

Putin defends the U.S. on spying programs, drones and Occupy Wall Street - mindcrime
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/06/13/vladimir-putin-defends-the-u-s-on-spying-programs-drones-and-occupy-wall-street/

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mindcrime
I mean, really... when Vladimir Putin is defending your domestic surveillance
and spying programs, don't you think that's a good sign that things have gone
a bit off the rails?

~~~
ellyagg
Easiest comment in the world. Still true, though.

~~~
mpyne
Yeah, as soon as I saw the headline I sighed. Of course I see the article
noted as much! "...offering an endorsement that the Obama administration is
probably not thrilled to receive"

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coldtea
> _That’s not really true, of course – the United States doesn’t sentence
> people who sing anti-Obama songs to labor camps – but it is unlikely to
> convince many U.S. critics of NSA or drone programs._

They weren't sentenced about singing anti-Putin song. They done that for ages,
as tons of other bands did and do. They were sentenced for doing it in a
cathedral, disrupting the religious service, calling the religious leader a
"bitch" and swearing, things that are considered a publishable offence against
religion to do in a church (akin to a hate crime in the US).

Now, even if one says that this was just a pretext (which can be argued about,
the offence was real though and a lot of European countries have laws against
it), the US has been doing similar things with similar pretexts for ages.

John Sinclair comes to mind, closely watched for his political affiliations
and send to prison for 10 years for offering 2 joints to narcotics agents that
set him up, but generally this is the story of lots and lots of activists,
black leaders, rockers etc.

Also the use of the term "labor camps" is misinformative without context,
evoking gulag or concentration camps, whereas "labor camps" (prisons where
prisoners work) are just the most common type of prison in Russia.

~~~
VladRussian2
>things that are considered a publishable offence against religion to do in a
church (akin to a hate crime in the US)

people from countries without freedom of speech (i.e. basically from countries
other than US) frequently don't understand it. Expressing a religious (for
example) hate isn't a crime in the US, while it is a crime in the Russia or
Britain (and this is what the girls were punished for). Committing a crime
motivated by hate of specific kinds (like religious, ethnic, etc...) is a hate
crime in US and expected to be punished harsher than comparable crime without
such hate motivation.

>Also the use of the term "labor camps" is misinformative without context,
evoking gulag or concentration camps, whereas "labor camps" (prisons where
prisoners work) are just the most common type of prison in Russia.

so, what has changed in Russian "most common type of prison" since Gulag?

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Mikeb85
The type of freedom of expression that Pussy Riot practiced in the Cathedral
wouldn't be acceptable in any country, and likely not the US either. Had they
performed it on the street outside, they would have escaped prosecution. Doing
it inside the church would be unacceptable in any country, due to the
protection any reasonable society offers to property belonging to an
organization (like a church).

In Canada they would have been charged and convicted of multiple crimes, and
likely spent nearly as long in jail. The only reason the west supported this
group is because it happened in Russia...

~~~
VladRussian2
>The type of freedom of expression that Pussy Riot practiced in the Cathedral
wouldn't be acceptable in any country, and likely not the US either

as i said, people outside just don't get it - the perceived political and
religious offensiveness of the action strongly weights in as the largest
aggravating factor in their opinion about the action and punishment for it.
The freedom of expression is protected in the US. The actual crimes committed
- the trespassing and/or disorderly conduct, 2 misdemeanors, without priors
... - IANAL of course - seems less than 2nd non-felonious DUI, i.e. fine,
community service (like picking up trash in parks and on roadsides) on
weekends for few months, a month in jail if judge is in bad mood :)

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arjn
I suspect this is just Putin trolling (needling) Obama and the US. He knows
very well that "approval" from Russia will not sit well with many Americans.

~~~
X4
hahah, wow I wound't ever come up with that. But it actually sounds plausible.
Hat's off Putin, international Trolling debut.

~~~
saraid216
Debut? The man does PR shots of _riding bears_.

------
azov
Russia has it's own internet surveillance system, likely even more invasive
then PRISM. Would be really odd if he spoke against it.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SORM](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SORM)

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pshin45
I wouldn't have been surprised if this was an Onion article headline. I hope
Kim Jong Un also comes out voicing his support for PRISM/drones, and the
circle will be complete.

It's quite sad actually, I can't even enjoy the Onion anymore because it's
gotten to a point where their absurdist humor and the world we live in are not
all that different. It's gone from being funny satire to a leading indicator
of where we're heading as a society. Pretty scary and disturbing if you think
about it...

~~~
gwern
> It's gone from being funny satire to a leading indicator of where we're
> heading as a society.

Back in 2005 or so I was given one of the _Onion_ collections. I was flipping
through it for the first time, and it fell open at a January 2001 piece they
had written on the inauguration of George W. Bush where the headline was the
quote "Our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is over" (
[http://www.theonion.com/articles/bush-our-long-national-
nigh...](http://www.theonion.com/articles/bush-our-long-national-nightmare-of-
peace-and-pros,464/) ). I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

~~~
pshin45
From the parent's Onion article link from Jan 2001:

> _During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the
> severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens
> that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in
> the next four years.

"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point
during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in
military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting
soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a
military?"

On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by
implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which
would necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending,
which would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further._

I don't know if this Onion article was prophetic or if wars and recessions are
just cyclic and inevitable, but either way I am spooked right now.

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lukashed
"That’s the way it’s done in the U.S., and that’s the way it’s done in
Russia."

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mindcrime
So much for the "moral high ground", huh?

~~~
w_t_payne
See that thing up there in the distance ... where we used to be ... that's the
moral high ground.

~~~
krapp
Is this thing hidden behind the steaming mountain of bs?

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rbanffy
I can only imagine how many times he had to practice saying this without
breaking into hysterical laughter before he could do it in front of the press.

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iguana
The political fallout of this makes me want to laugh, but the reality of the
situation makes me want to cry.

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lignuist
What would happen if people just stopped the war on terror completely?

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meepmorp
We would all die because the terrorists are the most powerful force known to
man.

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w_t_payne
Wow. Putin and Obama. Shoulder to shoulder ... just ... wow ... bestest of
buddies in this new world order of ours.

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smegel
> the United States doesn’t sentence people who sing anti-Obama songs to labor
> camps

It's hyperbolic statements like this that which damage the credibility of
otherwise good articles.

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dakimov
You did good boy, keep it up.

Sincerely yours, Satan

