Greece's Golden Dawn vows to run in election despite crackdown

Supporters of Golden Dawn Party shout slogans during a rally against plans for the
 construction of the first official mosque in Athens.

Greeks Crackdown on Democracy

• Interesting.  If you dare to oppose unlimited Muslim immigration and believe that your nation, language and culture have a right to exist then you are called a "racist" and the Socialistic ruling elites try to crush you.
• So-called "mainstream" European (an American) political parties refuse to address the immigration and debt concerns of the average voter.  The answer of the Greek elites is to ignore the issues, jail the opposition members of Parliament and ban their party.

(Reuters News)  -  Greece's nationalist Golden Dawn Party will find a way to contest local and European elections in May despite a crackdown on the party, a senior lawmaker told a defiant crowd of a few thousand supporters in central Athens.

Golden Dawn's leader and five other lawmakers are in jail due to an investigation into whether it is a criminal organisation, but it remains Greece's third most popular party.

The fate of the party is being closely watched ahead of the May vote - where it is expected to perform strongly due to a wave of anger against government cuts - amid speculation of new efforts to rein in the group, which denies it is neo-Nazi reports Reuters News.
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Communist Party of Greece
The Greek ruling elites have no problem
with having 12 Communists in
Parliament.  But if you are an anti
immigration nationalist they want
to ban your political party.
Greek Communist Party

"We will participate in the elections, one way or another," Ilias Kasidiaris, the most prominent public face of the party since its leader's arrest, told about 3,000 supporters rallying in Athens to mark the anniversary of a 1996 dispute over an islet that brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war.

Two opinion polls published last week showed the party would get 8.9 to 10.3 percent of the vote if elections were held now.

Kasidiaris, who plans to run for Athens mayor in May, suggested that a new party, National Dawn, could replace Golden Dawn if it was prevented from running in the election.

"Greek nationalists who have not been involved in criminal organisations, who have no criminal record have founded a new patriotic party, the National Dawn," Kasidiaris said in a sarcastic reference to accusations against the party.

"They put us in jail. And what happened? Did we falter? No, we did not," he said. "We are stronger, we are more powerful and in a short time we will be in power."

Black-clad supporters waved Greek flags and unfurled a banner with the face of leader Nikolaos Mihaloliakos and chanted "traitors" against the government. Some handed out leaflets advertising National Dawn.

Golden Dawn entered parliament for the first time in 2012, tapping resentment against illegal immigrants and politicians blamed for a crisis that has forced thousands out of work and plunged the economy into a six-year recession.

Six of the party's 18 lawmakers including Mihaloliakos are in pre-trial detention over a probe into Golden Dawn and a string of attacks against immigrants and political opponents.

Greece: Golden Dawn supporters gather for mass rally

Hundreds of supporters of far-right political party Golden Dawn gathered in front of the Club of Military Officers in Athens on Saturday for a memorial ceremony for three Greek soldiers killed during a territorial dispute with Turkey in 1996.

Golden Dawn supporters waved Greek flags, held torches and chanted slogans such as "foreigners out of Greece" and "punk, traitor Samaras". The party's spokesperson Ilias Kasidiaris addressed the crowd and chanted the slogan "this land does not belong to you".

Greek Golden Dawn Party holds Athens rally 



Members of the nationalist Golden Dawn Party chant the national anthem in front of the Greek parliament in central Athens on May 29, 2013, during a rally marking the anniversary of the fall of Christian Constantinople to an attack by the Muslim Ottoman Empire in 1453.
(Picture: STR / AFP)



Parliament of the Hellenes
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Warning to American readers.  Please do not be confused by this election chart showing many different political parties representing all factions of society in the Greek Parliament.  This is something called a free election.  Free elections used to exist in the United States, but today you can only read about them in history books.
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Don't worry, that unsettling feeling that you are being screwed will soon pass and you will forget this article ever existed.  You can then return to your fantasy world and believe that American elections are free and not run by and for Washington D.C. special interest groups.
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See more at Hellenic Parliament

GOP looks to rig Montana's elections

Voters must be guided into making the "correct" decision on election day by those of us who
know what is best for the people.  I am Benito Mussolini and I approve this message of support for
the Montana Republican Party's efforts to limit voter choices in elections.

