Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
August 21, 2008
Georgia Quotes

Bush said Russia’s invasion of Georgia and the threat to Georgia’s democratically elected government "is unacceptable in the 21st century"
Bush to Russia: Reverse ‘unacceptable’ course in Georgia, Aug. 11

"The days of overthrowing leaders by military means in Europe — those days are gone," Khalilzad said.
U.S.: Russia trying to topple Georgian government, Aug. 11

Sen. John McCain denounced the aggressive posture of Russia by claiming that: "in the 21st century nations don’t invade other nations."
McCain: "In The 21st Century Nations Don’t Invade Other Nations", Aug. 13

"Russia is a state that is unfortunately using the one tool that it has always used, […] and that’s its military power. That’s not the way to deal in the 21st century."
Secretary Condoleezza Rice – En Route to Brussels, Belgium, Aug. 18

Indeed, most of the world is bemused by western moralising on Georgia.  […] It shows how isolated is the western view on Georgia: that the world
should support the underdog, Georgia, against Russia. In reality, most
support Russia against the bullying west. The gap between the western
narrative and the rest of the world could not be greater.
[…]
The combined western population in North America, the European Union and Australasia is 700m, about 10 per cent of the world’s population. The remaining 90 per cent have gone from being objects of world history to subjects. The Financial Times headline of August 18 2008 proclaimed: “West in united front over Georgia”. It should have read: “Rest of the world faults west on Georgia”.
The west is strategically wrong on Georgia, Kishore Mahbubani, Aug. 20

Comments

Government by insiders. Government as “this thing of ours.” You in on this thing? You’re set for life. You outside this thing? Listen, you and your grandkids have got to pay for this thing. It sure ain’t free.
Great bubbling chunks of the American population fervently believe that this can all change on a Tuesday in November. Get out there and vote, elect another JFK, and this insider’s club will be out of business, out the door. In prison, maybe.
When it’s the insiders who pick the horses, massage the news, push the polling, manage the race, and count the votes. Sure.
Like having an intervention for the mafia. That’ll work.
The rot has long since swallowed Wall Street — the only remaining foundation of this economy — and the political machinery of every Congressional District between the shining seas. That’s why the shining seas are full of floating plastic, red blooms, and dead zones. Business requires it. Business cannot — cannot — not grow. Grow relentlessly, mercilessly, ever and ever, about 4% per annum.
If that 4% costs 90% of the species on this planet their space, their subsistence, and their existence that’s all right. There was a time when killing off the Injuns was unfortunate, but necessary. All in God’s plan.
Now we’ve got some unfortunate, unnecessary polar bears gumming up progress, holding down our four percent. And them Russian bears, there’s money to be made putting them down, too.
Ka-ching, baby. Ka-ching.

Posted by: Antifa | Aug 21 2008 15:12 utc | 1

And this is why the Russians are going to drag out this Georgia situation for as long as they can, knowing the West will predictably get all bugged-out, knowing the West will by itself reveal its own impotence.

Posted by: jony_b_cool | Aug 21 2008 16:45 utc | 2

Yes, and while the Russians continue to do that, the neocons and John McCain will whip up the fear and the urgency to do something, anything to get in the face of the Bear; meanwhile the crisis can possibly spread into Ukraine, where the dynamic for tragedy and discord is higher, and the overall stakes much greater. Sane and responsible people would put this crisis to bed, and bind up the diplomatic wounds.

Posted by: Copeland | Aug 21 2008 17:08 utc | 3

you know i’ve been meditating on this for a wzzk & it has finally come to me
the idiot milliband is not the son or indeed any relation to ralph milliband – – it is quite clear to me on the evidence that he is the love child of cilla black & edward luutwak
it explains everything

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Aug 21 2008 17:09 utc | 4

1. Who is behind HRW
http://tinyurl.com/6js87
Among those on the Board of HRW? Kati Marton, wife of Richard Holbrooke. Lol!
On the other hand, Paul Goble, Director of Communications and political commentator of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is no longer on the Europe section HRW Board.
Present officers of HRW.
http://tinyurl.com/6p5zxw
2. Has Blair Sexed Up Saddam’s Atrocities, Too?
http://tinyurl.com/6sedb
In the past ten days, Mr. Blair has said at least three times – including once on the floor of the House of Commons – that the United Nations is claiming that some 300,000 bodies lie in mass graves in Iraq, and that this alone justifies the US-UK invasion.
……..
But the real source is a private non-governmental organisation in America called Human Rights Watch.
……..
Human Rights Watch currently has two staff in Iraq. This compares with about 800 Red Cross staff, and a substantial United Nations presence. The International Committee of the Red Cross has had people in Iraq ever since 1980, and the United Nations has had a huge operation there since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. By contrast, Human Rights Watch has had its few staff in the main part of Iraq only for the last few weeks.

Posted by: Thrasyboulos | Aug 21 2008 17:25 utc | 5

Sorry, forgot the intro to the post above, which might seem cryptic considering the topic.
A poster in a thread several below wondered about Human Rights Watch and their pronouncements on the conflict. I believe HRW speculated that there were something like fifty dead in Tshinvali. Today they are talking about unexploded cluster bombs in Gori.
Hence my post.

Posted by: Thrasyboulos | Aug 21 2008 17:32 utc | 6

t
perhaps the criminal crew need a thread on their own. i think that is what b & moa does very well – research & isolate exactly where the propaganda is coming from

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Aug 21 2008 17:40 utc | 7

alternatively milliband could be bernard ingrams baby

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Aug 21 2008 17:50 utc | 8

i watched this concert in south ossetia voa russian tv – magnificent shostakovich

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Aug 22 2008 0:37 utc | 9

valery gergiev has been an outspoken critic of Georgia’s actions during the conflict in its breakaway republic.
“I want everyone to know the truth about the terrible events in Tskhinvali,” he said before the concert.

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Aug 22 2008 0:42 utc | 10

Think deeply on Maestro Gergiev’s words, “The world community shivers that Russian tanks entered Georgia, but, no one is concerned that thousands of people were buried alive at midnight in this sleeping city”.

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Aug 22 2008 0:45 utc | 11

Thrasyboulos
Thank you for exposing those NGOs…

Posted by: vbo | Aug 22 2008 1:30 utc | 12