Contrary to the opinion of President Barack Obama there is nothing
illegal about the recent vote for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
to leave the chaotic situation in The Ukraine. In 1991
the Ukraine separated itself from the deteriorating government of
the then Soviet Union by a declaration of independence and
created a precedent for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to
separate itself from The Ukraine. The obvious instability
associated with the fall of the Ukrainian government justified The
Republic of Crimea's exit from The Ukraine.
If there was a recent violation of international law in The Ukraine
it is more likely associated with the mob that overthrew the elected
government. That mob closely resembled a fifth column like
Nazi Germany used against nations it wanted to
conquer. If the European Union accepts The Ukraine
for membership now the EU will be implying it helped overthrow of
The Ukraine government. If the EU accepts The Ukraine without
waiting for at least two elections, not counting the upcoming one,
the EU will imply it eliminated a government that opposed EU
membership so the EU could conquer The Ukraine.
Requiring The Ukraine to first demonstrate it is a stable democracy
that changes government only through elections will indicate that
the EU recognizes The Ukraine's political instability makes it an
undesirable member. The recent use of mob rule to
change the government indicates the presence of a cancer that must
first be isolated and cured before The Ukraine is considered healthy
enough to be allowed into the EU. Allegations that some of the
groups responsible have previously supported extremist views should
be of particular concern to EU members,
The EU needs to conduct a thorough investigation of the recent
change in The Ukraine's government so member nations know what they
need to do to prevent similar events in their countries.
The EU needs to identify any business individuals or
non-Ukrainians involved so EU members will know who to watch out
for.
Political instability such as that associated with the fall of the
Ukrainian government can lead to ethic violence in countries with
strong ethnic divisions. Without a stable central government,
the Crimean Republic had to take over the responsibility of
protecting its citizens. Separating from the ineffectual
Ukrainian government made that job easier. Crimea's "divorce"
from The Ukraine will reduce the potential for an ethnic centered
civil war between the Russians of Crimea and the
Ukrainians. Reducing ethnic tensions will reduce the
demands on the Ukrainian government and simplify the task of
restoring a stable government.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Russia Should Buy Crimea
The best way to resolve the situation in Crimea in the event the
residents want to separate from the Ukraine would be for Russia to
purchase the territory. Russia could then allow the
Crimeans to decide what status they wanted such as becoming an
independent state or joining the other ethnic Russians in the
Russian Federation.
I was going to include this suggestion in a post dealing with the situation in general but decided the proposal would be more likely to be noticed if suggested in a separate post. I believe the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the war between the United States and Mexico in 1848 suggests a resolution of the conflict over control of Crimea.
A dispute over whether an area (occupied by persons who identified with the United States) which is now the State of Texas was independent sparked a short war between the United States and Mexico. The United States easily won the war but then agreed to purchase another part of Mexico that was attracting settlers who identified with the United States. The purchase eliminated the potential for a future conflict between residents of that area and the Mexican government
Crimea is something of value so it would be fair for The Ukraine to receive compensation for its loss. The payment for Crimea could be thought of as compensation for money the national government of The Ukraine has spent on the region for such expenditures as government buildings or infrastructure items like roads. The payment would replace tax money that would no longer be collected from Crimea.
Payment wouldn't need to take the form of money. Russia has ample energy resources and The Ukraine already obtains energy from Russia. Thus, natural gas or some other fuel might be used as compensation. The Ukrainian government has had a policy of trying to keep energy costs down for its citizens. Russia might significantly reduce what it charges for natural gas for the next 10 - 20 years with an implication that the discount would be passed along to individuals. Russia might also offer to compensate anyone wishing to move from Crimea to the Ukraine or The Ukraine to Crimea.
Ukrainian officials need to recognize the potential costs of trying to force Russian Crimeans to stay in a country where they don't feel they belong can lead to civil conflict including terrorist bombings. The conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland and the actions of the Basque separatists in Spain demonstrate what can happen. If some Ukrainians decided to start a Balkans style ethnic cleansing campaign, Russia would feel compelled to invade.
I was going to include this suggestion in a post dealing with the situation in general but decided the proposal would be more likely to be noticed if suggested in a separate post. I believe the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the war between the United States and Mexico in 1848 suggests a resolution of the conflict over control of Crimea.