Limiting Voter Choices

• The Republicans want to rig Montana's elections in their favor by keeping independents and smaller parties off the November ballot.
• Every democratic nation on earth has all political parties and independent candidates on general election ballots.  That is called freedom.  Republicans appear to be having a difficult time understanding this basic concept. 

(Missoula Independent)  -  For most Montanans, the last session of our state legislature is a distant memory. We've had better than half the year to heal from any lasting political injury, and the parade of newspaper headlines about partisan hardball in Helena won't begin marching again until January 2015.

But for Mike Fellows, chairman of Montana's Libertarian Party, forgetting hasn't been so easy. Although the session ended more than seven months ago, he hasn't been able to stop worrying about Senate Bill 408, a top legislative priority for Republicans, which passed on a party-line vote during the final week of the session.

The bill placed Legislative Referendum 127 on the 2014 ballot. The referendum asks voters to replace Montana's open primary election with a top-two primary. An open primary requires citizens to vote on a single-party ballot of their choosing and allows the top vote-getter from each political party, including third parties, to advance to the general election. A top-two primary lumps all candidates into a single primary regardless of party affiliation and allows only the top-two vote-getters to advance to the general election.

Montana U.S. Senate Election 2012
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Jon Tester (incumbent)	233,064	48.45	-1.8
	Republican	Denny Rehberg	216,507	45.01
	Libertarian	Dan Cox	31,476	6.54

Welcome to Fascism The Montana GOP lost an election.  Boo hoo.  Gee, that has never happened before in the history of the world.  So rather than finding a better way to attract voters, the GOP's plan is to ban independent candidates and smaller political parties from all future general election ballots.

Republicans have defended the measure as an effort to ensure that candidates who win the general election receive a majority of the vote instead of a plurality of the vote, which is sometimes the case in a three-way race between candidates from three different parties. However, if LR 127 were approved, it would likely prevent third party candidates and independents from reaching a general election. Fellows believes that this is the true motive behind the Republican push for a top-two primary.

"The independent view is going to be wiped out because they'll never make it out of the primary," Fellows told me over coffee in downtown Missoula, where he's lived since 1983.

He points out that Washington state hasn't had a third party candidate for statewide office on the general election ballot since it moved to a top-two primary in 2008. Fellows predicts that a top-two primary would have the same effect in Montana, reducing the choices available to voters in the general election. "LR 127 is designed to get rid of the competition," Fellows argues, "namely Libertarians."

At first blush, this seems like a questionable argument. After all, the Montana Libertarian Party doesn't appear to represent much of a political threat. Between 1998 and 2010, Libertarians ran in 14 statewide races and averaged just 3.2 percent of the vote. According to Fellows, the party has approximately 500 members and an email list of about 1,000 people. These aren't numbers generally associated with a political powerhouse.

Yet, a closer look reveals that the party has lately had an outsized impact on Montana's elections. In 2006, perennial Libertarian candidate Stan Jones ran for U.S. Senate and received 10,377 votes, about 3,000 more than the gap between incumbent Republican Sen. Conrad Burns and Democratic challenger Jon Tester.

Part of the post-election narrative that year was that Jones' supporters were disgruntled Republicans who thought Burns was too cozy with lobbyists. A spoiler scenario seemed unlikely to happen again. Then came the Tea Party surge in 2010 with its accompanying anti-tax narrative, which at a basic level was consistent with Libertarian values. That year, Fellows' share of the electorate in the U.S. House race nearly doubled from his previous average to 5.7 percent, foreshadowing a historic year for Libertarians in 2012.

Last year, Sen. Jon Tester beat Congressman Dennis Rehberg in the race for U.S. Senate by 18,072 votes. Dan Cox, a Libertarian newcomer, received 31,892 votes or 6.6 percent of the vote. To make matters worse for the GOP, Montana's Democratic Attorney General Steve Bullock beat former Republican Congressman Rick Hill by 7,572 votes in the race for governor. Libertarian Ron Vandevender, another first-time candidate, received 18,160 votes.

