Shameless politics, and get that Negro away from me.

Well this didn't take long. The bodies of those who tragically lost their lives in that Malaysian Air crash in Eastern Ukraine have not been removed from the fields that the poor souls perished in, and already the political vultures are out foaming at the mouth and gnashing their teeth.


They are blaming Barack Obama for this tragedy (not Vladimir Putin) because this is what having a serious case of derangement syndrome can do to you.


From Allen West, to John McCain, they were fighting each other to get in front of a microphone and a camera to take their shots.


"It’s just been cowardly, it’s a cowardly administration that failed to give the Ukrainians weapons with which to defend themselves,” McCain said. 

The former Republican opponent to Obama’s 2008 campaign said these comments after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed into Ukraine, causing the deaths of nearly 300 people. But while rumors surface that Russian separatists were responsible for shooting down the commercial jet, McCain is taking aim at the president.

“I don’t understand this president,” McCain said Thursday on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “The crisis on the border and he did the fundraisers, the fundraisers in New York while there are major major conflicts, not to mention the loss of American lives reported … I do not understand it.”


He added, “This is what we used to call in the military AWOL.”


McCain suggested that if reports prove that Russia was behind the attacks, the United States should “impose the harshest possible sanctions on Vladimir Putin and Russia.” [Source]


They were in rare form.


Forgetting, of course, that their hero, Ronald Reagan, took four days to respond to a similar civilian plane being shot down by the Russians. For the record, Barack Obama took twenty four hours. Can you imagine if Barack Obama had taken four days to respond to this tragedy?


So Reagan didn't want to leave his ranch and Barack Obama doesn't want to cut his fundraisers short.


CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER:"What is the president's reaction? You said what matters is not where he is. He's had no reaction. He's had no reaction to anything that I can tell in the last six months. Look, it isn't as if we're going to go to war with Russia, but we've denied Ukraine lethal weaponry on the grounds that we don't want to escalate the conflict. The rebels and the Russians are killing Ukrainians in large numbers, by shooting them out of the sky. The least the president could do is make a damned decision for once in his life and announce that we are now going to supply lethal weapons to assist the Ukrainians to defend themselves and to complete the offensive that is now going on in Eastern Ukraine to actually destroy the rebel insurgents."


Hmmm, "lethal weapons to assist Ukrainians". Why? So that they can use those "lethal weapons" to achieve their own agenda when they see fit? I don't think so.


One of the truly sad aspects of this tragedy is that some really good and influential people who are actually contributing to humanity lost their lives. The irony is, of course, that the people who contribute nothing and who do more to destroy society by their actions can only offer more vacuous and meaningless commentary while the gown ups seek solutions.


Finally, I have to chase the big R before I sign off tonight.


"Florida man Thomas Thorpe, charged with attempted first-degree murder, appeared in court today to enter in a not guilty plea. But most memorable from his court appearance was Thorpe ranting about the black public defender next to him and how he didn’t want a “Negro standing next to me.”


Thorpe allegedly stabbed someone at a bus stop. In court today, he said, “I pleaded not guilty and I don’t want this Negro standing next to me. I don’t want a Negro standing next to me.”


And it wasn’t just that public defender he objected to, Thorpe refused any defense attorney whatsoever. The judge asked, “Do you understand what an attorney is and what they do?” Thorpe replied, “Yes, they screwed us.” [Source]


You gotta love racists.


Good luck Mr. Thorpe, hopefully you will get the white lawyer you desire. For your sake, though, I just hope that the facts and the evidence are on your side. If not, that "Negro" lawyer will be the least of your problems.


Mr. McCain's pic from itsybitsysteps.com






 


 















 

Hawkish on Russia.

Lots of hills and trees where I live, so this snow has me chilling at home today. I honestly don't feel like digging my way out of it. Old Man Winter I give up; you win this year.




Anyway, I caught just a little of the Oscars last night, and it was nice to see the beautiful and classy Lupita Nyongo  win the statue for best supporting actress for her acting in Twelve Years A Slave. (Shout out to my man John Ridley for winning a statue for that movie as well.) Maybe "the times they are a changing."




I am still trying to figure why these very wealthy people get free clothes from very expensive designers, and gift bags with over $80,000.00 worth of goodies.


