The President Doesn't Have a "Right of Visit and Search"

 The "right of visit and search" that President Trump is declaring he has to search innocent vessels is a right only extended during a war. The U.S. Congress is the only American entity that can declare war on a nation, and it has not declared war on Iran. It could be argued NATO also has this right, but most of the NATO countries do not support a war with Iran. Any visiting and searching of vessels that our Navy does will be done illegally. Oh, and although pirate ships also fall under this right, if we board any ship and it isn't a pirate ship, we have to make compensation to that ships owners and nation.

Some Americans have jumped on the "no nuclear enrichment for Iran" without apparently realizing that this would mean Iran can't use nuclear power. It would also mean Iran could not establish data centers, among other things--but presumably if they did this they would be more intelligent and limit theirs, unlike the U.S., which has 4000+ (no other country has 1/10 that). 

When will other countries realize that this is all about money and stock manipulation (see my other post). Leaders like Netanyahu and Trump, who have no hope of being re-elected are grasping at straws and hoping to at least make themselves a nice nest egg before they must permanently leave politics. The U.S., unfortunately, has no laws against our elected leaders dabbling in the stock market and doing insider trading--it's only those under them. 

The U.S. didn't want Russia to get nuclear bombs either. Our leaders told us it would be the end of the world because those crazy Russians would kill us. Thus, the decades long Cold War. 

Ironically, of the nine countries who have nuclear bombs, the United States is the only one to use one and they some how have justified the fact that they only used it on civilian populations who were completely unsuspecting and who had no bomb warnings or shelters that could protect them. This is similar to how we convinced Americans that it was a great thing we were able to destroy an Iranian ship--their best ship, without expanding on the fact that the only reason that ship was there was because it was participating in war games with the United States and was there under a peace treaty. No, we shot them in the back as soon as they were heading home, while they were completely unsuspecting. We are just like Epstein--we play a simple war game and make other countries think we're just a friendly country before screwing them. 

In actuality, the only thing Russia getting nuclear weapons did was stop us from using them again. Granted, with our trigger happy President and his henchman Hegseth, we may start bombing everyone again. We are already only hurting civilians in Iran, just as Israel is primarily targeting civilians in Palestine and Lebanon. Israel is absolutely correct in that the world has forgotten the history of WWII. Now, just as then, Hitler was allowed to do what he wanted and took over SEVERAL countries before the rest of the world even told him to stop!! That is exactly what Israel and the United States are doing while everyone looks the other way. 

Ukraine Is "Keeping" the Area They Took in Russia

 Sometimes the news is just ridiculous. It plays upon the ignorance of the American people. Zelenski is apparently going to hold the land they "took" from Russia. 

Now, if you have been following me, you know that I think the whole "Russian Invasion of Ukraine" is bunk. Ethnic Russians living in Ukraine have been treated horribly for quite some time (and Ukrainians living in Russian controlled areas of Ukraine were also treated horribly). In 2014, there was a coup created by the U.S. and President Biden's unemployable son, who had been dishonorably discharged from the military for doing drugs, was given a job he didn't qualify for as a result. Russian-Ukrainians were treated pretty awful after the coup we created so millions fled into Russia and Amnesty International (which is not bought out by billionaires unlike Human Rights Watch and other bunk "rights investigators") reported on it. 

But now, we have Russia, which was ticked off at having millions of people begging for help flooding into its borders, "invading" Ukraine. To accept this we have to ignore, of course, all the rules and treaties that Ukraine and the West had broken and the human rights violations that we were ignoring along with other things, but if we do accept that and close a blind eye to what was really going on, let's take a look at this and the current Ukrainian "occupation" of Russia in perspective. 

First, Russia advanced all the way to Kyiv, took out key infrastructure and then moved back to exactly where it said it would--after allowing ethnic Russians the opportunity to flee. Russia then pulled back to about where it said it would pull back to, and the West dumped billions of dollars into Ukraine to fight Russia. Ukraine advanced and won some ground. Now, Russia is advancing and Ukraine decided to take Russia. 

In perspective: Russia is about twice the size of the USA. Ukraine is slightly smaller than Texas. The area that Russia held (and is now increasing to the lines it wants to hold) is a little bigger than Maryland. The area Ukraine took is either half the size or about the size of Rhode Island. Now, I am sure Rhode Island would be pretty upset if Ukraine took them over, but in the grand scheme of things, if we were taking a state the size of Maryland away from Canada or Mexico, would it really make us stop? (especially since the Russians were somehow able to evacuate most of the area)

Now, I got it, Ukraine is such a bastion of democracy that the USA is going probably have to start taking lessons. I mean we already have some government censorship of individuals through social media and Amazon, so it will be a small step when only government sponsored media is allowed to continue in order to save us from "disinformation" while all other media is shut down. We already have 20,000 people with exactly the same name and birthdate as 20,000 other people (a statistical impossibility) voting in Arizona and we were happy with our lockdowns, so it will be an easy step to stop elections as they have already done in Ukraine. And then we will just have to ban the Christian church like Ukraine did when it banned the Russian Orthodox Church, so we can be a real bastion of democracy just like them.  

