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We discovered our parents were Russian spies

theguardian.com

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Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#31

Post by chinathrow »

Artoemius wrote: post #14

The most interesting thing for me is how easily KGB survived the fall of the USSR. Not only did they seamlessly continue all their espionage programs started during the Cold War, but they also easily came back into full power in less than a decade, appointing one of their agents as the ruler of Russia for life. This shows the power of any major secret service. They can do literally anything they want. They don't care…

> This shows the power of any major secret service. They can do literally anything they want. They don't care about anything except their own survival, and they will easily adapt to any circumstances and any political climate.

And that is the reason we should get rid of them. It's anti-democratic in large parts.

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#32

Post by [deleted] »

Artoemius wrote: post #14

The most interesting thing for me is how easily KGB survived the fall of the USSR. Not only did they seamlessly continue all their espionage programs started during the Cold War, but they also easily came back into full power in less than a decade, appointing one of their agents as the ruler of Russia for life. This shows the power of any major secret service. They can do literally anything they want. They don't care…

[deleted]

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#33

Post by cperciva »

jnbiche wrote: post #30
Iburinoc wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article mentions the applicable exception: > Everyone who is born in Canada is eligible for Canadian citizenship, with one exception: those who are born to employees of foreign governments.

So do the children of "actual" Canadians who betrayed their true country and turned to work for foreign, non-Canadian governments have their citizenship annulled? The children of the Canadian counterparts to Ames and Hansson? (I'm sure there have been some) Or have about those Canadians who work legitimately for foreign embassies? Canada clearly has those [1]. I assume their kids don't have their citizenship retracte…

Children of Canadian citizens acquire citizenship by blood. The "employees of foreign governments" clause only applies if the parents are neither citizens nor permanent residents.

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#34

Post by int0x80 »

Artoemius wrote: post #14

The most interesting thing for me is how easily KGB survived the fall of the USSR. Not only did they seamlessly continue all their espionage programs started during the Cold War, but they also easily came back into full power in less than a decade, appointing one of their agents as the ruler of Russia for life. This shows the power of any major secret service. They can do literally anything they want. They don't care…

This is a very interesting book analazing and explaining the situation by former chess world champ. G. Kasparov: Winter is comming (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1610396200/).

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#37

Post by Symbiote »

MichaelGG wrote: post #24
computator wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Earlier you wrote: > it was discovered that they had never been Canadian citizens in the first place. Their parents lied to them and told them that they were Canadians You misunderstood a key fact from the article: They were born in Canada. "You are probably a Canadian citizen if you were born in Canada", according to: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules/index.asp where "probably" means there are very obsc…

Unless born to foreign government [government] workers.

To make this clearer:

This means diplomats, ambassadors, and other staff working in embassies etc. They get immunity from Canada's laws, and usually taxes, but in return get no benefits from being there. They aren't considered residents of Canada.

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#38

Post by varjag »

tomjen3 wrote: post #22
Iburinoc wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article mentions the applicable exception: > Everyone who is born in Canada is eligible for Canadian citizenship, with one exception: those who are born to employees of foreign governments.

That's a bit of a stretch of the definition of employee. They sound more like freelancers, but this is why you have courts and lawyers.

In many jurisdictions, you are not a freelancer if you have only one customer.

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#39

Post by maxerickson »

MichaelGG wrote: post #26
maxerickson wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they tried to use a softer introduction and then harden them up once the audience got to know them. They are brutal killers, you aren't necessarily supposed to like them. SPOILERS They eventually reveal themselves to the daughter and she tells her priest. It's really pushing suspension of disbelief for me that the several additional mouths stay shut.

Except, from the little I read, there was no murders attributed to these "illegals". No doubt a bit of TV license. Just like the top spies or doctors spend time doing boring labwork a low level worker could do.

Yeah, I was talking about the characters.

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#40

Post by tmptmp »

cperciva wrote: post #27
hartpuff wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The law is not necessarily stupid, but an exception, if possible, probably should be made in this case, on moral grounds, since the kids seem to be victims of a situation they played no part in creating.

There are seven billion people in the world who are victims of not being born Canadian citizens. The distinguishing fact of these two is that their parents pretended to be Canadian; but while I have sympathy for the kids, it seems that it would be a bit perverse to say that if parents lie to their kids for long enough then we have a duty to make those lies come true.

Very well said. Indeed, I could not have put it so better.
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