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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

#41

Post by toomanythings2 »

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.

Dramatic TV shows, movies and books are about entertainment, not telling the truth as it really happened. Almost all such things carry the disclaimer "based on" and anything can be changed and be different.

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#42

Post by takno »

Symbiote wrote: post #37
MichaelGG wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The taxes thing was a pain when I worked in stores in Canada. You'd get about 10 customers a day presenting some kind of ID and claiming to be exempt from either gst or PST, and as a till monkey you'd have no knowledge or training in whether they were exempt or whether the IDs were legit. Add on people buying 6 cakes to avoid gst, and you might as well just press random tax buttons on the register

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#43

Post by FatalLogic »

Symbiote wrote: post #37
MichaelGG wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Probably that was the spirit of the law, but the letter of the law happens to cover the sons' situation. It's an unlikely edge case that the people who drafted the law could never have foreseen.

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#44

Post by pjmlp »

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 why having been born just out of dictatorship in Portugal, and knowing how the McCarthy worked out, why I always wonder how US citizens have this glamours idea that their secret services follow some kind of law, besides their own agenda.

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#46

Post by motoboi »

maxerickson wrote: post #9
osipov wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I liked the 1st season and stopped watching in the middle of the 2nd one, felt that the writers deliberately tried to make the main characters less likable than they were in the beginning.

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.

Oh, my. I tried to turn my head away when I read the spoilers sign, but couldn't.

Thanks for ruining the season for me. =(

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#47

Post by alixaxel »

pjmlp wrote: post #44
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 why having been born just out of dictatorship in Portugal, and knowing how the McCarthy worked out, why I always wonder how US citizens have this glamours idea that their secret services follow some kind of law, besides their own agenda.

As a Portuguese you definitely made me wonder now... Care to expand?

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#48

Post by maxerickson »

motoboi wrote: post #46
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.

Oh, my. I tried to turn my head away when I read the spoilers sign, but couldn't. Thanks for ruining the season for me. =(

Jon Snow dies. I think the reasonable statute of limitations on politely saying nothing is something like 6 months (it's been almost a year).

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#49

Post by pjmlp »

alixaxel wrote: post #47
pjmlp wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why having been born just out of dictatorship in Portugal, and knowing how the McCarthy worked out, why I always wonder how US citizens have this glamours idea that their secret services follow some kind of law, besides their own agenda.

As a Portuguese you definitely made me wonder now... Care to expand?

Like many of us, I had family fighting in colonies and know lots of histories from people that were affected by PIDE/DGS or had "nice interviews" with their officers.

I wonder how you can wonder about those days, unless from being part of more younger generations where those days sadly don't mean anything any more.

Do you know that the way PIDE/DGS imprisoned some students is part of the genesis for Amnesty International?

Re: We discovered our parents were Russian spies

#50

Post by id122015 »

maybe its time for all the people everywhere to start to act like secret agents, and thus we can achieve equality. Never talk about yourself, fake your CV or dont have one, mount recording cameras everywhere around you,use SSL, dont care too much about the borders that governments make. You will not suffer that much as real agents do sometimes. No more ambush sufferings either, as people will avoid meeting in public crowds.
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