Free Republic

Whether you are paid agents, losertarian isolationis, or just dim wits who wouldn't know what conservatism and freedom are if they kicked you in the backside. Why are still here? The land of vodka and borscht awaits. If you hate this country so much, don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you. Go join your brothers in mother Russia. I served this country. I love this country despite all its faults. It is the greatest nation that has ever been or ever will be. Despite my disgust with the politicians I would never side with the...

<p>The last time a leaked phone call out of Ukraine was released about a month ago ostensibly by the Russian NSA equivalent, one between US assistant sec state Victoria Nuland and the US envoy to the Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, it was revealed that the real puppet masters behind the Maidan movement, and the true instigators of the Ukraine "revolution" were none other than the "developed" world superpowers, lead by the US.</p>

Vladimir Putin isn’t the Easter Bunny. On the other hand, he isn’t Joseph Stalin. It takes a truly fevered imagination to see Russian forces in the Crimea as a prelude to Russian tanks rolling across Europe toward Berlin and Paris. Putin is a power player who cares more about Russia’s national interests, and Russian minorities in his near abroad, than in that mythical force known as world opinion. Would that America had a president who cared more about our interests than in promoting globalism and the left’s social agenda. The Crimea’s population is 60% ethnic Russian. For most of the...

Sen. John McCain warned that the United States and Europe should avoid allowing Russia to set a precedent in Ukraine that could be later used for an incursion into Poland. “If Vladimir Putin gets away with saying he’s defending the rights of Russian speaking peoples, that is the same thing — excuse that Hitler used,” the Arizona Republican said, invoking arguments made by Nazi Germany about the ethnic German population of the Sudetenland.

Yesterday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton compared the actions of Russia in Ukraine, particularly Russia’s decision to issue passports in the Crimean region, to the actions of Nazi Germany. Yet as those words escaped her mouth, I doubt that the irony of her own actions were on her mind. Just five years ago, Hillary Clinton stood in Geneva with a poorly-translated big red button. The button, which was supposed to read "reset," actually came out to read "overcharge" and is emblematic of the Obama Administration's dense, failing, and feckless foreign policy... Russia's aggression was stark in 2008, as was...

Russia's invasion of Ukraine was spurred by American behind-the-scenes actions, says former Ohio Congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. Fox News host Bill O'Reilly on Tuesday accused Kucinich of being a pacifist because of his opposition to the Iraq War, but Kucinich countered he believed that war was wrong, but not all U.S. military action is so. O'Reilly then asked how Kucinich would have handled the Ukraine crisis had he been elected president. "What I'd do is not have USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy working with U.S. taxpayers' money to knock off an elected government in Ukraine,...

Russian troop presence in Crimea compared to what Germans did in Sudetenland in 1938 Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has compared Russia's troop presence in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula to Hitler's invasion of Sudetenland, a part of the former Czechoslovakia, in 1938. Baird, speaking to host Evan Solomon on CBC News Network's Power & Politics, accused Russia of invading and occupying Crimea, a part of Ukraine. "If it's not war, it's akin to war," he said. At first, Baird said the situation was "right out of the Cold War." When Solomon pointed out Putin claims he is protecting Russian rights in...

Media reports about an alleged Russian ultimatum made to the Ukrainian armed forces in Crimea are “total nonsense,” a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said. He said that no ultimatum had been made to the Ukrainian forces, Interfax reports. “We have become accustomed to the daily accusations by the Ukrainian media of carrying out some sort of military actions against our Ukrainian colleagues," Russian Black Sea Fleet representative said, adding that “those who want to pit us against each other in the Crimea won’t succeed.” “There’s nothing new about such disinformation. It’s clear who is behind this. Those ‘puppeteers’...

Russia's Micex stock index fell 11% on Monday and the ruble hit an all-time low after Vladimir Putin's weekend invasion of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. The sour reaction suggests that investors understand that Mr. Putin's Achilles' heel is the Russian economy and its access to world financial markets, if the West has the wit and will to exploit it. The conventional wisdom in the pundit class is that Russia holds the economic edge because of its natural gas supplies to Ukraine and much of Europe. But that supply is a double-edged sword because Russia needs the foreign-exchange earnings as much as...

According to the New York Times, “The United States and the European Union have embraced the revolution here as anotherflowering of democracy, a blow to authoritarianism and kleptocracy in the former Soviet space.” ( After Initial Triumph, Ukraine’s Leaders Face Battle for Credibility,  NYTimes.com, March 1, 2014, emphasis added)“Flowering Democracy, Revolution”?  The grim realities are otherwise. What is a stake is a US-EU-NATO sponsored coup d’Etat in blatant violation of international law.The forbidden truth is that the West has engineered –through a carefully staged covert operation– the formation of a proxy regime integrated by Neo-Nazis. Confirmed by Assistant Secretary of State...

