I noticed an interesting contradiction between the way the U.S. government reacted to the jail sentences handed down to Russian punk activists "Pussy Riot" and the way it responded to the YouTube video "Innocence of Muslims" that has supposedly led to mass riots throughout the Middle East and the murder of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya. On August 17, Victoria Nuland, spokeswoman for Hillary Clinton's State Department, issued the following press release in response to the two-year prison sentences handed down to Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich for desecrating the altar of a Russian Orthodox Cathedral: "The United States is concerned about both the verdict and the disproportionate sentences handed down by a Moscow court in the case against the members of the band Pussy Riot and the negative impact on freedom of expression in Russia. We urge Russian authorities to review this case and ensure that the right to freedom of expression is upheld." But Tolokonnikova and...(Read Full Post)