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20 thoughts on “New Horizons in Revolutionary Dissent Management”

  1. What really gets me about Lukashenko, upsets me actually, is his moustache. No one has a moustache any more unless you grow it for a dare! It just shows how out of touch he is behind his iron curtain!

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    • bobthebuilder,

      I have had a beard and mustache since I was 18. I had them when they were popular, and when they were out of style. I think I have lived through about three of these fashion cycles. And, out of ALL the things that you could possibly want to criticize about Lukashenko about, you pick his mustache!!?? What if he was a snappy dresser? Would you say, “Yeah, I know he wants to kidnap the children of anyone who opposes him, but damn, that is a nice suit he is wearing!” What is wrong with you?

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    • look at the picture of the owner of this blog and you will get even more upset, no wonder he writed this blog, with a mustache like that! hehehe… You probably get really upset about Chavez’ mole too…

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  3. Just by threatening to harm children he doesn’t have to carry it off the act in order to terrorize the population.

    This creep is still fairly popular in a country that has little understanding of democracy and a super cowed down population.My kids recently went there to visit to show their small son to relatives and were surprised to find that the people are significantly improving their economic conditions, which only reinforces the popularity of this redneck in power.

    Venezuelan people are not cowed down and fearfully passive enough YET, to tolerate these tactics( in my opinion), however if things keep going like they go, eventually its time will come.

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  4. Lets not put the cart before the horse. The NYT reports that Luka and his thugs MIGHT seize custody of ONE 3-year old son of an oppo presi candidate, and that the plight of the child MAY represent a new tactic in the government’s persecution of the opposition.

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    • Syd,

      The “may” is rather “could very probably”, according to what some Belorussian friends are telling me. They do not like Luka at all, but they have been very cautious about the whole situation. They are not the Belorussian version of Maria Alejandra López.

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  5. There’s a big difference between a Lukashenko 1980s Magnum PI moustache and a Francisco Toro ‘I’m living in Paris’ moustache! Even Tom Selleck got it, he shaved it off!

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    • I thought it was supposed to be a “Ned Flanders” type mustache? Of course it doesn’t really apply since you can’t ignore the rest of his facial hair while making that statement.

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  6. I read the article. Could even be hilarious if you were callous enough, considering that…

    Of course, they will insure that grandmother is firmware-updated, with firewall, healthy, with enough financial resources, a nice house, vaccinated, tuned (to government beliefs?), oiled… or else they will intervene… for the good of the kid… we would understand, given that the parents are such losers, jailbirds, never-do-wells.

    Denial of rights through bureaucracy is as old as time itself and always sounds the same. Working smoothly to deny everything humans have deemed and held a right (or just everyday) for over 3000 years and counting…

    “Se vencio la concesion del canal…” “it is an assault weapon and you cannot get a permit…” “you cannot get a work permit here because…” “you cannot hire so and so…” “import and sell, after a X00% tariff and retention of merchandise and whatever else we can think of…” “show chain of ownership from Independence to now…” “unproductive lands…” “oops, you arrived too late/too early…” “you didn’t label the folders right…”

    Always the same song. Always for convenience and safety (of people who like to get screwed, that is).

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    • Not with their own people. They did that with the non Romans to guarantee stability in conquered regions. That’s why there is the saying: “when in Rome, do as Romans do”.

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    • They did it to their own as well. In a variation of the hostage taking, the fall of a patriach often meant his family would die or sold into slavery.

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    • Romans and others were more sincere about that. They wanted the subjects to stay subjects and peaceful. The subjects “did it for the kids (hostages)”, literally.

      In our enlightened age, there is enough bureaucracy and enough euphemism to make even the most arbitrary rules seem reasonable. Or to make capricious enforcement seem impartial. The most extreme modern examples would hide the gory bits under “relocation camp”, “concentration camp”, “mental therapy” and such.

      Never mind that in the best of situations the deluded* general public has** no real power in the drafting or enforcing of such rules.

      *In the best of cases they democratically elect SOME people in government to make laws for them, and to name bureaucrats who fill the gaps creatively with what is actually enforced, which is also creatively enforced.

      **Or should not have, when its civil liberties are being cut down; but still gives little to no input and is not asked to anyway. Specially regarding regulations.

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  8. speaking of lukashenko, one of his PSFs is associated with wikileaks and has chosen to *unredact* cables, likely getting some central asian informants killed. (not that wikileaks were the best at redacting to being with):

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