JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Kiev - Does anyone care?

Chamberland let Hitler start this BS with Poland and others... one country at a time, until he attacked everyone. Putin is a student of history and it is repeating itself. Putin is a mass murderer, and remember, the Russians killed many times more people (many tens of millions or more in the Ukraine alone) in their gulags than even Hitler killed, yet he gets all the headlines and villany. If Hitler had not attacked Russia, Europe and the UK down to at least South Africa would be speaking German today. And all of Asia down to Australia would be speaking Russian until finally the two of them would have clashed and nuked each other since both were closing in on nuke abilities.

The US was isolationist and we're not isolationist again. History always repeats. Especially when people ignorant of history (or who feel THEY can handle it BETTER than those that went before, only to fail miserably in the end) and find themselves on a loops.

To Johnny: Keep in mind that your show you edit is simply another media source with it's own opinions which can and likely are just as biased in a particular direction as any others. No media is true. It is the fog of war combined with world wide propaganda machine media the like of which the world has never seen.

Instead of making us listen to the podcast, can you share the jist of what your source said? Not in every detail, but a general summation? That would be helpful.

Thanks,

Brian

Sue:

I get your point about the Russians wanting dignity. I assume you are making the analogy about the Germans after WWI... where they were humiliated at the treaty in Paris. Subsequently, Hitler rubbed the noses of the French in the same Paris railcar where he dictated terms... before we finally kicked his backside with the help of our allies... including the enigmatic and often uncooperative Soviets led by Stalin.

I'm all for giving everyone... man, woman, child and country dignity... if they are due that precious commodity. Mr. Ex-KGB Putin has made it rather difficult for us to extend dignity and friendship to the Russian People. Crime is high there, some say worse than our situation but I'm no authority. At least we have enjoyed a degree of space cooperation. He never seems to deal from the bottom of the deck and apparently does not think highly of Obama. (I don't think he and George Bush II shared much real camaraderie either.)

How would you solve this dignity situation? Is there a simple solution our country and the West have ignored in our relationship with them? Remember, as the Soviet Union, they were guilty of stealing many U.S. secrets and innovations. Trust and respect must be developed over time. Let us hope that this will eventually happen where both parties receive respect, dignity and most of all...fair trade.

In hindsight, was it a mistake for us to arm the Afghan Warlords with Stinger Missiles to even the playing field when the Russians had invaded Afghanistan? If we had given the Soviets "free reign" against the Taliban and Al Queda, perhaps 9/11 may not have happened? Who knows? Presumably, only time will tell.

Thanks for your insight.

Brian,

Ha! Ya ever try to tell a joke after hearing someone deliver it?

TOO many crucial facts of names, places, issues, etc for me to ever try summarize.

But, I will just say these things for ya though;

1.Serious stuff. Not looking good as far as McAdams updated report at 4 EST Sat.

2. There have been misreports in the major news about firings and tanks.

3. Snipers have moved in the area more, with shots in the crowds already causing confusion and of course, raised tension. The increased Russian snipers and such covert movement spotted Friday and Saturday "is a very bad sign".

4. McAdams was not encouraged at Saturday's progress of the situation, and sounded so, not just in words. (maybe he had a cold)? I don't want to assume, so there's two possibilities why he sounded as he did in the updated recording that plays after he interview of a couple of days ago.

I would suggest to listen to the horse's mouth full interview, rather than this ass trying to summarize such serious issues of many aspects to it, with names, places, etc being crucial.

If it matters to know more than the usual, I would listen closely and judge for yourself, (anybody, that is).

Dave:

The French led dictates to the Germans after WW1 is a good analogy of what the US dictates were at the end of the Cold War. Different in a point to point comparison but very similar in effect. The way the USSR was dismantled left a big gap that was filled by crime syndicates and has led to so much corruption today.

I don't remember seeing George H Bush being referred to as ex-CIA Bush often, yet he headed the CIA at one point.

The best way of describing how to treat a former enemy with dignity is to look at how Mc Arthur handled the Japanese after WW2 compared to how France and England handled Germany after WW1. Closer to home look at how the North handled the South after the Civil war where they bankrupted every state in the South and then left the people to fend for themselves. The chaos and violence that followed led to the Jim Crow laws that have left scars to this day.

