Preparing for Thanksgiving - Gratitude

There are many things for which we can be grateful as we approach Thanksgiving. This week, I ran across a new one. I am grateful that I am not in Tajekistan. There are some attractive things about this country of about ten million people, but for me the negatives outweigh the positives. I don't want to climb Lenin Peak, even. I think border clashes are possible nearby.

This is one thing I found interesting about the country at first:

Tajikistan curbs the influence of islam and promotes Ancient Persian heritage as a state policy. This includes banning Arabic names, cousin marriages and long beards. It also includes promoting native clothes and dance. The West should take note.

This costuming is rather attractive compared to what you see in Iran these days:

Tajikistan curbs the influence of islam and promotes Ancient Persian heritage as a state policy.

This includes banning Arabic names, cousin marriages and long beards.

It also includes promoting native clothes and dance.

The West should take note.

pic.twitter.com/QdouZ5nQW2

— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) November 18, 2025

From the beginning of this video, the celebration of the preservation of ancient Persian culture seems to be a big deal. Even though Russian is an official language in Tajikistan. A backstory begins to emerge: there were Arab invasions.

The suppression of Islam comes with the suppression of other religions. The government officially prefers atheism. The history of Jews in the country is interesting. Hardly any left now.

Actually, the government suppresses a lot of things. From Freedom House:

Overview

The authoritarian regime of President Emomali Rahmon, who has ruled since 1992, severely restricts political rights and civil liberties. The political opposition and independent media have been devastated by a sustained campaign of repression, and the government exerts tight control over religious expression and activity. Wealth and authority are concentrated in the hands of Rahmon and his family.

Key Developments in 2024

Tens of thousands of Tajikistani migrant workers returned home or were deported from Russia in the months after a March terrorist attack at a concert hall in Moscow that killed nearly 150 people. The attack was claimed by an Afghanistan-based terrorist group, Islamic State Khorasan; Russian authorities attributed it to Tajikistani migrant workers and attempted to link them to Ukraine. The ensuing crackdown on migrants in Russia prompted many to leave, and those who remained faced increasing pressure to enlist in the Russian military.

In July, Tajikistani and Kyrgyzstani delegations reported progress on the delimitation of their shared border. . .

Legislation adopted by the parliament in May and signed by the president in June banned the import, sale, and wearing of clothes that are deemed to conflict with “national culture.” Violations would be punishable by fines. The law also imposed restrictions on certain religious, cultural, and family celebrations.

Independent journalists continued to face persecution during the year. For example, Ahmad Ibrohim, editor in chief of the newspaper Payk, was arrested August on dubious charges of bribery, extortion, and extremism. The outcome of a closed-door trial was pending at year’s end.

Tajikistani authorities persisted in their extensive efforts to detain and punish political dissidents who had sought refuge abroad. . .

So, are you also grateful not to be in Tajikistan? Or Iran, where the ancient Persian culture in Tajikistan mostly does not seem to have survived?

Any other countries you are particularly grateful not to be in today?

Other things for which I am grateful

I am grateful today that I am not Candace Owens

BREAKING: Candace Owens appears to have been PRANKED on air by a tip.

In yesterday’s episode, Candace read out an email from someone claiming to have inside knowledge about why her Egyptian plane landed in Delaware. The tip said all directions pointed to the address: One Rodney… pic.twitter.com/yDVrLv28WA

— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) November 20, 2025

Weekend

John Hinderaker: The Week In Pictures: Epstein Boomerang Edition

For the most part it was a pretty quiet week. Many longstanding stories continued to make headlines: the UN adopted President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza; the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration continued, as did the Democrats’ lawlessness; and there were various shutdown post mortems.

These topics did not gain the attention of meme-makers. Rather, this was the week of Jeffrey Epstein. Or, rather, the week when the Democrats got their wish, thousands of pages of Epstein documents were released, and the upshot was–as we already knew–that Epstein, a Democrat, had Democratic friends and hated Donald Trump. So the whole thing, from the Democrats’ standpoint, was an exploding cigar:

Music

Oakridge Boys

Hope you have something nice planned for this weekend.

This is the Thread before the Gardening Thread.

Last week's thread, Weekend Conspiracies

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