THE PEOPLE AIN'T STUPID

The Washington Post (disappointedly I'm sure) reports:

A new poll suggests Americans have very little appetite for any real involvement in the crisis in Ukraine.

Only 29 percent of Americans would like for the Obama administration to take a "firm stand" against Russia's incursion into its neighbor, according to the Pew Research Center poll, while nearly twice as many -- 56 percent -- prefer the United States not to get too involved in Ukraine.

The poll reflects a war-weary American public that is still very reticent to get involved in international conflicts. The American people were similarly opposed to military intervention in Syria last year, despite President Obama calling for the use of force and seeking congressional approval for action.

So despite all the demonization of Russia and Putin, and the celebration of the "new revolution" in Kiev, the people are figuring this one out - without any help from the mainstream media.

So just how is this possible?

I think the answer is fairly clear...the public, while admittedly not aware of most of the details, has an innate distrust of our corporate controlled government.  People understand the part about the corporate control because most folks work for  these greedy corporate plunderers and daily have to do much of the dirty work themselves.  So they know, in a broad sense, what is going on and they don't like it.

What the public will not like is sending a bunch of money over to prop up the new regime in the Ukraine.  If they were given the information about the Nazi elements in Kiev by the media they'd be even more against this whole coup d'etat.  Sadly this vital piece of information is kept from them at all costs.

While in Las Vegas last weekend I had dinner with one of my sisters who lives there.  She tends to be quite conservative and when I asked her about Ukraine she was opposed to the US getting involved.  I could tell she didn't know alot of the details but just relying on her sixth sense she could see beyond the hype.

When the public hears a political operator like John Kerry lecturing Russia about the wrongs of invading other countries their 'bullshit' meter goes off the scale.  The public might not know all the facts, but they ain't stupid. 

THE RISE OF THE FASCISTS

Where are the voices in Europe speaking out against the strong Nazi elements in this 'revolutionary' government in Ukraine?

Where are the voices in the halls of Congress in Washington about a clear alliance between the Obama administration and these fascists?

MORE FROM PEPE ESCOBAR

What is the big picture in Ukraine today? Should it be interpreted legally or politically? What is China's attitude to the conflict in Ukraine? And, has Washington blinked?

CrossTalking with Pepe Escobar, Ann Lee and Martin McCauley.

SELLING THE COUP BACK IN THE USA

Back in the USA ..... Obama is set to play host to Ukraine's 'interim' Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (Yats). The two will discuss the $1 billion aid package Washington has already pledged to Kiev. It's a sign of just how deeply involved America is in the Ukrainian crisis.

The real purpose of the trip though is a sales job - to sell the new government of Ukraine, empowered by a US-NATO engineered coup d'etat, to the American people.  The Obama administration must make the American people 'feel good' about this provocative intervention by the US in the affairs of Ukraine.

It is very likely that the initial $1 billion will only be the first such 'offering' made by the US as the Ukrainian government is now bankrupt.  So the American people will be asked to accept more cut backs in social spending to prop up the new oil-i-garchs in Kiev.

The New York Times reported a few days ago that "Chevron signed a 50-year agreement with the Ukrainian government to develop oil and gas in western Ukraine. The government said that Chevron would spend $350 million on the exploratory phase of the project and that the total investment could reach $10 billion."

You might recall that US State Department operative Victoria Nuland last December spoke at an event in Washington where she reported on the progress the US-NATO were making in preparing the ground for the coup.  On the stage the program sponsors Chevron and ExxonMobil had their logos displayed.  She reminded the assembled that "we have invested over $5 billion" in this project.

You can be sure that Nuland will be well rewarded for her handy work in toppling the elected Ukrainian government.  The US love for 'democracy' obviously has its limits.

So expect to see lots of hand slapping and chest thumping in Washington.  The corporate dominated media will play their role and create the image of US being the savior of democracy - out to bring freedom at last to the doorstep of Russia.

It won't be long before we hear about a deal to deploy so-called US 'missile defense' in Ukraine.  When that happens you can be sure that things will heat up real fast..... remember the Cuban missile crisis?

In fact US-NATO began wargames in Poland yesterday with 12 US F-16 fighter jets and 300 personnel. On Monday, NATO also gave the green light to Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) for reconnaissance flights over Poland and Romania. On Saturday, US Navy destroyer, the USS Truxtun, crossed Turkey's Bosphorus strait and entered the Black Sea.

Hopes of a diplomatic solution to the crisis were severely dampened after Secretary of State John Kerry decided to cancel a visit to Moscow on Monday to discuss the issue with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

UPDATING FUKUSHIMA

CIA SPYING ON US SENATE

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is demanding an apology from the CIA for improperly searching a special computer network used by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Staffers were using the network to investigate allegations of CIA abuse in a controversial George W. Bush-era detention and interrogation program.

