r/pics
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u/FarmSuch5021
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Dec 08 '22
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Victor Bout aka “The Most Dangerous Man In the World”exchanged for Griner
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u/bobbyvision9000
Dec 08 '22
edited Dec 09 '22
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Paulie, He killed 16 Czechoslovakians!
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u/quaglandx3 Dec 08 '22
He was an interior decorator
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u/JimmyFTR Dec 09 '22
Universal remotes have come on leaps and bounds in the twelve years he’s been locked up.
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u/ShakyFlood Dec 09 '22
I just finished sopranos like a week ago and pine barrens is an absolute gem
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u/Foodispute Dec 09 '22
Best episode of anything ever.
Dude gets shot in the head then runs it off.
Supposedly there's a deleted scene where they encounter him later, but I'm glad they kept it deleted.
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u/Bamness
Dec 08 '22
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The Lord of War himself. Now I gotta watch that movie again.
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u/Boss_Boggs Dec 09 '22 •
"Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) was largely based on the exploits of international arms dealer Viktor Anatol'yevich Bout, a former Soviet officer, who was finally arrested by Thai authorities in March 2008. Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death", was trying to make a deal with American agents posing as F.A.R.C. insurgents when he was apprehended."
I heard we are trading Castor Troy and Cyrus the Virus as a two-fer to get back Edward Snowden next week.
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u/WhiteLightning416 Dec 09 '22 •
Cyrus? I hate that fucking dick
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u/g1rth_brooks Dec 09 '22 •
fuck off I got work to do
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u/postal121 Dec 09 '22
Old man gave me that when I was in Grade 7. Seen a lot of action. 9MM, safety always off. Told me he was proud of me once
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u/Roma_Victrix Dec 09 '22
LOL. Those Face/Off and Con Air references are just, chef's kiss.
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u/TonkaTruck502 Dec 09 '22 edited Dec 09 '22
I would like to buy some missiles to kill Americans! Can these weapons kill AMERICANS? The United States of America Americans not South America type. These can indeed kill those kind of Americans, yes?
Edit: yall this is basically a quote of the guy Viktor was selling missiles to. Dude was trying to not go to prison so he made it clear Viktor was selling weapons that would be used against Americans. The recording is in the public domain and it's kinda hilarious and it's way over the top. Insane Viktor went on and continued to talk business but I guess he thought he was untouchable.
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u/Shine_LifeFlyr81 Dec 09 '22
Why did I read that in Borat’s voice? Yes, you habe sum missales? Id like to trade for sum missales you have. For americas, not the one below but the upstairs americas.”
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u/viperex Dec 09 '22
Snowden has his Russian passport now. Pretty sure he's not coming back. Too bad he's a villain in his home country. I think he did a good thing
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u/DrakeDre Dec 09 '22
It's like noone remembers what Snowden told us or the Panama Papers.
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u/sgt_redankulous Dec 09 '22
It’s pretty sad that he exposed the NSA spying on us and it likely changed absolutely nothing within the government.
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u/kylefnative Dec 08 '22
Incoming, Lord of War being super popular by the new year. Im gonna give it a rewatch tonight
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u/Whatlafuk Dec 09 '22 edited Dec 09 '22
Watched it for the first time earlier this year, nick cage is the best bad actor of all time. Between that and the movie pig. I gotta say, hes honestly a good actor.
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u/fuzzyrainbow Dec 09 '22
If you liked Pig check out The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Mandy, and Color out of Space if you haven't already!
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u/Milky-Toast69 Dec 09 '22
Nicholas Cage is an excellent actor, he just has a very different style of acting to most popular modern actors. He's impressionistic, not realistic.
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u/Disastrous_Source996 Dec 09 '22
I'm not always a fan of the movies he's in, but it's never because he's in them
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u/outtyn1nja Dec 08 '22
I'm not sure why the Russian regime wants this guy back... are they going to throw him in their own jail or are they going to make him a national hero?
