The world of rock has been focused on the Russian group, Pussy Riot, since their arrest for “political hatred”……they have been convicted of the crime but a panel of judges have overturned part of the conviction…….
(Newser) – A trio of judges has freed one of the three members of the Russian activist punk rock group Pussy Riot, while the other two still face up to two years in prison following their raucous anti-Putin protest at the altar of Moscow’s main cathedral, reports the BBC. The bandmates were largely unrepentant today, vocally criticizing Vladimir Putin and the Russian justice system even during their appeal. Yekaterina Samutsevich, however, was freed on her contention that guards threw her out of the cathedral before she could remove her guitar from its case.
Bandmate Nadezhda Tolokonnikova denied the charge of political hatred, saying, “it’s as clear as daylight that this was a political act, not anti-religious. I ask you to quash this sentence.” Maria Alyokhina, meanwhile, warned that if their sentences were upheld, “we won’t stay silent—even in Mordovia, or Siberia—however uncomfortable that is for you.” She added that their apologies had been ignored, but demands for their repentance are akin to blackmail.
The world is watching….watching to see if there is truly a hint of democracy in Russia since the fall of the USSR……
Good luck, ladies!
I don’t understand why the people of Russia put up with Putin. I’m starting to believe that Russians actually miss the old Soviet Union and want it back, believing Putin is the path. I don’t see any other explanation.
Maybe the people were just too use to authoritarian rule and feel they are better off with it….I remember the chaos in Russia after the fall of the USSR….many took advantage of a void and the Russian people took it in the butt…
Lobotero,
I can understand the attraction many people have to communism, especially Soviet style. It makes one feel part of something higher than themselves. It’s something divine that’s actually attainable. It’s no different than Nazism under Hilter. Nazi’s were convinced that the Reich was so great, six-million Jewish lives was a small to price to pay. You could not convince people of this without indoctrination.
You can convince people of almost anything with enough indoctrination. My evidence is the overwhelming belief among communist hardliners that freedom is an infectious disease. Isn’t that striking? Something viewed by so many to be a breath from God Himself. How could such a thing ever be feared?
Indoctrination. It’s a powerful tool used by Nazism, Communism, and really all Leftist ideologies that have taken hold during our short existence. Of course, it’s prevalent on the Right in mostly religious circles, which can be deadly but not nearly as deadly as when it comes from the Left. My proof? History.
Once the people of the Soviet Union taste real freedom, Putin will fall into the ashcan of history.
Extremist ideologies never last very long. In the United States, the extremist ideology known as progressivism will eventually meet its end, probably within the next few years. Any ideology that tries to take away or minimize freedom is an ideology that cannot endure.
“Man’s yearning for freedom can be satisfied in only one way: freedom.” ~ President Ronald Reagan
Terrance the USSR like Germany was possible because people’s lives sucked…..and when that happens people will support just about anything if they feel that it will improve their lives…..in some studies some have found that the decisions were more economic than political…..
Lobotero,
And making their lives suck more without them rising up takes indoctrination. How else do you explain the slaughter of 6 million Jews?
Terrance, I am not justifying one or the other….what interests me more is what lengths people would go to to change their situations……like Nazi Germany……I have just bought a book about the “Nazi Voter”….it is not so much dealing with right or wrong but what the voter was thinking and doing…..I may detest one form of ideology but the people make these things happen and that is what interests me….just like in this country…..I am interested in what the people are thinking and why……
Lobotero,
I agree that the Nazi’s came to power because of tough economic conditions. But after they came to power, the indoctrination began. Kristallnacht didn’t happen immediately after the Nazi’s came to power. It was five-years later. Jews were made to be second-class citizens slowly, to keep pace with the amount of indoctrination achieved.
Before Hitler came to power, he knew what he wanted to do with the Jews. It took some years into his reign for it to truly begin. The question is why? Because it would not have been successful if the people were not first indoctrinated.
I will be posting on the book I mentioned…..the author did an amazing amount of research into the archives and has written about the mindset and such…..I cannot wait for the book top get here…..I want to see the techniques used to convince voters to vote for him and his party……
Lobotero,
My favorite historical subject to study is by far WWII, with a focus on Nazi, Germany. I find it absolutely fascinating. I would be interested in learning what you come up with after reading the book.
Personally, I’m not sure why the people of Germany voted for the Nazi’s. Obviously, the Treaty of Versailles created the hardships which allowed not only the Nazi’s to gain additional seats in the Reichstag, but the Communists as well. Many people don’t realize that about the time the Nazi’s made a noticeable appearance in the Reichstag, Communists did too. It wasn’t until the Reichstag fire that Communists were rounded up and thrown in jail, thereby clearing the way for Nazi’s to assume the majority and appoint Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany.
Terrance, I think you are partially correct with the indoctrination thing……they called in propaganda….but they found someone to blame for their troubles……the book should be here next week, at least I hope…I am looking forward to this guy’s research…..
Lobotero,
I don’t think there is any doubt that Germany suffered greatly from the Treaty of Versailles, leading to Nazi and Communist seats in the Reichstag. In desperate times, people do desperate things, like vote for Nazi’s and Communists. If not for the Nazi’s ruthlessness, Communists might have controlled Germany.
I think that the Communists would have been a bit more influential but I do not think they would have been in control without similar tactics of the Nazis….
You might be right.