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has told Ukrainian forces in Crimea to surrender by 5.am (0300 GMT) on Tuesday or face a military assault, Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Ukrainian Defence Ministry as saying. The ultimatum, Interfax said, was issued by Alexander Vitko, the fleet's commander.

The self-defense forces guarding the borders of the Ukrainian autonomous republic of Crimea have prevented a large amount of firearms and explosives from being smuggled into the republic by Kiev radicals. The Cossacks and Berkut troops at the road checkpoint in the Crimean peninsula have confiscated explosives equivalent to 400 kilograms of TNT as well as grenades, rifles and guns, Russia-1 TV channel reports. The blasting agent was transported in a single batch by a truck, with the self-defense forces currently investigating the origins and the purpose of the load. The driver and the passenger of the truck were Maidan...

Ukraine: Russia Delivers 'Assault Storm' Deadline 3:23pm UK, Monday 03 March 2014 Russia's fleet has given Ukrainian forces in Crimea until 3am to surrender or face a military assault, according to Interfax. The ultimatum, from the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet Alexander Vitko, has a base in Crimea where Russian forces are now in control. According to the agency, it reads: "If they do not surrender before 5am (3am GMT) tomorrow, a real assault will be started against units and divisions of the armed forces across Crimea." It comes as Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev discussed the situation in...

Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “stunning, willful” choice to invade Ukrainian territory and warned of possible sanctions. “You just don’t in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country,” Kerry said on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” one of several appearances on network interview shows. “It’s serious in terms of the modern manner in which countries resolve problems,” Kerry said. “That’s not the act of somebody who’s strong, “ Kerry added, saying Putin is acting out of “weakness” and “desperation.” On ABC’s “This Week,” Kerry called Putin’s move a “brazen...

The Ukrainian crisis is a “peripheral” issue for the EU and an “optional” conflict for the US, while for the Russian speaking population of Ukraine it is an existential threat, international affairs writer Srdja Trifkovic told RT. RT: The Russian President has asked Parliament for permission to use a limited army contingent to stabilise the situation in Crimea – how could that change the situation on the ground? Srdja Trifkovic: In my personal opinion the Ukraine is getting closer to disintegration or at least a form of federalization to which the Russians can make a stabilizing contribution. Because any attempt...

The Obama administration on Sunday worked to isolate Russia on the world stage even as its president, Vladimir Putin, showed no signs of rolling back his military intervention in Ukraine. President Obama spoke by phone with leaders from Great Britain, Germany and Poland, and he dispatched Secretary of State to Kiev on Tuesday for a show of solidarity with the new Ukrainian government. After suspending preparations for an upcoming Group of 8 summit in Sochi, the administration began canceling lower-level diplomatic and economic meetings with Russian counterparts. And senior administration officials warned that Russia could be booted from the...

For much of his time in office, President Obama has been accused by a mix of conservative hawks and liberal interventionists of overseeing a dangerous retreat from the world at a time when American influence is needed most. The once-hopeful Arab Spring has staggered into civil war and military coup. China is stepping up territorial claims in the waters off East Asia. Longtime allies in Europe and in the Persian Gulf are worried by the inconsistency of a president who came to office promising the end of the United States’ post-Sept. 11 wars. Now Ukraine has emerged as a test...

Author's note: President Obama had a 90-minute phone call with President Putin Saturday after troops entered Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. No official transcript was released. Here's my take on what might have been said, and what I hope Obama told Russia's president.  Obama: We condemn with the strongest possible words your invasion of the sovereign and independent state of Ukraine.  If you do not withdraw immediately, there will be consequences. Nations don’t invade other nations in 21st century.  The Cold War is over. You must understand your actions are not in Russia’s best interests. Putin:  Words are cheap, Mr. President.  You...

After dropping his push on immigration, Rubio is seeking to rehabilitate his image with much of the GOP base by falling back on his staunch conservative ideology while engaging in a calculated effort to broaden his domestic and foreign policy portfolio. He’s becoming a regular fundraising presence on the campaign trail and plans to play a big role in a handful of key midterm races this fall. A contingent on the right will never forgive him for backing a bill offering a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and his critics say he jettisoned the plan strictly to preserve his...

