HDNet World Report

Episode Number: 604

Episode Title: Putin Youth: Rise of the New Russian Nationalists; The Teen Suicide Epidemic

Description: World Report has rare access inside 'Nashi,' a nationalist youth group intensely loyal to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and decidedly anti-American. Just what are these kids learning, and what are they willing to do for Mother Russia? Next, World Report is on the Golden Gate Bridge as a young person takes his own life... we ask, why do so many teens commit suicide? One U.S. Senator, touched by tragedy, is hoping to help combat what experts say is an epidemic.

Transcript:

TONIGHT ON WORLD REPORT THE EPIDEMIC OF TEEN SUICIDE HEY YOU KNOW THERE'S PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT CARE ABOUT YOU THAT DON'T WANT YOU TO DO THIS DESPERATE KIDS, OUR KIDS WHO SEE NO OTHER WAY OUT

MORE TEENS KILL THEMSELVES THAN DIE FROM ALL OTHER DISEASES COMBINED

HE WAS JUST THE KIND OF FRIEND THAT YOU WOULD WANT YOUR CHILD TO PLAY WITH AND HE WAS THE KIND OF SON THAT YOU WOULD ALWAYS BE PROUD OF TONIGHT THE CONTROVERSIAL BUT PROMISING SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS THAT HAVE SOME PEOPLE VERY ANGRY INSIDE NASHI, IT IS A YOUTH GROUP THAT SOME SAY RESEMBLES THE NOTORIOUS HITLER YOUTH BUT THIS TIME THEY'RE RUSSIAN SOME CALL THEM THE PUTIN YOUTH THE MAIN METHOD OF THE POLITICAL FIGHT FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN WHAT GIVES HIM SOME SIMILARITY TO STALIN IS FEAR YOUNG PEOPLE, MILITANT NATIONALIST WHO PRACTICALLY WORSHIP THEIR LEADER NASHI ARE CREATED USING THE SYSTEM, IF YOU ARE NOT WITH US, YOUR AGAINST US AND THEIR ANTI-AMERICAN JUST WHAT ARE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WILLING TO DO FOR MOTHER RUSSIA? THIS IS WORLD REPORT NOW REPORTING FROM MOSCOW, HERE'S GREG DOBBS

THESE YOUNG RUSSIANS ARE PART OF A NATIONALISTIC YOUTH GROUP CALLED NASHI WHO ARE FIERCELY FAITHFUL TO THEIR NATION'S PRESIDENT. IF HE REVIVES SOME SINISTER TRAITS OF THE SOVIET SYSTEM, FINE. IF HE TAKES RUSSIANS ON A U-TURN FROM THE DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS THEY GAINED WHEN THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSED FINE. WHICH RAISES THE QUESTION: IF THESE ARE RUSSIA'S NEXT LEADERS, WILL THEIR NATION BE A PEACE- LOVING DEMOCRACY, OR AN ANTI- AMERICAN, AUTHORITARIAN STATE?

RUSSIA THESE DAYS, IS RICH WITH OIL .. MANY RUSSIANS ARE RICH IN WAYS THEY NEVER DREAMED THEY'D BE WHEN COMMUNISM WAS THE LAW OF THE LAND. AND EVEN IF IT'S NO MORE THAN ' CAPITALISM MEETS AUTHORITARIANISM,' IT'S PRESIDENT PUTIN, WHO PRESIDES OVER THIS NEW PROSPERITY.

WHICH IS ONE REASON WHY, THESE YOUNG RUSSIANS ESTEEM THEIR PRESIDENT, ALMOST TO THE POINT OF IDOLATRY. SO MUCH SO THAT WHEN HE TURNED 55 ON OCTOBER 7TH, WE SAW THOUSANDS TURN OUT--- IN THE DAMP PRE-WINTER WEATHER OF A MISERABLE MOSCOW DAY--- JUST TO WISH VLADIMIR PUTIN, A HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

TODAY IS A HISTORIC DAY. AND IN THE WORLD HISTORY OF RUSSIA IT IS A BRIGHT DAY AND JOYOUS DAY. BECAUSE 55 YEARS AGO, THE WORLD RECEIVED A PERSON WHO HELPED OUR COUNTRY OVERCOME, HE REALLY HELPED IT OVERCOME AND TODAY WE WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

IT WAS A DISPLAY OF DEVOTION THAT GOES BEYOND POLITICS. FOR THESE YOUNG RUSSIANS ARE MEMBERS OF AN IDEALISTIC GROUP WE LOOKED INTO, THAT CLAIMS UP TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND MEMBERS AND HAS A NATIONALISTIC IDEOLOGY INSEPARABLE FROM PUTIN'S. THEIR NAME, " NASHI," MEANS, " OUR SIDE," " OUR TEAM," OR JUST, " OURS." ALTHOUGH NO ONE COMPARES PUTIN'S AUTHORITARIANISM TO ADOLF HITLER'S EVIL, CRITICS, MINDFUL OF THE IDEOLOGICAL ZEAL OF PRE- WAR GERMANY, OMINOUSLY CALL NASHI, " THE PUTIN YOUTH."

HE WILL BE HELPED BY YOUTHFUL- DEMOCRATIC--ANTI-FASCIST-- MOVEMENT - NASHI (CHEERS) NASHI (CHEERS) NASHI (CHEERS), NASHI DOES THE PRESIDENT'S BIDDING IN WAYS LARGE AND SMALL. LIKE STRENGTHENING MORALITY AND PATRIOTISM IN RUSSIAN LIFE. BUT, WITH UNSETTLING PARALLELS TO SOVIET HISTORY, IT'S THEIR BRAND OF MORALITY.

BEFORE, THERE WERE MORALS. NOW WITH FREEDOM OF SPEECH, PEOPLE WILL SAY ANYTHING. WHEN YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET YOU CAN HEAR THINGS, EVEN FROM A CHILD, THAT YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE. BEFORE IT WASN'T LIKE THAT. AND, THEIR BRAND OF PATRIOTISM. FOR A LONG TIME, WE FORGOT TO STAND UP WHEN THEY PLAYED OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM, FOR A LONG TIME WE CONFUSED THE COLORS OF OUR FLAG. AND THIS WAS A NATIONAL SHAME. IF A PERSON LOVES HIS COUNTRY AND IS READY TO DO SOMETHING FOR IT AND POSSIBLY SACRIFICE SOMETHING FOR IT, THIS IS A PATRIOT. AND FOR NASHI, PATRIOTISM DOESN'T JUST MEAN SUPPORTING THE RULES IN RUSSIA; IT MEANS ENFORCING THEM. LIKE NASHI UNITS AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT GO OUT ON PARAMILITARY-LIKE PATROLS TO ENSURE PUBLIC SAFETY AND IMPOSE THE LAW. FOR EXAMPLE ONE DAY WHILE WE WERE IN THE GRIMY INDUSTRIAL CITY OF TULA, WHERE THEY MAKE MANY OF RUSSIA'S WEAPONS, FIFTY TO SIXTY NASHI FOOT SOLDIERS ASSEMBLED TO LOOK FOR ILLICIT LIQUOR; OPEN CONTAINERS OF ALCOHOL ARE ILLEGAL. WE GOT TO GO ALONG WITH ONE TWELVE-MAN PLATOON.

