John Pilger on Ukraine Situation

“Imagine the response if these acts of provocation, or intimidation, were carried out on America’s borders.”
Like during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Anyways, Pilger conveniently forgets/omits one thing: the trick to managing US imperialism is not to give them a stupid excuse to use it. Putin – by the way, the same guy who invaded Georgia in 2008, who “hates fags”, who punishes free speech, and in many ways acts like a fascist himself – has done many things to test his own fences of expansion. Oh, and lets not forget him invading the Ukraine. I don’t condone the US’s backing of idiots (horrible track record there even as far back as Vietnam), but let’s not forget that Putin’s crossed the line publicly many times before the US has, here.

@Syrbal, Obama is hardly “right wing”, so what do you mean? Regardless, the reason it has to be right-wingers in these situations is because left-wingers fold before the fight even starts and let fascists walk all over them while they’re still singing “Give peace a chance”. They continuously hold the long-view with no grasp on the short-term realities of the tactics and sacrifices needed to achieve it.

When the Russians invaded Afghanistan, Carter boycotted the Olympics. Here Russian troops are driving over live women and children with tanks, but what does Carter do? Shatters the dream of some 14-yr old gymnast back at home. That’s the left-wing response to violence, unfortunately.

Left-wingers MIGHT do OK (and just OK) before there’s any military action, but once it happens, I think Jack Nicholson said it best: “Deep down in places you don’t want to talk about at parties, you want me on that wall – you NEED me on that wall”, and i’d agree. I’m no fan of “hawk” thinking overall – it tends to follow the lines of, “where all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”, but the minute the bullets start flying? I’d want someone far more hawkish than doveish in the White House, to be sure.
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I wouldn’t worry, though. Left-wing/Right-wing hardly means anything anymore. Americans voted for “Hope and Change” for a second term, for the Anti-Bush, and for the most transparent Administration ever in US Politics, and yet new boss much the same as the old boss. Instead of “torture” you got drones and instead of transparency you got more secrecy and spying. The uninsured are now coverable, sure, but only if they give the insurance companies their $10,000 deductible first. Does anyone really thing the “Affordable Care Act” was a Democrat trying to “reign in” insurance companies – some of their largest donors? People just want to look at the headlines only, however, and then move on. It’s unfortunate.

“Frankly, the over all stupidity of humanity right now makes me think we may not deserve any better”

I would agree. There’s a saying that “we get the government we deserve”, and in turn I’d probably say we get the society we deserve as well. Unless one wants to go into politics or the military, they might as well just sit back, indulge, and enjoy the ride. If there’s some R&R in your immediate future, I’d say enjoy it! :)

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