LAST WEEK WE REPORTED ON THE ROUNDING UP AND EVENTUAL
APPARENT MURDER OF UP TO 100 MEMBERS OF THE LGBT COMMUNITY IN
CHECHNYA.
SINCE THEN MORE DETAILS HAVE BEEN REVEALED, BOTH
BY HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS WORKING IN THAT AREA AND ALSO BY
A RUSSIAN NEWSPAPER, AND APPARENTLY WAS GOING ON IS WORSE
THAN WE THOUGHT A WEEK AGO.
IN RESPONSE TO THE CHARGES THAT
PEOPLE WERE BEING ROUNDED UP AND EITHER BEING DISAPPEARED OR
FOUND MURDERED, THE RESPONSE FROM SOME OFFICIALS IN THE AREA,
EVEN BACK THEN, WAS OFFENSIVE TO THE EXTREME -- A SPOKESPERSON
FOR THE LEADER SAID --
>>MEANING WE CAN'T BE HARASSING OR DISCRIMINATING AGAINST OR
MURDERING GAY INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE NO ONE IN CHECHNYA WOULD
BE GAY.
THAT'S WHERE THEY ARE STARTING FROM.
AND THAT IDEA IS
OUT THERE, THERE IS AN ACTIVIST WHO SAID SOMETHING SIMILAR --
>>THEY ARE PRETTY TRANSPARENT.
>>THAT IS A ROUGH PLACE FOR PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND
THEY ARE VERY OPEN ABOUT NOT JUST THEIR DISCRIMINATION BUT
THE MURDEROUS INTENT BEHIND IT.
BUT AGAIN IT APPARENTLY IS MORE
ORGANIZED AND PERVASIVE THAN WE THOUGHT LAST WEEK --
>>A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE RUSSIAN LGBT NETWORK SAID --
>>EVEN WORSE DETAILS --
>>AT THIS POINT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE TOTAL DEATH TOLL WILL
BE SENT AGAIN SOME PEOPLE'S BODIES ARE HIDDEN OR DRAGGED OFF
AND NOT FOUND LATER ON --
>>THERE IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF INTERNATIONAL REPORTING GOING ON
ABOUT THIS SITUATION, IT HASN'T REACHED THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF
U.S. MEDIA UNFORTUNATELY AND TRAGICALLY, ALL TOO OFTEN ABUSES
AGAINST GAY INDIVIDUALS DON'T RISE TO THE LEVEL OF A LOST
PLANE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE TAKING NOTICE.
IF YOU COULD BRING UP THIS NEXT TWEET, IT WILL SHOW YOU THE
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN TRYING TO PRESSURE THE SECRETARY OF STATE
TO TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE, SINCE HE'S MEETING WITH PUTIN RIGHT
NOW, AN INCREDIBLY INFLUENTIAL STATE IN TERMS OF WHAT GOES
ON IN CHECHNYA, AND --
>>THAT IS ABOUT AS DARK A SITUATION AS YOU CAN HAVE, AND
IT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, IN SOME PART PERHAPS HELPED BY THE
FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE JUSTIFIABLY CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT WILL
HAPPEN IN SYRIA AND PERHAPS IN NORTH KOREA AS WELL.
>>I UNDERSTAND IT'S HARD TO FOLLOW EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD,
THERE ARE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD IN
MANY COUNTRIES, AND I'M SURE STATEMENTS COME OUT, I LOOKED AT
OUR U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT, THEY HAD A STATEMENT ON THE SEVENTH,
CONDEMNING IT, SAYING WE WOULD HOPE THAT GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
WOULD REMEDY THE SITUATION -- IT'S NOT LIKE IT ISN'T ON THE
RADAR.
THE HEAD OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT KNOWS IT, WHEN
TILLERSON MEETS WITH PUTIN IT'S ON THE RADAR BUT IT'S NOT A
PRIORITY.
I GET NOT ALWAYS SING THE MOST FORWARD THINKING THING,
BECAUSE WE GET TWEETS FROM PEOPLE THAT SAY YOU GUYS HAVEN'T
BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS HORRIFIC TRAGEDY IN THIS PART OF
THE WORLD OR TO THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE, AND IT'S HARD FROM OUR
PERSPECTIVE, BUT IF YOU ARE RUNNING A GOVERNMENT OF WHAT WE
CALL THE STRONGEST AND BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, YOU HAVE A
LITTLE BIT OF A -- SOME PRIORITY TO GET TO THESE THINGS.
>>AND MORE PEOPLE.
>>REX, YOU ARE GOING OVER THERE, ARE YOU GOING TO SPEAK
ABOUT THIS?
>>WHAT IS INTERESTING IS THE TYPE OF INFLUENCE A COUNTRY LIKE
RUSSIA HAS IN POLICIES LIKE THIS THAT YOU SEE POPPING UP IN OTHER
COUNTRIES.
IT ALL KIND OF STARTED IN 2012 WITH RUSSIA
PASSING ANTI-GAY PROPAGANDA LAWS, AND ON ITS FACE, FOR
PEOPLE WHO AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE
A BIG DEAL BECAUSE SO, WE ARE JUST TRYING TO KEEP SEXUAL
INFORMATION FROM KIDS, BUT IT WAS ABOUT DISCRIMINATING AGAINST
THE GAY COMMUNITY, AND THERE IS ANOTHER COMPONENT THAT PEOPLE
DON'T UNDERSTAND, YOU CAN JUST SIMPLY BE ACCUSED OF BEING GAY
AND THEY WILL TARGET YOU.