THEY COME ACROSS A FEW GUYS AT A BUS STOP WITH AN OPEN BOTTLE OF BEER. THEY CONFISCATE THE BOTTLE AND EXPLAIN THE LAW. TODAY DURING THE PATROL WE HAD THREE VIOLATIONS, MOSTLY IT WAS THE DRINKING OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IN PUBLIC PLACES. BUT YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, THE RED CYRILLIC LETTERS SPELLED OUT ON EVERYONE'S JACKETS DON'T SAY " POLICE." THEY ONLY SAY " NASHI." YET THEY SEEM TO HAVE ALL THE AUTHORITY, OF A POSSE. WHEN WE CONFISCATE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FROM CITIZENS WE HAVE A PERMISSION FOR THIS, SIGNED BY THE HEAD OF THE TULA REGION, WE ARE GIVEN THIS RIGHT

ON ANOTHER DAY IN TULA, WE GOT TO RIDE ALONG AS A NASHI SQUAD LITERALLY WENT OUT SEARCHING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO STIR THEM UP ABOUT RUSSIA'S ARMY; MILITARY SERVICE IS COMPULSORY BUT DRAFT- DODGING IS COMMON. NASHI DRIVES THIS OLD ARMY TRUCK ALONG THE SAME ROUTE AS A POPULAR PUBLIC BUS LINE IN THE CITY. THEY PLAY OLD PATRIOTIC RUSSIAN SONGS, AND WHEN THEY COME ACROSS A VIABLE CANDIDATE WAITING FOR THE BUS, THEY OFFER A FREE RIDE IN THE TRUCK INSTEAD. THEIR PITCH IS ALL ABOUT WHY THE ARMY IS AN ASSET, WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO SERVE TOGETHER WITH A HEALTHY DOSE OF MOTHERLAND AND PATRIOTIC DUTY. BUT WHAT WORRIES CRITICS, IS HOW SOME OF THESE YOUNG RUSSIANS PREPARE FOR THE JOB, TO FURTHER THEIR GOALS, THE KREMLIN'S GOALS AND WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE THEY PLAN TO BECOME. PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAINED TO GET BRAWNY, TO GET PHYSICALLY FIT, AND TO COME IN USEFUL IF THE KREMLIN DECIDES IT NEEDS SUCH A FORCE TO DISRUPT AND UNDERMINE GENUINE STREET ACTIVISM. THAT DESCRIPTION MIGHT FIT ONE YOUNG NASHI MEMBER WE MET, DZHENYA ALEXIEV, TO A TEE. HE SEES IT AS PART OF HIS DUTY TO BECOME A MASTER OF MARTIAL ARTS. MAYBE TO PERFECT HIS SKILLS .MAYBE TO ENFORCE NASHI'S GOALS.

YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO GO TO SERVE IN THE ARMY, OR DO PATRIOTIC THINGS. NOT AT ALL. THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE TO GO OUT INTO THE STREETS AND SAY: " LISTEN GUYS, THIS IS OUR DEBT. WHO IF NOT US WILL DO THIS? WHO WILL RETURN TO PATRIOTISM? GUARDING OUR BORDERS IS SOMEONE'S SON AND HERE YOU ARE DRINKING PEPSI AND COFFEE." BUT IT BEARS REPEATING, THESE YOUNG RUSSIANS DON'T WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT NOT OFFICIALLY ANYWAY. THEY ARE SIMPLY PART OF A TWO- AND-A-HALF-YEAR-OLD YOUTH GROUP THAT SEEMS TO HAVE NOT JUST THE BACKING OF PUTIN'S KREMLIN, BUT ITS IMPLICIT APPROVAL FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THEY DO. Q: WHAT HAS HE FOUND TO APPEAL TO THESE YOUNG PEOPLE? A: I THINK THE MAIN POINT IS, THE GLORY OF THE GREAT POWER. POLLSTER ALEXI LEVINSON TAKES THE PULSE OF THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE THIS IS THE MOST SENSITIVE POINT FOR ALMOST EVERY RUSSIAN WHO FEELS HIMSELF OR HERSELF TO BE FREELY RUSSIAN, FOR WHOM THE IDENTITY OF THIS KIND IS IMPORTANT. AND " THE GLORY OF THE GREAT POWER" MAY BE WHY, NASHI'S MEMBERS DON'T SEE THEIR SUPPORT OF PUTIN'S POLICIES AS A " PREFERENCE;" THEY SEE IT AS A PATRIOTIC DUTY. THEY MADE IT VERY CLEAR TO US, THAT IF THEY HAVE THEIR WAY, WHEN THE LEADER OF THIS " GREAT POWER" TALKS TOUGH, THE WORLD, WILL TREMBLE.

YOU CAN'T GET RID OF US, OR CRUSH US, OR ANYTHING ELSE, WE ARE 100,000 PEOPLE, WE ARE STRONG, WE ARE POWERFUL. WE ARE NOT A PHANTOM MOVEMENT, WE ARE A REAL MOVEMENT. AND THEY MOVE WITH A HEAVY HAND. MIKHAIL KASYANOV WAS RUSSIA'S PRIME MINISTER UNTIL 2004, WHEN PUTIN DISMISSED HIM. NOW, HE WANTS TO RUN NEXT YEAR FOR PRESIDENT, TO SUCCEED PUTIN. BUT NASHI, HE TOLD US, HAS MADE HIS LIFE HELL, USING WHAT HE CALLS " OLD-STYLE KGB" TACTICS.

VLADIMIR RYSHKOV IS ONE OF THE LAST MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE LOWER HOUSE OF RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT, THE DUMA. UNLIKE SOVIET TIMES, HE NOW FEELS FREE TO SPEAK OUT, BUT JUST LIKE SOVIET TIMES, THERE'S STILL A LOT TO SPEAK OUT ABOUT! THEY'RE SAYING I AMERICAN SPY Q: NASHI? A: NASHI YES, THEY'RE SAYING THAT CIA IS BEHIND ME, THEY SAY I'M TAKING MONEY FROM CONGRESS, WHITE HOUSE Q: WHY ARE THEY MAKING THESE CHARGES? A: BECAUSE IN ANY AUTHORITARIAN STATE, OPPOSITION IS ALWAYS IS DESCRIBED AS RAW POWER FORCES, AS A SPY, EXTREMISTS, FUNDAMENTALISTS, IT'S EVERYWHERE. THIS IS NOT JUST A BUNCH OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ORGANIZE THEMSELVES TO BE POLITICALLY AND OTHERWISE ACTIVE. THE ORGANIZATION COMES FROM ABOVE, NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. THIS IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS MASTERMINDED BY THE KREMLIN AND ITS LOYALISTS, IT IS FINANCED BY SOURCES LOYAL TO THE KREMLIN, IF NOT FROM THE GOVERNMENT BUDGET ITSELF, AND ITS ACTIVITIES ARE IN LARGE PART GUIDED BY PEOPLE IN THE KREMLIN AND THE KREMLIN LOYALISTS.