While it's true the Soviets were spying on us we were also spying on them. It's what Nations do.

While trying to guess what would happen if an event was changed in history is great for a novel it's a fools game in real life. History is what's happened and is in the unchangeable past. One undeniable fact is that after WW2 the US was the only Nation with an unscathed industrial capacity and instead of using all that economic clout for the benefit of the US people we have spent the better part of those nearly 70 years in one war or another. We've squandered all that wealth for political self satisfaction.

The Soviet Union was definitely evil but then again so was the Peoples Republic of China. As many people as Hitler or Stalin killed, Mao killed even more. We handled each very differently and the results show which was the better method.

Good Morning, Sue:

You have made some very good points. So good, in fact, I don't need to reply... but, being the creature I am... I will. LOL!

The only different point I would make would be your comment about the U.S. after WWII and our unscathed industrial capacity. Please don't forget the Marshal Plan where we provided much needed assistance in the rebuilding of war torn Europe. We did use that industrial capacity in some of that effort, not to mention the fact that we grew even stronger as a nation and many of our citizens benefited in the wealth of goods that came streaming out of our factories... plus the plentiful jobs these factories created.

The subsequent wars (or police actions as some call them) of Korea and Vietnam were probably a waste of our time and resources... not to mention lives lost in the process. We had agreements with our allies, S. Korea and S. Vietnam and would have looked very weak if we had not supported them. My gripe is that we did not fight these wars to win them. We gave our enemies "safe haven" above imaginary lines and allowed them to re-group, re-arm and generally wear us down.

You are obviously a student of history and I admire your perspective. I hope you do not take my responses as personal. I merely want to present all sides of the equation for our younger participants to absorb.

The greatest squandering of American wealth was to allow our factories to begin having much of the manufacturing of our products to be done in third world countries... to the detriment of our citizenry and economy... while fattening the purses of our government officials and politicians.

If we were to suddenly face a crisis of the magnitude of WWII, we would have to respond in a very different manner because much of our industrial might has been decimated. Our schools churn out kids bound for college... even though there are no jobs for college grads. We completely ignore the need for skilled machinists and toolmakers, plus the myriad of other trades we so badly need. Plumbers, carpenters and bricklayers, programmers, technicians, etc.

Our misguided educators are hell-bent to follow the example of the politicians and feather their own nests at the expense of the public.

Sorry for the rant. I know I can't solve all the world's problems in one reply but I have certainly enjoyed our conversation.

The plot continues to "thicken" in the Ukraine. I hope Alek is okay.

Regards,

Dave

Humm,
As I said in an earlier Post, the world is still a "Work in Progress"
Some time back I recorded the Movie, THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH. A book written by William A. Shirer. You may be able to get the movie, i'm not sure. It is a pretty grim tale of Hitler and the Second World Waw in Europe.

A book you might like to look up is WINE AND WAR by Don and Petie Kladstrup. It is about the Germans helping themselves to the French wines during the war. The German's required 50 thousand bottles a day for their troups. Not much has changed.

Looking at the situation here in the U.S. it appears we are still in the 1930's. All those Big Social Programs were put in place to prevent a repeat of the 1930's. Dream on!

Hi JPF:

They say "Hindsight is always 20/20!" and I glanced at my post number 1041815 with alarm. Somehow, after reading Brian's following post, I decided to go back and edit my remarks. Being tired at the end of my day, my fuzzy thinking got the best of me and I changed a key sentence in the last sentence of the second paragraph.

I meant to say, "Putin never seems to deal from the top of the deck." Old men should read their posts at least three times before pressing the "send" button... LOL! I wish JPF were endowed sufficiently to afford a spell checker... and I know we are barely getting by fund-wise... but nothing will review and correct my inability to put my thoughts down coherently. Forgive me for my excessive stupidity.

Thanks, Ray for your reading reccomendations. I took a shot at the "Rise and Fall" and read most of Churchill's six volume memoirs but I have not read "Wine and War."

