Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Will Putin Cause Pussy Riot Members to be Released from Prison after Only Six Months?

Three female members of the mysterious punk "band" Pussy Riot were recently sentenced by a Russian judge, for their performance of their anti-Putin, anti-Russian Orthodox Church, song, Holy Shit! The sentence was for two years, below the sentencing guidelines which call for a minimum of 7 years.

Now, reports are developing that Putin will order the release of the women at an even earlier date.

Paul Craig Roberts, a former Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury and former associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, writes:

Prior to the women's trial, Russian President Putin expressed his opinion that the women should not be harshly punished. Taking the cue from Putin, the judge gave the women, deceived and betrayed by the Amerikan-financed NGOs, two years instead of seven years. 
I am advised that after six months, Putin will see that the women are released. But, of course, that would not serve the propaganda of the Amerikan Empire.
But, Roberts also charges that the influences which spawned the band will raise enough hell to make it difficult for Putin to release them early:

The instructions to the Washington-financed fifth column in Russia will be to make any government leniency for Pussy Riot impossible. 
Washington-organized protests, riots, property damage, assaults on state and religious images by Washington's Russian dupes will make it impossible for Putin to stand up to nationalist opinion and commute the sentences of the Pussy Riot women.
This is what Washington wants. As Washington continues to murder vast numbers of people around the globe, it will point its finger at the fate of Pussy Riot. The western bought-and-paid-for presstitute media will focus on Russia's evil, not on the evil of Washington, London, and the EU puppet states who are slaughtering Muslims by the bucket-full.
 And on cue, the CIA mouthpiece, the New York Times, is out with a article on Pussy Riot, telling us:
 But for artists and activists around the world the recent travails of Pussy Riot, founded in 2011, have become a cause célèbre. When its members, Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were sentenced on Aug. 17 to two years each in a prison camp for staging a flash protest against President Vladimir V. Putin in Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral in February, it served as another rallying point, at a time when many are concerned with government malfeasance, economic and social equality, and, not incidentally, women’s rights. The ladies of Pussy Riot are of-the-moment renegades...

It’s been a long time since music had the whiff of danger, and longer still since it carried the beat of political change, at least in democracies. Hardly anyone would’ve expected that to come out of Russia, where both the songcraft and the messaging seem outdated, vestiges of retro power-pop and a barely concealed propaganda machine. The women of Pussy Riot took those tools and used them for their own sophisticated means. Immediately after their conviction on charges of hooliganism based on religious hatred — a more punk indictment could scarcely be invented — Pussy Riot, though only nominally a band, released its first single. Titled, in translation, “Putin Lights Up the Fires,” it’s defiance set to bracing guitars and drum kicks. You can’t seal us in a box, the women shout in a singsong as they demand more jail time. The chorus announces that the country is taking to the streets, bidding farewell to the regime, driven by a “feminist wedge.” A few acolytes, complete with balaclavas, performed it in the courthouse during the sentencing. It’s pure agitprop, and it’s incredibly catchy.

12 comments:

  1. I spoke with friends and associates in Moscow about this YESTERDAY.

    I think Roberts has it wrong on this one.

    This is absolutely NOT how the Russian street sees the Pussy Riot issue. Public theater for propaganda or other purposes is absolutely old hat in Moscow.

    People there can absolutely spot anomalous government behavior.

    The 'crime' in their view was in offending Russian Orthodox believers...by the way... my SOURCES ARE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX BELIEVERS WHO USE THAT CATHEDRAL.

    They say what actually happened were these 'vulgar' (their words) girls walked into the church, did a corny silent dance routine while confederates mimed playing guitar.

    Their words after the verdict were, "Religions are not to be trusted! What was this about? Some stupid girls staging some stupid vulgar protest! And what does the church do? It uses it's government contacts to jail them! The sentence is totally out of proportion to the crime!"

    My contacts then went on to list other recent scandals involving Kiril and the leaders of the reorganized Russian Orthodox church - specifically their growing wealth, exemplified by expensive jewelry and watches photographed in an interview.

    And they noted how the church responded with an 'original' copy of the photo where the church leader had no expensive jewelry...except in the reflection on the table in the 'original' the jewelry was still there!