A dispute over whether an area (occupied by persons who identified with the United States) which is now the State of Texas was independent sparked a short war between the United States and Mexico. The United States easily won the war but then agreed to purchase another part of Mexico that was attracting settlers who identified with the United States. The purchase eliminated the potential for a future conflict between residents of that area and the Mexican government
Crimea is something of value so it would be fair for The Ukraine to receive compensation for its loss. The payment for Crimea could be thought of as compensation for money the national government of The Ukraine has spent on the region for such expenditures as government buildings or infrastructure items like roads. The payment would replace tax money that would no longer be collected from Crimea.
Payment wouldn't need to take the form of money. Russia has ample energy resources and The Ukraine already obtains energy from Russia. Thus, natural gas or some other fuel might be used as compensation. The Ukrainian government has had a policy of trying to keep energy costs down for its citizens. Russia might significantly reduce what it charges for natural gas for the next 10 - 20 years with an implication that the discount would be passed along to individuals. Russia might also offer to compensate anyone wishing to move from Crimea to the Ukraine or The Ukraine to Crimea.
Ukrainian officials need to recognize the potential costs of trying to force Russian Crimeans to stay in a country where they don't feel they belong can lead to civil conflict including terrorist bombings. The conflicts between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland and the actions of the Basque separatists in Spain demonstrate what can happen. If some Ukrainians decided to start a Balkans style ethnic cleansing campaign, Russia would feel compelled to invade.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Barack "Don Quixote" Obama
I had a dream last night in which Barack Obama was wearing a helmet
and carrying a lance like the fictional character Don Quixote
who had a reputation for attacking make believe foes.
The only other clothing Obama
had on was swimming trunks. He was riding a horse that had a remarkable resemblance to John Kerry
As he moved his lance up and down he was chanting: "we must stop global warming." He continued to chant as the reading on the thermometer dropped below freezing and he began turning blue.
He continued chanting "we must stop global warming" as the snow began to fall. Soon the snow was up to his knees with his horse unable to move, but he continued to chant "we must stop global warning" until the snow covered him and his horse.
Obama's comments on non-existent global warming this winter demonstrates how he is increasingly out of touch with reality. Obama talked about global warming in a State of the Union speech delivered on a night when the Gulf Coast was preparing to deal with freezing temperatures. He urged businesses to switch to natural gas at a time when natural gas companies were asking for rate increases because the cold weather was creating a shortage of gas.
Obama wants to spend $1billion dealing with non-existent global warming at a time when cities are trying to find money to pay the costs of a snow filled winter.
Obama has continued to push his global warming nonsense through his Secretary of State John Kerry.
A rational president would have omitted mention of the global warming issue during a severe cold spell because he would have recognized that people who were worried about their cars slip sliding off the road aren't going to believe talk about global warming. But then a rational president would understand that the claim that CO2 causes something called global warming is nonsense. The claim is based on a 19th Century myth that greenhouses and the atmosphere are heated by trapping infrared radiation. Physicist R. W. Wood disproved this claim in 1909.
Law enforcement personnel will tell you that if a financial opportunity sounds too good to be true, it's probably a scam. With political scams the reverse is true. Politicians will make the situation sound much worse than it is. For example, President George W. Bush insisted we had to invade Iraq to keep Saddam Hussein from giving Weapons of Mass Destruction to al Qaeda. The fact is that there is no way a paranoid dictator like Hussein would have given WMD to an organization that might want to take his job. The people pushing the global warming hysteria are claiming all sorts of unbelievable calamities will occur.
Obama is also out of touch with reality in the Ukrainian crisis. His criticism of Russia is questionable He calls the Ukraine a democracy even though the current change in government control occurred as the result of protests rather than election. The pro European Union group took control after members of the president's party were scared into changing sides or leaving. What is left of the government may not be sufficient to qualify as a viable national government of the ethnically divided country.
Crimea is an autonomous republic within the Ukraine with a mostly Russian population. Only 28% of the population is ethnic Ukrainian. Reestablishing a stable government in the Ukraine will be more difficult if ethnic Russians are forced to be part of a nation where they don't feel they belong. Thus it would make more sense for the republic to become part of Russia then remain part of the Ukraine. Russia is attempting to stabilize an unstable political situation and prevent a civil war. Obama doesn't understand that President Vladimir Putin isn't going to destroy the government and then let the country descend into chaos like Obama did in Libya.