LIKE THIS TRAVELING STREET THEATER TROUPE, WHICH NASHI HELPED BRING TO MOSCOW. THE THEME OF THIS PERFORMANCE IS BLATANTLY ANTI-AMERICAN, IT DEPICTS PRESIDENT PUTIN'S MOST PROMINENT CRITICS AS TOOLS OF THE UNITED STATES LIKE MIKHAIL KASYANOV, THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER WE INTRODUCED YOU TO EARLIER IT PORTRAYS THE UNITED STATES AS AN ENEMY. WHEN UNCLE SAM COMES INTO THE PICTURE, HE COMES OUT .OF AN OUTHOUSE. OPPOSITION CANDIDATES LIKE KASYANOV AND HIS ASSOCIATES ARE SHOWN STEALING OIL FROM A RUSSIAN PUMP AND CARRYING IT TO A BARREL LABELED, " FOR U.S.A." THE PLAY IS WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY MIKHAIL ZHUKOV-MAISKYI.

THIS PLAY SHOWS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO RUSSIA IF THE OTHER RUSSIA PARTY WINS THE ELECTION AND COMES TO POWER. THAT WE' LL ONLY BE DRAGGING OUR OIL TO AMERICA.

AMERICA, VILIFIED LIKE IT WAS IN THE BAD OLD DAYS OF THE SOVIET UNION, WITH A POLITICAL THEME FOR RUSSIAN EYES ONLY: IF YOU DON'T STAND BEHIND PUTIN, THEN HIS ENEMIES, YOUR ENEMIES, WILL STEAL OUR NATION'S MOST PRECIOUS ECONOMIC ASSETS AND MAKE US NOT JUST POOR, BUT POOR SLAVES, TO THE UNITED STATES. WHICH SENDS SHIVERS UP THE SPINES OF RUSSIA'S FAIRLY FEEBLE OPPOSITION. RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES WOULD LIKE TO MIX UP PATRIOTISM AND LOVE TO RUSSIA IS CONTRARY TO BEING FRIEND OF THE WEST. AND THE AUTHORITIES ARE BACKING IT UP. JUST A WEEK AGO, THEY ARRESTED AND BRIEFLY IMPRISONED GARRY KASPAROV, THE FORMER WORLD CHESS CHAMPION WITH THE ANTI- KREMLIN COALITION " OTHER RUSSIA." THE CHARGE? ORGANIZING AN UNSANCTIONED PROTEST " AGAINST PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN." THE SIGNS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE. AND Q: THE SIGNS THAT A: THE SIGNS THAT WE ARE SORT OF COMING BACK TO SOVIET SYSTEM AND TO SOVIET TIMES. BUT THIS IS WELCOMED BY THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION.

THIS IS A NEO-FEUDAL MODEL OF A GOVERNMENT SYSTEM. ILYA YASHIN HEADS THE YOUTH DIVISION OF AN OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTY CALLED YABLOKO, WHICH MEANS " APPLE." THE TROUBLE IS, UNDER THE RULES THE PRESIDENT PUT IN PLACE ABOUT WHICH PARTIES CAN HOLD PUBLIC OFFICE AND WHICH ONES CAN'T, YASHIN'S, CAN'T.

PUTIN IS A PERSON FROM SPECIAL SERVICES. PUTIN IS A PERSON FROM THE KGB. AND HIS METHODS OF PUTTING TOGETHER SPECIFIC GOVERNMENT MODELS HAVE THEIR ROOTS THERE, IN THE SOVIET SPECIAL SERVICES. THE MAIN METHOD OF THE POLITICAL FIGHT FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN, WHAT GIVES HIM SOME SIMILARITY TO STALIN, IS FEAR. BECAUSE WHEN PUTIN CAME TO POWER, FEAR RETURNED TO RUSSIA. AND STEP BY STEP, THIS FEAR IS GROWING BIGGER. MASHA GAIDAR IS THE DAUGHTER OF ANOTHER FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND HEAD OF A YOUTH MOVEMENT THAT OPPOSES NASHI CALLED " DA!," MEANING " YES!" BUT THE OPERATIVE WORD HERE IN RUSSIA TODAY FOR ORGANIZATIONS LIKE HERS IS " NYET" . NO! THERE IS NO OPPOSITION, THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE POINT OF VIEW, YOU CANNOT JUST FIND THIS ALTERNATIVE POINT OF VIEW ON TV, THERE IS NOBODY THAT CAN POSE DIFFICULT QUESTIONS, THERE IS NOBODY, NO JOURNALISTS THAT CAN DO JOURNALIST'S INVESTIGATION ON CORRUPTION FOR EXAMPLE, YOU JUST CANNOT FIND IT ON RUSSIAN TV. SO EVERYTHING THAT IS RELATED TO PUTIN ON RUSSIAN TV IS JUST CUT, IF IT SOUND NEGATIVE IT IS JUST CUT. CUT BY THE ONLY MEDIA LEFT IN RUSSIA, THE MEDIA CONTROLLED BY PRESIDENT PUTIN. BUT HE HASN'T REMOVED EVERY NEW RIGHT RUSSIANS HAVE HAD SINCE THE FALL OF COMMUNISM. PRIVATE LIFE IS ABSOLUTELY FREE. YOU CAN BE LESBIAN, YOU CAN BE MUSLIM, YOU CAN BE ATHEIST, YOU CAN READ ANY BOOK, SOHLJENITZEN, PASTERNAK, AMERICAN AUTHORS, ANYTHING, PRIVATE LIFE IS ABSOLUTELY FREE. BUT THE DEMOCRATIC DREAMS FROM THE POST-SOVIET 1990S NOW SEEM A DISTANT MEMORY FOR ACCORDING TO HIS OPPONENTS, PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS " SQUEEZED THE LIFE OUT OF RUSSIAN DEMOCRACY." IT IS INTERESTING THAT IN THIS RED BRICK BUILDING, THEY WERE Q: THE KREMLIN? A: KREMLIN, THEY WERE CZARS, EMPERORS, GENERAL SECRETARIES OF COMMUNIST PARTY, AND NOW PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA, BUT THE POWER IS THE SAME. YET SO FAR AT LEAST, NASHI IS NOT THE ONLY PART OF RUSSIA'S POPULATION THAT SUPPORTS PRESIDENT PUTIN. Q: HOW POPULAR IS THE PRESIDENT? A: IN PLAIN WORDS HE IS EXTREMELY POPULAR. IF WE ARE MORE PRECISE WE CAN SAY HE ENJOYS THE APPROVAL OF 60-SOMETHING TO 80-SOMETHING PERCENT OF THE ADULT POPULATION OF RUSSIA APPROVE HIS PERFORMANCE AS PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. SIXTY TO EIGHTY PERCENT APPROVAL RATINGS. WESTERN POLITICIANS CAN ONLY DREAM OF SUCH NUMBERS, AFTER NEARLY EIGHT YEARS IN OFFICE. WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR PUTIN'S POPULARITY, WITH NASHI AND BEYOND? FOR ONE THING, THE PRICE OF OIL, THE FOUNDATION OF RUSSIA'S NEWFOUND WEALTH. ENERGY PRICES, THE MAIN SOURCE OF THE RUSSIAN REVENUES, HAVE GONE UP ABOUT FOUR TIMES SINCE THE TIME PUTIN TOOK OFFICE. AND THIS IS QUITE SOMETHING, AND IN ANY COUNTRY, IF YOUR LIVING STANDARDS GO UP, PEOPLE ARE HAPPY WITH THE GOVT. FOR ANOTHER THING, PUTIN OWES HIS POPULARITY, DESPITE A DIMINISHING DEMOCRACY, TO THE ECONOMIC ANARCHY OF THE NINETIES, AFTER THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSED. RUSSIANS IN THE ' 90S HAD KEY PROBLEMS: ECONOMY FELL DOWN, INCOMES FELL DOWN, CORRUPTION GREW UP, EVERYTHING WAS, MANY THINGS WERE TERRIBLE, AND NAME FOR THAT WAS ' DEMOCRACY.'

