Being right, and retaining your honor and self-respect is worth a thousand Wyoming primary victories. [_link]

— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) August 17, 2022

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Listen to Liz @Liz_Cheney @January6thCmte pic.twitter.com/DvjmjlY9jR

— The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) July 22, 2022

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Journalists hoping to cover a Republican rally featuring Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Senate candidate J.D. Vance in Ohio will have to agree to give organizers access to any footage they take, and could face questions about what it will be used for. [_link]

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 17, 2022

Didn't take long, beyond knocking a reporter to the ground, simple censorship on home turf is pretty nice.

Florida's social media free speech law has been blocked for likely violating free speech laws

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Never ever believed a "quality" newspaper would write such a complete, complete bullshit story ...

Western failure as the Pentagon estimate and intelligence community had calculated economic sanctions on Russia would sink it in a financial failure in a matter of weeks. Just as with Afghanistan in 1979, the intention was to mortally wound the Kremlin and Putin. Wishing the Russian leader all awful diseases, perhaps a kind assassination, but for sure a military coup to finish off Vladimir Putin.

This type of disinformation is usually published when failure is imminent and mirrors one's very own shortcomings..

Biden, who had promised to keep the U.S. out of new wars, was determined that Putin must either be deterred or confronted, and that the U.S. must not act alone. Yet NATO was far from unified on how to deal with Moscow, and U.S. credibility was weak. [_link] pic.twitter.com/e3sB16OE41

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 16, 2022

Once again putting blame on European allies Germany and France who were intend to prevent the outbreak of hostilities. Reminds me of the lies in 2002/2003 to begin an illegal war in Iraq. Then too, Joe Biden was a vigorous war hawk.

This also shows a breaking of the so-called unity in NATO made under duress. Still very important the position of Turkey whether the White House manages to keep Erdogan on board.

We have seen the most staunch war supporters in London, Warsaw and Vilnius. Already today the Polish FM pushed the identical narrative. Both Paris and Berlin should not stay silent. Unfortunately Germany has a fragile coalition where the economic problems are insurmountable. How does one persuade the German people the coming hardship is to preserve freedom. ‼️ What a bull. Biden is pushing forward Trump's trade war against China and had some unfinished business with Putin's intransigence in Crimea (2014) and one year later in Syria (2015). Biden on a two decade losing streak.

Joe kept his promise not to have American boots on the ground in a new war. Exactly! Ukrainians are dying in America's proxy war. The financial costs will be charged to the EU in Brussels. Joe Biden knew for sure back in October, as the strategy was developed, that NATO members would not succeed to compromise or even do any serious talks and negotiations in Moscow. Both Biden and Johnson would veto such an effort. Complete isolation of Russia was the weapon of choice and some of the most severe sanctions ever designed.

With the Taiwan issue pursued by America's crack lawmakers, this sealed a close alliance between Moscow and Beijing. NATO lost Afghanistan to the Taliban and the US lost its foothold in Central Asia. Two decades of war and losses for nothing. The graveyard of empires turns time back to the Middle Ages.

Earlier articles on CIA's Operation Mockingbird.

The Deep State and Lisa Pease's Contribution

... and an amazing effort by Boston Joe @BooMan

Exceptional Amnesia: A List of U.S. Actions Since WWII | July 2006 |

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Mateusz #Morawiecki, Prime Minister of #Poland. Many European leaders were seduced by #Putin. Democracy in the #EU has a declarative nature, everything is decided by #France and #Germany #War_in_Ukraine pic.twitter.com/5wmOlfiKbw

— Харьков_Живет Kharkiv_Lives (@HarZizn) August 17, 2022

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Blinken and NATO: Let's Talk Belarus, Russia and Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ahead of meetings of NATO Foreign Ministers, Riga

Unity is most important, no initiative to prevent a war with Russia. Negotiation is not an option. If the EU and Old Europe won't comply, the US Treasury has means to enforce our will.

Good meeting with NATO Secretary General @JensStoltenberg at the NATO Foreign Ministerial in Riga. We discussed the importance of strengthening Transatlantic unity and working together with Allies. pic.twitter.com/GFmer1nqqf

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) November 30, 2021

After decades of NATO Aggression ...

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Press statements NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, Annalena Baerbock | Dec. 9, 2021 |

Minister Baerbock, dear Annalena,


Welcome to NATO. It is great to see you again. 
It is great to have you here on the second day of your office as the new foreign minister of Germany.  Congratulations so much on your appointment.

