I think that we can all agree that the situation in the Ukraine is one of total chaos.
- Renat Akhmetov, the local oligarch-mobster, had declared that his companies will go on a “warning strike” for 3 hours per day because Akhmetov was angered that the authorities of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) had taken over the control of the railways which resulted in losses for his company.
- One of the officials of the DRP reacted to Akhmetov’s threat by declaring that the DRP authorities have begun the process of nationalization of the companies located on the territory of the DRP, in other words, Akhmetov’s holdings.
- The military forces of the neo-Nazi junta have begun shelling several cities in the eastern Ukraine destroying several buildings
- The military commander of the DRP forces, Igor Strelkov, has made a poignant and blunt appeal for a much bigger mobilization of men, especially officers, in the volunteer forces defending the DRP against the junta’s military.
- Ukrainian death-squads have, yet again, kidnapped a team of Russian reporters, this time of the TV station LifeNews, accusing them of being the “information-component” of a terrorist movement.
- The Russian government has indicated that the military forces which had been on maneuvers had returned to their bases. NATO denied that.
- The Russian military has completed the building a network of pipelines which are now fully supplying Crimea with fresh water.
- The leader of the Ukie Nazis, Iarosh, has announced that if he is elected he would launched a guerrilla war in Crimea.
So what is really going on?
I think that while it is premature to make grand conclusions and predictions, we can begin by agreeing on a number of basic facts.
First, there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the junta in Kiev is clearly provoking Moscow in every possible way. If one could maybe see some marginal and far-fetched military rationale for the kind of random artillery strikes the Ukies are unleashing on Slavianks, Kramatorsk and other cities, the arrest of the LifeNews news-crew makes no sense at all. They were put on their knees, beat up, held with their faces to the ground – all on video which was then “leaked” to Youtube as if the death squads were provoking the Kremlin with a “what are you gonna do about it?” message/
Second, I believe that the appointment of Biden’s son to the board of directors of the main Ukie energy company whose concessions are all in the eastern Ukraine is also a way of further provoking the Kremlin.
So why would the junta do all this?
First, I think that it is reasonable to accept as an axiom that the freaks in Kiev don’t “decide” anything at all. They just take orders from the USA and execute them. We saw that clearly during Biden’s recent trip to Kiev when he had a meeting with the junta’s “government” which he – Biden – “chaired” sitting at the head of the table (yet another deliberate in-your-face provocation).
Second, the US knows that the eastern Ukraine is lost, and they are absolutely correct. Even if we fully believe what Strelkov says (more about that later), there is no doubt that the vast majority of the folks in the Donbass hate the neo-Nazi freaks in Kiev and that they do not want a common future with the rabid Galicians from the western Ukraine.
So if plan ‘A’ was to seize all of the Ukraine, put a pro-US neo-Nazi and hysterically russophobic regime in power, and take over Crimea for the US/NATO, plan ‘B’ is simpler: provoke Russia into a military intervention in the eastern Ukraine. While the Russian military could easily take under control all of the Donbass and even all the lands to the Dniepr river as the proverbial hot knife through butter, the political benefits for the AngloZionist Empire would be immense:
1) A new Cold War with Russia justifying the existence of NATO.
2) Cutting-off Russia from the EU market (including energy).
3) Blaming Russia for the Ukie economic collapse.
4) Justifying a major surge in US/EU military budgets to “protect Europe”.
5) Isolating Russia internationally, especially at the UN.
6) Declare Putin a “new Hitler” (what else?) and allocate billions for regime change in Russia.
7) Use the crisis to bring Europe to heel to the AngloZionist “master”
8) Impose Iran-like sanctions on Russia to try to hurt it economically
9) Justify a US/NATO move into western Ukraine and the creation of a new Korean-style demarcation line along the Dniepr with the free and civilized “West” on one side, and the “freedom hating and imperialist dictatorial Russian Asiatic hordes” on the other.
10)Blame the EU economic collapse on the ‘Russian threat’
I would argue that for the AngloZionists plan ‘B’ is almost better than plan ‘A’. For one thing, plan ‘B’ makes it possible to blame Russia for anything and everything conceivable on Russia. We have already seen this tendency in the absolutely ludicrous warning that should the Presidential elections next Sunday in the Ukraine fail – Russia would be sanctioned for it. Next I propose to slap some major sanctions on Russia if there is an earthquake in San Fransisco or if there are riots in Paraguay…
Also, while plan ‘A’ was really a very long shot, plan ‘B’ is already working. Let me give you an example: the Russian media.