COMING UP, INSIDE THE SECRETIVE WORLD OF NASHI THE NASHI MOVEMENT IS PRECISELY WHY IN 10 YEARS THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE WATCHING RUSSIA IN 10-20 YEARS, WE'LL BE RUNNING THE COUNTRY WHAT WILL THAT COUNTRY LOOK LIKE? IN OUR MANIFESTO IS SAYS RUSSIA, GLOBAL LEADER OF THE 21ST CENTURY THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF BEING OF THE NASHI MOVEMENT, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE WORKING FOR WHEN WE COME BACK

WORLD REPORT CONTINUES, ONCE AGAIN FROM RUSSIA, GREG DOBBS

IN MOSCOW, AS IF MIMICKING THE SOVIET PERIOD, NASHI KEEPS THE MEDIA AT ARM'S LENGTH, SO WE TRAVELED TO AN EVEN COLDER CLIMATE A HUNDRED-TWENTY-FIVE MILES TO THE NORTHEAST: THE CITY OF VLADIMIR, WHICH WAS LONG AGO THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL AND PRIDES ITSELF ON HAVING A THOUSAND YEARS OF HISTORY. ON OUR FIRST EVENING THERE, WE WERE INVITED TO MEET WITH MEMBERS AT NASHI HEADQUARTERS, WHERE THEY SPEND ALMOST EVERY NIGHT BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL.

IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS, YOU NEED A UNITED FORCE AND WE THINK THIS FORCE IS US

WE SAT AROUND A TABLE AND TALKED WITH TWELVE MEMBERS OF NASHI ABOUT THEIR VIEW OF THE WORLD, RUSSIA'S PLACE IN IT, PUTIN'S PLACE IN RUSSIA, AND THEIR VIEW, OF PUTIN. Q: ONE PICTURE OF NASHI IS JUST OF A GREAT BIG TOOL OF IDEALISTIC YOUNG RUSSIANS WHOSE ONLY GOAL IS TO SUPPORT PUTIN WHATEVER HE DOES. (SOME LAUGHTER) FIRST OF ALL THEY SHOULD NOT LIE IN THEIR NEWSPAPER ARTICLES AND OTHER MEDIA ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN RUSSIA. THEY SHOULD SHOW ALL THE REAL THINGS IN OUR COUNTRY AND WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN IS REALLY DOING FOR THE COUNTRY AND NOT JUST CRITICIZE HIS ACTIONS. WE'RE NOT BEING USED. WE'RE ONLY HELPING. BECAUSE THIS PERSON CAME INTO SUCH A FALLEN- APART GOVERNMENT, ALL ALONE, AND TOOK ON SUCH RESPONSIBILITIES. AND FEW WANTED TO HELP HIM. REALLY FEW. BUT WE HELPED AND ARE STILL HELPING.

THE NASHI MOVEMENT IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THING FOR THE COUNTRY. MAYBE YOU DON'T SEE IT ON THE SURFACE BUT IF YOU LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER YOU WILL SEE THAT THE NASHI MOVEMENT IS PRECISELY WHY IN 10 YEARS THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE WATCHING RUSSIA. IN 10-20 YEARS WE WILL BE RUNNING THE COUNTRY BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL BE ABLE TO BECAUSE THE MOST ACTIVE PEOPLE HAVE GATHERED HERE. WHY SHOULDN'T AMERICA LEAD THE WORLD. THE STRONGEST ECONOMY. STRONG TRADITION OF DEMOCRACY. WHY NOT AMERICA? BECAUSE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS HAVE SHOWN THAT THE POLITICS OF AMERICA CAN BE AGGRESSIVE. REMEMBER, FOR EXAMPLE, THE WAR IN IRAQ. WE LIVE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY, WHICH WE ALL LOVE. I DON'T THINK THAT WE, HAVING RESPECT FOR ALL OTHER COUNTRIES, WOULD WANT AN AMERICA THAT IS GREATER OR STRONGER THAN US. WE'RE ALWAYS FIGHTING FOR OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE WE LOVE IT. WE'RE PATRIOTS.

IF THERE IS ONE COUNTRY THAT IS THE LEADER, THE GLOBAL LEADER, THAT'S NOT RIGHT BECAUSE OTHER GOVERNMENTS WON'T HAVE THE CHANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE THE ARE ALREADY SUBSERVIENT. THIS IS REALLY NOT RIGHT. AFTER OUR ROUNDTABLE INTERVIEW, ALISSA ASKALINA, A 20-YEAR OLD MEMBER OF NASHI, INVITED US TO TALK WITH HER AT HER HOME, TOGETHER WITH HER BOYFRIEND STAS, ALSO 20 AND HER MOTHER IRINA, WE DISCUSSED HOW THEY SEE NASHI HELPING MAKE NOT ONLY THEIR LIVES BETTER, BUT THOSE OF THEIR ENTIRE GENERATION Q: WHAT CAN NASHI ACHIEVE THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN ACHIEVE TO IMPROVE RUSSIA? A: FIRST OF ALL, IN THIS ORGANIZATION SOMEONE CAN REALIZE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. AND TO PUT THEMSELVES IN VERY HIGH POSITIONS, BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THESE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND RECOGNIZE THAT THEY WANT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF OUR COUNTRY EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A VERY LARGE OBJECTIVE. BUT THIS WILL HAPPEN. IN 90S, THE COUNTRY WAS VERY SIMPLY GOVERNED. THERE WASN'T A STRONG LEADER IN THE COUNTRY. THE PRESIDENT FROM THOSE TIMES YOU CAN'T CALL A STRONG PERSONALITY THAT COULD GOVERN SUCH A HUGE COUNTRY. AND BACK THEN THE ECONOMY WAS HALF DESTROYED, WE WERE TAKING ON HUGE LOANS FROM FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS INCLUDING AMERICA, WE HAD HUGE DEBT. IT WAS EASIER THEN TO PROMOTE YOUR OWN ECONOMIC INTERESTS. AND NOW THE COUNTRY IS RUN BY A MUCH STRONGER PERSON WHO SIMPLY TOOK A HUGE PERCENT OF OUR CAPITAL AND BROUGHT IT BACK INTO THE COUNTRY.

