Anti-Putin Stunt Earns Punk Band Two Years in Jail
So much for freedom of speech. Oh well, despite the authoritarian hand of Putin, the Russian police didn’t mace Pussy Riot or their supporters. I doubt they would have got off so easy in Philadelphia where protesters have been pepper sprayed, maced, tazered, bulldozed, incinerated and killed (under Philadelphia’s, darling of the liberals, the late great first black mayor, Wilson Good).
I suppose, in the US, they could have been Reno’d like the Branch Davidians or had a federal swat team from any of the various agencies and departments that since 911 have armed up to the teeth attack and kill them.
In the US, Pussy Riot could have been strip searched by the TSA or better yet had a cavity inspection. Still Putin needs to be rebuked. It is a sorry state of affairs that our federal rulers and masters are no better than Russia’s czars. Will we have a Pussy Riot or will we just wimp away into the night?
Here's an American Thinker article that stinks to high heaven. Most of the comments have a better take.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/jailing_pussy_riot_in_russia.html
Oh well, for Rufus -
DeleteAugust 18, 2012
Jailing Pussy Riot in Russia
By Janice Shaw Crouse
Russian judge Marina Syrova just handed down a sentence of two years in jail for the Russian feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot as a result of their "hooliganism" motivated by religious hatred. Judge Syrova called their behavior "blasphemous" and described it as a "gross violation of public order showing obvious disrespect for society." She also said, "The girls' actions were sacrilegious, blasphemous and broke the church's rules."
The group staged a protest against President Vladimir Putin inside the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a Russian Orthodox church in Moscow. Their "punk prayer" spewed hate-laced anti-Christian lyrics as they stood on the solea (platform in front of the altar). From the concealment of their balaclava masks, they "courageously" followed the PR example of fading American singer Madonna -- knowing that the quickest way to generate a flood of media attention is to launch attacks against religion, and the more heavily laced with profanity, crudity, and vulgarity, the better.
According to a Fox News story, the band members -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23; Maria Alyokhina, 24; and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 -- "said they did not mean to hurt anyone's religious feelings" during their "punk prayer." Right. That sensitivity toward believers is, of course, why they called the church an "abscess" and condemned its "vertical power structure."
Found on a website that claims support for the band, the lyrics that supposedly were not meant to offend Christians included these gems: using scatological words to describe the Lord, claiming that "gay" pride was "sent to Siberia in chains," objecting to women forced to give birth "in order not to offend His Holiness," begging the "Virgin Mary, Mother of God" to "become a feminist," and complaining about the "Church's praise of rotten dictators."
The Council of Orthodox Public Organizations released a statement about the incident, and this passage sums up the problem with the media's attempt at creating a groundswell in favor of leniency:
We do not understand those as well, who appeal to the Holy Patriarch, our brothers and sisters to 'forgive' the blasphemous women, and ask the state to not condemn them and not punish them. If the Patriarch will forgive them today, will it not lead tomorrow to a tenfold multiplications of blasphemous 'acts,' and to the very displacement of the Orthodox people from the public space, as wells [sic] turning of holy church spaces into places for mockery and arrogance of non-believers? It is especially crucial to not even mention forgiveness without redemption, without commitment to never return to the already done monstrous sin. Our God Jesus says: 'If ... your brother commits a sin against you, you should rebuke him; if he redeems, then forgive him' (Luke, 17:3). This is what is said about personal relationship among Christians. So how can we justify our expectations of redemption from those who insulted the very God and the whole of Church?
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/jailing_pussy_riot_in_russia.html#ixzz23t1DtuPG
Have the women repented or taken responsibility for their actions? Their formal statements about the incident reveal their utter lack of morality, embrace of a "blame everyone but us" ideology, and disdain for capitalism and individual responsibility. Like their U.S. counterparts, they want "human rights, civil and political freedoms" for themselves but not for Christian believers or anyone else with different beliefs.
DeleteNadezhda Tolokonnikova's closing statement said in part, "Who is to blame for the performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and for our being put on trial after the concert? The authoritarian political system is to blame. What Pussy Riot does is oppositional art or politics that draws upon the forms art has established. In any event, it is a form of civil action in circumstances where basic human rights, civil and political freedoms are suppressed by the corporate state system."
Yekaterina Samutsevich's statement said in part, "During the closing statement, the defendant is expected to repent or express regret for her deeds, or to enumerate attenuating circumstances. In my case, as in the case of my colleagues in the group, this is completely unnecessary. Instead, I want to express my views about the causes of what has happened with us." Further into the statement she said, "In the end, considering all the irreversible political and symbolic losses caused by our innocent creativity, the authorities decided to protect the public from us and our nonconformist thinking. Thus ended our complicated punk adventure in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior."