For those who cannot follow the Russian media, especially the Russian TV, it is hard to image the degree of openly expressed *rage* at the developments in the Ukraine. Some folks who are naturally inclined to see the “hand of CIA” in everything are even arguing that the “US-controlled” Russian media has been tasked by Langley to stir up Russian public opinion to such a degree as to force Putin to agree to an intervention in the Ukraine. According to this thesis, if Putin does not order a Russian military intervention, he will face a major crisis and his popularity will crumble under the waves of outrage from the Russian population. This is a neat and elegant theory. It is also wrong (thank God!). The fact is that Putin’s popularity has soared over his handling over the Ukrainian crisis as shown by the screenshot of a recent TV report.
January 2014 – May 2014 |
Here we are dealing with a huge cultural difference between Russians and western people, especially Anglos: Russians are *very* weary of war. They will accept it and they will even accept to die in a war, but only one in which the moral issue is really clear-cut like during the 2nd Chechen war, 08.08.08 or the Russian intervention in Crimea. In all three of these cases the first and foremost consideration to support or oppose the Russian military intervention was a *moral* one. While public opinion is gradually shifting towards a support for a Russian military intervention in the Ukraine (most public opinion polls suggest that Russian would back one), the military itself and even the Kremlin are weary of falling into the AngloZionist trap of plan ‘B’.
Emotions are strong, but emotions should not decide of war and peace issues. In the 2nd Chechen war, in 08.08.08 and in Crimea emotions were sky-high, but the decision to use military force was taken on pragmatic, rational and carefully measured reasons, not just an surge of outrage. As I said it many times, when threatened, Russians to not get angry, they concentrate. This is what is happening now.
Coming back to the media, another very interesting phenomenon is taking place: high visibility Russian Jews are clearly in the lead of the movement to take action (though not necessarily a military one) against the Junta. Very well-known Jewish personalities like Vladimir Soloviev, Alexander Gordon, Roman Ratner (current head of the Alia battalion, an Israeli special forces battalion compose of Russian Jews), Avigdor Eskin and many others. While rabid Jew-haters will dismiss this under the usual list of pretexts having to do with Jewish hypocrisy, playing both sides, etc. I personally believe that this is truly an expression of the loathing that Russian Jews have for Ukrainian neo-Nazis. I would add that it is pretty clear to me that most Russian nationalists also believe in the sincerity of these Jews and welcome them in a struggle against a common enemy. Does that mean that from now on there will be a long and uninterrupted “love fest” between Russian and Jewish patriots? Most definitely not. The list of outstanding issues of very strong disagreement and even opposition is huge, but this is an interesting “temporary cease-fire” if you want, a typically Russian (and Jewish!) way of keeping priorities straight and agreeing to a temporary tactical alliance against a common foe. Furthermore, there are a lot of Russian Jews who have always felt a sincere and strong love for Russia and the Russian people (if only because a lot of them came from mixed marriages) and who welcome the opportunity to not have to chose between both sides and to be both patriotic Jews and patriotic Russians. I know, to some this sill sound extremely naive. But I personally have known many such Russian Jews, in Israel, Europe and Russia, who really did have a double-loyalty, but one which openly *added* two sincerely loyalties. Of course, some felt more Jewish than Russian, but others felt more Russian than Jewish. These matters are subtle and complex, not as black and white as some kneejerk Jew-haters would want them to be. As the Russian expressions goes “the East is a subtle realm” and both Russians and Jews are first and foremost folks of the East, not of the West.
Coming back to what I call the AngoZionist plan ‘B’, we now can understand the Russian stance: not to be pulled in or, if that is impossible, to be pulled in as last as possible. Why? For a few basic reasons:
1) To have as clear-cut a moral case as possible.
2) To give time to world public opinion to realize that it is being lied to by the western corporate media (that already seems to be taking place, if slowly).
3) To maximize the support for such an intervention in the eastern Ukraine.
4) Because time is very much on the Russian side, to give every opportunity to the junta freaks to further commit blunders.
5) Because a victory of the DRP forces is still possible
At this point I want to get the the military balance on the ground in the Donbass. To sum things up.
