Literature, art, education, and... nuclear weapons???

FINALLY!!!  One of the world's great leaders and visionary thinkers, Dmitry Medvedev, recently articulated the extraordinary depth of his understanding of the intersection of the arts and nuclear weapons (say what?!?!?!).  His audience?  Young people of course!!!  Surely they can understand the monumental importance of maintaining a vast arsenal of nuclear weapons, even while developing a broad appreciation of the arts.  Here's the story.

Before Dmitry Medvedev’s valedictory speech earlier this month, the outgoing president awarded medals to dozens of Russians, including a theatre director, a policewoman and the chairman of the Russian hockey federation (Go Big Red Machine!!!).

Dmitry Medvedev flexing his
artistic muscles

Then, taking the podium in a glittering Kremlin ballroom, Mr Medvedev declared that Russia’s younger generation needed positive role models to inspire them towards “success in literature, art, education, and” – he paused wistfully – “nuclear weapons”. 

“They may still come in handy,” he said, apropos, seemingly, of nothing. “We’re not going to use them, but let’s still keep them around, because we have a big country, a complex country. We must value it and protect it.”

Then, wishing his audience “safe skies”, he signed off.

It was an odd demonstration of the Kremlin’s even odder relationship to its most prized asset – the one thing that still gives Russia its global superpower status: the ability to blow the planet to kingdom come.

Ah... here's to mushroom cloud skies and caviar dreams...

###

Editor's Note: The original article that was butchered to create this post can be found at the Financial Times:  http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/698334c8-a4d9-11e1-9908-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1w8Zekg3O