It’s 8:00 PM in New York City. October 4, 2014.
Almost exactly 30 years ago (around 2:00 AM in Cairo on October 5, 1984), an old, Russian built Tupolev TU-134 jet landed on the extremely dirty and disorganized Cairo International airport. The flight brought from Warsaw, to Cairo some tourists, some fresh, and some seasoned archaeologists, and a new photographer of Polish Center Archaeology in Cairo - on 2 year contract.
This photographer was me.
At this very moment my completely New Life began.
For someone like me, who is not a trained archaeologist, participating in countless excavations all around Egypt, in Cyprus, and In the Northern Province of Sudan, was a life changing experience. What most of the people read about, or see in the museums around the World, I saw and touched…
Exposure to archaeology and the wonders of the Ancient Civilizations had a profound effect on the way I saw the World. This ‘private’ exploration coincided with meeting and listening to the Great Luminaries of the Mediterranean Archaeology. Nothing is the same afterwards…
The list of the people to whom I have been always deeply indebted for that reason is long, I can’t list them all here. However, I have to express my deep gratitude to a few made my new and improved life possible.
Let me start from Professor Karol Mysliwiec (since 1982 - director of the Institute of Mediterranean Archeology at the Polish Academy of Sciences) who saw my photographic portfolio right after I graduated from college, and incited me to take part in a competition for the position of a photographer of Polish Center of Archaeology in Cairo. Later on, he let me believe, that I proved to be the best in this contest. Also, my deep apologies to him for making a lot of mistakes when I was covering his excavations in Tell-Atrib. In 2005 I visited his extraordinary excavations in Saqqara where he was working on the tomb of Imhotep.
And then Professor Wiktor Andrzej Daszewski (at that time the Director of Polish Center of Archaeology in Cairo - my boss), who showed me ‘how Paradise looks’… when I took part in his excavations in Nea Paphos in Cyprus. For a young photographer like me, who lost his father quite early - he became almost a father figure. We (at the excavations) were all his family, so it was quite natural.
And then Professor Wlodzimierz Godlewski (Warsaw University) and Dr. Stefan Jakobielski (Warsaw University) - thanks to whom I had a chance to feel like a real explorer driving a bit-up Land Rover at their excavations in Old Dongola - Northern province of Sudan - after a 26-hours truck trip across the desert from Khartoum. Surrounded by the desert for 6 weeks at a time (twice) one develops either a profound love, or a profound hatred to the desert. I fell in love…
During my contract in Egypt I met many wonderful colleagues, young and aspiring archaeologists, who in these 30 years have become important figures of Mediterranean Archaeology. Alas, after moving to America I lost active contact with most of them. Let me name at least a few, who were really good friends:
Dr. Stanislaw Medeksza (at that time the architect of the Polish Center of Archaeology in Cairo),
Dr. Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka (Nea Paphos, Cyprus)
Dr. Grzegorz Majcherek (Kom el-Dikka, Alexandria, Egypt),
Dr. Iwona Zych (currently involved in Berenice Project in Egypt),
Dr. Krzysztof Babraj - thanks to whom I returned to Egypt in 2004 to participate in his excavations in Marea (close to Alexandria) - where from 2005 to 2008 together with my wife Barbara - Architect, were running a preservation mission within the current excavations.
Dr. Zbigniew Szafranski (head of Polish Center of Archaeology in Cairo) with whom I spent many weeks photographing the reliefs on the wall of the Hatshepsut Temple in Deir-el-Bahari (Luxor).
Dr. Anna Poludnikiewicz (Tell-Atrib, Benha),
Dr. Michal Neska - who moved to Ethiopia to run his own excavations (unfortunately died in a very young age).
Barbara Wronska-Kucy - whom I met in Egypt in 1985, where she held a scholarship and as an architect was documenting the excavations and their architectural elements (currently an architect at Bone/Levine Architects in New York City - and my wife).
What the archaeology awakened in a young photographer was the craving for contact with art, with monuments, with the interested people involved in preserving art, and artifacts, or any other way involved in creative processes. Archaeological contact in the Middle east gave me also the necessary experience.
Hence my 10 years contract at Sotheby’s New York, between 1989 to 1999, what gave me opportunity to have close contact with the most important examples of art beginning from the ancient art to the most contemporary. The thrill of having in my hands an unframed pastel by Degas, was incomparable with anything else.
In 1999 I made a faithful decision, to proceed on my own from that time. I started working with the architectural companies and designers shooting the architecture and the interiors. The experience in still life photography shooting for Sotheby’s came useful.
I cater mostly to New York architectural and design companies. All projects are different, all produce their own challenges. There is no routine elements in any of these projects.
Both archaeology and Sotheby’s job sparked the drive to broadening the knowledge, discovering areas, which in normal situations would be ‘off course’.
In my case this led to web design. I started learning that when still at Sotheby’s, but since then I designed many websites. Starting from my own (jmk-gallery.com) I expanded providing websites to the architects, artists, commercial on-line stores. Working with one of them - Creel and Gow (Creelandgow.com) since the Sotheby’s years, became a long lasting professional relationship - I provide both photography as well as web design to this client.
All of that in the last thirty years - today. It’s been an exciting ride. What will ‘tomorrow’ bring?
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
ONE-LINER 0006 - Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
When talking about the Israeli Palestinian conflict, which every few months brings another thousand or so of Palestinian, civilian casualties (as Israeli call it: ‘mowing the lawn’), every one, including the Israelis, loose completely in their minds, the ‘cause and result’ chain of events.
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Bibi Netanyahu - Israeli Prime Minister, has had a lot of air time on CNN and other channels of the American Television recently. Every time he complains about Hamas threatening the normality of life of the Israeli citizens, with their rockets, and promising the escalation of campaign to rid Gaza of the Hamas, its militants, and its arsenal.
We hear about thousands of the crude rockets sent into the Israel by Hamas, and we sympathize with the people, who are subjected to such a thread. It’s inhumane. That’s right.
But we, and even the UN, center on the recent action-reaction cycle. We have been manipulated by said Bibi Netanyahu into forgetting, that the recent rockets sent to Israel, and more than thousand of dead on the side of Palestinians is just the recent manifestation of the conflict - the recent reminder of the underlying issues.
The issue is that Israeli have converted the Gaza Strip into the OPEN AIR PRISON decades ago.
The Hamas was born to give some organized form to the resistance of the Palestinians - after the Second Intifada (1987). However despicable practices they may employ, they are just the Israeli creation.
As a result of the Olso Accords (*) in 1993/1995 the borders of Gaza strip were closed. The Palestinians who lived within these borders lost the main source of their income - day jobs in Israel. The whole generation or 2 generations of young Palestinians never held a normal job, never had a normal life, never had the hope…
Let me repeat - as much as Hamas is wrong and their practices despicable - Israel is on the wrong side of HISTORY. There is no way of wining with the ‘oppressed nation’. Israeli may kill as many Palestinians as they succeed, and the remaining population just gets stronger.
Hamas has to accept that Israel is there to stay. Created in 1948 as a result of a real, and overdue need of the ‘homeless nation’ - is there to stay. But all have to remember, and constantly bear in mind, that to create this state, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been removed from their (for centuries) land and packed into a small strip of land called Gaza. As if it, alone, was not enough, Israeli occupation and later the complete ‘blockade’ ruined the life of many generations of people whose only guilt was, being Palestinians.
When a couple of days ago, secretary Kerry on a ‘hot mike’ stated “Hell of the Pinpoint Operation…” the whole conservative media in the States, and Israeli press exploded. But let’s look at it as it is: When 90% of the dead and wounded are civilians, and the number of the dead exceeded already 1100, it is a heavy handed, vicious attack on the population - and not a Pinpoint Operation.
The artillery rounds which fell on the courtyard of the UN led school, and today on the playground of the refugee camp, killed people, but almost didn’t make any dent in the pavement. These rounds weren’t designed to destroy hard targets - infrastructure or tunnels, stockpiles of weapons - they were designed as ANTIPERSONNEL weapons. This is why the only effect was thousands pieces of shrapnel flying around any killing people who tried to find some haven under the roof of the school.
Let’s face it. Using the anti-personnell on a civilian population is not a legal form of the war conduct.
The UN is creating another fact-finding commission, to determine the abuses of the rules of war, on both sides. Until the United States accepts that the findings may be quite damaging to the image of the occupant, there is no possible solution to this conflict. After the ‘Cast Lead’ campaign the findings of the Goldstone Report was rejected by the US congress, although it accused both sides, not only Israelis, of the atrocities.
We went too far already with the unfeathered support for the punishing campaigns of the IDF, instead of trying to influence our best Middle East friend to ease the blockade, and start building the conditions for the normal (as close to normal as possible) coexistence of the two peoples - within the same borders, or accepting two state solution.
Something has to be done. Something has to be done NOW. And our country - the USA - the leader of the Free World, has the moral obligation to lead this process, and finally bring the PEACE to the tormented people.
_____________________________
* - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Bibi Netanyahu - Israeli Prime Minister, has had a lot of air time on CNN and other channels of the American Television recently. Every time he complains about Hamas threatening the normality of life of the Israeli citizens, with their rockets, and promising the escalation of campaign to rid Gaza of the Hamas, its militants, and its arsenal.
We hear about thousands of the crude rockets sent into the Israel by Hamas, and we sympathize with the people, who are subjected to such a thread. It’s inhumane. That’s right.
But we, and even the UN, center on the recent action-reaction cycle. We have been manipulated by said Bibi Netanyahu into forgetting, that the recent rockets sent to Israel, and more than thousand of dead on the side of Palestinians is just the recent manifestation of the conflict - the recent reminder of the underlying issues.
The issue is that Israeli have converted the Gaza Strip into the OPEN AIR PRISON decades ago.
