EVERYBODY CHECK THIS OUT look on You Tube for a video from “Lil Wayne” called a “Pen and a Phone”
It nice to see that Hollywood is finally getting it. Perhaps knowing about the internet and appearing cool, isn’t the only prerequisite for being president?
I think some military experience should be required,,, and I thought at one time it was required?
If people weren't dying this guy would be hilarious. He catches the biggest fish, scores the most goals, has the best physique, makes deals to keep military bases for gas, takes over a chunk of the same country, then tells them they owe back payments at a higher than the spot price for gas, sends insurgents to harm the people he says he loves, feigns hurt feelings because he is called names, turns off the gas, complains that the water if turned off to Crimea and distribution is slowed, it's like Kim Jong-un under a mask
personally i think Obama has done enough but enough has not been done.
really the Europeans should be leading this with only backing and support from the west.
after all it is their continent is it not?.
how this reminds me of the former Yugoslavian conflict so much.
at that time the EU did minimal to rather ironic involvement, and then there was the absolute floored United Nations carry on.
so of cause all again was left to the United States to do something.
at least no trade embargoes have been put on Ukraine as yet as they did to the Yugoslavian states that were under Belgrade's siege!
from memory no embargo was placed on Belgrade by the EU and trade between these two on certain goods was disgusting.
this is only my memory here but i remember been horrified by it, and theres France now about to do the same thing.
after the event the Europeans were then happy to proceed with helping in putting certain individuals through court on humanity charges, mostly from Belgrade.
the whole of Europe is a clown act,, Rodans analogy is perfect to individuals of this continent and he doesn't go far enough.
i dont think Americans has anything to be remotely ashamed of in this Crimean matter but the Europeans,, well thats defiantly another matter.
i'm not talking about any kind of armed response here but something more-so then America!
it must, and this should be lead by the Europeans..
talk is cheap, nothing has changed with them, the Europeans,, hey no surprise,,, and to think this is their continent again!
do they not understand this stuff spreads like cancer??
"or do westerners just have more balls then Europeans" what is it?
the oddity we send a little butter to Europe and they all go on strike for butter dumping, but steal land and kill a few and?
Kiwi,, you are right, the EU should be leading the charge for the security of Europe,,, and the US should have their back!! But what if,,,, the heads of Europe feel they can no longer depend on America,,, or to be more accurate,,, Obama!!! They have become accustom to the US taking the lead in everything,,, and now they don’t know what to do. It doesn’t help that Germany and France are looking after their own self interest over anything else!
Real help is more than two years away,,, 2016 elections.
Kiwi I agree with you to. Other problem lets not forget we are getting close to 100th yr anniversary of WW1. Am sure they are not wanting to remember it, by rebuilding there cities in this century again to.
Back to the question,,,,, Yes Obama's tactics are working,, the world is just as safe as the community he organized in Chicago. Chaos, poverty and mayhem coming to your city soon, regardless where you live, all around the world same song.
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, generally viewed as a leading ally of the United States in Europe, said in a mysteriously-leaked recording Sunday that the alliance between the two countries is “not worth anything.”
“The Polish-American alliance is not worth anything. It’s even damaging, because it creates a false sense of security in Poland,” Sikorski says on an excerpt of a longer conversation set to be published Monday morning in the magazine Wprost, which is reportedly between Sikorski and former finance minister Jacek Rostowski. It’s unclear who recorded the conversation said to be from this spring, and why, though speculation has focused on Russian intelligence, which is believed to have leaked a similarly embarrassing conversation between American officials.
After his interlocutor asks why he’s skeptical of the alliance, Sikorski continues that it is “bullshit.”
“We are gonna conflict with both Russians and Germans, and we’re going to think that everything is great, because we gave the Americans a blowjob. Suckers. Total suckers,” Sikorski says, according to a translation of the account for BuzzFeed.
The recording is one of many made of politicians’ conversations in posh restaurants, and has emerged as a massive problem for the country’s ruling Civic Platform.
Sikorski also employs a racially-charged word in the conversation, describing the mentality of Poles as “Murzyńskość.” An English-language Polish outlet described the phrase as meaning “thinking ‘like a Negro.’”
Sikorski said on Twitter that he hadn’t been to the restaurant in which he was allegedly recorded; Wprost’s editor said the recording had in fact been made in a different location.
By now, my answer to ragingbull's original question is, "Yes, I am convinced that President Obama's tactics are working."
