Obama 'disappointed' by Russia band verdict

Associated Press ^ | August. 17, 2012

[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.

[colorado tanker]

Russia’s judiciary is thoroughly corrupt. Anyone Vlad wants imprisoned will be convicted.

[chaos_5]

It is sad, I think it was more than a little heavy handed. At worst they should have gotten a fine and maybe community service. I guess they should consider them selves lucky - in the past they would have simply disappeared.

[butterdezillion]

How the HECK can he have time to comment on a punk rock bank in Russia and not once mention 7 US service members killed in a helicopter (allegedly) shot down in Afghanistan?

Just when I think it is impossible for me to despise this guy any more than I do, he digs deeper into the Abyss. This guy cares nothing about life. Nothing about America.

[Wings-n-Wind]

Now wouldn't it be ironic if the P*ssy Riot proves to be the undoing of Putin...

Just musing....

[MrB]

As if 0bama, if he could get away with it, wouldn’t crush all dissent.

[ctdonath2]

Seems they’ve demonstrated “fine and community service” punishments won’t deter their pattern of behavior.

The girls didn’t realize the historical nature of that culture. Cross the line there, things get real ugly real quick.

Yeah, two years is way too much. They weren’t gonna stop though.

[Cicero]

“I am disappointed. Now, that was distracting—which hole are we on?”

[D-fendr]

If Obama had a p____, it would look like...

[MrEdd]

Yeah, two years is way too much. They weren’t gonna stop though.

Then I guess they will stop now and two years is, in fact, perfect.

As much as I may hate to give Pooty kudos for anything, this was the right call on the part of the courts and letting it stand was a good thing.

[Ohioan]

I only know a little about this. But the reports were that they acted in a disruptive & irreverent manner in a church. If so, the extent of the disruption is important, if one wants to comment on the severity of the sentence.

In any event, every society must determine for itself how it will protect what it deems sacred, within its own domain. Not being a "one-worlder," far be it from me to criticize Russia over this. Frankly, I give thanks to the same God to whom the Russians are now also free again to worship, that Russia & its former satelites are no longer part of the Marxist menace.

William Flax

[PetroniusMaximus]

We let child killers and molesters walk free.

What the hell do we know about Justice!?!?!?!

We have become a nation of morally permissive wimps.

[DTA]

Imagine for a moment that flash mob wearing balaclavas storms Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome during service and from the altar yells Holly Shit and calls The Pope bitch.

That's exactly what Pussy Riot did in Moscow. They interrupted chuch service, yelled Holly shit and called Patriarch Kiril a bitch. The church was chosen on purpose - it was destroyed by the communists in 1931 and built with the donations of ordinary people in 1992 when Russians lived in abject poverty.

Freedom of Speech?

They knew in advance such behavior is illegal in Russia, like anywhere else in civilized world. That's why they wore balaclavas to hide identity.

They knew that Russia will be under pressure not to enforce law. That's exactly how Department of Defense defines terrorism: “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.”

Only racists who hate Russians as people and bigots who hate Christians can not see this.

[saundby]

This case isn’t about free speech. The politics in the songs is just being used as a cover for the fact that they’re abusing the property of others to make their (profitable) internet music videos.

Believing in the narrative of this bunch’s “impromptu” performances is like believing that The Monkees TV show was a documentary of actual events. Each of their preplanned video escapades is a way of adding spice and popularity to their videos.

If they arranged with the property owners to stage an “impromptu” performance for the sake of their videos like responsible members of civilized society, their fans would be calling them fakes and sell outs. Instead, they violate property of others, profit off it, then try to hide behind the politics in their lyrics.

Abusing property rights in the name of “free speech”...sound familiar?

[DTA]

Pussy Galore

BS galore

[dfwgator]

These chicks are Bolsheviks who would have loved Lenin and Company back in 1917.

[peter the great]

Like your reply basically this group violated the Parishoners freedom of worship In the Eastern Orthodox Church only the Priest can approach the iconostas during a service as it is considered Holy. Imagine the out cry if this was done in a Mosque. Anyway what I wonder about is whether the people who had sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York a couple years back what kind of sentences did they get?

[Romulus]

In America they would’ve got a medal, or at least had a street in Chicago named after them. Thank God for Russia.

[madprof98]

If they’d raised a fuss in an abortion clinic, he would have supported their immediate execution.

[Moltke]

The girls didn’t realize the historical nature of that culture. Cross the line there, things get real ugly real quick.

What "that culture" and "crossing the line there" are you talking about? You do realize they're native Russian "girls", and annoying attention-whores at that? Two years sounds about right to teach them some manners and decorum.