The Hamas was born to give some organized form to the resistance of the Palestinians - after the Second Intifada (1987). However despicable practices they may employ, they are just the Israeli creation.
As a result of the Olso Accords (*) in 1993/1995 the borders of Gaza strip were closed. The Palestinians who lived within these borders lost the main source of their income - day jobs in Israel. The whole generation or 2 generations of young Palestinians never held a normal job, never had a normal life, never had the hope…
Let me repeat - as much as Hamas is wrong and their practices despicable - Israel is on the wrong side of HISTORY. There is no way of wining with the ‘oppressed nation’. Israeli may kill as many Palestinians as they succeed, and the remaining population just gets stronger.
Hamas has to accept that Israel is there to stay. Created in 1948 as a result of a real, and overdue need of the ‘homeless nation’ - is there to stay. But all have to remember, and constantly bear in mind, that to create this state, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been removed from their (for centuries) land and packed into a small strip of land called Gaza. As if it, alone, was not enough, Israeli occupation and later the complete ‘blockade’ ruined the life of many generations of people whose only guilt was, being Palestinians.
When a couple of days ago, secretary Kerry on a ‘hot mike’ stated “Hell of the Pinpoint Operation…” the whole conservative media in the States, and Israeli press exploded. But let’s look at it as it is: When 90% of the dead and wounded are civilians, and the number of the dead exceeded already 1100, it is a heavy handed, vicious attack on the population - and not a Pinpoint Operation.
The artillery rounds which fell on the courtyard of the UN led school, and today on the playground of the refugee camp, killed people, but almost didn’t make any dent in the pavement. These rounds weren’t designed to destroy hard targets - infrastructure or tunnels, stockpiles of weapons - they were designed as ANTIPERSONNEL weapons. This is why the only effect was thousands pieces of shrapnel flying around any killing people who tried to find some haven under the roof of the school.
Let’s face it. Using the anti-personnell on a civilian population is not a legal form of the war conduct.
The UN is creating another fact-finding commission, to determine the abuses of the rules of war, on both sides. Until the United States accepts that the findings may be quite damaging to the image of the occupant, there is no possible solution to this conflict. After the ‘Cast Lead’ campaign the findings of the Goldstone Report was rejected by the US congress, although it accused both sides, not only Israelis, of the atrocities.
We went too far already with the unfeathered support for the punishing campaigns of the IDF, instead of trying to influence our best Middle East friend to ease the blockade, and start building the conditions for the normal (as close to normal as possible) coexistence of the two peoples - within the same borders, or accepting two state solution.
Something has to be done. Something has to be done NOW. And our country - the USA - the leader of the Free World, has the moral obligation to lead this process, and finally bring the PEACE to the tormented people.
_____________________________
* - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Accords
ONE-LINER 0005 - Access to Information
One of the basic, and the most important tenets of democracy
is ‘CRITICAL THINKING’.
Let me quote after one of our most influential
(internationally) former US Presidents Jimmy Carter:
“Critical thinking is thinking that proceeds on the basis of
careful evaluation of premises and evidence and comes to conclusions as
objectively as possible through the consideration of all pertinent factors and
the use of valid procedures from logic (Carter, 1973 - 1*).
In order to be able to perform these mental processes, one
has to have enough of information on the subject. ‘Enough of information’ doesn’t mean that the information
coming from one source, no matter how extensively it may cover the
subject, is sufficient. A single source is doomed
to have the non-objective fact references, and opinions.
This is why in the Western Democracies the information flows
freely, and all citizens have the same, non-impeded access to the various
sources of information.
Contrary to the totalitarian systems (based on communism, or
any other Orwellian society), where the information is censored, and the
citizens are prohibited to access the information they seek - but they are fed
with the government approved opinions, removing the critical thinking from the
equation - we, in the Western democracies are free to seek, and examine the
information, no matter where it comes from - and make our own determination as
to what the truth really is.
I grew up in a country, where the government minders, for decades,
were letting in, only a small amount of the Western information, so the
population might have been fooled in believing in their truthful approach. It was the communist Poland. Not like in Russia (then USSR), some of
the information was getting through.
The proximity of the West, and the active informational campaign by the
US, undeniably made an impact on the level of political education in the
general population. So, the
‘critical thinking’ had some real basis, although manipulated by both sides of
the political barricade. We all
know the history - in the early nineties, the country which tried to control
the information the most, fell apart.
The USSR was no more, and a host of the new ‘democratically minded’ new
countries came into being, and some others (like Poland, or East Germany)
removed the shackles put on them by the USSR as a result of the WWII.
With a few instances of the modern history where even in the
States, some critical thinking was strictly prohibited (McCarthyism of the
fifties) - Americans enjoyed completely free and not-impeded
access to various sources of the news, limited only by the
languages they were transmitted.
Although the majority of the Americans have been completely
disinterested in the World’s affairs, and the un-impeded access to the
knowledge hasn’t translated itself in the political knowledge of the most of
the US population, some cherish the possibilities, and use them to better their
ability to have the well-balanced and just opinion on the events which force
themselves into our lives.
No matter how isolationist one may be - there is no denying
- that the events, like the Putin’s annexation of Crimea, or Israeli incursion
into Gaza, affect all of us, directly or indirectly.
I have always searched for the different news sources. It is BBC, which for years has been a
great source of slightly alternative point of view form the American
media. There is French24, another
great source of the alternative views…
There is RAI – the Italian TV Channel with their excellent news segments
(only in Italian). Since 2003,
there was another player on the information market - AlJazeera English. The news organization founded and owned
by the ruling family of Qatar.
We all have been very skeptical of the possibly biased and
skewed picture coming from this network…
And then, in time the AlJazeera English has proven indispensable to
create the full picture of the events.
It brought to the computer screen the most prominent journalists from
various countries of the World. We
all admire Sir David Frost (2*)- the author of the incredibly blunt and probing
series of interviews with former President Nixon. This giant of the journalism run in AlJazeera English a
segment airing the interviews with many great, and sometimes controversial
figures of the world’s politics, and culture. ‘Frost all over the World’ was the program I tried never to
miss…
This network brought a number of the world renowned
journalist to our computers. A
Palestinian born Marwan Bishara with his ‘Empire’ - often controversial program
dissecting the current affairs.
Many field reporters I grew to like and appreciate - like an
Australian Peter Greste, who provided great reporting from the crisis stricken
areas of the world - until was imprisoned by Egyptian Regime on false charges
of ‘aiding and abetting the terrorist organization - Muslim Brotherhood’.
For years while working on my computer, a small window with
the AlJazeera live stream was a part of my MO.
However everything ended in 2013, when Qatar based AlJazeera
network bought Al Gore’s Current Network (*3).
When it was announced, I couldn’t understand why anyone
would allow for such deal. One
thing was to listen, and watch AlJazeera English as an alternative news station
- from the outside of the US, completely another was to allow a foreign forces
broadcast from our soil. It was,
in my opinion, unwise, and simply dangerous, because of the possible wrong
message… For many, the information
coming from the outside sources is scrutinized much more than from the American
Network. And so, it happened. AlJazeera America was created and
became carried by the most of the Cable companies in the country.
However, the thing which I haven’t anticipated was that at
that same time the original AlJazeera English live stream became UNAVAILABLE IN
THE USA. Anybody trying to dial on
their computers http://www.aljazeera.com/watch_now/ receives in the middle of
the screen a black-boxed message: ‘THE VIDEO YOU ARE TRYING TO WATCH CANNOT BE
VIEWED FROM YOUR CURRENT LOCATION.
VISIT ALJAZEERA.COM/AMERICA TO VIEW CONTENT AVAILABLE IN THE USA’.
Unfortunately, the Aljazeera America is a boring, digested,
resembling-other-american-channels news station. No controversy, no deeply probing editorials - it smells
censorship.
I would never thing that I would be limited in my news
sources in America. Access to the
information, and the critical thinking are the basis of the Democracy.
And yet - someone decided, that American Public is NOT
AUTHORIZED to make a choice to watch the AlJezeera English and its stream and
videos. You can access the
Internet channel, but all the videos bear the same censorship message.
So, what is the difference between the Internet blocking in
China, and Internet blocking in America?
This incident (and I hope it is isolated incident) is at
least worrying. What is the state
of our Democracy if the News are government minded? It was explained that the stream is limited (prohibited)
because of the licensing limitations - after inception of the American based
AlJazeera America. But is it a
commercial, or political decision?
Or a political usage of the commercial regulation…
Can anybody answer these questions?
______________________________________________
*1 - http://www.intime.uni.edu/model/democracy/crit.html
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Frost
*3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_TV
farther reading: http://www.intime.uni.edu/model/democracy/demo.html
Sunday, July 20, 2014
ONE-LINER 0004 - 2014 Palestinian-Israeli conflict
It’s eleventh day of the 2014 conflict. So far, more than 340 Palestinian dead,
and more than 2500 injured, not counting the destroyed lives of the thousands
of people who have lost their whole life belongings and became homeless…
We have seen such conflicts many times, every few months,
for close to 10 years now. Every
time several hundred (or sometimes far more than a thousand) casualties and
great number of injured…
We have heard all the ‘catchy’ names of these military
operations - like ‘Rainbow’ (2004), ‘Days of Penitence’ (2004), ’Summer Rains’
(2006), ‘Autumn Clouds’ (2006), ‘Hot winter’ (2008), ’Cast Lead’ (2008/2009),
‘Returning Echo’ (March 2012), ‘Pillar of Defense’ (October 2012), ‘Brother’s
Keeper’ (June 2014), and ‘Protective Edge’ (July 8, 2014 - ongoing) (1*). They are just names - behind them are
the very personal tragedies - hundreds of thousand of them…
After the decades of the failed attempts to sponsor the
lasting peace between these two adversaries, the world’s audience suffers from
the ‘Political ADD’ (Political Attention Deficit Disorder). The news coming from Gaza, bringing the
information about the number of casualties, and the destruction to the cities
and villages, make all of us, at first surprised and scared, than not understanding
and tired, and at the end just uncomfortable…
Almost 2 million people in Gaza Strip are subjected to a
blockade, in result of which they can’t catch fish, they can’t rebuild their
houses, they suffer the shortage of water, electricity, medicines, food…
And they do not know at all, if their children survive the
next day… And all that with a
total disregard to the humanitarian laws, and the UN resolutions.