    To understand the real Russian reaction you have to look at how the authorities have reacted since the sentencing.

    The Russian Orthodox church 'forgave' the band members. Putin said what they did wasn't good, but shouldn't be so severely punished.

    The stage is now set for Putin to release them. He needs to hold them long enough to save face, but otherwise release them before their situation can further damage government legitimacy.

    Russians have long experience with oppression. Their view is that, "Politicians will be Politicians". They still get outraged, but tend to hold it in and publicly hide it for fear of reprisals.

    They are beginning believe that the Russian Orthodox priests are just more Siloviki (strongmen) who use faith as a venue to money and power. They think that Kiril used his influence in the government to cause the government to treat "Pussy Riot" in a very different way than similar protesters have been treated elsewhere.

    Again, the Russian Orthodox Church's and the Government's subsequent reactions tell the tale. They would not be relenting if they did not realize they'd harmed their positions politically.

    As for a CIA connection... maybe yes, maybe no. Would it really matter if CIA gave money?

    But is the CIA behind the sentiment?

    NO.

    However, the CIA would be fools not to use the sentiments that Russians already have.

    Does that really make Russians' sentiments less valid?

    Did LaFayette's aid make the American Revolutionaries sentiments less valid?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Putin should free these peaceful protesters and give them six months
    community service in Siberia.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If the CIA were funding Pussy Riot, it would be an incredibly bad investment. Their antics are not about to inspire a mass movement against the government of Russia. Hell, from what I can tell from the outside, the average Russian citizen may well enjoy more freedom of action than the average U.S. citizen these days.

    The CIA would better spend its (our) money agitproping the U.S. government for more freedom, or better yet dissolving itself.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The aim is to create a negative view of Putin in Western eyes, of which they are doing a pretty good job, given the number of Western celebrities that are coming out supporting Pussy Riot.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I don't think this is particularly useful as a way of making Putin look bad in Western eyes. There are reams of stories that look bad in Western eyes available with no Agitprop needed, and only someone there to document common abuses.

    Russia has recently tried to 'soften' the image of their Militsya by renaming it 'Politzia'.

    But the fact of the matter is if you spend a few hours on any Moscow street you'll be able to see a COP shaking someone down, stopping young girls on bogus 'suspicion of being suspicious', not having their internal passport or some other minor infraction, and then groping them in an overtly sexual manner.

    Russians have a very long acquaintance with authoritarian leadership. Russians EXPECT leadership to be authoritarian, and a 'softer' kind of leader to them is suspicious...

    There's a reason they called Stalin 'Papa'.

    By the same token, if the country seems not to be benefiting from the authoritarianism then Russians can be unforgiving. Mostly they are not likely to storm the Kremlin, but to ignore it and do as they please via other means while outwardly observing the demands of their 'leaders'.

    This is very well-developed in Russian culture. One aspect of it is 'Mat' which alternatively means 'mother' or 'Vulgar language' or 'Black Market Barter/Influence Peddling'.

    But this is part and parcel of Russian life and politics.

    Most Russians don't want to get involved with the 'Pussy Riot' issue. No one knew who they were before this.

    Russians have their own affairs to worry about. But most think that time in prison is not appropriate and are evenly divided between thinking it is an absolute abuse vs simply excessive.

    Here's a quote from the Russian street:
    "What so you're going to put people in jail for this? No one thinks what they did was right. But jail? If you are going to put people in prison for this you'll have to put most of Russia in jail; one half for taking bribes; the other half for offering bribes. No one here had any religion for 70 years! They only re-built the church a few years ago. Now we're supposed to believe Russians are so terribly religious and were so horribly offended?"

    The fact is that Kiril (leader of the Russian Orthodox church) and Putin have ties. And many Russians think Kiril wants the Russian Orthodox to be a State Established Religion. Kiril worked to deliver a voting block to Putin in the recent election. But Kiril has opposition amongst the Communists and traditionalists.

    There are a lot of people who stand to benefit if Kiril is embarrassed. And there are many constituencies, even outside of Kasparov and the overtly anti-government people he represents, that are worried about how Putin and Medvedev are trading the Presidency between them.