I get it. I grew up in the 1980s watching MacGyver and waiting for the USSR to drop a nuke on us. But Russia isn't the USSR, and there are too many pieces of this story that the news is leaving out.

World War III--Vietnam on a Whole New Level

 As most of us go about our day, we are unaware of a little reported massive military provocation taking place. You see, the United States has convinced NATO nations to mobilize in a "training exercise." This mobilization is not about "deterrence" according to Lt. General Michael A. Loh, Director of the U.S. Air National Guard. It is about preparing our troops to go against a "great power." Can anyone guess what that "great power" is? The U.S. has in effect mobilized almost its entire military force to Europe and the Pacific.  

I am reminded of another king who wanted to show foreigners all his riches. In 2 Kings 20:12-19, King Hezekiah wanted to also display his power and riches to Babylon. The prophets told him afterward he was going to lose everything he showed them. And he did. 

I am shocked--although I shouldn't be--that Americans are blind as they were in the days before Vietnam. At that time, we weren't fighting in Vietnam to start with, we were just moving our troops to surrounding countries for support. When the Pentagon Papers were released, it was discovered the Gulf of Tonkin incident that made Americans unite and accept the entry into war was known about months prior to it happening. Now, we have documents that were released showing our Special Forces are already in Ukraine. 

I get that only a couple sentences are devoted to Vietnam in our history books, but how many times are Americans going to rally behind destroying a country with "weapons of mass destruction" and give up the lives of their children for war? How many times are Americans going to think they can easily win a war against the Taliban or North Vietnamese--or another "great power" for that matter? How many times are Americans going to believe if they lose this one country--Korea, Vietnam, Ukraine--"democracy" everywhere will fall? 

We have environmentalists destroying artwork and protesting against global warming--but where are the environmentalists when we are going to ship depleted uranium rounds to Ukraine and cause a nuclear pollution incident worse that Chernobyl? That radiation hit the U.S. Do you think this radiation won't?

Our military isn't what it was. We have had years of spending cuts in all the wrong places. Those who join no longer get free meals and uniforms--soldiers pay for them from money automatically withdrawn from their checks. Anyone who has been in or followed things like the development of the F-35 knows the equipment we have doesn't work well and is being held together by ingenuity in some cases. In the 1990s, for example, soldiers were using Vietnam era rifles whose safeties didn't work. Although our military budget has ballooned since then, it goes for "developing" new toys, like the F-35, that have no real function because of all the bugs still not fixed after more than a decade and are more like a Ferrari that you don't drive to work everyday.

The Pentagon, who is our governments primary advisors about war, is also not what most Americans believe it is. It does not contain military personnel interpreting intelligence data. Instead, it is mostly staffed by CEOs from weapon manufacturers. These people leave their jobs, work at the Pentagon shaping war policy for a bit, and then return to them. 

That Congress is not aware--or doesn't care-- is a tragedy. Granted, most of them are so old they would not have children under 25 who could be drafted and they would simply send their grandkids to college or Canada to avoid it. You can get your degree as a lawyer and join the military during war without having to worry you will actually see combat. For most Americans, this isn't an option for our kids. We lost half-a-million soldiers during WWII. Worldwide there were 15 million soldier deaths and 38 million civilian deaths. Although WWII was fought in Europe and the Pacific, if we start WWIII, I can guarantee China and Russia will make sure we feel it at home. 

To end the Korean War after 3 million people died during the fighting, we split North and South Korea apart. How easy would it be to do that to Ukraine now, before the bloodbath includes our kids?

After Years of Being Lied to About Covid-19, The Public Now Jumps on Board with New Ukraine Lies

 You remember Snake Island--the brave Ukrainians who lost their lives defending it and the Ukrainian President's vow to posthumously award them the equivalent of a medal of honor? Except they aren't dead. By why quibble over words? After all, Ukraine will say one thing and then say the exact opposite without blinking an eye.

Remember that the Ukrainians were winning--they were stopping Russian forces? Oh, but they also were losing and needed NATO's help and weapons. Which is it? 