The third member, Maria Alyokhina, wishes to turn religious truth into clay which can be molded to her taste; thus the moral relativism dressed in postmodern garb in her closing statement. "I think religious truth should not be static, that understanding of immanent ways of spiritual development, human adversities, his dualism, his sejunction is required, that all these experiences are essential for development, that only through these experiences a human can achieve something and keep achieving, that religious truth is a process and not accomplishment which can be tuck anywhere. And all these things I mentioned, all these processes are reflected upon in art and philosophy, modern art included. An artistic setting can and in my view must contain inner conflict. And I'm very annoyed by the phrase 'so called' the prosecution uses in modern art's regard."
Christians around the world are facing intolerance of their beliefs and sometimes violence as well. In spite of the Constitution, religious liberty is under attack in the United States, with the federal government telling religious institutions that they must violate their beliefs and support homosexual "marriage," homosexual adoptions, contraception, and abortion or face penalties. Individual citizens are being forced to pay for abortion and contraception through their taxes, regardless of their individual consciences.
In recent remarks, "Intolerance against Christians in Russia in 20th and 21st Centuries," Alexey Komov, head of the Family Policy advocacy group in Russia, described the destruction over the past seven decades of 80 percent of Russia's churches and the deaths of dozens of priests and monks. He also showed the dramatic 80-percent growth in number of Russian Christians in recent decades of Christian revival, which has produced the recent backlash of anti-Christian activism. Russian leaders like Komov; Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill; Natalia Yakunina, head of "The sanctity of Motherhood" Program, and Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev), Head of the Synodal Department of Foreign Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, are working to counter the anti-faith and anti-family forces that are trying to undermine recent progress in restoring those foundations of the Russian culture.
DeleteThe media -- both in Russia and in the U.S. -- ignores the religious bigotry directed at Christianity and, instead, jumps to the defense of anyone who shows intolerance towards the church. It is apparent from the closing statements of the three Russian feminists on trial that they are not sorry for their actions and, in fact, view themselves as the victims, not the Christians whom they denigrated. The punk rock group entered the sanctuary with the intent to insult Christians, and when they were held accountable, they claimed that it was someone else's fault.
If you want to rage against that which you perceive to be unjust or unfair, it would go a long way toward credibility to also accept responsibility for your actions.
Janice Shaw Crouse, senior fellow of Concerned Women for America's Beverly LaHaye Institute, is a leader in the World Congress of Families movement that recently co-sponsored the Moscow Demographic Summit.
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/jailing_pussy_riot_in_russia.html#ixzz23t2GGGVA
They are being jailed for insulting Putin, the dick, not for acting up in a church.
DeleteAccording to a Fox News story, the band members -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23; Maria Alyokhina, 24; and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 -- "said they did not mean to hurt anyone's religious feelings" during their "punk prayer." Right. That sensitivity toward believers is, of course, why they called the church an "abscess" and condemned its "vertical power structure."
DeleteAbscess?
This is pretty weak porridge. Martin Luther called Papal bulls "turds rolling out of the Pope's asshole", and the Pope the anti-Christ.
But then he didn't insult his Prince, whose protection he relied upon.
"vertical power structure."?
This is right on, a main complaint of the Reformation, and a bedrock of Lutheranism, flawed as it is, where the power structure is all from below, from the people in the pews, and not from above downward.
May the Lord Bless and Protect Pussy Riot and see them safely through the storm.
I'm not going to worry a sloth like Rufus about reading this, but everyone else ought to do so.
ReplyDeletePussy Riot's last words in court.
I have just learned that the convicted get the last word in court.
And these last words in court have morphed into a sort of venue for political protest in Russia. This alone is interesting.
Also learned there was no defense attorney, only the prosecutor, the judge, and the interrogator.
These girls are not dummies.
There statements are long and well written.
And well worth the reading.
http://nplusonemag.com/pussy-riot-closing-statements
A sample:
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova
By and large, the three members of Pussy Riot are not the ones on trial here. If we were, this event would hardly be so significant. This is a trial of the entire political system of the Russian Federation, which, to its great misfortune, enjoys quoting its own cruelty toward the individual, its indifference toward human honor and dignity, repeating all of the worst moments of Russian history. To my deep regret, this poor excuse for a judicial process approaches Stalin’s “troikas.” We too have only an interrogator, a judge, and a prosecutor. Furthermore, this repressive act is executed based on political orders from above that completely dictate the words, deeds, and decisions of these three judicial figures.
WELL WORTH THE READING TIME
Excellent pics of Pussy Riot, Pussy Riot at court, Kasparov, protests around former Soviet Union countries. etc. --
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189771/Pussy-Riot-punk-band-members-jailed-2-years-Russian-court-hooliganism-motivated-religious-hatred.html
"We are all Pussy Riot now."
