Boza and I walked early this morning and came upon a man with a dog that I will call a fluff ball and not much bigger than a basketball. He stopped and said, “You are American?”
I have never seen this guy before and at first I did not recognize the English. I am so intent on concentrating on the Russian words that when I do hear English outside. I am slow to respond. I hesitated and then said, “Dah!”Then I recovered and said, “I mean, Yes!”
He then explained his life and how he wished to be in America and how America was so great and how America is so free and how America is is is is is is. I was quiet as I always am and let him talk, as I always do. They love to show that they know English…
Then he went over to the edge of the park, right out in front of the whole world and pissed on a bush. Yes, just pissed on a bush in front of about 20 kids and mothers. No one cares and no one has an issue with it. It is what Russians do all the time. Women piss usually behind a bush though. Kind of just like being in the woods on a hike except we are in the middle of a city with hundreds of thousands of people…
When he was done he came back and said, “America the land of the free!”
I laughed and started to walk away after I excused myself politely! Though as I turned to leave, I said, “Yes America is so free that you would be in jail or fined if lucky, for doing what you just did in front of all those mothers and children!”
He ran to me dragging his dog and said, “What did I do?”
I said, In America the land of the free, The crime would be “public indecency” and that would be just one of the things they could get you for. You could be flashing your private parts and many other issues also…”
I said, “Here in Russia you have that simple freedom plus many more, but in America you don’t have that simple freedom plus there are many more simple freedoms you do not have!” Then I said, “Those are the freedoms that count, the simple freedoms of everyday life! Russians have those freedoms with no governmental interference, virtually at all…”
He was well educated and he had never met an American before. He could speak almost fluent English. He and I agreed to be looking out for each other as we walk our dogs and he showed me his building before I left his company! I pointed to mine and we left each other. I left a thinking Russian as he looked back at the bush he pissed on and he walked away thinking about freedoms…
I walked away also and was thinking about my freedoms that I have in Russia also…
In Russia I have the freedom to piss on that tree and even if a cop went by, he would ignore me! For you see he will use that same tree next time he needs to pee. I can walk anywhere I want to and if someone tries to block the way. Tear it (whatever it is!) down and walk there anyway. The only no trespassing signs that you see are by the government and that is that! Boza and I walk between buildings, around buildings, through buildings and on top of buildings. The only thing that stops us is a wall or gate too big and strong to stop us. Otherwise no one cares. Russians build fires in the city parks and picnic like no tomorrow. Right in the heart of a huge city called Moscow, Russia…
I realized that what we Americans like to call crazy Russians is just freedom loving Russians. They BBQ on their tiny balcony and act like they are in the village all alone. They jump of tall buildings into 20 foot snow drifts and have to be dug out. We just hope that all goes well as they try not to burn the building down or break their necks, but then isn’t that just part of living life and being free? Isn’t just doing what you want within reason being free? Russians have never in their modern times been lacking on freedoms. The Soviet Union was much freer than America is now and Russians have always done what they damn well please…
I like to compare the old days in America to the Soviet Union and from what I can see they were very much alike, just that we in America were propagandized to think differently about the Soviet Union. Just like we are being propagandized now in America about Russia…
Then as I walked home with Boza, I thought about the old days in America and about those little important freedoms…
I remembered when the Interstate was built from St. Louis to Kansas City. I remember the last section of road being built from Grain Vally to Blue Springs Missouri! It was 4 to 5 miles of perfectly flat concrete and was a perfect race track. I remember my 428 Super Cobra Jet Mercury Cougar and I was playing on the unopened perfect concrete Interstate. We had set up a quarter track and were drag racing. There was about 25 cars there and up pulled a Highway Patrol Cruiser. It was a Plymouth Fury and had a 440 Magnum in it. He got out of his car and looked our cars over. He turned to me and said, “Lets go for it!” Then he said, “First one to Grain Valley, gets coffee bought!”
I and 4 more guys jumped in the Cougar and in less than a minute we were rocketing down the Interstate at light speed! I ate his lunch out of the hole and then realized that he set me up! Grain Vally was too far and I would top out way before he would. My car was a drag car. I was running sub 11 second quarters. He finally caught me and looked over at me as we approached 130 to 140 plus miles an hour. He smiled and dropped it down a gear and left me in the dust. That Mopar walked and talked and while I could eat him alive in a quarter mile. He was designed to travel that Interstate…
I bought the coffee at the truck stop near Oak Grove, Mo. You know all 26 cars ended up at that truck stop and we talked for hours after that. Eating breakfast and drinking coffee. Several other patrol officers showed up and they laughed and joined the group, as they heard what had happened…
That is what I mean about freedoms! I have been free and known cops when they were free also! Free to make real decisions (Good or bad!) and live life freely as we all should…
Life is about the little freedoms and that night as we topped a 428 Cobra Jet out at top speed and watched a Plymouth Fury, the size of a tank, eat our lunch. We all knew what freedom was and that type of freedom is almost gone in America… (Maybe still found out in Montana or Wyoming!)
But you wanna know something? That freedom is still available right here in Russia…
Now if I just had my old 428 Super Cobra Jet, or better yet! That Plymouth Fury that ate my lunch would do just fine… 🙂
Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…