Thread: What Is Happening In Ukraine Is Far More Important Than Most People Realize

Biden Goes to Poland, Obama Demands “King Me” & Putin moves to Check-Mate NATO

Suzanne Hamner 8 hours ago
10 Comments

While Vladmir Putin signed an order for Crimea to join Russia, His Majesty sent his court jester to Poland. Vice President Joe Biden, second idiot in charge, landed in Poland on Tuesday in order to reassure US allies in the region who are worried about Putin's aggressive move in the Ukraine. Biden is also scheduled to discuss the NATO alliance and how to strengthen it, hoping NATO will emerge stronger from this crisis than before it. Biden will also meet with the leaders of the former Soviet republics of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.
These countries are rightly concerned about the annex of Crimea into Russia. Putin used the excuse of the majority of the population residing in Crimea as being Russian nationals, along with the crisis in the Ukraine where the Russian sympathetic President was ousted, in order to bring the Crimea under Russian control. With Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia having large populations of Russian nationals living in their countries, it is no wonder their concern has elevated. But, sending Joe Biden to the area compares to sending Martha Stewart to work at NASA.

According to McClatchyDC:

He'll also look for an opportunity to consult on how to deal with the situation in Ukraine, as leaders head into a European Union meeting on Thursday. The White House said the trip will give Biden a chance to consult with leaders "who have deep experience with Ukraine and Russia" so that the US "can compare notes and make sure that we remain as coordinated in the days ahead as we've been up until now."

Biden will talk about further steps that the United States can take and that NATO can take as an alliance to further shore up the security of Poland and the Baltics and other NATO allies, but administration officials didn't share details.

From the looks of it, Biden is going to get ideas on how to deal with the situation since it seems both he and the King are clueless. And exactly where is all this coordinated effort? Oh, yes those hollow sanctions that have been levied against Russian officials. One can see how that's working.
Does Biden and His Majesty actually believe that these NATO allies will be able to put their confidence in any plan this administration proposes; or, that these NATO allies can count on this administration to be able to put force behind any plan formulated by the NATO alliance?
Judging by the size of the egos of our King and Biden, they believe they still lead the free world. However, the public display of these jokers suggest they lead from behind.

Obama has been gutting our military left and right. Plans are to return our military to pre-World War II size. Our military has been emasculated with the "new" Rules of Engagement. The ability to produce, on our own soil, the military equipment needed for any type of military action has been severely limited. Some of our military personnel are too busy engaging in "transgender drag queen parties" overseas to take seriously their oath to protect and defend the Constitution or our nation. Lie after lie has been told by this administration about any and everything while His Majesty is continually absent on meetings affecting national security. The King's foreign policy is the butt of every joke around the world making the US a laughing stock.
Our economy teeters on the brink of destruction while the moral values of America have eroded to the level of a cesspool outside of hell. We have become a nation divided along every type of warfare that can be imagined from race to social class and everything in between. America is trillions of dollars in debt that grows every hour while relying on less than 50% of the country to support the government's bad habits. Washington DC is riddled with scandal, corruption, treason and two-faced rhetoric with trust in government being at an all-time low among Americans. Since 2001, the US government has steadily increased its egregious violations of individual inalienable God-given rights against its own citizenry, not to mention the gross violation of the sovereignty of our allies perpetrated by NSA spying on their innocent citizens. And, let's not forget our meddling into other nation's governments resulting in chaos in many nations.

How can our allies even trust the US in any type of endeavor regarding protecting the sovereignty of a nation based on the actions of this government? If the trust is there and should it be necessary to assist our NATO allies, where is the personnel and the money coming from?
If we go back and look at history, Russia's move could be compared to the move made by Hitler to annex territory because of German nationals residing in those areas or the areas was previously a part of Germany prior to WWI. European countries complied in order to avoid a Second World War since the recovery from WWI was still ongoing. To be perfectly honest, if the US had not entered WWII, it is highly possible the outcome would have been drastically different. That was then and this is now. Many changes have taken place throughout the world and in the US.
It seems our government and this administration has forgotten the immortal words of President Theodore Roosevelt; "Speak softly and carry a big stick." It was a phrase indicative of pursuing tactic caution and non-aggression while possessing the ability to engage in violence if necessary.
His Majesty has convoluted this phrase to "Use hollow threats and hope they are scared of words."
Putin has seen through our King, the court jester and our nobles. He has no fear of retribution for while the US is downsizing its military, Russia has expanded theirs. While His Majesty had divided the US, Putin has solidified Russia along with some pro-Russian populations in other nations. While many of the world's nations fear the use of nuclear weapons, Putin would not hesitate to push that button to annihilate any opposition in order to make Russia the number one super power. He recognizes the King as a man of all words and inaction: a child playing a game on the world stage. Putin is prepared to put his money on his game of chess while our King is playing checkers.
Obama demands "king me" while Putin moves to check-mate NATO.
Should this situation escalate, the world could be thrust into a conflict where the outcome will be worse than any imaginable. May God have mercy on all of us.