Montana Libertarian Party

Following that election, Montana Republican Party Chairman Will Deschamps decried Libertarians as the spoilers in both races, implying that Libertarian candidates have more in common with Republicans than Democrats. But Fellows questions this assumption, saying it's unclear who would have won these races if Libertarian candidates hadn't been on the general election ballot.

He bolsters his argument by citing this year's race for governor in Virginia, where exit polls revealed Libertarian voters as younger, white, pro-choice individuals who do not identify with Democrats or Republicans. This profile also reflects a national Libertarian Party platform that shares key planks with both major parties, including a woman's right to choose and an absolute right to bear arms.

While it remains unclear which of the two major political parties has the most in common with Libertarian voters, Montana Republicans have placed a bet that a top-two primary will result in more Republicans getting elected in Montana. They're also betting that Montana voters will give them this advantage by passing LR 127 and decreasing the choices available to voters in future general elections.

Fellows, who has run for office in the last eight election cycles, is willing to take that bet. "Voters want the free market of ideas," he says. "I think Montanans are going to look past the Republican rhetoric and they're going to say 'we do want choices' in November."

These Are Called Free Elections

Voters having many real choices on their November ballot.  Freedom.  What a concept.

TR

Rhode Island gubernatorial election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Lincoln Chafee	123,571	36.10%	+36.10%
	Republican	John Robitaille	114,911	33.57%	-17.44%
	Democratic	Frank Caprio	78,896	23.05%	-25.94%
	Moderate	Ken Block	22,146	6.47%
	Independent	Joeseph Lusi	1,091	0.32%
	Independent	Todd Giroux	882	0.26%
	Independent	Ronald Algieri	793	0.23%
Majority			8,660	2.53%	+0.51%
Turnout			342,290
	Independent gain from Republican		Swing

See

Texas Gubernatorial Election 2006
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Rick Perry (Incumbent)	1,716,792	39.02	-19.08
	Democratic	Chris Bell	1,310,337	29.78	-10.52
	Independent	Carole Keeton Strayhorn	796,851	18.11
	Independent	Richard “Kinky” Friedman	547,674	12.44
	Libertarian	James Werner	26,749	0.60



Bipartisan California Corruption
Under GOP Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger the Democrats and Republicans cut a corrupt back room midnight deal without any public hearings to abolish party primaries and institute a top two system for the general election.
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TRANSLATION  -  It was a naked power grab where all five of the smaller opposition parties in the state and all independent candidates would effectively be banned from all future general election ballots.  Even your write-in vote was made illegal and would not be counted.
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Backed by a bottomless pit of corrupt special interest campaign money, the Democrats and Republicans want only their parties to be on a November ballot.  Voters having real choices will simply not be tolerated.

Russian Power: How Putin Outfoxed the West

The Czar of Russia

Editor's Note  -  The American media is vaguely aware that the rest of the world exists, but they would rather spend their time reporting on car chases , why we should love Socialism and celebrity breast implants.  Below are just a very few small portions of a huge article from Germany's Der Spiegel magazine on Putin growing the power of Russia.  There are details of events that I never knew happened (thanks US media).  A link to the full article is below.


(Der Spiegel)  In one of his many foreign-policy successes this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin has used power politics and blackmail to bring Ukraine back into Russia's sphere of influence.

President Vladimir Putin has led this country for the last 14 years, but 2013 has been his most successful year yet. Forbes has just placed him at the top of its list of the world's most powerful people, noting that he had "solidified his control over Russia." According to the magazine, Putin has replaced US President Barack Obama in the top spot.

Indeed, at the moment, Putin seems to be succeeding at everything he does. In September, he convinced Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control. In doing so, he averted an American military strike against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and made Obama look like an impotent global policeman.

The article you are reading originally
appeared in German in issue 51/2013
(December 16, 2013) of DER SPIEGEL.

In late July, Putin ignored American threats and granted temporary asylum to US whistleblower Edward Snowden, a move that stirred up tensions within the Western camp. The Germans and the French were also outraged over Washington's surveillance practices.

Since then, Putin has scored one coup after the next. In the fall, when meaningful progress was made in talks with Tehran over a curtailment of Iran's nuclear program, Putin once again played a key role.