Remember that the Russians ran out of food and gas? This was spread all over the Western news while the Russian news reported that they would periodically halt troop movement because they thought Ukraine wanted to negotiate or in some cases to allow citizens to flee. But we can't have Russians looking like humanitarians, so we came up with the most ridiculous scenario we could find: they were out of food and gas. Because Russia isn't one of the largest exporters of wheat and gas? Why are the Russians advancing now? Did they suddenly figure out how to fill up?

Then there was the holocaust memorial that was bombed. Note: this was not done in the first days of the attack, although it could have been, but people still stayed in Kyiv and that museum happened to be close to communications targets. So, five people, who apparently chose not to evacuate, lost their lives. Was it a direct target attacking Jewish people? Or was it a missile gone astray from its communications target? 

Then there is that: Western news reports more than half a million people have evacuated Ukraine while at the same time stating that Russia is surrounding cities and preventing people from evacuating. Which is it? 

Lies like this that were blatant throughout COVID-19 should be easy for Western readers to spot--but apparently we have lost all our common sense. When "four legs good; two legs bad" becomes "four legs good; two legs better" we all have a lot more than Russians to worry about.

President Biden Apparently Doesn't Know the Definition of "Total Unanimity"

 Several news agencies report that NATO is completely in agreement with our choice to invade: SEe for example, Fox, the Hill. Really? "Unanimity" means "agreement by all people involved." Croatia is in NATO. It's president has said that if the United States goes to war with Russia over Ukraine, Croatia will drop out of NATO. Now, although the Croatian president is not the Croatian's NATO contact, he has full control of the military--if he doesn't send troops and drops out of NATO that is what will happen. I suppose since Croatia will no longer be a member that would return the "total unanimity" but as of right now many nations see the United States as the aggressor here. 

Keep in mind that way back when the first revolt broke out in Ukraine, the president that was ousted had been elected in a legal, U.N. supervised election... and the U.S. funded his removal. Since then, we have dumped billions into equipping and training our Ukrainian puppet government--will Americans ever get tired of this scenario that started with Korea and Vietnam? Hunter Biden, who was no longer employable in the U.S. because of his dishonorable "general" discharge from the military was given a cushy job in Ukraine because he was the vice-president's son. When Burisma was investigated, former Vice-President Biden said if Ukrainian officials didn't drop the charges, the U.S. would withhold aid... and then bragged about doing so on television. Last year, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when our government was printing money like there was no tomorrow--increasing inflation--we gave Ukraine, out of the goodness of the American people's hearts, more than half a billion dollars! This didn't go to the people of Ukraine, by the way, this went to their military, so they could attempt to retake the land Russia has refused to release: The parts of Ukraine that are populated by Russian citizens. 

The biggest question should not be whether the other NATO member countries are willing to go to war over non-NATO Ukraine just to keep U.S. secret dealings there secret. After NATO's failure in Afghanistan, they were already questioning the alliance. The real question is are Americans willing to sacrifice their children to the war effort? Consider the fact we already have American troops on the ground "training" Ukrainian military--I don't think the current Administration cares what Americans, or any other European nation, wants. 

The worst thing is that the Pentagon is not filled with time-tested military generals. No, it is filled with defense contractors all set to make money off any war. These are the people telling us we have to go to war with Russia... 

What do you do when you are powerful and your son has a drug issue?

Hunter Biden (Vice-President Joe Biden's son) wanted to be in the military. It seems he gets whatever he wants because it took two waivers (one for his 40+ age and one for his previous drug history). Well, in June of 2013, he tested positive for cocaine and was discharged. No one knows if it was dishonorable or honorable. Normal people would have gotten a dishonorable discharge, but then most normal people over the age of 40 with a drug history would have never gotten into the military in the first place. Out of about 35 applicants, Hunter was one of 6 chosen for his naval commission.

Conveniently, the Ukrainian revolution (the one the U.S. supported despite the fact the previous president of Ukraine had been legally elected in an election that the U.N. oversaw) began in November of 2013. This was extraordinarily lucky for Hunter because once the dust settled, he was able to get a job with a Ukrainian company. Apparently, being a lawyer doesn't require random drug testing... too bad being President, Vice-President, Senator, or Congressman didn't require random drug testing.

The thing is, it would have been easy for the West to take half Ukraine so that Hunter would have a job and give the other half to Russia. But we can't accept that. In fact, we stirred up so much trouble that the U.S. was not invited to the Minsk agreement that has held for so long.

