Pussy Riot: Verdict is in

[Dieselbeer]

Originally Posted by alexora

Pussy Riot jail terms condemned as 'disproportionate'

[...]
A number of Pussy Riot supporters, including ex-world chess champion Garry Kasparov, were arrested outside the court.

Source

He wasn't simply arrested, he was also battered in the police van, as our correspondents reported.

[alexora]

Originally Posted by Dieselbeer

One can't compare giants (staying in Europe) of the former opposition like Alexander Dubchek & Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa with this girls, this is ridiculous. ^^ They been have also jailed before for their opposition, but this is also no comparison too.

The girls tried to do opposition in their (agreed: limited) capabilities. But can't see any kind of damage to other opposition groups, not at all. Special, when the press has got in line, this was first what this Ex-KGB officer did during his first in office. Several newspapers have been closed, oppositional reporters have been "removed" with police force, and a few have been killed on open street.
Again: there was no damage to property, no violence against the persons.

Indeed, what's to compare in this case is a political motivated proceeding at the court.

Yes: we are witnessing a totalitarian state flexing their muscles at the foolhardy actions of some young girls.

This is so wrong, on every level.

Originally Posted by Dieselbeer

It seems to be easier at PS, closing a thread as to pick out a few members who are provoking this "malicious behaviour". I've been watching this at several threads in the past.
If a post isn't understandable (I didn't had this impression in this case), just ask - and I try to correct that.

I hope that the staff tasked with overseeing this thread will demonstrate a healthy degree of sensible judgement and only deal with individual offensive posts, rather than use them as an excuse to shut down the whole thread.

Otherwise, Planet Suzy would appear to be on the same level as the Russian Federation when it comes to allowing free and unhindered debate.

Mods: if you read this message, please take the time to stop and think before shutting it down out of hand.

[Dieselbeer]

Well, 'aleora', the mods here can't be everywhere and than just on time.
It's a leisure time job, nothing more.
For this I've to protect them for recent critics: If a thread is running out of control on both or multiple sides, it's reasonable to close it. Only in the other case one can react graded.

Like I wrote before in my PM, what has happened at the thread before, I don't know. Being neutral to it, but now I can vague imagine.

[alexora]

Originally Posted by Dieselbeer

Well, 'aleora', the mods here can't be everywhere and than just on time.
It's a leisure time job, nothing more.
For this I've to protect them for recent critics: If a thread is running out of control on both or multiple sides, it's reasonable to close it. Only in the other case one can react graded.

Like I wrote before in my PM, what has happened at the thread before, I don't know. Being neutral to it, but now I can vague imagine.

I protect them too: my criticism was aimed at a fellow VIP whom I suspect is trying, by posting objectionable messages, to get this thread shut down.

I was simply stating that any Mod coming upon this thread should exercise a degree of informed assessment if they are considering shutting this thread down.

[alexora]

Meanwhile, life goes on in Moscow:

Gay parades banned in Moscow for 100 years

Moscow's top court has upheld a ban on gay pride marches in the Russian capital for the next 100 years.

Earlier Russia's best-known gay rights campaigner, Nikolay Alexeyev, had gone to court hoping to overturn the city council's ban on gay parades.

He had asked for the right to stage such parades for the next 100 years.

He also opposes St Petersburg's ban on spreading "homosexual propaganda". The European Court of Human Rights has told Russia to pay him damages.

On Friday he said he would go back to the European Court in Strasbourg to push for a recognition that Moscow's ban on gay pride marches - past, present and future - was unjust.

The Moscow city government argues that the gay parade would risk causing public disorder and that most Muscovites do not support such an event.

In September, the Council of Europe - the main human rights watchdog in Europe - will examine Russia's response to a previous European Court ruling on the gay rights issue, Russian media report.

In October 2010 the court said Russia had discriminated against Mr Alexeyev on grounds of sexual orientation. It had considered Moscow's ban on gay parades covering the period 2006-2008.

Source

[Fenn]

Greatest. Publicity Stunt. Ever.

2 years in jail and they are going to be booked all over the free world when they get out.

[FoxTint]

Originally Posted by alexora

I hope that the staff tasked with overseeing this thread will demonstrate a healthy degree of sensible judgement and only deal with individual offensive posts, rather than use them as an excuse to shut down the whole thread.

Otherwise, Planet Suzy would appear to be on the same level as the Russian Federation when it comes to allowing free and unhindered debate.

Mods: if you read this message, please take the time to stop and think before shutting it down out of hand.

This thread - in fact all threads - in General Discussion are overlooked well by us section mods. I know in the past we have locked and removed threads when only a few have gone off topic and argued about politics and religion, but what needs to be realised is that when we keep it open it leads to other discussions about politics/religion and most of the time they do not end well.

I will take your comment seriously alexora and will only remove posts I feel are inappropriate.

I was the one overlooking the "afterlife" thread, and we do not usually allow religious threads in GD, but I was surprised how civilised and well mannered the debate was. I hope the same is the case for this thread. So far so good!

A clean debate is a good debate. No cursing; if you know you will get heated about the topic, either stay out of the thread or refrain from posting.

[alexora]

Originally Posted by FoxTint

I will take your comment seriously alexora and will only remove posts I feel are inappropriate.

I know well that you're a cool guy, FoxTint, and that we can expect only fairness from you.

The reason why I made the remarks appealing to Mod common sense, is that the previous thread dealing with the ignoble Pussy Riot prosecution was shut down after some very nasty remarks were posted there.

I was worried when a fellow VIP let down all of his peers by making a slur on the capacity of another orange member's command of the English language.

The way I, and many others here see it, is that it is best to remove the offending posts and take the appropriate actions towards the posters rather than to pull the rug altogether from under an interesting discussion thread.

[bill_az]

Originally Posted by alexora

...appropriate actions towards the posters rather than to pull the rug altogether from under an interesting discussion thread.

You were riding my jock when I was a mod in GD, don't deny it!

Seriously, when super mods come in to delete shit up in here, they should have the stones to leave an "edited by" note or something similar. Too many of the GD dustups have come because some non-GD mod came in and got all butt-hurt about something, and left the rest of us to figure out what in the hell had happened. Wow, the mod forums were lit up like a Christmas tree...shit flying like it was a scene in "Airplane."

[wolfgang5150]

My family has fought in every war this country has been involved in. They fought for freedom for themselves, their families and for people they never met.
Whats the point? All of us, save for my first ancestor's in America were lucky, no privileged, to be born in a country that affords us the basic human right of freedom and more importantly we've never let the few naysayers stop us from fighting for freedom.

Some may say this was stupid for this band to pull this stunt given the country they live in - to some it just pointless. It's easy to forget that every storm starts with a single rain drop. Who knows where this will lead, perhaps nowhere but then again what if?

Now, the ladies in this band may not have used the smartest judgment in their actions, but the same can be said about the crazy mothefucker who threw the first container of tea into Boston harbor... Pissed off people standing up for what they believe in is the first step in change. Every revolution started with a pissed of person who just couldn't take it any more. Spartacus, Jesus, both Martin Luther's, Henry and the rest of the founding fathers, the list goes on and on . But the one thing they all have in common is the vast majority of people thought they were crazy for standing up to the authority figures of their day... And the world is a better place because they did.

If you are blessed enough to be able to say whatever you want then have the decency to not criticize the lengths people will go-must go to in order to achieve the same. Freedom IS NOT FREE! Millions have died and millions more will die for freedom. We owe all freedom fighters our support, no matter how silly we me think the act is, 'cos I assure to those ladies and their loved ones this act was not silly.