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Georgia On Our Mind (Thomas Sowell)
Jewish World Review ^ | August 19, 2008 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 08/18/2008 8:35:20 PM PDT by jazusamo

What is happening in the republic of Georgia is all too reminiscent of what happened back in 1956, when Russian tanks rolled into Hungary— and the West did nothing.

An argument might well be made that, realistically, there was nothing the West could have done— then or now— that would have forced the Russians out.

But there was bitterness, then as now, that the West may have encouraged people to risk their lives, relying on us, when we knew from the outset that we were not about to risk armed conflict with a nuclear superpower over Hungary then or Georgia now.

The West has a long history of doing nothing, utilizing the United Nations, and before that the League of Nations, to create the illusion that they are doing something, when they make speeches and pass resolutions.

Neither speeches nor resolutions are going to make any difference to the Russians, to the Iranians or to any other belligerent nation. We know it, they know it and the world knows it.

Apparently Barack Obama doesn't yet know it, judging by his initial response to news of the Russian invasion of Georgia, which was to call on "both sides" to cease fire and then go to the U.N.

Later he changed his position to correspond to John McCain's more grown-up position that Russians have to pay a price if we expect them to change their behavior.

(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: foreignpolicy; georgia; russia; sowell; thomassowell
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1 posted on 08/18/2008 8:35:20 PM PDT by jazusamo
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To: AbeKrieger; Alia; Amalie; American Quilter; arthurus; awelliott; Bahbah; bamahead; Battle Axe; ...
*PING*
Thomas Sowell

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Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Thomas Sowell ping list…

2 posted on 08/18/2008 8:36:38 PM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: jazusamo
thanks, for the ping.
3 posted on 08/18/2008 8:40:19 PM PDT by skinkinthegrass (If you aren't "advancing" your arguments,your losing "the battle of Ideas"...libs,hates the facts 8^)
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To: jazusamo

my thought too.

i was a kid and hungary scared the hell out of me.


4 posted on 08/18/2008 8:45:41 PM PDT by ken21 (people die and you never hear from them again.)
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To: jazusamo
whoa...completely forgot about '56 Hungary (one of many sad days for freedom)...
5 posted on 08/18/2008 8:48:12 PM PDT by skinkinthegrass (If you aren't "advancing" your arguments,your losing "the battle of Ideas"...libs,hates the facts 8^)
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To: ken21

Yes, I clearly remember seeing the tanks in the streets on TV, it had to have been news reels. A friend of my dads he worked with was an emigrant from Hungary and still had family there, very sad.


6 posted on 08/18/2008 8:51:20 PM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: jazusamo
BO has a “hide under the bed” strategy.
7 posted on 08/18/2008 8:52:09 PM PDT by Big Horn (Foreigners do not tread on me.)
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To: skinkinthegrass
whoa...completely forgot about '56 Hungary (one of many sad days for freedom)...

Who could forget Hungary if they lived through those days, even if they were a kid? I remember them putting soup bowls upside down on the streets because they resembled Russian anti-tank mines, this slowed the tanks down enough that Hungarian fighters could drop Molotov cocktails onto the tanks, they burned quite a few of them and killed the crews when they climbed out. Unfortunately they were over come by sheer numbers in the end.

8 posted on 08/18/2008 8:53:30 PM PDT by calex59
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To: calex59

I remember seeing Hungarians on the roofs dropping Molotov cocktails too, and some tanks burning.


9 posted on 08/18/2008 8:56:21 PM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: Big Horn

I’m glad Dr. Sowell pointed out BO’s reaction when he heard of it, it points out just how unfit he would be as CIC.


10 posted on 08/18/2008 8:59:17 PM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: jazusamo

IF this doesn’t greatly amplify the extreme importance of our second amendment then nothing will.
This is exactly why the amendment says “SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED”.
This is exactly why we have the right to own military grade weapons. Not just sporting weapons.


11 posted on 08/18/2008 9:01:20 PM PDT by smoketree (the insanity, the lunacy these days)
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To: jazusamo

What would happen if McCain picked Sowell as his VP?


12 posted on 08/18/2008 9:02:45 PM PDT by BobbyT
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To: BobbyT

Sowell is way too smart to get caught up in that kind of politics.


13 posted on 08/18/2008 9:04:26 PM PDT by smoketree (the insanity, the lunacy these days)
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To: calex59
Who could forget Hungary if they lived through those days, even if they were a kid?....

so true, I was 1 1/2 y.o.(saw the films / read the histories)...very brave people / some seem to have forgotten.....many just "don't give a damn anymore."

14 posted on 08/18/2008 9:04:31 PM PDT by skinkinthegrass (If you aren't "advancing" your arguments,your losing "the battle of Ideas"...libs,hates the facts 8^)
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To: BobbyT
"...What would happen if McCain picked Sowell as his VP..."

It would certainly guarantee that some of us would vote that ticket...:)

15 posted on 08/18/2008 9:04:58 PM PDT by rlmorel (If they can call George "Dubya", we can call Barack "Hussein")
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To: jazusamo

What can we do? Stop buying their Oil? We should have listened to Patton and Churchill at the end of WWII and finished the war.

Pray for W and Our Troops


16 posted on 08/18/2008 9:06:17 PM PDT by bray (Drill Congress!!)
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To: BobbyT

I’m quite sure Dr. Sowell would turn it down, respectfully. He doesn’t need or want the aggravation. :)


17 posted on 08/18/2008 9:06:44 PM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: jazusamo

Are we prepared to accept the consequences of letting Russia take Georgia? Are we prepared to live in world if we let the buffer states fall again? How do these risks compare with those of taking on the Russians directly in Georgia?

Russia most likely will not retaliate with nukes over Georgia, but if not checked, they will continously work for our destruction. We are dealing with a Zero Sum culture that in their mind is working in their bests interests.

Sad fact but Putin made war our safest act. The Russian people deserve better.


18 posted on 08/18/2008 9:07:28 PM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: bray

There’s much to be said for that, IMO.


19 posted on 08/18/2008 9:08:45 PM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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To: Dead Dog

Agreed, the Russian people do deserve better and I have to believe the majority don’t agree with Putin and his fellow thugs but those thugs still rule with a strong hand.


20 posted on 08/18/2008 9:13:36 PM PDT by jazusamo (DefendOurMarines.org | DefendOurTroops.org)
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