However, we did know what that agreement said- that no foreign troops were allowed in the combat zone. Well, that gave us a loophole to stir things up again- After parading our troops around Russia's boarder and generally ticking off the population in several countries- not just the Czech republic, but Germans were caught protesting U.S. troops as well. Well, we decided to really stir things up by sending troops into Ukraine to train the new U.S. backed Ukrainian government's Neo-Nazi mercenaries. Hope that one doesn't come back to bite us like Vietnam, Osama bin Laden, and Fast and Furious.

So, Russia is moving into Eastern Ukraine, too. If the U.S. has troops in the West, why shouldn't Russia have troops in the East especially since everything was going so nicely until the U.S. started flexing its muscles.

Even more disturbing to me is the fact that Europe- which is filled with scars from the last world war, is blindly looking the other way. Our economy is shot. If we can't get a war going somewhere, we are through. Granted, we are through if a war takes place on our turf- we need other people to buy our lousy F-35s to help support our spending habits. I don't know anyone in
America who thinks things are peachy keen here - even though the papers are constantly talking about how our jobs numbers look great, or the only reason we stopped spending in the winter was because it was exceptionally harsh (sorry, Europe, our winter was pretty normal and I am located in the MidWest). Yes, I realize you have linked your economy to ours, but really we are a sinking ship- are you really falling for all the camera tricks.

Anyway, it used to be our newspapers that were biased. After all, the president promised them special information if they would agree to only print what he told them to print. So far, they have done a pretty good job of following the rules. Now, however, it seems this writer in Scotland has figured it out. The rich ruling class (if you are American and don't believe we are only ruled by the rich, you really need to check out the backgrounds of those in power- like Mr. Biden) has screwed up the world economy through dirty deals. The economic collapse will be covered by a war- this time with the East. Sad, yes, but even sadder is that it is the only theory that makes sense. Why else would world leaders WANT a war with Russia and China?

Are we ready for WWIII?

When Vladmir Putin disappeared last week, many theories arose- (1) He was sick, even deathly sick or dead; (2) A coup had ousted him; (3) (perhaps the most ridiculous) His girlfriend had a baby.
(#3) Was just silly because Vladmir does not strike me as the type of guy to take paternity leave when his country is on the brink of war. (#2) Was also perhaps a Western misunderstanding. Vladmir Putin may be the visible head of Russia, but if anyone believe he is the sole person in power there, they certainly have no idea about modern Russian history. A coup would have to oust all those people to be successful- and keep in mind the major opposition just lost its leader within the month.

(#1) Was a little more feasible. Although Putin portrays himself as a man of excellent health, something, like the flu, could happen to make him sick. But I was a little skeptical of this, too. From what I know of him, he would have dragged himself, even from his near deathbed, to a camera and put on a good show for 5 minutes or so had this been the case. He is not the type of guy to rush to the ER because he has a little indigestion (clearing my throat pointedly).

So where did I think he went. Well, when Nemtsov was killed, all his computer equipment was confiscated by Russia. My theory says they found a link to Western agitators who were backing him. They probably found enough information to fuel their belief that the West is seeking the overthrow of Russia. So, my theory was that Putin called a private war meeting with all his allies.

Whether this happened or not, no one will probably ever know. However, my theory pended on him appearing today. If he didn't appear, perhaps he was only sick. But, he did appear. And announced that the entire Russian military in the Arctic is now on active duty.

Poroshenko: The Next U.S. Installed Dictator

It is important to note that although 300,000 have fled eastern Ukraine, they fled to Russia - not to Western Ukraine. Poroshenko willingly bombs and kills his own people, all under the aegis of the U.S. and E.U. If he can reclaim the area, he supposedly uses the "aid" he has received to help - but only in areas he has reclaimed for Ukraine. Now, he refuses to allow Russia to send aid.

Russia's aid is physical not money that the Ukrainian government can use funding its genocide. Russia wants to have the Red Cross accompany them, but we all know the Ukrainian government refuses to guarantee safe passage for anyone. In fact, it seems that once the Ukrainian government hears outside, objective witnesses are going to be anywhere in Eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian government then steps up its military actions in that area- to ensure any peacekeepers are killed.

Probably more disturbing is that the West has funded this war, but we refuse to send our troops in to help. Why not have NATO troops carry the aid to Eastern Ukraine? I certainly don't trust the Western Ukrainian government to do it. After all, they have had aid to help, but have not used it, yet. In fact, most of the "humanitarian" aid that has been given to countries during the past three decades has done nothing more than rot. If the U.N. truly cared about helping nations, they would make sure the food and supplies got to those who need it instead of sending it to governments to "hand out."

Who is the real loser when it comes to sanctions?

