Great news, Russia’s new (self-anointed) Czar, Vladimir Putin, and his loyal number two, Dmitry Medvedev, have decided to go Stalin on Russians’ ass. They’ve ordered the police to confiscate 100.000 copies of a book written by prominent members of the opposition, Boris Nemtsov and Vladimir Milov.

The reason, you ask? Well, they had the audacity to criticize Putin’s legacy.

That’s the way to go about these things, isn’t it? What do Milov and Nemtsov think, damnit!, that we’re living in the 21st century or something?

Putin’s right: no more criticism should be allowed. This whole “freedom of speech” thingy is greatly overestimated anyway. It’s not as if it’s vital for your happiness or anything to be able to speak your mind without fearing the government’s wrath.

Besides, those pesky books take such a long, long time to read. If we want to be informed, it’s much better, and more effective, to watch government-owned news channels. These people know what they’re talking about, they’re well connected, they’re professionals. Most importantly: They’re not critical.

Let’s hope that other wannabe dictators soon follow in Putin’s footsteps: The fewer doubt-inducing books there are, the happier we’ll be.