Finally a spot of good news for the hard luck Ukrainian Armed Forces - the official ones, that is. In a bid to boost sagging morale, President Poroshenko yesterday unveiled a new line of uniforms for his troops.
This should go a long way towards bucking up spirits. As is well known, the official armed forces are rather shabbily kitted out in comparison to the unofficial private militia units. Much of the existing kit was in fact donated by army surplus stores in the US and Canada.
The fact that the new uniforms will be domestically produced is further good news. This will be a real shot in the arm for the apparel industry. It's been quite a long time since any industry in the country had any good news.
For their next morale-booster it is rumoured that Poroshenko and company are considering providing the military with weapons.
Showing posts with label Petro Poroshenko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Petro Poroshenko. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Monday, July 20, 2015
How Ukraine can defeat Putin's plan to destroy their country
Having discovered that Putin secretly controls not only the separatists in the east, but also the ultranationalist militias and the Poroshenko government itself, solving the "Ukrainian crisis" becomes stunningly simple; all the Ukrainians have to do is collectively defy Putin by stopping their wars against each other!
Problem solved! Gonna clear some space on the mantle for my Nobel Peace Prize...
Problem solved! Gonna clear some space on the mantle for my Nobel Peace Prize...
Down the bunny hole in Kyiv; all sides in cahoots with Putin!
We're all well aware that Putin is behind the so-called separatists in the Donbas region, because it's frankly impossible to read any news item about Ukraine in any Western media without being repeatedly reminded of that "fact."
Trying to find out what's going on in the fallout between the Poroshenko government and Right Sector boss Dmytro Yarosh is a challenge exponentially more difficult. Well over a week has passed since tensions between the US installed Poroshenko and the country's main ultra-nationalist militia exploded into violence, and it's a week ago today that the President delivered his ultimatum that they be disarmed.
So how's that going? Impossible to tell. It's not a story visible in Western media. I did however make a startling discovery while perusing The Ukrainian Weekly. Turns out those Pravyi Sektor thugs who have been fighting Putin's puppets in eastern Ukraine are themselves stooges of the great chess-master in the Kremlin!
But wait, there's more! The same article informs us that Poroshenko himself has been making secret deals with Putin! Ergo, we are now at the threshold of a three-way civil war in Ukraine, and all three sides are secretly sponsored by Putin!
Trying to find out what's going on in the fallout between the Poroshenko government and Right Sector boss Dmytro Yarosh is a challenge exponentially more difficult. Well over a week has passed since tensions between the US installed Poroshenko and the country's main ultra-nationalist militia exploded into violence, and it's a week ago today that the President delivered his ultimatum that they be disarmed.
So how's that going? Impossible to tell. It's not a story visible in Western media. I did however make a startling discovery while perusing The Ukrainian Weekly. Turns out those Pravyi Sektor thugs who have been fighting Putin's puppets in eastern Ukraine are themselves stooges of the great chess-master in the Kremlin!
But wait, there's more! The same article informs us that Poroshenko himself has been making secret deals with Putin! Ergo, we are now at the threshold of a three-way civil war in Ukraine, and all three sides are secretly sponsored by Putin!
Thursday, July 16, 2015
We are all Ukrainians?
Diane Francis has reiterated that daft claim, first made by US warmonger-at-large Senator John McCain a year and a half ago, in a story at Huffington Post.
In what is essentially a thinly-veiled anti-Putin propaganda piece, Francis nevertheless is forced to admit that it was Ukrainian oligarchs, and not Putin, who destroyed the Ukraine's economy post 1991. She may not have noticed, but the oligarch who sits in the big chair today is and always has been part of that club.
So why blame Putin?
Because gratuitous Putin-bashing gets an automatic free pass from lazy editors (or what is more likely, non-existent editors, as media owners fatten the bottom line by thinning out the payroll...) across Western media, and therefore serves, in the case of this article, as cover for some even more odious propagandizing; the presentation of ultra-nationalist far-right ideologues as homespun activists fighting Putin's aggression.
Dmytro Yarosh, leader of Right Sector, is passed off as a sincere patriot, which he well may be, but "ultra-nationalist" tends to be a code word for something darker, something synonymous with "fascist." His star has certainly been rising in post-coup politics, to the point where in April he was made an official adviser to the Defense Minister. In the event that the West decides to arm Ukraine, he could well decide how those weapons will be deployed.
In a news event virtually invisible in the West, Yarosh's armed Right Sector militia was involved in a shoot-out with Ukrainian police last week. There is a power struggle underway now between Poroshenko and Yarosh, and if Yarosh triumphs, Poroshenko's days are numbered.
Extremist forms of nationalism find fertile ground in difficult times, as has been repeatedly proven in the past 100 years of European history.
Anyway, we're not Ukrainians and we don't aspire to be, Big Steve's relentless toadying to the Ukraine-Canadian voter population notwithstanding. In fact, maybe Ukrainians should aspire to be a little more like Canadians. We too have a substantial minority in the east who prefer a different language and value different cultural traditions. Are we appealing for international support so we can "defend" ourselves by bombing them into oblivion?
No. Instead, we work hard to make a strength of our diversity.
That's not ever going to be on the agenda of rabid racists like Yarosh.
In what is essentially a thinly-veiled anti-Putin propaganda piece, Francis nevertheless is forced to admit that it was Ukrainian oligarchs, and not Putin, who destroyed the Ukraine's economy post 1991. She may not have noticed, but the oligarch who sits in the big chair today is and always has been part of that club.
So why blame Putin?