Tuesday's apology demand came one day after NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden blasted the US intelligence community for invasion of privacy at the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.

RT's Ameera David discusses privacy issues, intelligence gathering and the CIA-Senate battle with former Gov. Jesse Ventura (I-MN.).

WATCH FOR SAUDI INVOLVEMENT NEXT IN CRIMEA

One of my favorite journalists Pepe Escobar who writes for Asia Times.  He has a good analysis of the coup d'etat in Ukraine and what is likely to come next.

See more of his writing about the Saudi link here

GHOSTS OF JEJU WINS IN CHICAGO

Regis Tremblay (left) won big at the Peace on Earth Film Festival in Chicago.  Joyak Gol (right) from Jeju Island sang at the event

Fellow Mainer Regis Tremblay's documentary The Ghosts of Jeju won the best expose film at the Chicago Peace on Earth Film Festival this past weekend . Here is Regis in his own words:

The Ghosts of Jeju won best Expose film...and Jeju was the talk of the festival....people loved Joyakgol....he was so awesome...tonight he sang at the reception for the filmmakers and he was a huge hit! The voices of Jeju were amplified in a really big way today!

Regis and Joyak are touring the film during the next several weeks, not only in Illinois, but also throughout California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

This weekend they will both be at the Global Network 22nd annual conference in Santa Barbara showing the film and Joyak will sing on several occasions.

Regis has done a great job of getting the Jeju Island story out around the world.  The film festival recognition is well deserved.

PLAYING WITH FIRE ON RUSSIAN BORDER

The Nazi-style round up of dissenters in the Ukraine has begun as the "revolutionaries" in Kiev now move throughout the country to arrest key leaders who oppose the coup d'etat.

There can be no doubt that the US-NATO intelligence agencies are involved in this 'cleansing' as they move to take full control of Ukraine and set their sights on Crimea.  Next step is to destabilize Russia and break it up into pieces that would then be controlled by the west.

The US has continually shown that it will work with the worst elements in order to meet its political objectives.  Just look at Syria as an example.  Now the US-NATO are working with Nazi's to take control of Ukraine and and make a play for Russia.  They are playing with fire and threatening World War III.

Global Network board member Alice Slater writes:

Before you demonize Putin, it may interest you to all know that Putin offered President Bill Clinton a proposal to cut our nuclear arsenals of 18,000 warheads at the time, to 1,000 each and then call all the rest of the nuclear states (who have only 1,000 nuclear warheads all together-China, UK, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea) to the negotiating table to eliminate nuclear weapons.  But Putin asked that it be contingent on Clinton not putting missiles into Eastern Europe which Clinton refused to promise.  Then George W. Bush actually walked out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia which outlawed building anti-missiles so we wouldn’t have to keep building more missiles to overcome the anti-missile shield. 

We bombed Kosovo without Security Council approval and expanded the UN Security Council mission in Libya unilaterally.   If we want to get along with Russia, we should stop demonizing Putin and look first at the “mote in our own eye” and how the US and the NATO expansionists have been a threat to Russia, with no good reason.   We should ask for NATO to disband and empower the UN peacekeeping function. 

You should also know that China and Russia tabled a treaty in the Committee on Disarmament in the UN to  ban weapons in space which required consensus for negotiation.   Only the US  blocked it, several years in a row.   Also, Russia proposed, after the US, first again in mayhem and havoc, launched the first cyber attack on on Iran’s computers with the Stuxnet virus to slow down their enrichment of uranium, that we talk about negotiating a treaty to ban cyber warfare.   Here too the US was disappointingly uninterested and rejected Russia’s proposal to even talk about this issue.   I’m sure there’s lots to criticize about Putin, but let’s be clear who the real aggressor has been ever since the wall came down and we broke our promise to Gorbachev not to expand NATO, beyond admitting a reunified Germany into the old cold war alliance.  Remember, Reagan walked out of a deal to get rid of all the nukes with Gorbachev because he didn’t want to give up Star Wars—a part of which is the current 'missile defense' proliferation in Eastern Europe and Asia.    Putin is well aware of all of this!  

- Alice Slater
New York City

NEO-NAZI'S PUSH FOR POWER IN UKRAINE

The leader of the Ukrainian radical group Right Sector, Dmitry Yarosh, was a major player the protests in Kiev that toppled the government in February. Now Yarosh has thrown his hat in the ring to be the country's next elected president. The Right Sector movement, an amalgamation of several far-right groups, was formed in November 2013.