A very large Ukrainian force is currently deployed in the eastern Ukraine. It is opposed by a very small force of volunteers. There are two reasons why this conflict has not been settled in 24 hours. First, the vast majority of the Ukrainian military personnel does not want to fight. Second, the threat of a Russian military intervention is real and, I would add, has nothing to do with the forces allegedly deployed at the Russian-Ukrainian border. Let me explain this as the corporate media is completely missing this. Let me give you an example of what could happen.
Let’s us assume that a few multiple-rocket launcher batteries around, say, Slaviansk suddenly decided to get serious and open up with a sustained artillery barrage similar to the one the Georgians unleashed on Tskhinval in the first hours of the 08.08.08 war. In response to that, Russia would not need to send armor and troops across the border. Putin could order missile and air-strikes which could literally obliterate the offending Ukrainian artillery units in a matter of *minutes* (one single Iskander missile armed with a fragmentation or fuel-air explosive warhead could do the job!). Unlike the western reporters (which is a misnomer, they should be called “parroters” because they parrot the government lies), the Ukrainian military commanders all fully realize that they are all very much within reach of enough Russian firepower to send them all the a better world in minutes. Would you want to obey orders to shell Slaviansk while knowing that there is a bullseye painted on our exact position by many Iskander missile operators and that if the Russians fire it, you will neither see, nor hear it coming (not even on radar)?
All the reports on the ground concur to say that while the various Ukrainian death squads (the “National Guard”, the Dniepr and Dniester battalions, the various oligarch-owned death squads, etc.) are extremely hostile and even shoot civilians for fun, the Ukrainian military is mostly shy or even pretty friendly to the locals. Here is what is happening really:
Ukrainian death squads are far more busy dealing with the Ukrainian military than with the Donbass forces. For one thing, this is easier and safer for them (like all death squads, they are staffed with lunatics, perverts and cowards): why risk your life fighting some pretty motivated folks when you can instead bully regular military commanders to do the fighting for you? As for the Ukrainians, they cannot openly defy these orders, but they can make darn sure that they are minimally executed.
Furthermore, by all accounts, the death squads get all the support while the regular military forces are under or not paid at all, they are under fed, under equipped, they have little or not medical support and the logistics are plain horrible.
In fact, Igor Strelkov admits this in his address. His concern is that with the gradual escalation the already small forces of volunteers is having to shoulder am immense effort while hundred of thousands of men, including military trained ones, are sitting at home and sipping beer. Is that really true?
I believe that this is indeed very true. There are many reasons for this state of affairs.
To begin, an entire generation of Ukrainians have been raised in abject passivity. “Work, shut up and mind your business while we fleece you” was the order of the day under the various oligarch-controlled regimes of the “independent Ukraine”. Second, there are not one or two but at least THREE local powers in the Donbass right now: the local mobsters, the Kiev junta and the local resistance. This creates a huge confusion were many people are both afraid and do not want to get burned. Third, most people clearly that Russia will solve the problem for them and think “we will vote for sovereignty, and the Russians will come to liberate us sooner or later”. And never forget that that there are death squads operating all over the Ukraine right now. The purpose of massacres like the one in Odessa or Mariupol is to terrify the locals by showing how ruthless and murderous you are and it works (death squads are of the most time honored traditions of the Empire!). So it is all well to sit in the safety of my house in sunny Florida and wish that the folks in the Donbass would take up arms, except for my wife and family are not threatened. My house will (probably) not get assaulted at night by man in black, and I am unlikely to be disappeared, tortured and murdered. This also applies to most of the readers of this blog.
Of course, Strelkov clearly sees where all this is heading (escalation) and he is concerned that the currently small resistance will not be able to cope with a constantly growing junta escalation: it all began with baseball bats, the they switched to Molotov cocktails, then handguns, assault-rifles and machine guns. Now they have already used mortar and artillery fire. We have confirmed reports of helicopter-fired unguided missile attacks and this morning I got a report of a Sukhoi attack. Add to this oligarch-paid death squads and you clearly will see what has Strelkov so worried and, let’s face it, disgusted with the passivity of the locals.
But keep in mind that even if his appeal is not heeded, and even if the key cities are re-taken, the Donbass is already lost. In fact, the latest report out of Kiev says the Ukie rump-Rada has adopted a memorandum stating that “Ukrainian troops deployed in the country’s east should immediately return to their bases”. Now, I am not holding my breath (Uncle Sam will never agree), but who knows what might happen (maybe the Germans are getting involved now?). I believe that nobody really knows.