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http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/03/bi...eck-mate-nato/

Soros Has A Modest Proposal For How To Punish Russia

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2014 15:11 -0400

Having warned of Putin's blind-spot (and Merkel's position of potential leadership) in the Europe-US-Russia debacle, billionaire investor George Soros has some ideas on how to punish Russia (and some warnings on the consequences)...

• *SOROS SAYS PUTIN 'ACTING OUT OF WEAKNESS'
• *SOROS SAYS UKRAINE CRISIS IS LEADERSHIP CHANCE FOR MERKEL
• *SOROS SAYS MERKEL'S LEADERSHIP HAS GROWN IN UKRAINE CRISIS
• *SOROS SAYS U.S. SELLING OIL RESERVES WOULD HURT RUSSIA
• *SOROS SAYS U.S. HOLDS 'STRONGEST SANCTION' WITH OIL RESERVE

Via Bloomberg,

Russian President Putin sought to prop up flagging support at home in a move that “turned him adventurous abroad and repressive at home,” billionaire investor and Chairman of the Open Society Institute George Soros said today during a podium discussion in Berlin.

Soros also said:

Putin “acting out of weakness” following sag in domestic popularity since beginning second term as president

On Merkel: Ukraine crisis “an opportunity for the chancellor to emerge as the leader of a united Europe, not just a chancellor preoccupied with the national interests of Germany.”

And added that the US still holds the biggest bazooka...

“Strongest sanction” against Russia “is in the hands of the United States” because U.S. could sell crude from the Strategic Oil Reserve and depress prices, investor George Soros says during panel discussion in Berlin.

Says Russia needs oil at $100/bbl “to balance the budget”

The problem, Soros notes, is...

“Task is to help Ukraine rather than just punishing Russia because just punishing Russia will push Putin further into a corner and as a wounded animal he would strike back and it would be a lose-lose proposition.”

So will Obama shoot himself in the foot?

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...-punish-russia

Masked Men Storm, Seize Two Ukraine Cruisers In Sevastopol

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2014 19:05 -0400

Earlier today, heavily-armed masked men in military attire, stormed two Ukraine corvettes, Lutsk and Khmelnitsky, in what is now Russian territory at the port of Sevastopol.

This is what AFP reported:

Pro-Russian crowds seized two Ukrainian warships Thursday and Ukraine said its troops were being threatened in Crimea as the European Union considered new sanctions against Russia for its annexation of the Black Sea peninsula. Tensions in the region remained high despite the release of a Ukrainian naval commander held by pro-Russian forces.

Shots were fired but there were no casualties as the Ukrainian corvette Khmelnitsky was seized in Sevastopol, according to an AP photographer at the scene. Another ship, the Lutsk, was also surrounded by pro-Russian forces. The Defense Ministry had no immediate information on the incidents.

Perhaps considering Ukraine said it had pulled its troops from Crimea, they should also have pulled their ships, although it is unclear just where they would pull them to. Regardless, this is what the actual storming of the ships looked like.