Since the 2005, Gaza Strip is in the hands of the
Palestinian Authorities. Israel
withdrew their military from the Strip, and succeeded in making the Gaza Strip
residents, to ‘police’ themselves.
In the result of the Palestinian legislative elections held
on January 25, 2006 Hamas formed the new Government - the first National Unity
Government with Fatah. It didn’t
last long and both parties engaged in a violent conflict (lasting until the
reconciliation in 2014).
Hamas became the sole ruling faction in Gaza Strip after so
called Battle of Gaza - between June 10-15 2007(2*), when the Hamas militants
removed the Fatah officials and Fatah offices from the Gaza Strip. Hamas, after all, won the popular
elections(!), although the Fatah side insists on calling it a ‘military coup’.
After years of mismanagement and open conflict between Hamas and Fatah, on April 23, 2014, in Gaza City the Reconciliation Agreement was signed giving hopes to the Palestinians, that although split in two territories, the Palestinian people may have a single, unified political representation - National Unity Government. Although considered as a thread to the peace process, by many countries (including the USA), the agreement between Fatah and Hamas should produce more moderate Government, than the Hamas alone (by itself more extreme and stubborn).
After years of mismanagement and open conflict between Hamas and Fatah, on April 23, 2014, in Gaza City the Reconciliation Agreement was signed giving hopes to the Palestinians, that although split in two territories, the Palestinian people may have a single, unified political representation - National Unity Government. Although considered as a thread to the peace process, by many countries (including the USA), the agreement between Fatah and Hamas should produce more moderate Government, than the Hamas alone (by itself more extreme and stubborn).
Hamas is not an organization you would like on your
backyard. That’s for sure. It is a religious based Muslim
organization, who’s militant wing pledges the destruction of Israel, and is by
many countries in the world (including the USA) considered a terrorist
organization. But let’s understand
that its creation didn’t happen in a political vacuum.
It came into being in 1987 - during the First Intifada
(Unarmed Palestinian Uprising) - as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim
Brotherhood - to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation and to establish an
Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip
(3*).
They became extremely popular within Palestinians in the
Gaza Strip, because after so many disappointments related to the Fatah
collaboration with the Egyptians at first, and Israelis later. After decades of the siege, for a
common Palestinian from the Gaza, Hamas is the only force which stands for the
people of Gaza. Being used to hear
only the empty promises - suddenly there is a force which delivers on the
‘welfare front’. Hamas provides
the education, health coverage, helps financially the families who lost members
or their households in the effect of the actions by the Israeli Defense
Forces…
Hamas’ militants send on occasions thousands of crude, not
accurate and short distance missiles into Israel, threatening the lives of the
residents of the nearby cities and villages.
Every time it happens, after a few unsuccessful attempts to
negotiate the ‘cease fire’ the Israeli Army starts another of their Operations
with a ‘catchy’ name (as mentioned in the beginning of the article).
What happens next works like a good, Swiss watch. After the initial anger toward the
Hamas for starting the barrage of rockets, and causing the reaction of the IDF,
while the list of the casualties grow, the anger redirects itself toward the
IDF, and IDF only.
The popularity of Hamas rises as fast as the bamboo
shoots. Whenever the Israelis
launch their new operation which aims to disarm Hamas, and remove any thread of
the rocket assault on Israel, the Hamas becomes stronger and its support among
the population rises. Every time
the new operation brings even higher number of the casualties, the anger of the
World grows, the popularity of Hamas grows, and the Israel looses it’s moral
‘upper hand’.
The ironic paradox in this situation is that Israel can't afford destroying the Hamas completely. In the political climate where there are plenty Super-Extreme (extreme doesn't cover it) militarized organizations like Islamic State (former ISIL or ISIS), the alternative to Hamas is frightening.
The ironic paradox in this situation is that Israel can't afford destroying the Hamas completely. In the political climate where there are plenty Super-Extreme (extreme doesn't cover it) militarized organizations like Islamic State (former ISIL or ISIS), the alternative to Hamas is frightening.
A few days ago the Egypt produced a new initiative to
negotiate a ‘cease fire’. It was
accepted by the Israel… and Hamas rejected it. Why? Someone
forgot to include the Hamas into the negotiations…
How is it possible?
We may call it a ’terrorist organization’, but it is the legal
government of the Gaza - democratically elected, and it is a ‘player’ in this
conflict.
Every time Hamas starts its rocket barrages, they know that
the response will be heavy and un-proportional. But their goal is to bring the world’s attention to the
unresolved issues of the ‘illegal blockade of Gaza’, and to the conditions
which Gaza residents endure.
I do not agree with the means - I do not accept the
endangering the Israeli civilians in any way. But, their goal is negotiation some positive changes to the
existing Gaza conditions. Not a
’status quo’ - which was offered by the Egyptians.
A couple of days ago Hamas made public their list of ten
demands upon Israel in exchange for a proposed ten year truce with the Jewish
state (4*).
I will quote these conditions here, because I am not sure if
they are so unreasonable…
1. Return of IDF tank positions so that farmers can work
their lands
2. Freeing of all prisoners arrested since June 23 (when 3
Israeli teens were killed by Hamas operatives), and improving the conditions of
those currently in prison.
3. Lifting of Israel’s naval blockade around Gaza along with
the complete opening of the land border crossings.
4. Establishment of an international airport and seaport in
Gaza.
5. Expansion of Gaza fishing zone by six miles.
6. Open the Israel-Gaza Rafah border crossing permanently
under UN supervision, instead of under Israel’s watch.
7. 10 year truce with Israel along with the deployment of an
international observer force on the border.
8. Israel must never enter Gaza under any circumstances and
protect Palestinian Muslim worshippers at Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
9. Israel must refrain from interfering with the newly
created unity Palestinian
government between Fatah and Hamas.
10. Rehabilitation of Gaza Industrial Zones and allowance
for Gaza to create a border protection force.
Some of these demands do not make sense in the current
political climate, but others…
I am sure that in the process of the negotiations, some of
these demands may be easily, and simply crossed off, but many would stay. These are just demands to have the
’normal’ life in Gaza.
Instead, we see the escalation of the military incursion,
and increased number of victims.
Let’s remember just one of the recent operations:
In ‘Cast Lead’ in Dec. 2008 - Feb 2009 - about 1450 Palestinians
killed (Goldstone Report (5*)).
How many will suffer in the Operation ‘Protective Edge’?
____________________________________________
1* - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza–Israel_conflict
2* - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Gaza_(2007)
3* - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas
4* - http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/07/16/Report-Hamas-Offers-10-Year-Truce-with-10-Demands
5* -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Fact_Finding_Mission_on_the_Gaza_Conflict
Thursday, July 10, 2014
ONE-LINER 0003 - Palestinian Predicament
I have written about the Palestinian - Israeli conflict on
numerous occasions. I feel deeply
for the Palestinian nation, who deserves the place to live on their own, in
peace and prosperity - like everybody else. This is an undeniable right of every human on this planet.
Created in 1948 Israel is such a place for the Jews, who
until then had no place which they could call their own, dispersed in the world
between other nations, and often suffering the persecution based only on their
ethnic and religious identities.
At this moment I do not want to engage in lengthy
explanations of the Palestinian rights to the same land they share with
Israelis. It’s a subject on it’s
own, and as such has been and will be addressed, some other time.
At this moment I will not talk about the illegal, Israeli
settlements in the West Bank, nor the ‘Blockade’ of Gaza (considered by many in
the World as illegal as well).
At this point I do not want to talk about the heavy handed
response the Israeli Army applies to any aggressive action of the Palestinians,
no matter how trivial, or serious and dangerous, it might be.
We talked about the ‘Cast Lead’ campaign of 2007/2008, and
relating to it the Goldstone Report and the almost general World’s condemnation
of that action, nor I will talk at this point about the current, about to
happen, ground invasion on Gaza Strip…
At this point I want to look at the Palestinian
provocations…
In the last 3 days more than 440 rockets were launched from
the Gaza Strip into the Israel.
More than 440 crude and not very powerful, but able to kill, maim, and
cause the property damage rockets.
In the recent time the Hamas, who is responsible for these
launches, acquired a bit more sophisticated technology, allowing them to send
the rockets deeper in the territory of the Israel. Of course, the Israelis, being subjected to such a threat
for decades, know how to minimize the casualties, and hide in time into the
readily available shelters. They
have on occasion about 15 seconds from sounding of the air alarm to the
explosion. So far, no one was
killed or injured by the rockets.
But, as I understand, it’s not easy to live their lives, constantly
waiting for the air-raid alarm, no matter what one is engaged at the moment, or
how mobile one is (there are handicaps,a and sick people who’s mobility is
sufficiently impaired to create the increased danger).
The Israelis react with the air strikes. So called ‘surgical’ air strikes,
reducing to a pile of gravel houses of the suspected Hamas supporters, or
officials… Many innocent people
gets killed in the process.
This scenario has been known for decades. Palestinians provoke, creating terror
in the Israeli villages and cities, the Army responds with the Iron Fist,
killing the people, damaging the infrastructure… It’s nothing new.