Obama seems oblivious to the possibility that calling attention to a nation in which protestors forced a president to resign might encourage his opponents to try to use protests to push him into resigning. His support for those who used protests to change the government indicates he considers that approach an acceptable alternative to elections.
The 25th Amendment to the Constitution who is physically or mentally unable to handle the duties of President. The vice president and members of the cabinet can temporarily relieve a president who has lost touch with reality. The presidency is a high stress job and high stress can cause mental and physical problems including high blood pressure and heart disease. Many historians . believe that the stress of dealing with political scandals killed President Warren G. Harding.
had on was swimming trunks. He was riding a horse that had a remarkable resemblance to John Kerry
As he moved his lance up and down he was chanting: "we must stop global warming." He continued to chant as the reading on the thermometer dropped below freezing and he began turning blue.
He continued chanting "we must stop global warming" as the snow began to fall. Soon the snow was up to his knees with his horse unable to move, but he continued to chant "we must stop global warning" until the snow covered him and his horse.
Obama's comments on non-existent global warming this winter demonstrates how he is increasingly out of touch with reality. Obama talked about global warming in a State of the Union speech delivered on a night when the Gulf Coast was preparing to deal with freezing temperatures. He urged businesses to switch to natural gas at a time when natural gas companies were asking for rate increases because the cold weather was creating a shortage of gas.
Obama wants to spend $1billion dealing with non-existent global warming at a time when cities are trying to find money to pay the costs of a snow filled winter.
Obama has continued to push his global warming nonsense through his Secretary of State John Kerry.
A rational president would have omitted mention of the global warming issue during a severe cold spell because he would have recognized that people who were worried about their cars slip sliding off the road aren't going to believe talk about global warming. But then a rational president would understand that the claim that CO2 causes something called global warming is nonsense. The claim is based on a 19th Century myth that greenhouses and the atmosphere are heated by trapping infrared radiation. Physicist R. W. Wood disproved this claim in 1909.
Law enforcement personnel will tell you that if a financial opportunity sounds too good to be true, it's probably a scam. With political scams the reverse is true. Politicians will make the situation sound much worse than it is. For example, President George W. Bush insisted we had to invade Iraq to keep Saddam Hussein from giving Weapons of Mass Destruction to al Qaeda. The fact is that there is no way a paranoid dictator like Hussein would have given WMD to an organization that might want to take his job. The people pushing the global warming hysteria are claiming all sorts of unbelievable calamities will occur.
Obama is also out of touch with reality in the Ukrainian crisis. His criticism of Russia is questionable He calls the Ukraine a democracy even though the current change in government control occurred as the result of protests rather than election. The pro European Union group took control after members of the president's party were scared into changing sides or leaving. What is left of the government may not be sufficient to qualify as a viable national government of the ethnically divided country.
Crimea is an autonomous republic within the Ukraine with a mostly Russian population. Only 28% of the population is ethnic Ukrainian. Reestablishing a stable government in the Ukraine will be more difficult if ethnic Russians are forced to be part of a nation where they don't feel they belong. Thus it would make more sense for the republic to become part of Russia then remain part of the Ukraine. Russia is attempting to stabilize an unstable political situation and prevent a civil war. Obama doesn't understand that President Vladimir Putin isn't going to destroy the government and then let the country descend into chaos like Obama did in Libya.
Obama seems oblivious to the possibility that calling attention to a nation in which protestors forced a president to resign might encourage his opponents to try to use protests to push him into resigning. His support for those who used protests to change the government indicates he considers that approach an acceptable alternative to elections.
The 25th Amendment to the Constitution who is physically or mentally unable to handle the duties of President. The vice president and members of the cabinet can temporarily relieve a president who has lost touch with reality. The presidency is a high stress job and high stress can cause mental and physical problems including high blood pressure and heart disease. Many historians . believe that the stress of dealing with political scandals killed President Warren G. Harding.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Goliath Studios Booted "Cinderella's" Song from Oscars
Those who watch the Oscars need to understand the song that receives
the Oscar for best song may not deserve the honor. The
Motion Picture Academy arbitrarily rescinded the nomination of
the song
"Alone Yet Not Alone" from the best song category.
According to a review "ALONE YET NOT ALONE tells the inspiring story of Barbara and Regina Leininger and their journey of faith and survival during the French & Indian war in 1755. Captured by the Allegheny Indians in a raid on their home and transported over 300 miles of wilderness to Ohio, the sisters are sustained only by their abiding trust in God, and their hope of escape against all odds to be reunited with their family." The Leiningers had immigrated to the British Colonies in search of religious freedom.