There are simply too many variables to confidently state that this or that will happen. Heck, we are not even sure of what has already happened! This is an extremely chaotic situation in which most unpredictable things could happen (for example, an oligarch could e bought by Moscow or a resistance figure could be bought by the USA – it really could go either way). The fact is that with the notable exception of true believers (on both sides), the vast majority of Ukrainians are still in the “what is in it for me?” mode. Again, this is in no way different form the position of most Russians in 1917, 1991 or 1993. While this kind of apparent passivity has nothing to do with some “lack of democratic culture in the past of these societies which only recently were feudal” and all the rest of the garden variety western racism supremacist, it is a direct result of a profound alienation with, and suspicion of, the elites. These folks just so Yanukovich hand power to neo-Nazis and run abroad! They have been burned over and over again. And, this is crucial, there is no Ukrainian Putin to follow.
When Putin came to power in Russia it took less than a month for the armed forces to feel that “this guy as got our backs”. It took the rest of the population a little longer, but now the vast majority of Russians actually trust Putin. Whom should they trust in the Ukraine or even in the Donbass. Figure which appeared just a few weeks ago and which nobody really knows or figures which are known for decades for being thief, crooks and pathological liars?
Whom would you trust if you were living in Donetsk or Lugansk?
Would you risk your life and the life of your family on such a choice?
Exactly.
So while I understand the frustration of Strelkov (and most of us!) with seeing a territory with millions of people defended by only a few hundred courageous men, and while I also catch myself getting enraged in discussed with the news out of the Ukraine and day-dreaming about Polite Armed Men in Green obliterating the Ukie death-squads, I also understand why this has been and will continue to be a slow process: it is simply too fluid and too rapidly shifting to take any premature or rash decisions.
The AngloZionists are desperately trying to trigger an over Russian intervention, and there is a pretty good chance that they might succeed, no doubt, but the good news is that time is running out fast, very fast, soon the economic crisis is going to start really biting and the unrest will spread far beyond the Donbass.
As for the Presidential elections next Sunday, they are going to be such a mega-farce that it serve no other purpose than to maybe give NATO a justification to move forces into the western Ukraine at the “request” of the new President. Will the West recognize this election? You betcha it will! As Vladimir Soloviev put it on Sunday, “even if there will be only one candidate and one person voting, the West will call these elections free and fair“. But for the people of the Ukraine this will be a self-evident farce which will only alienate them further, including the neo-Nazis. In fact, Yulia Timoshenko (who, by the way, seems to have gone completely insane) has even declared that if the billionaire oligarch Poroshenko is elected (as all polls seem to suggest) she will launch yet another revolution with Maidan and all.
Following the example of the Ukraine, not it is “Banderastan” which is committing national suicide and that entire house of cards will be coming down soon (unless a last minute effort by Germany helps delay or stop this, but I am not holding my breath). We all need to show some patience now.
Sorry for the very long SITREP, but I have to cover a lot of ground.
Many thanks and kind regards,
The Saker
PS: I am under huge time pressure, so no time to correct typos. I apologize for that and ask for your understanding. And, besides, this is a SITREP not a work of literary art.
http://www.gazeta.ru/business/2014/05/21/6042329.shtml
Russia and China signed a deal about gas deliverance. China will pay $350 per 1000 cubes and this is a victory for Russia (I hope Chinese won’t be hurted by my happiness). Considering the price for Russian gas for EU is about $370 per 1000 cubes
NZ Watcher,
Well, that is beyond hideous but really not unexpected: there’s a lot of money to be made in illegal organ harvesting; Kosovo and Moldova are quite the “in” spots lately while Israelis have been doing it to Palestinians for years. Those American-Israeli doctors in Odessa and elsewhere come to mind — as does Ihor Kolomoiskiy.
dusty,
Yup. It did. Between that little maneuver, all these petty, petty sanctions and the role of “mean girls” Tymoshenko, Nuland, Rice, Powers, Psaki, there’s a real high school air to all of this. Now compare that to the gas deal Russia and China just signed: $400 billion, 30 years and I don’t think they’re doing it in dollars. http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/732449
Anonymous 08:39
Another $40 billion? I’d read a long time ago that China planned to let us sink slowly but it looks like Russia beat them to it. Perhaps that’s the real reason for those ridiculous sanctions? How petty, how utterly pathetic, how far we’ve fallen, how the pace has accelerated. However, we may be a paper tiger but our claws can still do a LOT of damage now that we’ve figured out how to do war on the cheap while the MIC can still happily profit from NATO etc. We may be absurd, we may be pathetic, we may be disgusting, but by God, we are still feared. Except, perhaps, by China and Russia.