When The Palestinians went ahead and created the
‘reconciliation governments’ which included Hamas and Fatah representatives,
not counting a small opposition (mostly from the USA and the Israel) the World
applauded. I was among those who
had hopes for the future.
Yes, we know - Hamas is considered a terrorist
organization… Yes, we know - they
still haven’t accepted the existence of the Israel and vouch it’s destruction…
But we all expected that the Unity Government was a step in
a direction of changing it. PLO,
once was a fighting force and recognized as terrorists, and then they evolved
and their leader Yasser Arafat was awarded the Nobel Peace prize…
So, anything can happen, and this is what we all expected
and waiting for. Especially that
the history has proven in a very acute way, that acting aggressively against
the Israel leads to nothing, but loss of life, destruction of the
infrastructure, and ‘derailing’ of the peace talks.
And yet the Hamas attacks happened again. Three Israeli teens kidnapped and
killed, and 440 rockets barraging over the Israel can produce only one outcome
- the Army retaliation.
In turn the initial disapproval of Hamas by the Palestinian
population - after suffering the death of the families and friends caused by
the air-strikes - gets replaced by the anger and wish to retaliate agains the
Israelis… The vicious circle
closes again.
This is what I never could comprehend: how anybody can
consciously do things which immediately cause harm to him and his
surroundings? How can anybody,
being of a sound mind, do such a ‘suicidal’ actions, harming the whole
population. What Hamas is doing at
such times is what is in the States called a ‘SUICIDE BY POLICE’. They put a suicide vest on the whole
Palestinian population in Gaza.
And people, who are subjected to the hardship of living in Gaza, just do
not see it, blinded by the hatred, and the sorrow. The vicious circle closes again.
If the barrage of the rocket stops, the Israelis wouldn’t
have any right, nor moral justification, of the air-rides on Gaza, or any other
destructive action. They would
have to start negotiating, and something might get done in the process. But, the provocations have to stop
first. At this point I become
convinced that the Hamas doesn’t have in their minds, nor on their agenda, the
welfare of the Palestinian nation, but quite the opposite. Just the martyrdom of their own people
- but for what? It doesn’t lead
anywhere.
Stop shooting rockets into the Israel, and start real
negotiation. Provoking the trigger
happy military might of Israel is not a solution and it never will. And for now the UN may discuss the
situation and the un-proportional use of force as long they want. Stop the rockets and the kidnappings -
things will change.
Monday, July 7, 2014
ONE-LINER 0002 - President's approval rate
The media keep shouting how low is the acceptance level of the President Obama. New polls bring constantly decreasing numbers. CNN, until recently were trying to convey the message that the approval rating is the worst since the WWII (although in fact the Bush Junior had this ‘privilege’).
I talked to many Democrats, who complain, how disappointing is what President Obama does, and how disappointing is that President Obama hasn’t delivered so many things, promised during the election campaign… The list of broken promises is long, starting from Guantanamo…
Republicans triumph quoting the polls numbers – manipulating the nation.
At this point I would like to look into this disappointing acceptance levels. During the last decades the access to the information in our society has increased a lot. The media thriving on sensations, feeds us the manipulated and one-faceted pulp, having little to do wit the ‘objective truth’ (if is exists at all).
I am a Liberal, and as many on my side of the isle have been critical of many aspects of the President Obama’s politics. However, I am aware, and I never forget the achievements of his presidency, without which many millions of the US Citizens would have much gloomier outlook on theirs lives.
We - people on the Democratic side of the isle, have to remind ourselves and others, of these achievements, in order not to loose the general picture of the current Presidency.
Let’s start form the fact that the millions of people have their ‘preexisting conditions’ covered by the Health Insurance - the fact which used to put many under the poverty level if they suffered form some lasting medical conditions.
Let’s not forget about the push toward the ‘equal pay for equal work’ reducing the gender pay gap.
Let’s not forget about the push toward equal treatment of all people regardless of the sexual orientation, and letting all the people marry the people they love regardless of the gender (same sex marriages).
Let’s not forget about not letting shutting down the research on stem cells - but encouraging it.
Let’s not forget about the daily struggle for the budget, for the welfare of the underprivileged, for the new jobs and the unemployment benefits…
The Democrats have to remember all good things the current President pushed and forced to implement despite the strong opposition in the Republican Congress…
When you take under consideration all the facts, and the principle we all stand in general we all approve the work done by the President Obama. We can criticize his decisions, but in the general polls we should never ‘disapprove’ his actions, fueling the Republicans’ agenda.
The way the questions of the polls are constructed never give any options to explain why one partially disapprove with the Government policy. It’s either YES, or NO.
And in my opinion - maybe he doesn’t pass our scrutiny with the flying colors - we strongly AGREE with the direction we are going, especially considering the alternative proposed by the Tea Party backers.
I approve what The President Obama does (in general) - and 'disapprove' what he fails to do...
And lastly… it’s really baffling to me how anybody who earns less than 250 $K/year can actually consider backing the demands of the Tea Party (or Republican Party in general). I never thought that such a huge percentage of the US population might have the ‘Helsinki Syndrome’…
So, Democrats - look at the big picture, not at the particular shortcomings, and - if you agree with the general direction (think about the alternatives), and if you agree with what has been achieved - say YES in the current President’s approval polls.
Otherwise you may have much more to complain about in a shot future, when the Republicans take over the Senate, as a result of the Nation being mislead by a the manipulated polls. Do not dismiss the polls influence on the minds of the people, on the minds of the voters.
Do not send a wrong message.
I talked to many Democrats, who complain, how disappointing is what President Obama does, and how disappointing is that President Obama hasn’t delivered so many things, promised during the election campaign… The list of broken promises is long, starting from Guantanamo…
Republicans triumph quoting the polls numbers – manipulating the nation.
At this point I would like to look into this disappointing acceptance levels. During the last decades the access to the information in our society has increased a lot. The media thriving on sensations, feeds us the manipulated and one-faceted pulp, having little to do wit the ‘objective truth’ (if is exists at all).
I am a Liberal, and as many on my side of the isle have been critical of many aspects of the President Obama’s politics. However, I am aware, and I never forget the achievements of his presidency, without which many millions of the US Citizens would have much gloomier outlook on theirs lives.
We - people on the Democratic side of the isle, have to remind ourselves and others, of these achievements, in order not to loose the general picture of the current Presidency.
Let’s start form the fact that the millions of people have their ‘preexisting conditions’ covered by the Health Insurance - the fact which used to put many under the poverty level if they suffered form some lasting medical conditions.
Let’s not forget about the push toward the ‘equal pay for equal work’ reducing the gender pay gap.
Let’s not forget about the push toward equal treatment of all people regardless of the sexual orientation, and letting all the people marry the people they love regardless of the gender (same sex marriages).
Let’s not forget about not letting shutting down the research on stem cells - but encouraging it.
Let’s not forget about the daily struggle for the budget, for the welfare of the underprivileged, for the new jobs and the unemployment benefits…
The Democrats have to remember all good things the current President pushed and forced to implement despite the strong opposition in the Republican Congress…
When you take under consideration all the facts, and the principle we all stand in general we all approve the work done by the President Obama. We can criticize his decisions, but in the general polls we should never ‘disapprove’ his actions, fueling the Republicans’ agenda.
The way the questions of the polls are constructed never give any options to explain why one partially disapprove with the Government policy. It’s either YES, or NO.
And in my opinion - maybe he doesn’t pass our scrutiny with the flying colors - we strongly AGREE with the direction we are going, especially considering the alternative proposed by the Tea Party backers.
I approve what The President Obama does (in general) - and 'disapprove' what he fails to do...
And lastly… it’s really baffling to me how anybody who earns less than 250 $K/year can actually consider backing the demands of the Tea Party (or Republican Party in general). I never thought that such a huge percentage of the US population might have the ‘Helsinki Syndrome’…
So, Democrats - look at the big picture, not at the particular shortcomings, and - if you agree with the general direction (think about the alternatives), and if you agree with what has been achieved - say YES in the current President’s approval polls.
Otherwise you may have much more to complain about in a shot future, when the Republicans take over the Senate, as a result of the Nation being mislead by a the manipulated polls. Do not dismiss the polls influence on the minds of the people, on the minds of the voters.
Do not send a wrong message.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
ONE-LINER 0001 - Primaries
Recently, we have seen something extraordinary, in Mississippi. In the Republican Primaries, the Democratic crowd voted preventing an extreme ‘Tea Party’ candidate replace the moderate Republican Senator Thad Cochran. Mississippi is one of the States, when the voters are allowed to vote across the party line in the Primaries.
Republicans are furious, rising question “how any Republican could go that low, to bring the Black vote to the Republican Primaries?”
What? Such a question in 2014? Even in Mississippi (which has a history of racial discrimination creeping in the today’s reality) it is low.
But at this point, I am rising another question - why not allow cross-party voting in all States? It looks like a great tool in the fight for a more balanced, and just America. Extremes should be weeded out, from both sides of the isle. ALLOW THE GENERAL VOTE IN THE PRIMARIES !!!
Republicans are furious, rising question “how any Republican could go that low, to bring the Black vote to the Republican Primaries?”
What? Such a question in 2014? Even in Mississippi (which has a history of racial discrimination creeping in the today’s reality) it is low.
But at this point, I am rising another question - why not allow cross-party voting in all States? It looks like a great tool in the fight for a more balanced, and just America. Extremes should be weeded out, from both sides of the isle. ALLOW THE GENERAL VOTE IN THE PRIMARIES !!!
Introducing 'One-Liner'!
ALMOST INCOHERENT RANT has been on line for a while. Recently, it’s not as active as it was in the beginning. It’s not because there are no events, and issues to cover - it is because, in a busy professional life (like mine) there is often not enough time to write a thorough, well referenced article. As a result, many issues, which still boil my blood, are not addressed in the blog.