And now, by exerting massive pressure on Viktor Yanukovych, he has persuaded the Ukrainian president to withdraw from an association agreement with the European Union that took years to prepare, just a few days before the scheduled signing at a summit of EU leaders. In doing so, he brought Ukraine back into Russia's sphere of influence, at least for now.

Putin is a man who rules in the style of a 19th-century despot, one who does not feel committed to the European political model. He favors a feudalistic approach instead, with a dominant state; courtiers who fulfill their ruler's every desire, no matter how arbitrary; an economy that purely serves the interests of politicians; and a motto that reads: "What's mine cannot be yours." And now the events in Ukraine and the role Putin has played in them raises the question, once again, of who the man in the Kremlin really is and what he wants. Is Ukraine, as it descends into turmoil, symbolic of a new turning point in the relationship between East and West?

In recent years, Western capitals have viewed Russia as a difficult but stable country -- and, most of all, as one that had lost much of its significance on the world stage. The conflict over Ukraine illustrates that the fate of not only 143 million Russian citizens, but also that of most of Russia's neighboring countries within the former Soviet empire, hinges on Putin.

Putin - 100% Russian

. . . . Some might be surprised by Russia's blatant efforts to pressure Kiev. But Ukraine, whose name is derived from an Old East Slavic word that means "borderland," is Europe's second-largest country, and Putin needs it if he hopes to build his planned Eurasian economic empire. Kiev is also the historic cradle of the Russian nation, and the first East Slavic realm was established there in the 9th century. In his speeches, Glazyev repeatedly spoke of "our shared intellectual and historic tradition."

In Moscow last Tuesday, 444 of 450 members of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, adopted a statement in which they accused Western politicians of "open interference …in the internal affairs of the sovereign Ukraine."

Russia looks very good on paper, with a budget that has been almost balanced for years and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 14 percent (compared with 80 percent for Germany). But growth rates of 6 percent and higher are a thing of the past. The Kremlin expects a growth rate of only 1.3 percent this year, which is too low in light of the country's massive need for modernization.

In his address to the nation, Putin conceded that bureaucracy and widespread corruption are stifling innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in Russia.


For the full article go to Spiegel.de/International.

Into the Arctic
The Arctic Ocean is another place where the Kremlin is trying to impress the world. To gain access to the mineral resources hidden under the ocean floor, for which Russia is competing with other countries bordering the ocean, Putin instructed his defense minister last week to "expand Russia's military presence in the Arctic." This means rebuilding 10 Soviet-era bases on the Arctic Circle and beefing up Russia's Arctic military presence.

Like the Czars - A Church & State Alliance
Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia, recently gave Putin a certificate honoring him for the preservation of greater Russia. "We know," Kirill said, launching into a hymn of praise for Putin, "that you, more than anyone else since the end of the 20th century, are helping Russia become more powerful and regain its old positions, as a country that respects itself and enjoys the respect of all others."

Pick a President

Choice A

Choice B

Catalonia sets date for independence vote from Spain

Can Texas Be Far Behind?

• Maps are not written in stone.  The last 50 years have seen the birth of many new nations - The Ukraine, Slovenia, Serbia, Armenia and Estonia for example.  Why not an independent Scotland or Catalonia? 
• While we are at it, Canada can have New England if they want it.  Also, "I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I recognize Missourah!"

The president of the regional government in Catalonia Artur Mas said a deal had been struck between separatist groups, setting November 9, 2014 as the date for a proposed independence referendum.

Mas said the vote, would consist of two questions: ‘Do you want Catalonia to be a state?’ and ‘Do you want that state to be independent?’

Madrid, which has long characterized the move as unconstitutional, quickly balked at the plan reports RT News.

“The poll will not be held," Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon told Reporters after the agreement was published. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has promised to block the independence referendum, soon echoed Ruiz-Gallardon’ sentiment.

"As prime minister I have sworn to uphold the constitution and the law and, because of this, I guarantee that this referendum will not happen," Rajoy said during a joint news conference with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

"Any discussion or debate on this is out of the question."

