[lbo-talk] Sad Leninism.

[John Thornton]

Shane Mage wrote:
> There can be no doubt that the Russian response to Georgian aggression
> has been brutal and "disproportionate,"  leading to civilian deaths,
> burnt villages, and "ethnic cleansing."
>
> Russia needs to apologize and make reparation for that suffering.
>
> It can yet do so by one simple act of contrition.
>
> Immediately, while their soldiers still occupy Gori,  the Russians
> should return the corpse of the Georgian national hero, J. Djugashvili
> (alias Stalin), and rebury him in his hometown beneath the statue in 
> his honor.
>
> The Georgians certainly deserve this.
>
> If the Georgians claim that this isn't sufficient reparation, the
> Russians should offer to return the corpse of Beria as well.
>
>
> Shane Mage 

OK, I'll bite.
How do you know the Russian response is disproportionate?
Is the civilian death toll from Russian intervention higher than the 
civilian death toll from the initial Georgian assault?
Is it lower? What is the death toll and where did you get this information?
I assume the information is from a reliable source or does one just 
"know" this without needing evidence?
How do you determine what is proportionate?
Is there some metric to apply that I am unaware of?
How many civilians in South Ossetia would Georgian forces had to have 
killed before a military response to end it would be "proportionate"?
If Russia had done nothing and let Georgia succeed in driving out the 
majority of the civilians in South Ossetia by what measure would that be 
"better"?

While I personally find corpse adulation very strange why should 
Georgian claims on this corpse be held in higher regard that that of the 
other members of the FSU?
By accident of birth?
This topic has grown weird in the ways people are looking to criticize 
Russian actions.

John Thornton