All of the geopolitical forces playing a part in the situation in Ukraine right now are a complex mix of economics and politics, and in our main stream media the coverage we get is a mix of propaganda and facts, and omission of facts. But a general understanding is possible, if we are willing to take off our “go U.S.A.!” patriotic beer goggles and acknowledge some basic truths. This time that task is made easy by a couple of things. First, the hypocrisy of the United States foreign policy becomes so obvious at times with the ridiculous statements of our leaders that they cannot even escape television comedy or commentary from television pundits in the mainstream. Secondly, Senate Republicans made an absolute mockery of their voters out there who proudly display bumper stickers supporting Republican candidates, along side the famous bumper sticker that proclaims: “Support the Troops.” The Senate G.O.P. defeated, through a procedural trick similar to a fillibuster that required 60 votes for passage, a veteran’s benefits bill that would have significantly expanded services such as health care and education for our troops.
First, on the Ukraine and U.S. hypocrisy. Secretary of State John Kerry last Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” said this, regarding Russia’s move into Crimea: ”You just don’t invade another country on phony pretext in order to assert your interests.” On “Face the Nation” the same day, on the audacity of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s decision: “It is really a stunning, willful choice by President Putin to invade another country.” Yes, truly shocking. Nothing the United States would do. Certainly not our former President of Peace, George W. Bush.
The United States, since World War II, has intervened in more than 70 countries world wide, bombed over 30 countries, tried to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments, attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders, among other atrocities, according to the historical records, and documented extensively by historian and U.S. foreign policy expert and critic William Blum. I recommend you take the time to read some of the information on the author’s website if you are unfamiliar with the ugly truth of our government’s murderous empire building these past six decades, or as our leaders like to call it, “democracy building.” Here is a link to his website: http://williamblum.org/
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. and it’s allies in Western Europe have steadily attempted to spread their borders and influence eastward towards Russia, expanding N.A.T.O. and attempting to pick off countries that are former members of the Soviet Union. Ukraine is now the latest country in this tug of war between the West and Russia. The recently deposed President of Ukraine was democratically elected, but his troubles began when he decided to take a 15 billion dollar bailout from Russia over a trade deal offered with the European Union. Pro-western forces in the country then began massive protests, met with apparent government violence, and now we have the current mess. The eastern portion of Ukraine in Crimea, primarily Russian speaking, and home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet naval base in Sevastopol, is considered an important strategic port for Russia, and it is appearing more likely now that Russia intends to keep it for themselves. Russian parliament and Putin have already voted and expressed support for Crimea’s referendum, to be held on March 16th, to basically secede from Ukraine and rejoin Russia. Of course, President Obama has said that this will not be legitimate, will violate the Ukraine constitution, and international law, etc. Given the U.S.’s regular and consistent disregard for international law when it applies to us, this is falling on deaf Russian ears.
At home, President Obama is with his advisers, and working with his European counterparts, trying to figure out how to best squeeze Russian and pressure them to relent. His options appear limited, as far as I can tell. The U.S. does have many economic weapons at it’s disposal, as it’s economic warfare tactics have devastated less powerful countries over the years, such as former President Bill Clinton’s United Nations sanctions against Iraq that are estimated to have killed over 500 thousand civilians, through starvation and other effects of devastating trade embargoes. ( http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/27/magazine/were-sanctions-right.html ). But Obama’s hands are more limited, as Western Europe does a lot of trade with Russia and depends on Russia as a large source of oil and gas. These realities don’t stop the blabberings and outbursts from Senator Sore Loser John McCain, who has yet to find a conflict he doesn’t want to bomb. Senator Lindsay Grahm, McCain’s partner in the bomb Iran crowd and cheerleader for hawkish, warmongering Israeli rehtoric, has said also blamed Obama’s “weakness” for Putin’s action. According to these jackass blowhards, it’s lack of toughness on Obama’s part for not bombing Syria (although the congress wouldn’t support him on that nor the American people.) Former Mayor of New York City, and record holder for answering the most republican primary questions with “911, I remember 911”, was on television admiring Putin’s leadership skills, on how quickly he decided to move into Crimea and get his rubber stamp parliament’s approval, and complaining that Obama always had to “think” about it and consult experts first.
But, when it comes to hypocrisy, what seems more offensive and most obvious to me, is how Republicans in congress and the White House, have the nerve to say “Support the Troops.” The only thing these scumbags support are aggressive U.S. military action abroad. They never want to pay for post war care for the troops once they come home. An alarming rate of veterans end up on food stamps, suffering from mental and physical wounds, and seemingly disregarded as an unimportant part of a military budget. The Obama Administration and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel’s recent recommendations to cuts in the military budget are met with cries of making us less safe, etc. because they cut down on the number of troops and phase out costly and unneeded military hardware. Take away a congressman’s military hardware, especially if it is manufactured in his state or by his corporate sponsors, and you’ll hear pleas of no, but ask that Republican congressman to steer that budget money to support the troops that have served, and he is not interested. In this way, the Republicans treat the troops the same as they do children: before going off to war, they are all about support, just as the un-born fetus is revered, until the child is born and then abandoned by the Republicans, should they need food or healthcare.
Recently, on February 27, a veteran’s benefits bill, sponsored by Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, was defeated by a vote of 56 to 41. 41 were against it, 56 for it. Now that may sound like a typo error, how could the bill lose if it had the majority of senators voting for it? The usual slime ball, Republican way of ruling by minority. Like the fillibuster that requires a super majority of 60, the minority of Republicans in the Senate used a procedural maneuver to require 60 votes. Only two Republicans joined the Democrats in voting to expand heath care, job training and education for veterans. The minority of Republicans defeated the veterans bill. Support the troops, yeah right.
From Senator Sander’s website:
“The cost of war does not end once the last shots are fired and the last battles are fought,” Sanders said. “When members of the military lose arms, legs and eyesight fighting in wars that Congress authorized, we have a moral obligation to make sure that those Americans receive all of the benefits that they have earned and deserve. When American soldiers die in combat, we have a moral obligation to make sure that the spouses and children they leave behind are taken care of and do not live in abject poverty.” ( http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-republicans-block-veterans-bill )
In other words, if you have a sticker of a ribbon on your car that reads “Support the Troops” and you vote Republican, you might as well take that sticker off your car and wipe your ass with it, because that’s what your minority of Republican Senators essentially did, and they go their way. All they are interested in is war all the time. They could care less about our people fighting them, or the millions of lives that are destroyed by war.