Because gratuitous Putin-bashing gets an automatic free pass from lazy editors (or what is more likely, non-existent editors, as media owners fatten the bottom line by thinning out the payroll...) across Western media, and therefore serves, in the case of this article, as cover for some even more odious propagandizing; the presentation of ultra-nationalist far-right ideologues as homespun activists fighting Putin's aggression.
Dmytro Yarosh, leader of Right Sector, is passed off as a sincere patriot, which he well may be, but "ultra-nationalist" tends to be a code word for something darker, something synonymous with "fascist." His star has certainly been rising in post-coup politics, to the point where in April he was made an official adviser to the Defense Minister. In the event that the West decides to arm Ukraine, he could well decide how those weapons will be deployed.
In a news event virtually invisible in the West, Yarosh's armed Right Sector militia was involved in a shoot-out with Ukrainian police last week. There is a power struggle underway now between Poroshenko and Yarosh, and if Yarosh triumphs, Poroshenko's days are numbered.
Extremist forms of nationalism find fertile ground in difficult times, as has been repeatedly proven in the past 100 years of European history.
Anyway, we're not Ukrainians and we don't aspire to be, Big Steve's relentless toadying to the Ukraine-Canadian voter population notwithstanding. In fact, maybe Ukrainians should aspire to be a little more like Canadians. We too have a substantial minority in the east who prefer a different language and value different cultural traditions. Are we appealing for international support so we can "defend" ourselves by bombing them into oblivion?
No. Instead, we work hard to make a strength of our diversity.
That's not ever going to be on the agenda of rabid racists like Yarosh.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Poroshenko's last stand?
Those of a conspiratorial bent will find it beyond curious that on the very day that Ukrainian oligarch-cum-President Petro Poroshenko is facing his gravest challenge yet, his Prime Minister, Nuland-Pyatt fave "Yats" Yatsenyuk just happens to be visiting Washington!
Coincidence?
After Saturday's shootout between police and a gang of Right Sector neofascists, Poroshenko has ordered the disarming of all non-state militias. This is going to be a tall order, mainly because his "War on Terrorists" in the east of the country depends on those same armed militias to do the heavy lifting. Leadership of the Right Sector responded immediately with a firm negatory, and instead called on Poroshenko to fire the local governor and arrest the policemen who had the gall to shoot at them!
So Poroshenko has painted himself into a corner. He has issued an ultimatum, which is rejected out of hand. As the leader of Ukraine, he now needs to enforce that order or lose what little credibility he still has.
Yatsenyuk, meanwhile, was in Washington ostensibly to drum up enthusiasm among would-be investors. They too deserve to know if Ukraine is governed by the rule of law or by armed gangs.
Coincidence?
After Saturday's shootout between police and a gang of Right Sector neofascists, Poroshenko has ordered the disarming of all non-state militias. This is going to be a tall order, mainly because his "War on Terrorists" in the east of the country depends on those same armed militias to do the heavy lifting. Leadership of the Right Sector responded immediately with a firm negatory, and instead called on Poroshenko to fire the local governor and arrest the policemen who had the gall to shoot at them!
So Poroshenko has painted himself into a corner. He has issued an ultimatum, which is rejected out of hand. As the leader of Ukraine, he now needs to enforce that order or lose what little credibility he still has.
Yatsenyuk, meanwhile, was in Washington ostensibly to drum up enthusiasm among would-be investors. They too deserve to know if Ukraine is governed by the rule of law or by armed gangs.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Canadian complicity in Ukraine coup revealed
This should not come as a surprise to anyone. Big Steve and Bullshittin' Baird were all over that glorious Ukrainian revolution that the Nuland-Pyatt putsch had sprung on the unsuspecting Ukrainian people... they thought they were on their way to joining NATO and the EU!
Guess the joke is on them!
Instead, a year and a half later, the nation teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, and the fascist militias are in open revolt against the not-so-legitimate government of our bumboy Petro Poroshenko.
Sucks to be a Uke, but at least billionaire Poroshenko's companies are worth more than ever.
He's scheduled to visit Ottawa this week. No doubt we'll be seeing lots of headlines about "Putin's aggression."
(Correction: It's PM "Yats" Yatsenyuk visiting Ottawa tomorrow, not President Poroshenko.)
Guess the joke is on them!
Instead, a year and a half later, the nation teeters on the brink of bankruptcy, and the fascist militias are in open revolt against the not-so-legitimate government of our bumboy Petro Poroshenko.
Sucks to be a Uke, but at least billionaire Poroshenko's companies are worth more than ever.
He's scheduled to visit Ottawa this week. No doubt we'll be seeing lots of headlines about "Putin's aggression."
(Correction: It's PM "Yats" Yatsenyuk visiting Ottawa tomorrow, not President Poroshenko.)
Monday, June 1, 2015
Poroshenko jumps the shark
Petro Poroshenko has been pondering how best to convince his sceptical backers at the IMF and World Bank of his seriousness in all those "reforms" he keeps talking about. While he's been busy talking, the country's economy keeps sliding into the abyss, no economic indicators are improving, and it's business as usual for the corrupt oligarchs who have steered the country over the cliff.
But that's all going to change now!
Yessiree!!! Poroshenko has hit a home run with this idea! He's bringing in former president of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili as Governor of Odessa region with a mandate to stamp out corruption and introduce reforms!
The man skipped Georgia days before the last election, sensing which way the winds were blowing, and is currently wanted there for embezzlement! He was not even a Ukrainian citizen until Poroshenko arbitrarily declared him such on Saturday.
But he's going to restore Poroshenko's credibility in the eyes of his Western backers?
But that's all going to change now!
Yessiree!!! Poroshenko has hit a home run with this idea! He's bringing in former president of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili as Governor of Odessa region with a mandate to stamp out corruption and introduce reforms!
