…by a British MP. As he notes, the Russian regime has no idea what it has done.

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It is far easier to get into a war than to get out of one. As the civilized world reflects on what to do about Syria, that truism bears remembering.

The grim statistics, however, continue to shock us all: Tens of thousands of Syrians dead, in excess of two million wounded or displaced. Most, civilians — women and children. Atrocities are commonplace, with new horrors being perpetrated by Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad every day.

The usual measures — condemnations, diplomatic censures, embargoes — have done nothing to stop the killing of innocents. With the complicity of China and Russia, and with the military support of Iran, Syria’s little Hitler has survived far longer than anyone predicted he would.

Meanwhile, the pogroms continue apace. At some point, we aid and abet the bloodshed. Armenia, the Ukraine, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, the Sudan, and of course the Holocaust. All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, as Edmund Burke famously observed, is for good people to do nothing. History shows us that much.

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@CTVNews: #BREAKING Members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot sentenced to 2 years in jail

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A Canadian blogger is a “catspaw of Putin” for pointing out a member of Pussy Riot is a Canadian permanent resident?

What a frigging idiot.

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Still reading sentence in court… Guilty, but what’s punishment? Crowd tense.

Okay, my source just outed himself on Twitter, so I can too. It’s Darrell Bricker.

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@euronews: Russian Judge says three women from punk band #PussyRiot guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred (Reuters)

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My source:

Opinion here very divided. Lots upset with what PR did. Immature, disrespectful. Don’t appreciate foreign busy bodies showing off.

While PR act condemned, think govt over-reacting. Sympathy for young girls, especially those with kids.

Rolls together with overall sense of Putin becoming imperial, plus general crack down on free expression. Although, press here very candid.

While lots of bar chatter about this, talkers are cautious. Want to know where you stand before they talk.

In the car. Lots of streets blocked by police.

Heavy police presence, chanting crowd (free pussy riot), lots of media.

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SFH’s drummer, Davey, is about to go on CBC to discuss this morning’s verdict.

Another friend is going to be at the courthouse in Russia for the verdict. He/she will be sending updates I’ll try and post here.

Finally, there are rallies all over the civilized world. Toronto’s is outside the Russian consulate on Bloor East at Jarvis. Members of SFH will be there to sell Pussy Riot T-shirts for the band’s legal defence fund.

UPDATE: While the Toronto Star doesn’t, the National Post gives credit where it’s due, here. That video was broken by blogger. Not a newspaper.

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Marc Garneau is a very impressive guy. Glad to hear he’s thinking about running, and I hope he does.

Justin, meanwhile, remains elusive. I don’t expect Liberals will hear from him or other caucus candidates until after Labour Day.

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