This story is already weeks old, but I had to paste this photo from Deutsche Welle‘s newsmail. The Belarus government is fuming over the dropped teddy bears, an event sponsored by some Swedes. The Belarus brass claims international interference in domestic affairs and has already sacked a bunch of top officials. Come now!

I continue to imagine howls of laughter coming from the global community over a bunch of (presumably) overfed politicians getting steamed because thousands of toy bears flew into Belarussian airspace and got pushed out of a plane.

Sort of a philosophical update of the Berlin airlift of the 1950s.

I also wonder what happened to the bears? Is it treason in Belarus to keep one? That sends a weird message. Politicizing teddy bears, for cryin’ out loud!

Yes, the issue of free speech is completely serious, but it also points to the power of laughter to weaken the powerful, especially if they’ve gotten too big for their britches.