h/t Drugoi


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...ers-sevastopol

The Honeymoon Is Over: Ukraine To Stun Citizens With 40% Gas Price Hike

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2014 16:24 -0400

Back in 2011, when as part of the Arab Spring one after another regime were toppled in North Africa following violent coups, not without substantial support by the US foreign service and the CIA, the local population was delighted - after all there is nothing quite like the specter of Hope and Change to lift one's mood, and murder the reigning dictator. Unfortunately, what is usually not discussed, is that within a very brief period of time, usually within a year or two, the post-coup nations promptly reverted to violence and kicked out the ascendent coupy rulers themselves. Hardly new, this is process has been observed in history throughout time, most notably with the French revolution, where the concept of the Thermidorian Reaction was first penned. Most recently, this was best captured by events in Egypt in the past year, when the Hillary Clinton-blessed regime of Morsi was toppled last summer with even more violent witchhunts organized against its Muslim Brotherhood supporters. No wonder one hardly hears a peep about this particular US success story.
So where should we look for the next such process? Why in Ukraine of course. Only right now the general population is still in its euphoric Hope and Change phase. Understandable - the evil regime has been toppled and the new and pure (even though in reality they are just as corrupt as the old ones) politicians are in charge, so why not look to the future with rose-colored sunglasses?
Alas, Ukraine's honeymoon period with its new rulers may end far sooner that most expect, and it will be certainly accelerated with news such as this. A few hours ago, Interfax reported that Ukraine expects to increase domestic gas prices by 40% once discounted import prices from Russia expire, the country’s Energy Minister Yury Prodan told journalists in the European Parliament on Thursday.
Just as we warned a few weeks ago when we were discussing the creeping capital controls gripping the crisis-riddled country with the foundering currency and its rapidly depleting reserves, the first thing that usually happens, with or without foreign aid, is runaway inflation. And a 40% jump in one of the core staples will certainly dent much of the quite brief and tenuous hope and change the population may have had as a result of recent events. Because once the downstream effects of nat gas funnel through the economy, we wouldn't be surprised if Ukraine ends up with hyperinflation of all goods and services within the year.
What is certain, is that the struggling population, most of whom never wanted the recent political overhaul and were quite happy with life as it was, will suddenly demand a return to the living standards under the old, if "horrible" regime, and demand an even quicker overhaul of the current administration.
Something Putin knows all too well.
Why does he know it? Because current events are a carbon copy of what happened in 2007 that led to the infamous 2008 Ukrainian political crisis.
What happened in 2007? This:

Ukraine agreed to pay close to $180 for every thousand cubic meters of natural gas it gets next year from Russia, Russia's state-run gas monopoly said, marking a nearly 40% increase over current prices.

The deal, which comes after months of negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, is part of what Russia describes as an effort to stop giving energy supplies to former Soviet republics at cut-rate prices.

That effort escalated into a full-blown dispute two years ago, when Russia cut supplies to Ukraine. The dispute affected some European countries, raising concerns about Russia's reliability as Europe's main energy supplier.

OAO Gazprom said Ukraine agreed in a deal signed by Ukrainian Energy Minister Yury Boiko to pay $179.50 for every thousand cubic meters it buys from Russia next year. Gazprom said transit prices would be set at $1.70, the price for gas shipping across Russia.

Ukraine currently pays $130 for every thousand cubic meters of gas from Russia.

In October, Russia urged Ukraine to make good on what it said was a $1.3 billion debt for gas shipments, a demand described by some Ukrainian officials as an effort to influence Ukrainian politics after September's parliamentary elections.

The deal comes a week after Gazprom said it would pay as much as 50% more next year for natural gas from Turkmenistan. Russia controls nearly all gas exports from the Central Asian nation.

Funny how history not only rhymes, but sometimes repeats itself. Verbatim.



http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...gas-price-hike

John McCain Responds To Russia's Sanctions, "Cancels Spring Break In Siberia"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2014 14:14 -0400

While the US administration continues to fire 'sanction' bullets at Russia and explains how painful these will be, Senator John McCain - in response to his own sanctioning by the Russians - has responded... (as has John Boehner)
Via John McCain's website,

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today released the following statement on being sanctioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin:

“I guess this means my spring break in Siberia is off, my Gazprom stock is lost, and my secret bank account in Moscow is frozen.

Nonetheless, I will never cease my efforts on behalf of the freedom, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea.”

A few more of the exclusive club of sanctioned Americans have commented too...


Speaker John Boehner ✔ @SpeakerBoehner
Follow
Proud to be included on a list of those willing to stand against Putin’s aggression http://j.mp/1gCSPCr
12:00 PM - 20 Mar 2014
Russia bans entry to US lawmakers, officials

Russia says it has imposed entry bans on nine U.S. lawmakers and officials in retaliation to Washington’s sanctions over Crimea.

