The new prime minster of Kyrgyzstan has sponsored a bill in parliament to officially name one the peaks in Kyrgyzstan after the not-so-great friend Vladimir Putin. The peak is a mere 4,446 meters, but still impressive considering Mt. Yeltsin is 1,000 meters shorter. But as we all know the great Lenin Peak located on Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border is still the highest and proudest of the natural phallic symbols of tyranny.

One can only speculate as to why this is occurring in Kyrgyzstan, considering the parliaments hard stance on the Russian language and the expansion of the State Language Committee. International observers are not only baffled by these choices but lead many to speculate on the strange diplomatic relations of the two countries. It is a custom for visiting dignitaries to bring presents of all kinds to their hosts, Kim Jung ll even has a museum dedicated to all the presents he has received in his life time. What is interesting about this story is the difference in the honoring of heroes between the east and the west. In the west they tend to wait years after someone has died to honor that persons achievements and legacy. Just now has the building began for the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in DC, 25 years after his death. Yet in many post-soviet countries we still see the glorification of living persons, the constant naming of streets, squares, statues, and even children has been a tradition carried over from the days of Stalin and Franz Ferdinand.

Time will only tell how many times Mt. Putin will change names, we have already seen the government in Azerbaijan grappling with the issue of what to do with the statue of Mubarak in Central Baku. Maybe some of these countries need to start handing out Visa gift cards to their hosts as opposed to Italian marble statues, and hell cards are cheaper and then its easier to break up a dwindling friendship you just need to click un-friend.