GEORGIA ON MY MIND
"Georgia, Georgia, the road leads back to you".
Russia is taking that line from the Georgia state song to heart and pushing back against the nation of Georgia for their unwarranted and unprovoked attack on the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia has raised Georgia's ante considerably for the hundreds of dead Ossetians including ten Russian peacekeepers who have been safeguarding South Ossetia since the nominal independence it achieved in 1991. Back then the Russian aligned Ossetians rebelled against Georgia for banning regional parties from Georgian elections, achieved a measure of independence and have been skirmishing with Georgia ever since, The animosity between the two cultures has been brewing for centuries with no end in sight.
But to read and listen to the mainstream media parroting the administration and neocon party line, the Russian rulers woke up one day and said, "Hey, let's invade Georgia, restart the Cold War and re-create the Soviet empire."
Hogwash! There is enough thuggery in Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia to provide plenty of needless bloodshed without the benefit of America's annual 650 billion dollar military powerhouse being added to this violent mixture. It's possible the US knew full well about Georgia's invasion plans as we are courting this energy rich land with military support and possible NATO membership.
"Other arms reach out to me....Other eyes smile tenderly".
Instead, America should become an honest peace broker in this most ominous new conflict and reject the seductive words from the aforementioned song that so fittingly reflect the debackal awaiting us if we succomb to their lure.
Originally published in Glen Ellyn News, August 13, 2008
Russia is taking that line from the Georgia state song to heart and pushing back against the nation of Georgia for their unwarranted and unprovoked attack on the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia has raised Georgia's ante considerably for the hundreds of dead Ossetians including ten Russian peacekeepers who have been safeguarding South Ossetia since the nominal independence it achieved in 1991. Back then the Russian aligned Ossetians rebelled against Georgia for banning regional parties from Georgian elections, achieved a measure of independence and have been skirmishing with Georgia ever since, The animosity between the two cultures has been brewing for centuries with no end in sight.
But to read and listen to the mainstream media parroting the administration and neocon party line, the Russian rulers woke up one day and said, "Hey, let's invade Georgia, restart the Cold War and re-create the Soviet empire."
Hogwash! There is enough thuggery in Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia to provide plenty of needless bloodshed without the benefit of America's annual 650 billion dollar military powerhouse being added to this violent mixture. It's possible the US knew full well about Georgia's invasion plans as we are courting this energy rich land with military support and possible NATO membership.
"Other arms reach out to me....Other eyes smile tenderly".
Instead, America should become an honest peace broker in this most ominous new conflict and reject the seductive words from the aforementioned song that so fittingly reflect the debackal awaiting us if we succomb to their lure.
Originally published in Glen Ellyn News, August 13, 2008