Washington Post @washingtonpost


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...-break-siberia

Mapping Europe's Mutually Assured Economic Destruction As EU Plans More Sanctions

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2014 18:29 -0400

With senior German officials expecting discussions among leaders at the EU Summit to solely focused on a second round of sanctions against Russia (and warnings that they "must avoid a spiral of sanctions"), we thought it worth drilling down on just how mutually-dependent the two regions are. As Acting-Man's Pater Tenebrarum notes, the following infographics suggest tit-for-tat sanctions could be a really big problem for Europe and why the EU's leaders are probably quietly praying for the crisis to simply go away.

Trade between the EU and Russia (via RT)



Trade between Russia and Germany (via Der Spiegel) – Russia is Germany's 11th largest trading partner



A list of German companies with big exposure to Russia (also via Der Spiegel)


International exposure to Russian debt (via Reuters)


Here are details on selected bank exposures (via Reuters):

SOCIETE GENERALE:

France's second-biggest bank had exposure of 22.4 billion euros to Russia at the end of June, according to the European Banking Authority's (EBA) data. That equated to 15.7 billion euros in risk-weighted assets.

SG Russia, which includes Rosbank and other insurance and financial operations, made operating income of 239 million euros last year, almost double 2012 despite a 41 percent jump in losses from bad debts. The bank said it had 13.5 billion euros of outstanding loans in Russia and deposits of 8.5 billion in the country at the end of 2013.

SocGen's equity in its Russian business accounted for 7.7 percent of its group total, Morgan Stanley analysts estimated.

UNICREDIT:

Italy's biggest bank by assets had exposure of 18.6 billion euros to Russia at the end of June, the EBA data showed.

The bank said its revenues from Russia were 372 million euros in the fourth quarter, up 80 percent from a year earlier.

UniCredit's equity in its Russian business accounted for 2.7 percent of its group total, Morgan Stanley estimated.

RAIFFEISEN BANK INTERNATIONAL:

The Austrian lender said it is Russia's 10th biggest bank, with a loan book of 10.2 billion euros, 2.5 million customers and 192 outlets. Its Russian assets represent 12 percent of the group total, and the Russian unit made 507 million euros in the first nine months of last year, most of the group's total.

The EBA data showed Raiffeisen had a 13.2 billion euro exposure to Russia at the end of June.

Raiffeisen's equity in its Russian business accounted for 15.6 percent of its group total, Morgan Stanley estimated.

OTP BANK:

The Hungarian bank's exposure to Russia was 4.4 billion euros at the end of June, the EBA data showed.

BANK OF CYPRUS:

Its exposure to Russia was 1.6 billion euros at the end of June, the EBA data showed.

But apart from that - should be fine?! And this on the heels of Ukraine appearing to fold on any further action suggests Western powers have put themselves in a red-line-crossing MAD box...

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...more-sanctions

Ron Paul Warns "We're Just Stirring Up Trouble In Crimea"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2014 16:44 -0400

"I think it was wrong for us to get involved and participate in the overthrow of the government," exclaims Ron Paul in this brief clip, adding the US is "stirring up trouble in Crimea." The American people are "tired of it," and "it would be best for us to stay out." The US doesn't need another war - and certainly can't afford it - and "we don't want trade wars." Simply put, he concludes, "it's best we stay out."

Video at the Page Link:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...trouble-crimea

Ukraine Goes Cyprus 2.0, To Tax Deposits Over 100,000 Hryvnia (To Appease IMF?)

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2014 13:26 -0400

It would appear the IMF's dirty little fingerprints are all over this latest piece of legislation in Ukraine. The Ukraine Finance Ministry is proposing to take a very-similar-to-Cyprus approach to bailing in its despositors:

• *UKRAINE PROPOSES NEW TAX ON DEPOSITS EXCEEDING 100,000 HRYVNIA
• *UKRAINE TAX PROPOSAL WOULD INCLUDE 1.5% OF ALL DEPOSITS

This would appear a measure designed to stabilize the budget for potential IMF negotiations and fits perfectly with what the IMF has consistently hinted as the next steps for many nations.

This is further to the news last week that a 25% deposit "tax" was being considered...
Via Tax News,

Ukraine's parliament is to consider draft laws which would ban foreign-currency bank deposits and introduce a 25% tax on interest on deposits in banks and other financial institutions in circumstances where the interest received is more than 5% above the rate set by the National Bank of Ukraine.