EACH ONE OF US UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS IS HIS COUNTRY, HIS PEOPLE AND HE WANTS TO LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY AND HE WANTS TO LIVE WELL SO THAT HIS KIDS LIVE WELL AND SO THAT HIS LOVED ONES LIVE WELL. THAT'S WHY YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY ARE TRYING TO BE VERY ACTIVE. BUT THERE EXISTS A VERY LARGE PERCENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO SIT AT HOME AND WITHOUT A CARE SIT AND WATCH TV AND GO TO THE DISCOS. ITS LIKE THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED. COMPLACENCY HAS NO PLACE AMONG THE MEMBERS OF NASHI AND IT GOES BEYOND JUST POLITICS AND PARAMILITARY ACTIVITIES. WE WENT ALONG ONE DAY WHEN HALF A DOZEN YOUNG NASHI WOMEN IN VLADIMIR PAID ONE OF THEIR REGULAR VISITS TO AN ORPHANAGE- -- HELPING DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED CHILDREN, REJECTED BY THEIR OWN MOTHERS. WHEN WE INTERVIEWED THE MAYOR OF VLADIMIR, HE REELED OFF A LONG LIST OF NASHI'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO HIS CITY. THEY ARE STARTING TO GET INVOLVED IN HELPING THE POLICE, INCLUDING PATROLLING THE CITY. ESPECIALLY DURING YOUTH EVENTS, LIKE CONCERTS. HERE THEY HELP A LOT. BESIDES THIS, I AM HAPPY THAT WE HAVE 10-15 YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WORK IN ORPHANAGES AND OLD PEOPLE'S HOMES. THIS KIND OF SUPPORT EVERYDAY HELPS A LOT. AND BY THEIR EXAMPLE THEY SHOW THAT SERVICE IN THE ARMY IS HONORABLE AND IS YOUR DUTY. IN THIS WAY, THEY ARE RESTORING THE HONORABLE AUTHORITY OF OUR ARMY. Q: WHAT WOULD VLADIMIR BE LIKE IF YOU DID NOT HAVE THE HELP FROM THIS YOUTH ORGANIZATION, NASHI? THE GOOD THINGS THAT THESE KIDS ARE DOING BRING OUT THE BEST OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY AND THE CLIMATE BECOMES KINDER AND THE PEOPLE TREAT EACH OTHER BETTER AND I'M SURE THIS GOOD FAMILY ATMOSPHERE THEY CREATE ALLOWS US TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE. AND IF THERE'S ANY QUESTION ABOUT ITS INFLUENCE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT NASHI, HELPED ARRANGE OUR INTERVIEW, WITH THE MAYOR. BUT THAT'S NOT SURPRISING BECAUSE NASHI'S PROXIMITY TO POWER GOES MUCH, MUCH HIGHER. IN BOTH VLADIMIR, AND IN TULA, NASHI LEADERS PROUDLY PARADE THEIR PERSONAL CONNECTIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT. NICOLAI SLEPNYOV TREASURES THE DAY, HE AND PUTIN MET AT A SUMMER CAMP.

WHEN YOU MEET IN THE FOREST SITTING ON STOOLS AND ARE INTERACTING WITH THE PRESIDENT IT IS SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT THAN WATCHING HIM ON TV, WHERE HE APPEARS ACCORDING TO PROTOCOL WITH CERTAIN OFFICIAL DECLARATIONS. HERE, WE HAD A WARMER SETTING. AFTERWARDS WE STARTED A FIRE TOGETHER, DRANK KVAS TOGETHER. IT IS VERY PLEASANT WHEN THE PRESIDENT IS TOGETHER WITH YOU. AND AS FOR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NASHI THE ORGANIZATION AND PRESIDENT PUTIN, IT IS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL. THE MEMBERS OF THIS YOUTH GROUP ARE THE FAVORED YOUTH THESE DAYS IN RUSSIA. THESE NASHI STUDENTS WE MET, JUST COMPLETED INTERNSHIPS WITH SOME OF RUSSIA'S BIGGEST, RICHEST, CORPORATIONS. INTERNSHIPS ARRANGED IN SOME CASES, THROUGH THE KREMLIN. THE ONLY THING THEY PAY, IS LOYALTY. BUT PUTIN'S OPPOSITION SAYS, THERE'S A BIGGER PRICE FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. THE GOVERNMENT BUDGET IS NOT THE POCKET OF VLADIMIR PUTIN, IT BELONGS TO THE WHOLE COUNTRY. SO FOR US IN THE OPPOSITION, OF COURSE IT IRRITATES US, AND WE THINK IT IS WRONG WHEN THE GOVERNMENT USES THE BUDGET OF COUNTRY LIKE ITS OWN POCKET AND SPENDS IT ON ITS OWN POLITICAL GOALS. IN EFFECT BUYING THE LOYALTY OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE TO DECIDE ITS OWN POLITICAL ISSUES. AND IT SEEMS TO BUY MORE THAN THAT. NASHI'S OPERATIVES OCCUPY WELL-STOCKED MODERN BUILDINGS IN A NUMBER OF CITIES. WHEN THEY GO TO SPECIAL COLLEGE-LEVEL CLASSES CREATED FOR NASHI TO STUDY GOVERNMENT, MANAGEMENT OR PUBLIC RELATIONS, TUITION IS FREE. WHEN THEY GO TO WORK IN MOSCOW, HOUSING IS PROVIDED. WHEN THOUSANDS OF MEMBERS GATHER TOGETHER, THERE IS EVERYTHING FROM BUSES TO FOOD TO PRINTED SHIRTS. WHICH RAISES THE CONTENTIOUS QUESTION, ABOUT WHO'S PAYING; ESTIMATES OF NASHI'S BUDGET SINCE ITS BIRTH RUN AS HIGH AS A QUARTER BILLION DOLLARS. Q: WHO'S PAYING FOR IT? A: KREMLIN. Q: DOES IT COME OUT OF THE FEDERAL BUDGET? A: I DON'T KNOW. IT'S NON-TRANSPARENT SYSTEM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS REAL SOURCE. MAYBE COMPANIES GIVE THEM THIS MONEY, FREE OF COURSE, BY THEIR WILL. THERE IS NOT ANY BUSINESSMAN OF RUSSIA WHO CAN SAY NO, WHEN KREMLIN ASK TO GIVE MONEY FOR KREMLIN DEMONSTRATION. WHO PAYS FOR THIS? HOW DO YOU PAY FOR IT? (LAUGHS) THIS IS THE FAVORITE QUESTION OF THE JOURNALISTS. EVERYONE ASKS US THIS. IN RUSSIA, WE ALSO HAVE BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE POWER AND MONEY, WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE SUCCESS OF THEIR COUNTRY. THE SO-CALLED " NATIONALLY ORIENTED BUSINESSES" . THEY HELP US BECAUSE THEY SEE IN US A REALISTIC STRENGTH AND UNIQUE HUMAN RESOURCES, UNIQUE RESOURCES OF BRAIN POWER OR IDEAS. WE CAN REALLY DO THIS, SO THAT'S WHY THEY HELP US. WHAT FOR A BUSINESS NEEDS NASHI? WHAT FOR? COULD YOU IMAGINE THE BUSINESS NEEDING NASHI? OF COURSE THEY TOLD, YOU HAVE TO FINANCE NASHI. LOYALTY IS WHAT ENSURES YOUR SECURITY. AND THIS MAKES BUSINESSMEN VERY RESPONSIVE TO ANY REQUEST OR EVEN HINTS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION IN ORDER NOT TO FALL OUT OF FAVOR WITH THE AUTHORITY WHICH MAY BADLY AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS AND MAYBE MORE . THE BUDGET DOESN'T HELP US. BUT ANYWAY, THOSE WHO SEE THIS, THE AMERICAN VIEWERS, WILL SAY PUTIN MAKES HIS BUSINESSMEN PAY. NASHI LARGELY OWES ITS EXISTENCE TO STARK FEARS HELD BY THOSE IN POWER IN RUSSIA, POLITICIANS AND BUSINESSMEN ALIKE, OF A POPULAR UPRISING.