Deletehttp://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/106281/how-three-young-punks-made-putin-blink
Deleteand
Kasparov, out of jail --
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444375104577595811340186308.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
Mr. Putin is not worried about what the Western press says, or about celebrities tweeting their support for Pussy Riot. These are not the constituencies that concern him. Friday, the Russian paper Vedomosti reported that former Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann could be put in charge of managing the hundreds of billions of dollars in the Russian sovereign wealth fund. As long as bankers and other Western elites eagerly line up to do Mr. Putin's bidding, the situation in Russia will only get worse.
And -
DeleteIt would be easy to laugh at such a bizarre charge when there are already so many videos and photos of the police assaulting me. But in a country where you can be imprisoned for two years for singing a song, laughter does not come easily. My bruises will heal long before the members of Pussy Riot are free to see their young children again. In the past, Mr. Putin's critics and enemies have been jailed on a wide variety of spurious criminal charges, from fraud to terrorism.
But now the masks are off. Unlikely as it may be, the three members of Pussy Riot have become our first true political prisoners.
Kasparov
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Israel’s existence is an “insult to all humanity,” Iran’s president said Friday in one of his sharpest attacks yet against the Jewish state, as Israel openly debates whether to attack Iran over its nuclear program.
ReplyDeleteMahmoud Ahmadinejad said confronting Israel is an effort to "protect the dignity of all human beings."
"The existence of the Zionist regime is an insult to all humanity," Ahmadinejad said. He was addressing worshippers at Tehran University after nationwide pro-Palestinian rallies, an annual event marking Quds (Jerusalem) Day on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.
The tyrants ruling Iran seem determined into goading Israel to attack Iran. Wonder why?
"To protect the dignity of all human beings", obviously.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they already have the big explosive device and are wanting a formal casus belli to use it, but that doesn't make any sense either.
Maybe they are on the phone to Allah, or Muhammad, or an evil jinn.
Maybe they have suicide syndrome.
Maybe they want to force the Hidden One to return.
More likely they are totally nuts.
At any rate, it is behavior like this that might make one pause, and consider again, can they really be deterred?
DeleteMaybe they love death more than we love life.
DeleteThey say they do.
Maybe they're just trying to raise the price of oil.
ReplyDeleteI should have thought of that. Or, I should have wondered, what would Rufus say? Ah, bingo, it's about oil.
DeleteThis doesn't explain why they were so similarly aggressive before the age of oil, though. Back in the day of Persian carpets.
It was all about the TRADE ROUTES, back in the days of Persian carpets, b.
DeleteIt's always been about trade, in spices, slaves, or oil.
Recall, if you will, the reason Genghis Khan marched on that region of the whirled after the Muslims killed the Trade Delegation he sent to negotiate opening his way to the West.
It wasn't about religion
DeleteIt was about money and power
Then and now.
If the Mullahs didn't have Israel, they'd invent Israel.
DeleteKeeps the attention of the masses away from their (the preachers) incredible growth in wealth.
And, sure, they finance a few border raids by their proxies on Israel, but if you'll notice, Iran hasn't stepped outside its borders since JC was causing a disturbance up in the Levant.
Corruption, tyranny, religion - they all seem to fit together, nicely, don't they?
ReplyDeleteTyrants, and autocrats trying to keep control of the oil money.
As for "loving death," I'd say they "love to preach," but I haven't seen any of them strapping on any suicide vests.
ReplyDeleteSome of those old mullahs are billionaires, and Putin is definitely one of the richest men on earth.
Deuce posted the numbers, yesterday. While we've been dicking around, spending the kids' inheritance in the Middleeast, China has grown by 1,700%.
ReplyDeleteWe're letting the Oil Thugs, and the IOCs play us for fools.
Do doves always give that beautiful tsde,tsde,tsde,tsde,tsde sound when they take off? I've been watching one build a nest in a tree by the porch, so near I could spit a cherry pit and hit it. Every time out of the tree, and every time off the ground, little branch in its mouth, that same taking flight sound. I have heard that a thousand times, but this dove does it every time, and I am beginning to wonder if they always do that.
ReplyDeleteThe Iranians told the OPEC members that anything below $100 per barrel was unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteThey are working hard to get oil to that mark.
The Iranians know that the Israeli cannot do any major damage to their nuclear program by bombing. This was exemplified by the Israelis poor performance on their last foray into Lebanon. A target set which was within easy striking distance of Israeli airfields. The Iranians know the tactical limitations facing the Israeli imposed by both the dispersement of the targets and the distance 'tween the Iranian target sets and the Israeli 1st Phase line. The Iranians have faith that their underground facilities will remain relatively unscathed.
