Maxim tells us that, "There is as much trust in Putin today as there has never been before."
I wonder how much trust has there never been? But, from the context, Maxim might be trying to say that trust in Putin is as high as ever. If so, he should say so. In either case, Maxim needs to be told that literacy is a prerequisite to communication.

At the risk of sounding ignorant, I'll confess that I didn't know that I've been flogging a smelly, 654 year-old carcass. Nor did I know that I've had a reality agenda that I'm supposed to change after I wake up.
So much news about myself in such a short time is a shock to the system. It's enough to wake me up and suspect that Maxim just might be full of b.s.

Many thanks indeed for the grammatical correction to my kommentaar, and apologies to Skeptic for pushing the additional key-the correct number of years was 65, not 654 as I had inadvertently written.

We still don't know what you're trying to say.

You are one of the most bigoted and racist people that I know, Anonymous. These past few months I have done a little survey about you. Results; whenever I comment under another name, no problems-reasonable argument. Whenever I comment under the name of Maxim, it brings out the worst in you!! I feel sorry for people like you-and your attitude annuls any criticism you may have held out against me in the past as far as I'm concerned.

Why assume that "Anonymous" is always the same person? I'll bet there is more than one reader that disagrees with you.

Responses to your comments are often harsh. It is probably because you have some outlandish ideas, you express them awkwardly and you are always there lecturing us with an air of superiority.

When you write under another name -- such as Rooman -- to praise a comment by Maxim, your style gives you away. No one is fooled. Why respond to Rooman when you can go directly to Maxim?

It's true that you have been criticised harshly for your queer ideas and hopeless English. But, what makes it bigoted and racist? Do you think readers don't like Estonian-Canadians? And what do you expect when you step into a public forum as a haughty know-it-all?

Personally, I think the criticism looks good on you.

Belive it or not, I respect your right to your opinion, even if I don't necessarily agree with you. Now I'd like to see if you have the same degree of self-dignity, and tell me I am at least welcome here as much as you-or are you only going to dish our another heap of criticism on me???

I didn't even right the comment under the heading of Rooman, whoever he or she is-that just goes to show you how hopelessly out of depth your critical judgement really is. Take some more English lessons and you might be able to fine-tune your judgement a little more accurately. Many thanks anyway to "Rooman"...

..and furthermore, "observer" (alias "Anonymous"!) the comments I refer to are the ones written in Estonian and not English.

After reading most of the comments posted in EE, one can reasonably conclude that:
1. Maxim is not born in English speaking country
2. (S)he writes under several pseudonyms, at least under Maxim and 'eesti poeg', probably also under 'von Plettenberg'
3. (S)he probably lives in Europe (Estonia) or (s)he is often awake during the night in North America.

Not that his/her identity really matters, just some observations.

...who are bitchin' at?

I hope Maxim stays around, and doesn't get too offended by people who criticise him constantly. At least he sticks to the subject!

Truly, you have an eagle eye!
I never connected these three names to the same writer but, now that you point it out, I believe that it's very plausible.
I disagree with one of your observations, however; Maxim is a Canadian of Estonian heritage who moved to Estonia several years ago. He has stated as much in previous commentary. His English also betrays his background. He writes in the ungrammatical, conversational style of a Canadian high-school drop-out.This can't be duplicated by a "kodueestlane" who has learned English as a second language.
Your English, by the way, is far superior to Maxim's. Only a few subtle flaws betray you as a "kodueestlane". You have much to teach Maxim. Indeed, you have much to teach us all who have grown up in households where Estonian was spoken. We acquired a good base in the language but, for the most part, have failed to develop it.
But that too is changing. Today, with the internet and a free, prosperous Estonia, there is more incentive and opportunity to enjoy the culture of our parents and grandparents.

I don't know any of these other people, but since we have moved so far off the central subject, it's hardly worth my while making any further contributions on this topic. I reiterate my original comment-that regrettably many Estonians tend to find a scapegoat in the past, and in so doing completely fail to come to grips with our present danger; which largely has to do with Putin himself. It seems that critics here either don't understand a thing about the seriousness of the problem, or else they are completely blase to anything other than the ability to write in perfect English.

99% of readers agree that Putin has a worrisome authoritarian disposition and
can say so in ordinary English.
You, by constrast, rant at us as if we disagreed, for being asleep as we "flog smelly, dead carcasses". You intend to wake us up and make us change "reality agendas".
You remind me of my neigbour's dog who barks all day long until his master comes home. Then it wags its tail, pleased that all that barking paid off.

kodueestlane? How do you figure?

You probably noticed eagleeye and a missing article, but that's about it. ...maybe they were typos? Or maybe not!

I leave it to other readers to decide on the degree on ranting and raving to which this column has been sadly reduced. I am appauled at the shallowness of thinking of some people here, and if it weren't for my sturdy group of supporters who welcome my comments, I would have given up sharing my opinions a long time ago. Fortunately though, true intellectual depth has a strong commitment to a broad range of opinions, and so I believe your opinions are as welcome as mine.

In addition to what you have already pointed out, you use the present tense to refer to Maxim's birth which took place in the past. This jumps off the page to a native english-speaker much like "Maxim sünnib..." would to an Estonian.
"(S)he probably lives in Europe (Estonia) or (s)he is often awake during the night in North America" is perfectly correct, but not idiomatic. A native-speaker would phrase the idea differently.
Still, your English is superior some of the commentators here who were born and educated in Canada. I wish that my Estonian compared to it.

Thanks. The article is well worth reading.

Maxim is also a masochist.

I have nothing other to strut than just a healthy intellectual curiosity. I make no excuses for that, because since the days of Ancient Greece the life of the mind has always held an important place in civic society. It certainly took a long time for one of my critics (over 20 previous commentarites in total!) to admit that something is amiss with Putin, and that 99% of people take that for granted. I am not so sure of that-you lot certainly take a lot of persuading to acknowledge this fact. Be that as it may, the US and the EU are scared witless of the man, and I think that generally it would be a lot easier to tow the Russian line than the Estonian, and your relatively tacit support for Putin confirms that Estonia's future is every bit as precarious as some of the more pessimistic observers have indicated it may turn out to be. MRP holds very little interest and politically persuasive power over most young Russians living in Estonia, but whilst you have nothing else to fall back upon, I guess that argument will have to continue to suffice.

No one here has expressed support for Putin.

If the life of the mind is important to you, what accounts for your inability to express yourself in conventional English?

His Greek might be pretty good.

He refers to us as "you lot". Perhaps he's an Oxford grad.