Ukraine crisis: 'Russian soldiers' seize Crimea hospital
Armed men - said to be Russian troops and local militias - have seized a military hospital in Crimea, as Moscow tightens its grip on Ukraine's region.
The attackers marched into the hospital in the regional capital Simferopol, threatening staff and some 30 patients.
Pro-Russian troops are also blockading Ukrainian troops across Crimea.
The latest moves come ahead of Sunday's secession referendum in the autonomous region. Kiev and the Western nations describe the vote as illegal.
In other developments on Monday:
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow will send its "counter-proposals" to Washington to try to resolve the Ukraine crisis; the US earlier proposed to set up a contact group, renew direct Kiev-Moscow talks and also urged Russia to pull its troops in Crimea back to their bases
- In a phone call, US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping urge Russia to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity
- Russia's former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who spent a decade behind bars, tells students in Kiev that Russia has severely violated international law by deploying troops in Crimea
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26515049
Merkel tells Putin Crimea referendum illegal
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024635628
Russia’s Move Into Ukraine Said to Be Born in Shadows
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024638864
= new reply since forum marked as read
Most of them aren't Putin supporters. Not sure about a couple.
Some are just opposed to anything that might help the US or EU or NATO. They ask, "Cui bono?" but since they have limited perspectives the only good they can see is the US' or EU's and assume there's a conspiracy. Then they look for scraps of evidence that substantiate their beliefs, and catechise the rest of us. They're really Euro-centric and US-centric.
Others are like Xian fundamentalists when it comes to politics. The moral taint of some actors is born by all those involved. The Ukrainian government has the original sin of having not a democrat for a mother but, much more importantly, a fascist for a father. Even if "fascist" means something different, it's the label that matters. Just as many fundmentalists are okay with "evolution" but not with "Darwinism." The sin isn't in the belief or implications, the sin is in the name. They require true repentance and penance before they'll reverse their moral judgments, whatever the actions on the ground may be. They confuse politics, the implementation of a given morality, with the morality itself. Our moral shortcoming in helping such moral cripples would be greater than allowing Putin free rein.
In other cases they really do believe all the horror stories. The general anti-US or contrarian tenor of some news sources has been acceptable for so long, that when you wrap truly oppressive tendencies and views in the garb of defending against the US (or "fascists"
the packaging is more important than the contents--and rather than rethink the quality of the source they overlook the oppressive tendencies. These are often contrarian and pride themselves on having the one and only "true" information.
Others are selfish and mask their selfishness in morality. We can't afford to help others, we have to help ourselves first. We can't intervene, we might get hurt, and I'd rather others die than get involved at personal risk. Some are honest about this but don't see letting our good get in the way of a greater good as a failing. Others aren't, and you have to push to get this out of them.
In some cases there's a logical gap in their thinking. They can see bad things happening if nobody does anything. But if somebody were to do anything they can only see WWIII. Some honestly can't see how Kennedy's blockade of Soviet ships around Cuba or the Berlin airlift could ever be possible in any universe. That it happens, mostly without total destruction, doesn't make sense. They can't evaluate risk but see things in terms of absolutes.
So troops in the streets, an armed replacement of a government, confiscation of identity papers needed for voting, arresting dissidents, denying food/water/medical care to the ill, a blackout of all non-approved media, a government-sponsored media campaign are all conveniently unimportant and even "democratic" if these serve the right aims. Cui bono? Surely you don't believe the corrupt MSM in the US? But it's necessary to be uberfascist to fight the fascists, especially that neo-Nazi anti-Semitic Jew Yatseniuk.
Or we respond with a position of helplessness. Yes, those things are bad, but we mustn't give offense lest we get hurt. Or lose $. Or what can we do--we don't want a total war. Best to placate and not offend; a few chosen mild words will work.
