Imagine being jailed for 15 years for arms dealing, and when you get out, while your country is embroiled in a major war, your first move is to do an interview complaining about too many genders. American culture wars absolutely undefeated export, the modern day Hollywood. https://t.co/O9tEDABPfH
— Quantian (@quantian1) December 10, 2022
Estonian version of the Chernova kalina, the Ukrainian war march, presented by a whole lot of folk musicians. It was presented on the Ukrainian 1st Channel today. Well done!https://t.co/kB859SSWj0
— Eerik N Kross (@EerikNKross) December 1, 2022
Another factor: Russia is losing the war and Russians don't like that.
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) November 30, 2022
And several have ties to Russian or Russian-allied intelligence &/or propaganda operations. Remember, Stone communicated w Assange, & few days ago Musk seemed to be supporting Assange & Snowden
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say Russia is trying to use Musk to use Twitter https://t.co/Qc6U0ymqSs
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) December 7, 2022
“If you want to understand what Russia has done here, come to Ukraine and you will see this with your own eyes,” Mr. Zelensky said. “After that, you will tell us how to end this war, who started and when we can end it.”
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) December 1, 2022
This guy did, per the Washington Post — “David Letterman on his surprise Ukraine trip and Zelensky interview”. Worth reading the whole thing!:
In late October, David Letterman, who, in a previous television incarnation, considered a Taco Bell drive-through sufficiently adventurous for a remote segment, flew to Warsaw, hopped into a van for a five-hour drive to the Polish border with Ukraine, and caught an overnight train to Kyiv. And then, in an active subway station 250 feet below the embattled capital, the 75-year-old late-night legend sat with President Volodymyr Zelensky for a special episode of his Netflix show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” The program goes online Monday and Letterman, in a Zoom this week from his home, talked about why he decided to go to a war zone for an episode, certainly a departure for an interview program that has featured George Clooney, Lizzo and Kevin Durant in recent years. (This interview has been edited for space and clarity.)
Q: Dave, so very simply, what makes you decide Ukraine is a good idea for the show?
A: Forget the show. Forget me. This is a good idea, period. It seems like we’ve had six to eight years of people talking like we were visiting another planet. And then suddenly Russia attacks Ukraine and we meet Volodymyr Zelensky and he’s saying things and behaving in a way we have not seen manifested by humans in quite a long time. The first time I saw him, he said, “This may be the last time you, my countrymen, maybe the last time you see me alive.” And then he says, “I don’t need a ride, I need ammunition.” Right away you’re reminded of what you know about Winston Churchill fending off Hitler…
Q: Let’s go back to Ukraine. There is a striking point where you’re walking around a town square and observing these displayed pictures of people who have perished. And it’s heartbreaking to see regular people who have died. And I can’t help but think about 9/11 and those boards that were up around New York City with messages and photos. There’s a kind of trauma that sets in these situations. And the question becomes how much do you confront it and how much do you ignore it? I imagine that is something you were thinking about during this time.
A: You’re visiting the home of these people. And this is the condition their home is in. So you take on that, you realize because people are coming and going about their lives, walking around through this plaza, and it comes over you. Your connection to 9/11 is exactly the same. In the early days of that, you could not walk anywhere toward that area and not feel the heaviness, and that’s the way it was in Kyiv. But they weren’t letting it crush them.
Zelensky said it the other day. He said, I’m not brave, I’m responsible. And that’s an excellent way of putting what he and people are doing. We’re not laughing about this. We’re taking care of business and we’re prevailing, for heaven’s sakes. And smart people have explained to me that, in fact, they will win this, they will win this and winning this is going to be … the transition of them winning this will have such a global impact. If they don’t win, it’ll be more of the same crap. So we’re on the doorstep here of monumental change. Am I talking too much?
