Oh crap, I've agreed with CL on a couple of points.
I feel dirty and ashamed.
Oh crap, I've agreed with CL on a couple of points.
I feel dirty and ashamed.
Tricky business. How much of someone's nature is the product of circumstance driven by the actions of another?When trying to ascertain who started something, I look at the nature of the people involved and try to find differences in ideology. From that I get a feeling about a situation before looking at other evidence.
I'm just so pleased this hasn't degenerated into a discussion about FRA safety rules. Yet...
....yet....
And how would you apply that to the dead children in Gaza?Originally Posted by CL
I agree. Plus the separatist rebels haven't been flying planes. So it's very unlikely to be the Ukrainian military that were responsible since they'd have no reason to be firing anti-aircraft missiles. Putin is a menace but some people are still reluctant to believe it.
I read this blog entry a week or so ago, and it came accross as much more believable than the same old reheated stuff coming out of the world's media. The key bit is the evidence of Ukranian missile batteries and spy planes active in the area at the time of the incident.
If the western powers want to isolate Putin then they'll control the media accordingly, i don't trust either of them personally and you only have to go back as far as Blair and his anti-Saddam campaign to see how it is done. Any organisations not singing from the right songsheet will be kept as quiet as possible.
There's too much at stake to go eroding diplomatic relations with Russia unnecessarily, it could lead to another Cold War. I saw a documentary a while ago on how close the Cold War actually came to being 'hot'; there was a Russian man stood in front of the safe containing the launch codes, all his commanding officer had to do was say "yes" and the codes were out, once the codes come out nothing stops missiles being launched and the target was the UK. They were that paranoid they mistook a drill exercise for the real thing. It wasn't just them either, we had Lightening Jets sat on our runways at full throttle fairly regularly, ready to take off and launch a counter offensive against targets in Russia under the premise their missiles were on the way. I strongly believe it's not a situation worth risking again, and i don't have much time for the finger waggers in the UN.
I think this particular blogger destroys all his credibility when he comes out with this bizarre statement.
What the US still refers to as the "illegal annexation of Crimea" was actually the result of a heavy turn-out vote by the Crimean people where 97% of the votes cast were in favor of rejoining Russia.
In fact in a vote at the UN, an overwhelming majority of the world's nations decided it was an illegal annexation and the referendum a complete sham. Here's why:
- Crimea was under an illegal Russian military occupation at the time.
- The question set didn't even allow for the option of retaining the status quo
- The ballot boxes were transparent so that the voting slips were visible through the box walls.
- The referendum was arranged in unseemly haste so there was no chance to consult all parties as to its terms of reference. Contrast that with the Scottish independence referendum.
- The referendum breached the Ukrainian constitution
As a result of this most people opposed to Crimea joining with Russia didn't bother to vote at all. The so called result was at odds with previous opinion polls and indeed the 1991 referendum when a majority of people in Crimea had voted to be part of an independent Ukraine.
Only 11 countries voted against the UN resolution. This included Russia obviously and some satellite states no doubt too worried about the consequences of offending Putin to do otherwise. They also included those well known freedom loving democracies of Syria and Zimbabwe.
None of this is mentioned by your blogger. I wonder why. Nor does he seem interested in the fact that Russia has fomented war in a neighbouring sovereign state.
Last edited by Muddy Retriever; 11-08-2014 at 10:46 PM.
Until now, I've steered away from this as it's a topic that you gain little from voicing an opinion on.
There are many elements, old issues going back many generations. But ultimately what really stirs this up is people in power who prey on the masses and use these old issues as fuel.
It gets associated with religion as this often manifests itself amongst religious groups, but it is more a result of authoritarianism, and perhaps a degree of insanity.
The Middle East was the birth of civilisation on Earth in many respects and I remember the fascination I had in secondary school learning about it. Now it just seems to be 1000's of square miles of war, murder, savagery with millions of ordinary folk being caught up in this violence merely through an accident of birth.
I think that the arms industry has a huge role to play in world conflicts of the last 20 years. The Americans with help from particularly us in GB and the French supply "defence" all around the world. It brings in huge money, employs vast numbers.
But to keep the factories ticking over, conflicts are needed. Each Tomahawk missile fired is $1,000,000 turnover for Raytheon, so the Gulf War and Afghanistan conflict must have been very lucrative for them.
All these mini-skirmishes around the Islamic World seem a convenient money spinner for the US arms industry in particular.
But it's not just the Americans with Western minor supporters. The Russians and Chinese are also in this game. Then we have North Korea.
The NK Government might be involved in pretty low level stuff, but in the places they sell it a man with a blow-pipe is king, so it has a huge de-stablising impact.
Fahrenheit 911 asks searching questions about the linkage of thee arms companies and major industrials to the Twin Towers attack and it makes compelling viewing.
It makes me wonder whether we are all being had for mugs, with Governments just the puppets of big powerful corporations. Hired puppets with the main purpose of maintaining a degree of conflict around the world and helping them tick over, whilst maintaining the supply of essential energy sources.
Richard Taylor
"William Tell could take an apple off your head. Taylor could take out a processed pea."
Sid Waddell
I've sat listening to countless politicians from around the world for 30 years advising that we must have peace, the Palestinians and Israelis need to come together.....
It could be done if there was the International will outside of the main protagonists.
The Gaza strip is about 200 square miles and nowhere is more than about 8 miles from the coast.
A small NATO fleet off the coast with air support. An Arab League ground force in Gaza to maintain law and order.
Control of Gaza would give some confidence to Israel and it would guarantee the Safety of the Palestinians.
It might be needed for 20 years or more, but how long did we spend in Afghanistan and Iraq?
20 years would allow a generation to develop who knew life away from armed conflict.
Build infrastructure, schools, hospitals, roads, rail, ports and sanitation systems instead of enforcing perpetual poverty, illness, violence and death.
Richard Taylor
"William Tell could take an apple off your head. Taylor could take out a processed pea."
Sid Waddell
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