Dear Mr Dmitry,
The military exercises Zapad-2009 are being carried out in our country now. More than 6000 Russian soldiers take part in them. It’s the first time in the history of independent Belarus when the country meets such amount of foreign soldiers. The objective of the exercises is training to repel a possible military aggression from the West.
In our view, presence of such amount of Russian soldiers in Belarus is inadmissible and may be a threat to our country's independence.
You often say in your speeches that your aim is creating a new Russia. You also warn not to repeat the tragic mistakes of the past. However, we see that Russia’s policy towards our country hasn’t changed for many centuries.
Neither Russian tsars, nor Bolsheviks regarded our country as an...
Politics
Dear Ms. Arbour,
As representatives of non-governmental human rights organizations engaged in combating racism, discrimination and xenophobia, we feel obliged to strongly support the report and recommendations of Mr. Doudou Diène, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, devoted to the Russian Federation and presented on 11 June 2007 at the Fifth Session of the UN Human Rights Council in accordance with the UN General Assembly Resolution No. 60/251 from 15 March 2006.
Mr. Diène visited the Russian Federation in June 2006 and drafted the aforementioned report in large part on the basis of information and testimony collected during his visit. In the course of preparing for this mission, Mr. Diène had a...
2,717
Dear Mr David Granger,
I am confident that the situation around the amendment to the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill in Guyana has not only been on the front burner of the local political agenda, but it has captured the attention of countries around the region and the world.
Largely, this is due to the fact that the issue of anti money laundering is of concern to many developed countries. The issue has been actively discussed at the G8 Summit at Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, in June 2013 and the G20 Summit in St Petersburg, Russia, in September 2013.
From July 1, 2013 the Russian Federation has been presiding at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Our country strongly upholds efforts of the organisation aimed at effective...
3,009
Dear Real-Life Russian Spies That Recently Got Busted:
Seriously, guys (and hot red-headed chick)? Really? This is how you represent your craft? The long and time-honored tradition of international espionage?
Well, I'll be the first to say it. It is utterly unacceptable.
First of all, you got caught. You're SPIES, man! Although I've never actually seen a spy handbook, I'm pretty sure the No. 1 rule is don't get caught. And I'm assuming the No. 2 rule is that if you do get caught, you're supposed to swallow a cyanide pill to protect your secrets.
But NO! Not you guys. You got busted, and now all your mugs and information are all over the news. Not to mention, you spent time sitting in jail cells like a bunch of schlubs. I mean, come on, guys (and hot, red-headed chick). You...
2,819
Dear Mr. President,
We know you've done us a lot of favors lately, after getting off to a slow start. The repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the call for the Boy Scouts to admit gay troops, all those gay ambassadors you've named. Once you finally evolved on marriage equality, you became an eloquent supporter and have been made it clear that the federal government recognizes same-sex marriages now that DOMA is gone.
But here's the thing about evolution: it doesn't end. (Although in the case of the GOP, the trend may be in the opposite direction. But that's another story.) And that's why it's time to take on your toughest challenge yet: letting Russia — and in particular your counterpart, Vladimir Putin — know that the U.S. won't tolerate its attacks on the LGBT community, Russia is...
2,961
Dear Members of Parliament,
Bill on the surveillance of electronic and telephone communications
Reporters Without Borders, an organization that defends freedom of information, wishes to inform you of its profound concern at the Communications Capabilities Development Programme, a government bill aimed at extending the surveillance of the electronic and telephone communications of British citizens.
In the Queen's Speech on May 9, Her Majesty confirmed the intention of Prime Minister David Cameron's government to introduce this bill, which in our view is disproportionate, dangerous and counter-productive.
We understand the government's desire to improve the effectiveness of its fight against terrorism and organised crime and to adapt its methods to the latest developments in...
2,655
Dear Louis XIV:
I’ve been doing some reading up on you recently, about how you revoked the Edict of Nantes, persecuted the Huguenots, and exempted nobility from taxes, just to cover a few of the highlights. In addition to the many other kingly acts I read about, I stumbled across the bit about your wonderful patronage of the arts and how it earned you the title of “Le Grand Monarque.” Well to be frank, this title struck me as a bit of a misnomer and is why I am writing you today. I am certainly no expert in monarchies and what would constitute a grand one, but in my not-so-humble opinion I find this title to be less than accurate and in fact I would go so far as to call it a heinous lie. Furthermore, if I’m being honest, anyone who was responsible for bestowing it upon you (and I’m...
3,638
Dear Vice President Cheney,
Let me express my condolences for the loss of your chief of staff, Lewis “Scooter” Libby. With all true Americans, I recognize the valuable service Mr. Libby performed for you and the country, particularly the oil companies, over the past five years, and the key role he played in helping to create the democratic paradise of today’s Iraq. Certainly history will smile upon his contributions and gloss over the baseless charges brought against him by political partisans. (Perjury? Come on! It’s not like the guy got a blowjob …)
In the meantime, obviously, you will be in need of a new chief of staff, so let me get right to the point: I’m your man.
My qualifications are as follows:
1. I am pure evil. I can provide letters of reference from former...
3,330
Dear New Yorkers,
I have a potentially treasonous confession to make: I have never had a personal connection to 9/11. Never felt anything about it, and for a long time didn’t really care. I’m not trying to be irreverent, just frank, but I understand how those two adjectives aren’t mutually exclusive.
I feel terrible that I have never really felt terrible about 9/11, and it makes me curious about how common my dilemma is. Those who were young and in high school at the time, I assume, must have felt a sort of detachment from the events. Most had no clue what had actually happened or why, and don’t for a second entertain the thought that our schools properly educated us about the complexities of the issue. Most of us just did what we were told, which was to don numerous flags of...
3,098
Dear Secretary Kerry,
I am writing to you veteran-to-veteran, man-to-man. However, I have decided to write to you publicly. The issue that I am writing about is too important, too many lives depend on it, and I cannot take the chance that this letter and the linked petition will only reach the eyes of one of your aides.
Like you, I felt betrayed that my country sent me to fight an unjust war, though my war was several decades after yours, and in Iraq. I have spoken out against that war to the best of my ability, as you once did against your war before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In recent years you have found yourself on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but your attitudes towards war have changed drastically.
You supported the war in Iraq, the war that I was...
3,463