    Kiril could care less what celebrities in Hollywood think. They are not his constituency. The people in Russian villages are his constituency. Putin cares about the Western press only as it affects the price of Russian Gas, Russian Oil, Russian arms, and Russian influence.

    Frankly, the Pussy Riot affair doesn't hurt him much from abroad. It hurts him at home because it hurts his image as a Russian role model and Patriot and casts him in the role of vulgar politician with cronies to satisfy.

    The one thing a Russian authoritarian politician must not appear to be is a ridiculous figure who overreacts. No one wants to give that much power to someone who over-reacts...even if it is to satisfy a crony/supporter.

    Russians want a national 'Papa', not a national Chihuahua.

    Over reacting to some ridiculous women behaving badly in church makes a national leader look WEAK.

    Putin and Kiril's backpeddling subsequent to the sentencing is a reaction to their base, not a reaction to foreigners.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your "on the ground" observations, Gordo.

      Delete
    2. "This is very well-developed in Russian culture. One aspect of it is 'Mat' which alternatively means 'mother' or 'Vulgar language' or 'Black Market Barter/Influence Peddling'."

      El Gordo... you may want to check your sources. Those three are very different words. "Mother" is pronounced with soft T (and is spelled with soft sign at the end), "Vulgar language" is pronounced with hard T (and has no soft sign), and the last word is "blat". No fluent Russian speaker would ever confuse or conflate them.

      The rest of your sociological analysis is just as accurate, I'm sorry to say.

      Delete
    3. The word 'Mat' in English lacks hard or soft signs. In fact English lacks such signs totally, and even a concept for them. It is not possible to make such a distinction to an English speaker who does not speak Russian.

      If you are a native Russian speaker, you will have noted that English has many, many words that sound the same, but have very different meanings (their, there, they're). To an English speaker, 'Mat' is the same.

      Blat means what you say it does.

      As for the rest you'll have to be specific:
      - Do you claim Moscow cops do not shake people down for minor infractions?

      -Do you claim Russians do not have long experience with authoritarian government or that they do not expect it?

      -Do you claim that Russians are more likely to storm the Kremlin than to outwardly follow the official forms while privately working around them?

      -Do you claim 'Pussy Riot' was well known before this event?

      -Do you claim that Russians DO NOT think it is excessive to give 2 years in prison for misbehaving in church?

      -Do you claim Putin and Kirill have no ties?

      -Do you claim that NO SIGNIFICANT Russians worry about the possibility of a State Religion? (Not even the large number of Muslims and Buddhists there)

      -Do you claim that the Communists and others groups DO NOT stand to gain if Kirill or Putin are embarrassed?

      -Do you claim that Russians DO NOT worry about how Putin and Medvedev have been trading the Presidency?

      -Do you claim that Putin is worried about the Western press for reasons other than Russian influence, oil, arms, and similar economic/political factors?

      -Do you claim that it world opinion is of more significance to Putin than domestic?

      -Do you claim that a Russian Authoritarian can be successful despite being seen as weak and somewhat ridiculous? (Do you remember Yeltsin dancing drunk with the circus bear?)

      -Do you claim that many Russians do not want a national 'Papa' of their leadership, rather than a profane weakling who never shuts up? A chiuaua? You perhaps dispute Rurik? The Bulghars? Ivan I - VI? Peter? Catherine? Lenin? Stalin? Kruschev? Would you truly attempt to deny that Russians have a pattern of centralizing power in the hands of a paternalistic figure? Perhaps I have imagined 1200 years of Russian leadership history?

      I doubt very much you will directly take issue with any of these points. They are easy to support and would make you look like a fool to dispute.

      Of course, failing to dispute them would put us in complete agreement despite your non-sequitur attack.

      Delete
  6. Comment at another log:

    "Look at the dialectics of the 'Pussy Riot' simulacrum. They're deliberately over the top that people who care for social stability (traditional values) are driven to look to Putin and the KGB as the good guys. Think about it. There are no good guys running world powers. Orwell was right.