It is going to change! Today I am introducing a new feature, additional feature of the blog, called ‘ONE-LINER’.
‘One-Liner’, as the name suggests will be a short article, addressing the pressing issues, but in a very concise form. However, it’s not going to be limited to one line, it will be longer, but still in a short, easily digestible form.
Almost Incoherent Rant, finally is going to bring to life the RANTS, in a form of ‘One-Liner’.
It is going to change! Today I am introducing a new feature, additional feature of the blog, called ‘ONE-LINER’.
‘One-Liner’, as the name suggests will be a short article, addressing the pressing issues, but in a very concise form. However, it’s not going to be limited to one line, it will be longer, but still in a short, easily digestible form.
Almost Incoherent Rant, finally is going to bring to life the RANTS, in a form of ‘One-Liner’.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Susan Rice - the Republicans’ secret weapon…
Let me start from locating myself on the political spectrum: I am a Liberal. I have been steadily backing up all the President Obama initiatives - those delivered, and those promised (and never delivered).
I voted for him twice, and still my support for him is strong and un-wavered. I have a lot of criticism of his way of communicating (or barely communicating) his ideas to the people of America. It rises sometimes a question: why not treat Americans like adults, and explain to them exactly what is the essence of vital to all Americans, government decisions.
Alas, sometimes the message is lost… what is mercilessly exploited by the Republicans, who always go, as far as they can, to discredit the Democratic Presidents policy. We are living in the world, where there is no margin for errors. Every misspoken, or ill-communicated idea immediately backfires and becomes the stone, with which the ‘political stoning’ of Obama’s Government is performed. I never could understand the laxity of the Government officials, just carelessly fueling the ‘Republican fire’…
When on December 1, 2008 Susan Rice was appointed as the US Ambassador to the UN, I welcomed her appointment.
Well educated (Stanford University; New College, Oxford). Since 1988 she was involved in the political fabric of our country working for many prominent politicians like Michael Dukakis, McKinsley. She was a part of Clinton’s administration in many capacities, involved in the international affairs as NCS Africa Specialist (although not without controversies) (*1).
I jokingly remember that her name brought memories of the 66th US Secretary of State - Condoleezza Rice - a Bush Jr. puppet, who became synonymous with the lies, the Bush’s Government wanted to propagate. But of course, this notion wasn’t serious, and was immediately discarded - no one is, or can be expected to have the same character traits as another un-related person, just for having the same last name…
For a few years she escaped my attention, she was under my radar. Nothing was bringing her to the spot light. Things were done. American position in the UN secured and explained…
And then came the September 11, 2012…
“On the evening of September 11, 2012, Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, in Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and Sean Smith, U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer. (…)
Several hours later, in the early morning of the next day, a second assault targeted a nearby CIA annex in a different compound about one mile away, killing two CIA contractors, Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty.” (*2).
A few days before that event the Islamic World ‘boiled’ with fury against the offensive to the Islam, and the Prophet Mohammed, short movie which suddenly surfaced on YouTube and ‘the Hell got loose…’(*3)
There were angry demonstrations, sometimes riots, all over the world. Although to all non-Muslims this movie might have looked like a ‘bad taste’ but harmless jest, for the Muslims it was highly offensive.
When the attack on Benghazi American Consulate happened, the first thought on everybody’s mind was that those two events are related.
But at the same time even a 10 year old child knew that the attack carried by the heavily armed militants in 6 pick up trucks, is a terrorist action - however instigated or inspired - not a spontaneous protest.
Susan Rice officially stated then, that the attack was a result of riots and a response to the inflammatory video, and not the terrorist action.
When I heard her initial statement (right after the event), I couldn’t believe my ears.
One doesn’t have to be a military specialist to know that the well armed, and well organized group of attackers, who unfolded the bullet barrage on the unprotected (or insufficiently protected) US compound, using the heavy caliber machine guns, wasn’t an angry mob.
Susan Rice backed off from this statement a few days later in the series of the interviews, after the furious attacks of the Republicans and a bewilderment of Democrats (*4, *5). Yet, she was still defending her words, just adding “initially” to the statement.
She agreed that ‘later’ the extremists joined the riot, and performed the attack. Even though there were no riots in Benghazi at that time (*6).
I dismiss the Republican conclusion, that Susan Rice’s statement was a beginning effort of covering up the wrong-doing of the Obama Administration. It simply doesn’t make sense - especially, that the Administration was and is fully aware of the Republicans’ attitude and efforts…
In December 2012 Susan Rice in the result of that controversy withdrew herself from the consideration for the job of Secretary of State to replace Hilary Clinton.
__________
Some could have forgotten about this affair during the last 2 years. If they did, Benghazi controversy has been brought to our attention on numerous occasions recently in the context of the possible presidential campaign of Hilary Clinton and other policy references.
__________
A few days ago, American soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who spent the last 5 years as Prisoner of War, held by the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was released by the Taliban as a result of the negotiated for a few years (brokered by the Cathar) swap of prisoners.
In exchange for the Sergeant Bergdahl (a private at the time of the capture) the Taliban received 5 high ranking Taliban officials held at the Guantanamo prison for 13 years.
“America doesn’t leave the men in the uniform behind” - it has been the US Armed Forces motto since the Revolutionary War. No one questions that. And it doesn’t matter if that man in uniform is a hero, or has some stains on his military career.
Maybe some people do not remember the media coverage of the Sergeant Bergdohl’s disappearance in 2009. It wasn’t a very loudly advertised event, but the media already were rising the question if the Private Bergdahl was a traitor, or a deserter… Some media outlets (although I can’t find the references on the Internet at this point - so it’s just my memory) speculated that he might have joined the Taliban and should have been treated as an ‘enemy combatant’…
His comrades, from his own unit, at the time of his ‘walk off’, are today quite vocal accusing him of ‘less than proper’, and ‘less than honorable’ conduct.
Of course, “the accused is presumed innocent, until proven guilty”, so it’s completely immaterial.
However, any official statement in this case, should be very carefully worded.
In such a climate, the current National Security Advisor Susan Rice stated in the interview for ABC’s This Week on June 1, 2014, on the lawn of the White House, defending the negotiations with Taliban to free him: “He served the United States with honor and distinction…”.
I can imagine several ways of making the right statement emphasizing his volunteering to the Armed Forces in the Time of the War, which is a honorable act by itself, but making a blanket statement like the one above is very imprecise, and at least ‘problematic’…
We didn’t have to wait long for the Republicans’ response… (*7) The media exploded.
The on-going campaign against the Obama Administration unleashed by the 'Bergdahl’s swap' is all about the issue of ‘no negotiations with terrorists’ rule, and about the released Taliban returning to the active fight against America in the near future…
It’s another topic, and it will occupy a lot of pundits and commentators for many months to go.
The war in Afghanistan is winding down, and someone has to provide the 'normal' life to Afghanis. Taliban is not going anywhere. It will be the major force in Afghanistan - the decisive force. It will be there, when we are not...
Getting back to Susan Rice: I do not know if she has a Tourette Syndrome, and can’t control herself making the ‘controversial’ public statements - or she just deliberately wants to harm the Obama Administration, which she does in fact... I am not here to judge...
Her harmful statements are not limited to the two referred to above. Maybe she should get a ‘desk job’ somewhere in the Administration - without the possibility of the damaging public appearances.
So, is she the Republicans’ secret weapon?
___________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Rice
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Benghazi_attack
*3 - http://www.rferl.org/content/b-movie-behind-benghazi-bloodshed-antiislamic/24706092.html
*4 - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2239478/Susan-Rice-APOLOGIZES-calling-Benghazi-attack-terrorism.html
*5 - http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/rice-libya-attacks-spontaneous/
*6 - http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/benghazi-timeline/
*7 - http://time.com/2822696/susan-rice-bowe-bergdahl/
I voted for him twice, and still my support for him is strong and un-wavered. I have a lot of criticism of his way of communicating (or barely communicating) his ideas to the people of America. It rises sometimes a question: why not treat Americans like adults, and explain to them exactly what is the essence of vital to all Americans, government decisions.
Alas, sometimes the message is lost… what is mercilessly exploited by the Republicans, who always go, as far as they can, to discredit the Democratic Presidents policy. We are living in the world, where there is no margin for errors. Every misspoken, or ill-communicated idea immediately backfires and becomes the stone, with which the ‘political stoning’ of Obama’s Government is performed. I never could understand the laxity of the Government officials, just carelessly fueling the ‘Republican fire’…
When on December 1, 2008 Susan Rice was appointed as the US Ambassador to the UN, I welcomed her appointment.
Well educated (Stanford University; New College, Oxford). Since 1988 she was involved in the political fabric of our country working for many prominent politicians like Michael Dukakis, McKinsley. She was a part of Clinton’s administration in many capacities, involved in the international affairs as NCS Africa Specialist (although not without controversies) (*1).
I jokingly remember that her name brought memories of the 66th US Secretary of State - Condoleezza Rice - a Bush Jr. puppet, who became synonymous with the lies, the Bush’s Government wanted to propagate. But of course, this notion wasn’t serious, and was immediately discarded - no one is, or can be expected to have the same character traits as another un-related person, just for having the same last name…
For a few years she escaped my attention, she was under my radar. Nothing was bringing her to the spot light. Things were done. American position in the UN secured and explained…
And then came the September 11, 2012…
“On the evening of September 11, 2012, Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, in Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and Sean Smith, U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer. (…)
Several hours later, in the early morning of the next day, a second assault targeted a nearby CIA annex in a different compound about one mile away, killing two CIA contractors, Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty.” (*2).
