Gazprom celebrated something -- I suppose the fact of its existence, and the high price of oil, and its ability to hire Western politicians such as Schroeder and Chirac -- the other day.  The high-priced Western musicians who entertained for fabulous sums included Tina Turner and Deep Purple.

You know Tina Turner. Here is Deep Purple:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FjBylFNA6k&feature=related

Was it for this that Galanskov died?

Meanwhile, Khodorkovsky, the most enlightened and moral of the natural-resource company plutocrats, who actually wanted -- as American commencement speakers like to say  -- to "give something back" -- has been put in a private magadan not of his making. He comes up for sentencing soon, will get twenty years, and if things continue as they have been going, with Putin-Povodyr' and Medvedev, Khodorkovsky  will never come out alive.

This is a great crime. It should  be a source of anguish and outrage. But is it? When was there last an article about the kangaroo-court railroading of Khodorkovsky?  Two weeks ago, in a public address, Vladimir Bukovsky mentioned the injustice being done to Khodorkovsky.  Who else has done so? Who else will? And where is Amnesty International, where are all those so-called human rights groups and quangos, the  Great and Good, with what turns out to be their highly selective indignation, their diseased sympathy?