A few commenters have been accusing me of spreading propaganda for Vladimir Putin, because
1. I "consistently" wrote diaries and comments against bombing and invading Syria last year.
2. I now question whether Russia is Invading Ukraine.
Victoria Nuland, wife of Robert Kagan, the co-founder of PNAC, famous for lobbying Clinton/Bush admins for regime change in Iraq, upset the Ukrainian apple cart, not Putin, and we still don't know who was shooting people on both sides of the conflict at Maidan Square.
Being against arming terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda who terrorize Chechnya and Syria doesn't make Vlad and me soul mates.
I didn't buy the argument that the ends, toppling Assad, justifies the means. The ends included destroying a beautiful country, displacing 2 million Syrians, ethnically cleansing the Middle East of Christians, ending secularism, and sending women back hundreds of years by establishing Sharia Law. Maybe that outcome may make some in Saudi Arabia happy and to the victors (Coalition of the Killing/Billing/Willing) go the spoils, but it's unacceptable to people of conscience. The means have been graphically documented on cell phones of "rebel" mercenaries, atrocities such as beheadings and even cannibalism (ripping the hearts out of a Syrian soldier for a quick bite), and a slaughter so gruesome, New York Times editors were made physically ill.
Now the same warmongers who last year cheered, trained, and provided weapons to those wild and crazy "rebels" (some of whom openly pledge allegiance to the terrorists who attacked the country I pledge my allegiance to on 9/11!) to overthrow Assad, have found a shiny, new reason to bomb Syria into the Stone Age this year: rid Syria/Iraq of those pesky "rebels," whose name has morphed, not their tactics nor their benefactors. With FP like this, if I link to inconvenient news stories that warm the cockles of Cutie Putie's heart, but embarrass warmongers here, so be it.
Photos of the President of Russia "shirtless" are not upon my wall to hide a nasty stain that's lying there. I'm not in love, no, no, just thankful that Putin found a diplomatic solution for Syria. It's not a crush, but gratitude I feel toward the Russians for warning the FBI about Chechen-American, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who Russians say met with a militant during a 6 month visit to the Caucasus region.
It's beyond bizarre that it's a Ruskie who is in essence defending our Constitutional rights, by having to provide a safe haven for an American hero, Edward Snowden, a modern day Paul Revere warning "the NSA is coming" to invade our privacy.
I expect more from the US Government than shooting first and asking questions later, if at all. I expect the US Government to be the ones who respect our privacy, protect us from harm, tell us the truth, and find peaceful solutions that generate good will, not revenge.
Exceptional is as exceptional does.
However, when I was 17, I did think the lead singer of 10cc was really cute.