A few days before that event the Islamic World ‘boiled’ with fury against the offensive to the Islam, and the Prophet Mohammed, short movie which suddenly surfaced on YouTube and ‘the Hell got loose…’(*3)
There were angry demonstrations, sometimes riots, all over the world. Although to all non-Muslims this movie might have looked like a ‘bad taste’ but harmless jest, for the Muslims it was highly offensive.
When the attack on Benghazi American Consulate happened, the first thought on everybody’s mind was that those two events are related.
But at the same time even a 10 year old child knew that the attack carried by the heavily armed militants in 6 pick up trucks, is a terrorist action - however instigated or inspired - not a spontaneous protest.
Susan Rice officially stated then, that the attack was a result of riots and a response to the inflammatory video, and not the terrorist action.
When I heard her initial statement (right after the event), I couldn’t believe my ears.
One doesn’t have to be a military specialist to know that the well armed, and well organized group of attackers, who unfolded the bullet barrage on the unprotected (or insufficiently protected) US compound, using the heavy caliber machine guns, wasn’t an angry mob.
Susan Rice backed off from this statement a few days later in the series of the interviews, after the furious attacks of the Republicans and a bewilderment of Democrats (*4, *5). Yet, she was still defending her words, just adding “initially” to the statement.
She agreed that ‘later’ the extremists joined the riot, and performed the attack. Even though there were no riots in Benghazi at that time (*6).
I dismiss the Republican conclusion, that Susan Rice’s statement was a beginning effort of covering up the wrong-doing of the Obama Administration. It simply doesn’t make sense - especially, that the Administration was and is fully aware of the Republicans’ attitude and efforts…
In December 2012 Susan Rice in the result of that controversy withdrew herself from the consideration for the job of Secretary of State to replace Hilary Clinton.
__________
Some could have forgotten about this affair during the last 2 years. If they did, Benghazi controversy has been brought to our attention on numerous occasions recently in the context of the possible presidential campaign of Hilary Clinton and other policy references.
__________
A few days ago, American soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who spent the last 5 years as Prisoner of War, held by the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was released by the Taliban as a result of the negotiated for a few years (brokered by the Cathar) swap of prisoners.
In exchange for the Sergeant Bergdahl (a private at the time of the capture) the Taliban received 5 high ranking Taliban officials held at the Guantanamo prison for 13 years.
“America doesn’t leave the men in the uniform behind” - it has been the US Armed Forces motto since the Revolutionary War. No one questions that. And it doesn’t matter if that man in uniform is a hero, or has some stains on his military career.
Maybe some people do not remember the media coverage of the Sergeant Bergdohl’s disappearance in 2009. It wasn’t a very loudly advertised event, but the media already were rising the question if the Private Bergdahl was a traitor, or a deserter… Some media outlets (although I can’t find the references on the Internet at this point - so it’s just my memory) speculated that he might have joined the Taliban and should have been treated as an ‘enemy combatant’…
His comrades, from his own unit, at the time of his ‘walk off’, are today quite vocal accusing him of ‘less than proper’, and ‘less than honorable’ conduct.
Of course, “the accused is presumed innocent, until proven guilty”, so it’s completely immaterial.
However, any official statement in this case, should be very carefully worded.
In such a climate, the current National Security Advisor Susan Rice stated in the interview for ABC’s This Week on June 1, 2014, on the lawn of the White House, defending the negotiations with Taliban to free him: “He served the United States with honor and distinction…”.
I can imagine several ways of making the right statement emphasizing his volunteering to the Armed Forces in the Time of the War, which is a honorable act by itself, but making a blanket statement like the one above is very imprecise, and at least ‘problematic’…
We didn’t have to wait long for the Republicans’ response… (*7) The media exploded.
The on-going campaign against the Obama Administration unleashed by the 'Bergdahl’s swap' is all about the issue of ‘no negotiations with terrorists’ rule, and about the released Taliban returning to the active fight against America in the near future…
It’s another topic, and it will occupy a lot of pundits and commentators for many months to go.
The war in Afghanistan is winding down, and someone has to provide the 'normal' life to Afghanis. Taliban is not going anywhere. It will be the major force in Afghanistan - the decisive force. It will be there, when we are not...
Getting back to Susan Rice: I do not know if she has a Tourette Syndrome, and can’t control herself making the ‘controversial’ public statements - or she just deliberately wants to harm the Obama Administration, which she does in fact... I am not here to judge...
Her harmful statements are not limited to the two referred to above. Maybe she should get a ‘desk job’ somewhere in the Administration - without the possibility of the damaging public appearances.
So, is she the Republicans’ secret weapon?
___________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Rice
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Benghazi_attack
*3 - http://www.rferl.org/content/b-movie-behind-benghazi-bloodshed-antiislamic/24706092.html
*4 - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2239478/Susan-Rice-APOLOGIZES-calling-Benghazi-attack-terrorism.html
*5 - http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/rice-libya-attacks-spontaneous/
*6 - http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/benghazi-timeline/
*7 - http://time.com/2822696/susan-rice-bowe-bergdahl/
Friday, June 6, 2014
D-Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day...
70 years ago, today, the Allied Forces made a risky landing on the beaches of Normandy, opening the last chapter of the World War II. Unbelievable effort, tremendous sacrifice… Of those who landed there, about 6 thousand were wounded and about 3 thousands didn’t see the green meadows and bushes of the French country side.
They stayed in the sands of the beaches codenamed: Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah, and Sword, forever.
We all remember them, and their sacrifice, on such occasions like D-Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day…
I was born in Europe, so, no one of my family members fought in the heroic action, we commemorate today.
But a day like today and the other Remembrance Days, mentioned above, make me remember my Mother - Genowefa Liwacz, who was 20 when the War broke, and right after the Russian Army (collaborating with Nazis in the invasion of Poland) invaded the Polish part of the Ukraine, joined the Underground, and fought Nazis, hoping, that her sacrifice, and the sacrifice of her 'brothers in arms' wouldn’t go in vain. She joined the Underground sponsored by the West (at that time there was no other), the Underground which answered to the Polish Government in Exile, which was formed in London.
She had dreamed of the free and independent Poland.
And yet, in 1944, on newly freed from Nazis Eastern Polish territories, she was arrested and thrown into the Russian jail for fighting under the ‘wrong’ banner, even though she fought the common enemy. She spent there nearly 4 years and until the death of Stalin in 1953, she had to report daily to the police after she was conditionally released.
Her only sin was that she didn't salut to Moscow...
She dreamed of the free and independent Poland. She lived to see it coming from ashes in 1989.
She lived to see me, her son, visit her when I became an American Citizen.
She died in 1994 in the troubled, but Free Country.
On such a day, like today, I remember her - a young soldier, who didn’t think twice before she answered the country’s calling - a soldier, who’s innocence was abruptly cut short, by the WAR.
On such a day, I remember all those, who fought against the oppression, of any sorts.
They stayed in the sands of the beaches codenamed: Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah, and Sword, forever.
We all remember them, and their sacrifice, on such occasions like D-Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day…
I was born in Europe, so, no one of my family members fought in the heroic action, we commemorate today.
But a day like today and the other Remembrance Days, mentioned above, make me remember my Mother - Genowefa Liwacz, who was 20 when the War broke, and right after the Russian Army (collaborating with Nazis in the invasion of Poland) invaded the Polish part of the Ukraine, joined the Underground, and fought Nazis, hoping, that her sacrifice, and the sacrifice of her 'brothers in arms' wouldn’t go in vain. She joined the Underground sponsored by the West (at that time there was no other), the Underground which answered to the Polish Government in Exile, which was formed in London.
She had dreamed of the free and independent Poland.
And yet, in 1944, on newly freed from Nazis Eastern Polish territories, she was arrested and thrown into the Russian jail for fighting under the ‘wrong’ banner, even though she fought the common enemy. She spent there nearly 4 years and until the death of Stalin in 1953, she had to report daily to the police after she was conditionally released.
Her only sin was that she didn't salut to Moscow...
She dreamed of the free and independent Poland. She lived to see it coming from ashes in 1989.
She lived to see me, her son, visit her when I became an American Citizen.
She died in 1994 in the troubled, but Free Country.
On such a day, like today, I remember her - a young soldier, who didn’t think twice before she answered the country’s calling - a soldier, who’s innocence was abruptly cut short, by the WAR.
On such a day, I remember all those, who fought against the oppression, of any sorts.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Ukraine... Do you hear the War Drums…?
The Geneva conference on the Ukraine’s crisis ended a few week ago. To everybody’s surprise, both Lavarov (Russia) and Carry(USA) pronounced the closing statements, which mirrored each other in their entirety.
One might have said: ‘good - at last Russia comes to its senses, and maybe the catastrophe is going to be prevented…’
Although it sounded like a true possibility, the following days proved the opposite. Russians never openly accept responsibility for their conniving actions. They always try to ride a high horse and preach around about the moral values and international law… violating all of it at the same time themselves. So, why this time should be different? It isn’t.
Let’s remember that they didn’t have any moral dilemma sending tanks to Budapest (Hungary) in 1956 and to Prague (Czechoslovakia) in 1968, when the people started to voice their disapproval of the system… They got ‘smarter’ in time and in 1980 they didn’t invade Poland, but forced Polish government to impose over the revolting nation a year long ’Martial Law’. And then… Afghanistan, Chechnya…
Let’s not forget, that, when the Communist North Vietnam army attacked and eventually overcome the South Vietnam, it was the USSR, who helped them in arms and personnel. America felt compelled to respond, and did so, getting involved in the most unpopular war of the XX-h Century.
When in 1992 the Soviet Union fell apart - giving finally the opportunity for the independent and sovereign future to the former ‘satellite’ countries, like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and others, some of the former Soviet Republics broke away, becoming independent countries as well.