As recently as April, Putin appeared to be poised to send his armies to seize (at a minimum) eastern Ukraine and the country's entire Black Sea (including Moya's city), making a continuous Russian-controlled territory extending to Moldova (where Transnistria is already under Russian occupation).
Around the start of May, just before Ukraine's presidential election, Putin was talking about "New Russia," an historical term for roughly the southern 30% of Ukraine's territory (not including Crimea), when it was added to the Russian empire in tsarist times.
Within the past week, Putin made a speech asserting his right to defend "Russians" in any country.
Today, news sources report that the rebels have left Slovyansk, which as I explained before is a small and rather obscure city, but a militarily critical road junction for the defense of Donetsk.
As Ukraine's military has gradually risen to the challenge of Russia's war of aggression, the separatists (consisting of alien invaders and Ukrainian traitors) have repeatedly begged Russia to come to their rescue -- but Putin's assistance has been limited to smuggling weapons across the border (small and weak tactics).
Yes, Putin's ambitions in Ukraine may be limited -- but look at what has happened:
* for the first time in generations, Ukraine's population (new 45 millions) appears to have a clear majority against the Russian government (before the crisis, Ukrainians tended to favorable to neutral toward Russia)
* Putin has lied and manipulated so crudely and brazenly that no other state will trust Russia as long as Putin remains in power
* Ukraine has decisively begun its gradual reorientation toward Europe
* the energy planning of the West is now biased to reduce European dependence on Russian natural gas
* Ukraine's military -- massively eroded under Yanukovich -- is now strengthening, and will be carefully nurtured for years to come
* all of Russia's "near abroad" (Putin's term for those countries under Russian domination during the USSR, where he wants Russian influence to continue) have attitudes toward Russia ranging from cautious wariness, to adrenalized fear and hatred
* Russia's economy is now completely stagnated, and will remain so for years (unless Russia stops its war against Ukraine and leaves Crimea)
* those who are most pro-Putin will feel betrayed by him, as he allows the separatist fighters in Ukraine to be destroyed without taking any clear, strong action to come to their aid
Does anybody believe that this is how Putin wanted it to come out?
Does anybody believe that he would not have taken much more action, without the pain of sanctions, and the fear of more sanctions?
Others in the rebels' ranks pleaded publicly with Russia to assist the rebels in their cause. In a video posted online late on Friday, Igor Girkin, the self-described "commander in chief of the Donetsk People's Republic," said his men had "lost the will to fight."
"They want to live in Russia," said Girkin, also known by his nom de guerre, Igor Strelkov. "But when they tried to assert this right, Russia doesn't want to help." He said he believed the troops had only "two or three weeks" before they were defeated if Russia did not step in.
Rebel leaders have pleaded with the Kremlin for military assistance in the past, and some prominent Russian nationalists have publicly taunted Putin, ACCUSING HIM OF COWARDICE. Such criticism could resonate with the broader Russian public, which has been heavily influenced by Russian state television's characterization of the Kiev government as a "fascist junta" that is killing Russian-speakers.
__________________________________
This is a disaster for Putin's tactics. Of course, the possibility remains that he will decide to make some terrible intervention with the Russian army -- I'm sure he is itching to do so -- but he knows this would entail a high risk of severe economic sanctions.
US Sponsored Ukraine Regime is Killing Children: Polina Sladkaya, 6 Years Old. Died in Slavyansk from Howitzer Shell
The self proclaimed international community has blood on its hands.
Washington is supporting a Neo-Nazi regime in Kiev.
“The western media are refraining from showing such pictures to the public. In the meantime, the Ukrainian government, having promised President Obama “to mop up” the Donbass area, is conducting an artillery fire against its own people. The Ukrainian army spares no one and nothing – civilians, schools, churches, maternity homes. It is likewise suffering losses – a military aircraft IL-76 carrying 49 air assault personnel was shot down.
This carnage is being done at the orders of the Obama administration. The new president in Ukraine is just an obedient stooge.
Ukraine is dying, its people are being killed. The Donbass area is being cleaned up of its citizens to become an area for extracting shale gas.”
durak everyone has the right to believe who thay want to ......... I have relatives now living in Russia and Ukraine. my father in law was military officer brother inlaw a military officer with a Ukrainian wife ......I wish you could hear my wife and inlaws opinion on the whole thing .....
you think obamas tactics are working ..... yeah right
‘Thanks, Ukraine Air Force’: Bombarded villagers accuse Kiev of killing civilians
The village of Kondrashovka in eastern Ukraine lies devastated after shelling by Kiev troops which killed seven people. Bodies torn to pieces are strewn across the settlement and those who survived are asking: why did Kiev kill their families?
