Things to know and understand about Russia. Now.

by US expat Ukraine Wed Aug 13th, 2008 at 11:09:44 PM EST

(Crossposted at dkos)

We'll be covering a bit of territory here.  These are things for folks to think about and understand as matters escalate.  

And they will escalate.  Ukraine is already looking to block Russia's Black Sea Fleet from returning to their contentious "home" base in Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine.  Russia has been attempting to reclaim Crimea, control Georgia, and thereby seize control of all hydrocarbon supplies to the West from the Russian direction.  Control of Ukraine and Georgia is either the main goal or a by-product, but a done deal either way, because neither will have access to sufficient energy to survive except under the Kremlin boot.  Thus, reestablishing the heart of the Soviet Union.  It is how Putin thinks, as a street urchin from St. Petersburg.  He cannot think a different way.

ObamaClintonMcCain last night

by US expat Ukraine Wed Jun 4th, 2008 at 07:19:16 PM EST

Subject: ObamaClintonMcCain notes

Context: From last night watching BBC World.  Or more accurately, listening with a glance to the tube from time to time.  Jotting down notes to myself about what I was hearing.  (random thoughts in parentheses.)

Hillary appears.  Tone of resignation.

1. McAuliffe fantasizes about Hillary's pop vote victory and masturbates on her shoes

2. Clinton appears, immediately strikes appeasement with her new friend Obama

   - 2b.  (Was McA immediately garroted?  No thanks for intro, or indication he was there.)

3. Congrats for being a US worker now sucking wind, and thanks to them for their support

4. Fair shot at the American dream -- Edwards redux

5. Chart a new course for this century.  Proud we stayed the course together so far.

6. 35 million people voted in this primary, including purple people

7. H/t to workers enduring jobs shipped overseas (though her hubby arranged the shipping)

8. More John Edwards redux

9. Ibid.

10. What does Hillary want?  End war in Iraq, fix economy, health care, child potential, 18 million who voted for her to be heard, respected and no longer invisible.  (That leaves 282 mil.) (Also leaves 17 million who voted for O., so she beat him by a million pop votes according to her.)

11. Univ. health care, dammit

12. Recites primaries she won, where to go from here?

13. No decisions tonight (campaign debts fall on her head if she can't make a deal with Obama to cover them, my read.)

14. Go to hillaryclinton.com to message and support any way possible (condolences?)

15. Thanks, in a "maybe we'll see each other again for some reason" tone of voice.

16. Thanks to McA, so maybe he wasn't garroted yet.

17. Nothing we can't do if we just start acting like Americans again.  ("Which Americans?" sprang to mind.  Some alarm, unsettled tummy.  Excuse me.)

Obama appears.  Upbeat.

1. Thank you, and thanks to his family.  (Tone sounds like a concession speech.  WTF?)

2. Thanks to his campaign manager, so definitely not garroted.

3. Tonight is for his grandmother.

4. Congrats for listening not to fear, but to hope.  Clinton 1992 redux

5. Announces he will be the Dem. nominee for President of United States of America

6. More thanks to supporters, a bit more deliniation about them

7. Big h/t to Hillary (upbeat condolences)

8. Had their differences over the past 16 months

9. Reveals he knows what got Hillary out of bed these past months (!)

10. Puts Hillary on point for healthcare

11. Energy policy will heal due to Hillary

12. Privilege to work with her

13. Need to change policy and need to change Washington (change it to Prague, my preference.  Or The Hague, for near-term convenience.)

14. We owe country and children a better future

15. Unite to chart a better course for America.  Clinton 1992 redux.

16. Republicans ahead!  Red alert!

17. Thrashes McCain

18. Leave Iraq, carefully, but we must

19. Give vets care when they come home.  (And don't send them in the first place, I think.)

20. Change: Outlines soft power instead of hard power without using those words

21. Help workers, who made the economy.

22. McC. is jerking off about Iraq.

23. Back to healthcare, universal

    - 23b. (Hillary will be his Healthcare Czar at minimum)

24. Energy policy, Carter 1976 redux (Reagan 1980 wiped all that out.)

25. Change that makes jobs and can't be outsourced

26. Better no child left behind deal -- more money in education, etc.  (Every election redux)

27. Look Out! for divisive/wedge issues in upcoming campaign, and he won't use them

28. 2004 DNC speech redux -- Dems, Repubs, all the same, Americans

29. Make sure American people know how their tax dollars are being spent (never happened so far)

30. United by common challenges, common hopes, alludes to American Revolution and Civil War - Gettysburg

31. This is our time to change policies of past, bring new energies, new direction, journey will be difficult, road will be long (Clinton '92 redux, except the road already sounds a lot longer than it did then.)

32. LBJ and FDR redux -- Great Society and New Deal, without mentioning either

McCain appears.  Sense of doom, immediately.

Facial tics or can't keep a straight face.  Whatever.  Makes no diff anyway.  McC is headed to be whipped like a red-headed stray mule.  BBC notes 32K overflowing crowd at O speech, McC's cavern isn't completely empty.  Talking Head says McC has his work cut out for him.  (Trying to keep a straight face, for starters, I presume.  If he shows up to a debate looking like that with O, O needs only gaze at him with pity and sympathy to prevail.  Jebus.  This is going to be worse than Kennedy v. Nixon.  Much worse.  I shall watch it like a train wreck.  Not good taste, but I can't miss this.)

The New Revolution

by US expat Ukraine Wed Apr 30th, 2008 at 06:27:07 PM EST

The New Revolution

[cross-posted on Docudharma]
I trust that it's become clear by now that some US citizens are under siege.  I use that word guardedly.  If under siege, we are in self-defense mode.  That means we can take whatever measures necessary to defend ourselves.  We have that right.  It can't be taken away under threat, because the threat itself gives us the right to defend ourselves.  

If we are at risk of our lives if we don't respond, that is a threat.  If the threat is just to a few of us, the case for siege is hard to make.  It's a matter of where to draw the line between 'falling through the cracks' and stopping those cracks from opening to swallow more of us.  Where to draw the line between things like misfeasance or malfeasance, and outright siege that will destroy more and more us?  Readers will decide where to draw that line, where the tipping point is between neglect and abuse for a few who don't matter enough (your choice), and neglect and abuse for so many people that it has to be called a siege.  Here are some pointers.

Towards a New Economics Manifesto

by US expat Ukraine Sun Mar 5th, 2006 at 06:24:36 AM EST

Preface

This is a diary I promised Izzy I'd try and do some weeks ago.  Since about that same time, Colman proposed discussion towards a "new liberal economics manifesto."  Part of this diary is in that thread, which is now an ongoing debate as indicated on the front page: `NLEM - What are we doing?'

Understanding Bush: Armageddon

by US expat Ukraine Tue Feb 21st, 2006 at 09:40:38 PM EST

Reading through RenaRF's dKos post All Hell Breaks Loose in GOP Land, Mark Crispin Miller's recent interview on Buzzflash came to mind.

Miller related what I've believed for years.  I assumed others also knew something about it.  But, judging by ongoing rational responses, endless cries of dismay and disbelief over Bush's actions and policies, appeals to common sense and reasoned thought, I think I was wrong in my assumption.

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