Calls for independence in Catalonia, a wealthy industrial region of northeastern Spain which accounts for a fifth of the country's economic output, have continued to grow, with the country’s entrenched economic woes fueling the independence fire. But while the seemingly intractable recession has only strengthened Catalonia’s drive to manage their own affairs, Strubell says that the strive for independence isn’t about money.

Interview with Catalan National Assembly member Miquel Strubell.

RT: The Spanish government has called a referendum illegitimate. Can Catalonia still go ahead then?

Miquel Strubell: Under local law, a referendum can only be authorized by the Spanish government, and there are at least four ways in which that could happen. But there’s also a fifth root if there’s no way of reaching an agreement with Madri – when I say Madrid, I mean the Spanish government – of applying this referendum in another state as a kind of poll at the regional level under regional law.

RT: Can the Spanish government prevent a vote from happening?

MS: I would doubt in a European country that belongs to the Council of Europe – I’m not even saying the European Union – that a country which belongs to the Council of Europe could actually physically withdraw the ballot boxes. But that actually has been one threat that’s been held at the Catalans.

RT: If Catalonia votes for independence and Madrid refuses to recognize the vote, what sort of situation could develop? Could there be violence?

MS: I belong to a grass roots movement that was founded two years ago, which has been instrumental in organizing the two largest demonstrations in Catalonia’s history. Both of those demonstrations were for independence, and both of those demonstrations were festive, happy, looking ahead, looking forward to freedom and a better contribution to the world. So from the Catalonian end, there is no reason to suspect that violence could take place in any way at all.

I think it just involved part of the battle of. This is a war which does not involve weapons. Several people say there is a war going on, but it is certainly not a war with weaponry involved, so I think it’s just verbal threats more than anything real. If the Spanish tanks rumbled into Barcelona like they did in 1939, there just wouldn’t be enough tanks to go around, there wouldn’t be enough soldiers to go around because Spain as a modern country has drastically reduced its armed forces.

RT: Mass demonstrations during Catalonia's National Day saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets for independence - why do they think life could be better?

MS: I don’t think any people need to be asked why making their own decisions is better than having someone else make their decisions for them. I think over the last few years, there’s been a very rapid realization on the part of over half the population of Catalonia that we are not being fairly treated, money is being thrown away in vast amounts in other parts of Spain. Personally, and I think most of my colleagues would agree, this isn’t about money. This is about the much more basic issue of running our own [affairs] and determining things ourselves.

RT: Will Catalonia be able to survive as an independent state?

Well, Andorra can survive on its own, it’s not too hard to survive on your own if you don’t have crippling sovereign debt for example, which is one of the issues, which obviously Spain, in the very, very end, as long as the yes vote goes ahead, will have to sit down and start being pragmatic. Right now there is a lot of saber rattling which won’t get anyone anywhere. This has been on the cards for years now. It all started before 2003, which is well before the economic crisis.

RT: Are there any other independence movements in Europe which are similar to the Catalonian independence movement?

MS: I wouldn’t like to generalize because I think each case is pretty much unique. If there are any parallels, you could talk about stateless nations inside Spain perhaps, but I wouldn’t like to draw parallels with Scotland or Flanders for that matter, and I think in other parts of Europe, there certainly are movements which would like independence, but I don’t think they have anything like the parliamentary mandate that the governors in Catalonia have now.

RT: How many Catalonians support the independence bid?

I repeat, we’re a grassroots movement, we have started doing our own surveys and a lot of qualitative work as well to see how people react to various carrots and sticks if you put it that way, but we look very closely at the statistics coming out from polls. The best poll that has been in place for several years now, which is by an independent Catalan government body, shows over half of the electorate in favor of independence, under a quarter against it, and many of the rest say they would stay at home. That’s a poll, it’s a survey, it’s not the real thing. What we’re really doing now is bolting our hatches because it’s quite possible if and when the referendum goes ahead a lot of mud will be hurled around.

Mass demonstrations in Catalonia for independence.

The Languages of Spain
A common language is the glue that binds a nation.  For decades people in the Basque language region of Spain have been seeking some form of independence.  Now the people in Catalonia are looking for a vote in 2014 on independence.
See more at The Catalan Language

Caesar Obama abolishes laws at will

All Hail Caesar Obama

By a wave of his royal hand our great Caesar has declared that private businesses will be "allowed" to sell insurance.

