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From: lkk@teddy.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: America-bashing
Message-ID: <1105@teddy.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 6-Aug-85 13:38:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: teddy.1105
Posted: Tue Aug  6 13:38:05 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 9-Aug-85 02:15:13 EDT
References: <3268@drutx.UUCP> <10615@rochester.UUCP>
Reply-To: lkk@teddy.UUCP (Larry K. Kolodney)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 42

In article <1659@mnetor.UUCP> fred@mnetor.UUCP (Fred Williams) writes:
>>
>    Speaking as a relatively independant observer, and one who 
>actually favours free enterprise, etc. I have noted that the rumours
>I hear about the KGB, (and that is all they are, rumours), are very
>similar to the rumours I hear about the CIA and the many other 
>"security" organisations in the US. None of these groups is likely
>to let you or I find out what is really going on! Consequently I
>suspect that your statement is a result of a slight bias of your own.
>Well, there's a lot of that going around and your probably in good
>company.
>
>Cheers,		Fred Williams
>


I'm sorry, but I don't buy this.  The activities of the U.S. govt. are
almost all aboveboard, while almost everything that the Soviet govt. does is
secret.  We have a freedom of information act, and a relatively free press.
Can you imagine anything like the Church committe hearings on CIA activity in
the USSR?  
There is no independent human rights group that ever thinks to compare 
Soviet Human rights abuses with those in the U.S.

We do know what goes on in the S.U.  We [those who study the S.U.] know that
the KGB is a veritable Mafia in that country.  It is an idependent power base 
that gives its head much influence.  This is not so true now as it was in the
early 50's however.  Nevertheless, people in the USSR live in TERROR of the 
KGB.  That cannot be said for any police organization in the US (with perhaps 
a few exceptions in the deep south?).

I am not blind to the faults of the U.S.  I am highly critical of U.S. society
and govt. policy.  However I've seen to many communists (including personal
acquaintances) make the mistake of believing that one cannot criticize the
USSR without seeming like an apologist for everything bad in the US.

-- 

Sport Death,
Larry Kolodney
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