Johnny:

I get Brian's drift about a summary regarding your editing jobs but in all honesty, I seldom have the time to watch or listen to the works of others. No offense intended because I realize the importance of what you do. I volunteer my services to edit the work of another JPF member for his blog from time to time. I only wish I could afford an edit person for my scatter-brained posts. To err is human... and so, I must be a human after all!

Happy Sunday, everyone.

A couple things:

1. Bush Sr. was regularly called the former CIA Chief ad naseum, especially by his political enemies (though he didn't have as many as most presidents) and the press. Liberals still point it out today when they want to demean the Bush family and overseas, it was pointed out regularly by our oppositions.

2. I am not clear on what you are suggesting about which was the best way to handle something. Hitler we routed out, and he killed by far the least of the 3 evil regimes. We went into the cold war because early on Russia had the military might to move in on Europe the same way the Germans had and likely with far worse results. They killed many times more than the Germans, including (unlike the Germans except for Jews, Criminals and Homosexuals) their own people in droves. We fought the cold war until we essentially bankrupted the regime and broke up the iron curtain which freed all these countries now being threatened again. China, the deadliest of them all with their communist hardline, killed millions upon millions of people more than both the Nazi's and Soviets combined. We did nothing with or to them outside of what Japan did to them during the war which was as savage as anything ever done in recorded human history. We rebuilt Japan and immediately made them our friends mostly out of guilt from using the atom bombs in my opinion, though I won't argue with the other reasons that could be pointed to. Red China just kept on murdering to this day and became the slave labor and cheap goods providers to the world while a tiny number of entities/people got ALL the money. In all the systems, the USA/UK, Europe, Africa, So. America, Russia, China, Japan and elsewhere, in all forms of governments, peaceful or murderous, a tiny number of people controlled all the money and power. And it is still that way today.

China barely ventures beyond its own borders. The US fights wars but returns home or works out a long term agreement to leave some troops. Russia is the expansionist threat and always has been. Putin is as evil and dangerous as Hitler and the comparisons as astounding right now, only they go into it with nukes which most countries do not have. Only the US/UK/France can stop then right now. Germany is the financial power but will not turn on their Russian partners. If we fail to do something, Putin will keep advancing until he's met with overwhelming financial destruction which might risk world wide financial collapse and a threat of nukes. Obama will back down to all of this so Putin has a free pass until the next US Pres Election. If Hilary or a Dem wins, or a Libertarian like Rand Paul who is an isolationist wins, Putin will keep having a free ride. That is until the first nuke is set off in the world and the US has to lock down the entire world with complete annihilation threats to which it could happen or they could finally back down. WWIII is as close as it has ever been.

Brian

Dave, thank you for even explaining why you can't listen to the info on the interviews I edit. NO need to feel anything. We all have to choose things we do n these very short days that slip by too fast as it is.

If at any time you want to hear any person in an interview, maybe have it play while doing things around the house, where nothing else has to be listened to. It can play in the background, picking on things here and there. Like what many people do anyway with a talk radio show on in the house while they do dishes, clean the bathroom, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOlUtxymr8
Daniel McAdams
Executive Director: The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity

"This fantastic interview took place towards the beginning of the week. We're very pleased that Daniel called in yesterday to give an additional commentary on the events which occurred after the interview took place. Make sure to catch it towards the end of the show". (Chris Rossini, Executive Producer, The Robert Wenzel Show)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SOlUtxymr8

Brian, Rand Paul is not a Libertarian.

That wrong label for him started from simply being the son of Ron. Mainstream media and blogs pinned that wrong label on him, unfortunately for actual Libertarians.

Rand is not his father in Libertarian principles, or like any actual Libertarian, of course. Rather, he is a politician. Libertarians are not politicians, as they just try to enter the game to set forth Libertarian principles 100% as they are set in stone. Rand has not done that, and of course, is on shifting sand, not Libertarian solid ground, beit right or wrong for any person judging them.

But don't take my word for it. Again, here it from this horse's mouth:


Rand Paul appeared on FOX News this morning and said:

"I see my foreign policy in the same line as what came out of probably the first George Bush... I see it coming out of mainstream of the Republican position".

Rand has either forgotten that GW, the first, invaded Panama and Iraq or he has gone total neocon. Anyone who has not seen the documentary The Panama Deception should do so, to understand the horrific nature of the U.S. invasion of Panama.