By Gary;

The Republic stands on the edge of a razor blade.  Stray but a little and the great Republic of the Founding Fathers crashes into Fascism and Monarchy.

Our Caesar said yesterday that he will use his royal "enforcement discretion" to allow government declared illegal health insurance plans to still be sold.  How kind of him.

Caesar will temporarily not enforce the penalty on individuals.  Temporarily for one year.  Just long enough to get past the 2014 mid-term elections.

Decades of Decline.  Obama has only brought to a head what has been happening for decades.  Congress has been steadily abandoning their power to an increasingly Imperial executive branch.

Both parties have eagerly voted away Congressional power.  That power has been given over to the President or to unelected boards and commissions that in turn issue intrusive Federal Fatwas that must be obeyed by a helpless public.

Neither party really cares about an 18th century Constitution that slows down their grab for total power.

The Congressional GOP appears to oppose Obamacare (while many GOP Governors embrace it.)  We will see how this plays out.  But I see no movement at all from Republicans to cut the size and power of the Imperial Federal government.  Year after year, decade after decade, the Republicans keep voting to centralize and fund Big Government.

What we have is a Congressional "fight" between guests at an exclusive dinner party over which faction gets the biggest share of the meal.

I fear the Republic is dead.  Long live the American Empire.

The Death of A Republic

Caesar speaks to the Senate as the Republic dies and an Empire is born. 

Sometimes you just elect the wrong person to office.  (From HBO's "Rome".)

Caesar Obama crosses the Rubicon.
The Constitution has no meaning to either Caesar Obama or to most members of Congress from either party.  For them it is all about using the raw power of centralized government to buy votes back home to keep themselves in office. 

Pussy Riot singer "missing" while on the way to Putin's Siberian prison camp

Off To The Gulag You Go

Fears mount as Pussy Riot member

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova is ‘lost in transit’

Concern for jailed Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova mounted on her 24th birthday Thursday, after her husband said she could not be found in the Russian prison colony where authorities reportedly sent her in October.

Tolokonnikova has not been seen since being moved on October 22 after protesting alleged prison abuses at her former colony in central Russia and holding a hunger strike.

Tolokonnikova is one of two Pussy Riot members now serving two-year prison terms for performing a protest "punk prayer" in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral in the run-up to presidential elections last year reports AFP News.

She and fellow bandmember Maria Alyokhina are due for release in March.

Russia's human rights ombudsman said this week that Tolokonnikova was being transferred and was safe. Her husband Pyotr Verzilov believed that she was on her way to a new colony in Siberia.

However having made the trek to the snow-covered Krasnoyarsk region, Verzilov said on Thursday that his wife was not there.

"The authorities of the colony in the taiga (region) told us that they don't have Tolokonnikova and don't know when she will arrive. 19 days without contact with Nadya," he wrote on Twitter.

"Snow, snow, snow, minus 20 degrees (Celsius) and camps where somewhere they are hiding Nadya," he wrote, posting pictures near the colony where Tolokonnikova was said to be headed.

The search in Siberia went on as Tolokonnikova's lawyers submitted legal documents contesting her verdict and sentence made by the Khamovnichesky court in Moscow.

"We are demanding the verdict be annulled," lawyer Irina Khrunova told AFP. She added that her client's transfer could "last a long time" since Russian law does not set any limits on how long its could take.

The big stud Putin gets off on putting
little girls in Siberian prison camps.

The conviction and sentencing of Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina on charges of hooliganism sparked an international outcry.

After being jailed, Tolokonnikova penned a letter published in Russian media listing alleged abuses in her old prison colony, including round-the-clock "slave labor" work, beatings, and lack of sanitary facilities.

She went on a hunger strike in protest, ending it only after having health problems and being placed on a drip in the prison hospital.

After that she was transferred, with officials giving no details of her destination.

Her husband, though, said he received information from a reliable source that she was moved to penal colony number 50 in the town of Nizhny Ingash, in Siberia.

Calling for action in Tolokonnikova's case, Amnesty International said this week that "there are serious concerns regarding her safety and wellbeing".