I really look forward to working with you. Germany is a highly valued and very important Ally. Your visit today, just one day after taking office, is a clear sign of Germany's leading role in transatlantic security. 

I strongly welcome the clear commitment of the new government to NATO as the indispensable foundation of Germany's security. NATO needs a strong Germany, both politically and militarily. And your contributions really makes a difference for the Alliance and it helps to keep peace in Europe. 

Including German contributions to air and maritime deployments.

Your leadership of NATO's multinational battlegroup in Lithuania.

And your support for our peace-keeping mission in Kosovo.

Germany is also a strong voice advancing NATO's arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. 



Germany's contributions to our shared security matters even more now, as we face increasingly complex challenges. Including Russia's military build-up in and around Ukraine.

I welcome Germany's long-standing work in the Normandy format, to promote a peaceful solution to the conflict. 

And I welcome President Biden's engagement with President Putin earlier this week. 

Any future Russian aggression against Ukraine will be met with a strong response. And will have serious political and economic consequences for Russia.

In December Ukraine was in talks with Russia to extend the 2019 gas transit-deal into a long-term contract with Gazprom for the transit of gas destined for Europe.

The Russian security proposals were set aside as a non-starter. Remarkable for the European Union not to react to Russian proposals except by referring to the answer given by NATO Jens Stoltenberg.

Biden and Putin exchange warnings during phone call amid rising Ukraine tensions | The Guardian - Dec. 30, 2021 |

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The Return of US Leadership in Europe: Biden and the Russia Crisis | IAI - Feb. 2, 2022 |

The Biden administration's communication strategy is aimed at persuading European allies to close ranks while also preventing the Russian government from taking advantage of an information grey zone to spread fake news and foment confusion and divisions. In spite of Russia's insistence that it has no hostile intentions, there is little doubt that the risk of a renewed Russian intervention in Ukraine is higher than it has ever been since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Diplomatic response

The Biden administration has rejected Russia's demands for - amongst other things - a written guarantee that NATO will not expand to include other former Soviet republics and massively reduce (actually, remove) its military deployments in central and Eastern Europe (else, Moscow has threatened unspecific "technical-military" actions).

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Składam najszczersze życzenia Polskim przyjaciołom, sojusznikom, siostrom i braciom z okazji Święta Wojska Polskiego!
Tylko razem możemy skutecznie obronić wolności i suwerenności naszych państw dla przyszłych pokoleń.
Razem jesteśmy silniejsi!
Chwała Polsce! Chwała Ukrainie! pic.twitter.com/Pk94vWZCDV

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 15, 2022

Translation:
I extend my sincerest best wishes to Polish friends, allies, sisters and brothers on the occasion of the Polish Army Day!
Only together can we effectively defend the freedom and sovereignty of our countries for future generations. Together we are stronger!
Glory to Poland! Glory to Ukraine!

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UK Parliament Select Committee on Defence Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence (2003) [Abbreviated version - Oui]

BASIC welcomes the Committee's further inquiry into missile defence, its call for written submissions and its restatement of the desirability for an informed public and parliamentary debate on this issue. Missile defences became a prominent area of research for BASIC about three years ago, and since then we have been regularly disseminating materials on US developments on the issue to European government officials, the media, and the general public.

BASIC also notes that the Ministry of Defence initiated this latest debate with its publication "Missile Defence: a public discussion paper" on 9 December 2002. The MoD has asked that views and opinions in response to this document be forwarded to the Policy Director.

Recent Developments in Missile Defence

Since the US Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, dropped the reference to "national" in what the Clinton administration termed National Missile Defence, the possibility of expanding the missile defense system to protect "friends and allies" has been repeatedly mooted. The use of European radar bases at Thule in Greenland and Fylingdales in Yorkshire has long been a high priority for US missile defence planners. However, with the Bush administration promising to have a system in place by 2004, and the hawks firmly in control of policy formulation, the United States is contemplating a greater level of allied involvement. The path was further smoothed by US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty (in December 2001) and considerable increases in spending on US missile defence research and development in 2002.

Among the range of options being considered is the stationing of interceptors in one or more central European countries, an idea first put forward by House Republican and missile defence advocate Curt Weldon, R--Penn., in February 2001. The Pentagon is also interested in using European ship borne radar technology, particularly that deployed on Britain's upcoming Type-45 Frigates, to detect missile launches. In order to garner allied support for its plans, Washington is also promising greater involvement for European defence contractors in the development of the required technologies.