No more specifically she said “I survived Stalin, whore/bitch, I will survive Putin. He can go fuck himself, bitch”
I love our babushky. https://t.co/nwRjRX8V07
— Dr. AnnaPirate????? MD (@AnnaPartisanka) December 1, 2022
Learned a new word here:
Lots of malding men who've never seen war mad at a soldier for dancing while being a woman. https://t.co/O3nQyRUaq5
— Democratic Party Wolf Warrior ?? (@EvidenceBaseShi) December 6, 2022
I am begging these people to go on youtube and look up "dancing soldiers". It is literally one of the only things we can do in the field to stay sane and yeah if course we recorded it because that shit is hilarious. https://t.co/TxNankCyDC
— Very Tired Ryan (@Spark898) December 6, 2022
I talked with Julia recently, and this is in line with her prediction that Russia's elites are getting worried that they're going to face consequences for their advocacy of war crimes.
Also, why is Solovyov dressing like Blofeld https://t.co/s7bpPuD8MQ
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 29, 2022
You know, at the Hague you can't use "it was just TV" as an excuse https://t.co/IYuKTtn1KK
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 30, 2022
Russian middle schoolers are made to paint their faces, dress up as soldiers and make greeting cards in honor of the racoon stolen by Russian occupiers from the Kherson zoo.
One of those times when I have absolutely nothing to add… https://t.co/OrDtI0Iin6— Slava Malamud ???? (@SlavaMalamud) December 9, 2022
(Walt Handelsman via GoComics.com)
Chetan Murthy
More dispatches from the “neighbors”. This time from an apparently well-known Kazakh journo, to the Russian Ambassador. The kinda thing you need a cigarette after watching, even if you don’t smoke.
raven
This is one hell of a post!
zhena gogolia
That Simonyan video is so nauseating. I would so love to see her in the Gaaga.
Mai Naem mobile
I noticed on Twitter, soon after Brittney Griner was released there were just a bunch of what I assume were Russian bot accounts ready to diss Griner and talk about leaving behind Paul Whelan. Almost like it was coordinated. I’m sure hands on micromanager Elmo didn’t notice that.
Poptartacus
Stop supporting twitter.
Spanky
Not real happy about linking to twitter, but that’s where (some of) the action still is. Like this likeness of Vova.
Matt McIrvin
Well, that sounds awfully familiar to this American somehow born in 1968.
zhena gogolia
Looking forward to the Letterman interview. The clip at the article is good.
Omnes Omnibus
Being a soldier can be boring AF at times. Anyone who doesn’t know that has never worn a uniform.
Ripley
@Mai Naem mobile:
Someone on Twitter twigged to multiple comments on various tweets about something that started with “I love the part…”. Makes it kind of obvious. And sad.
kalakal
@Chetan Murthy: That’s one hell of a reply. If the Russians really piss off the Kazakhs they can kiss goodbye to Baikonur and their space program 10 seconds after the shooting starts. He’s right, they’re idiots, they are not really in a position to bully anyone right now.
The worst time to start a war is when you’re already losing one
Starfish
Talk to me about the ethics of continuing to link to a platform when a CEO is trying to target one of his former gay Jewish employees.
OverTwistWillie
Putin whinging about losing the information war just takes the cake.
-shakes fist- ……if it wasn’t for those dweebs with Shibu avatars shitposting about a racoon.
OverTwistWillie
Putin whinging about losing the information war just takes the cake.
-shakes fist-
If it wasn’t for those dweebs with Shibu avatars shitposting about a racoon.
Ken
@Ripley: I saw one like that for the UK railway strike. Four tweets supposedly from four different men, all with exactly the same wording. It was incredibly obvious since the message claimed they worked for the railway for 15 years and were earning 48,000 pounds (or some such specific figures).
trollhattan
@Chetan Murthy: Wowzers. And so matter of fact.
OverTwistWillie
Russia cheerleaders prefer a Ilsa She Wolf of the SS aesthetic.
BenCisco 🇺🇸🎖️🖥️♦️
@raven: Agreed!!
Gin & Tonic
Thank you for this post.
Raoul Paste
Give Letterman the journalism prize, and watch those MSM hacks howl.
David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch
💣 BOOOM!
dmsilev
I’m still trying to wrap my head around being proud of …stealing a raccoon.
Chetan Murthy
@trollhattan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakh_famine_of_1930%E2%80%931933
One presumes most educated Kazakhs, even those who are friendly towards Russia, would prefer never to be ruled by them again.
Ken
@Chetan Murthy: Plus we now know how to say “You are cannibals who eat yourself”, which (while no “my hovercraft is full of eels”) is useful in any number of situations.
