Comments on: Ice, ice, baby!

Ice, ice, baby!

Sidhedevil — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:41:09 -0800

The President plans yet another silly boondoggle and introduces faith-based driver education. What President are we talking about? Why, Saparmyrat Niyazov, the president-for-life of Turkmenistan. Or, as he likes to be called, "Turkmenbashi"--the "leader of all Turkmen".

He's got a lot of spiritual ideas and 24/7 TV coverage. Hey--he's against gold teeth and circuses. If it weren't for his dismal human rights record, I might vote for him myself. Sometimes I have to remind myself that there are, in fact, much worse choices than the ones I have for November.

By: fleener

fleener — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:44:23 -0800

At least the president of Turkmenistan isn't pushing the world toward Armageddon.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:46:45 -0800

Whoops, I suck. I just reflexively put those damn s in there. Fleener, my guess is that if Turkmenbashi could push the world toward Armageddon, he would. He and Kim Jong Il are neck-and-neck in the World's Craziest Dictator sweepstakes.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:47:22 -0800

{those damn paragraph tags}

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:53:13 -0800

The Epic of Turkmenbashi, as told by beeswacky.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 19:58:31 -0800

I feel weird being even remotely in synch with MoFi. I was actually turned on to Turkmenbashi by this book--a fun read, but it doesn't rhyme. beeswacky for Poet Laureate.

By: philfromhavelock

philfromhavelock — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 21:03:35 -0800

Thanks, sidhedevil. I didn't know this. From rukhnama.com, "They falsely represented the nation of Türkmens as pillagers and merciless slaughterers, and described them as a wild community who kill each other, living in tents, an ignorant, uneducated and nomadic nation. These kinds of unjust and aberrant assertions are the political tricks which aimed to erode the legendary past of Türkmen people and their contribution to the history of the development of the world through many centuries, to justify their invasion of its land and to take the Türkmen nation captive.." Interesting read. But I'm not buying one. Pierre Trudeau wrote about this in the sixties: large countries break into smaller countries on nationalistic/racial lines from the impetus of maltreatment and end up with fewer freedoms, smaller economic base and under the sway of cult of personality. Nationalism and cult of personality were similar. (If I weren't so tired, I would google for Trudeau quotes.)

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 22:04:20 -0800

he's against gold teeth Niyazov's not just against gold teeth. He's against "gold-capped teeth." Perhaps he's trying to get revenge against that gypsy who sold him that bottle of Love Potion #9.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Fri, 27 Aug 2004 23:11:01 -0800

beeswacky! beeswacky! beeswacky!

By: cinematique

cinematique — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 00:04:43 -0800

Love Potion #9?

By: ed\26h

ed\26h — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 03:38:00 -0800

Fleener: That argument doesn't really work.

By: ed\26h

ed\26h — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 03:38:37 -0800

I'm going to read that book; seems like a lot of fun :)

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sat, 28 Aug 2004 10:34:08 -0800

I third the praise for beeswacky, who's doing remarkable things over there. Since the thread is over 1,000 comments by now and you won't want to wade through all the silliness (unless you like that sort of thing), I suggest you start here and just keep scrolling down, looking for the beeswacky signoff. There's gold in them thar hills.

By: petebest

petebest — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 12:19:05 -0800

that's beesbashi to you.