The man skipped Georgia days before the last election, sensing which way the winds were blowing, and is currently wanted there for embezzlement! He was not even a Ukrainian citizen until Poroshenko arbitrarily declared him such on Saturday.
But he's going to restore Poroshenko's credibility in the eyes of his Western backers?
Friday, February 13, 2015
US working hard to derail Ukraine cease-fire
Here's Sec of State underling Jen Psaki telling us why the Hollande-Merkel cease-fire is a sham.
America's puppet Poroshenko saw with his own eyes, even while he was at peace talks in Minsk, Russian tanks crossing into Ukraine.
As is routinely the case, no on-the-ground journalists nor any of the vaunted NATO satellite imagery were able to verify these claims.
But the US-installed Ukrainian oligarch "president" says so, so a thousand Western media outlets immediately report Poroshenko's fantasies as the "truth."
Support for the US-engineered coup was luke-warm in Ukraine a year ago, even when the odds of success were even.
Almost a year later, when Poroshenko's multiple attacks on the "terrorists" in the East have routinely failed, when conscripts to Poroshenko's "army" are fleeing to Russia by the tens of thousands to avoid the draft, we continue to be inundated by ignorant propaganda about "Russian aggression."
Ukraine is a deeply troubled country; troubled mostly by the fact that her own oligarchs have raped it into the ground, but troubled doubly by the Western interlopers who promise EU access while delivering nothing of the sort.
As Western cheerleaders promote more violence in Ukraine, isn't it time for Ukrainians to make up their own minds?
America's puppet Poroshenko saw with his own eyes, even while he was at peace talks in Minsk, Russian tanks crossing into Ukraine.
As is routinely the case, no on-the-ground journalists nor any of the vaunted NATO satellite imagery were able to verify these claims.
But the US-installed Ukrainian oligarch "president" says so, so a thousand Western media outlets immediately report Poroshenko's fantasies as the "truth."
Support for the US-engineered coup was luke-warm in Ukraine a year ago, even when the odds of success were even.
Almost a year later, when Poroshenko's multiple attacks on the "terrorists" in the East have routinely failed, when conscripts to Poroshenko's "army" are fleeing to Russia by the tens of thousands to avoid the draft, we continue to be inundated by ignorant propaganda about "Russian aggression."
Ukraine is a deeply troubled country; troubled mostly by the fact that her own oligarchs have raped it into the ground, but troubled doubly by the Western interlopers who promise EU access while delivering nothing of the sort.
As Western cheerleaders promote more violence in Ukraine, isn't it time for Ukrainians to make up their own minds?
Saturday, January 10, 2015
World leaders converge on Paris in search of photo-ops
Charlie Hebdo is obviously much more loved in death than in life. In life, they were consistently harassed by the French state. In death, they are lionized by the French state.
And far beyond! These champions of freedom of expression have inspired a solidarity march in Paris tomorrow, that has virtually every leader in the free world clamouring to climb aboard the bandwagon!
Merkel, Cameron, Poroshenko... yes, ALL the leaders of the free world, and apparently every member of the Israeli Knesset to boot!
Thus far Canada has missed the boat on this one, designating Public Safety Minister Steve Blaney, a non-entity, to represent the country. But that was before news came out that all the top-echelon Likud crowd would be in attendance, which may yet cause a change of plans in Ottawa.
This is truly a heart-warming rally in support of freedom of speech!
But while our hearts are warm and our eyes are misty, let's not forget that as recently as last summer, the nation that now parades itself as the very womb of "freedom of expression," criminalized protest against Israel's invasion of Gaza.
Ah, but life is awash with ironies, is it not?
And far beyond! These champions of freedom of expression have inspired a solidarity march in Paris tomorrow, that has virtually every leader in the free world clamouring to climb aboard the bandwagon!
Merkel, Cameron, Poroshenko... yes, ALL the leaders of the free world, and apparently every member of the Israeli Knesset to boot!
Thus far Canada has missed the boat on this one, designating Public Safety Minister Steve Blaney, a non-entity, to represent the country. But that was before news came out that all the top-echelon Likud crowd would be in attendance, which may yet cause a change of plans in Ottawa.
This is truly a heart-warming rally in support of freedom of speech!
But while our hearts are warm and our eyes are misty, let's not forget that as recently as last summer, the nation that now parades itself as the very womb of "freedom of expression," criminalized protest against Israel's invasion of Gaza.
Ah, but life is awash with ironies, is it not?
Friday, November 14, 2014
More foolish talk from Ukraine PM
Ukraine PM "Yats" Yatsenyuk has a plan. Broke and beleaguered though the country may be, Yats figures the Ukrainian people should forget about the economy and focus instead on building up an army capable of stopping Russia.
Seems a little short-sighted. Among the many immediate problems facing Ukraine are massive unemployment, staggering debt, and the impending implementation of the austerity measures Yats and Poroshenko have agreed to in their quest to appease their EU betters.
Seems Ukraine's new leadership is as bankrupt of ideas as their treasury is of hyvnia.
Seems a little short-sighted. Among the many immediate problems facing Ukraine are massive unemployment, staggering debt, and the impending implementation of the austerity measures Yats and Poroshenko have agreed to in their quest to appease their EU betters.
Seems Ukraine's new leadership is as bankrupt of ideas as their treasury is of hyvnia.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Pity Poroshenko
Petro Poroshenko's rise to great wealth coincidentally began at the very same time as his political career. The 1990's were a heady time in the former Soviet Republics. It was out with the old and in with the new in a massive wave of disruptive "disaster capitalism" that swept away the old order.