Ron, Rand's father, and actual Libertarian, is probably preparing his final resting site with spinners being installed.

1. As always you've done a great job of pointing out it is political enemies that use a phrase like ex-KGB/CIA.

2. The Harvard Business Review had a number of great articles during the break up of the Soviet union about what draconian economic measures were being used. I'm not sure how far back the HBR achieves but that is where I first read about them so many years ago.

I totally agree with the reasoning for the cold war. Stalin was definitely going to grab as much of Europe as he could although he knew he was going to have to stop at some point or risk more war.

Very few had any guilt over the nuclear bombing of Japan. Remember over 14,000 American soldiers were killed on Okinawa and over 60,000 were injured. To most Americans dropping the bomb just saved a lot of American lives.(edit: Mc Authur was highly denounced for the way he handled the occupation of Japan with most of the critics saying he was far too lenient)

China's use of cheap labor is not much different than the rise of American Industrial power being first fueled by cheap Irish labor and a generation later being fueled by playing off freed slaves against European Immigrants and much of it fueled by money taken from the South (before the Civil War the South was the economic leader over the North). But, one sin does not excuse another.

The current issue in the Ukraine started when the Ukrainian government was offered two options, one from the EU and one from Russia. The government picked the Russian offer and right after that there were protests in Kiev. These protestors were bolstered by Western European groups. These protestors eventually created a coup and overthrew the elected government (who I might point out were elected because of corruption in the previous government too).

The two valid opinions are that Russia usurped the Crimea and the other is that Russia is protecting their naval base in the Crimea.

I would not put to much faith in help from the UK or France. The EU banking system is not the healthiest and had depended on Russian petro dollars as a reliable influx of money. The same can be said of German banking. Right now only the Austrian and The Netherland Banks are in a stable position.

There is also the fact that much of European Industry relies on not only Russian energy imports but cheap Russian energy imports. I believe that it was Reagan that warned Europe that this might happen nearly 30 years ago.

While there is talk of sending US Gas to Europe that will take a couple years. In the same time Russia can complete their gas pipeline to China. So the gas we could sell to China will be diverted to Europe while the Russian gas will be diverted to China...It comes out a wash.

Realistically none of the World powers is in any financial shape to do much. IMO this will end with the Crimea being a separate but aligned with Russia country or an autonomous state of Russia. This will allow all the politicians to pat themselves on their backs and the only ones to suffer will be the Ukrainian people.

Hi Sue:

Let's hope this gets settled without bloodshed. I just saw news that the Ukranian Prime Minister will visit President Obama next Wednesday. I'll be surprised if anything comes of it and fully expect Crimea to be annexed to Russia. The sinking of a Russian ship at the entrance to the Ukranian Navy Harbor certainly does more to convince the world that the Russians are actively involved here, masked troops and military vehicled in abundance.

Thanks for your insightful opinion.

Johnny:

I watched the interview but most of this was yesterday's news. It is still good that intelligent folks are paying close attention to this situation.

Brian:

Let's hope WW III is further away than you suspect... but I agree, it is a tense time in that part of the world.

Dave, did you not hear the update after Chris Rossini's reintroduction of McAdams at the end of th regular interview conducted last week as I already mentioned? McAdams called in at 4PM Saturday EDT with the 4 minute update which I put in. I guess this being Sunday, Saturday "was" yesterday's news though. ? How current did you think it would be? It was not a live interview!

Just seems odd that you would mention what you did, from all the actual inside stuff said, especially in the update. ??? You must know what McAdams knows then. ??? You should work as a foreign director too, then! What are you doing in music? LOL

Mornin' Johnny:

I forgot to tell you that I have a direct line to Moscow, spies in the Ukraine and I've successfully tapped into the NSA's data pipe... (not!)... but I do stay at Holiday Inn Express whenever I'm on the road! (LOL!)

Seriously, I have been to many places on this ever shrinking globe and I'm so thankful to be living in Free Texas and the USA.
As to your last question, "What are you doing in Music?"... not much but just wait. Any day now I'll be launching my world tour if I can just get Everett Adams, Ray Strode and Ben Willis to sign their contracts.