It’s a hasbara-laden site, so beware, but Bernhard at Moon of Alabama just posted an excellent piece detailing six of the many ways our attempts to isolate Russia have failed:
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2014/05/russias-isolation.html#comments
The very first comment, by MRW, observes that “The US is going to become a laughingstock”, while the third adds a deal with Bahrain to the list.
Coming soon to a theatre near you.
Pomerantsev and friends are agitated but fortunately ignorant, although explaining the ignorance would be counterproductive.
http://orientalreview.org/2014/05/19/the-wests-non-linear-warfare-and-the-right-for-the-rest-to-resist/
Updates to the Kolomoiskyi / Odessa debacle: A report of another tapped phone call between two Ukrainian Jews discussing how to distance themselves from Kolomoiskyi
“He [Kolonmoiskyi] can do whatever he wants to do, even if he believes himself to be the Second Coming of Hitler. Well. And we’re going to end up with, I guess, a second Nazi Germany on the territory of a small chunk of Ukraine.”
Strange War in South-East: Why So? «Нас хотят замазать в крови!» – interview with officer from Ukr. forces ATO “special operation” here: http://expert.ru/2014/05/13/nas-hotyat-zamazat-v-krovii/?partner=988462
The persistent deterioration of many aspects of the domestic situation in the US is part of the backdrop to events in the Ukraine. Alongside the mass murder and destruction and robbery inflicted on much of the planet by the Empire, the people of the United States themselves have also been subject to parasitism and degraded in many ways.
Their country has been turned into a police state/tyranny, constitutional government is repudiated by politicians and the military and the secret police agencies. Debt is incomprehensibly huge, tens of millions are on food stamps and anti-depressants, cancer, obesity, diabetes rates are off the charts. Etc etc.
There is a growing realization in the US that their country has gone badly wrong. Americans are trending away from knee jerk loyalty to their government’s policies and fictions, and trying to conceive ‘what to do?’
For those abject a-holes leading the US titanic, creating an external boogieman, a suitably dreaded enemy, is the default strategy.
Putin as shown in Russian polls and outside-of-Russia polls, is far from ideal material out of which to construct a new ‘Hitler’. The Junta-connected cutthroats foraying into the Eastern Ukraine, are not the stuff of heroic role models.
So to the extent that it is feasible, the internal difficulties that the US faces will be more diffilcult to camoflage if Russia does not offer the Empire easy material to demonize. The more justifiable, subtle and unobtrusive Russian actions and statements are, the more the Empire creates and swings at patently false or unsubstantial chimeras. The Empire’s nemesis is all manner of sanity and decency and honesty.
Crazy Ivan says…
1/2
There is a Polish adage – “Prosił Pan, zrobił sam.”
In English – “One asked, did it alone, at last.”
> 20 May, 2014 23:42
Here it is. The latest Strelkov report (from yesterday).
http://rusvesna.su/news/1400621140
Игорь Стрелков: враг начал пристрелку центра города
Igor Strelkov: enemy began shooting town’s center
Information from strelkov Igor Ivanovich on the results of may 20, 2014
“The situation around Slavians continues to deteriorate.
First, in the morning, ukies started shelling the southern fringes – at 4.40 they opened fire from mortars. At 4.50 it was our “Nona” which started to answer. In the end of the duel at shelters 1 SAU was distroyed, when we were going away (Ukies “accompanied” the technique of fire in the city too) three our soldiers were injured with shrapnels (remained in the ranks).
During day they fired post at the turn to Red Estuary with mortars (20 mines). Unsuccessfully.
Until about 15 AM (3 PM) a lull was observed.
Then ukies started to walk down (a type of their attack) between Semenovka and Vysokoivanovkoy – up to 30 people with support of BTR opened fire at a checkpoint in that area and moved forward. From afar they were supported by fire of 1 BMP. The attack was repelled, BTR of ukies was damaged, and smoking, ploded back on dam to the North. According to local residents it went not far – it burned to the ground (but outside of our scope of vision). Ukies had at least several wounded. On our side a bullet went through the hand of one of our soldiers.
As soon as it went dark – the fire of Semenovka villages had begun. First, they were treated with BMP from the roadblock at Krasnyi Lyman, then howitzers were engaged. The checkpoint, of course, were not touched but around homes by all means! One house has received several direct hits of 30-mm shells and burned down. The family lost its homoe. Thank God no one was hurt. Actually, disturbing shelling of Semenovka villages continues today – a projectile in half an hour.
