Putin better pardon Pussy Riot
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the tide has been ebbing for months now.
The rigged parliamentary election of December, marred by widely documented fraud, sent tens of thousands into the streets under the banner “Putin must go.” To no one’s surprise, he was re-elected in March, after barring pro-democracy opponents.
But now he must contend with what scholars call “historical contingency,” an academic phrase for “you couldn’t make this stuff up.”
In this case, it was a female punk band called Pussy Riot. One day in February, five punkettes barged into a Moscow cathedral, plugged in their amps and began belting out a punk prayer with the refrain, “Our Lady, chase Putin out.”
Their performance was shut down in about 30 seconds. Three punkettes were eventually arrested and, in a recent proceeding, sentenced to two years behind bars.
By this summer, the band had become a pop culture cause celebre, with Putin and his regime regularly denounced by the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sting and Paul McCartney. Performing in Moscow, Madonna wore a “Free Pussy Riot” sign on her back. Posters began to appear: “Putin is afraid of girls.”
Putin had committed the error most feared by dictators. He has made himself ridiculous, a situation especially corrosive in his case, given his shirtless horseback rides and other macho displays.
Since the verdict, the undercurrent of Russian discontent has only increased. If Putin is as smart is reputed, he should conclude that the best way out is a pardon for Pussy Riot.
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months agoBe careful star, you might be destroying the infamous “reset of relations” led by our Commander in Chief, the big 0!
Putin knows that America under jimmy II has no intention on calling it on its human rights actions.
To think they will give-in on this issue is laughable.
Mark Hastert
9 months ago“To think they will give-in on this issue is laughable.”
Having demonstrated his his iron fist Putin is now at liberty to use his velvet glove. He’s made his point.
Phil Cardarella
9 months agoProblem is, despots cannot take ridicule.
Of course, we are not going to nuke Moscow over this. We cannot make every despot in the world — Russian, Chinese, Arab, Iranian — behave like a good democrat.
The real problem is that we are willing to overlook abuses we CAN do something about — like Chinese working conditions — in order for our corporate citizens to profit by shipping our actual citizens’ jobs over there.