Have a great day and please keep me in the loop. I think of Mike Caro often and hope he is making progress in his struggle with his condition that defies description.

All my best,

Dave

Dave,
LOL!!!! Clever! Needed this smile on me face. Looks just like that too, so what's that about!?

I will keep all here in the loop! For better or worse! I just bring another voice of many that I happen to work on all the editing for. I actualy focus on all my tasks while working on them, not really digesting the topics info. I get bits and pieces of it even when finial listening, for I am stil focused on the editing that was done, to catch things as I hear or feel them. I feel sounds more than hear them now, but it works for me! I also go by the wavs when in question. I can now looks at any wavs and tell how it is going to sound in general. Sometimes specific, based on certain odd designed wavs not of the usual type for speech. (Those inherent clusters of pops, clicks, and distortion). I can SEE each one as it will sound. SO, I can turn the speakers way down for how I need it most of the time. (Tinnitus and Hyperacusis). Many times, on Marc Clair shows, I have it more entertaining than the more serious Robert Wenzel, for it fits Marc's voice and character. (Lions of Liberty's Marc Clair). Many added-in tracks of this and that, like a Howard Stern show or similar over produced show. "Over" works sometimes! Three stooges bits for a second or two, claps, boos, fitting music of mine or of some relative topic, etc.. Then, I allow the serious parts, which is usually most of the talk, to stand on it's own, which having nothing in the background, which of course adds to the dramatics.

Mike and progress: We can only hope for positive progress, in all areas of concern, for sure. I know he would say Thank You! Keep him in your loop!

Have a great day too! I give full permission! LOL

Johnny

Dave!,
I do believe you have been reading my E-Mails! I will sign the contract as soon as you, and me, get up on stage and sing our Number One Hit! I listened to Snow Country yesterday and I keep humming 90 Miles an hour by Hank Snow. Now if i could only sing like Hank!

Hi Ray:

I would be reluctant to expose you... and the rest of the world to one of my performances. Fortunately for me, I can sit here in my studio and re-record my songs until I'm blue in the face and too tired to continue. My orchestra (an arranger keyboard) is paid for and so... time is not a constraining or expensive factor.

While we are wishing... if only I could sing like that other Hank... or maybe George Strait... but no-o-o-o... I'm stuck with this ancient set of pipes and they seem to sound different with each song. Getting old is not for sissies.

Anyway, it would be nice if we were knockin' off tons of hits and looking for ways to hide our money. Then, we could zip up to Canada and pick up Everett, then fly down to Florida, pick up Ben and return to Glynn County and spend a weekend pickin' and grinning out on St. Simon's Island. (Lear Jets or Gulfstreams are such handy things.)

Boy, how do I manage to divert or hi-jack my topics so badly? I hope the folks over in the Ukraine understand that we are just fun loving guys, trying to "hit the big time" in the music biz.

Regards,

Dave

Dave,if you are going to dream,it is just as well to dream big as dream small.LOL I have a song that I think you would appreciate.It's called DREAMING IS STILL FREE.LOL

Morning, Everett:

You are up early (at least by Texas Time) and it's good to hear from you. Is your song "Dreaming is Still Free" on your SYM playlist yet?

Dreaming big is an inexpensive but seriously flawed way to pass time. I plan to give myself a serious lecture this morning out on the golf course. LOL!

I need to get busy writing new songs but I have so many earlier songs needing serious attention (or outright scrapping) they seem to take up most of my limited time. Procrastination is such a terrible human foible.

Great to hear from you.

Without procastination there would be one less word in the dictionary. And if you thought teen pregnancy was bad now...

Hi Bugsey:

Truth abounds. I fear that teen pregnancy is only the tip of the iceberg of our massive collection of problems.

Little or no news coming out of Crimea or the Ukraine. I've been "exploring" the Baltic region on Google Maps via my iPad but it won't be updated for a while to depict those Russian Ships intentionally sunk to block the Ukrainian Navy. Pretty smart maneuver on the part of the Ruskys but only further explains their intentions.

Have a great day.

Yes Dave that song is on SYM if you care to listen.That song is one of my best money makers over the years.I guess it's because people like to dream and it is free to do so.LOL

Hi Everett:

I just listened to "Dreaming is Still Free" and enjoyed it. While I was there, I listened to several others. Your vocalists certainly do good work in bringing your songs to life.