ONE EVENT JUST THREE YEARS AGO IN THE FORMER SOVIET REPUBLIC OF THE UKRAINE, IS WIDELY SEEN AS THE REAL INSPIRATION FOR THE GROUP'S " INVENTION," . IN A SERIES OF VOCAL STREET PROTESTS, UKRAINE'S PRO-RUSSIAN REGIME WAS OUSTED IN WHAT'S KNOWN AS " THE ORANGE REVOLUTION." I THINK THE RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES AND PRESIDENT PUTIN TO BEGIN WITH, DECIDED THEY SHOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT ALLOW ANYTHING OF THIS SORT TO HAPPEN IN RUSSIA.

IT TURNS OUT THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND THE YOUNG KREMLIN YOUTH HAVE THIS UNOFFICIAL AGREEMENT, YOU WILL DEFEND US FROM THE OPPOSITION IN CASE THERE IS A THREAT OF AN ORANGE REVOLUTION, AND WE WILL WE NOURISH YOU, WE WILL GIVE YOU RESOURCES, WE WILL SHARE WITH YOU. WHEN SOMEBODY WILL WANT TO COME TO SOME SQUARE AND TO PROTEST, FOR THE TIME PEOPLE WHO COME THERE WILL SEE NASHI, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF NASHI STANDING THERE SUPPORTING THE PRESIDENT, SUPPORTING THE COURTS, SUPPORTING THE RESULTS OF ELECTIONS, SUPPORTING EVERYTHING THEY ARE TOLD. NASHI SOLVES ONE MAIN PROBLEM. THEY ARE GIVEN ONE MAIN POLITICAL TASK: IF THE OPPOSITION RAISES ITS HEAD BEFORE THE ELECTION , OR TRIES TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THE ORANGE EVENTS IN THE UKRAINE, NASHI MUST FILL ALL THE MAIN SQUARES OF MOSCOW, ST. PETERSBURG, AND THE OTHER MAJOR CITIES WITH ITS ACTIVISTS. SO, THIS WAY THE OPPOSITION PHYSICALLY HAS NO PLACE TO GATHER. ONE NASHI LEADER EVEN PUBLICLY ARTICULATED IT LAST WEEK SAYING, " WE WILL DEFEND MOSCOW STREETS FROM TRAITORS." AND THEY'RE DOING MORE. DRIVEN BY ITS OWN REVIVAL OF NATIONALISM AND PATRIOTISM, NASHI HAS ADOPTED THE CAUSE OF HONORING RUSSIA'S WORLD WAR TWO VETS. WHICH IT RAISED TO A NEW LEVEL WHEN ANOTHER FORMER SOVIET REPUBLIC, ESTONIA, SEEMED TO DISHONOR THEM. IN APRIL, IN ESTONIA'S CAPITAL CITY OF TALLINN, AUTHORITIES REMOVED A BRONZE STATUE OF A RUSSIAN SOLDIER--- A REMNANT OF THE SOVIET ERA--- FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY.

NASHI'S RESPONSE HAS BEEN RELENTLESS. ACTIVISTS POURED INTO MOSCOW FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY SOME STALKED THE ESTONIAN AMBASSADOR, SOME SET UP A BARRICADE AT THE ESTONIAN EMBASSY, AND IN OCTOBER SOME STAGED THIS STRIDENT DEMONSTRATION FOR A FELLOW MEMBER OF NASHI WHO WAS ON A SEVEN DAY HUNGER STRIKE, RIGHT OUTSIDE THE EMBASSY WALLS. NIKITA BOROVIKOV IS ONE OF NASHI'S FIVE CONTROLLING COMMISSARS. WE MUST DEFEND THE MEMORY OF OUR GRANDFATHERS, AND THIS MEANS TO DEFEND OURSELVES. LISTEN, THE SECOND WORLD WAR IS ONE OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, OUR GREAT ACTS. IT IS WHY RUSSIA HAS THE RIGHT TO ACT AS ONE OF THE BIGGEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD GEOPOLITICAL ARENA. AND THAT'S THE MAIN REASON WE FOUND WHY VLADIMIR PUTIN IS POPULAR, ESPECIALLY WITH GROUPS LIKE NASHI: ON THE GLOBAL STAGE HE TALKS TOUGH, HE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT RUSSIA IS A BIG PLAYER, THAT RUSSIA TAKES A BACK SEAT TO NOBODY. THE RUSSIAN PUBLIC IS VERY GRATEFUL TO PRESIDENT PUTIN FOR REASSERTING RUSSIA ON THE WORLD SCENE, FOR STANDING UP TO US CRITICISM, FOR ACTING IN A TOUGH AND SOMETIMES EVEN RUDE FASHION HE HELPS THE MILLIONS OF RUSSIANS TO STILL DREAM OF THE TIMES WHEN RUSSIA OR SOVIET UNION WAS REALLY THE LEADER OR THE MAIN POWER IN THIS WORLD DIVIDED INTO TWO. AND LEADING THE WAY AMONG THOSE MILLIONS OF RUSSIANS AND FERVENT NATIONALISTS . ARE YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE THESE, FROM NASHI. WE ARE MODERNIZING THIS COUNTRY SO IT CAN BE THE LEADER OF THE 21ST CENTURY

