Ukraine (2)

I wrote about Ukraine back on March 4,  2014. Looks like what I said back then has become tragically real. 

West Ukraine is pro-USA, NATO and the West. East Ukraine is pro-Russia. NATO broke its promise not to expand Eastwards, causing threat to Russia's security. Current president of Ukraine Zelenskyy insisted on joining NATO while Joe Biden failed to guarantee to Putin to never accept Ukraine NATO membership. 

Uncle Sam is never a peace maker. The warmongering American politicians want to " divide and conquer " and would play many tricks to prevent Russia, China, even the European Union (EU)  from becoming too strong thus losing the US' dominant position in the world. Anyway, let's pray for peace. Any way you look at the current war in Ukraine, the Ukrainians are the greatest losers and sufferers. 

Fast Edi Thoughts and Comments    ***   Edi Lee for Peace  

Political Satire

World politics is becoming a funny cowboy movie in real life. 

 

American bully Donald Trump," Get out. Go back to your mummy." 

 

Filipino Terminator President Rodrigo Duterte, " Don't fuck with me, or else I'll kill you." 

 

Russian super boss Vladimir Putin," Yup, that's what I mean! ".

Syria

Fooling all the people all the time no longer works. Sooner of later, the truth will come out. If George Bush and gang of the U.S. and Tony Blair of the U.K. did not invade Iraq, which was an illegal war, there would  be no ISIS today.

The name of the game is to fight ISIS and the terrorists, but the real objective of Uncle Sam is to get rid of Assad in Syria. Putin is more open. Russia and Syria are long-time allies. The U.S. looks at Assad of Syria as an evil dictator, but Russia looks at the Assad regime as the legitimate government of Syria. The U.S. has been arming the so-called moderate rebels, but the reality is that terrorists are terrorists, and there are very few such so-called moderate rebels. Why do you think so many American weapons and military gear ended up with ISIS?

Can you see the name of the game is fighting ISIS, but the real objective of the U.S. is  using the moderate rebels, severe terrorists, or whatever you call them, to fight Assad? On the other hand, the army of Assad is supported by Russia as the legitimate soldiers and defenders of Syria.

Anyway, it all boils down to a competition of control and influence in Syria and the Middle East between the U.S. and Russia. Obama and Putin just can't see eye-to-eye, and it is very sad. The Syrian civil war is sort of like a proxy war between the U.S. and Russia, while fighting ISIS is only a side show though still important. Uncle Sam wants to get rid of Assad, but Putin says no, so it is like a stalemate.

Why did it take Russia's military action on ISIS in order to wake up Obama, that there is no military solution to the Syrian civil war, I mean for the U.S. to play a military chess game with Putin? Did Obama pretend that he was sleeping? So now John Kerry, Secretary of State, has begun to talk peace and take a diplomatic route, hoping to reach a political solution with Russia. It was a bit laughable that he said having a military alliance with Syria is a wrong strategy. Who was he talking to? Obviously Russia! Putin could  easily say to the U.S. that Russia's having a military alliance with Assad is all legitimate, but Uncle Sam's having a military alliance with the rebels including ISIS is the wrong strategy and illegitimate. Can you see that ISIS is both an enemy and ally of the U.S.? It is like Uncle Sam saying "I want you, ISIS, to help me kill Assad, but that doesn't mean I won't kill you!" Isn't that crazy or what?!      

Military confrontation between two major powers like the U.S. and Russia can only be a problem, not a solution. Obama, Putin, World Leaders: please don't let a war between the U.S. and Russia happen! The Middle East is all a mess. Not sure when PEACE would finally come !!!

Good Guys and Bad Guys in World Politics

Just finished watching a Youtube video of Lada Ray titled 'Putin's Gambit: Germany To Replace Ukraine As Russian Gas Transiter'.

Here are my thoughts and comments:

Lada Ray is a good political analyst and commentator. Sometimes she talks beyond the mundane. Her comments in this video and others tell me that she see things well from the Russian perspective. I agree with her that Putin is a great chess player. Of course, Uncle Sam depicts Russia as the bad and isolated guy. The truth is that Russia is not isolated. As to who are the good guys and who are the bad guys, please study, observe and decide for yourself.

In diplomacy, there are no bad guys. In war, you are the good guy and your enemy is the bad guy. In politics, the good guys and the bad guys are the same guys. An angel blinks his eyes and becomes a devil. A devil snaps his fingers and becomes an angel. Politicians are neither good nor bad. Politicians are politicians.

If you are interested in oil and pipeline politics, watch this video. It is about 21 minutes long. I feel sorry for the people in Ukraine. However you look at the situation in Ukraine, it is a loser, not a winner. Ukraine is not a good chess player. It is not even a player. It is the chess.

Ukraine is a chess game played by the two major players, the U.S. and Russia. Some NATO countries like Germany and France take side with the U.S. against Russia for external show, but work with Russia not-so-openly for their self interests. Peace! 