Cameron
@Ken: Would it be safe to say “we are all eat ourself now?”
Tom Levenson
@Ken: “In old Soviet Union, cannibals eat selves.” (And in new Russia…
Yutsano
This is a test…
Martin
I just want to note that our Ukrainian soldier here has been doing that dance for years. You don’t get that kind of commitment overnight. That’s some big zoomer middle school having fun with friends energy there.
zhena gogolia
@Tom Levenson: Cannibals eating themselves is a great metaphor for present-day Russia. The problem is they’re also eating other people.
Another Scott
@Yutsano: 💯
Cheers,
Scott.
UncleEbeneezer
Just finished watching Is That Black Enough For You on Netflix and I highly recommend it:
“With a dense and fascinating mass of clips and interviews with figures in the movies such as Whoopi Goldberg, Zendaya, Samuel L Jackson and Laurence Fishburne, Mitchell fights back against cultural erasure and amnesia: there is a rich and vivid history of African American cinema which blossomed in Hollywood’s pioneering golden age, but was siloed in designated “negro” cinemas.”
zhena gogolia
@UncleEbeneezer: I recommended this here on BJ last week but nobody bit.
japa21
Learned a couple new words from one tweet. Amazing the reactions people have to the strangest things.
kalakal
@Yutsano: And it worked!
UncleEbeneezer
@zhena gogolia: It was so good! The only problem is now I gotta rewatch it and make a list of all the films I wanna watch (many being on smaller, subscription streaming services). But it was such an excellent, comprehensive history of Black Cinema. Loved it :)
WaterGirl
@UncleEbeneezer: I’m sure you’ll be writing up that list and sending me a copy so I can share your list in a post? :-)
zhena gogolia
@UncleEbeneezer: there were so many films I’d never heard of.
Alison Rose
@Chetan Murthy: Damn. Go on, my friend!
zhena gogolia
@UncleEbeneezer: Samuel L. Jackson is so good. And Billy Dee Williams
Jager
@Omnes Omnibus:
No kidding, we had a circus in our barracks one evening in AIT. One young trooper (he was a gymnast in high school) did a double flip, and our DI walked in and asked him to do it again.
Mai Naem mobile
@Yutsano: cute test
Another Scott
Meanwhile, ICYMI, …
Thread:
(via LOLGOP)
Grr…,
Scott.
Alison Rose
Y’all, I’ll let Anne Laurie speak for herself if she wants to, of course, but until Twitter shuffles off this mortal coil, the fact is that it’s still the best place to do this kind of news and information gathering, particularly on a topic like this. Insinuating that by posting some tweets here, she’s supporting Muskrat’s bigotry or something is pretty repugnant. If you don’t want to look at any tweets, you can skip the posts. But expecting FPers to immediately stop using anything from Twitter while also still giving us content is a little daft. I mean…if anyone here is reading this blog on a MacBook or iPhone, you might be interested to learn about Apple’s less than conscientious business practices in its factories. Or if you have a Chromebook or Google Pixel or whatever, they’re also made by a parent company what’s done some sketchy shit. We’re all looking forward to this Letterman/Zelenskyy interview, and guess what, Netflix is run by trashpiles who think transphobia is a cool moneymaker. Every company sucks ass in multiple ways, and we all grin and bear it because we need or want to use what they make. If you don’t want to keep using Twitter, that’s 100% understandable. If you don’t want to read posts that include tweets, you are a citizen of this free country. But using the comments to dump on AL, the damn queen of this site, is not nice and not necessary.
Ahem. Or something.
schrodingers_cat
@Alison Rose: Seconded.
OverTwistWillie
The Ukrainian dancer represents innocence.
Fascists prefer Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS wank material.
Tankies know in their hearts Vladimir Putin is the real victim here.
counterfactual
@Ken: Russia has three launch sites in its territory. I think they can get to the ISS from Vostochny though they haven’t done so yet. Plesetsk is better for spy sats, and since the last head of Roscosmos was bundled off to be Viceroy of Ukraine, the Russians have started launching again regularly. They’ve sent a spy sat and a GLONASS (Russian version of GPS) sat in the past month from Plesetsk
Gwangung
@Alison Rose: Amen from the congregation.