    The other demographic is the kind of youth that buys Lady Gaga CDs and cheers for gay parades and 'gay marriage' - even though they're not gay themselves. Look at the propaganda rag 'the Globe and Mail'. "Why Pussy Riot honours the struggles of women everywhere "

    The Russian agitprop mill, "RT" promotes, "Russian society divided on Pussy Riot trial"

    R U Sirius? How does cutting down a cross monument to the victims of the Stalinist Holomodor famine with a chain saw in Ukraine "honour" women?

    What "struggles"? The struggle to pee in holy water fonts?

    This is just another manifestation of phoney revolutions incorporated that we've seen pop up as 'Arab Spring' and 'Occupy Wall Street'.

    Don't forget where it comes from. There's no mystery here. http://www.henrymakow.com/occupy_wall_street_is_cointelp.html

    Don't forget phoney opposition leader Eduard Limonov (real surname Savenko - "Liminov" is slang for hand grenade in Russian)
    He was a big professional agitprop 'artist' agitator during the 70's through around 2004. His last successful stunt was a similar term in Moscow jail for protesting Putin by ordering punks to seize the old KGB building ala 'Occupy'.
    HIs "Nazbol movement" ("Nazi Bolsheviks") was pretty clever guerrilla theatre, I must say - much more amusing than the unimaginative antics of 'pussy riot'.




    ReplyDelete
  7. More evidence of how people see this in Russia:

    (Full disclosure...I translated this myself. I am not a native Russian speaker, but this should be generally correct. Get it in Russian here: http://top.rbc.ru/society/21/08/2012/665611.shtml)

    21 August 2012

    "Actor and Celebrity Ivan Okhlobystin believes that members of the controversial group 'Pussy Riot', who were sentenced to 2 years in a penal colony pursuant to their "Punk Prayer" at Christ the Savior Cathedral, should have been whipped and thrown out, the actor announced to reporters today.

    'These girls should have been whipped and thrown out. They're all hooligans. The usher should have done it. If they hadn't smiled so much in court I would have said that the verdict was really strict. But it really antagonized me', he commented on the decision by the Khamovniki Court on the Pussy Riot affair.

    The actor also criticized the position of the Russian authorities in this scandal.

    'My complaint with the authorities is this: Why do you work so poorly that this mess ever happened? If I were in your place this would never have happened in the first place. I would never allow it. No one fired the toxic staff that could make similar "Molotov Cocktails", and now we're not going to keep those who are against "Pussy" or those who are for it. It's going to be a meat porridge where those who forged the 1990's will survive, but for everyone else it is going to be very tough, especially the youth. Did we really have to let this happen?' said I. Okhlobystin.

    'Look how the world remembers us: Vodka, Gagarin, Gorbachev, Perestroika, and Pussy Riot. It's some kind of nightmare!' added the actor. And he underscored that there was a time when it would have been possible to very, very quickly forget about this. But it didn't happen. And what happened next Okhlobystin considers a comedy

    Additionally, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov also spoke today about the Pussy Riot sentencing. The main communist countries as well as the actor I.Ohlobystin, say a "good spanking" is punishment enough for these activists. "Personally, in my point of view - I would have taken a good belt, whipped them, and sent them to their children and parents. This would be administrative punishment for them. And they would have to say they wouldn't do such blasphemies and outrages any more" - said Zyuganov .

    Recall that the three members of the group Pussy Riot were sentenced to up to two years each in a penal colony for hooliganism. The reason for the sentence was the performance of a "Punk Prayer" in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The activists performed the song, "Mother Mary Toss Putin Out", which contained profanity and criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill. Judge Marina Sirova considered the activist group's performance a violation of societal norms and standards of behavior, and concluded that the girls can only be reformed in isolation from society."


    Interesting... the judge in the case is "Judge Marina Cheese". With only a slight change of spelling the name of the court is "The Rock Court".

    What an amazing coincidence!

    Russian journalists still know how to write between the lines, it seems?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wenzel is on the wrong side of this issue. These girls are vile violators of property rights and incite anti-religious hate. Five years of hard labor would have been a more fitting punishment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where the hell have you seen Wenzel say anything in favor of the Pussy Riot members?

      Do you even understand what you read here?

      Delete