During the French and Indian War, the French paid the Alleghenies and others to attack British settlements. The British saw nothing wrong with kidnapping people from Africa.
Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who has helped to market studio films, hypocritically claims that the action was justified by an email song composer Bruce Broughton sent to those who help to nominate songs. However, she apparently sees nothing wrong with allowing major studios to run expensive campaigns for the awards.
Broughton notes that "major studios and many independents send out DVD screeners of their films which list all of the eligible contestants on the jacket – including the songwriters – and follow up with invitations to screenings, meet-‘n-greets, sometimes including a fully produced, non-film version CD of the song, something that is disallowed by Academy rules. When major studios “campaign,” there’s no way a small independent can adequately compete. And there’s nothing anonymous about any of it."
Conservative groups are blaming the withdrawal of the Oscar nomination for best song from "Alone Yet Not Alone" on anti-Christian prejudice. Although the studios could have benefited from religious prejudice among those in charge of the Oscars, the studio executives are more likely motivated by pure greed. They want the awards closed to outside competitors who cannot afford to make big budget movies. The action is evidence that the Oscars are just a public relations gimmick.
The studios may have been worried that a "Cinderella" candidate might have an advantage over their big budget songs. By giving into the studios the Academy missed a major opportunity to indicate that the Oscars are not just based on money. Having a true Cinderella candidate would have generated a lot of positive publicity for the Academy and helped draw more viewers for the Oscar program.
The Oscars exist to provide an advertising benefit to the studios that make big budget films. Allowing small film companies to compete for the awards cut reduce revenue for the major studios. Taking away the nomination from "Alone Yet Not Alone" was not intended to maintain a level playing field but instead to insure that the playing field remained tilted in favor of the wealthy studios.
The huge amount of money the studios spend selling their films and performers means that the Oscar winners may only be the beneficiaries of advertising campaigns rather than the best at anything.
According to a review "ALONE YET NOT ALONE tells the inspiring story of Barbara and Regina Leininger and their journey of faith and survival during the French & Indian war in 1755. Captured by the Allegheny Indians in a raid on their home and transported over 300 miles of wilderness to Ohio, the sisters are sustained only by their abiding trust in God, and their hope of escape against all odds to be reunited with their family." The Leiningers had immigrated to the British Colonies in search of religious freedom.
During the French and Indian War, the French paid the Alleghenies and others to attack British settlements. The British saw nothing wrong with kidnapping people from Africa.
Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who has helped to market studio films, hypocritically claims that the action was justified by an email song composer Bruce Broughton sent to those who help to nominate songs. However, she apparently sees nothing wrong with allowing major studios to run expensive campaigns for the awards.
Broughton notes that "major studios and many independents send out DVD screeners of their films which list all of the eligible contestants on the jacket – including the songwriters – and follow up with invitations to screenings, meet-‘n-greets, sometimes including a fully produced, non-film version CD of the song, something that is disallowed by Academy rules. When major studios “campaign,” there’s no way a small independent can adequately compete. And there’s nothing anonymous about any of it."
Conservative groups are blaming the withdrawal of the Oscar nomination for best song from "Alone Yet Not Alone" on anti-Christian prejudice. Although the studios could have benefited from religious prejudice among those in charge of the Oscars, the studio executives are more likely motivated by pure greed. They want the awards closed to outside competitors who cannot afford to make big budget movies. The action is evidence that the Oscars are just a public relations gimmick.
The studios may have been worried that a "Cinderella" candidate might have an advantage over their big budget songs. By giving into the studios the Academy missed a major opportunity to indicate that the Oscars are not just based on money. Having a true Cinderella candidate would have generated a lot of positive publicity for the Academy and helped draw more viewers for the Oscar program.
The Oscars exist to provide an advertising benefit to the studios that make big budget films. Allowing small film companies to compete for the awards cut reduce revenue for the major studios. Taking away the nomination from "Alone Yet Not Alone" was not intended to maintain a level playing field but instead to insure that the playing field remained tilted in favor of the wealthy studios.
The huge amount of money the studios spend selling their films and performers means that the Oscar winners may only be the beneficiaries of advertising campaigns rather than the best at anything.
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