Dead Clown Walking
Mafia state of mind
A fire broke out backstage in a theatre. The clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded. He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater. I think that's just how the world will come to an end: to the general applause of wits who believe it's a joke.—Soren Kierkegaard
A week ago tonight, I pulled an all-nighter, watching the events unfold in Russia. The first report I wrote, ‘The Psycho Circus of Mad Men,’ offered a biting assessment of a mafia state having problems.
In that report, I cited Bette community member Michael MacKay, a Canadian academic who lived in Ukraine, as he pointed out the gullibility of mainstream news media:
Since 2014 they reported “ceasefire agreements” made by the Russian fascist invaders of Ukraine as if they were real. Now they’re reporting a “peace agreement” between two Russian fascist leaders as if it is real.
Putin and Prigozhin are mass murderers and liars. They say the coup is over. Ukrainians know better. They mock the enemy warlords but know Russia’s descent into hell is a sideshow.
As reports come in tonight from another Bette community member, Monique Camarra, that the chatter among the ‘Russian elite is that Putin had lost control,’ she also documents sources who say Russia is preparing a ‘terrorist attack on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, according to the Russian forces, to frighten the Western world, show that Russia will not stop before using nuclear weapons, and force the allies to try to bring us to the negotiating table.’
It’s important to note in my Byline Supplement report with war correspondent Zarina Zabrisky, who spent 15 months reporting from Ukraine, she said this:
Putin wants immortality: to be written in history as a great leader. For that, he wants to build an empire. Rebuild the USSR. He was always pretty clear about it. Ukraine is the first step. If he is not stopped, Russia will devour many smaller countries. If Republicans win, if Trump is president again, we will end up with a totalitarian mafia empire.
If we manage to stop this, Russia will not be able to sustain itself and will dissolve into smaller regions. This area will threaten the world for a long time, no matter what, due to its collective mentality. The rapid climate change is not playing in our favor and might be weaponized or accelerated by the Kremlin. Nuclear disaster is not out of the picture at all.
It is important to note that President Zelensky warned that Russia was threatening to blow up the Kakhovka dam seven months before Russia blew up the dam.
“When someone shows you who they are believe them the first time.”
—Maya Angelou
I am reflecting on all this tonight, because the reports coming from Zaporizhia nuclear power plant are increasingly alarming. Luke Harding in the Guardian is reporting Moscow is scaling back its presence, and told staff to leave.
‘Vatnik Soup’ creator Pekka Kallioniemi just wrote on Twitter:
Pirkanmaa region in Finland has started distributing iodine tablets to pregnant women and to children under 3-years old.
It's probably a preparation for the possible catastrophe event at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been mined by the Russians.
As Michael MacKay reminds us, we are dealing with a terrorist state, a mafia state, run by murderers and liars. I am also reflecting on this tonight because I am questioning many events in my own country.
I am not sure how a twice-impeached, twice indicted sexual assaulter facing charges for espionage continues to flounce around the country running for president. I am not sure how we have no protection from the SCOTUS judges chosen by a twice-impeached, twice indicted sexual assaulter facing charges for espionage… judges who are violating the Constitution.
What does that make us… a mafia state? The recently deceased Silvio Berlusconi was indicted 27 times, convicted 7 times, but as Ruth Ben-Ghiat explains, he was more successful than Trump because he changed laws to benefit his criminality.
As Ruth also noted, Brazil’s electoral court voted to ban Jair Bolsonaro from office for eight years for making false claims about last year’s election, a ruling that likely ends the extremist right-wing former president’s political career. That’s how you deal with criminals. The Big Lie is corruption…
I am wearing my Jack Smith ‘F**k Around Find Out’ tshirt each time I’m on air as a pysop to the not-yet-incarcerated traitors, who should be expecting door knocks any minute now. Provided we are still a rule of law country, which I believe we are, but I also believe we need to deal with the illegitimate 2016 election which led to an illegitimate Supreme Court. A man proven to be a spy traitor con should be disqualified from selecting judges to our highest court. That would be a national security risk.
Another important note: now that Putin has admitted Wagner was part of the Russian military, we can deduce that the Internet Research Agency, Prigozhin’s other op, was also part of the Russian military, which means the 2016 election was influenced by a Russian military attack.
Furthermore, Mike Flynn, Don Jr., and others in Trump’s orbit spread online lies created by the Russian military in the 2016 election. And prolific spreader of Internet Research Agency lies, Palm Beach resident Douglass Mackey — who posted under the name ‘Ricky Vaughn’ — was just convicted for election interference. So back to those door knocks…
As the events of 2016 are now being scrutinized more closely — what with members of the New York FBI indicted for working for the Russians and trying to overthrow the country — I am also revisiting Cambridge Analytica’s relationship to the St. Petersburg Internet Research Agency. Not only were they engaged in military grade psychological operations — Cambridge Analytica, essentially a shell for military contractor SCL — but they shared common goals and curious intersections.
“You can’t vote out the mafia,” wrote Sarah Kendzior on Twitter tonight. “That people won’t admit this crisis is, in fact, a mafia state crisis is a huge part of the problem.”
I’m going to keep wearing my Jack Smith FAFO t-shirt, because I believe that we will continue to see high level arrests. But I also believe until we are willing to take a hard look at 2016, we can’t cure what ails us.
We are ensnared in an undeclared mind war, and there are no rear areas.
In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and basically persuaded us that it didn’t actually happen…our minds were in a trap…digital technology was not working for us.
Once we’d been had in 2014..we should have prepared for being had in 2016.—Timothy Snyder
“Will we survive if we keep falling for Ruschist trolls,” wrote Stephen Douglas just now in his ‘Disinfolklore’ substack.
Will Russian trolls survive if we start slaying them. We have the ability to fight disinformation — we have truth.
As much as Putin may hope for immortality, mortality has other plans.
Putin was not going to live forever anyway. It is true that you now have a dead man in charge of a Russian political party.—Timothy Snyder
I dream the future, and I often carry images from my dreams into the world as a wake. And yesterday morning as I awakened, I saw an image of Putin lying in state, dressed as a clown.
A girl can dream.
****
Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members. Thank you as well to all those who support my work with your generous coffee tips and who buy my ebooks. Some of you prefer making subsidizing donations via venmo, and it’s always greatly appreciated. Thanks to a generous donor, we gave away six annual memberships today! If you wish to gift a membership, you can do so by donating to the ko-fi or venmo accounts, and indicate it’s for a gift, or do so here.
Also, a private link to an annual membership discount for older adults, those on fixed incomes or drawing disability, as well as activists and members of the media is available upon request at bettedangerous@gmail.com. 🥹
Registration for our next Bette Dangerous ‘Speakeasy’ Zoom for paid members on Sunday, July 2, 4 pm PT with Martin Sheil can be found here. Also be on the lookout for an invite to our weekly Bette’s Happy Hour wellness checkin for Tuesday, July 4, which will be at noon PT. Expect fireworks!
🤍