When I heard the EU was going to sanction Russia, I took a screen shot (with the date posted) of the stock market prices for the major exchanges. Then, today, I did it again at market close. Guess what. All our markets fell during the time I first saw the announcement and today (compare the market final prices between the two days for yourself - most news sites I saw today say they rose). Hmmm... I'll bet Russia was really hurt, though. Of course, this article says that the Russian markets actually jumped ahead.

"Even so, Russian markets rallied, as investors deemed the sanctions less severe than feared, with Russian stocks, bonds and the rouble rising."

James Nixey of British think tank Chatham Houses admitted, "It will hurt a little bit but it's a down payment on the future security of Europe. It's a question of Western credibility."

Sorry, James, actually its a question of the credibility of the U.S. government when it comes to a matter of talking about a country that is harboring someone the NSA can't get ahold of, and it's also a question of the naivete of European governments in accepting that one of the most corrupt governments the US has yet elected is telling the truth. We have taken out our own citizens out with drones, taken out government leaders with drones, and spied on our allies relentlessly, even after we were caught, to the point of being kicked out of Germany. Go ahead, trust our satellite pictures (did the State Department actually release them, or not?) and politicians.

Goodness knows most Americans don't trust our leaders, but hey, we have all that cold war tension that was built up from the 80's that makes us especially willing to fight against any "commies." So, if our government leads us to WWIII in Ukraine, we'll come along for the ride. After all, it won't be our country getting torn up (again). And don't worry, we've got some great planes we can sell you... But I think the sanctions are going to hurt more than just a 'little bit'. Perhaps we can trade for apples... Don't worry, we're in this together.

You see, for years everyone has been trying to bring the world under one big economic system (when I say everyone, read most governments). Some countries have had stronger economies during this time, like Germany, and others have not, like Greece. However, the stronger economies have always been able to hold the weaker ones up. Well, Russia and China are two VERY strong economies with VERY little debt. In fact, Australia is the only Western economy that has such a unique world situation right now. But, Russia and China have already decided they are tired of the way the West is treating them and started to pull out from it. What happens when this transition is complete?

Based on how our minor sanctions of Russia hurt us, I would have to say being removed from Russia's economy completely (and China's too) will be pretty painful. Also, based on the fact that our sanctions against N. Korea have still allowed how many? MIGs to be smuggled into the country from Cuba, I would have to say our sanctions are about as effective as placing a child in time out and leaving the room.

If you bully a kid long enough, he is going to fight back. The problem is, most kids who get bullied aren't as big and powerful as Russia.

Where is your proof?

If the people of the Donetsk People's Republic have been desecrating the bodies as Kerry reports:

"Drunken separatists have been piling bodies into trucks and removing them from the site," he said on NBC television on Sunday. "What's happening is really grotesque and it is contrary to everything President Putin and Russia said they would do."

Where are the pictures? Why is it that one man, probably drunk with sorrow causes everyone to disrespectfully call ALL the people fighting for the Donetsk People's Republic "drunken." But I suppose Kerry never touches the stuff...

I do hope the U.N. punishes everyone responsible. Ukraine kept its airspace open when three military planes had been downed in the area. Even the IATA agrees they are responsible for this. Western powers incited a rebellion that overthrew a legally elected government, which in turn led to the Donetsk People's Republic forming. The West refused to recognize the Donetsk People's Republic and encourage the Ukrainian government to fight against them. They bear responsibility.

The Ukrainian government flew fighter jets over the Donetsk People's Republic and used them to attack civilians of the Donetsk People's Republic. They forced a nation with few military reserves and no fighter jets to defend themselves with material they had captured.

The Ukainian Air Traffic Control told the jet to fly lower instead of keeping them at the height listed on their flight plan. The Ukrainian government confiscated all recordings from its own ATC and did not allow investigators to hear them as they were (or at all - I haven't seen anything about them since the notice they were confiscated).

The Ukrainian government continues to attack the Donetsk People's Republic, despite pleas from the international community to stop fighting while the investigation is ongoing.

Statements like this REALLY Irritate me!

Abbott said an Australian investigation team was in Kiev but had been unable to travel to the site. He said there had been some improvement with the Ukrainian government offering access.
"But there's still a hell of a long way to go before anyone could be satisfied with the way that site is being treated," Abbott said. "It's more like a garden cleanup than a forensic investigation. This is completely unacceptable."

Excuse me Mr. Abbott - YOUR investigators haven't yet been able to VIEW the site. In fact, they are being detained in Kiev. You are on the other side of the world. How can you make an assessment as to what is happening?

P.S. If you regularly have to "clean up" 300ish bodies out of your garden, I suggest having the source of the problem looked into. Most people do not find scattered airplane parts and bodies in their gardens.