U.S. Bridges Falling Down

Are U.S. bridges falling down? In the news, 61,000 bridges across the U.S.A. are dangerous and unsafe if left unrepaired. In Washington D.C. alone, 14 bridges have been labelled 'decrepit' and in 'poor condition.'

As the news came from RT (Russia Today) in Youtube, it would be taken by some Americans as nothing but Russian propaganda. But this has very little to do with politics. It is a serious concern, whether you want to politicize it or not. Nor can you just laugh it off, because the problem will not go away until you have it fixed.
 
The spokesperson on the RT news video appeared to be then U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. He sounded rather stupid in saying that he didn't want to say that the bridges were 'unsafe' but they were 'dangerous'. What does it mean that they are not unsafe but dangerous?  Why does Uncle Sam always have so much money to go to war in foreign lands, but have no money domestically to help his own people and to ensure homeland safety?

U.S. Sanction Against Russia

U.S. sanction against Russia, and probably also the dropping of oil prices, got to be an economic, geopolitical and currency war of the U.S. against Russia.

Does sanction work? Yes and No, if you ask Obama. For Cuba, with whom the U.S. has just re-established diplomatic relationship, Obama said No. For Russia, Obama said Yes. If it didn't work on small Cuba, having been proved for more than 50 years, how would it be possible to work and hurt big Russia ? Mr. President Obama, please tell us ! 

U.S. sanction would hurt Russia and make it difficult for Putin for a while, yes, but not for a long time. It won't take 50 years or more, like in the case of Cuba, to find out. We'll wait and see. 

Sanction, in my opinion, largely hurts only the people - your own people, those of your allies, and those of the sanctioned country you try to hurt, but not so much the elites and governments in power. 

U.S. sanction against Russia has pushed Russia even closer to China. It hurts not only Russia, but also Europeans who do business with Russia. Maybe Germany, France and a few other European countries didn't really like the sanction against Russia, but wouldn't dare not to "obey" Uncle Sam, being under political pressure to follow.

Obama Chewed Gum at APEC

I do agree that Obama looked bad, in being one of the world leaders and walked around chewing gum in such formal APEC summit. Some people said Obama was rude. I am not against chewing gum (Singapore is), but Obama did look like trying to be cool only with the opposite effect. Xi Jin Ping and Putin looked more like statesmen than Obama.

Foreign Policy

American Foreign Policy: let's drop a bomb.
Canadian Foreign Policy: let's follow Uncle Sam.
Chinese Foreign Policy: let's make a deal.
Russian Foreign Policy: what foreign policy ? It is a domestic Russian issue !
My Foreign Policy: same as John and Yoko Policy. Give peace a chance !!!

Good Bye Country, Hello New Home

Just finished watching a Youtube video titled ' Time to Get the Hell Out of the U.S.' As the news channel was RT (Russia Today), there would be people who just wrote it off as nothing but Russian propaganda. 

Here are my thoughts and comments: some haters of Putin and Russia would say that this is nothing but Russian propaganda, but I do think that there is some truth in this report. You can argue about different ideologies, but you can't deny facts. There has been an increase of Americans who gave up their U.S. citizenship and moved to other countries. If you are an American citizen, you have to report your world wide income to Uncle Sam wherever you live. This controversial and complicated tax system alone would be a reason for Americans living abroad to give up their American citizenship.

For example, Eduardo Saverin, a co-founder of Facebook, surrendered his U.S. citizenship and moved to Singapore. He said it was a personal choice which had nothing to do with tax saving. Whether he told the truth or not, he had saved millions in tax money. Uncle Sam got mad and increased the exit tax to punish such non-patriotic Americans. Give me your money before I let you go !

Tina Turner, an iconic American singer also gave up her U.S. citizenship and now lives in Switzerland. Dear Uncle Sam, I know I know, this one really hurts ! Tina Turner is no longer an American ... WTF ???!!! 

French actor Gerard Depardieu left France and became a Russian citizen. Putin happily granted him a Russian passport. There are people who envy the rich. There are people who look down on the poor. But most people do not fully trust their governments. In this case, can you blame Gerard at all, that France's tax rate was going up from 45% to 75%? Russia has a 13% low flat rate. For comparison, Singapore's rate is 18%.

In the past, people looked to the West. So many people wanted to go to America, the Land of the Free. Today, people look to the East. The center of world economy has already gone to Asia. There are so many troubled spots in the world today, and I feel so lucky to be in Canada. I feel both free and safe here. I don't see any need for me to move away from Canada. Dear American friends, would you consider moving to Canada, the true North strong and free ?