The issue of missile defence was reintroduced into the public arena on 14 October 2002 with the announcement from the US Missile Defense Agency of a successfully completed flight test of the ground-based midcourse defence (GMD) programme. The press release stated that the Department of Defense "will continue to pursue this testing regime to achieve a layered approach to missile defence."[61] At the same time the US Congress appropriated $7.4 billion for work during fiscal year 2003 on missile defence programmes.

During the summer 2002, representatives of the Bush Administration visited European capitals to promote the concept of missile defence and encourage active support and participation in the project. During the summer 2002, representatives of the Bush Administration visited European capitals to promote the concept of missile defence and encourage active support and participation in the project. John Bolton, US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security put the case bluntly to a Royal United Services Institute conference on 18 November: "It is no longer a question of whether missile defence will be implemented and time is running out for allies to climb on board".

A NATO communique« was released during the Prague Summit on 22 November 2002, which indicated that Member States had agreed to initiate a new NATO Missile Defence feasibility study and conduct further research into the desirability of pursuing missile defence research and development. Collaborative work was already underway as detailed in a July press release from European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS) following the signing of a research and co-operative agreement with Boeing [a major missile defence contractor in the US]: "The transatlantic team effort will focus on creating end-to-end products for global ballistic defence.

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Three of the four hits on Google links to EuroTrib quotation in a comment ... hmmm 🤨 .

The other is most likely the first source - War In Ukraine, Day 43

Here the full "quotation" from Medvedev, yet still not in context.

Russia continues shocking statements. Medvedev: "We want the opportunity to build a Eurasia from Lisbon to Vladivostok"

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and former prime minister and current deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, says Russia's goal in a month-and-a-half-long bloody war against Ukraine is "the opportunity to build an open Eurasia from Lisbon to Vladivostok".

Medvedev made the shocking statement in a post on his Telegram account. He also said that Putin had "firmly set the goal of demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine", echoing the Kremlin's ridiculous rhetoric that the leadership of the Ukrainian state is "Nazi".

"The most important goal is to change the bloody and mythical conscience of some of today's Ukrainians. The goal is peace for future generations of Ukrainians and the opportunity to build an open Eurasia, from Lisbon to Vladivostok," the Russian PM said.

Pentagon spokesperson: Ukraine can win the war

Asked in a press briefing if the U.S. goal is strategic defeat of Russia, Pentagon spokesperson, John F. Kirby said that "U.S. goal is to make sure that Ukraine can continue to defend itself as they continue to work on a on a diplomatic solution here. And then the secondary goal is to make sure that we can bolster NATO's Eastern Flank so that we can deter any aggression, any potential aggression by Russia and by Mr. Putin."

In context the full quote from an website in Azerbaijan as other sources with .ru suffix were blocked.

«Построить открытую Евразию от Лиссабона до Владивостока»: Медведев назвал «важнейшую цель» России

"To build an open Eurasia from Lisbon to Vladivostok": Medvedev named Russia's "most important goal"

The most important goal of Russia's "military operation" in Ukraine, which is being decided outside the battlefields, is to change the "bloody and full of false myths" consciousness of some Ukrainians for the peace of future generations and the possibility of building an open Eurasia from Lisbon to Vladivostok, said Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev in your Telegram channel.

According to Medvedev, the goals of "demilitarization" and "denazification" of Ukraine, which were set by Russian President Vladimir Putin, are not fulfilled at once and will not be solved "only on the battlefields," writes RBC.

"To change the bloody and full of false myths consciousness of a part of today's Ukrainians is the most important goal. The goal is for the sake of the peace of future generations of Ukrainians themselves and the opportunity to finally build an open Eurasia - from Lisbon to Vladivostok, "Medvedev wrote.

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Very seldom a commenter hits close to home and is worthwhile to share ...

Re: yenwoda @ 122

Upon re-reading your initial post to which I responded, I can admit that I read more cruelty into your comments than you stated or implied. I'm usually more careful. So, apologies for that.