Crazy Ivan says…
2/2
Information from strelkov Igor Ivanovich on the results of may 20, 2014
About 23 AM ukies started zeroing on town centre – as for now only discs. Three shells hit in the district of Executive Committee. One of the disc landed on balcony of a house. Sort of a “hint” to the peaceful population, who doesn’t believe that the enemy will be destroing densly populated city quarters. Hopefully, the hint will be understood, as despite my repeated statements, people do not want to leave Slavyansk, the more so there are plenty of old people and children.
Today Su-27 flew twice over the city at low hight. Also the hint is clear.
On Karachun crawled up another column with artillery and (presumably) two heavy rocket launchers (heavily masked and heavily guarded). According to the descriptions, provided by witneses having no military experiences, Ukies brought something similar to Smerch (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BM-30_Smerch). Though I don’t understand, why the f***k to haul so near such a far range and expensive equipment? That’s why I didn’t believe. But, because, I’m sure they are not going to limit themselves to take only one Slavyansk… Again – they are Ukies… they got own logic, unavailable to katzaps (Polish Wikipedia: ~ negative or humorous Russian name in languages of central and eastern Europe.)
In the end to Mount Karachun crawled up about 40 machines today. Just about one for each of my coming today “fresh” volunteers. Well, other Ukie places were upgraded with new weapons and with other military hardware too.
People gradually starts to come to gloomy thoughts. (One sentence I can’t translate). But many believe that in order for Russia to intervene their homes, gardens and vegetable gardens would have to be turned into ruins and ashes. I’m not going to say that this perspective greatly pleased them. Rather the opposite. However, I have in reserve several hundred local volunteers who are not yet ready to join (they work, etc), but ready to come as soon as attack will commence. To run away no one is going to do”.
Crazy Ivan says…
@ Nora 21 May, 2014 12:53
> It’s a hasbara-laden site
Madam, would you be kind to share more details?
Perhaps practical definition supported by few clear examples would make the key-word more understandable than being seen as sheer platitude threw at random when one did not agree with others’ ideas.
Regards
As Russia Dumps A Record Amount Of US Treasurys, Here Is What It Is Buying
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-21/russia-dumps-record-amount-us-treasurys-here-what-it-buying
The Russia China gas deal has gone through. That will strengthen Russia’s negotiating position with the EU. Spin on it Brussels.
Well, well, well. Russia dumped our T-bills, in a couple different batches now. And guess what they’re buying? Gold.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-21/russia-dumps-record-amount-us-treasurys-here-what-it-buying
Through its coverage of Ukraine, VICE Magazine has revealed itself to be the shallow stylish hipster’s laternative version of the mainstream media’s propaganda.
Crazy Ivan said
“> It’s a hasbara-laden site
Madam, would you be kind to share more details?”
This site has an easy guide to hasbara trolls and how they work
Crazy Ivan,
I’m so sick of the topic I’m not sure I have the patience but hasbara/sayanim are basically Jewish trolls or agents, and they can be quite sophisticated in their methods — up to and including feigning anti-Semitism. At first some of them can sound kind of reasonable, but it never lasts — they’re warriors, at least in their own minds. And they can also be exceedingly nasty. Mostly they try to derail blog discussions but they must have keyword algorithms or something bc BOYOBOY do they swarm when someone says something anti-Israel.
Bernhard is German and I think he’s got to watch how he permits on MoA; in any case, he banned two excellent commenters a short while back for daring to tell the truth about Israel — while permitting really nasty ad hominem attacks on them and anyone else who agreed with them. Some say he’s hasbara himself, I really don’t know. But he’s got a couple really good commenters and he writes the occasional excellent piece — not at all in Saker’s league, but still worth looking at once in a while.
Let’s try “what” instead of “how” in the first line of that second paragraph. aargh!
This comment is most relevant to this News Article, and I think that this comment should go viral in order to make for better Constitutional and Democratic Standards in Democracies and in Dictatorial America, and People should leave Copies of this Everywhere, and People should send a Copy of this Secretly and Discreetly to their Politicians, and to Everyone, and it is the following.
If I were a Parliamentarian or a Journalist, then I would Propose a Law which makes it an Offence to Write any News Item in such a manner which Denies the Citizens of my Country the Most Basic of Human Rights, and I would Voluntarily sign a Statement.