Anyway, enough about fun and games in Tinseltown , there are serious things happening in other parts of the world. Vladimir Putin is still flexing his muscle in the Ukraine region and, so far, America and her allies in Europe are still trying to figure out what to do with Russia's version of Ronnie Reagan.


I know that John Kerry says that "all options are on the table", but the White House knows that realistically economic sanctions and kicking Mother Russia out of the G8-- which would really piss off Vladi-- is the only way to go. I like that idea. Go after Russian money and try to get European and American banks to cut off the pipeline to all that money from the uber rich Russian oligarchs.
Also, get more Europeans involved and engaged. It's their corner of the world, and they better get their butts in gear to try and protect it. Vladi might be trying to get at Poland next.


Of course the right-wingnuts in Washington, as is to be expected, have all come out to condemn the president and call him weak. They claim that Putin has been playing chess while Obama has been "playing marbles." 


The thing is, though, he is also their president, and America is involved in a very complicated and nuanced foreign crisis in a very volatile part of the world. So hearing senators attack a sitting president during this time was quite stunning to me. The only people whose "eyes are rolling" are those of us who see the right-wingnuts in this country for the lunatics that they really are.


Still, given the type of people we are dealing with, we shouldn't be surprised. They should understand, though, that their language only emboldens people like Vladimir Putin and weakens the perception of America in the world.


People like Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio also seem to conveniently forget that W was in the same position as it relates to Putin in 2008 when he invaded Georgia.


But hey, let's not let facts get in the way of the latest right- wing talking points.


“I am deeply concerned that Russia’s ongoing military intervention in Crimea may soon expand to eastern Ukraine. Yesterday, President Obama said that Russia would face ‘costs’ if it intervened militarily in Ukraine. It is now essential for the President to articulate exactly what those costs will be and to take steps urgently to impose them."


McCain and those of his ilk are hoping that he tries to "impose" war, and the rest of us understand that when you deal with a madman, you have to tread very carefully.






     














  

The Neocon's dream is closer to reality.

Vladimir Putin, fresh off of chilling in balmy Sochi, has turned his attention to those rowdy Ukrainians.


He has sent thousands of troops to that country and, from all indication, has launched an all out military invasion against them. (Well, at least in Crimea.)


Of course Vladi isn't like most normal leaders, he actually sent in his troops before he got permission from the Russian parliament.


Now our president here in America is wondering what to do with his counterpart in Russia, who, from day one, has been hell-bent on showing the world that his d*** is bigger than that of the black guy who runs America.


Putin says he is justified because there are Russian citizens in the region who need protecting.


"In connection with the extraordinary situation in Ukraine, the threat to the lives of citizens of the Russian Federation, our compatriots, and the personnel of the armed forces of the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory (in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) ... I submit a proposal on using the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine until the normalization of the socio-political situation in the that country,” 


But the Ukrainians say that they have been invaded and their country is being occupied by a foreign army.


Now president Obama has a "cold war" type situation on his hands.


"See Field, you made fun of him, but Mitt was right."


Yes, maybe. But these neocons and right- wingnuts  need to relax with their call for World War Three against Mother Russia and her allies.  A war, of course, which they (or their children) will want no part of actually fighting.
 
Anyway, we all know that these neocons are never right when it comes to such things, so why should we listen to them now?


President Obama called Vladimir Putin today, and from all indication they both made their positions pretty clear and chopped it up for about ninety minutes.
 

"According to the Kremlin, Putin told Obama that Russia reserves the right to defend its interests in the Crimea region and the Russian-speaking people who live there.

"President Obama made clear that Russia's continued violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia's standing in the international community," according to a statement released by the White House.

Ukraine, a nation of 45 million people sandwiched between Europe and Russia's southwestern border, has been plunged into chaos since the ouster a week ago of President Viktor Yanukovych following bloody street protests that left dozens dead and hundreds wounded.

Ukraine has faced a deepening schism, with those in the west generally supporting the interim government and its European Union tilt, while many in the east preferring a Ukraine where Russia casts a long shadow." [Source]

I would love to hear that conversation: "Barack, do you have a ruler? Mine is seven inches, what do you have?"