The United States government continues to play a dangerous game in Russia's near abroad. Now the United States government has inserted itself in the middle of a dispute between Ukraine and Russia over Sevastopol, the traditional home of the Russian Black Sea fleet since the time of Catherine the Great. The Crimea peninsula which encompasses Sevastopol was seded to Ukraine by Khrushev as a gift during the time of the Soviet Union. Most of the people living in the Crimea peninsula are ethnic Russians and speak Russian, not Ukrainian. Yushchenko, the pro western and pro Nato president of Ukraine wants Russia to pay a higher rent for its use of Sevastopol and angry about Russia's actions in Georgia wants to impose regulations on Russia's use of Sevastopol. Russia, which has a lease on Sevastopol till 2020 has vowed to ignore any such regulations. To further complicate matters Tymoshento, the Prime Minister of Ukraine who was swept into power with Yushenko during the Orange Revolution is in a bitter political dispute with Yushenko. Tymoshento favors a less confrontational policy towards Russia with regards to Sevastopol and recently in the Ukraine parliment formed a tactical alliance with the former President of Ukraine, Yanukovich, who is pro Russia, to limit the powers of the Ukraine President. As a result the alliance between Tymoshento and Yushchenko has been broken and Yushchenko has lost his parlimentary majority. Yushenko has 30 days to rebuild that majority or he must call new elections. It would be the third election in three years for the Ukraine.
The United States government has inserted itself into the middle of this complex political, territorial, and ethnic dispute. Daniel Fried, the United States Undersecretary of State said "The United States and I daresay Europe as well support Ukraine in its independence, its freedom, its democracy, and its right to choose its own future." The extent of that support he did not make clear. Niether Fried, a bureacratic flunkie of the State Department, or the President have the power to make a military commitment to Ukraine. Under the Constitution, the supreme law of the United States, only Congress through the ratification of a treaty can make such a commitment. Such a treaty must be passed by a 2/3 maority in the Senate of the United States. The dispute between Ukraine and Russia over Sevastopol shows the danger of allowing Ukraine into NATO. If Ukraine is admitted into NATO there is a very good chance that the United States might be drawn into a war with Russia over Sevastopol and the Crimea peninsula. These areas of the world are only of marginal or no strategic interests to the people of the United States but are considered of vital strategic interest to Russia. There is no way Russia will peacefully vacate Sevastopol and then watch NATO establish its own naval base in Sevastopol. Already Russian Nationalist are screaming that Ukraine must return what rightfully belongs to Russia.
Up until 1991, Ukraine, had been a part of the Soviet Union. The people of the United States thrived while Ukraine was under the thumb of the Russians. Ukraine is not of vital strategic importance to the United States. The United States government should stay out of what promises to be a nasty political and ethnic dispute between Russia and Ukraine that has the potential to blow up into a military confrontation. The only dog the people of the United States have in a war between Russia and Ukraine is to stay out of it. Congress needs to start acting in a responsible manner, and stop handing out war guarantees as if they were penny candy. NATO was an alliance formed against the former Soviet Union. The former Soviet Union is now consigned to the dust bin of history and the same goes for the Warsaw Pact. NATO has served it purpose. It should have been buried when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Warsaw Pact was dissolved. It is past time for NATO to join other cold war relics such the former Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact in the dust bin of history.

NO WAR FOR GEORGIA!
NO WAR FOR UKRAINE!

One could have made a similar argument in the last century about Czechoslovakia's attempt to maintain its independence in the face of German territorial ambitions.

We must be at the climax of a major wargasm because the Hitler card has been played. HITLER! CHAMBERLIN! MUNICH! APPEASEMENT! are the lunatic shrieks of those beating the drums for war with a nuclear armed Russia. Forget the fact that it was Georgia and its idiot President, Saakashvilli, who started the war with a sneak attack on South Ossetia while the Russian leadership was at the olympics. Forget the fact that it is NATO that wants to expand all the way up to the borders of Russia. Forget the fact that it is the United States government that is building an Anti Missle Defense system in a former Warsaw Pact country. Russia is the aggressor! Russia is the imperial power on the march! Putin and Medvedev now join Milosevic, Saddam Hussien, and Ahmadinejad as the newest Hitlers the world seems to produce in such assembly line fashion. Such an endless supply of Hitlers! Such an endless supply Munichs!! But best of all such an endless amount of new WARS!!!!!!!

Good Day Thoughtvent Community,

September 20, 2008

Topic: The United States of America our Republic in Crisis

In this current crisis the American Citizen the shareholders of our Treasury are being asked through our Representatives whom we have given our proxies to act on our behalf, to sign off on a plan that in its implementation, will subvert our Constitution and knowingly breach National Security.

The proposed plan offered by Treasury Secretary Paulson would require our Nation to borrow money from foreign governments and private interest, thereby effectively allowing alien interest to own more than 50% of our debt ergo our Sovereignty. What is being proposed is not free market/capitalism, its Socialism

The American People already know that whatever the solution there will be pain attached so the assumption that we are too stupid to understand that the root cause/problem is inflation (non existent assets, air) mixed in with hard capital so polluting the whole capital structure.


I am heartsick;

I fear that Senator Obama is being driven by Vanity not Courage to protect and serve the American tax payer.

Senator McCain just leaves me confused! While Governor Pallin is Dick Cheney in a skirt!

Senator Obama came out to talk with America through the media/reporters looking very much in control and re-assuring as he puts it ‘steering’ us through this crisis! But, I submit the greater crisis is that of conscious – or – We The People of this generation the generation that gives up on our form of self government and allow this consolidation of power a morphing into an Oligarchy. Where our government becomes Overlord and ascribes who can prosper, who can work and own property.

I realize that there are details I could not know that may seem to reasonable and rational people at this intersection the prudent way forward. I submit the outcome the result of any plan that involves our Treasury buying up private debt will be the lost of our Sovereignty ergo our Republic.

Respectfully,
Jo4Peace