NATO warns Russia to cease and desist in Ukraine The chorus of international voices urging caution in Ukraine, and above all urging Russia to refrain from military action, have been reinforced by NATO’s secretary general. “Russia must stop its military activities and its threats. We support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We support the rights of the people of Ukraine to determine their own future without outside interference and we emphasise the need for Ukraine to continue to uphold the democratic rights of all people and ensure that minority rights are protected,� said Anders Fogh Rasmussen. An overnight phone call...

As President Putin weighs using military forces in a Ukraine plunging deeper into political turmoil, Alexander Mercouris, international law expert, tells RT that the presence Russia’s forces could be a restraining factor for all the parties involved. RT: From the point of view of international law, from the point of view of that perspective, where does Russia’s approval for the use of armed force actually stand then? If it does indeed send forces to Ukraine?Alexander Mercouris: The Russian position is based on an agreement which was made between Mr. Yanukovich and the opposition leaders as they were on the 21st...

On February 28th, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) reacted to President Obama's "hastily arranged" speech against Russian military intervention in the Ukraine by saying the U.S. needs to suspend "Russian membership in the Group of Eight (G8)," and we need to do so "immediately." He made it clear that mere words and "the President's vague threats" are not enough because mere "appeals to international norms" hold no sway over Russian President Vladimir Putin.Moreoever, Cruz said international norms mean even less than usual to Putin "when they run counter to his goal of re-establishing Soviet-style regional hegemony over unfortunate states like Georgia...

Maybe the Obama administration is taking the Budapest Memorandum more seriously than we imagined — or at least want Russia to think we are. Secretary of State John Kerry told ABC’s This Week that “all options are on the table” for a response to Vladimir Putin’s Crimean invasion, including military options: Secretary of State John Kerry said that “all options are on the table” when it comes to steps the U.S. can take to hold Russia accountable for its military movements in Ukraine, including economic sanctions and potentially military action. In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos today on “This...

Vladimir Putin's Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean peninsula by force on the weekend and now has his sights on the rest of his Slavic neighbor. The brazen aggression brings the threat of war to the heart of Europe for the first time since the end of the Cold War. The question now is what President Obama and free Europe are going to do about it. --SNIP-- In the brutal world of global power politics, Ukraine is in particular a casualty of the Mr. Obama's failure to enforce his "red line" on Syria. When the leader of the world's only superpower issues...

Leading party says Soros prepares “Libyan scenario” for Ukraine Published time: April 14, 2011 07:39 Edited time: April 14, 2011 14:33 Get short URL Davos: A Hungarian-American financier George Soros. (AFP Photo / Fabrice Coffrini) Davos: A Hungarian-American financier George Soros. (AFP Photo / Fabrice Coffrini) Share on tumblr Tags Human rights, Politics, Protest, Ukraine Ukraine’s leading political party has said that the international financier George Soros has been preparing a “Lybian scenario” for the country. The head of the Party of Regions parliamentary faction Aleksandr Yefremov said in a televised comment on Wednesday that he had information that George...

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a presidential hopeful and leading non-interventionist voice in the Republican Party, believes the United States should seek "respectful" relations with Russia and avoid antagonizing President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing political turmoil in Ukraine, where a Kremlin-backed government collapsed last week. "Some on our side are so stuck in the Cold War era that they want to tweak Russia all the time and I don't think that is a good idea," Paul said on Tuesday, in an interview with The Washington Post. Paul's comments underscore the latest foreign-policy fissure in the GOP, where the party's...

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia ordered 150,000 troops to test their combat readiness Wednesday in a show of force that prompted a blunt warning from the United States that any military intervention in Ukraine would be a "grave mistake." Vladimir Putin's announcement of huge new war games came as Ukraine's protest leaders named a millionaire former banker to head a new government after the pro-Russian president went into hiding. The new government, which is expected to be formally approved by parliament Thursday, will face the hugely complicated task of restoring stability in a country that is not only deeply divided...

Viktor Yanukovych is the latest addition to the global list of petty corrupt dictators tossed out of power by popular protests. But up until recently, a fair-minded biography of the 63-year-old Ukrainian might have described Yanukovych as a political survivor. Things did not have to turn out this way, according to Alexander Motyl, an expert on Ukraine and Russia and professor of political science at Rutgers University. Motyl spoke with me on Monday morning and the following is a lightly edited transcript. Where did things start to go wrong for Viktor Yanukovych? Almost immediately after his election in March 2010,...