What emerged was an entire generation of wealthy men and a few women (Yulia Tymoshenko comes to mind) who came out on top in that mad scramble in which the former Soviet states privatized their public domain. In virtually every case this new breed of billionaire came from the class of mid-level functionaries who knew their way around the old system and recognized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they saw it. Poroshenko was one of many.
His political record is notably pedestrian. He veered left or right depending on which way the winds of opportunity were blowing. He was a Ukrainian patriot when the moment demanded it, but also a pragmatist who profited mightily from his connections with the Russian business and political elite. He was certainly never the "Russophobe" on display this week on his cap-in-hand tour of the Americas.
Which is why he is totally up against it, backed into a corner, and screwed, screwed, and screwed again as he attempts to navigate a course for Ukraine that dodges the machinations of both the former super-powers as they turn Ukraine into a proxy battlefield.
On the one hand, he has shown a sensible willingness to accommodate the reasonable demands of the separatists in the east. On the other hand, he continues to make provocative statements that make him sound like a ventriloquist's dummy sitting on Joe Biden's lap. "The rebellion will be crushed in days, not weeks or months," quoth Biden through his dummy.
We know how that's gone. And all the ludicrous pronouncements about a Russian invasion have not enhanced his credibility either. In fact, his tour of the Americas demonstrated that even the most ardent supporters of anti-Putin provocations in Canada and the US are loathe to offer much more than rhetorical support.
Meanwhile, as leader of Ukraine, he has way more on his plate than carrying out American neocon fantasies about sinking Putin. Ukraine is in deep, deep shit no matter how you look at it. Whereas Russia had the good fortune of a leader emerging to reign in the oligarchs, in Ukraine the entire economy has been and continues to be the playtoy of the kleptocratic elite.
In Russia, Putin knocked a few heads together and threw a few arses in jail for the greater good, and the oligarchs soon figured out who was in charge. In Ukraine, it's been one government of corrupt oligarchs after another systematically looting their own country, all along with the blessing of the US, because the powers in Washington want to see Ukraine a failed state they can make an American dependency on Russia's border.
Poroshenko is just the latest pawn in America's long term plan for Ukraine.
What emerged was an entire generation of wealthy men and a few women (Yulia Tymoshenko comes to mind) who came out on top in that mad scramble in which the former Soviet states privatized their public domain. In virtually every case this new breed of billionaire came from the class of mid-level functionaries who knew their way around the old system and recognized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they saw it. Poroshenko was one of many.
His political record is notably pedestrian. He veered left or right depending on which way the winds of opportunity were blowing. He was a Ukrainian patriot when the moment demanded it, but also a pragmatist who profited mightily from his connections with the Russian business and political elite. He was certainly never the "Russophobe" on display this week on his cap-in-hand tour of the Americas.
Which is why he is totally up against it, backed into a corner, and screwed, screwed, and screwed again as he attempts to navigate a course for Ukraine that dodges the machinations of both the former super-powers as they turn Ukraine into a proxy battlefield.
On the one hand, he has shown a sensible willingness to accommodate the reasonable demands of the separatists in the east. On the other hand, he continues to make provocative statements that make him sound like a ventriloquist's dummy sitting on Joe Biden's lap. "The rebellion will be crushed in days, not weeks or months," quoth Biden through his dummy.
We know how that's gone. And all the ludicrous pronouncements about a Russian invasion have not enhanced his credibility either. In fact, his tour of the Americas demonstrated that even the most ardent supporters of anti-Putin provocations in Canada and the US are loathe to offer much more than rhetorical support.
Meanwhile, as leader of Ukraine, he has way more on his plate than carrying out American neocon fantasies about sinking Putin. Ukraine is in deep, deep shit no matter how you look at it. Whereas Russia had the good fortune of a leader emerging to reign in the oligarchs, in Ukraine the entire economy has been and continues to be the playtoy of the kleptocratic elite.
In Russia, Putin knocked a few heads together and threw a few arses in jail for the greater good, and the oligarchs soon figured out who was in charge. In Ukraine, it's been one government of corrupt oligarchs after another systematically looting their own country, all along with the blessing of the US, because the powers in Washington want to see Ukraine a failed state they can make an American dependency on Russia's border.
Poroshenko is just the latest pawn in America's long term plan for Ukraine.
Canadian media discovers "fascist groups" in Ukraine military!
The mainstream media taboo on reporting anything at all about the neo-fascist elements within the Poroshenko government and the Ukrainian military is crumbling.
While a multitude of international news services have been featuring one story after another about the insidious influence of the neo-nazis on developments in Ukraine over the past year, the topic has been entirely off the radar in Canada. Instead, we get dozens of laudatory press releases from John Baird trumpeting the blossoming of "democracy." How a democracy can be said to blossom when it begins with the overthrow of a democratically elected government is a question neither asked nor answered, thanks to the influence of the Ukrainian lobby in Ottawa, and the eagerness of the Harper gang to court a substantial sub-group of voters.
But that seems to be changing. The National Post, the most right-leaning pro-Harper news organ in the land, has on view a story available months ago at BBC, die Welt, or Agence France-Presse. Canadian readers will no doubt be aghast that the Poroshenko regime is riddled with neo-nazis, anti-Semites, and white supremacists...
Which makes the decision to gift Poroshenko the honour of addressing a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Commons this past week all the more questionable.
While a multitude of international news services have been featuring one story after another about the insidious influence of the neo-nazis on developments in Ukraine over the past year, the topic has been entirely off the radar in Canada. Instead, we get dozens of laudatory press releases from John Baird trumpeting the blossoming of "democracy." How a democracy can be said to blossom when it begins with the overthrow of a democratically elected government is a question neither asked nor answered, thanks to the influence of the Ukrainian lobby in Ottawa, and the eagerness of the Harper gang to court a substantial sub-group of voters.