John McCain on Russia

In retaliation for U.S. action against Moscow, Russia had imposed sanctions against John McCain and eight other American officials. John McCain must be very upset. He made an insulting statement against Russia. He said,"Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country." This false statement is not only insulting; it is very stupid. Bet you Putin loves Russia more than McCain loves America. No wonder someone by the name of Socialist Slayer said,"Go away John McCain. America hates you more than Russia." 

Ukraine

I'm not an expert in Ukraine politics, but here are my thoughts and comments anyway:

To understand the deep-rooted problems and issues, you can't just look at Ukraine from the perspectives of USA and the West. You must also look at this whole mess from the Russian perspectives.

The current Ukraine Government was created, only after the elected president Viktor Yanukovych ran for his life, left Ukraine and went to Moscow for protection. It was a forced exile. He still considers himself the president of Ukraine. There was agreement signed between Yanukovych and the opposition party, which is no longer honored, so from the Russian perspectives, it was a coup or forced exile. Russia doesn't recognize the current Ukraine Government as legitimate.

Especially about Crimea, you need to know its history and current strategic importance to Russia, etc. etc., before you should completely take side with USA and the West. Every coin has 2 sides. To be a referee and fair judge, you need to look at both sides of the coin. There is no way Russia will "give up" Crimea.

American and Western media only showed Ukrainian people died, but they didn't show the death of ethnic Russian people and police. There was violence on both sides.

Ukraine is a divisive country: some are pro-West, some are pro-Russia, and everyone needs money and wants peace. The mess is all international dirty politics.

Regarding invasion and occupation of a sovereign country, USA and the West broke the UN rules themselves many times over, so they have no moral authority to lecture and accuse Russia of occupation or invasion of Ukraine. Man, don't tell me Ukraine will split into two: pro-west West Ukraine, and pro-Russia East Ukraine and Crimea. Interference of internal affairs of Ukraine ? Both USA and the West on one side, and Russia on the other side, have been doing so for years. All a mess !!!!

Hockey and Canada

Both Canada's teams, men and women, won hockey GOLD in the Olympic Games. No doubt hockey is the game of Canada !!!

Sochi Winter Olympics

My view is that all Olympians are winners, even if they don't get a medal. This new game of slope style snowboarding is fantastic. I watched the men's competition. I couldn't believe my eyes. How did they do that, really? It was crazy, like spinning and doing somersaults in the air, and then nail a perfect landing all hand-free. Amazing skill and timing! Congratulations Mark McMorris, for winning the first medal for Canada.Thank you !         

The Red Line

The double standard of Uncle Sam: if I crossed the red line, it would be perfectly O.K. If anyone else whom I don't like crossed the red line, then it would be crime against humanity. Do you know FOR SURE who has crossed the red line in Syria? While USA and Russia don't seem to agree, UN is only investigating whether the red line has been crossed, but not WHO ??? !!! 
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Was the red line ever crossed in the past? Yes. Without going into detail, you can do a search on-line to find out more for yourself. In Facebook, an article is being shared. It is a list of 10 chemical weapons attacks carried out by the U.S. Government or its allies against civilians, which Washington doesn't want you to talk about. Without UN mandate or endorsement, Obama lacks the legal authority to drop bombs on Syria. In terms of history, Obama lacks the moral authority to tell Syria or anyone not to cross the red line, because Uncle Sam himself and his allies did it many times before. 
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War really sucks. Reduce and delete it. Don't increase and expand it. Kill all wars, not people !               

Obama's Drones and Kill List

Just finished watching a CBC program on Obama's drones and his kill list.Peaceful people are not to worry, as they are not on this kill list.Only suspected terrorists and dangerous people are.Still,I doubt it is legal under international laws,for a U.S. president to unilaterally send an American drone to go inside a foreign country, to kill a suspected terrorist or any person,without the approval of the government of that sovereign country. ************************************************************ The kill list is no laughing matter.Even if you are an American citizen,you are not protected by the U.S.Constitution,although you are supposed to.Obama could,and did,approve the killing of an American citizen anywhere, at home or abroad,without giving that suspected terrorist or alleged trouble maker any trial and due process of the law.Obama could issue an order and lock you up in jail for life.And he received a Nobel Peace Prize in advance:take it first, do the work later.What work? Work of a peace maker, not work of a warrior and killer.What is your opinion? Do you think Obama has earned his Nobel Peace Prize given to him in advance? ************************************************************* It upset me to hear from Bush, and now Obama, to keep talking about the protection of American lives and children, as if other human lives and children are worthless.It is simply wrong to kill innocent people whether they are Americans or not.Thousands of Pakistani civilians were killed by American drones.No use to justify any drone attack by calling the death of civilians a collateral damage only.No wonder Pakistan is stepping farther away from Uncle Sam. ************************************************************* Unilateral drone attack on other countries is not only a stupid foreign policy, it is also an illegal military action. Other countries can do the same, by sending a drone to attack your country.Bet you Uncle Sam won't play this kind of game with Russia or China,only with Pakistan and Yemen for now.