Otherwise, your anti-war stance is suspect, and your gaze should be more inwardly directed as an American. Your rather short adumbration of Western influence in Ukraine purposefully avoids most of the evidence of US and European manipulation. You also avoid what I consider to be the elephant in the room - NATO expansion eastward after agreeing not to expand eastward. This was explicitly agreed to at the highest level of diplomacy, and this was an explicitly stated 'red line' for Russia. Whether or not NATO would have ever actually admitted Ukraine does not matter as NATO said (duplicitously in the words of McFaul) that they wanted to admit Ukraine from 2008 forward while training Ukrainian troops and including Ukrainian troops in many international endeavors (well beyond some innocent training in the Black Sea). The US also withdrew from treaties and moved to place missiles in the new Eastern European countries claiming that they were placed there to counter Iran (laughable). US/CIA connections in Ukraine run deep (since directly after WW2) and are part of US planning to destabilize and undermine both the USSR and Russia. As to the Association Agreement, the EU was also strongarming Ukraine and the terms of the Agreement included elements that were reasonably anathema to Yanukovich (who was legally elected with the support of the regions of Ukraine that identify as more Russian). Furthermore, in 2013, Yanukovich suggested an EU/Ukraine/Russian trade agreement which was summarily dismissed by the EU. The terms Russia offered were reasonably considered better for Ukraine and hardly legitimate reason for the government to be overthrown by violent means.

Your list of examples Russian interference in Ukraine is timid in comparison to US meddling. First, Russia didn't embargo any products until after the overthrowing of Yanukovich which also deeply involved the United States. You may remember that Nuland and Pyatt discussed who they thought would be the best new President of Ukraine and said "fuck the EU" (a statement meant to denigrate and undermine the EU's attempts to solve the Maidan situation by allowing a new election later in 2014). My understanding is that Yanukovich was ousted via a process that did not follow Ukrainian law and did not follow the EU agreement to solve the crisis. This was all done with explicit US support which is similar to its manipulation of the election process in Russia which allowed Yeltsin to come to power in the 1990's.

You mention the violation of treaties by Russia. Well, what about the violation of the Minsk agreements by Ukraine? You must have heard Poroshenko's statements about the Minsk agreements...is that not a violation? Did Ukraine allow the votes in the Donbass that Minsk required? The expansion of NATO violated the provisions of treaties in Europe which stated that the security of one nation should not come at the expense of other's security. The expansion of NATO, as mentioned earlier in the post, against the explicit agreement not to expand NATO is a violation of an agreement. The process by which Yanukovich was disposed of violated the provisions of the Ukrainian constitution.

You mention the invasion and annexation of Crimea. First, Crimea voted for independence in the 1990's, and Ukraine annexed Crimea against its stated wishes for more independence. Second, there are multiple polls from reputable pollsters prior to 2014 in which Crimeans clearly state that they would rather be independent or Russian than Ukrainian and that they view themselves as Russian. You can ignore the Crimean referendum if you want (and I'll admit that there were not many legal observers to document the validity of the vote), but the fairly deep record of the actual beliefs of Crimeans supports the outcome of the referendum in 2014.

You ask, "Can you really look at that history and say the US was the coercive empire here, and Russia was just forced to react?"

My answer - Yes, I can.

Posted by: Objective Observer | Aug 22 2022 | 153

The US Government, the Ukraine and the truth | by ARGeezer on Apr 18th, 2014 |

Ukraine: Extremists Reject EU Deal, Demand Violent Overthrow | by Oui Fri Feb 21st, 2014 |

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The Russian Intervention in Crimea: Erdogan's Dilemma | Carnegie - March 14, 2014 |

Turkish President Erdogan says Ankara rejects the illegal annexation of Crimea and that Ukraine's territorial integrity is critical for global security [_link]

— TRT World (@trtworld) August 23, 2022

When Catherine the Great Invaded the Crimea and Put the Rest of the World on Edge

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Draghi heads a caretaker cabinet preparing new parliamentary elections in Italy on Sept. 25

Perché i cialtroni nostrani venduti a Putin hanno fatto cadere Draghi in fretta e furia...spiegato bene pic.twitter.com/upz88N3NZS

— Charles de Batz de Castelmore - Conte d'Artagnan (@conteDartagnan) August 24, 2022

The naval base Sevastopol and Crimea will remain Russian. M.A.D. as option?

As America's enduring wars cause more suffering and deaths, a round of mediation or negotiation is not on the horizon. Positions harder as can be expected after the outbreak of deadly war acts. Blood is a feeding ground of revenge and more troubling war crimes.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet is stationed in Crimea under a lease agreement with Ukraine. On April 21, 2010, Moscow and Kiev signed a deal extending the lease on the fleet's base in Sevastopol for 25 years after the current lease expires in 2017.