The plane was blown up according to everyone in the international community, at the site, and eyewitnesses. What more is anyone expecting to find? A piece of the missile that says "James Kirk, under the direction of such and such government, deliberately fired me at this airplane to incite international outrage and condemnation." Please. They are going to find out the airplane exploded in the air and none of the evidence they find at the scene will ever tell people for certain who fired any missiles that might have been involved.

Bravo, Paul Lockwood!

I found this on the BBC feed about the crash site:

Paul Lockwood, Cambridge, UK

1. emails: It is very worrying that Mr Kerry and his government seem more interested in making political capital out of this tragic incident than in trying to calm the situation down and find a peaceful way to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Paul Lockwood is obviously a very astute person. Despite claims of the Ukrainian government over the past few days that the "rebels" have been desecrating the bodies at the crash site and hauling them off for illegal autopsies, the Dutch inspectors found them in good quality refrigerator cars being well-preserved. Nearly all the bodies are now accounted for. Despite claims that the "rebels" desecrated the bodies while moving them, I have only seen pictures of them respectfully carrying them.

1. Roman Kosarev, Russia Today
   tweets: #OSCE, Dutch forensic expert Peter Van Vilet - bodies of #MH17 victims stored in suitable environment in Torez pic.twitter.com/Iya29MLNZ2
2. • Mr Kerry described the rebels' handling of the bodies of the 298 people who died as "grotesque"

The US government claims to have video proof that the Russians are involved. Why wasn't it posted immediately? They supposedly collected this proof weeks ago - why didn't they present it to the international community and to news agencies to gains support in their war against Russia?

The Ukrainian government has said it will not fight within 40km, but today civilians in Donetsk have died because of the fighting going on. If Ukraine pulls out during the investigation, there will be no fighting, and the trainload of bodies can be taken home. But, perhaps Ukrainian officials don't want the bodies to go home - perhaps they are the true ones desecrating the dead.

1. 13:04:
   Fighting in Donetsk is complicating efforts to move the bodies of MH17 victims by rail, OSCE monitors say.
   
2.  
   

   13:01:
   An armed pro-Russian separatist lies on the ground near the train station in Donetsk, where fierce fighting has been reported.

The US leaders are acting like crazed warmongers. It really should be no surprise that the official Ukrainian government, which the West helped put in power is aping them.

Who is driving the war with Russia?

Over the past several weeks, the international banter about sanctions against Russia has died down. Perhaps this is in the face of Germany discovering that the U.S. is still spying on them actively - especially in matters related to Snowden.

Throughout, the US/EU keep telling Russia to deescalate the situation. And Russia seems to comply, at least on the surface. Consider Putin currently is not supposed to be able to send troops into the Ukraine without prior parliamentary approval - something our president sees not need to get. And most of the time, it seems Kiev breaks the Russian negotiated ceasefires- not separatists or Russia. I have to agree that as long as Kiev keeps sending their military into the separatist region, there is not going to be a ceasefire. I also don't understand why the rest of the world doesn't get this. It is as if we have forgotten every revolution that has ever occurred. When England continued to send troops to America after we declared our independence, did we sit back and allow them to attack us?

Of course, Kiev will do whatever the US/EU wants because we are the ones who probably contributed to putting those currently ruling the country in power. However, it seems to be a back and forth dance, and one has to wonder just how involved NATO is in the whole thing. If our troops are the ones winning the battles, then I am sorry, but that means we are going to have to be their indefinitely to contain the unrest.

But we also seem to be the ones driving the sanctions. The US recently sanctioned Russia, again, which will probably get most US based businesses kicked out of the country. But it seems as if the US is leading it. Then the EU is expected to follow. If the US is in fact driving this forward, I can only conclude that it is because they want a reason to attack Russia. They want Snowden, who is obviously well enough protected to avoid being taken out by drone (our current president's favorite way of getting rid of people, including American citizens, that he doesn't like). The irony is that the EU should be praising Snowden for uncovering our spying against allies, but they are helping to put pressure on Russia to extract him. Granted, none of them offered him sanctuary either.

In the end, China and Russia grow closer while their relations with the West grow more and more strained. The question is, now that we have tried so hard to create a global economy, what will happen when two of the strongest economies extract themselves from the rest of us? Apparently none of the idiots leading the US have gotten the memo that this could be disastrous.

Why Not Fight in Ukraine?

Many could argue that it is our right to rush into foreign countries and save the people. However, in the case of Ukraine, escalating this war is not what the people want. On both sides, they just want to be separate.