The Iranians also realize that an attack upon Iran, by the Israeli, will solidify their shaky political position in Iran.
An attack upon the Russian nuclear power plant will not gain the Israeli any respite from a dispersed weapons program, if one exists.
ReplyDeleteIt would piss the Russians off.
No telling how the Chinese would react, but ...
"... Major General Zhang Zhaozhong, a professor from the Chinese National Defense University, said China will not hesitate to protect Iran even with a third World War... Professor Xia Ming:
"Zhang Zhaozhong said that not hesitating to fight a third world war would be entirely for domestic political needs...."
An attack upon the Russian nuclear power plant will not gain the Israeli any respite from a dispersed weapons program, if one exists.
ReplyDeleteif one exists.....
Just as I've long expected. These crafty sly Iranians have just been making it seem all these years as if they are hiding something. If they didn't want people to think they are hiding something they'd offer folks to have a real big long look at what they don't have, but they don't do this, as they want people to think they have that which they have not, kinda like Saddam maybe. They have no intention of developing nuclear weapons, don't want them, don't need them, and would never ever use them. Whole thing is a big illusory chess game, a boot without a foot, a hat without a head....
Just like Pakistan, eh?
DeleteIf I were Ahmanutcake, I'd be way more worried about the Turks than the Israelis. They have the nukes, AND the Army, AND the Economy, AND, they are right next door.
ReplyDeleteAND, they would dearly love them some oil fields.
I think a lot of "Western" thinkers would not look too unkindly on the "Ottoman Empire II, South" right now.
DeleteBreaking Pussy Riot News -
ReplyDeleteRussian Orthodox Church Forgives Pussy Riot
http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Russian-Orthodox-church-forgives-Pussy-Riot-3797872.php
I'm sure that makes the girls feel better (as they serve out their two-year sentences.)
DeleteI'm sure the Russkies will quietly commute their sentences in a couple of months. Point having been made.
I am starting to suspect that the beautiful clicking sound when the dove takes off isn't coming from the throat but from the clicking of the wings when she powers off.
ReplyDeleteBob, that's the first thing you've written in months that is mildly interesting.
DeleteA couple of the biggest, fattest doves I've ever seen have lived in a tree about ten feet from my back porch for the last couple of years. It was too windy when they were trying to build their nest this year, though, and they moved to another tree. I miss watching them.
DeleteThank you, Rufus.
ReplyDeleteIt is beginning to look as if our national hooligan Obama is going to try to run out the clock until the election without holding a press conference.
His minders don't want him to be asked 'why is no one working anymore?', a difficult question for him to answer.
It's one thing to have Biden daily looking like a dope.....
ROMNEY PRAISES ISRAELI HEALTHCARE
ReplyDeleteBetter Healthcare than the U.S. at 8% of GDP vs Our 18% of GDP.
When our health care costs are completely out of control. Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the GDP in Israel? 8 percent. You spend 8 percent of GDP on health care. And you’re a pretty healthy nation. We spend 18 percent of our GDP on health care. 10 percentage points more. That gap, that 10 percent cost, let me compare that with the size of our military. Our military budget is 4 percent. Our gap with Israel is 10 points of GDP. We have to find ways, not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to finally manage our health care costs.
Israel's is a "socialized" system, about halfway between Obamacare, and a One-Payer.
DeleteRoll on, Brother. :)
That is the problem the right-wings have. Every system that's superior to ours is a Socialist-type System.
ReplyDeleteHealthcare is not like "manufacturing," or "lawn care;" it does not lend itself to purely capitalist solutions.
"Healthcare is not like "manufacturing," or "lawn care"
DeleteYes, yes, it always pisses me off at cocktail parties when some moron compares health care to lawn care.
I always say, "Sir, you are not as profound as you imagine. You are stating the obvious. Sir, you are simply not as profound as you imagine. Many may think so. But, really, they are not at all like."
They usually get all ruffled up, indignant, and walk away.
Once, when this happened, I was left with a nice looking girl to talk with privately, to my delight.
"Every system that's superior to ours is a Socialist-type System."
ReplyDeleteWhy, yes indeed. Why hadn't some of us thought of that?
Oh, I remember......Cuba, North Korea etc etc etc etc
Rufus, you are now getting out way ahead of even your Daily Obama Talking Points Memo.
By the way, Ruf, you were saying one fine day how good the Afghan medical system was, better than ours, you said.
IF you will follow to this article ....
http://www.healthfiend.com/weeklytop/top-10-countries-with-bad-health-care/
you will find your beloved Afghan system to be the THIRD WORST in the whole wide world.
Want to know the worst?
Slash and click....