Silence on Georgia

Toledo Blade ^ | August 16, 2008 | Jack Kelly

[elhombrelibre]

DID YOU see the huge crowd outside the Russian embassy protesting the war in Georgia?

Neither did I. Now that we have a genuine war of aggression, the silence on the Left is deafening.

"You might think, at a moment such as this, that the moral calculus would be pretty well understood," the Washington Post said in an editorial Thursday. "Russian troops are occupying large swaths of Georgia, a tiny neighboring country, and sacking its military bases. Russian jets have roamed the Georgian skies, bombing civilian and military targets alike. Russian ships are said to be controlling Georgia's port of Poti, while militia under Russia's control reportedly massacre Georgian civilians. Yet in Washington, the foreign policy sophisticates cluck and murmur that, after all, the Georgians should have known better than to chart an independent course."

[elhombrelibre]

Sssshhhhh, you’ll upset the Buchananites talking like that. Then they might start crying.

[Chgogal]

“The Left” should still be protesting the Russian invasion and brutal occupation. After all Russia is no better than the US, for that matter even more cowardly considering how tiny Georgia is. It is there where their logic falls apart. Iraq at least had a large Military to speak of with a population of 25 million (not to mention Iraq’s defiance of the UN’s 17 resolutions). Georgia is so tiny, you and I can walk across it in about three days. Their inaction and lack of coherent criticism speaks volumes as to where their true loyalties lie. And yes I am saying the American Left is unpatriotic and at the very least a useful tool at the whim our enemies.

[A_perfect_lady]

“A democracy” is not a good buzz word for me, though. I keep thinking of how many dictators leftists support on the grounds that he was originally “democratically elected” (they even said this about Saddam sometimes, and Yassar Arafat, and Allende, and Chavez...)

[Dr. Frank fan]

I think the basic calculation here is: The Left has observed that (R)s and conservatives don’t seem to like this action on Russia’s part. Therefore, the Left thinks it’s fine. I really don’t think it’s any more sophisticated than that.

[A_perfect_lady]

I notice the Left only criticizes America and Israel.

[Sherman Logan]

Except of course that the Russians aren’t Commies any longer.

A more accurate statement, which also largely explains why Commies were supported by Americans liberals for so long, goes something like this.

“We oppose any use of military force by the US or in its interest. We are either indifferent to or in favor of military (or other) force when used against the US or its interests.”

Most of them were never really committed commies. They were just opposed to Western Civilization/United States. Communism was the big opponent for decades, so they were in favor of it (for others).

Now that Communism has gone bye/bye, they have transferred their support to multi-culti, global warmism, etc. Anything as long as it’s anti-American. Most of them can’t really bring themselves to support Islamism, but they are active in opposition to any attempt to fight it.

[Chgogal]

“I notice the Left only criticizes America and Israel.”

Yes, and that is why the American Left is unpatriotic and a useful tool in the hands of or enemies.

[brytlea]

Then you should probably go out and read about Georgia.
susie

[JimSEA]

Some form of rationalization or equivalence will protect the gentle minds on the Left. They are good at it. In the wake of WWII and the fall of Eastern Europe to the Soviets, university professors would talk about the Soviets need for friendly neighbors, a zone of influence protecting their borders. The along came Cuba and Marxist movements in Latin America and the good professors began talking about indigenous Marxist movements. The Cambodian and Vietnamese genocide was excused by the right to self determination in emerging cultures. Now we are back to the zone of influence argument.

[elhombrelibre]

Oh, I agree. They'll shift to any argument as long as it hurts the US or one of its allies.

[brydic1]

American must realize that we can defeat the Muslim terrorists that attacked this nation or we can withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan and resume the effort to contain Putin and Russia. We can not do both. We made a big mistake when after 9-11, we did not join with the Russians to rid both of our countries and the world of Muslim extremists. Russians were suffering with one attack after another from Muslim terrorists based in Chechnya in Moscow and elsewhere. Every effort by the Russians to crack down on these terrorists were met with sharp attacks from the West. They were rightfully frustrated with our hypocrisy. To Russians it appeared that the West was quite alright with terrorism directed against Russia but asked for cooperation from Russia in our battle against terrorism. The idiots in our State Dept and the media whose sympathies lay with Muslim terrorists within Russia defeated any alliance that could have been made with the Russians.

The war against Muslim terrorism is worldwide and if not resolved favorably will destroy the West. While I do not wish the Russians to move against the former portions of the USSR to re-include them in greater Russia, we could leave that battle until we rid ourselves of Muslim extremism inflicting all the world.

[elhombrelibre]

However, Putin seems to be working with the Moslem crazies, at least he is with Iran. He sells them weapons. They give them to Hezbollah. He sells them uranium. Then he sells them surface-to-air missiles to make them better able to defend their nuclear weapons processing facilities. In many ways, Putin is a defacto ally of Iran. He may be willing to squash the Chechens, but he's more than willing to use Iran. In addition, he sells weapons to Syria and Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. I think we need to hold him accountable for all of the mischief he's been up to and not pretend that we don't know it.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I don’t think that the left has quite realized that Russia is no longer leftist, but old-style tyrannical. But then again, the left has long tended to support tyrants as well, unless they are opposed by local leftists.

[brydic1]

Why would he not seek some kind of alliance with Iran in order to contain Muslim terrorists in Russia which Iran had been financing. This financing has since been withdrawn most likely in response to Russian support for Iran. I believe the West could well have been the recipient of their cooperation if they had come with total and unreserved support for Russia's attack on domestic terrorism. Unfortunately, we have burned the bridges to Russian cooperation in any battle against world Muslim terrorism. Russia by supporting Iran and the Palestinians has obtained almost immunity from further funding of terrorism by the rogue Muslim states. They can sit back and watch as the West wears itself out in attacks against the Muslim terrorists and then move against the West and possibly the terrorists as well if they re-institute their support of terrorism in Russia.

[Travis McGee]

Substitute "Georgia." The more things change...

[elhombrelibre]

How true. And the Soviets had their apologists then too, as they do today.

[brydic1]

Bush just made a statement from Crawford that the world must recognize Georgia's sovereignty over Ossetia and Abkhanzia because it has been recognized for many years. The sovereignty of states over their constituent parts can not be breached. What hypocrisy after the world stripped Kosovo from Serbia with Bush's enthusiastic support.

[A_perfect_lady]

Then you should probably go out and read about Georgia.

Thank you for your help.

[Travis McGee]

Exactly so. “Fellow travelers,” secret communists, and “useful idiots” are still with us.

[Travis McGee]

Very true. The roots of the Georgia crisis lay in Kosovo.