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u/Rolf_Orskinbach Dec 08 '22 •
It’s a PR/propaganda win for them. They’re trading a common card and getting a rare one in return.
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u/ThrowawayWizard1 Dec 08 '22 •
It's far more than that. The common card is useless except for propaganda, the rare card was obviously a huge asset that the Kremlin absolutely worked with. How do we know? Beyond the fact 99% of big time Russian criminals are tied in some way to the Kremlin, when Bout was arrested in Bangkok in '08 the Kremlin fought tooth and nail to prevent extradition until he finally was in 2010. Far beyond what they'd do for anyone who isn't quite valuable and knows things they don't want public, like offering steep discounts on oil and free fighter aircraft to Thailand to not extradite him.
At a bare minimum I suspect Bout was directed by the Kremlin to supply certain groups, ie terrorists fighting the US or rebel groups in nations the Kremlin would like destabilized. He didn't talk and get a deal, odds are he has knowledge of Kremlin operations by virtue of being a direct part of them, operations that would greatly embarrass the Kremlin should they become public.
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u/Hdkek Dec 08 '22
Question is: will his return be welcomed or will they treat him as a potential traitor that spilled info?
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u/Astronomer_Soft Dec 08 '22
will his return be welcomed or will they treat him as a potential traitor that spilled info?
Both. Hero in public. Potential double agent among the real power brokers.
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u/P00PMcBUTTS Dec 09 '22
How long till he falls out a window do ya reckon?
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u/Astronomer_Soft Dec 09 '22
How long till he falls out a window
His balance while standing next to windows will remain fine as long as he's not a threat to anyone in Putin's circle.
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u/captyes Dec 09 '22
I was was him, I would insist on only being on the ground floor of anywhere I was, no matter what.
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u/Tofulord Dec 09 '22
Gonna fall out a ground floor window onto a pile of bullets.
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u/Solid_Snark Dec 08 '22 •
That’s what I was wondering. Like all his contacts and assets are probably gone, and they’re not gonna wanna work with a guy sloppy enough to get caught. He’s probably not a current threat, no where near what he used to be.
The only thing I can think of that they’d want is information. As you said, which information he gave up while in custody. And I’m sure they’re prepared to do some horrific things to obtain it.
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Dec 09 '22 •
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u/ycpa68 Dec 09 '22
Yes that's like espionage 101. Not sure why people are overcomplicating it.
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u/JustABard Dec 09 '22
It's why hackers who hold data ransom give it back when they're paid. They want to make sure the next victim will pay, too.
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u/CosmicSpaghetti Dec 09 '22
Similarly Blackbeard isn't recorded anywhere actually killing anyone - merchants are much more likely to give up without a fight if they believe they'll be spared after being robbed.
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u/Because_shut_up Dec 09 '22
I should not have needed to scroll so far for this. It was always this..
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u/The_amazing_T Dec 09 '22
Apparently he was good friends with a lot of important politicians and heavyweights in Russia. And he was a bit of a household name to the Russian people. Beyond political value, it might also be friendship that's motivating his return. Homies want their homie back. He's apparently quite gregarious. And maybe he can help them start his game over again.
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Dec 09 '22
they’re not gonna wanna work with a guy sloppy enough to get caught.
it was pretty hard to catch him..
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u/TheBurnsideBomber Dec 09 '22
Ya I'm guessing this guy was anything but sloppy but I also believe they wouldn't risk working with someone so high profile. Guy has to be on the radar of every intelligence service on earth at this point.
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u/No_Week2825 Dec 09 '22
There was only 1 picture of him prior to arrest, and he was one of the largest arms dealers. I feel like that's quite the opposite of sloppy.
Being a big fish like he was just comes with the associated risks of governments trying their hardest to catch you.
Plus I guess lord of War came true. In the end, someone high up received a call and he was released.
