3 thoughts on “TBLPOD17oct2013”

1. On the 14th of October, a number of Georgians signed an open letter responding to Thomas Hammarberg’s report on Georgia. As a reminder, Hammarberg is the special adviser of the European Union on legal and constitutional issues in Georgia. His report was published in September. The poet Rezo Amashukeli, writer Chabua Amirejibi, chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili, businessman Levan Vasadze, Choreographer Pridon Sulaberidze, film director Goga Khaindrava and others signed the letter which criticizes Hammarberg’s report on human rights. They claim it does not respect Georgian traditions because it asserts equal rights for homosexuals. The letter says: “First of all, we remind you that our society has been treating the representatives of religious and ethnic minorities with respect and tolerance for centuries, considering them equal to the extent that it never occurred to equal the homosexuals with others preaching sexual perversity. This novel ideological trick is totally unacceptable to us, no matter how hard they try to establish it in the West. We are sure that comparing people of sexual perversity with the religious and ethnic minorities, that was purposeful in the U.S. and western Europe in recent years, is an artificially created ideology, that has nothing to do with the multi-centuries old rule of life of human society. Any public activity is propaganda and is illogical to deny this. We want to remind you that on 17 May 2012, there was an attempt of similar protest outside public school No. 51, where the implementation of so called innocent rights turned into propaganda of perversity in front of children. You protect rights, while this is violation of parents and children’s’ rights, who consider shameful exhibition of immorality unacceptable. Nobody fights the followers of the perversity, who know that they sin, as according to our traditions, every person has to take care of their own conscience and morality. But this doesn’t mean that century-old rules of our society gives right to public propaganda of perversity. Your employer sent you to a traditional society for work. The rules of diplomacy request that you respect the traditions of the country where you are. On one of the tragic moments of the history of our country in Tbilisi, 100,000 people voluntarily gave their lives to protect Christian morality. Tbilisians consider these people saints and you teach a lesson to the residents of this town and a country about morality and you say that we also must have a right to express our viewpoint! We highlight the fact that you are entitled by us to freely express your opinion in our country, and we have the right to respond to your opinion. 17 May protest was a provocation directed to make destabilization and confrontation of our society. At the same place on Rustaveli Avenue, Saakashvili killed peaceful demonstrates on 26 May 2011. The bodies of the slaughtered citizens were hidden by the murderers on top of a shop nearby and a military parade was conducted in the morning there. The representatives of the EU states, who attended Mikheil Saakashvili’s military parade hundred meters from the corpses and didn’t express protest for violating the right to life of the people and brutally beating hundreds of people the previous night, this year immediately protected the propagandists of the immorality, where thanks to God there have not been victims. What conclusions does our society have to make after this on the Western priorities regarding human rights in our country? You’re saying that the Georgian church must clearly express that it’s against any violence against LGBT people. We are surprised that you force us to remind you that the head of the Georgian church, his holiness and beatitude, Patriarch Ilia the Second declared the same day that church is against violence. Any attempt from the West to pressure our church is unacceptable to us, to the non-church goers, common citizens. Propaganda of perversity is unacceptable considering the demography too. In such terms propaganda of anti-family immorality is totally destructive to our nation that introduces new abbreviations from year to year by the ideology that you support. Which one do we have to follow, Mr. Hammarbarg, or will there be other abbreviations offered by the West in addition to the four-letter supporting the perversity? Isn’t there a political fight underway for legalization of sex with children under the flag of human rights? Let us decide ourselves what is respectful for us and in many things exemplary in the West and what is unacceptable. If a friendship is not just a word for you, then you have to believe in its fundamental properties – equality of friends. This means that you too should be willing to learn something from us or be reminded.”
   The letter was published in Kviris Palitra.

   THINGS TO READ

   A long-term election observation mission from OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights published its interim report about the upcoming presidential elections in Georgia. Link: http://goo.gl/qo9mYj

   An article by Tedo Japaridze and Ilia Roubanis about the disparity of perceptions in the West over Georgia’s political trajectory since October 2013. Link: http://goo.gl/DFCBdM

   An article by Molly Corso on EurasiaNet.org about Georgia, the EU and Russia. Link: http://goo.gl/HJcEUV

   An article by Michael Fuen-zig on Democracy and Freedom Watch about Georgia and the EU. Link: http://goo.gl/TMyAcl

   An article about the recent developments in the village of Ditsi, where the Russian occupants installed new barbed wire fences on AlJazeera.com. Link: http://goo.gl/l44QhC

   TI Georgia’s article about the situation in Channel 1. Link: http://goo.gl/6pXE0V

   TI Georgia’s interim report that evaluates the implementation of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan which was handed over to the Government of Georgia in February 2013. Link: http://goo.gl/y9SN9q

   An updated edition of the European Integration Index 2013 for Eastern Partnership Countries. The Index tracks the progress of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – annually and provides a nuanced cross-country and cross-sector picture of the region. Link: http://goo.gl/rQY9Hj

   The MEME this week is a video of foreigners dancing a Georgian folk dance “Ganda-gana”. The video was recorded in summer 2012 but only became popular among Georgians recently. Link: http://goo.gl/twhLMC

   ANNOUNCEMENTS
   From the 28th till the 30th of October and on the 1st of November, Tbilisi Concert Hall will host a Jazz Festival. Artists include Marcus Miller, Avishai Cohen, Dj Logic and Natalie Cole. For additional details visit TbilisiJazz.com.

   The 6th contemporary art festival “Artisterium 2013” is taking place at the Dimitry Shevardnadze National Gallery. They are hosting Lado Pochkhua’s photo exhibition “Anatomy of the Georgian Melancholy”. The exhibition will run until the 14th of November. The address is #11 Rustaveli Ave. For additional details visit Museum.ge.

   On the 15th of November, Liberty Bank and the Smartext Group will launch the first ever Startup Weekend in Tbilisi. Participants are welcome to share their startup ideas. Participant teams form around the top ideas and then they have 54 hours to create business ideas. At the end of the week they receive feedback from judges. On the 17th of November the winning projects will be announced. Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. The non-profit organization is headquartered in Seattle, Washington but Startup Weekend organizers can be found in over 200 cities around the world. For more information about Tbilisi Startup Weekend you can check the official website Tbilisi.StartUpWeekend.org.

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2. Mr. Mullen,
   Maybe you should head over to the North End for a double expresso, or at least a pint of Anchor Steam at Vesuvios before the next show, you sounded like you slept on a bench in the Tenderloin for this one.
   In fact why dont you do the next podcast at Vesuvios??

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3. “Expresoo” ?! :))

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