HUGH HEWITT, HOST: Are you watching much of the Olympics, Senator Cruz? SEN. TED CRUZ: You know, I’ll confess I have been on the road so much that I haven’t had a chance to sit down and turn the television on. HH: Well, I’ve got to ask you, even you can’t go an hour without seeing Putin. When you see Putin, what do you think, Senator Cruz? TC: Look, I think the direction he is taking Russia is very problematic. It’s problematic for Russia, it’s problematic for America, and for the world. He is systematically oppressing his people, but he...

That’s the good news. The (potential) bad news? They want a return to the status quo ante, at least in part, before holding any more elections — and they want the West to stay out of Ukraine in any sense: Moscow pledged Tuesday it would not intervene in the crisis in neighbouring Ukraine but said the country should not be forced to choose between Russia and the West.“We confirmed our principled position of non-intervention in Ukraine’s internal affairs and expect that everyone follows similar logic,� Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.“We are interested in Ukraine being part of the European family,...

The Ukraine Gun Owners Association wants the new government to add their own right to bear arms to the country's constitution. As of today Ukrainian Gun Owners Association will start to work on the preparation of amendments to the Constitution, which will provide an unconditional right for Ukrainian citizens to bear arms. People gathered in Independence Square in Kiev after President Viktor Yanukovich rejected a European Union trade deal for a $15 billion bailout from Russia in November. It was relatively peaceful for three months, but violence escalated on February 18. Over 70 people died during the week and amateur...

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s acting government issued an arrest warrant Monday for President Viktor Yanukovych, accusing him of mass crimes against the protesters who stood up for months against his rule. Russia sharply questioned its authority, calling it an “armed mutiny.” Yanukovych himself has reportedly fled to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, a pro-Russian area in Ukraine. Calls are mounting in Ukraine to put Yanukovych on trial, after a tumultuous presidency in which he amassed powers, enriched his allies and family and cracked down on protesters.

TORONTO - As Toronto’s Ukrainians woke up to news that former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was on the run in eastern Ukraine after parliament had voted him out of office and that national elections are scheduled for May 25, they gathered to pray. At Dormition of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church all three Divine Liturgies on Feb. 23 included special, added prayers for the future of Ukraine. It caps more than a month of prayers for their homeland at the giant Mississauga parish. “We’re all Ukrainians. We do want to show our respect and solidarity with our brothers...

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that the U.S. government is prepared to provide support to Ukraine, under certain conditions, as the country tries to emerge from a bloody power struggle that is still in flux. Carney spoke after Ukraine's acting government issued an arrest warrant for President Viktor Yanukovych, accusing him of mass crimes against the protesters who stood up for months against his rule. Carney said that at this point, Yanukovych's whereabouts have not been confirmed but he is not "actively leading the country."

Somebody needs to tell the FCC: you don't buy a cow when the milk is free. James Carville once shockingly demonstrated the left's disdain for the morals of the poor, saying, "Drag a hundred-dollar bill through a trailer park, you never know what you'll find." In truth, you can buy whatever you want much more easily if you drag that bill through a School of Journalism. CNS reports that George Soros has seeded such schools at the University of Southern California and the University of Wisconsin to create shock troops for the now shelved FCC plan to monitor (bully) the...

The FCC may have suspended its invasion into American newsrooms, but the controversial "Critical Information Needs" study also has George Soros' fingerprints all over it. While disturbing, this should come as no surprise since Soros' gave more than $52 million to media organizations from 2000-2010. Two schools were working with FCC on the project, according to Byron York of The Washington Examiner. The University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Communication and Democracy, were tasked by the FCC with coming up with criteria for what information is "critical" for Americans...

A member of Ukraine’s opposition movement has called on Jewish and Muslim billionaire businessmen to force the president, Victor Yanukovich, to step down. In a speech in Kiev’s Independence Square, the unnamed protester, who said he was Muslim, urged Ihor Kolomoyskyi, Victor Pinchuk and David Zhvania -oligarchs with links to the protest movement - to talk to the president. He said: “You practice Judaism. In the holy synagogue, you have seats with placards. And you, today, are the only people who have access to Yanukovich. “In another week, your businesses, which you have earned in this land through the work...

The FCC may have suspended its invasion into American newsrooms, but the controversial "Critical Information Needs" study also has George Soros' fingerprints all over it. While disturbing, this should come as no surprise since Soros' gave more than $52 million to media organizations from 2000-2010. Two schools were working with FCC on the project, according to Byron York of The Washington Examiner. The University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Communication and Democracy, were tasked by the FCC with coming up with criteria for what information is "critical" for Americans...