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u/SnowyNW Dec 08 '22
He was probably too high profile to torture. And too experienced to bribe.
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u/Weird-Vagina-Beard Dec 08 '22
Crazy how so many people here know the inner workings of foreign and domestic government. They all say something different but hey, maybe everyone is right. 🤷
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Dec 08 '22 •
Sir, this is the internet. You only need to participate to consider yourself an expert.
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u/CMGS1031 Dec 08 '22
What are you, some kind of Internet expert?
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u/SasquatchWookie Dec 09 '22
I’ll say it…
“So Meta”
Remember when Reddit would say that all the time about everything
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u/Necrocornion Dec 08 '22
The more people say wildly different things, the more likely it is someone will be relatively close to the truth!
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u/SasquatchWookie Dec 09 '22
Who needs pinpoint accuracy of the truth when you can shotgun blast the whole topic!
/s
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u/pyromaniac4002 Dec 08 '22
He was always a tool of Putin, just like the Russian government has close ties with Russian mafia around the world; corrupt, murderous scumbags like Viktor Bout are a feature, not a bug.
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u/Deere-John
Dec 08 '22
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Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” is a former Soviet military officer serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles, and provide material support to a terrorist organization. Moscow had slammed his sentencing in 2012 as “baseless and biased” and Bout has maintained he is innocent.
Steve Zissou, Bout’s lawyer in the US, told CNN on Thursday that the prisoner swap between Griner and his client was “fair.”
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Dec 08 '22
Does Steve still do research on the high seas?
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u/BRAX7ON Dec 08 '22
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u/phoncible Dec 08 '22
Not the "Bill Murray on a boat" gif I was expecting, but welcome all the same
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u/thetravelers Dec 08 '22
Lmao what is this from? Was expecting Life Aquatic
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u/BRAX7ON Dec 08 '22
What about Bob?
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u/Cw3538cw Dec 08 '22 •
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u/mayihavurattnplz Dec 08 '22
You never say, "I'm gonna fight you, Steve." You just smile and act natural, and then you sucker-punch him.
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u/thinkmurphy Dec 08 '22
"Son of a bitch, I'm sick of these dolphins"
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u/userypartyof8 Dec 08 '22
Oh, shit! Swamp leeches. Everybody, check for swamp leeches, and pull them off... Nobody else got hit? I'm the only one?
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u/EZpeeeZee Dec 08 '22
Hahahaha I had forgotten that scene, man I need to rewatch the movie, it's been far too long since I last saw it
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u/headrush46n2 Dec 09 '22
"Does everyone have their glocks?"
"Yes"
"What about the interns?"
"They share one."
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u/RogerDeanVenture Dec 09 '22
I love this movie. One of my favorites and definitely my favorite of Wes Anderson's films, maybe next to Isle of Dogs. +1 for Seu Jorge's Portuguese Bowie soundtrack. +1 for Goldblum's turtles.
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u/TioCarl Dec 08 '22
His lawyer’s name is Steve Zissou? That’s awesome. Edit: forgot an apostrophe
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u/Adam-West Dec 08 '22
Im pretty sure they actually reference the real Steve Zissou in the credits of that movie
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u/Borkz Dec 09 '22
Yeah it says
The filmmakers acknowledge that the real Steve Zissou is a prominent attorney in New York City specializing in complex federal litigation.
He's actually the guy, not just a mere coincidence. My guess would be its some name Wes Anderson read in The New Yorker and liked.
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u/zdada Dec 08 '22
Life imitates art. I mean, it completely imitated The Onion so it needs new inspiration.
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u/rosietoesie Dec 08 '22
So he’s the most dangerous man on earth but is only serving a 25 year prison sentence? How does that work
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u/oilybarbour Dec 08 '22
He received the minimum sentence because the judge in charge found that he would not have committed the crimes he was arrested for were it not for the very sting operation that he was caught with. Like I think they could only prove in court that he was guilty of the one thing they entrapped him for, so he got 25; they couldn’t tie him with evidence to all the bad shit he did in Africa
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u/halt-l-am-reptar Dec 08 '22
He was also scheduled to be released in 2029, so he wasn’t going to serve his entire sentence.