But even without that, we need to seriously consider how competent we are at rushing in to support "the people" of countries against dictatorship. Consider where certain countries are today after we threw our weight behind the people overthrowing "dictators": Egypt has been in unrest since we were happy to let it's president be overthrown, it's the same with Libya, Pakistan (where we supposedly ousted the Taliban, Afghanistan (where we are withdrawing and I assume declaring another false "victory"), and Iraq (or this one since it's the latest hot topic)- although Blair says that is not the fault of the West.

In fact, the US has a long history of setting up corrupt governments in foreign countries under the name of "democracy." Why keep repeating it?

Ukraine gets more interesting.

Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks that NATO is doing more than just watching in Ukraine.

Once again I have to question how bad this would have escalated if we would have just let Russia keep Crimea and its naval base there. In Georgia, things cooled down quickly despite warnings that we needed to get involved or Russia would take over the whole country and return to is cold war glory.

The former Polish president is right to say that 'the world is at a dangerous point.' After all we vowed to support Ukraine and then moved troops into Poland to back it. I am sure the Polish people want us to stand by our vow, since they will probably be one of the first extra-Ukrainian targets if Russia decides to go militant because that is the closest place they can hit troublesome NATO troops. Again, are our troops (which is what NATO is primarily made up of) helping the situation or encouraging it to go into decline?

Things to make you think:

Without Russia, the US doesn't have a space program.
Without Russia and China, who will fund our debt?
Without Russia, how are we going to supply gas to all of Europe - and do we really want to pay the price at the pump of even attempting to do this?

Russia China U.S.

Really, are any of us surprised that Russia has been sending troops into East Ukraine? In a prior post, I said that based on the accuracy of the "separatists" I had no doubt they were trained Russian troops. However, when I heard about the attack on the Donetsk airport had heavy casualties for the separatists, I have to wonder - has the West also joined the war privately?

Sorry if I am a little cynical in my belief that the election of a new president can suddenly make Ukrainian troops better - much, much better. I also am a little curious about the death toll on the side of the Ukrainians. I would love a link to an article by a reputable news source discussing that. I would also like to know what percentage of the population in Eastern Ukraine actually voted in this election. All I have seen is the margin the current president won by out of votes cast.

Meanwhile, we continue to provoke China.  As I have stated before, this is going to be an economic war first before it turns to WWIII. Right now, as a world, we are linked together through our economies. At the least, this altercation will separate Asia's economy from the rest of the world.

How long until gas prices really skyrocket now?

Not surprisingly, China and Russia finally made their gas deal. Americans should wonder how long it will be before we start paying for it at the pump. This deal means that Russia won't need the EU to buy its gas in order to keep its economy going.

In further ways the US is trying to irritate these two superpowers, the US has accused five Chinese officials of cyber-spying. I have to agree this is like the pot calling the kettle black. The Chinese media is having a great time talking about how annoying we are. And the Chinese government has issued a veiled warning about how Asian countries should stick together and not listen to the US.

Russia is also supposed to be pulling out of the Ukraine. However, this won't stop the violence because most of it is Kiev initiated.

I was very impressed that Forbes finally posted an article that tells you what I have been saying on here for a while. Western media is not giving you the full story. Russia is not driving this - the West is. For whatever reason, Germany decided it wanted to pull the Ukraine into the rest of Europe and got the US to help blow this up.

How can you hold "peace talks" between two arguing parties without inviting one of them to the table?

It disturbs me that the Ukraine is claiming to hold "peace talks" with the protesters and not inviting leaders from the Pro-Russian separatists to join. Yeah, most of the separatists are probably Russian military, but the leaders at least seem to be real Ukrainians like the one taken to Russia to treat his wounds. Instead of talking with him, they capture him?

It also is puzzling why our side continues to push this war. "Russian troops are near their border." And our troops are just near Russia's border because we are defending NATO nations. Excuse me? Russian troops are officially still in Russia and our troops are next to Russia (not still in the US) and yet Russia is starting a war?

And, oh, sorry if I don't buy that Vietnam is rioting against China on its own conveniently after our President went to SE Asia and stirred up trouble there, pledging to support SE Asian nations against China. Thankfully, Vietnam seems to be the only one that took the bait (well and the Philippines because they are allowing more US troops there).

So, what can we expect by this? Higher gas prices for one.  Many people think that once Russia supplies China with gas and pulls the rug out from supplying the EU, the US will get all that business. Actually, if you have been following the Keystone Pipeline phase 4, you will realize that Canada (not the US) is being primed to provide it. However, that won't be in effect for several years - they have to put in a pipeline over the world's largest natural aquifer and a fault line first. Hope people like a little oil in their water...