It would Not be Compulsory, but those who would Not sign it, Might be looked Upon as Unelectable or Unsuitable to Serve their Citizens, or as Unsuitable to be a Journalist, because they did not want to Voluntarily sign that Statement.
That Statement would say: While I Deny All such Accusations regarding myself, I must Admit that it Could Be Possible that Some Politicians and Some Journalists in my Country, Could have been Bribed with Money, or because of Global Spying by America, then it could be that they were Knowingly or Secretly Filmed in Acts of Bestiality, or Paedophilia, or Group Sex, and they are now Willing or Unwilling Traitors and Fifth Columnists against their Own People.
I would say that I am signing this Statement Voluntarily to help the Politicians and Journalists in my Country to Promote the Most Basic Human and Democratic Rights of All the Citizens of my Country.
Crazy Ivan says…
@ Anon Nora
Many thanks! :)
Regards
Apparently according to Moskal , kiev lost every document and evidences concerning the inquiry on Euromaidan snipers…
(no kidding)
Moskal is what ? a newspaper ?
best regards,
reader from Portugal
Hennadiy Moskal is a high profil Ukrainian Jurist , actually he is the president of the commission doing the inquiry on the maiden crimes.
1. Mike Whitney begins his latest piece in CounterPunch, http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/05/21/showdown-in-ukraine/, with a quote from Putin, “Comrade Wolf knows who to eat, and he eats without listening to anyone.”
2. Demian at MoA found the 2006 speech in which Putin referred to the original joke, which in fact is most appropriate today:
“Wolf, Fox and Hare fell into a trap. They sat there and cannot get out of the pit. After a little while they feel an emptiness. Then Wolf asks: Who shall we eat? Fox answers (looks awry at Hare): “Comrade Wolf knows whom to eat”.”
3. The speech itself is excellent and — please excuse the rotten pun — good food for thought.
http://archive.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2006/05/10/1823_type70029type82912_105566.shtml for the speech
4. But the truly vile Brzezinski quotes in Whitney’s piece really beg the following questions: First, who is more Evil, Brzezinski for plotting or Clinton, Obama and Kerry for not giving a damn? Second, have imperial leaders always been insane — not “just” psychopaths, mind you, but genuine paranoid nutcakes as well? And finally, is this behavior more typical of the West, absolute power a la Lord Acton, late/failing empires, and/or Neoliberal capitalism?
Interesting admission by the NYT that many European nationalists — who cannot all reasonably be called ‘fascists’ — have started praising Putin as a way of flipping the bird to D.C. and Brussells (aka the Empire and imperial satrapy):
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/world/europe/europes-far-right-looks-to-russia-as-a-guiding-force.html?hpw&rref=world&_r=0&referrer=
BTW, my understanding is that Le Pen’s National Front took something like 20% of the Jewish vote in the recent local votes and that percentage has grown in every election since Marie Le Pen’s father shocked France with his second place finish for FN in 2002. The younger Le Pen unlike her father has cultivated contacts with Israel, sending one of her top deputies to the Jewish State. So D.C.’s task of painting all euroskeptic parties as racist or anti-Semitic has become much harder in recent years though they’re desperately pushing this ‘GRU runs Jobbik’ meme as hard as they can.
Crazy Ivan says…
This time with images, not my hyperlinks to Wikipedia. They make quite an impression!
Igor Strelkov report once more
Just a small part of text:
Igor Strelkov said that Ukrainian troops were reinforced by 40 pieces of equipment
Ukrainian law-enforcers, who continue to control mount Karachun in the area of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk (Donetsk region), received reinforcements of 40 units of equipment, said the head of the Slavyansk militia Mr. Igor Strelkov.
On Karachun yesterday came the another column with artillery and, possibly, with two heavy rocket launchers. What it is, we don’t know yet, because the installation is shrouded and protected. According to the eyewitnesses, reminiscent of the “Smerch” (Soviet rocket systems of volley fire caliber 300 mm)”, – quotes Igor Strelkov RIA “Novosti”.
Crazy Ivan says… addendum
I forgot the page address:
http://www.voicesevas.ru/news/yugo-vostok/igor-strelkov-soobschil-chto-ukrainskie-.html
I beg your pardon.
>> Let’s be clear about some of these delusions. The West doesn’t have the money. They are printing (counterfeiting) it.