But that seems to be changing. The National Post, the most right-leaning pro-Harper news organ in the land, has on view a story available months ago at BBC, die Welt, or Agence France-Presse. Canadian readers will no doubt be aghast that the Poroshenko regime is riddled with neo-nazis, anti-Semites, and white supremacists...
Which makes the decision to gift Poroshenko the honour of addressing a joint sitting of the Senate and House of Commons this past week all the more questionable.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Canada befouls parliamentary tradition with Poroshenko address
When you peruse the list of worthies who have addressed a ceremonial joint sitting of the Canadian Senate and Commons, none has as skimpy a resume as Petro Poroshenko.
| Date | Dignitary | Office |
|---|---|---|
| 17 September 2014 | Petro Poroshenko | President of Ukraine |
| 27 February 2014 | His Highness Aga Khan IV | Spiritual Leader of Ismaili Muslims |
| 22 September 2011 | David Cameron | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| 26 May 2010 | Felipe Calderón | President of Mexico |
| 26 May 2008 | Viktor Yushchenko | President of Ukraine |
| 22 September 2006 | Hamid Karzai | President of Afghanistan |
| 18 May 2006 | John Howard | Prime Minister of Australia |
| 25 October 2004 | Vicente Fox | President of Mexico |
| 9 March 2004 | Kofi Annan | Secretary General of the United Nations |
| 22 February 2001 | Tony Blair | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| 29 April 1999 | Václav Havel | President of the Czech Republic |
| 24 September 1998 | Nelson Mandela | President of South Africa |
| 11 June 1996 | Ernesto Zedillo | President of Mexico |
| 23 February 1995 | Bill Clinton | President of the United States |
| 19 June 1992 | Boris Yeltsin | President of Russia |
| 8 April 1991 | Carlos Salinas de Gortari | President of Mexico |
| 18 June 1990 | Nelson Mandela | Deputy President of the African National Congress |
| 11 October 1989 | Hussein | King of Jordan |
| 27 June 1989 | Chaim Herzog | President of Israel |
| 22 June 1988 | Margaret Thatcher | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| 16 June 1988 | Helmut Kohl | Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany |
| 10 May 1988 | Beatrix | Queen of the Netherlands |
| 25 May 1987 | François Mitterrand | President of France |
| 6 April 1987 | Ronald Reagan | President of the United States |
| 13 January 1986 | Yasuhiro Nakasone | Prime Minister of Japan |
| 7 March 1985 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Secretary General of the United Nations |
| 8 May 1984 | Miguel de la Madrid | President of Mexico |
| 17 January 1984 | Zhao Ziyang | Premier of the People's Republic of China |
| 26 September 1983 | Margaret Thatcher | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| 11 March 1981 | Ronald Reagan | President of the United States |
| 26 May 1980 | José López Portillo | President of Mexico |
| 5 May 1980 | Masayoshi Ohira | Prime Minister of Japan |
| 19 June 1973 | Indira Gandhi | Prime Minister of India |
| 30 March 1973 | Luis EcheverrÃa | President of Mexico |
| 14 April 1972 | Richard Nixon | President of the United States |
| 26 May 1964 | U Thant | Secretary General of the United Nations |
| 17 May 1961 | John F. Kennedy | President of the United States |
| 21 July 1958 | Kwame Nkrumah | Prime Minister of Ghana |
| 9 July 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | President of the United States |
| 13 June 1958 | Harold Macmillan | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| 2 June 1958 | Theodor Heuss | President of West Germany |
| 4 March 1957 | Guy Mollet | Prime Minister of France |
| 5 June 1956 | Sukarno | President of Indonesia |
| 5 March 1956 | Giovanni Gronchi | President of Italy |
| 6 February 1956 | Anthony Eden | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| 14 November 1953 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | President of the United States |
| 5 April 1951 | Vincent Auriol | President of France |
| 31 May 1950 | Liaquat Ali Khan | Prime Minister of Pakistan |
| 24 October 1949 | Jawaharlal Nehru | Prime Minister of India |
| 11 June 1947 | Harry S. Truman | President of the United States |
| 19 November 1945 | Clement Attlee | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
| 30 June 1944 | Peter Fraser | Prime Minister of New Zealand |
| 1 June 1944 | John Curtin | Prime Minister of Australia |
| 16 June 1943 | Chiang Kai-shek | President of the Republic of China |
| 3 June 1943 | Edvard Beneš | President of Czechoslovakia |
| 30 December 1941 | Winston Churchill | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
You've got some genuine heavy hitters on the list; Churchill, Nehru, Truman, Eisenhower, Mandela...
And you've got a lot of sketchy second-stringers who's halos have faded with the passage of time.
Nixon, Blair, Thatcher, Karzai...
Hell, even Russian Prez Boris Yeltsin got an invite when the West thought we had him in our pocket!
But nobody has ever addressed the Canadian parliament after a political leadership career of mere months that has been a complete bloody disaster by any measure.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
The very moment Poroshenko loses all hope for a NATO intervention, France cancels warship contract
That was an odd bit of political sleight of hand, wasn't it?
After playing the "we are being invaded by Russia" card again and again, with absolutely no credible evidence emerging to support the claim, and not one iota of Western support, beyond the strictly rhetorical (see the Harper, Baird, Tusk file) on the horizon, Poroshenko decides a peace plan might be a good idea.
Even corn-fed hillbillies up here in the Bruce knew from the beginning that nobody was going to war over Ukraine.