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Mikhail Gorbachev: Remembering a warm-hearted and generous man [_link]

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 30, 2022

You were betrayed by the West!

Russia's belief in Nato 'betrayal' - and why it matters today | The Guardian - Jan. 17, 2022 |

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"In Russland ist so ziemlich alles schiefgelaufen, wovor schon im 19. Jahrhundert gewarnt wurde"

Because of the Ukraine war, the West has recently imposed extensive sanctions on Russia. Russia is reacting to this by attempting import substitution under the direction of state planning. How promising do you think this strategy is? 

Everything will depend on how long the West can endure the sanctions, which are painful for it too, and whether Russia is really isolated globally, or whether other structures based on the division of labor will gradually emerge. It would be fatal for the West if it had to bear the negative consequences of the sanctions while Russia found new buyers, suppliers and customers. The Russian goal of improving its productivity data with Western cooperation and financing this with the earnings from raw material exports has certainly ended up in a dead end. Another question is therefore whether the country can achieve the necessary productivity improvements elsewhere. However, it is probably too early to judge that. 

How great do you assess the risk that Russia, under Putin's rule and the sanctions pressure from the West, will revert to a Soviet-style planned economy, despite all the negative experiences of the past? 

I consider the danger to be very small, since the functional problems of the old Soviet economy have by no means been forgotten in Russia. If relevant circles there are indeed dreaming of the old Soviet Union, they should be aware that its demise was largely self-inflicted.

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#phoenixRunde: Sorge vor dem Winter - Wer wird entlastet? Alexander Kähler diskutiert mit: Verena Bentele @VdK_Deutschland @goffart_daniel @wiwo Michael Eilfort @StiftungMaWi u. Thomas de Vachroi @DeVachroi Armutsbeauftragter Ev. Kirche Neukölln [_link]

— phoenix (@phoenix_de) August 31, 2022

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Rightwing bloc heading to victory in Swedish election, 90% of vote count suggests

#MSGA #WeAreNato #Ukraine 🇺🇦

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M-ledaren Ulf Kristersson: "Tack för förtroendet - nu får vi ordning på Sverige."[_link] pic.twitter.com/Co0BQtRZm2

— Dagens Nyheter (@dagensnyheter) September 14, 2022

Far-right Sweden-Democrats pose security risk due to neo-Nazi ties and inability to choose between US and Russia, says defense minister ahead of election

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A wide-ranging conversation with FM Sergey Lavrov at #UNGA 77.

Discussed our bilateral cooperation. Exchanged views on Ukraine, G-20 and UN reforms. pic.twitter.com/Iv4wIJDsNN

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 24, 2022

General Assembly of the United Nations
Russian Federation H.E. Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs

the United States, declaring victory in the cold war, has behaved as if it has the sacred right to act with impunity whenever and wherever it wants.  Recalling the war of aggression -- in Yugoslavia, Iraq and Libya -- which claimed many hundreds of thousands of lives, he also asked:  "What is the outcome of the adventurism of the United States in the Middle East?  Has the human rights situation improved?  Is the rule of law better?  Has the socioeconomic situation stabilized?"  Pointing to the quest to spread NATO to the East and bring the military infrastructure to the borders of the Russian Federation, he warned that Washington, D.C., now has the goal of subjugating the Asian areas.  At the June NATO summit in Madrid -- under the slogan of Indo-Pacific Strategy -- it aimed to undermine what has been ASEAN policy for decades, namely open and regional architecture.  In addition, Washington, D.C. -- promising its military support -- is playing with fire around Taiwan.

[Read on ...]

No idea why Lavrov skipped Syria as extension of the Libyan adventure ...

Today expansion of NATO into the Indo-Pacific as a security force for American imperialism and protection of global (Western) economic interests.

• Empire Building South-East Asia
• SCO Summit in Uzbekistan

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Twitter Mark Ames: Carrere's book on Limonov opens with his subject at a memorial for Anna Politkovskaya, who was a big supporter of Limonov and his National-Bolsheviks Party.

Nationalism and Protest in Post-Soviet Russia

Book review It Will Be Fun and Terrifying

The National Bolshevik Party, founded in the mid-1990s by Eduard Limonov and Aleksandr Dugin, began as an attempt to combine radically different ideologies. In the years that followed, Limonov, Dugin, and the movements they led underwent dramatic shifts. The two leaders eventually became political adversaries.

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Capitol attack officer Fanone hits out at `weasel' McCarthy in startling interview [_link]

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 2, 2022

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