After the February 21 agreement between now-ousted President Viktor Yanukovich and opposition leaders was signed, the Right Sector declared they did not recognize it and would continue the armed struggle. But Yarosh is facing opposition from Russia. On Wednesday, Russia put Yarosh on an international wanted list and charged him with inciting terrorism. RT's Peter Oliver takes a look at the controversial Yarosh

NELLIS VIGIL

About 40 of us from the Pacific Life Community retreat gathered at the front gate of Nellis AFB in Las Vegas early this morning.  Because a NASCAR auto race was also beginning this morning near the base, traffic was heavy and we got a surprisingly positive response from the public - including the race fans.  Talking with others afterward we came to the conclusion that that American people are increasingly becoming anti-war.

In my talk yesterday I suggested that the peace movement needs to use our imagination more often.  We tend to get rigid at times in our work and wonder why we are not growing.  The fact that so many NASCAR fans are honking at us should make us reconsider our present organizing strategies.

Meetings continue today and then very early Monday morning we go for a vigil at the Nevada Nuclear Test site.

I thought I'd share the following story from a retreat session.

Janet Chisholm, long-time member of Episcopal Peace Fellowship, spoke yesterday.  She moved to Las Vegas in the 1950's at a very young age.  When they arrived in Las Vegas the city had just two motels and no fences.  At that time the government was doing the above ground nuclear tests here and many people, including Janet's family, used to go watch the tests as entertainment.  Many years later Janet was diagnosed with breast cancer and when she called her mother to tell her she was surprised to hear this from her mom:  "Oh my god, what did we do to you kids?  They told us it was safe."

Nevada was chosen as the nuclear test site because at the time it was the least populated state in the nation.... it was called a 'wasteland' by nuclear scientists.  The Shoshone Indians didn't quite see it that way as their sacred land was taken from them and contaminated by the tests.

SUNDAY SONG

ARRIVED IN VEGAS

I am in Las Vegas after a long flight yesterday from Portland-Newark-Vegas.  You are hit with high-tech slot machines as soon as you come off the plane at the airport. The terminal is quite grand, but also quite unimaginative.  In one massive rotunda they have four tall plastic palm trees standing there.  Kind of a true symbol of the unreality of this place.

I am staying in a $35 a night motel (who knew you could get a room in the US at that price anymore) sharing with Catholic Worker (CW) activist Dennis Apel who got me invited to speak to this west coast gathering of CW activists.  Dennis serves on our Global Network board and is hosting our conference next week in Santa Barbara, California.  He lives near there in a farmworker town called Santa Maria and runs a CW house.

Our cheap motel is one block off the original Vegas main drag.  These days the real action is in another part of town where the massive hotels have been built.  This place is a desert and water is at a premium, especially after several years of drought.  I just can't imagine all the water that is wasted to keep this city humming.

The CW retreat began last night with dinner and then introductions.  About 65 folks will be here.  I speak later today.  I know some of the people here having met them on many of my trips back and forth across the country over the years.

I've not been able to keep up so closely with the Ukraine situation during the last 24 hours but I notice that much interest is falling off anyway.  My blog hits dropped from over 2,000 in one day during this past week to just 690 yesterday.  It's hard to maintain that focus and interest over time.  Especially when you live in a country that has places such a premium on entertainment - just like here in Vegas.

I won't be throwing any $$$ into the gambling system while here.  I grew up poor and know the value of a dollar, even though it is shrinking.  I'd rather spend my money on food than hand it over to the mega-gambling corporations.

My oldest sister, a nurse, lives here in Vegas.  I'll have dinner with her tonight.  How can she stand this place?  It's hard to see much to like here - although the mountains in the distance do look lovely.

Update:  My talk was well received and we had a great Q & A session afterward.  Vegas has a massive homeless population.  It's kind of like the scar that exists on the injured public body in a city that sells itself on the "get rich quick" mythology that is such a big part of the capitalist system.

SHADES OF TRUTH

At an EU summit in Brussels, Ukraine's interim Prime Minister has claimed that there are Russian tanks on the ground in the country. That's despite Ukraine's own border patrol maintaining that no forces had crossed the frontier. Well in her regular report - Gayane Chichakyan has put together the many other claims around events in Ukraine that simply don't add up.

STILL GOT HER JOB

A BIT OF HISTORY HELPS

David McReynolds was a long-time national staffer at War Resisters League in NYC.  He also ran for president as a Socialist Party candidate a couple times

Let me go back to 1956, and the Hungarian Revolution. Keep in mind that NATO was formed FIRST, and the Warsaw Pact formed AFTER that, so while we think of NATO as a response to the danger of Soviet actions in the West, it was NATO that consolidated Western military power. The Soviets, who above all else feared a united Germany aligned with the US (in the days immediately after the end of the war) had NOT integrated East Germany into the economic structure of the East, hoping it could persuade the West to agree to a neutral united Germany after the pattern of Austria and Finland.

