Twenty years after the comedy went silent, Russia is a sadistic, warmongering fascist regime run by a mad centibillionaire. That’s a future that could be ours — whole argument of "Road to Unfreedom" — but also one we can stop — see "On Tyranny" and "On Freedom."
www.nytimes.com/2000/06/18/w...
This may explain why there’s an aggressive response to people who merely post Kirk’s own words. It threatens the existence of the alternate Kirk - the motivational speaker that had been marketed to young kids and white Christian groups through selective quotation & clips.
For nearly a century, US law has forbidden excessive consolidation in media, both as business antitrust (ensure fair competition) and so multiple opinions and perspectives could be heard.
That was before anti-democracy leaders wanted media consolidation under their ideologically-aligned oligarchs.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the agenda-setting and flood of disinformation that spread on X and other platforms right after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s far from the first or last time a tragedy has been weaponized for political purposes.
1/18
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the autocratic concept of “Good Tsar, Bad Boyars”: the idea that the leader is wise and just, but constantly sabotaged by corrupt advisors. This narrative shields the ruler from blame, and it’s used by both Putin and Trump today.
1/20
The release shows that key emails were likely drafted by Russian intelligence. Is that not the opposite of what it was supposed to show?www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/...
@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social is teaming up with @wildhornets.bsky.social and the 69thSB to raise funds for #NAFO Trucks and drones!
Trucks and drones are among the most efficient ways we can help Ukrainian defenders 🫡
Let’s give this campaign a boost! 🚀
🔗 www.help99.co/patches/spec...
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian politician and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Kiriyenko. He’s best known for running both domestic and foreign disinformation and propaganda operations for the Kremlin.
1/20
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American lawyer and politician, Mike Lee. He’s best-known for opposing the aid to Ukraine, undermining NATO by calling the US to withdraw from the alliance, and for fighting with a bunch of braindead dogs online.
1/21
In today’s Vatnik Soup and the “Degenerate Russia” series, I’ll show you the brutal reality of Russian war crimes, in particular the horrific tortures and sexual abuses of children, women and men.
Buckle up, this one is not for the faint-hearted.
1/24
a graph of US tariffs and DHS excise taxes paid, monthly annualized, which rises from $100B to $300B
June treasury data came in today, and Americans paid a record $27B in tariffs & related DHS excise taxes this month—for an annualized pace of more than $300B/year
The graph of intense pain & suffering keeps getting worse
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce the main themes of Russian disinformation on TikTok. Each day, there are thousands of new videos promoting pro-Kremlin narratives and propaganda.
It’s worth noting that Russians can only access European TikTok via VPN.
1/10
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American social media influencer, Benny Johnson. He’s best known for his plagiarism while working as a clickbait “journalist”, and for being paid by the Kremlin to spread anti-Ukraine and anti-Democratic narratives.
1/23
In today’s May 9th Vatnik Soup, we discuss the ambiguous relationship of the Kremlin with Nazism and explain why so many vatniks can be outright Nazis, or even promote or excuse them while at the same time being so hysterical about alleged “Nazis in Ukraine”.
1/23
Great news, everyone. A surveillance company started by Peter Thiel is part of the hackathon playing with our data at IRS.
www.wired.com/story/palant...
Trump is Recycling the Kremlin Playbook In Order to Take Over Greenland
By @mortenhammeken.bsky.social and Yours Truly:
bylinetimes.com/2025/04/07/t...
In today’s Vatnik Soup REBREW, I’ll introduce a Russian ultra-nationalist propagandist and “philosopher”, Aleksandr Dugin. He’s best-known for his blueprint on Russia’s geopolitical strategy and for his genocidal rhetoric towards Ukrainians.
1/17
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce Russian propagandist Sergei Tsaulin. He’s best-known for spreading pro-Kremlin narratives in Estonia, fleeing to Russia after breaking several laws in Estonia, and almost getting blown up by a bomb in St. Petersburg.
1/17
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll talk about the takeover of social media by illiberal, populist influencers. For the last ten years, social media has been dominated by these voices and it is one of the main reasons for the political rise of people like Trump and Orban.
1/25
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Crossing into the United States has become increasingly dangerous for digital privacy. Here are a few steps you can take to minimize the risk of Customs and Border Patrol accessing your data.
By this reasoning, any American can be deported to El Salvador at any time, since in both absolute numbers and relative proportions US citizens murder more people than undocumented migrants do.
If you accept that non-citizens have no right to due process, you are accepting that citizens have no right to due process. All the government has to do is claim that you are not a citizen; without due process you have no chance to prove the contrary.
🇬🇪 It’s #ToonieTuesday! 🇬🇪
This week we are supporting @gior.bsky.social Commander of the Georgian Pilots Group part of the 28th Brigade in raising money for jammers, night vision and mavic 3s.
Donate €2 £2 $2 📬screenshot in replies & repost
🅿️🅿️: lifetreeof2@gmail.com
1/2
#NAFO #Ukraine #FUNDRUA
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an Estonian businessman turned far-right politician and conspiracy theorist, Harry Raudvere. Raudvere is best-known for his neo-Nazi and pro-Kremlin politics, for his lingerie businesses, and for spreading anti-Estonia propaganda.
1/17
TLDR: #AutopenGate is disinformation that originated with The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project
“As the Federal Register's digitized documents do not represent what the signature looks like on the original documents, the Oversight Project's claim lacks credibility.”
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll start a new series titled “Degenerate Russia”. In it, we look behind the Kremlin propaganda and see the real Russia – an authoritarian country that doesn’t care about its people and desperately tries to hold on to its imperialistic past.
1/22
@hcrichardson.bsky.social Rep Jamie Raskin has created a FOIA form letter for people to demand details on if and how their data stored on government systems has been used.
They flood the zone, we can flood the zone right back within the structure of the law.
jamieraskin.com/doge-privacy...
Putin's global web of colonies and protectorates continues to unravel, despite the US still not getting the memo.
Belgrade, prepping for today's protests that will be the largest in the country's history.
Only takes 23 Senate Democrats to remove Chuck Schumer from leadership and replace him with someone willing to fight