SO NASHI IS ABOUT PATRIOTISM, BUT ALSO ABOUT IDEOLOGY SOME OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE EVEN HAD TO TAKE A VERBAL TEST OF " IDEOLOGICAL COMPATIBILITY" WITH PRESIDENT PUTIN'S POLICIES. THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT GIVES RISE TO ARGUABLY EXAGGERATED FEARS RECENTLY EXPRESSED PUBLICLY BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF ESTONIA THAT PUTIN IS USING NASHI, THE WAY HITLER USED HIS " HITLER YOUTH." Q: THE CRITICS SAY IT'S A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION ARRANGED BY THE KREMLIN TO SUPPORT THE KREMLIN TO SUPPORT PRESIDENT PUTIN AND HIS POLITICS. IS THAT RIGHT OR WRONG? A: YES, WE ARE WITHOUT A DOUBT CONNECTED TO THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT, BUT HERE YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF. THE WHOLE HISTORY OF RUSSIA SHOWS THAT OUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN STRONG AND HAS BEEN FULFILLING THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE ONLY WHEN THERE WAS A STRONG GOVERNMENT APPARATUS. AND ALWAYS THE PERSON WHO WAS SUCCESSFUL WAS THE ONE WHO WAS DIRECTLY CONNECTED WITH THE GOVERNMENT. THEIR CONNECTION WITH THE GOVERNMENT SHOWS ITSELF IN MANY WAYS LIKE THIS DISPLAY IN VLADIMIR WHAT THEY CALL AN IDEOLOGICAL ACTION LIKE SO MUCH OF WHAT NASHI DOES, IT IS BLATANTLY ANTI-AMERICAN. FOR EXAMPLE THIS POSTER ABOUT THE CRIMES OF SADDAM HUSSEIN. THEY CALL IT, " DOUBLE STANDARDS."

ONE NIGHT WHEN WE WENT TO NASHI HEADQUARTERS, THE " IDEOLOGICAL ACTION" THEY WERE PLANNING SEEMED RELATIVELY BENIGN SOME SORT OF PLAY, SHOWING HOW BAD ECONOMIC LIFE WILL BE IF THE OPPOSITION COMES TO POWER

BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE YET ANOTHER ANTI-AMERICAN POLEMIC, SHOWING FORMER PRIME MINISTER KASYANOV SELLING OFF BIG CHUNKS OF RUSSIA AND AS HIS REWARD, RAKING IN THE DOLLARS! A FREQUENTLY REPEATED, AND INSIDIOUS THEME, TO NASHI'S CRITICS. NASHI ARE CREATED USING THE SYSTEM IF YOU ARE NOT WITH US, YOUR AGAINST US THERE IS ONE TRUTH AND WE WILL TELL YOU THIS TRUTH AND YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THIS TRUTH AND THEY'RE LIKE ZOMBIE, AND THEY CONSIDER OTHER PEOPLE THINKING DIFFERENT NOT BE NASHI WITH OTHER IDEOLOGIES

IT'S WRONG TO SAY THAT IT'S ONLY IDEALISM AT WORK HERE. THE PEOPLE GATHERED HERE, AND THERE ARE MORE AND MORE OF THESE KINDS OF PEOPLE IN RUSSIA, UNDERSTAND CLEARLY THAT YOU CAN'T BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOUR COUNTRY IS NOT SUCCESSFUL. THAT YOU CAN'T BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOUR PRESIDENT IS NOT SUCCESSFUL. NASHI IS NOT JUST USING ITS INFLUENCE, BUT BUILDING UPON IT. FOR INSTANCE HIRING THIS UNIVERSITY LECTURER IN RHETORIC TO TRAIN MEMBERS TO SPEAK MORE CONVINCINGLY, TO CREATE A BETTER RUSSIA. THE TROUBLE IS, NOT EVERYONE AGREES ON WHAT A " BETTER RUSSIA" LOOKS LIKE.

Q: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF NASHI? A: IN OUR MANIFESTO IT SAYS, RUSSIA: GLOBAL LEADER OF THE 21ST CENTURY. THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF BEING OF THE NASHI MOVEMENT. THIS IS WHAT WE ARE WORKING FOR. I WANT RUSSIA BE GREAT POWER BUT AT SAME TIME I WANT RUSSIA BE GREAT SOCIETY. THE QUESTION IS, DOES NASHI GET RUSSIA CLOSER TO, OR FURTHER FROM, THAT GOAL?

COMING UP AMERICA'S TRAGIC EPIDEMIC SUICIDE AMONG TEENS IT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU NEVER REALLY GET OVER, IT'S A HOLE IN YOUR HEART THAT NEVER CLOSES THEN HOW CAN A PROGRAM TO STOP KIDS FROM KILLING THEMSELVES BE SO CONTROVERSIAL WHEN WORLD REPORT COMES BACK

NOW HERE IS CORRESPONDENT KRISTI O'CONNER IN SAN FRANCISCO ONE OUT OF EVERY 15 DAYS, THAT'S HOW MANY SUICIDES THERE ARE ON AVERAGE OFF CALIFORNIA'S GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE A CONTROVERSIAL NEW MOVIE CAPTURES JUMPS AS THEY HAPPENED PROMPTING FEAR OF COPYCATS ESPECIALLY AMONG TEENAGERS SUICIDE IS THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AMONG TEENS TONIGHT WE LOOK INTO WHY SO MANY OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE DECIDE IT'S THE ONLY WAY OUT AND WE EXAMINE SOME NEW PROMISING SOLUTIONS TO PREVENT SUICIDE AND WHY SOME PEOPLE VEHEMENTLY OPPOSE THEM

JUST COME UP SO WE CAN TALK YOU KNOW THERE'S PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT CARE ABOUT YOU THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO DO THIS THINK ABOUT YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS! A TEENAGE BOY HANGS ONTO HIS LAST MOMENTS OF LIFE OFF CALIFORNIA'S GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE BECOMING ONE OF 4000 AMERICAN TEENS WHO KILL THEMSELVES EVERY YEAR WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS OF SUICIDAL BEHAVIOR ONE OUT OF EVER FIVE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS HAS CONSIDERED SUICIDE ONE OUT OF EVER 12 HAS ATTEMPTED TO KILL THEMSELVES TAKING MORE TEENAGE LIVES THAN ALL DISEASES COMBINED

