Brickbat: I Amuse You? I Make You Laugh?

The Chechen government closed a newspaper just hours after its editor provoked laughter from other journalists during a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Reporters laughed when Belkos Dudayeva began a question with "Thank God that Chechnya has now become a region of peace and prosperity."

Comments

[Whiterun Guard]

That was a complete coincidence and had nothing to do with the closure of the newspaper. The newspaper is closing solely because of losing ad revenue after its very violent (and very public) arguments with the author of the Sally Forth comic strip, and its continued refusal to publish the same, despite huge outcries and boycotts from its readership.

[db]

And you guys pick on Chip Bok and Henry Payne.

[Groovus Maximus]

Well, if they would just use MOAR LABELZ...

[Groovus Maximus]

Dudaeva introduced herself to Putin as a journalist from the newspaper "Kadyrov's Path," eliciting laughter from a group of reporters well versed in the Chechen leader's powerful cult of personality.

Putin immediately turned a tough eye to the crowd: "The animation in the room is inappropriate ? we're talking about the elder Kadyrov, who was killed in the interests of his people. I would ask you to accept this without laughter."

Kadyrov's father, Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated in a bomb blast in 2004 amid a civil war with separatist Islamist insurgents who refused to accept the former mufti's co-operation with Moscow.

Dudaeva praised the peace that had fallen upon Chechnya since: "Now, thank goodness, Chechnya has become a zone of peace, prosperity, social-economic development. In general, we live well and peacefully in Chechnya now." Then she asked Putin why the violence that was once focused on Chechnya had spread to its neighbouring republics. She followed up by asking about the fate of a local radio station.

From the link here on this little debacle courtesy of The UK Fraudian.

From the Chechen POV complete with video.

[Groovus Maximus]

Sorry! This is the one I should have posted (it has video as well). The other video has a cute reporter and I was distracted.-)

[Ted S.]

I hope you don't have any cute nurses around when you do surgery. :-p

[Groovus Maximus]

Who do you think was distracting me?-)

Seriously though, I'll let you be the judge. I give you Alla, Svitlena, and Danil'ja whilst on holiday in Italy. (Alla is my first assistant. Alla and Svitlena are sisters.)

[anon]

I take yes for all three please.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The reality of it is that Put Kadyrova often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party.

[db]

Thank God that America has now become a region of responsible political discourse and fiscal sanity.

[Diogenes of Sinope]

Remember Tovarich, in America's dialectical materialist synthesis, you no write budget, budget write you.

[Lyle]

The Democrats are hoping to be able to do this soon.