It’s never easy to try to develop the ‘new’ form of the democratic (not only democratically elected) government. Decades of the ‘communist’ rules with their corruption and almost unlimited power of the ‘red bourgeoisie’ are very difficult to shake off. In all of these countries, most of the society didn’t want to have anything to do with the Russia, but even that was impossible to achieve. All of these countries needed Russia as a trade partner, a buyer of their product (which in most cases, wouldn’t be too attractive to the West, but good enough for Russia) and as a supplier of the oil and gas, which was in the abundance in Russia.
As it transpires after more than two decades, the complacency of most of the European countries in creating any alternative energy sources, or attempting to find other supply markets for their gas needs, resulted in the Russian monopoly. It became dramatically obvious in 2010, when the supply of the gas to Europe was interrupted because of the trade dispute with the Ukraine… Ukrainians are dependent on Russian gas, and as of 2 weeks ago they have to pay 40% more the before, for the supply.
Let’s bring to the discussion some historical facts, concerning Ukraine, facts, of which most of the Americans are oblivious. Nothing is easy, when you think of the history of that region. Nothing is easily explainable. And, most of the completely opposing political positions have some justification, so well exploited by the Russians.
Ukrainians always had a strong separatist tendencies. Who can blame them? Different from the neighbors, speaking similar, but different language they were longing for independence for a long time. For centuries the Ukraine was divided between the neighboring countries (Poland, Russia).
The Ukrainian nationalism, and a separatist movement was growing steadily for centuries. It was born as early as in the 17-th Century Ruthenian uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (*1, *2). When in 1795 Poland disappeared from the map of Europe, split between the neighboring superpowers - Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia and Prussia (now Germany), Ukraine followed the same fate.
During the October revolution in Russia in 1917 the Kiev Uprising in November of 1917 resulted in defeat of the Imperial Russian Forces in the Ukrainian capital. Soon after the country split in 2 rival parts - one in Kiev run by Central Rada, and another - hostile to Kiev, established by the Bolsheviks in Kharkiv (in the Eastern Ukraine). On January 22, 1918 Kiev broke ties with Russia.
The WWI was in its last stages.
Facing the danger of being overcome by Russia, the Kiev government turned for help to Germans and Austro-Hungarians, whose armies freed the Western Ukraine from the Communists.
With the end of the WWI, when Germany and Austro-Hungary lost their strong grip over the Poland, Ukraine and other countries of the region, in 1919 Poland finally received its sovereignty.
Part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - Galicia, which held until that moment Poland and Western Ukraine and was inhabited by both Poles and Ukrainians, fell apart.
Non-Communist Ukrainians tried again to withstand the Bolsheviks offensive, and finally joined their former adversary - Poland in April 1920. At this point Poland was involved in often successful, war activities against the Communist Russia. In the result - the most Western part of the Ukraine, sacrificing its sovereignty, joined Poland. It’s biggest city Lviv became one of the greatest cultural centers of the newly established, free Poland.
The Ukrainian part with it’s capital in Kiev fell under the communists pressure and became a Soviet Republic.
In 1918 the Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine - an anarchist partisan army was created, and fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. It died in 1920 with the execution of the leaders and commanders of the movement by the Red Army (*3).
In 1939 the WWII broke, and while Hitler’s army attacked from the West, Russians invaded from the East, taking Polish part of the Ukraine. The action was well coordinated with Germans, a part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 (4*).
Everything changed when in June 1941, Germany invaded Russia.
In October 1942 the Ukrainian Nationalists created The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (in Ukrainian - UPA) with Stephen Bandera at the ‘helm’, paramilitary and later partisan army that engaged in a series of guerrilla conflicts during WWII against Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Polish civilian population of German-occupied western Ukraine, and both Underground and Communist Poland. When summarized in a short sentence the picture looks very confusing. Although associated with Nazi Germany for a while (when Germans promised the creation of the Independent Ukraine of the German held territories - until the Germans’ ‘change of heart’), the main aggression of the UPA was directed toward Soviet and Polish (supported by Soviets) Armies, as well as the Polish Underground (both - sponsored by Russians as well as sponsored by the West). Some of UPA members served in the Galicia branch of the SS - the most cruel, elite forces of the Nazi German Army.
The most controversial agenda, was conducting of the ‘ethnic cleansing’ on the territories, where the substantial part of the population was Polish.
Depending on what sources are consulted the number of Polish victims to the UPA ‘ethnic cleansing’ was as high as 50,000.
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army conducted the partisan activities even after the end of the WWII: until 1947 on Polish territories and until 1949 on the Soviet territories. The UPA was formally disbanded in early September, 1949. However, some of its units continued operations until 1956.
The memory of the UPA brings nightmares to the Polish population of the South East parts of the Poland until today. But it’s a nightmare of the long gone past.
At the same time the UPA’s importance in the fight for the Ukrainian independence and sovereignty is undeniable. Until today for some people UPA as a military arm of the Ukrainian Nationalists and its soldiers are heroes. Some people conveniently forget of the Nazi ‘episode’ in its history. But the UPA is not the current Ukrainian society. Societies evolve. Ideologies change.
Nazi Germany was a most destructive force in the World during the WWI and WWII, and yet at the end of the XX-th Century and at the beginning of the XXI-st Century, Germany are one of the most creative and balanced forces in the same Europe.
But this is the reason, why the Russians so strongly attack all the pro-Western Ukrainian activists.
We hear over and over the term ‘neo-nazism’ in reference to all Ukrainian activists who do not want to succumb to the conniving actions of the Russia, who sends their soldiers, and incites to the unrest in the Eastern Ukraine.
Since they (Russians) never evolved, always having the imperialistic appetites and acting upon them, enslaving countries and the peoples in the process - they suspect all others to live their lives the same way.
The Ukrainians tried different alliances in the history. Some of them worked, some other not, and let’s say were highly misguided.
They can’t be alone in the political World. If they want to be a sovereign country and resist the Russian aggression and the notion to absorb the 25 years old Free Ukraine, they have to get somebody’s support. In 1919 the Ukraine joined Poland in the opposition to the USSR threat.
In 2014, this is where the US is coming to play, along with the United Europe, of which the New Ukraine wanted to become a part.
At the very end of April 2014, the Russian rhetoric against the Government in Kiev is getting stronger. The Russian special forces, in the well pressed, new and unmarked uniforms, with the brand new Russian Army issued weapons keep infiltrate the Eastern part of the Ukraine, supporting the short sighted secession proponents, and inciting to more violence against the Kiev Government and its functionaries.
After the annexation of the Crimea, the same argument and the same tactics are in place taking over the district after district in the Eastern Ukraine.
Russians claim that all they do is to protect the Russian speaking population of the Eastern Ukraine, although no one ever claimed that the discrimination has ever occurred. Instead, the number of killed, maimed or missing pro-European activists or politicians in the Eastern Ukraine grows. The violence is perpetrated by the separatists - those who want to join Russia, not the other camp.
Kiev is promising the changes to the constitution giving more power to the Eastern parts, and accepting the Russian as a second language - and yet the Russian do not change the rhetoric.
When Russians invaded Poland and after the WWII appropriated the Polish Part of Lithuania, and Polish Part of Ukraine with at least 25% of population being Polish - the persecution of the Poles in these territories raised to the levels known only from the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Based on the 2014 Russian rhetoric, Poland should have invaded these territories back and take the Poles living there under the Polish umbrella…
Let’s look at a very interesting scenario:
The Eastern Ukraine is not Crimea. The majority of the population is the Ukrainians. They are right now mistreated by the ‘bullies’ and Russian-inspired militants. If Putin takes over this part of the country, knowing Russians so far, one can bet, that the Ukrainians will be persecuted by the Russia and pro-Russia individuals, who will be even more empowered, than now.
So, it would be the RESPONSIBILITY, not only the right, of Ukrainians to invade back, this part of (then) Russia, in order to protect the Ukrainian-speakers.
This is the behavior of the political ‘bully’.
And what is the US position on such an obvious act of aggression against a sovereign country?
So far we pile up the sanctions, which are ‘the slap on the hand’ for Putin and his cronies. Even when they start hurting the Russian economy, it wouldn’t change the Putin’s position. He is working on ‘his position in history’, as a uniter of the Russian people.
So far he hasn’t even blinked and he knows that the West is not so eager to ‘do’ anything to stop him. He enjoys a complete impunity. The on-going American military exercises in Estonia Lithuania and Poland are, maybe an annoying ‘mosquito’ under his nose, but nothing serious.
The Ukraine, unlike the actual members of NATO is not covered by the ‘Article 5’ of the NATO Statute. So, are we going to stand on the sidelines (literally), and do nothing while he (Putin) appropriates the huge part of Ukraine?
I would never thought that I would be inclined to advocate the military option. And yet, this is what I am considering and supporting. Someone has to put stop to the Putin’s bullying. If he is not stopped now, no other country, close to his borders is safe.
He wants to rebuild the empire. So, who is next? Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Poland…
The time to put stop to Putin’s aggression is not after he finishes the annexation of the Eastern Ukraine, and prepares for the farther aggressions. The time to stop him is now.
______________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenians
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_nationalism
*3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolutionary_Insurrectionary_Army_of_Ukraine
*4 - https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Molotov–Ribbentrop_Pact.html
One might have said: ‘good - at last Russia comes to its senses, and maybe the catastrophe is going to be prevented…’
Although it sounded like a true possibility, the following days proved the opposite. Russians never openly accept responsibility for their conniving actions. They always try to ride a high horse and preach around about the moral values and international law… violating all of it at the same time themselves. So, why this time should be different? It isn’t.
Let’s remember that they didn’t have any moral dilemma sending tanks to Budapest (Hungary) in 1956 and to Prague (Czechoslovakia) in 1968, when the people started to voice their disapproval of the system… They got ‘smarter’ in time and in 1980 they didn’t invade Poland, but forced Polish government to impose over the revolting nation a year long ’Martial Law’. And then… Afghanistan, Chechnya…
Let’s not forget, that, when the Communist North Vietnam army attacked and eventually overcome the South Vietnam, it was the USSR, who helped them in arms and personnel. America felt compelled to respond, and did so, getting involved in the most unpopular war of the XX-h Century.