Failing that, it then brought the GDR firmly into the Eastern Bloc.

Now lets go to Hungary. I argued then that the moment that the Hungarian revolution began (and that was a genuine revolution, unlike events in Kiev) I felt the West should say to the Soviets "if you let Hungary alone, withdraw your forces, we, in exchange, will dissolve NATO - since it is perfectly clear that, if you can't control the countries in your own bloc, you can't really pose a military threat to the West. Let us both dissolve our military blocs and move toward neutrality."

But no, the West hoped to "pick up Hungary" and when, much later, the USSR collapsed, Gorbachev thought he had an understanding that the West would NOT move its military posts toward the East. But of course it did - into Poland, it tried to do this with Georgia, and clearly has made that effort with Ukraine.

Yes yes, Ukraine should be independent, but once the government in Kiev (rotten as it was, it was still the only democratically elected government Ukraine had) was toppled, the Russian move into Crimea was inevitable.

We need "deep diplomacy" now, at which Germany (and Poland) might be helpful but the US not at all. The current "Putin bashing" carries us back to the Cold War days and is dangerous.

David McReynolds
New York City

DANCING WITH THE DEVILS

Co-Leaders (Or good cop - bad cop)

So what is a devil?

Is it religious
or cultural?

He works for the corporate man
who we call Mr. Big

The devil works hard for Mr. Big
he is ambitious
and self righteous
he is smart
and has been well screened
and watched
and tested
and trained
(that missing year in the bio)

The promise was made
when the white house deal
was cut
likely over a whiskey
in the padded leather chairs
inside the dark wooden walls

Obama gets to be prez
McCain took the fall
like a good wrestler would
McCain gets to 'serve'
as sort of hidden
co-prez
to guide the young man
to run the military arm
for Mr. Big

Some say its a good job
but only a few dare apply
there are strings attached
and anyone who values
their heart
can't chance it

Today they both
ordered the war planes
up along the bear's border
that disputed border
we can't really see from here
because it is so far away

But that is why we have CNN
its their job to fill our heads
with what Mr. Big wants us to hear

Mr. Big wants control of everything
but there are a few places
on the spinning orb
that don't want to hand the store keys
over to our mobsters

They all seem to play
dirty at times in this dirty world

Who are we to love and cheer,
to side with?
Who is righteous?

Back here at home the clock winds onward
many move on to daily chores and such
Mr. Big keeps working his magic
and then some...
He has the devil on his side.

GALLOWAY ON UKRAINE

Much of the media's reporting on the geopolitical tensions surrounding Ukraine has focused on the US and Russia. Missing from that coverage has been reaction from the European Union.

RT's Ameera David speaks with George Galloway, a member of Parliament from the United Kingdom's Respect Party, about the Ukrainian conflict and asks how he would like to see the EU proceed.

HARD TIMES AHEAD IN UKRAINE

• RT reports:

The self-proclaimed government in Kiev is reportedly planning to cut pensions by 50 percent as part of unprecedented austerity measures to save Ukraine from default. With an “empty treasury”, reduction of payments might take place in March. Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy reported on December 1, 2013, that an average pension in Ukraine is $160....The European Commission offered Ukraine an 11 billion euro loan if Kiev agrees a deal with the IMF, European Commission President Jose Barroso announced on Wednesday. As a rule, help from financial organizations such as the IMF or the World Bank normally includes drastic austerity measures. Accepting IMF money will mean many sacrifices for Ukraine’s economy, which are likely to include increased gas bills, frozen government salaries, and all around budget cuts. 

• Presumptive Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is calling Putin another Hitler for his "invasion of Crimea".  Here we have the US, with more than 800 military bases around the world, lecturing Russia on such matters.  The US spends more $$$ on weapons and war than all other nations on the planet combined.  The US invades countries willy-nilly to grab their resources.  It's a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black.  

• Early tomorrow morning I head to Las Vegas to speak at the annual Pacific Life Community retreat.  This west coast gathering of Catholic Worker activists and their supporters will run March 7-10 and will include morning peace vigils at Creech AFB (major drone operations base), Nellis AFB, and the Nevada Test Site.

• Then on March 14-16 I will be in Santa Barbara, California for the Global Network's 22nd annual space organizing conference.  Things get started with a March 14 protest at Vandenberg AFB (major space launch center) and on March 15 we will hold an exciting public forum in Santa Barbara featuring some great speakers.  You can find the whole schedule of events here.   

YOU DECIDE

Putin at news conference yesterday.

It's long but quite interesting.