KIEV, Ukraine — An opposition unit took control of the presidential palace outside Kiev on Saturday, as leaders in Parliament said Ukraine’s president, Viktor F. Yanukovych, had fled the capital a day after a deal was reached aimed at ending the country’s spiral of violence.

Ukraine's parliament is seeking to take charge, appoint new leaders and schedule a new presidential election by May.

The real mystery behind the FCC's now abandoned "study" to police American newsrooms is why the mainstream media refused to raise holy hell over it. While Obama's lapdogs refused to bark, it was conservative media who fought for newsroom independence and got the FCC to finally back down. Other than the media's natural obedience to Obama, the fact that the fingerprints of left-wing billionaire George Soros have been found on the FCC study might also help to explain the media's silence. ... The media's hands-off policy with Soros is nothing new ... The mainstream media not only shares Soros' hard-left...

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — In a day that could significantly shift Ukraine's political destiny, opposition leaders signed a deal Friday with the country's beleaguered president that calls for early elections, a new constitution and a new unity government.

The all-out street war in Ukraine’s capital city of Kiev between anti-government protesters and security forces had its beginnings in late November, when President Viktor Yanukovych rejected a bid for closer integration of his country with the European Union. Protests began peacefully, but reports that security services used excessive force on demonstrators escalated the situation. As of Wednesday, dozens of people have been killed, including protesters and police officers, and hundreds injured. For years Yanukovych promised Ukrainians that he would sign an agreement with the EU, which would benefit Ukraine’s economy substantially. Protesters felt betrayed that he suddenly and without...

Sadly, everything you need to know about the crisis in Ukraine in one worrisome map which summarizes all the relevant "red lines." Given this - is there any doubt this will not end with peaceful resolution. As Martin Armstrong warned this morning: BOTH the USA and EU will now fund the rebels as Russia will fund Yanukovych. At the political level, Ukraine is the pawn on the chessboard. The propaganda war is East v West. However, those power plays are masking the core issue that began with the Orange Revolution – corruption. Yanukovych is a dictator who will NEVER leave...

The European Union voted on Thursday to impose sanctions against those held responsible for the violence in Ukraine. The sanctions, unanimously approved by EU foreign ministers at an emergency meeting, include a travel ban to the 28-nation bloc and the freezing of assets held in EU countries. The sanctions will target “those responsible for human rights violations, violence and use of excessive force” in Ukraine, the EU said in a statement. It said the bloc will soon establish a list of those who will be affected by the sanctions. …

When I give speeches around the country, I often get asked whether it’s time to give up. More specifically, has America reached a tipping point, with too many people riding in the wagon of government dependency and too few people creating wealth and pulling the wagon in the right direction? These questions don’t surprise me, particularly since my speeches frequently include very grimBIS, OECD, and IMF data showing that the long-run fiscal problem in the United States is larger than it is in some nations that already are facing fiscal crisis. But that doesn’t mean I have a good answer....

<p>Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Just before midnight Wednesday, Ukraine's president declared a truce in his nation, as well as the start of negotiations aimed at not only preventing further bloodshed but forging a lasting peace.</p> <p>The statement -- agreed upon with leaders of Ukraine's three top opposition parties -- seemingly offered a welcome respite from the violence and acrimony that's been emanating from the tumultuous Eastern European nation.</p>

Ukraine's western region of Lviv has reportedly declared independence from the central government.Hours after protesters seized the prosecutor's office in central Lviv and forced a surrender by interior ministry police, the executive committee of the region council - also called the People's Rada – claimed control over the region. Reuters A portrait of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich burns near the destroyed building of the security service in Lviv "The regime has begun active military action against people. Dozens of people have been killed in Kiev and hundreds have been wounded. Fulfilling the will of society, the executive committee of the...

At least 21 protesters have been killed by security forces in Kiev following the breakdown of a truce agreed on Wednesday. Witnesses have told the BBC that some died as a result of single gunshot wounds, typical of sniper fire. Officials said that one policeman had died and that 67 police had been captured by protesters. Meanwhile, three European Union foreign ministers have held five hours of talks with President Viktor Yanukovych.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly is sending an envoy to Ukraine to try to mediate discussions with anti-government protesters – at the request of the country’s president – after violence flared up again Thursday in Kiev, leaving 33 more people dead. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the announcement after Putin and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych talked over the phone, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported, according to Reuters. On Thursday morning, a truce called by Yanukovych and opposition leaders fell apart as government snipers fired at protesters, who hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks at lines of police in response.