Merged Ukraine erupts in riots and general strike.

[Childlike Empress]

Heard about this interview Charlie Rose did with Vitaly Churkin on January 24th and watched it. Quite interesting overall, but the part about Ukraine was of course especially interesting from today's view. There's one thing you can't accuse the Russians of, and that's inconsistency. Should start and stop leaving the relevant ~5min part:

 

[jimbob]

Why did the rest of the delegates not show up for the vote? Intimidated? Kept from showing? Afraid?

It's hardly the first time a parliament was manipulated by force.

No, this is actually a fact. I am not grasping at nothing because the fact is they required another 10 votes to remove him. They didn't have the necessary votes to remove him. The vote did not uphold to the constitutional guidelines and required a 338 vote. That is a fact, that is how it is per constitution. It was a coup.

"But a legal gap remains. According to the terms of an EU-brokered peace deal finalized on February 21, Yanukovych was due to sign a measure returning Ukraine to its 2004 constitution.

Yanukovych, however, failed to sign the measure. The omission appears to leave Kyiv in the kind of legal limbo that may prove fodder for future arguments against the current government transition.

The 1996 and the 2004 constitutions are uniform when it comes to the reasons for removing a president, with Article 111 stating the parliament has the right to initiate a procedure of impeachment "if he commits treason or other crime."



http://www.rferl.org/content/was-yan.../25274346.html

Now look at Ukraine's constitution here, article 108-112 - http://www.president.gov.ua/en/content/chapter05.html

Under Articles 108-112 of Ukraine’s constitution you can see there are 4 ways the president may leave office during his tenure: resignation (he did not), inability to exercise presidential authority for health reasons; (he is fit and healthy), death (he is alive), and impeachment. You can see for yourself in article 111 that impeachment must follow a proper procedure: Parliament must vote to impeach and then convene a committee to investigate. That committee must investigate and report back to parliament, which must then vote to bring charges.

This did not happen, Yanukovych was illegally removed from office.

As for him apparently abandoning his post, this doesn't actually matter the only way he can give up his post is to personally announce his resignation to parliament. This did not happen.

I agree that the Ukrainian interim administration is not yet legitimate - however there are going to be well-observed elections, whereupon the subsequent government will be.

The referendum in Crimea was a joke.

 

[Caustic Logic]

Swede Patrols Ukraine’s Streets with Right-wing Paramilitaries

Swedish white-rights activists Mikael Skillt, interviewed.

He says he is no longer a National Socialist and describes himself as an “ethnic nationalist.” “You are born Swedish,” he explained. “It’s not something you can become.”
...
“I have never heard anyone here call himself a National Socialist. They fight for a Ukraine based on ethnic unity.”

In Ukraine, he works with the party C14, whose leader says he's not a Nazi. 14 usually refers to a key quote white power author David Lane.

Today, C14 is a force to be reckoned with. Together with the so-called Right Sector, C14 patrols the streets of Kiev, fights crime and guards public buildings. Skillt and several other Swedish volunteers participate in the patrols. “The police force still exists, but isn’t seen much,” he said. “Most of the police officers you see on the streets are only traffic police. Maintaining order is primarily being done by C14 and the Right Sector.”

He says the Berkut (security forces) cut people fingers and toes off. (He first arrived in late February, after they were disbanded). The police were all corrupt and hiding. People hate them, but like and trust the white power patrols. There's a photo of Skillit helping to guard the parliament building during session recently. There was someone worse out there than white power gangs to protect parliament from? I actually doubt that. Old (white, Ukrainian) ladies on the street at night, maybe.

 

[Childlike Empress]

This is outrageous: The Telegraph dares to doubt the words of the leader of the free world and actually goes on the border hunt for Vladimir Putin’s hidden army. Without success. Which fits with what the Russians point out, namely that the West ignores results of int’l missions that found no troop build-up near Ukraine borders.

Fact is that what Obama and his minions spout are again vague allegations without any proper sources, just like last autumn in the Syrian CW bruhaha where the White House made up its own "intelligence assessment" because non of the actual intelligence guys wanted to sign the crap they wanted to hear.

So are the Potemkin villages/tanks this time drawn in Washington with help from the Nazi Parubiy whose allegations mark the upper point of the scale with "100,000" troops just hellbent on invading next hour? And will the "diplomatic solution" Obama and Putin are allegedly working on include withdrawing non-existent troops? So Obama can save face once again?

I for one wouldn't be surprised.