Shells devastate entire streets in eastern Ukrainian town (VIDEO, PHOTOS)
At least five shells hit the settlement, destroying an entire street in the peaceful Lugansk region community, 25km from the city of Lugansk.
Dramatic RT footage shows the ravaged village, including a local resident’s backyard which was literally transformed into a grave.
“They killed my mother, and my father is injured. I took him to hospital,” Aleksandr Mironenko told RT’s Marina Finoshina, one of the few journalists to report from the scene.
durak ? Ukraine government killing there own people backed by Obama .well done Ukraine government your doing such a fantastic job ........ Russian army has not set foot on any part of Ukraine other then crimea . I believe they only did this because they had no choice and it prevented a blood bath ...... well done Russia
"Russian army has not set foot on any part of Ukraine other then crimea."
More Russian lies.
The Russians created this war by invading Crimea and putting 40,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. This gave the separatists courage to rebel. Taking those troops out of the border will be the first step towards peace. The next step should be to give Crimea back.
Well "poppy," if you care so deeply about innocents in Ukraine, here's some inspiration from within that country:
"Andrei Purgin, deputy premier of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic said by telephone that the rebels had to leave positions in Slovyansk 'to save 45,000 civilians that are still located there.'"
You see? Rebels leave, lives are saved. So you and I can agree on one thing, at least: these fighters -- many of whom are RUSSIAN citizens, RUSSIAN soldiers, AND RUSSIAN security service officers -- should leave Ukraine RIGHT FUCKING NOW, as in TODAY.
This will save ALL the civilians.
_________________________________
"I believe they only did this because they had no choice and it prevented a blood bath"
Then you believe falsehoods. Since Yanukovich ran away to Russia (his sponsor country) the blood-letting in Ukraine has all been due to (A) fights between demonstrators or (B) fighting between rebels working to destroy Ukraine and lawful authorities working to defend Ukraine.
Who has been killed or injured by the government of independent Ukraine for "being Russian" or "speaking Russian"? Who? Exactly who? How many? Hmmm?
Nobody was EVER in danger in independent Ukraine for "being Russian" or "speaking Russian". In Kyiv, the capital, at least half of the population speaks Russian EVERY DAY. A vast percentage of Ukrainians have Russian heritage and relatives in Russia.
The truth is, many millions of Ukrainians have been murdered by orders and policies from Russia. The history of Ukrainian violence against Russians is microscopic by comparison -- and ALL of it was decades BEFORE independent Ukraine.
If you really care about Ukraine, LEARN TRUTH ABOUT IT.
think everyone needs to read this! The story is from a Ukrainian in the US that travels often to Russia.
“Today I got into an interesting argument with a friend about a former acquaintance that I disowned for being pro-Russian. I knew this girl for many years but you truly need to eat a lot of salt together, as they say in Ukraine, to know the person. And sometime you will not learn about a person unless a dramatic even happens in life. When events in Ukraine took place it did not take me long to figure things out. I knew Yanukovich pro-Russian government was utterly corrupt and murderous. I knew all my childhood friends, my classmates and our families supported Maidan. I grew up in the center of Kiev where the battle between protestors and the pro-Russian police took place; many of people dear to me were there. I watch how they were being shot at and did not know if I would see them alive again. While I was trying to gather bits of information, not knowing what is next, I listened to the Russian TV here and heard that people I loved were called fascists, and that myself and 46 million other Ukrainians, locked in deadly battle with the communist past, were not even a nation! According to some of the people I knew we were only a dumb younger brother of a Grate Russian benefactor. I heard insults flying my way, heard that all that mess we started was just a drunken riot of low-lives, that I was confused, stupid and that we as a nation will never succeed, in fact, we never existed and a Ukrainian is just a slow dumb Russian. But I and all of my friends knew differently. I also have many Russian born friends who were not ethnically Ukrainian, who called, asked questions, argued but eventually all were convinced of the same things that I believed from the start – that Ukraine is an independent nation, not Russian province, that its borders are sovereign and that Russia is committing an act of blunt aggression against its neighbor and long-time ally. I was lucky – 99% of my friends supported me, but not all. It is hard to be angry at those who are back in Russia – they live in a vacuum of lies and distorted facts, they live behind the iron curtain that is now much more clever: you can leave but you will still hear and believe the same because Putin’s propaganda will find you wherever you go.