Nadya Tolokonnikova (Facebook).
Nadya Tolokonnikova — the Russian artist, activist and Pussy Riot member — warned Americans not to grow complacent after the election of Donald Trump, who she said has the power to reshape political norms to his own benefit.
She said many Russians, including the wealthy oligarchs who helped engineer his rise to power, failed to appreciate the threat Vladimir Putin posed to the nation’s fledgling democratic institutions until it was too late, reported the New York Times.
“It’s important not to say to yourself, ‘Oh, it’s okay,’” Tolokonnikova said. “It’s important to remember that, for example, in Russia, for the first year of when Vladimir Putin came to power, everybody was thinking that it will be okay.”
[…]
Trump has frequently praised Putin and said his killing of critical journalists makes him a “strong leader,” and Tolokonnikova warned Americans that their democratic institutions are vulnerable to the same threats.
“It is a common phrase right now that ‘America has institutions,’” Tolokonnikova said. “It does. But a president has power to change institutions and a president moreover has power to change public perception of what is normal, which could lead to changing institutions.”
Today is the Independence Day of Finland. We got out of Russia 99 years ago. With assholes like Putin in charge I’m fucking glad we did and I sure hope that the future* Strong Leader in America doesn’t mess up the world so badly that we become part of that conservative, authoritarian shithole.
Putin, Trump, Erdogan, Orban, Kaczynski, Stalin, Hitler, same shit, different package.
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* = I’d like to say a few things about this, but I think I’d better not.
Happy Independence Day, and long may you keep it!
You don’t have to worry about saying anything here, fuck knows I have plenty to say about that myself.
Caine @ 2
Thanks! It isn’t perfect here and we have our own nazis and their fellow travelers, but their power is still weak.
May there be actual freedom and justice for *all* in America one day!
Ice Swimmer@#1:
Putin, Trump, Erdogan, Orban, Kaczynski, Stalin, Hitler, same shit, different package.
Those who desire power desire to be corrupted and to abuse it. Thus, anyone seeking power is my enemy because eventually they will use it against me.
Marcus, that goes along with something I’ve been saying for years: that anyone who actually wants to run for president, or any office at the federal level especially, probably shouldn’t be allowed in.
There are some who truly answer the call of public service, some grudgingly, that are probably worthy, but not many IMO.
I can think of 3 that I’ve known, but they never had aspirations beyond the state level government because they cared more about their local community where they could make a bigger change.