The truth about the Georgia situation
Editor,
Jim, generally I like your Editor’s Notes quite a lot. You are a great writer and often I appreciate your perspective on things, but your recent “China Syndrome” note included something that I found rather upsetting.
In the course of speaking about the Beijing Olympics you refer to Russia as showing a low “regard for human rights with its massacre of innocent, largely pro-American civilians in Georgia.” Perhaps you’ve already read more about the situation and have shifted your thinking about it some, but as you expressed this sentiment in your column for public consumption I have to take you to task for this.
What you said is typical of the way Western media has been spinning the event. In my estimation, after researching the topic vigorously, Russia is not to blame in this matter. In fact I think they’ve shown great restraint on the whole. The facts are as follows:
Georgian forces (armed and trained by the U.S. and Israel, according to many reports) attacked South Ossetia in the night. They attacked the city of Tskhinvali which from my reading has no real military targets.
The vast majority of the citizenry in this region are Russians holding Russian passports and in a 2006 referendum, 99% of South Ossetians said they supported independence from Georgia. South Ossetia has enjoyed de facto independence for more than 16 years. Under the terms of the 1992 agreement to which Georgia is a party, they are afforded protection by a small number of Russian peacekeepers.
Georgia’s attack on South Ossetia was a blatant act of aggression for political reasons. More than 1500 people were killed by Georgian forces. There are reports of children and the elderly being shot and run over by tanks as well as being shelled in their homes.
Of course Russia had to act. And yes, the Russian response was intense, but that’s to be expected. They were well within their rights internationally.
Of course Western media has not been presenting this situation properly. In fact they seem hell bent on villifying Russia and Putin. It’s all so preposterous and shouldn’t come as any surprise in the propagandistic spin cycle of Big Media in the Bush II era.
All the Western leaders had to put in their two silly cents also on how Russia is so evil and how their response was disproportionate. Excuse me? Almost 2000 (or more) people are killed due to some nefarious attempts at political pole positioning on the part of Georgia (backed, or so they thought, by the US and Israel) and Russia is supposed to just roll over and watch it happen?
In my opinion Georgia was really a pawn of the US and Israel, and once they played their part in attempting to bait Russia into a conflict the Zionists and the Neo-Cons left them hanging. This has everything to do with what occurred in Chechnya, the Ukraine and in Serbia/Kosovo. It has everything to do with oil and pipelines and global geo-politics.
Look at the proximity of the Caspian Basin and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Look at a bigger map and see the proximity of these countries to Iran (who we also villify perpetually) and Afghanistan, and even Iraq (who we obviously invaded illegally). The more you look into these matters the more you see how interconnected it all is.
I don’t have time to connect all the dots for you or your readers, but there is a big, big story here and it’s nothing like what the Bush administration and it’s Big Media outlets are pumping out to fool United States citizens and the world.
Fortunately, the world outside of the U.S. doesn’t seem to be falling for it. I sure hope people wake up a bit more and start to resist U.S. interventionism and start to question our undying support for Israel.
I mean who is the U.S. or Israel to criticise Russia for illegal invasions and ethnic cleansing campaigns. Hello, Iraq anyone? Or how about those Palestinians Israel?
Sorry for the blast, but I was just a bit disappointed in seeing your biased comments reaching the public forum.
Matthew RobisonWorried about China
Editor,
I read your recent “China Syndrome” column with interest. As an old Army intelligence officer (yes, THAT oxymoron!), I’ve been following China’s rise for some years now. Your comments sum up well what we’re facing with a resurgent China (and far more informative than the Morning News, better described as the Savannah Big Business & Republican Advocate.)
I write a column for The Tybee News and in 2006 I wrote two columns on three books that talked about China and America. My basic theme was that while China posed a challenge to the nation, we could weather it if we stuck together, but that continued predatory behavior by our business and governmental elites would do us in.
The quote about America below by Garner sums it up quite well:
“I sometimes think that history might easily say about this nation: It was a great nation full of talented people with enormous energy who forgot that they needed one another.” -- John W. Garner
Tom CannonNo cops in classrooms
Editor,
In answer to Jim Morekis’s editorial “Dunce Caps All Around”, I thoroughly concur with his opinion that the No Child Left Behind program is a an ill begotten travesty. But I was then shocked to read his assertion that “the problems of the worst schools...need increased law enforcement rather than some radical change in educational policy”.
Increased law enforcement is NOT what we need in the classroom. I’m sure I’m not the only one horrified by recent accounts of local police being called in to subdue and even handcuff elementary school children for acting out in class.
What’s needed are alternative teaching methods—already tried and tested, and found to be remarkable effective—that invite active participation and challenge children to think and work out problems. What we have is the same old rote (sit and be bored to death) system that has already been shown to be the least effective way for children to learn. Moreover it is harmful. The actual pain of boredom is often overlooked but it is quite real.
If the educational bureaucracy is too cumbersome to make the necessary and yes “radical” changes in how we teach our children, I’m sure kids will occasionally act out in class, out of sheer frustration. Even more unfortunately, all our children will continue to be deprived of the building blocks, the education they need and deserve. Meanwhile, the “cops in the classroom” approach has got to go. It sends an awful message to children—that they are criminals—when in fact they are victims—the victims of a system that is failing them.
Eve HerbstFly the flag proudly or don’t bother
Editor,
I recently was walking on Bay Street and noticed two buildings that had American flags which had seen better days: The Inn at Ellis Square and Club One. Club One actually had their Pride Flag faded pretty badly too, although I do not know which is worse the Pride flag being in poor condition or the American flag. The American flag atop both businesses were tattered and torn.
The owners of both businesses should be ashamed, and people should stopping going to Club One of the Inn at Ellis Square until this is resolved. I’m surprised that this has gone unresolved for so long, especially since this appears to be a patriotic town with two military bases nearby. I am sure there is a fairly large gay community in town as well who should be upset by this.
The Inn is not a Ritz Carlton, and Club One is not known for drag queens who can lip-sync properly, or at all, but both businesses should show their support for our country properly and not in a faded way. In the event both businesses are unsure what to do with the flags they own, I have included instructions taken from Wikipedia:
“According to United States Code found in Title 36, Chapter 10 pertaining to patriotic customs and observances:
§176(k) The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”
I hope this letter makes other businesses look at the condition of their flags and assess whether it is time to purchase new ones. In fact I’d encourage all businesses to have 3-4 on hand so they do not have to endure the embarrassment that the Inn at Ellis Square and Club One have had to go through.
Harvie Dent