 

[LSSBB]

This is outrageous: The Telegraph dares to doubt the words of the leader of the free world and actually goes on the border hunt for Vladimir Putin’s hidden army. Without success. Which fits with what the Russians point out, namely that the West ignores results of int’l missions that found no troop build-up near Ukraine borders.

Fact is that what Obama and his minions spout are again vague allegations without any proper sources, just like last autumn in the Syrian CW bruhaha where the White House made up its own "intelligence assessment" because non of the actual intelligence guys wanted to sign the crap they wanted to hear.

So are the Potemkin villages/tanks this time drawn in Washington with help from the Nazi Parubiy whose allegations mark the upper point of the scale with "100,000" troops just hellbent on invading next hour? And will the "diplomatic solution" Obama and Putin are allegedly working on include withdrawing non-existent troops? So Obama can save face once again?

I for one wouldn't be surprised.

Obama has minions???? Are they ward heelers?

 

[Mycroft]

A'isha, didn't I tell you now more than once that you don't qualify for "discussion" if you don't do your homework? What's that sullen first paragraph again? Don't the neo-cons exist, are they "conspiracy theory"? Doesn't the article deal with facts? What do you think you achieve by using laughable stereotypes you know I don't accept and therefore aren't a ground for any "discussion"? I mean, you wouldn't seriously discuss Islam with Pamela Geller, would you?

Neo-cons do exist, but they are not the cartoonishly evil master-manipulators you and Robert Parry seem to think they are. I'm pretty confident A'iesha has a better understanding of who and what they are than you do.

 

[A'isha]

This is outrageous: The Telegraph dares to doubt the words of the leader of the free world and actually goes on the border hunt for Vladimir Putin’s hidden army. Without success. Which fits with what the Russians point out, namely that the West ignores results of int’l missions that found no troop build-up near Ukraine borders.

So when the Russians admitted that they were conducting "snap military drills" on the border of Ukraine, they were lying?

 

[Childlike Empress]

So when the Russians admitted that they were conducting "snap military drills" on the border of Ukraine, they were lying?

No. There was nothing at all hidden about that as your article clearly shows. And look at the date. It's not what your president and his nazi friends allege now. Try to keep up.

 

[Caustic Logic]

Who cares about the time frame? He admitted it.

 

[Childlike Empress]

Interesting dispatch from Vice News, reporting from the Maidan and the storming of the Parliament three nights ago. Apparently the reporter is not aware of the reason why they want Avakov to resign ("murdering" Muzychko) and is just there by coincidence. Shows quite well the type of people running around there. Klitschko briefly appears and says that "the second wave" of the revolution will wash away the current parliament. Maybe that's why he proclaimed on the next day to not run for President but instead support the Choco Oligarch guy?

 

[Childlike Empress]

This is outrageous: The Telegraph dares to doubt the words of the leader of the free world and actually goes on the border hunt for Vladimir Putin’s hidden army. Without success. Which fits with what the Russians point out, namely that the West ignores results of int’l missions that found no troop build-up near Ukraine borders.

Where are they? New York Times and NBC went looking as well. Nothing.

 

[Puppycow]

Perhaps the greatest challenge (greatest economic challenge at least) for Ukraine moving forward may be how to root out endemic corruption:

Dashed Ikea Dreams in Ukraine Show Decades Lost to Corruption

Almost half of Ukrainians say they desire Ikea products more than any other global brand, yet the largest home-furnishings retailer hasn’t been able to crack the market in a decade of trying. The reason: it won’t pay a bribe.

As Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s government rushes to fend off Russia’s expansion and raise the $35 billion it says it needs to avoid default, the country of 45 million faces the more basic problem of rampant graft that no leader has been able to tackle in 23 years of independence.

Stuck between the European Union and its former imperial master Russia, Ukraine has emerged as the most corrupt country on the continent, according to Transparency International. That and “incompetent” leadership are the reason a nation endowed with most of the ingredients needed to create a vibrant economy fell so far behind its peers, according to analysts including Erik Nielsen, chief global economist at UniCredit SpA (UCG) in London.

“Even before this latest crisis, Ukraine was a mess beyond description,” Nielsen said in a research note. Successive governments “must take collective responsibility for what has been one of the worst-managed countries in modern history,” Nielsen said, adding that many officials and their family members “became immensely wealthy along the way.”

