Bucha: Liberating them from what?

The name is so close to Busha , which is so close to about every Slavic word for Gramma. Gramma, whose teared-images in Ukraine have ripped us apart.

A Russian soldier approached a Ukrainian and said “We are liberating you!”

The Ukrainian said, “From what?” 

What makes evil? Wrong question. Always existed.

Snake-Eyed Pootie (must stop denigrating snakes), will he survive Hitler’s Generals’ Assassination plan, which did not work?

Interesting article from the Times of London about the mid level Russian soldiers, the captains and colonels, also the “siloviki”, the strongmen, often from the KGB, as is Pootie. Like Pootie, they seem to have no qualms about sending young men to the their deaths, but if they sense weakness at the very top, they may well act. For the good of the Russian Federation, Pootie be damned.

If there is any justice, which I have long doubted, he will be. Perhaps he can wear his 2000 £ handmade coat, with which he regaled the crowd at his recent pep rally, to keep himself warm on the freezing tundra of Gehenna. 

The siloviki apparently were not happy about that show of opulence.

I was having a play done years back in Chicago at Victory Gardens Theater. That Second World War reference brings to mind tomorrow’s Victory celebration in Moscow and Russia’s “de-Nazifying” of Germany. I put that in quotes because that’s been the excuse for the Invasion of Ukraine. All those swastika-bearers running around Mariopol. Got that wrong. Russian flags going up all over the ruins of that destroyed city. 

My play “The Sovereign State of Boogedy Boogedy”, the title of which seems to more and more describe the state of the world, split the theater’s Board down the middle, with its fierce defenders and equally puzzled detractors. After one performance I was hanging in the lobby when a man came up to me. He was quite complimentary and unknown to me. Then he asked, and I have pondered his question ever since, “You don’t believe in progress, do you?” It threw me, but I finally said, “No, I don’t.” He thanked me and walked away. I did not have the presence of mind to ask, “How do you know, what is there in my play that leads you to that conclusion?” I still have no clue. 

I read today that “Life expectancy in the 1830s and 1840s…for laborers in Liverpool was 15.” There’s some progress, you say. Not so fast. Indentured servants around the globe? One Liverpool then ( how many Beatles did we lose?), one Bangladesh now? 

How about medical advances? Well, there is this little thing called Covid. And pandemics on the way. 

Liberating us from what indeed.

Do we put our faith in the siloviki? Will they take pity on the bushas of the world?

O, yes, I write this on Mother’s/Grandmother’s Day. Peace and Blessings on us all. My sainted mother Evelyn, gone at 92 and divine Busha, Mary Kosach, gone at 98, as well. Progress is damned without them.

 

Lonnie Carter is a playwright, Obie winner and his signature play is “The Sovereign State of Boogedy Boogedy.”

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Lakeville Journal and The Journal does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less