When in 1992 the Soviet Union fell apart - giving finally the opportunity for the independent and sovereign future to the former ‘satellite’ countries, like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and others, some of the former Soviet Republics broke away, becoming independent countries as well.
It’s never easy to try to develop the ‘new’ form of the democratic (not only democratically elected) government. Decades of the ‘communist’ rules with their corruption and almost unlimited power of the ‘red bourgeoisie’ are very difficult to shake off. In all of these countries, most of the society didn’t want to have anything to do with the Russia, but even that was impossible to achieve. All of these countries needed Russia as a trade partner, a buyer of their product (which in most cases, wouldn’t be too attractive to the West, but good enough for Russia) and as a supplier of the oil and gas, which was in the abundance in Russia.
As it transpires after more than two decades, the complacency of most of the European countries in creating any alternative energy sources, or attempting to find other supply markets for their gas needs, resulted in the Russian monopoly. It became dramatically obvious in 2010, when the supply of the gas to Europe was interrupted because of the trade dispute with the Ukraine… Ukrainians are dependent on Russian gas, and as of 2 weeks ago they have to pay 40% more the before, for the supply.
Let’s bring to the discussion some historical facts, concerning Ukraine, facts, of which most of the Americans are oblivious. Nothing is easy, when you think of the history of that region. Nothing is easily explainable. And, most of the completely opposing political positions have some justification, so well exploited by the Russians.
Ukrainians always had a strong separatist tendencies. Who can blame them? Different from the neighbors, speaking similar, but different language they were longing for independence for a long time. For centuries the Ukraine was divided between the neighboring countries (Poland, Russia).
The Ukrainian nationalism, and a separatist movement was growing steadily for centuries. It was born as early as in the 17-th Century Ruthenian uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (*1, *2). When in 1795 Poland disappeared from the map of Europe, split between the neighboring superpowers - Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia and Prussia (now Germany), Ukraine followed the same fate.
During the October revolution in Russia in 1917 the Kiev Uprising in November of 1917 resulted in defeat of the Imperial Russian Forces in the Ukrainian capital. Soon after the country split in 2 rival parts - one in Kiev run by Central Rada, and another - hostile to Kiev, established by the Bolsheviks in Kharkiv (in the Eastern Ukraine). On January 22, 1918 Kiev broke ties with Russia.
The WWI was in its last stages.
Facing the danger of being overcome by Russia, the Kiev government turned for help to Germans and Austro-Hungarians, whose armies freed the Western Ukraine from the Communists.
With the end of the WWI, when Germany and Austro-Hungary lost their strong grip over the Poland, Ukraine and other countries of the region, in 1919 Poland finally received its sovereignty.
Part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - Galicia, which held until that moment Poland and Western Ukraine and was inhabited by both Poles and Ukrainians, fell apart.
Non-Communist Ukrainians tried again to withstand the Bolsheviks offensive, and finally joined their former adversary - Poland in April 1920. At this point Poland was involved in often successful, war activities against the Communist Russia. In the result - the most Western part of the Ukraine, sacrificing its sovereignty, joined Poland. It’s biggest city Lviv became one of the greatest cultural centers of the newly established, free Poland.
The Ukrainian part with it’s capital in Kiev fell under the communists pressure and became a Soviet Republic.
In 1918 the Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine - an anarchist partisan army was created, and fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. It died in 1920 with the execution of the leaders and commanders of the movement by the Red Army (*3).
In 1939 the WWII broke, and while Hitler’s army attacked from the West, Russians invaded from the East, taking Polish part of the Ukraine. The action was well coordinated with Germans, a part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 (4*).
Everything changed when in June 1941, Germany invaded Russia.
In October 1942 the Ukrainian Nationalists created The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (in Ukrainian - UPA) with Stephen Bandera at the ‘helm’, paramilitary and later partisan army that engaged in a series of guerrilla conflicts during WWII against Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Polish civilian population of German-occupied western Ukraine, and both Underground and Communist Poland. When summarized in a short sentence the picture looks very confusing. Although associated with Nazi Germany for a while (when Germans promised the creation of the Independent Ukraine of the German held territories - until the Germans’ ‘change of heart’), the main aggression of the UPA was directed toward Soviet and Polish (supported by Soviets) Armies, as well as the Polish Underground (both - sponsored by Russians as well as sponsored by the West). Some of UPA members served in the Galicia branch of the SS - the most cruel, elite forces of the Nazi German Army.
The most controversial agenda, was conducting of the ‘ethnic cleansing’ on the territories, where the substantial part of the population was Polish.
Depending on what sources are consulted the number of Polish victims to the UPA ‘ethnic cleansing’ was as high as 50,000.
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army conducted the partisan activities even after the end of the WWII: until 1947 on Polish territories and until 1949 on the Soviet territories. The UPA was formally disbanded in early September, 1949. However, some of its units continued operations until 1956.
The memory of the UPA brings nightmares to the Polish population of the South East parts of the Poland until today. But it’s a nightmare of the long gone past.
At the same time the UPA’s importance in the fight for the Ukrainian independence and sovereignty is undeniable. Until today for some people UPA as a military arm of the Ukrainian Nationalists and its soldiers are heroes. Some people conveniently forget of the Nazi ‘episode’ in its history. But the UPA is not the current Ukrainian society. Societies evolve. Ideologies change.
Nazi Germany was a most destructive force in the World during the WWI and WWII, and yet at the end of the XX-th Century and at the beginning of the XXI-st Century, Germany are one of the most creative and balanced forces in the same Europe.
But this is the reason, why the Russians so strongly attack all the pro-Western Ukrainian activists.
We hear over and over the term ‘neo-nazism’ in reference to all Ukrainian activists who do not want to succumb to the conniving actions of the Russia, who sends their soldiers, and incites to the unrest in the Eastern Ukraine.
Since they (Russians) never evolved, always having the imperialistic appetites and acting upon them, enslaving countries and the peoples in the process - they suspect all others to live their lives the same way.
The Ukrainians tried different alliances in the history. Some of them worked, some other not, and let’s say were highly misguided.
They can’t be alone in the political World. If they want to be a sovereign country and resist the Russian aggression and the notion to absorb the 25 years old Free Ukraine, they have to get somebody’s support. In 1919 the Ukraine joined Poland in the opposition to the USSR threat.
In 2014, this is where the US is coming to play, along with the United Europe, of which the New Ukraine wanted to become a part.
At the very end of April 2014, the Russian rhetoric against the Government in Kiev is getting stronger. The Russian special forces, in the well pressed, new and unmarked uniforms, with the brand new Russian Army issued weapons keep infiltrate the Eastern part of the Ukraine, supporting the short sighted secession proponents, and inciting to more violence against the Kiev Government and its functionaries.
After the annexation of the Crimea, the same argument and the same tactics are in place taking over the district after district in the Eastern Ukraine.
Russians claim that all they do is to protect the Russian speaking population of the Eastern Ukraine, although no one ever claimed that the discrimination has ever occurred. Instead, the number of killed, maimed or missing pro-European activists or politicians in the Eastern Ukraine grows. The violence is perpetrated by the separatists - those who want to join Russia, not the other camp.
Kiev is promising the changes to the constitution giving more power to the Eastern parts, and accepting the Russian as a second language - and yet the Russian do not change the rhetoric.
When Russians invaded Poland and after the WWII appropriated the Polish Part of Lithuania, and Polish Part of Ukraine with at least 25% of population being Polish - the persecution of the Poles in these territories raised to the levels known only from the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Based on the 2014 Russian rhetoric, Poland should have invaded these territories back and take the Poles living there under the Polish umbrella…
Let’s look at a very interesting scenario:
The Eastern Ukraine is not Crimea. The majority of the population is the Ukrainians. They are right now mistreated by the ‘bullies’ and Russian-inspired militants. If Putin takes over this part of the country, knowing Russians so far, one can bet, that the Ukrainians will be persecuted by the Russia and pro-Russia individuals, who will be even more empowered, than now.
So, it would be the RESPONSIBILITY, not only the right, of Ukrainians to invade back, this part of (then) Russia, in order to protect the Ukrainian-speakers.
This is the behavior of the political ‘bully’.
And what is the US position on such an obvious act of aggression against a sovereign country?
So far we pile up the sanctions, which are ‘the slap on the hand’ for Putin and his cronies. Even when they start hurting the Russian economy, it wouldn’t change the Putin’s position. He is working on ‘his position in history’, as a uniter of the Russian people.
So far he hasn’t even blinked and he knows that the West is not so eager to ‘do’ anything to stop him. He enjoys a complete impunity. The on-going American military exercises in Estonia Lithuania and Poland are, maybe an annoying ‘mosquito’ under his nose, but nothing serious.
The Ukraine, unlike the actual members of NATO is not covered by the ‘Article 5’ of the NATO Statute. So, are we going to stand on the sidelines (literally), and do nothing while he (Putin) appropriates the huge part of Ukraine?
I would never thought that I would be inclined to advocate the military option. And yet, this is what I am considering and supporting. Someone has to put stop to the Putin’s bullying. If he is not stopped now, no other country, close to his borders is safe.
He wants to rebuild the empire. So, who is next? Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Poland…
The time to put stop to Putin’s aggression is not after he finishes the annexation of the Eastern Ukraine, and prepares for the farther aggressions. The time to stop him is now.
______________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenians
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_nationalism
*3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolutionary_Insurrectionary_Army_of_Ukraine
*4 - https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Molotov–Ribbentrop_Pact.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)