Posted on 08/17/2012 11:47:31 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
WASHINGTON -- A White House spokesman says President Barack Obama is disappointed by the two-year prison sentence imposed on a punk band in Russia for protesting president Vladimir Putin (POO'-tihn).
The sentence handed down to the provocative band Pussy Riot follows a trial seen around the world as an emblem of Russia's intolerance of dissent.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
The press does not seem to want to give too much information about these three women. But, according to various reports:
(1) This “band” has never released a song or an album.
(2) The three women donned hoods, entered a major Orthodox church, crossed themselves at the altar, and then, in front of other people, sang a profanity-laced song asking the Virgin Mary to become a feminist and help put Putin out of power. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy_Riot#Church_protest
(3) Another freeper on another thread found out they are part of a larger group of protesters that engage in “performance art” - including sexual performances - in public as a form of protest. I don’t want to link to the thread because the website was so disgusting. But Wikipedia talks about that, too. (Maybe the courts wanted to send a message to their “performance artist” friends?)
(4) They are left-wing protestors, and, ironically, they’ve been charged with Russia’s version of a “hate crime” against religion - hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.
(5) They were facing seven years in prison. Putin himself urged for leniency. The prosecutor asked for three years. They were sentenced to two.
Two years may seem a bit much, but I’m having difficulty having any sympathy for them.
P.S. (Any word from all the celebrities about the Christians persecuted for praying for real in, oh, say, Kazakhstan?)
I thought Obama and Medvedev were best buddies. Obama promised to be more flexible after he got reelected.
Maybe not the best way to put it. They aren't "left-wing" in the sense that Lenin or Stalin were, or in the way that old Communist Party members and veterans of the war are, or really even in the sense that Clinton or Obama are. I get that they aren't "right-wing" by any stretch of the imagination but wonder how useful the whole left-right thing is in this case.
"Pussy Riot Street."
Does have a ring to it, doesn't it?
Well, one of the women is reportedly an environmental activist, and another is supportive of “LGBT” issues, according to Wikipedia, anyway. So the term left-wing seems to fit.
And Putin himself? Left-wing or right-wing? Not so easy to say.
Ironical... The pussy who tries to incite riots chiming in on the plight of the members of Pussy Riot.
Their Closing Statements to the court are here (Link) -- actually well-worth the read.
Some perspectives on the spiitual-political signifiance of the Yurodstvo Tradition, here (Link)
Me? I would have sentenced them to 2 years, suspended, probation, and 80 hours of Community Service with Orthodox nuns.
Sure, dictator 0b0z0 expected at least a life sentence if not execution.
Very disappointing indeed.
The queen of the USA shows his faggoty folded lower lip!
To Pussy Galore, 0h0m0 is an ass lore.
Well, it’s a matter of opinion, I guess. But, in considering the history of Russia - Lenin, Stalin, the Soviet Union - the country has come a long way. The very fact that a group of people has been performing its, um, “art” in a public protest against Putin without being executed, sent to a Gulag, or made to disappear... is evidence that there is more freedom in Russia today. Putin seems more centrist than left-wing or right-wing. But, so far, this group of women seem to be left-wing protesters.
To be clear, I support their right to free speech. But, was what they did free speech, or was it just a public disturbance and maybe harrassment?
Pussy riot is a feminist wing of a neo-bolshevik group “Vojna” aka “War”. Their activity is centered against a church and law-enforcement.
Another their acts are “Dick in the ass” punk performance in a courtroom, “mentopop” performance which was about robbing a supermarket wearing a mix of police uniform and a priest’s dress, burnind down one and turning upside down another police vehicle, a series of sexual assaults on police women in subways etc.
In fact some of their “comrades” were on trial for these things before, that is there this “Dick in the ass” performance from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUaJLNonytg
You can see all these faces.
“Mordovian hour” performance on May, 1 2008 (throwing stray cats into McDonald’s kitchen to feed animals with decadent food and make low-paid workforce celebrate Labor day as they claim it):
http://plucer.livejournal.com/199615.html
Attacks on police cadets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0A8Qf893cs
Note the song in Yiddish in background. It is a Jewish bolshevik song from October revolution, which is roughly about “!@#$ the police”. AFAIK one of performers was finally shot in process.
Mentopop:
http://plucer.livejournal.com/94884.html
A “screw the feds” prank on KGB agent:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ory-oJlK3ho&feature=related
Burning up a police truck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCm-s-vTebA
Another police vehicle destroyed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uBQBtnkmec
And that is their promo video:
http://rutube.ru/video/6a7f22163d2b7deb93982c7101508723/
I’m not including public orgies, sex with a frozen chicken in store etc.
They need to get jailed forever.
The image of Obama leading from behind on the Pussy Riot issue is too disturbing for my gentle constitution.
Hurry November!
>>>>In the Russian context where you actually have real communists, not so much.
And Putin himself? Left-wing or right-wing? Not so easy to say.>>>>
Communism is dead in Russia and East Europe. Commies are rarely have more than 10% votes in Russia and their vote base is shrinking (65+ Cold Warriors and former apparatchiks).
Communist rallies in Russia are a joke. It is usually a tiny group of senior citizens with red banners laughed by passer-bys.
I haven't been following Russian politics lately, but a quick search shows that the Communist or post-Communist party is second in the Duma with 20% of the seats.
Party standings vary over time. Post-Communist parties are unpopular now in Eastern Europe, but some were governing not so long ago and may be again some day.
Whether that means communism or Marxism returns, I don't know. I'll take your word for it that it won't.
My point, though, was more that we shouldn't assume that "left-wing" always means feminist, environmentalist, pro-homosexual, multicultural.
In some countries there's still a left-wing that isn't any of those things. Not so long ago, it was true over hear as well.
This whole shtick sounds suspiciously like something an idiot community organizer would spend the CIA’s budget on...
Great post Russia has come a long way and this group spoke out against Putin without getting sent to a Gulag and this all happened in a Church just had to point that out.
If you followed their politics you could see last election was filled with disappointment about ruling party what is why communists got their extra votes.
Anyway, modern Russian communist party more looks like US democrats today considering their program. They are also pro-Religion.
As for right-left issue I’m in full agreement. This spectre is unique for every nation. In some countries US Rep policies could look leftist in other countries Dem politics could look radically right-wing.
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