This comes up often. The currency of the military industrial complex is NOT MONEY.
It is energy.
Yes, the USD is a rickety joke.
Not relevant. There is plenty of energy to create weapons of war even if the currencies of the world reset, an event that will affect the little people first, that is, the 98%.
Ukraine, Syria, and Cypress were all attacked (as pointed out by Jim Willie) among other reasons for their association with Russian Energy / Gazprom. It is economic warfare.
@Anonymous about Le Pen’s Front National
It’s not even about flipping the bird to US. Anti-americanism is one of the presstitutes’ favourite lines in response to the new conservative parties. It basically goes like this “oh, theirs is just a sort of rebellious gesture of pubescents against what they perceive to be an authority.” It’s a pathetic attempt to paint and psychologize the new conservatives as infantile, immature and clueless idiots who follow emotion instead of reason.
The presstitutes are also trying everything to force the new conservative movements into a stupid and anachronistic right-left spectrum, where the extreme right are nazis and extreme left are hippies. The presstitutes are picking out all hints of nationalism and blow them completely out of proportion. Why? Because the new conservatives are a grave danger to the EU.
We must understand that parties like Front National are NOT anti-Europe, they are anti-EU. That’a a categorical difference. The EU seizes sovereignity from European states, it imposes ridiculous laws, and destroys cultural norms of the particular states. The people were promised a united Europe of fatherlands. And now the fatherlands are in grave danger of withering away.
I think one of things that the conservatives like about the Russian course is that Russia’s doctrine is one of multipolarity, i.e. it is Russia that promises a deep cooperation of fatherlands, Russia doesn’t want a new USSR. Under US control a Europe of fatherlands is impossible, it’s also impossible under EU control. It’s only possible together with Russia. They look over at Russia and what they see is above all a country that sticks to common sense, and more than anything that’s what normal and reasonable people find appealing.
Anonymous 20:56
Could you please explain this a little more? I don’t understand — doesn’t it take money to make weapons even if we outsource the people who use them? I recognize the importance of energy, but how does our warmongering get more adversely affected by Russia’s energy resources than our failing dollar? Because Russia can make more (real) money than we can print? But isn’t that still our failing dollar?
Nora,
>>>> Could you please explain this a little more? I don’t understand — doesn’t it take money to make weapons even if we outsource the people who use them?
No, it doesn’t take money.
You need energy to create a tank, a car, a missile, a sheet of aluminum.
Potable energy is first Oil, second Natural Gas, and third electricity (coal, electro dam, solar, wind)
If you have 1 billion dollars and no oil, you cannot create an industrial artifact, you are suddenly limited by horsepower.
So if you have 100 horsepower, fed by grass, you have 100 horses and you are now in the 1700’s. Good luck creating a battery for your Tesla S.
Oil and gas have their own inertia. It represents industrial capacity, completely separate from currency.
Currency (USD, Euro, etc) is a convenient and necessary way to settle energy debts quickly. However in the absence of a stable currency, if you have access to oil or gas, you still have industrial capability.
Oil, which is the ultimate in potable energy, is a driver. There is in 2014 more oil sloshing around in the world markets than existed in 1999, when I could fill my Hummer for 99c a gallon. (I don’t own a Hummer with a dreamcatcher in the window, but think on that.) Money and Energy are not the same thing. Energy makes stuff.
–jms
p e a ke.blog@gmail.com
jms,
Thank you, I get it now. So all these innocent people are getting blown to smithereens so we can keep on blowing people to smithereens — sort of a perpetual energy conundrum there, huh. Or something. Sure seems like entropy to me though.
sigh.
I guess it all comes down to hearts and minds — and I’m not thinking the people behind all this have much capacity in either regard.
Prince finds pea under his mattress.
http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2014/05/19/peter-pomerantsev/in-kiev/
Saker, just noticing typos. You introduced an acronym DPR, but then kept typing DRP.
Thanks.
There are reports of the Nazi guard / right sector killing regular Ukrainian troops that refuse to fire on civilians. One video shows a regular saying to ‘YATS’ that he will turn his tank around and fire on Kiev. I think the regular army who doesn’t have any sympathies for Nazis should join the resistant/ peoples army and fight together a common enemy. Oh I wish they would, they’re not getting fed anyway, but the babushkas are bringing the ones who do manage to defect to the people without getting executed much welcomed food.
Oops, Saker, sorry, i missed your apologies, so, disregard my previous note about typos.
Thanks.