost all independence and are just mouthpieces for the Powers that Be. Because of this, Western people tend to have a warped view of reality and are unable to hold their politicians to account. Our hopes are focused on your wisdom. We want Peace. We see that Western Governments do not serve the people but are working towards a New World Order. The destruction of sovereign nations and the killing of millions of innocent people is, seemingly, a price worth paying for them, to achieve this goal. We, the people of the Netherlands, want Peace and Justice, also for and with Russia.

We hope to make clear that the Dutch Government speaks for itself only. We pray our efforts will help to diffuse the rising tensions between our Nations.

Sincerely, Professor Cees Hamelink