 

[McHrozni]

Perhaps the greatest challenge (greatest economic challenge at least) for Ukraine moving forward may be how to root out endemic corruption:

Dashed Ikea Dreams in Ukraine Show Decades Lost to Corruption

This crisis could potentially be a godsend in this respect. An existential crisis has the tendency to bring out the best in some and the worst in others. If the former change and the latter hang Ukraine could come out way better in the end. It's not a given by any means, but it is the best chance Ukraine has had since independence.

McHrozni

 

[McHrozni]

Where are they? New York Times and NBC went looking as well. Nothing.

The NBC check was so brief that if it found anything noteworthy, it would signal the invasion will begin within the next few days if not hours. Just driving alongside the roads and not doing anything ate up approximately half of their time, add in the hours spent sleeping, eating and other necessary activities and it quickly becomes apparent they spent no more than 25 seconds checking each kilometer of the general border areas, on average. You don't need to heavily camouflage your troops to effectively hide them from that. All you need to do is that you don't display and parade them around main streets. Kind of standard practice for any military intending to go to war, really.

New York Times just says war preparations are not evident in one city near the border. Nothing noteworthy, since you don't normally station heavy military equipment in cities, for several reasons - the tracks destroy roads, it's a war crime because you use civilians as human shields, heavy equipment is not even particularly suitable for city warfare, etc.

McHrozni

 

[Childlike Empress]

Had to check the date, but no, this is an April 2nd item: NASA suspends cooperation with Russia over Ukraine crisis

[...] “This suspension includes NASA travel to Russia and visits by Russian Government representatives to NASA facilities, bilateral meetings, email, and teleconferences or videoconferences,” [NASA associate administrator Michael] O’Brien wrote. “At the present time, only operational International Space Station activities have been excepted.”

O’Brien added that “multilateral meetings held outside of Russia that may include Russian participation are not precluded under the present guidance.” [...]

We know what the appropriate reaction would be, yet ...

[...] Last week, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said he did not believe Russia would curtail American access to the ISS, despite geopolitical tensions. [...] "Right now, everything is normal in our relationship with the Russians," Bolden said in early March. "I think people lose track of the fact that we have occupied the International Space Station now for 13 consecutive years uninterrupted, and that has been through multiple international crises." [...]

Cut to the core, the scum that made this decision (which certainly wasn't made by NASA) is again trying to provoke Russia into retaliating, now on fields that have nothing whatsoever to do with Ukraine. And if Russia would cut off US access to the ISS, all we poor suckers - who weren't supposed to read about who started it on RT - are supposed to scream unisono with the headlines: "Putin endangers human progress over his mad expansionalism!!!1".

It's so disgusting and pathetic.

 

[LSSBB]

It's so disgusting and pathetic.

I agree, Putin's "disgusting expansionalism" as you term it, is quite disgusting and pathetic.

Or is this still about Choosing Sides, and not about Criticizing Behaviors?

 

[platonov]

I agree, Putin's "disgusting expansionalism" as you term it, is quite disgusting and pathetic.

Or is this still about Choosing Sides, and not about Criticizing Behaviors?

It appears they are coming for Alaska next. Does Sarah know.

And the Scottish referendum may be shelved - or the wording changed !!

 

[LSSBB]

It appears they are coming for Alaska next. Does Sarah know.

And the Scottish referendum may be shelved - or the wording changed !!

Well, they did have it once...

 

[Dcdrac]

I am still curious as to why left leaning people would want to support such a despot as Putin it is a genuine mystery.

 

[Childlike Empress]

Every politician in Europe with two working braincells (P2WBC, which makes a shockingly short list, but anyway, they have the public on their side) understands that this is one of those "we cannot lose as we have an ocean between us and the mess" schemes of neo-con "full spectrum dominance" fever. And the goal that was seemingly achieved by now is a central one - divide EU and Russia (and **** both). The question is how much this is going to play out in the mid term, against the better knowledge of the European Industry, public AND P2WBC. Especially given the timely new Snowden story about how Chinese industry was spied on big time by the NSA. And messages like this. Will the petro dollar die over this affair?

Russia prepares to attack the petrodollar

[...] It can be said that the US sanctions have opened a Pandora's box of troubles for the American currency. The Russian retaliation will surely be unpleasant for Washington, but what happens if other oil producers and consumers decide to follow the example set by Russia? During the last month, China opened two centers to process yuan-denominated trade flows, one in London and one in Frankfurt. Are the Chinese preparing a similar move against the greenback? We'll soon find out.