The proposed amendments to banking and tax legislation were put forward by Yevhen Sihal, who is a member of the country's ruling Party of Regions. In an explanatory note submitted with the drafts, he argued that the higher tax rate will encourage consumer spending, reduce the cost of business loans, and provide extra funding for the country's Pension Fund. Sihal also explained that his tax proposal is based on the experience of the Russian Federation.

Sihal's proposals have united the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) and the country's Communist Party in opposition. The NBU was quoted as saying that it was concerned about the politicization of economic issues, and that its policy was to increase the deposit base in line with international practice, while Communist leader Petro Symonenko suggested that the owners of large deposits will simply move their funds abroad to avoid the tax.

We assume, just as with Cyprus, that the big money has already left the building leaving small businesses and the average joe to foot the IMF-demanding bill (for the good of the country) to get their bailout funds.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...ia-appease-imf

Ordinary Russians Also "Retaliate" To Obama's Sanctions

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/20/2014 11:30 -0400

As is widely known by now, Barack Obama, in an executive order, earlier this week as well as moments ago in a very dramatic follow up performance, decided to sanction a handful of Russian military leaders and Kremlinites close to Putin. He didn't touch Putin of course, that could be seen as too strong a signal one which may cut off German gas supplies for a day or two. Remember: there are "costs" and stuff. So while Russian official debate just how to retaliate best to US and European sanctions, as they said they would, ordinary Russians are taking matters into their own hands. And on twitter. Here are some examples in which the "Russian on the street" has some fun with Obama's sanctions, and prohibits the US president and people close to him to approach, enter and/or use the facilities.

Только русские @OnlyRussians
Follow
Санкции
7:21 AM - 20 Mar 2014

Только русские @OnlyRussians
Follow
Санкции
6:31 AM - 20 Mar 2014

ER Insider ♻ @ER_Insider
Follow
Ну всё. Всколыхнулась страна. Нас уже не остановить. Скоро @BarackObama запросит тайм-аут#Crimea #Russia
6:18 AM - 20 Mar 2014

ER Insider ♻ @ER_Insider
Follow
Непрерывно поступают новые данные о бойкоте Барака Обамыча
3:45 AM - 20 Mar 2014





A zoom up:



The poster prhibits from entering the abovementioned individuals, among which:

• Barack Obama
• John Kerry
• Hillary Clinton
• Bill Clinon
• Samantha Power
• Pussy Riot
• Adolf Hitler
• Benito Mussollini

and others.

It continues:

Here the offended Russian says the following:

• Barack Obama is prohibited from entering the toilet in our office
• Members of the US Congress are prohibited from using our cafeteria and toilet

and finally:

• Barack Obama is forbidden from eating the bananas in our fridge.

Needless to say, Russians are hardly taking the US "escalation" very seriously.

In conclusion:

ER Insider ♻ @ER_Insider
Follow
Афиша. Чувствуется их растерянность. Шаг до паники
9:05 AM - 19 Mar 2014

• ER Insider ♻ @ER_Insider
  
  Афиша. Чувствуется их растерянность. Шаг до паники pic.twitter.com/RtXg0ydIo1
  
  

Евгений Андреев @andreev_evgen
Follow
@ER_Insider Исход однозначен pic.twitter.com/pVOKHMbcMa
10:23 AM - 19 Mar 2014

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-0...amas-sanctions

Let’s Stay The Heck Out Of Ukraine!