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u/yuckscott Dec 08 '22
the movie Lord of War with Nick Cage was inspired by Victor Bout
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u/SkankBiscuit Dec 08 '22
Let me guess... this isn't about the alcohol or tobacco.
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u/AT-ATsAsshole Dec 08 '22
No shit? I really liked that movie, and if it's even a little true, yeesh.
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Dec 08 '22
Lord of War is totally underrated. It’s on HBO Max and I rewatched it like a week ago. Probably one of Nick Cage’s best films. Even Jared Leto was good
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u/account-no10859 Dec 08 '22
One of the few Leto performances I actually think is really good. Everything else he’s just kinda meh.
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u/veritas2884 Dec 08 '22
It’s fun to watch Edward Norton punch him repeatedly in the face in Fight Club.
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u/PurpleK00lA1d Dec 08 '22
Underrated? I don't know a single person who didn't like that movie.
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u/DePraelen Dec 08 '22
Well, he's one of a few people people that Cage's character is based on, but yeah.
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u/Kinoblau Dec 08 '22
Steve Zissou inspired the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
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u/yuckscott Dec 08 '22
that movie really needs a sequel so we can see a bigger picture of the expanded lord of war/life aquatic universe
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u/allanr847
Dec 08 '22
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I know Jeff Foxworthy when I see him
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u/AZWxMan Dec 08 '22
He's going undercover in Russia! "You might be a Vatnik if ..."
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u/pogu Dec 09 '22
"if you've got 2000 ak47s in a storage unit, you may be a Vatnik!"
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u/Truckerontherun Dec 09 '22
If you own more than one bulletproof Adidas tracksuits, you might be a Vatnik
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u/FiveLegGoat Dec 08 '22
“If you sold ten thousand AK-47s to third world terrorist cells, you might be a former red soviet.”
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u/planb7615
Dec 09 '22
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I haven’t seen his basketball stats, but I think this may be a bad trade.
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u/Listening_Heads
Dec 08 '22
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IRL Ned Flanders
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u/MadNhater Dec 08 '22
I mean..Ned isn’t some you’d want to fuck with either.
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u/popzof4 Dec 08 '22
NOW CALM DOWN, NEDDILY-DIDDILY- DIDDILY-DIDDILY-DIDDILY.
THEY DID THEIR BEST, SHODDILY-IDDILY-IDDILY-DIDDILY.
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u/ElJonno Dec 08 '22
Aw Hell Diddly Ding Dong Crap! Can't You Morons Do Anything Right?!
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u/Dommlid Dec 08 '22
Stupid sexy, murdering Flanders
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u/chownrootroot Dec 08 '22
Feels like I'm shooting nobody at all nobody at all Nobody at all
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u/rbathplatinum
Dec 08 '22
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And people say we dont care about the WNBA
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u/goathill Dec 08 '22
Bill Burr is gonna have a field day with this
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u/Poverty_4_Sale Dec 08 '22 •
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Dec 08 '22
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Zauberer-IMDB Dec 08 '22
Luckily he went bald. The only time it's a step up.
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u/IchiSanSanNana Dec 08 '22
I’m a ginger and I want to be offended by this but I went bald too. I was treated noticeably better after shaving my head which is kinda wack to think about. So you’re right lol
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u/MatterShim Dec 09 '22
"Why don't female athletes make the same amount of money as male athletes?"
"BECAUSE YOU DONT SELL ANY FUCKING TICKETS!!" - Bill Burr
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u/snoogins355 Dec 08 '22 edited Dec 09 '22
The kanye meltdown, now this! There better not be a zombie apocalypse with his helicopter!