You are 100% correct about people and dreaming. I'm guilty of it myself... and much more of it than I am entitled. LOL!

Have a great day.

Dave

Thank you Dave for listening.Dreaming can be nice and it cost nothing to dream,but sometimes trying to turn a dream into reality can get costly.Doing nothing to make a dream come true can make you a failure but with no money lost,but throwing a lot of money at a dream and still failing can hurt two way,but you will have the satisfaction of knowing you tried.Keeping expectations reasonable will require less success to meet your goals.I don't ever expect to make a lot of money,and at my age,what would I do with it,but if I can touch people with my songs, that will be success for me,especially with my Gospel music.

Hi Everett:

Well said. Attitude is everything in the world today. There is a fairly new topic in this forum about Hobbyists versus Serious Individuals regarding Music's many facets. I think I'll acquire a bottle or can of "Everett's Attitude Adjuster" and lower my expectations... and simply enjoy what I do. Maybe that enjoyment will shine through and help someone else's attitude as well.

Thanks for that, Everett,

Dave

Sue Rarick wrote:



it's right about East, as for Crimea not.
That region is a poorest in Ukraine, their budget covers only
half of their needs, the rest is subvention from Kiev.
No industry there, this is just a resort.

And next: massive Russian invasion starts just in days or weeks
against Eastern regions here.

Each day here we face provocations that are organized by
criminal elements from Russia, they kill people (just yesterday
2 died in Kharkov after action between patriots and those rubbish)
Then Putin will declare: "We'll protect Russians in Ukraine
cuz they aren't safe" and...
troops are here (now they are concentrated close to border)

All of this makes me so sad.

I lived in Kyiv for two-and-a-half years, and was there at the time of the Putsch, when Gorbachev was ousted. I made a number of wonderful friends there. I remember that even then a lot of Ukrainians were fearful and skeptical about what might be lurking down the road for their country following independence.

Indeed, from what I gather from friends still in Kyiv, corruption has been as rampant in Ukraine as it ever was in Russia.

Alek, I hope you and your loved ones will be safe.

Donna

Many here were concerned about you Alek. Good to see your post. Hope things sort out well for you.

I fear that no matter how this ends the only losers will be the average Ukrainian. I read in Reuters that one of the first conditions for EU aid is that pensions will be cut 50%.

On the other hand the people in the Russian area would be little more than Russian lap dogs. Again no winner here for the average person.

Hello Alek, Donna and Sue:

Glad to hear from all of you... and to hope this madness will go no further. My common sense tells me it will and Alek, I hope you are safe. Nobody wins in a situation like this... not even the Russians.

All my best,

Dave

Well,
Not to change the subject but I went to see my barber yesterday. She told me about some people who were training dogs to hunt coons. It appears they had some coons in a cage and the dogs tried to get at them. Now there is an experment! I told her she should talk to my brother up in Ohio that has done a lot of coon hunting in his time. As boys we did some coon hunting.

Now if you know coon hounds you know they don't need a lot of training! We both thought it was pretty funny. I guess those guys never did any hunting to speak of.

Perfectly right you are Dave!

Putin opens a pandora box...
and he forgets about what he has in Russia - Chechnya is a little
reminder, but there is a bigger one - Tatarstan,

you, maybe, don't know that Tatars are a second nation in Russia
after exactly Russians and they partly live in Crimea,
if they don't like ( and many of them do don't) what Putin does now,
then Tatarstan may declare the same as Crimea -
referendum of an independence,

and Putin gets the same as he organized in Crimea
(he organized this and nobody else, no doubts!!!)

Just read this article. I think it lays out the situation fairly well. http://blogs.reuters.com/ian-bremmer/2014/03/13/who-loses-most-in-ukraine/

Hi Alek and Sue:

Little doubt that Mr. Putin will regain his "dignity" at our expense. Stay "below the radar" Alek. We are witnessing the rise of the old Soviet Union.

Sue, that is a very interesting article. Maybe the expense Putin endures will slow his desire to control the world. Between the Russians and the Radical Muslims... it isn't too soon for us to begin stockpiling food, water and weapons.