March 21, 2014 by Chip Wood

THINKSTOCK

Did it finally happen? Did Barack Obama’s bumbling incompetence actually lead to a decent result for this country?
I’m surprised to say the answer appears to be yes. Obama’s milquetoast response to Vladimir Putin’s bold aggression in the Crimean Peninsula may have made him a laughingstock among Russian leaders. But it’s also reduced the likelihood of U.S. intervention there. And that’s a good thing.
Let’s face it: The United States has absolutely no vital interest at stake in that part the world. What do we care if a majority of citizens in Crimea vote to declare their independence from Ukraine? Or even that they want to become part of Mother Russia? What business is it of ours to tell them they can’t?
Now I’ll grant you, conducting a plebiscite under the watchful eyes of 40,000 Russian troops may lead some to suggest that a little pressure was being exerted on the populace. Was anyone surprised to hear that the proposal to rejoin Russia was approved by a whopping 96 percent of the people who cast ballots? That’s the sort of landslide we’re used to hearing from North Korea or some African dictatorship.
Now, I’m not about to beat the drum for this country to take tougher measures against Russia. The best thing for us to do is to sit this one out. I don’t think we should even provide aid, whether financial or military, to Ukraine.
The House of Representatives doesn’t agree. An emergency measure to give the Ukraine more aid was rushed through by a sizable bipartisan majority. But when the bill reached the Senate, Harry Reid decided to… send everyone home for a short vacation.
Mmmm, now I find myself agreeing with Reid. Maybe I’d better rethink this.
OK, I did. And I still think what happens in the Crimean Peninsula is not our problem or our responsibility.
But what Obama ended up doing is worse than nothing. In what the President described as a “calibrated” response, he decided to impose economic sanctions on all of 11 people. Obama said the people on the list — seven from Russia and four from Ukraine — had threatened “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” But none of them were the key players in this melodrama. Putin’s chief of staff, his defense minister and his chief intelligence officer were all conspicuous by their absence.
The Russian stock market, which had been falling for the two weeks after Russian troops invaded Crimea, in fear of what sanctions might be imposed on the country, climbed higher when it became apparent how insignificant the U.S. and European response would be.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny even sent out a tweet, declaring: “Obama only delighted all our crooks and encouraged them.” One of the people on the list, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, promptly confirmed this appraisal, when he sent out his own tweet, saying: “It seems to me that some kind of joker wrote the U.S. president’s order.”
It doesn’t sound like they’re taking our President too seriously, does it?
Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry has been flying all over Europe and the Mideast, trying to get someone to agree with his “better not do this” brand of bluster. To say that he’s been ineffective would be a compliment.
Kerry stuck his foot squarely in his mouth by lecturing Putin: “You don’t just, in the 21^stcentury, behave in the 19^th century fashion by invading another country on a completely trumped-up pretext.”
When I heard this, I wondered how long it would take someone to say: “Oh, yeah? What about Saddam Hussein and all those so-called weapons of mass destruction?” I hope whichever speechwriter was stupid enough to put those words in Kerry’s mouth is now looking for another line of employment.
Or maybe we shouldn’t blame some anonymous scribe for this embarrassing mistake. Maybe Kerry came up with that absurd reprimand all by himself.
Unfortunately, it looks like the situation will continue to escalate. Vice President Joe Biden has flown to Lithuania to reassure countries on Russia’s borders that the United States will stand by them. Since three former Soviet satellites — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia — are now members of NATO, we are committed by treaty to come to their rescue if Putin puts his eyes (and his military) on them next.
“We’re in this with you, together,” Biden said. Don’t you wish that weren’t the case?
And of course, the so-called “international community” has to meddle in events as well. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is flying to Russia and the Ukraine, to meet with Putin and other leaders in an effort to resolve things diplomatically. The United Nations is also sending a 34-member “human rights monitoring mission” to Ukraine. And we know how much good such observers have done in the past, in Chechnya, Serbia and other hot spots, from the Mideast to Africa.
How should this conflict be resolved? I like what Pat Buchanan, a longtime Washington observer and ardent America-firster, had to say:

America and Russia are on a collision course today over a matter — whose flag will fly over what parts of Ukraine — no Cold War president, from Truman to Reagan, would have considered any of our business.
If the people of Eastern Ukraine wish to formalize their historic, cultural and ethnic ties to Russia, and the people of Western Ukraine wish to sever all ties to Moscow and join the European Union, why not settle this politically, diplomatically and democratically, at a ballot box?

Of course, a peaceful, practical solution like this one will never win the approval of the New World Order advocates. There’s never been a tar baby they could resist. And they don’t care how many eggs get broken along the way. The interventionists know there is no better way to increase their control over their own citizens than to focus on the threat posed by some far-off enemy.
It’s time to tell Washington that in regard to Putin’s actions in the Crimean Peninsula, we’re going to mind our own business: no aid, no troops, no interference. That’s what our country’s foreign policy was for the first 150 years of our existence. Wouldn’t it be great to return to it again?
Until next time, keep some powder dry.
–Chip Wood

Filed Under: Conservative Politics, Personal Liberty Digest™

http://personalliberty.com/2014/03/2...ut-of-ukraine/