If the Beatles could do a comment on the Ukraine, I think it would go like this:

[DFW]

(Sung to the tune of "Penny Lane&quot

In the Ukraine old Yanukovich bled the country dry
He filled his pockets with most everything they had
It made the starving population mad
Things were getting bad

In the Ukraine the people gathered in the Maidan Square
And Yanukovich thought it might be time to go.
And on the off chance that he didn’t know
Millions made it plain:
“”Time for pain!”

The Ukraine is in the news on my TV
Ominous events are scaring me, I fear and
Meanwhile back….


The Kremlin thought that Mother Russia wasn’t big enough
So Russian-speakers in Crimea should annex
If they will promise not to have gay sex
Or tattoo their necks.

In Moscow Putin said Ukrainians had to settle this
And interference from the outside was a sin
But then he sent the Russian Army in
To the East Ukraine
Very strange!

The Ukraine is in the news on my TV
Ominous events are scaring me, I fear and
Meanwhile back……

Down in Sevastopol a vote was held to separate
To keep things fair they got a Diebold vote machine
They like to keep their referendum clean
With a clean machine.

So now the shrunken Russian Empire starts to grow again
And then Moldova gets cut up to keep the peace
If Putin’s lucky then the sanctions cease
Then he takes Ukraine
So insane!

The Ukraine is in the news on my TV
Ominous events are scaring me!
The Ukraine!

[rdharma]

1. Lennon/McCartney weren't RW neo-cons.......

.... so they wouldn't have written any garbage like that.

[Kurska]

2. I agree, If you're don't support Russia's imperial adventure you're a rw neo-con!

RUSSIA GOOD, USA BAD.

[rdharma]

3. Thanks for your opinion, Dr. Strangelove! nt

[DFW]

10. Hey, you didn't know that?

After all, Слава россиской империии !!

(смеяться? нельзя!)

[Cha]

23. Yeah, they got nothing so they come up with shite like that.

[pinboy3niner]

4. I was thinking Clapton

If you wanna get down, down on the ground...Ukraine.

[DFW]

6. Hey, not bad! n/t

[johnp3907]

16. You mean J.J. Cale.

[1000words]

5. Paul ... maybe.

Lyrically, he always wrote from the most simplistic and convenient perspective.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

7. The Beatles existed alongside the USSR.

They managed to find a way to not produce any jingoistic cold warrior ditties. The closest thing I can think of would be Revolution, but that song was an explicit rejection of violent revolutionary action, and fairly thoughtful. The Ukraine/Venezuelan model of Western-oligarchy backed Occupy rejects non-violence, so they reject the approach explicitly favored by Lennon for achieving social change. Unless you think he would change his mind about violent street tactics when capitalists/fascists are the ones doing it.

[geek tragedy]

9. The Beatles were banned from the USSR. Kind of like

the Village People are today.

[DFW]

11. Not hard to figure out why:

Been away so long I hardly knew the place
Gee it's good to be back home
Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case
Honey disconnect the phone
I'm back in the U.S.S.R.
You don't know how lucky you are boy

Even Russians get sarcasm when it's laid on thick enough.

[treestar]

14. The Ukraine girls really knocked them out

to leave the west behind
And Moscow girls made them sing and shout
And Georgia's always on their mind.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

17. Actually, according to Paul McCartney, the Russians love that song.

It's supposed to be a parody of "Back in the USA". Paul liked the fact that he could keep the part about Georgia when talking about both countries. Plus he loved the idea of talking about Russia just like it was California, as he was also parodying the Beach Boys. The idea that the song is a back handed insult to the people of Russia for living in a shitty country is taken entirely from your imagination. And the Beatles were banned in Russia long before that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_in_the_U.S.S.R.

[LiberalElite]

20. I would swear that -

I saw Putin in the video of Paul's concert in Moscow some years ago - here he is - at the 14 sec. mark

[karynnj]

22. I never knew the "Back in the USA" reference -

but I did hear it as a parody of "California Girls". Thanks

[SolutionisSolidarity]

15. The Village People are boycotting Russia, not banned.

As far as the USSR goes, banning the Beatles is among the least of their crimes. But I'd much rather live in a world divided by two empires than a world controlled by one. I don't like seeing the West encroach on the non-aligned countries without clearly expressed democratic support of the population, which seems to be happening with increasing frequency.

[geek tragedy]

18. the village people's act is illegal in russia.

there are no empires, the US's power relative to the world is in decline

[Cha]

21. Good point.

[panader0]

8. Excellent

k and r

[rdharma]

12. The above OP has been brought to you by the same folks who claim that MLK Jr was a Rupbulican....nt

[Brickbat]

13. .

[Omaha Steve]

19. I liked it