But NATO knows back-room arm-twisting like nobody else. The weakest link at the moment is lame-duck Hollande, whose poll ratings have dived so low that a syphilitic Parisienne prostitute could easily oust him in the next election.
Just when Poroshenko, a NATO stooge through and through, is ready to make peace with Putin, we get the lamest of lame Euro-pols throwing a spanner in the works by announcing the cancellation of that multi-billion warship contract.
Both Poroshenko and Hollande have just sealed their fate. They are men of the past.
Leaders of the future will join Putin in forging relationships that are mutually beneficial for the people of all countries concerned, instead of pursuing policies for the benefit of Monsanto and the fracking lobby.
After playing the "we are being invaded by Russia" card again and again, with absolutely no credible evidence emerging to support the claim, and not one iota of Western support, beyond the strictly rhetorical (see the Harper, Baird, Tusk file) on the horizon, Poroshenko decides a peace plan might be a good idea.
Even corn-fed hillbillies up here in the Bruce knew from the beginning that nobody was going to war over Ukraine.
But NATO knows back-room arm-twisting like nobody else. The weakest link at the moment is lame-duck Hollande, whose poll ratings have dived so low that a syphilitic Parisienne prostitute could easily oust him in the next election.
Just when Poroshenko, a NATO stooge through and through, is ready to make peace with Putin, we get the lamest of lame Euro-pols throwing a spanner in the works by announcing the cancellation of that multi-billion warship contract.
Both Poroshenko and Hollande have just sealed their fate. They are men of the past.
Leaders of the future will join Putin in forging relationships that are mutually beneficial for the people of all countries concerned, instead of pursuing policies for the benefit of Monsanto and the fracking lobby.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Russia invades Ukraine again
What's that, the 10th time this month?
The New York Times has the honest truth for you.
Or not, whichever the case may be.
Frankly, you never know whether you're reading actual news that really happened, or wishful thinking concocted by Poroshenko or one of the fabulists in his cabinet.
This particular invasion has all the hallmarks of wishful thinking. A scary and, if true, very serious incident has occurred, an act of war, in fact!
This is serious business indeed!
For such a serious incident, there is a notable and highly conspicuous absence of evidence. Luckily, an unnamed US military official can confirm, anonymously of course, that there exist, under lock and key, actual photographs of Russian armoured convoys crossing into Ukraine, but unfortunately such evidence cannot be shared with the public for reasons of national security.
How does that make any sense?
But then those bullshittin' babes over at State go on TV talking up the story, and before you can say "your nose is growing", the New York Times is printing up the entire yarn as though it really happened!
American foreign policy has pretty much devolved into sabre-rattling and Putin-baiting. Given the track record over the past few decades, it is difficult to discern why a military confrontation with Russia would be a good idea from any point of view.
The New York Times has the honest truth for you.
Or not, whichever the case may be.
Frankly, you never know whether you're reading actual news that really happened, or wishful thinking concocted by Poroshenko or one of the fabulists in his cabinet.
This particular invasion has all the hallmarks of wishful thinking. A scary and, if true, very serious incident has occurred, an act of war, in fact!
This is serious business indeed!
For such a serious incident, there is a notable and highly conspicuous absence of evidence. Luckily, an unnamed US military official can confirm, anonymously of course, that there exist, under lock and key, actual photographs of Russian armoured convoys crossing into Ukraine, but unfortunately such evidence cannot be shared with the public for reasons of national security.
How does that make any sense?
But then those bullshittin' babes over at State go on TV talking up the story, and before you can say "your nose is growing", the New York Times is printing up the entire yarn as though it really happened!
American foreign policy has pretty much devolved into sabre-rattling and Putin-baiting. Given the track record over the past few decades, it is difficult to discern why a military confrontation with Russia would be a good idea from any point of view.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Where is the West's outrage as Poroshenko slaughters his own people?
You remember the "slaughtering his own people" meme, I'm sure.
Bashar al-Assad was slaughtering his own people, or was about to, or the thought had crossed his mind, and the editorial writers and TV pundits were unanimous in their outrage, clamouring for the Nations of Virtue to play the "responsibility to protect" card.
Gaddafi was "slaughtering his own people"... well not actually. Well, he might have, had we not stepped in with the R2P gambit... of course we don't know what he might have done, crazy maniac that he was. But thank God we got in there and saved the Libyan people.
Saddam Hussein was just a-slaughtering his people all over the place so often that it's a miracle we found so many more to slaughter when we went in there to save them. Yes, R2P is a serious obligation on the Nations of Virtue; why should we stand by and watch some tin-pot dictator slaughter his own people when we could be doing it?
Yes, it's been slaughterers and slaughterees and our virtuous meddling in joyous abundance... till we get to Poroshenko,not just thinking about slaughtering his own people, but actually following through.
And the Nations of Virtue are not threatening sanctions, not threatening no-fly zones, not threatening to invoke R2P...
The silence is deafening.
Bashar al-Assad was slaughtering his own people, or was about to, or the thought had crossed his mind, and the editorial writers and TV pundits were unanimous in their outrage, clamouring for the Nations of Virtue to play the "responsibility to protect" card.
Gaddafi was "slaughtering his own people"... well not actually. Well, he might have, had we not stepped in with the R2P gambit... of course we don't know what he might have done, crazy maniac that he was. But thank God we got in there and saved the Libyan people.
Saddam Hussein was just a-slaughtering his people all over the place so often that it's a miracle we found so many more to slaughter when we went in there to save them. Yes, R2P is a serious obligation on the Nations of Virtue; why should we stand by and watch some tin-pot dictator slaughter his own people when we could be doing it?
