ASSANGE INCITES PUSSY RIOT! FREEDOM OF THE PRESS/SPEECH TAKES IT ON THE CHIN

"BLUE" JIMMY:  FREE SPEECH CRUSADER

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Two incidents in the news this week should convince us all that we got a long way to go in the fight for freedom of the press/speech.  First, Julian Assange, jounalism's whipping boy, who has been holed up in the Ecuadoran Embassy in England since June of this year, is being persecuted by the country of Sweden for alleged sexual assault and the United States for possible treason.  Some US politicians have openly called for his assassination while others abroad have called for him to be nominated for a Nobel Prize.  The United States has said that it does not recognize the concept of diplomatic asylum that is being offered by Ecuador to the WikiLeaks editor-in-chief who has famously given an outlet to whistle blowers all around the world.

BD OZZY:  The interesting thing to note here is that it is the lowly country of Ecuador that is offering asylum.  Ecuador; a country that has only been a democracy since 1979 and has had its own struggles with civil rights in recent decades.  Where are the heavy-hitters?  None of the big democracies have stepped forward in outrage.  Obviously, they're afraid to offend and strain diplomatic ties with The United States.

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Like Sweden, which is always ranked above The United States in civil liberties; they had dropped the case against Assange only to pick it up again and pursue it more aggressively, probably to try and turn Assange over to The United States.  Due to the international nature of the internet, another citizen's free press/speech problem is also our problem.    Whatever happens to Assange, he's being abandoned by most of the so-called Free World.

BD OZZY:  Speaking of freedom, a Russian court has denied freedom to the girl punk band Pussy Riot and sentenced three members to two years in prison for performing a protest song in a church.  The only reason I bring this up is because I just like to say their name -- Pussy Riot! Pussy Riot!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Their protest was to condemn the close ties between President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.  Their harsh sentence is seen as a move by Putin to suppress any opposition to him.  What's ironic about this is that when Julian Assange was detained by the British authorities, then Prime Minister Putin spoke out and called it "undemocratic."

BD OZZY:  What is the old saying?  "Sh**tting in the yard is fine as long as it's someone else's yard."

"BLUE"JIMMY:  That's not an old saying.

BD OZZY:  I think it is.

"BLUE" JIMMY:  No it isn't.  But from a sheer musical standpoint, Pussy Riot's protest should go down in history as the ultimate act of pure Rock 'N' Roll guerrilla warfare.  Other, more popular politically conscious groups like Bob Dylan, U2, The Clash and even skinhead bands have never matched this declaration of "Up Yours!"  

BD OZZY:  I guess it took a woman's touch!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BD OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!

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