AND THAT IS WHAT SCARES ME THE MOST.
THE FACT THAT SOMEONE COULD BE PERSECUTED LIKE THIS DUE TO
THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION TO THE POINT WHERE THEY ARE PHYSICALLY
HARMED, MAYBE IN SOME CASES EVEN MURDERED, THIS IS THE KIND OF
STUFF THE U.S. HAS A RESPONSIBILITY AND AN OBLIGATION
TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT.
WE PLAY THIS WEIRD GAME WHEN IT COMES TO
OUR FOREIGN POLICY WHERE WE PICK WINNERS AND LOSERS, WE PICK THE
COUNTRIES WE PRETEND LIKE WE CARE ABOUT, WHEN IN REALITY WHAT
WE WANT TO DO IS FLEX OUR MILITARY MUSCLE AND MAKE OUR
WEAPONS MANUFACTURERS WEALTHY, THERE IS VERY LITTLE DIPLOMACY,
VERY LITTLE ACTION TAKEN, MAYBE IN THE FORM OF SANCTIONS AGAINST
COUNTRIES LIKE THIS WHEN THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR HAPPENS.
THAT
IS WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WILL EVER BE SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH TO
UNDERSTAND ALL THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE POLICIES WE SEE IN OTHER
COUNTRIES AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO STOP IT OR ENCOURAGE THE GOOD
POLICIES, BUT THINGS ARE NOT GOOD RIGHT NOW.
WE SEE A VERY
RIGHT-WING WAVE NOT ONLY HERE IN THE U.S. BUT THROUGHOUT THE
WORLD.
>>MY REQUEST TO THE AUDIENCE WOULD BE IN TERMS OF THIS ISSUE,
TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN, PUT PRESSURE ON THE GOVERNMENT TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT IT, BUT SPEAKING MORE BROADLY, ONE REASON WE TRY
TO PUT A LITTLE MORE FOCUS ON A SITUATION LIKE IN CHECHNYA OR
YESTERDAY IN VENEZUELA, AND AGAIN AS JAYAR ALLUDED TO, ONE
OF THE REASONS THAT WAS BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION WAS THROUGH
VIEWERS SENDING US LINKS AND GIVING INFORMATION, OFFERING TO
PUT US IN TOUCH WITH OPPOSITION LEADERS IN VENEZUELA, WHICH WE
WILL TRY TO DO, BUT MY FEAR IS THAT CONSIDERING THE LAST YEAR
IN AMERICA HOW DARK THINGS ARE BECOMING AND HOW -- THE THREAT
THAT WE ARE FACING RIGHT NOW, I'M WORRIED THAT HAVING TO DEAL
WITH OUR OWN STUFF DOMESTICALLY WILL HAVE A LOT OF US PUT
BLINDERS ON AND BECOME MORE MYOPIC, AND I'M WORRIED THAT
PROGRESSIVISM IS A SET OF VALUES THAT IS BROAD AND EXPANSIVE,
IT'S ABOUT HUMANITY, ABOUT ALL THESE UNDERLYING VALUES, BUT I
FEAR THAT IN THE PAST YEAR IT'S STARTED TO BE CONSTRAINED, AND
THE NUMBER OF ISSUES THAT SOME OF THE MOST HIGH PROFILE
PROGRESSIVES TALK AND THINK ABOUT, UNDERSTANDABLY
CONSIDERING THE RISE OF TRUMP, IS GETTING MORE LIMITED AND I'M
WORRIED WE WILL LEAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE WAY SIDE IF WE
CONTINUE DOWN THIS PATH.
BUT THERE IS STUFF GOING ON IN OUR
COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD THAT IS DARK AND EFFECTING A LOT
OF VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND WE CAN'T ALLOW THEM TO BE CAST OFF
TO THE SIDE WHILE WE FIGHT THE BATTLES WE NEED TO FOCUS ON.
>>THIS STORY ISN'T DIRECTLY RELATED TO AMERICA AS WE HAVE
OUTLINED, BUT YOU MENTIONED PROGRESSIVES, MANY PROGRESSIVES
WHO ARE OKAY WITH THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP SAYING IT WILL
BRING A LIB REVOLUTION BECAUSE WE WILL SEE SO MANY ATROCITIES
-- THESE ARE SOME ATROCITIES.
AGAIN IT'S NOT LIKE THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION IS CARRYING THESE THINGS OUT, BUT PEOPLE ARE
DYING.
IS THIS BRING FORTH A LIBERAL REVOLUTION?
YOU WANT TO
SEE MORE THINGS GET IGNORED AROUND THE WORLD AND BE LIKE,
YES!
REMEMBER WHAT YOU ARE CHEERING FOR BECAUSE YOU SAID I
WANT TO BRING ON A LIB REVOLUTION.
>>I THINK THIS ADMINISTRATION IS NOT BRINGING ABOUT A LIBERAL
REVOLUTION.
MAYBE IT'S TOO EARLY BUT I THINK WHAT IT IS DOING IS
DESENSITIZING US TO PEOPLE THAT ARE SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN TRUMP
BUT STILL HORRENDOUS, OR POLICY IDEAS THAT ARE STILL HORRENDOUS
BUT SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN TRUMP'S IDEAS, OR HIS
ADMINISTRATION'S IDEAS.
WE CAN'T SETTLE FOR SLIGHTLY BETTER, AND I'M WORRIED WE
MIGHT BECAUSE PEOPLE MIGHT GET DESPERATE.