Yes, it's been slaughterers and slaughterees and our virtuous meddling in joyous abundance... till we get to Poroshenko,not just thinking about slaughtering his own people, but actually following through.
And the Nations of Virtue are not threatening sanctions, not threatening no-fly zones, not threatening to invoke R2P...
The silence is deafening.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Ukraine; Yats bails as country circles drain
Arseniy "Yats" Yatseniuk, the Ukrainian PM "democratically elected" last February by US ambassador Geoff Pyatt and State Department no. 2 Victoria Nuland, has announced that he is abandoning ship. He will no doubt turn up soon in a non-teaching "teaching post" at a prominent American University, or as a "senior fellow" at a big-name think tank. Maybe both!
After all, he deserves it, having done what he could to deliver his country into the apparently not-too-eager arms of the West.
While the West is keen to use Ukraine as a tool to browbeat Putin, thus far they have been somewhat niggardly in coming up with tangible support. Just today it emerged that Canada, by far the loudest booster of Ukraine's turn to the West, has yet to get at the paperwork involved in processing that $200 million they promised months and months ago.
Meanwhile, President Poroshenko struggles with an official army that doesn't follow orders, a "new" army made of hastily conscripted neo-fascist nutters and foreign white-power mercenaries that doesn't follow orders either, and a new sugar daddy in the EU who makes lots of promises but seems in no hurry to cover that multi-billion dollar Gazprom tab that the snubbed Putin would prefer to see cleaned up before he turns the taps back on for next winter.
Nevermind paying for this war.
These have to be trying days for The Chocolate King, as he finds himself a victim of history instead of a maker of history.
So it's forward full steam with the default strategy; hunker down in his office and issue non-stop press releases blaming Russia for everything.
After all, he deserves it, having done what he could to deliver his country into the apparently not-too-eager arms of the West.
While the West is keen to use Ukraine as a tool to browbeat Putin, thus far they have been somewhat niggardly in coming up with tangible support. Just today it emerged that Canada, by far the loudest booster of Ukraine's turn to the West, has yet to get at the paperwork involved in processing that $200 million they promised months and months ago.
Meanwhile, President Poroshenko struggles with an official army that doesn't follow orders, a "new" army made of hastily conscripted neo-fascist nutters and foreign white-power mercenaries that doesn't follow orders either, and a new sugar daddy in the EU who makes lots of promises but seems in no hurry to cover that multi-billion dollar Gazprom tab that the snubbed Putin would prefer to see cleaned up before he turns the taps back on for next winter.
Nevermind paying for this war.
These have to be trying days for The Chocolate King, as he finds himself a victim of history instead of a maker of history.
So it's forward full steam with the default strategy; hunker down in his office and issue non-stop press releases blaming Russia for everything.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Poroshenko dips into Nazi archives for latest anti-rebel proclamations
Petro Poroshenko is demonstrating an unexpected gift for making foolish proclamations. That pattern first revealed itself six weeks ago when the newly elected president promised that the uprising in the east would be over "in hours, not weeks or months".
That is no doubt the kind of bombastic rhetoric his American sponsors want to hear.
After the rebels who had been holed up in Sloviansk for several months withdrew towards Luhansk and Donetsk, he promised them "a nasty surprise".
Instead, it was the government forces who got a nasty surprise when one of their convoys was hit with a rocket attack that killed dozens and injured many more. That prompted Poroshenko to proclaim that "for each death of a Ukrainian serviceman the militants will pay with ten or a hundred of their own".
If that sounds familiar, it's because that exact language was frequently employed by the Nazi's in occupied areas during the WWII.
Instead of amping up the rhetoric and pursuing a campaign of destroying the east in order to save it, Mr. Poroshenko really should give statesmanship a try. Unfortunately, whenever he seems about to make a move in that direction, he gets a call from Joe Biden reminding him who's the boss.
That is no doubt the kind of bombastic rhetoric his American sponsors want to hear.
After the rebels who had been holed up in Sloviansk for several months withdrew towards Luhansk and Donetsk, he promised them "a nasty surprise".
Instead, it was the government forces who got a nasty surprise when one of their convoys was hit with a rocket attack that killed dozens and injured many more. That prompted Poroshenko to proclaim that "for each death of a Ukrainian serviceman the militants will pay with ten or a hundred of their own".
If that sounds familiar, it's because that exact language was frequently employed by the Nazi's in occupied areas during the WWII.
Instead of amping up the rhetoric and pursuing a campaign of destroying the east in order to save it, Mr. Poroshenko really should give statesmanship a try. Unfortunately, whenever he seems about to make a move in that direction, he gets a call from Joe Biden reminding him who's the boss.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Ukraine Crisis; It's the Oligarchs, stupid!
Anyone who regularly reads only Western media accounts about the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine well knows the genesis of these troubles; Putin's aggression.
Yes, Putin must be stopped, blah blah blah...
But reading between the lines there is quite another theme that comes up again and again; the extent to which over the twenty-plus years of independence, a small clique of insiders has taken over the ship of state, driven the country deep into debt, and vastly enriched themselves.
These men (and one woman) have demonstrated ever-shifting loyalties between parties, and to lesser or greater allegiances to the pro-European camp. When no extant political parties are pliable enough for their tastes, they start their own. Their ultimate loyalties lie with their own self-interest.
The rise of the oligarchs since 1991 has coincided precisely with the decline in the standard of living among the working population. Ukrainians have seen their conditions steadily fall behind neighbouring countries. The Poles are far ahead now, to say nothing of the Western European countries. Even Russian workers now enjoy a higher living standard.
