Russia In Patriotic Fervor Over Crimea

[Purveyor]

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia was swept up in patriotic fervor Friday in anticipation of bringing Crimea back into its territory, with tens of thousands of people thronging Red Square chanting "Crimea is Russia!" as a parliamentary leader declared the peninsula would be welcomed as an "equal subject" of Russia.

Ignoring sanctions threats and warnings from the U.S., leaders of both houses of parliament said they would support a vote by Crimeans to split with Ukraine and join Russia - signaling for the first time that the Kremlin was prepared to annex the strategic region.

Tensions in Crimea were heightened late Friday when pro-Russian forces tried to seize a Ukrainian military base in the port city of Sevastopol, the Ukrainian branch of the Interfax news agency reported. No shots were fired, but stun grenades were thrown, according to the report, citing Ukrainian officials.

About 100 Ukrainian troops stationed at the base barricaded themselves inside one of their barracks, and their commander began negotiations, the report said. Crimea's pro-Moscow leader denied any incident at the base.

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UKRAINE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-03-07-18-56-36

[world wide wally]

1. Kinda like the U.S. supporting Bush's invasion of Iraq?

[jtuck004]

2. No, because this time there is really IS likely to be a parade to celebrate their coming. n/t

[Cheese4TheRat]

4. Well played!

[Adrahil]

7. Unless you're a Crimean Tatar....

http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-crimea-tatars-20140306,0,835922.story#axzz2vOjssIUP

[jtuck004]

9. One can always find a few outliers. The vast majority want them, and not to live with a stupid

government that tries to make their language illegal as the new Neo-Nazi infused government did in Kiev. How ignorant.

[Adrahil]

10. Yes, the Russian government is well known for their embrace of diversity....

[jtuck004]

12. Ain't about that for them. And I really don't care what it's about 4 u, which seems

to be your main interest.

Just fyi, I hear the trolling is much better off the Gulf Coast this time of year. You should try it.

I won't be able to read your reply. Goodbye.

[Cheese4TheRat]

3. Exactly.

And before it is argued that the US didn't annex Iraq, just remember that empires don't annex, they occupy. And we occupy.

[Igel]

5. Empires don't annex?

Have you pondered the Russian Empire? Is there an "occupied Karelia" and an "occupied Yakutia", along with an "occupied Tatarstan"? No. They annexed.

How about what remains of the Persian empire? Are the Arab, Balochi, Kurdish, and Azeri parts of that rump empire just "occupied" or were they annexed?

China was the same. It's China. Not "Hania" with "Miao State" and "Mongolian State" and "The Occupied Republic of Tibet." It's China. The claim isn't that Taiwan should be a Chinese vassal state. The claim is that Taiwan is an integral part of China.

Some people really need to make sure language fits the US, but, really, neither us nor the US are so important as to revise 3000 years of history just so we can win an Internet forum argument. And make the US the ur-, the uber-, the prototypical empire. We flip the metaphor on its head.

Russia is an empire--the remains of one--as well as the holder of some vassal states at this point, like Abkhazia and S. Ossetia. But the Crimea was part of an independent state that the Russian Empire captured and annexed, one that many Russians want reclaimed as part of their state. If only because it tweaks the nose of a bunch of ungrateful Ukrainians, the West, and because it makes them look strong in their own eyes. (Not to mention Sevastopol is where they beat the British *and* the Ottomans, and Yalta is important in other ways.)

[Cheese4TheRat]

6. I was referring to the American Empire because many will dismiss our actions

As being completely different from Russia's because we haven't annexed land lately.

My mistake

[Adrahil]

8. I assume those here being apologists fro the Russian annexation...

.... were strongly in favor of the Iraq war? No? Anyone who opposed the Iraq war should oppose this one as well.

[Cheese4TheRat]

11. I am opposed to both.

What I have seen here is the position that what Russia is doing is somehow different than what we have been doing. And that when our President and our Secretary of State also pretend otherwise is not only disingenuous, but also insulting to those who are not low information and no information voters.

So, no, I am not a Russian apologist, nor I am not an American apologist, although I do believe the President and the Secretary of State frankly owe the non-moronic citizens of the United States an apology.