The White House has confirmed today that President Obama will sign a bill into law imposing a new round of economic sanctions on Russia and authorizing military aid to Ukraine. The bill was “passed” by “Congress” earlier this week, which is to say the three members of Congress present at the time unanimously agreed to it.
The bill gives President Obama the ability to waive the sanctions against individual companies if he thinks it is in national security interests, and officials said he was pleased with this “flexibility.”
The sanctions are nominally punishment for supporting the rebellion in eastern Ukraine, even though Russia has brokered a ceasefire in the region that is holding.
Despite Russia being the primary driving force behind the ceasefire, and the US not being keen on the truce at all, Secretary of State John Kerry says that the US could lift all sanctions on Russia in a matter of days if they take the “right steps” toward resolving the crisis in eastern Ukraine. What exactly these steps are from the US perspective remain unclear.
Even for those who get all their news from mainstream media, it has been made abundantly clear that NATO nations orchestrated the fascist coup that destroyed democracy in Ukraine. Surely, so there is not a nation on earth that does not know what the West is up to imposing all those sanctions against Russia, namely more military bases and nuclear missiles to encircle, terrorize and isolate Russia.
You can always count on this idiot to take the wrong decision.
That's because he cannot veto it.
Joe Biden's son was kicked out of the Navy (even though he was too old and had to get a special waiver to join) for cocaine. He was later hired for board of directors for the biggest Natural gas company in Ukraine owned by an oligarch. The US is shoveling loads of money into Ukraine despite it being an economic basket case and ruled by oligarchs.
Is it time to claw that Nobel Peace Prize back yet?
Directly from the NYT: "The bill requires the president to impose at least three sanctions from a menu of nine options on Rosoboronexport, the main Russian state arms exporter, and other military companies accused of fostering instability in Ukraine, as well as in Moldova, Georgia and Syria."
What?
Could be that the Russians will send all of those Rocket Boosters the US so desperately needs, except in a used state on the rear of the ICBMs, It would not be the first time that an economic war has turned hot and we shouldn't forget WHO started the economic war! The US has been poking the bear, don't be surprised if the bear strikes back with its claws, 20 minutes is all it takes to turn DC into a slag heap!
To paraphrase Yogi Berra " It's Pearl Harbor all over again."
"…the U.S. government engaged in a series of increasingly stringent economic warfare measures that pushed the Japanese into a predicament that U.S. authorities well understood would probably provoke them to attack U.S…." Robert Higgs Dec 2012.
Russia has already taken steps to protect herself from
sanctions imposed by a hapless Obozo regime with a
blockbuster energy deal with China, who surpassed the
USG as the top economic power on the planet.
Russia is also looking at the emerging economic powers
India and Iran as trading partners. It's obvious to me that
Obozo is a lightweight in a heavyweight division.
Its become obvious that the way Congress handles/votes on bills needs to be changed – and soon. Allowing a bill to pass without a quorum and without a proper reading and a proper roll call is an invitation for mischief and is not in the interest of the American people – as has been proven many times in the past 14 years.
How can there be a rule that would allow 3 congresscritters to pass this kind of legislation? Hell, any legislation? 3 of these people should not have the power to turn on a friggin light without a quorum and roll call.
According to the House Clerk's log it is unclear exactly who was on the floor. It looks like Gerlach (R-PA) made the motion for unanimous consent. Other names of those who might have been there at the time of the crime are Wagner (R-MO), Walden (R-OR), and McCaul (R-TX) though it is unclear exactly. Where were the Democrats? Don't they know that you should never leave a Republican alone especially when they have the power (and the will) to do mischief.
"…not in the interest of the American people…" Really?
Corporations are people too, my friend.
No, they aren't. Never have been and never shall be – once the temple is rid of the Philistines. Just because a cluster of eunuchs and some halfwit demagogue declares it so doesn't make it so. But, that's just my opinion…
Oh, dear. I'm shocked.
I heard it from the person who first implemented Obamacare. I thought he was such a nice man. Just goes to show.
Mr Mr Ditz's defence of Putin is getting ever more half-hearted. The "right steps" probably means ceasing to arm the mercenaries in Donetsk and Lugansk and ceasing to threaten war if the Ukrainian authorities use force to crush the supposed "rebellion", both of which violate Ukrainian sovereignty and, thereby, the Helsinki Final Act. The tacit deal has always been on the table: Putin will be allowed to have Crimea if he abandons all attempts to grab any other Ukrainian territory. He who would defend everything defends nothing, said Frederick the Great. By going for all or nothing, Putin will end up with nothing.
Mr. Ditz's defense of Putin isn't getting "ever more half-hearted" because Mr Ditz has never "defended" Putin. He just reports the news. The news from the real world, not your imaginary one.
Nope. The only acceptable "right steps" would be for Putin the Poopyhead to hand over the keys to the Kremlin.
I don't think that is going to happen…
In the meantime they "normalize" relations with the murderous Cuban regime. Bizarro world indeed.
Oh, goodie! Our "leaders" in Washington have dreamed up a path to World War III. My three uncles served in World War I; my late brother served in World War II; I thought I was going to serve in World War III (but it only turned out to be the Korean War); and now some lucky fellow citizens are going to be able to enjoy a real World War III. I can only hope that our "leaders" manage to keep World War III going long enough for my 7-year-old grandson to grow up, and get his brains blown out for his country. Thank you President Obama, members of Congress, and all other worshippers of war. God bless America!
Americans are too wrapped up in their domestic politics to even care about what's been going on in Russia and the Ukraine. Hate that black president is the only order of the day. So, as if Russia could ignore the US/Nato attempt to bring Ukraine into the Nato fold, consequently denying Russia it's naval base in the Crimea. After all folks, that's where all the trouble started. And never mind that the people of the Crimea were 95% in favour of staying in the Russian fold!
Now compare with Iraq before starting the is not, is not, is not.
Well said Mr. Ditz! It's a pleasure to read someone who hasn't bought the propaganda line of warmongering B.S.
"…What exactly these steps are from the US perspective remain unclear."
The United States and the European Union have both stated openly, clearly and repeatedly that the sanctions on Russia will be lifted when Russia returns Crimea to Ukraine.
As long as Russia occupies Crimea the economic and military sanctions enacted by Europe and the United States will remain in place.
As they should.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion…not their own facts. The Russians are not "occupying" Crimea – alignment with Russia was what the people overwhelmingly voted for. And as for the US/EU stating "…openly, clearly and repeatedly that the sanctions on Russia will be lifted when Russia returns Crimea to Ukraine" – that is not what the US has been saying. They've been demanding that sanctions might be lessened if Putin does the "right thing." What that "right thing" is is ambiguous at best and most likely false and subject to modification if it should look like he might meet the demand.
The US/EU don't want to make the path clear as it tends to limit their options. And make no mistake, this is about Putin, not Ukraine and surely not about Crimea. This is all about a bunch of aging Cold War enthusiasts with shriveled gonads and over-active imaginations of world supremacy.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion…not their own facts"
The facts are what they are.
At least the nuclear winter will solve the global warming problem right? The question I have is why is the US poking a nuclear bear? Is it trying to see how far it can go with world domination before there is a nuclear war? Subjugate the world for militarism and financial capitalism. Will Russia like Silicon Valley succumb and be broken by the Western Empire?