Anyway, in that time when Russia stops providing gas to the EU and Canada can being supplying it, we can expect our gas prices to skyrocket even higher. Why the democrats and republicans alike (primed by promises of a German President who has been in a little longer than I like) have decided this China/Russia standoff is going to help us (I can practically see the dollar signs in all our politicians eyes) I don't know. I am sure most of them are betting that Russia won't fight back.

I certainly hope that Russia won't fight back, but if they just roll over and take it, I think Putin will deserve the next Nobel Peace Prize. Maybe we should take President Obama'a away from him and offer it to Russia? But I'm not holding my breath on this. Putin has shown he works strategically. He will only use as much force as necessary to get what he wants. Unfortunately, if he doesn't go the Peace route it will only destroy the rest of the world.

How far will the Ukraine fighting escalate?

Leaders from the west continue to pour money into the government they helped set up in Western Ukraine. Ukraine owes Russian companies more than 3 billion dollars, but Ukraine probably is not going to use the 1 billion just given to them to pay up. No that money might as well be flushed down the toilet. It will buy more war toys for them to lose to the "rebels."

Our money is escalating this war. The irony is that Western Ukrainian troops (the ones we are supporting with the government we backed) are doing a bad job of anything beyond getting themselves killed and killing more civilians than rebels.

How long can we expect our leaders to sit back and sanction Russia with Russia returning the favor? Here, the BBC suggests that Putin's statement shows he is weakening because of sanctions. But that isn't my take on it. I see Putin treading a fine line. He doesn't want to get involved in WWIII so close to his border. By Eastern Ukraine voting themselves out of the Ukraine, he gave himself a little buffer there, but he wants more. He also wants to entice us into making the first move.

I think Putin is a very smart man. I think eventually, he is going to turn off Ukraine's gas and the rest of the gas for Europe. Once our "sanctions" really start to hurt him, he will make sure his sanctions hurt us. At that point, Europe will have two options - back down and let Russia have what they want (admitting that Russia is stronger) or send troops in to turn the gas back on. The West will have to make the first "official" military move. (I don't doubt some (or all) of the pro-Russian activists are Russian military or at least Russian trained - they are way too accurate at taking out anything Western Ukraine sends their way. This alone should scare us at the efficiency of the Russian military.) How long until we make it?

In the US, we are led by Democrats and Republicans with unlimited terms in Congress and the House. During elections, they sling mud and try to show how different they are from their opponents, but once they win, they are in bed with each other. That Coats and Donelly support military action (despite the anti-war election time stance of Democrats) and support dumping money into the Ukraine - money that we are ironically borrowing from Russia and China to stay afloat - shows that ALL our leaders in these parties are corrupt. America is the ONLY nation with ONLY TWO parties. Why do we think adding more would topple us?

Every time election runs around both sides scream that if you vote for a third party you could let the other guy win. Wake up, America! We are not longer a democratic republic where the people elect leaders who represent them. NO ONE in Washington represents us because they have ALL been there too long. The represent their PARTY. And their parties represent the businesses that dump the MOST MONEY into them. If GM dumps billions of dollars into both parties - GM gets a voice. (Please don't fool yourself into thinking one party takes more than the other.) We have lost our voice until we get rid of every Republican and Democrat on Capitol Hill and start running independents.

Russia Sanctions US

Thankfully, Russia is being sensible about the issue in Ukraine. So far they are only acting defensively. (Granted John Madden always says "The best offense is a good defense.") However, it isn't generally known that they are sanctioning us. They aren't being as vocal about it.

If I had to guess, it's because they aren't trying to cover up their military actions by confusing the general population with talks of sanctions.

I have contacted Joe Donnelly AND Dan Coats telling them I was against any action in the Ukraine. Both senators support ANY action to support western Ukraine. Ironically, Joe Donnelly said he was completely for it because he supported the people's democratic rights. WHAT!?!? The people voted for a Ukrainian president who was pro-Russia and "activists" kicked him out. This election that is coming up is a farce because the rightfully elected president was kicked out and the current government of Ukraine has not been elected.

Russia at least believe the government overthrow was instigated by Germany and the US. Based on our overbearing actions since then, I would have to agree. Had we only placed sanctions on Russia, I would have brushed this off. However, we have put our troops on the ground in Europe to "support" the Ukraine. Sorry, that is our country saying loud and clear we want war over this stupid situation. 

The people of Crimea and now eastern Ukraine have voted. Their democratic choice is to let Russia rule them despite how horrific that sounds to us. Why can't they let it go?