As if all this is not enough, Obama (according to Fox News) is giving up control of the internet.) He's slowly dismantling our military and has probably already drawn up surrender papers.

What a world. He has certainly brought us "Change." Chump change!

Keep your heads down, it's coming.

Dave

On the plus side we are getting a glimpse of what the world was like in the 1700's. That was the last time there was such an organic upheaval throughout the world. The American and French revolutions were just a part of what was going on. There were major changes going on all over the world.

The more things change the more they remain the same.

I'm not ready for "change" Sue. I tried it and believe I was sold a bill of goods. Remember..."If you like your plan you can keep it!" Now, because we are tired of senseless wars, we are willing to allow the freedom of the Ukranian People to be taken.

Obviously, Mr. RasPutin was not impressed with four phone calls from our "leader." Neither would I... this man is a liar of the first magnitude. Funny, a liar trying to communicate with a thief. What a world!

Read Ezekiel 38. That is where we are headed.This is just the start.

I've just had a long letter from my friend Olga in Kyiv. In fact, she's ethnically Russian, but is a Ukrainian citizen, and is whole-heartedly against Putin's politics. It's interesting to have a personal account. She writes, among other things:

'...Going back to Putin means constrained or absent freedom of speech, whispering in the kitchchens rather than open criticism of the government, lack of tolerance to others and loads of paternalism instead of self reliance and individual freedom.'

And

'...Since Dec last year, I think we all here have lived several lives.... This revolution has nothing to do with a cheerful Maidan of 2004. The struggle this year took enormous efforts and for so many, really courageous and decisive people, their lives. The ashy Maidan with burnt out buildings and roads stripped of cobble stone, used as weapon, is now drowned in flowers.

The greatest thing is that ex-president, an insult to any rational thinking person in Ukraine, has gone away! The last weeks of his rule were absolutely unbearable - the "new" laws labelled civil society organisations (with whom I work a lot) as "foreign agents", they had to register in a specific register, and refer in every activity to their funds as coming from abroad and suspicious.

Some civic leaders had to leave Ukraine, some were summoned to the Police and secret service for interrogations, the criminal cases were started for "laundering the funds acquired by illegal activities"!!!. It was like we moved back to Stalin's times of the 1930s.

Activists were "stolen", subject to tortures, intimidated and killed or left in the freezing cold and died... Like many, I also packed my backpack ready with the documents and the essentials, prepared to leave, if need be... '

And

'...All this saga is now behind, but the Russian threat/war is looming large, and Crimea, I think, as of yesterday, lost to RF.

The cracks between the zombied Russian population and us, in Ukraine, (aka 'nazis', 'fascists', 'terrorists', 'radicals', 'extremists') are now running across the family entities and long-term friends. We are traumatised by incessant anxiety awaiting any time that the Russian army starts its open offensive in the eastern regions of Ukraine.

In Crimea there are some 30 000 Russian troops and a lot of criminals and marginalised thugs working on a paid basis and intimidating the Crimean Tartars and pro-Ukrainian population. ...'

None of this bodes well.

Donna

Donna:

Thanks for caring enough to share this poignant letter from your friend. I could not have expressed my thoughts about this sad situation any better. My thoughts and prayers are with these brave and oppressed people.

Thanks,

Dave

Dave, you have a humor, yeah, I mean "Mr.RasPutin",
but as for kremlin dwarf that had better like a DvaPutin,
cuz Ras = one, and Dva = two ( in Russian),
why DvaPutin(i.e.SecondPutin)? Because RasPutin already
existed, he was a tzar Nikolay II family's friend

Hello Alek:

I was intentionally referring to Rasputin (the priest who worked his way into the Tsar's inner-circle through the Tsar's wife.) The ruling officials under the Tsar called him "Rasputin the Devil." It was reported that his assasination took several attempts. I wonder if Putin is somehow related to Rasputin... for he appears to be influenced by the Devil. Names do get changed through time and history. Sorry for the diversion.

I hope you continue to do well and that all this turmoil can end up being resolved peacefully... but I have doubts. Already, Crimea is in Russian hands.

All my best,

Dave