</P><P> When my first countrymen were killed my heart was broken. But from heartbreak the outrage came when I saw how some people I knew in US, born and raised in the former USSR, took a pro-Russian stand. Let me get this straight: Russia is not a bad county because it attacked Ukraine breaking every international law on the planet, and Russian people are not all bad either, and this started way before invasion of Ukraine, but it certainly brought to light what escaped the attention for a while. Russia guided by Putin has become a murder machine like it used to be from 1917 to 1985. It is a militaristic, hateful, intolerant, lawless place, breading extremism; Shockingly, 80% of Russians support the country's policy! There is a huge homophobic and anti-Semitic movement there now fully supported by the government, the fascist groups are on the rise, the racial intolerance has reached its pick where it is no longer safe to be not white in some places, even if you are a child. For those who will tell me otherwise – I know they will be lying, as I travel to Russian extensively and know what it really is like. But what bewildered me the most is those people who live here and support that regime, support Putin and say that there is an alternative opinion on all mentioned above and that I have to respect their views too. I will tell you openly: NO, I WILL NOT RESPECT YOU OR YOUR VIEWS if they are views of a serial killer. I can never agree that it is OK to spill an acid into a child’s face in Moscow just because the kid looks Asian; I can’t never agree that an act of torturing a gay person by raping him with a broken wine bottle has two ways of looking at it; I can never support that Stalin who killed millions of innocent people now is a new role-model of Russia; I can never cheer that free speech, media and law in Russia have been brought to extinction; I can never agree that Russians are a superior nation to any other; I can never AGAIN (we were told that when we were kids) agree that US is here to kill Russians or enslave the world and it is OK to blast them with a nuclear bomb; I can never agree that when some scum comes to my country and steps on my flag I need to also consider his or her feelings. I believe that regardless of where people are born they need to be honest and decent. To be pro-Russian right now - means to be an accomplice to a murder! This does not mean a person can't love his/her motherland, but if your motherland is a murderer - don't tell me it is your right to defend it. It is your right to still love it, but it is your duty to call the police. There may be many other subjects that can be debatable but there is no gray area in any of the points above, no two opinions but rather a chauvinistic doctrine that many former USSR immigrants chose to adopt already here in US: they live here and enjoy all the benefits of a free world but do not give a rats ass about that world being taken away from someone else. When people died in Moscow metro after a terrorist attack - I cried. I was crying for those same Russians and their families, who called me a fascist when tragedy hit my home. When their armed soldiers in Russian uniforms with no insignia shot my friends dead in Ukraine they were debating with me that there is more than one way to look at that and more than one truth. As of that day that is where I draw the line among my fiends and people I know: for me that "alternative opinion" is and will always be the difference that separates a conscious human being from someone who will shout “Sieg heil!” and send you to a gas chamber, because if you are neu
It is heart-breaking for Ukraine that so many have died, especially those who are absolutely innocent. Certainly enough children have died, to fill a school room :(
The decision to make war is always tragic. You are lucky to live in a country that has never had war on its territory, and that has never started a war, or had war forced upon it (excepting WW II, in which Japan might well have invaded Australia).
When a country is fighting for its life -- and I assure you, Ukraine is now fighting for its national life -- tragic destruction is part of the cost. My country had a problem with separatist traitors, and fought its bloodiest war to defeat them. Luckily, in the USA these traitors were not in league with foreign invaders as Ukraine is now facing. When the rebel traitors holed up in towns, the US forces sometimes fired artillery into those towns, and innocent civilians were maimed and slaughtered.
The great majority of military leaders will tell you that they hate this -- but war is fought with crude instruments, and with the best intentions the innocent are always harmed.
_____________________________________________
You seem to admire the Russian Federation. They also have a separatist problem, in Chechnya (also Dagestan and Ingushetia). This was actually much less a threat to Russia, than today's separatists are a threat to Ukraine.
In the second Chechen war (1999-2000), many thousands of civilians -- Russian citizens! -- were killed, mainly by Russia's army. Putin was "in charge" throughout this war, first as premier, then as president (Yeltsin died during the course of the war). The most cautious estimate is that 14,800 civilians died. Amnesty International, an organization respected for its impartiality, estimated 25,000 dead. Memorial, a human rights group in Russia, estimated as many as 100,000. The Russian government never tried to count how many civilians were slaughtered.
Note that these figures are only for the second Chechen war -- the Russian Federation had waged a similarly bloody war in Chechnya a few years before that.
Less than six years ago, Russia's military killed more than 200 civilians in Georgia, and injured more than 500.
If you think Ukraine is committing atrocities, what is your opinion of Russia?