IT IS A DECEPTIVE EPIDEMIC MANY VICTIMS LIKE THIS 12 YEAR OLD LOOK AND EVEN ACT PERFECTLY HAPPY MOST OF THE TIME SHE'S OUTGOING, HER REPORT CARD REFLECTS GOOD GRADES BUT A CLOSER LOOK REVEALS THE SCARS OF TRUTH CAN YOU SHOW US? WELL THIS WAS WHERE IT STARTED ON MY ARM I DON'T LIKE LASH OUT BECAUSE I LIKE TO FEEL IT YOU KNOW THE EMOTIONS COMING OUT SO I USUALLY DO IT SLOWLY PUT IT ON THE TIP AND THEN CUT SLOWLY AND IF IT DOESN'T BLEED, I GO OVER IT WHEN KIDS AT SCHOOL ARE MEAN, SHE CUTS TO COPE TAKES A RAZOR BLADE TO HER BODY SOME PEOPLE USED TO CALL ME FAT AND LIKE A WHORE AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ME AND IT JUST HURT FOR HER IT STARTED WHEN HER PARENTS DIVORCE MEANT SHE WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE SCHOOLS AND PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIKE HAD PEOPLE BE MY FRIENDS THEN TURNED ON ME SO I ENDED UP HAVING NO FRIENDS AND NO ONE TO TURN TO, NOT EVEN HER PARENTS SO I WAS TRYING TO TALK TO MY DAD AND HE'S LIKE YOUR JUST DOING THIS FOR ATTENTION AND THEN HE SENT ME TO MY ROOM, SO THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE, HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING THROUGH CHILD PSYCHIATRIST DR. GLEN ELIOT SAYS PARENTS SHOULD COMPASSIONATELY CONFRONT THEIR TEEN IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS TO FEEL FREE TO GO UP AND ASK CHILDREN ARE YOU REALLY FEELING DOWN? ARE YOU SO DOWN THAT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER HURTING YOURSELF HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT WISHING YOU WERE DEAD? THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS PARENTS ARE AFRAID TO ASK BECAUSE THEY FEAR THAT IF THEY DO THAT'LL SOMEHOW PUT THE IDEA IN THEIR CHILD'S MIND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT THOSE KINDS OF QUESTIONS MAKE A CHILD SUDDENLY SUICIDAL AND WHILE JOURNAL WRITING IS A WAY TO RELEASE FEELINGS IT DOESN'T PROVIDE THE FEELINGS OF EMPOWERMENT AND CONTROL CUTTERS GET IT'S A RUSH THAT DOESN'T LAST SOON, SHE'S OVERWHELMED BY A PUNISHING SENSE OF SHAME SHE'LL TRY TO COVER UP ARE YOU DOING IT FOR ATTENTION? NO. I EVEN LIKE TRY HIDING THEM LIKE I STARTED DOING IT ON MY LEGS RECENTLY SO NOBODY WOULD SEE MY ARMS AND STUFF BECAUSE I USUALLY WEAR T-SHIRTS SO IT'S KIND OF HARD I EVEN WEAR JACKETS WHEN IT'S REALLY, REALLY HOT AND IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE AND THAT TRIGGERED MORE CRUEL TREATMENT, PEERS BEGAN CALLING HER EMO, AS IN EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED AND IT BECAME TO THE POINT WHERE I DIDN'T WANT TO CUT MYSELF, I DIDN'T WANT TO CRY ANYMORE, I JUST WANTED YOU KNOW I DIDN'T CARE IF I WOULD DIE AND NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN I TOOK A COUPLE OF PILLS AND THEN THAT REALLY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING I GOT KIND OF QUEASY LIKE DIZZY AND STUFF AND THEN I TRIED SOME MORE BUT, AND THEN I STOPPED DID YOU REALLY WANT TO COMMIT SUICIDE OR WERE YOU.. I JUST WANTED TO GET AWAY FROM THINGS I WAS SO MAD AT MYSELF WHY AREN'T I, YOU KNOW WHY AREN'T I SKINNY WHY DO THEY HATE ME SO MUCH?

TEENAGE GIRLS ATTEMPT SUICIDE MUCH MORE OFTEN THAN TEENAGE BOYS BUT BOYS ARE FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO ACTUALLY KILL THEMSELVES KEEP WALKING

AS WE WERE REMINDED WHEN I HAPPENED TO HAVE MY VIDEO CAMERA ON SAN FRANCISCO'S GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE THE DAY A TEENAGE BOY DECIDED TO LEAP OVER THE RAILING

PULL YOURSELF BACK UP HERE THERE UNDER THE BRIDGE WAS THE TEENAGER HOLDING ONTO EVERY LAST SECOND HE COULD BEFORE TAKING THE 22 STORY FALL THAT HAS KILLED MORE THAN 1300 PEOPLE HANG ON BUD A BRIDGE WORKER GRABS A SAFETY HARNESS AND GOES AFTER THE BOY

HE'S STILL HANGING ON KEEP WALKING, KEEP GOING

BUT BY NOW HE'S BEEN HANGING FOR MORE THAN 3 MINUTES THE BOY LET'S GO

YOU COULD SEE HIS FINGERTIPS, HE'S TRYING TO GET BACK AT THE LAST MINUTE AND THEN HE YELLED AND THAT WAS IT

BACK UP PLEASE

DOWN IN THE LIQUID GRAVEYARD SURFERS GATHER THEY PULL THE BODY ONTO THEIR BOARDS AND HEAD FOR SHORE YEAH HE'S BLEEDING BIG TIME BACK ON THE BRIDGE THE BOY'S BACKPACK IS FOUND, PERHAPS IT CONTAINS ANSWERS BUT IN 80% OF SUICIDES THE VICTIM LEAVES NO NOTE, NO EXPLANATION BUT MOST DO LEAVE BEHIND LOVED ONES WHO ARE SUDDENLY FORCED TO TRY AND MAKE SENSE OF AN UNFINISHED LIFE IT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU NEVER REALLY GET OVER, IT'S A HOLE IN YOUR HEART THAT NEVER CLOSES NEARLY 600 MILES AWAY IN PENDLETON, OREGON ANOTHER FAMILY STRUGGLES WITH THEIR TEENAGER'S SUICIDE HAD WE KNOWN THAT GARRETT HAD THE SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT HE HAD MUCH EARLIER ON THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY TO THIS, A WHOLE DIFFERENT ENDING BEFORE YOU CAN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND HOW GARRETT SMITH'S STORY COULD END SO TRAGICALLY YOU HAVE TO START..AT THE BEGINNING. " HE WAS A BEAUTIFUL BABY BOY WITH DARK HAIR AND DARK EYES." HE WAS THE KIND OF FRIEND YOU WOULD WANT YOUR CHILD TO BE WITH AND THE KIND OF SON YOU'D BE PROUD OF.

ACCORDING TO FRIENDS, GARRETT WAS SO GIVING AND HUMBLE YOU'D HI GARRETT ARE YOU READY TO GO TO HAWAII? -YEAH NEVER KNOW HE WAS THE SON OF A POWERFUL UNITED STATES CONGRESSMAN, SENATOR GORDON SMITH

" IF YOU COULD SUM HIM UP IN A WORD IT WOULD BE " GOOD." A GOOD BOY. GOOD LOOKING. GOOD FRIEND. HE WAS A GOOD BROTHER. O YOU WERE VERY CLOSE? YES. AND THAT'S WHAT'S SO DISTURBING. BUT WHILE, ON THE OUTSIDE, GARRETT LOOKED AND ACTED HAPPY . INSIDE HE WAS BECOMING ANXIOUS AND INSECURE. HE HAD A VERY HIGH IQ BUT SEVERE DYSLEXIA THAT I THINK COLORED HIS SELF WORTH WHAT THE SMITH'S WOULDN'T KNOW FOR YEARS IS GARRETT WAS CLINICALLY DEPRESSED BUT GARRETT CHOSE TO SMILE THROUGH IT. EVEN THE NIGHT POLICE CALLED ASKING THE SMITHS TO COME PICK UP THEIR SON.