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It is sad that they don't understand and are so fast to hate and criticize. What happened at Beslan was an atrocity, and nothing anything like it has been done by Russian soldiers.

They raped the young girls on the first day at Beslan and made a video of it, which they sent out for delivery to Putin.

When the Russian forces were moving in and they ran out of ammo, they began grabbing children and stabbing them in the back.

These people are not human beings in our sense of the word and Putin knows it. Russia is a place where bribery and corruption have been part of the game for so long that it will take a long, long time to clear it out.

In that long, long time, another Beslan or worse will happen precisely because officials will be bribed yet again, as they have been repeatedly, to look the other way as explosives are planted in advance. Or as chechen women are allowed on a plane to blow themselves up.

This is the only way that Putin can see to put in high places the people he believes will not bow to bribery. It is in fact, a natural response to chaos under you, to take stronger control.

I don't see any other way myself. As much as I love the Russian people, they are simply used to doing business differently then we do it. And it will take many years to change this.

In fact it is the Russian people themselves who have been strong critics of Putin for his lack of internal security. I read the Russian news almost every day. Although some are unhappy with this move, the majority are tired of worrying about bombs on the Metro in the morning or afternoon and want to see more action taken to stop it.

I will call some Russian friends in Moscow tomorrow and see what they think. I am betting they are not worried about being returned to the USSR.