"There are no legal limitations as to how long a prisoner can be in transit," the rights organisation said, calling Tolokonnikova a prisoner of conscience. "The lengthy transit could be a means of pressure and de facto punishment for her recent open letter."

Prison authorities are not required to tell relatives of the convicts' whereabouts until 10 days after transferring them to a new place.

A group of Tolokonnikova's supporters staged fireworks for her birthday near the headquarters of the prison service in Moscow in the early hours of Thursday.

Pussy Riot
Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist punk rock protest group based in Moscow.  Their lyrical themes include feminism, LGBT rights, opposition to the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they regard as a dictator, and links between the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church and Putin.
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Two of the group members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, were arrested and charged with hooliganism.  They were convicted of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”, and each was sentenced to two years imprisonment. Two other members of the group left Russia fearing prosecution.
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The case was adopted by human rights groups including Amnesty International, which designated the women prisoners of conscience, and by a wide range of musicians including Madonna, Courtney Love, Sting, and Yoko Ono. Public opinion in Russia was generally less sympathetic towards the women.
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Putin stated that the band had "undermined the moral foundations" of the nation and "got what they asked for".

See more at Pussy Riot.

Obama's Purge - 200 military officers have been fired

Fired By Obama
Lt. Gen. David Holmes Huntoon Jr.
 The 58th Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point

After multiple top generals described to WND what they regard as a full-scale “purge” of the U.S. military by the Obama administration, the commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan was summarily relieved of duty and his civilian deputy reassigned, pending a “misconduct” investigation.
Nine generals and flag officers have been relieved of duty under Obama just this year – widely viewed as an extraordinary number – and several sources put the total number of senior officers purged during the five years of the Obama administration as close to 200.

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/11/purge-surge-obama-fires-another-commander/#z2uli7MJowK7tUZ2.99

After multiple top generals described to World Net Daily what they regard as a full-scale “purge” of the U.S. military by the Obama administration, the commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan was summarily relieved of duty and his civilian deputy reassigned, pending a “misconduct” investigation.

Nine generals and flag officers have been relieved of duty under Obama just this year – widely viewed as an extraordinary number – and several sources put the total number of senior officers purged during the five years of the Obama administration as close to 200.

In response, prominent retired generals – ranging from Army Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely, a Fox News senior military analyst, to Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, a founder of the Army’s elite Delta Force, to Medal of Honor recipient Maj. Gen. Patrick Henry Brady – have all gone on the record with WND, characterizing Obama’s actions as nothing less than an all-out attack on America’s armed forces reports World Net Daily.

Army Col. Eric Tilley
U.S. Army Japan

According to U.S. Army Japan, Col. Eric Tilley was suspended from his job by Maj. Gen. James C. Boozer Sr., commander of U.S. Army Japan and I Corps (Forward) for a “lack of confidence” based on the results of an inquiry.

A spokesman for U.S. Army Japan, Maj. Kevin Toner, would not elaborate on what prompted a “lack of confidence,” saying it would be “inappropriate to make public the allegations because the investigation did not lead to findings of criminal misconduct.”

Tilley is to be replaced by Col. Joy Curriera.

Tilley’s dismissal is only the latest in what retired Navy Capt. Joseph John refers to as a “bigger picture” in which some “135 senior officers have been purged.”

“The ‘bigger picture,’” John told WND, “is that the U.S. Armed Forces have been under relentless attack by the occupant of the Oval Office for five years.”

A Naval Academy graduate, John had three tours of duty in Vietnam, served as an al-Qaida expert for the FBI, and was a commanding officer with SEALs embedded on special operations. He was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal, five Meritorious Service Medals and 22 medals and unit citations for combat operations in Vietnam, Philippines, Desert Storm and on anti-terrorist operations.

Missing Nuke Alert: Generals Fired

Top nuke commanders Navy Vice Adm. Tim Giardina and Maj. Gen. Michael Carey terminated following exclusive high level military intelligence over secret nuclear warheads transfer.

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For other articles on the firing of generals see these stories:
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The Blaze.com - Purging Commanders
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A Military Coup? - Obama is purging the military
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Missing Nukes and Fired Generals - The termination of the top two US nuke commanders