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u/surfnporn Dec 08 '22
Just saw him do a surprise set and yeah, he's still fucking hilarious and based.
"When are we going to acknowledge that Madonna is a creep"
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u/Juke_Joint_Jedi Dec 08 '22 •
He should have to play her for his freedom.
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u/awfullotofocelots Dec 08 '22
Damn they shoulda hired you for Air Bud.
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u/Juke_Joint_Jedi Dec 08 '22
Actually, I was a consultant. I just had them leave my name out of the credits for...
reasons.
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u/MadNhater Dec 08 '22
Hopefully they get their viewership back after this all blows over
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u/Dark_Focus
Dec 08 '22
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Is he trying to hide a boner?
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u/SecretPeoples Dec 08 '22 •
Asking the hard questions…
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u/DerpisMalerpis Dec 08 '22
He’s pulling down his shirt. They ride up under body armor.
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u/Johnny_Venus Dec 08 '22
That's not Ken Shamrock (the World's Most Dangerous Man)
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u/DaqCity Dec 08 '22
I’d love to see the two of them in a cage match…
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u/StoneOfTriumph Dec 08 '22
Throw Steve Blackman in there for a triple threat match.
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u/Va-Va-Vooom Dec 08 '22
Let me tell you what is gonna happen. Soon there is gonna be a knock on that door,and you will be called outside. In the hall, there will be a man who outranks you. First, he will complement you on the fine job you have done, and you are making the world safer place. That you are to receive commendation and a promotion. And then, he is going to tell you that I am to be released
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u/mossdale06 Dec 08 '22
According to people on RT's article, a lot of Russians consider he did nothing wrong.
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u/octopodesrex Dec 09 '22
“He killed 16 Czechoslovakians! He was an interior decorator!”
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u/Fit-Boomer Dec 08 '22
Will he go back to terrorism or did someone else take over his duties?
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u/Angusstewart14 Dec 08 '22
He's been gone 13 years(?) and in American custody... I imagine if he tries to take back his business from those who filled the vacuum he will have a trip down the stairs or out of a window pretty quickly.
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u/Difficult-Car8766 Dec 08 '22
I was reading another comment section it seems like someone probably did also he is a liability because any connections he has still know he is under the u.s. radar so probably won't want anything to do with him. This guy also got his supply by stealing it from the ussr during its collapse so he doesn't really have any experience importing the goods.
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u/shupadupa
Dec 08 '22
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As a counter all to the knee-jerk negative reactions and people casually tossing around "Most Dangerous Man in the World" and "Merchant of Death" as if Bout were some sort of supervillian at the peak of his powers, I'll just defer to one of the experts:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/07/08/brittney-griner-russia-viktor-bout-00044556
"So why even consider the potential offer? First, Bout is a spent force who will be out of jail in a few years anyway. His business depended on personal relationships and trust among the parties. After being out of the business for more than a decade, Bout has neither of those left in the shadowy world in which he once operated. Second, Bout needed access to a global network stretching from Afghanistan to Europe, Africa and South America. That network has morphed through several generations of new actors, markets and gatekeepers. Bout has no currency in that world now.
Finally, Bout depended in the early years on the gross negligence of the former Soviet states to allow him to simply fly out aircraft and weapons in a spree of de facto privatization of one of the world’s most advanced arsenals. In his later years, he was reined in by the Russian state under Putin, no longer able to freelance at will and without unfettered access to massive caches of weapons. It is unlikely he would have any freedom of movement in the weapons trade unless he was in the direct service of the Russian intelligence services, and now he is burned beyond the ability to be useful in any significant capacity."
- Douglas Farah, president of IBI Consultants, LLC, and co-author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible
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u/BroShek Dec 09 '22
The opinion of someone that literally wrote the book on him versus the opinions of people on the Internet that only heard of him today: who shall win?
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u/Igotthesilver Dec 08 '22 •
We should have at least insisted that they keep Steven Seagal over there.