Suzanne
Stealing….a….raccoon.
I hope that thing knocks over all the trash cans in Russia. Godspeed.
japa21
@Alison Rose: Now tell us how you really feel.
Alison Rose
@japa21: Don’t give me that opportunity, there will be many more swears.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
@Alison Rose: Hear hear!
Kay
This is exactly how the NYTimes characterized Donald Trump from 2015 to 2017- insisted he was pro choice, would protect same sex marriage, was not really a Republican etc.
They’re all going to have to go thru the same agonizingly slow learning curve we watched them struggle through with Trump for Elon Musk. We’re on like Step One. It’ll take years. No one has time for it.
UncleEbeneezer
@WaterGirl: I’ll try but honestly there was probably a couple hundred. Lots of classic stars (Belafonte, Poitier, Pam Grier, Dianna Ross etc.)
But the really cool (and sad) thing was that it shows how many of the biggest stylistic components of current movies were invented by Black People who never get proper credit for it.
kalakal
@Alison Rose: Well said
geg6
@Suzanne: Plus, raccoons can be vicious little bastards. Ask me how I know.
Dan B
@Alison Rose: Quite true although at the moment I’m horrified by Elon Musk’s attack on the gay Jewish former exec. His call that this guy is a pedophile are dangerous. Twitter still has value as no comparable substitute has arrived yet. Sigh.
UncleEbeneezer
@zhena gogolia: One of my fave Black podcasters (who raved about the documentary) said you can get a lot of them on the Brown Sugar streaming service (Amazon/Roku) for $4/month.
Geminid
@Kay: I think that NYT writer understands what Musk’s politics are. He’s brown-nosing.
bcw
Russia is clearly worried about the GENDER GAP.
America has 72 genders and they can only manage one or two.
They need a (Drag) Race to catch up!
Kay
@Geminid:
I feel like it’s Donald Trump and Obama’s birth certificate all over again.
We never, ever seem to learn that these people are conmen even when one (Musk) follows another (Trump) immediately. The trajectory of this thing is Trump-like.
zhena gogolia
@UncleEbeneezer: It’s a great payoff at the end.
Kay
This is what the US Right wants for US women- to go back to a time when domestic violence wasn’t a crime:
Geminid
@Kay: I guess that’s possible, and I am jumping to conclusions. But when I saw that headline, my first thought was, “There sure are a lot of people sucking up to Musk!”
J R in WV
@Yutsano:
Yutsano, test worked so well !!!
@Alison Rose:
Thanks you, Alison Rose!
Alison Rose
@bcw: America, fuck yeah!
trollhattan
@geg6: Those fuzzy tailed bemasked bastards know what they did.
The Moar You Know
@Poptartacus: most of us can remember your history here, and you can just shut all the fucking way up.
geg6
@trollhattan:
They really are terrifying if they feel threatened by something. It has happened to me twice and I have no interest in ever fucking around and finding out again.
Shalimar
@geg6: they don’t refer to raccoons as trash pandas for nothing.
Betsy
@Kay: I love your political analysis and media analysis and campaign/electoral analysis. You are one wise person. Coming here and reading a sentence or two from you — it’s invariably expert, and somehow new while also summing up in a simple, insightful way the morass of what other observers in the media or pol biz are struggling to put their finger on
What I am struggling to say is, DAMN YOU’RE GOOD.
Suzanne
@geg6: Oh, 100%. Raccoons are tough little fuckers and I hope it eats the faces of those who stole it.
Kay
@Betsy:
Thanks.
“People say” Amy Klobuchar is mean and that is true- she does seem to be mean- but I love her :)
“The issue is this” lol
Betsy
@Kay: Nice.
sab
@Kay: I remember when Putin announced his divorce how relieved his ex-wife looked.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Those of you who find Twitter so offensives can easily go post alternative links to these articles Adam is linking too.
Be part of the solution and all that.
kalakal
@trollhattan: Yeah, they keep crapping in my swimming pool. Bastards. I hope that kidnapped one does the same to Putin
Sister Golden Bear
@Alison Rose: Thirded.
KenK
@Chetan Murthy: holy shit, did the Russian ambassador get lit up.