At the same time, the entirety of what was once the state's resources ended up in the hands of a few billionaires. But thanks to the relentless proselytizing of myriad Western-sponsored "democracy promotion" groups, a large percentage of the population see the oligarchs as patriots and instead blame Putin for their impoverishment.
A billionaire of any nation has more in common with other billionaires, be they Russian, American, Hungarian, or whatever, than with the students, workers, pensioners, and unemployed of his own country. Loading up the government with oligarchs and their flunkies at this time is guaranteed to turn out well for the oligarchs.
For the people? Not so much.
Hundreds of articles have been written about the role of the oligarchs in the present crisis. Here are links to a few recent ones:
In March The Guardian provided a handy guide to who's who in the world of Ukrainian oligarchy. While they are in every case portrayed as "self-made" men, it is interesting to note that most state assets have ended up in their pockets. While they were making themselves, something was being un-made.
In April, the Financial Times noted that the emerging billionaire super-patriots had a history of cosy relations with "the enemy."
In May, the LA Times finds oligarchs, having made a call on which way the winds are blowing, speaking out against Russia.
In June, the Wall Street Journal features an oligarch who is not only "Ukraine's Secret Weapon", but is "feisty" to boot.
Three days ago, Al Jazeera tips their cap to the oligarchs, but hints there may be shady games afoot. Well no wonder, the writer is Alexander Nekrassov, a former Kremlin adviser.
And today we get the good news that oligarch Yury Kosyuk has been named uber-minister for defence, where he promises to rid the military of thieves and fraudsters. Presumably he knows fraud and thievery when he sees it.
What these stories together indicate is that the oligarchs of Ukraine have established a choke-hold over the political process. Loudly aided and abetted by foreign "democracy promotion" NGOs and political meddlers like Victoria Nuland, John Baird, and Stephen Harper, they now hold the reins of what was supposedly a popular uprising.
We can rest assured that they will do everything in their power to consolidate and advance the interests of every Ukrainian oligarch.
As to the rest of the population; good luck!
Yes, Putin must be stopped, blah blah blah...
But reading between the lines there is quite another theme that comes up again and again; the extent to which over the twenty-plus years of independence, a small clique of insiders has taken over the ship of state, driven the country deep into debt, and vastly enriched themselves.
These men (and one woman) have demonstrated ever-shifting loyalties between parties, and to lesser or greater allegiances to the pro-European camp. When no extant political parties are pliable enough for their tastes, they start their own. Their ultimate loyalties lie with their own self-interest.
The rise of the oligarchs since 1991 has coincided precisely with the decline in the standard of living among the working population. Ukrainians have seen their conditions steadily fall behind neighbouring countries. The Poles are far ahead now, to say nothing of the Western European countries. Even Russian workers now enjoy a higher living standard.
At the same time, the entirety of what was once the state's resources ended up in the hands of a few billionaires. But thanks to the relentless proselytizing of myriad Western-sponsored "democracy promotion" groups, a large percentage of the population see the oligarchs as patriots and instead blame Putin for their impoverishment.
A billionaire of any nation has more in common with other billionaires, be they Russian, American, Hungarian, or whatever, than with the students, workers, pensioners, and unemployed of his own country. Loading up the government with oligarchs and their flunkies at this time is guaranteed to turn out well for the oligarchs.
For the people? Not so much.
Hundreds of articles have been written about the role of the oligarchs in the present crisis. Here are links to a few recent ones:
In March The Guardian provided a handy guide to who's who in the world of Ukrainian oligarchy. While they are in every case portrayed as "self-made" men, it is interesting to note that most state assets have ended up in their pockets. While they were making themselves, something was being un-made.
In April, the Financial Times noted that the emerging billionaire super-patriots had a history of cosy relations with "the enemy."
In May, the LA Times finds oligarchs, having made a call on which way the winds are blowing, speaking out against Russia.
In June, the Wall Street Journal features an oligarch who is not only "Ukraine's Secret Weapon", but is "feisty" to boot.
Three days ago, Al Jazeera tips their cap to the oligarchs, but hints there may be shady games afoot. Well no wonder, the writer is Alexander Nekrassov, a former Kremlin adviser.
And today we get the good news that oligarch Yury Kosyuk has been named uber-minister for defence, where he promises to rid the military of thieves and fraudsters. Presumably he knows fraud and thievery when he sees it.
What these stories together indicate is that the oligarchs of Ukraine have established a choke-hold over the political process. Loudly aided and abetted by foreign "democracy promotion" NGOs and political meddlers like Victoria Nuland, John Baird, and Stephen Harper, they now hold the reins of what was supposedly a popular uprising.
We can rest assured that they will do everything in their power to consolidate and advance the interests of every Ukrainian oligarch.
As to the rest of the population; good luck!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Putin Growls; the crass stupidity of Western media on Ukraine
There could be an almost infinite number of ways to portray the Russian government's disappointment over the fact that Petro Poroshenko has chosen to abrogate the cease-fire and ramp up the violence in Ukraine.
Putin disappointed.
Putin saddened.
Putin disturbed... etc.
Instead, we get Putin growls.
That's journalism with an agenda, and the agenda is obviously to demonize Putin, whose crime was to call for an extension of the cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, a crime in which his co-conspirators were Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel.
Poroshenko was obviously open to the idea of extending the cease-fire as recently as yesterday. Who prevailed upon him to change his mind?
Putin disappointed.
Putin saddened.
Putin disturbed... etc.
Instead, we get Putin growls.
That's journalism with an agenda, and the agenda is obviously to demonize Putin, whose crime was to call for an extension of the cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, a crime in which his co-conspirators were Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel.
Poroshenko was obviously open to the idea of extending the cease-fire as recently as yesterday. Who prevailed upon him to change his mind?
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