Is Russia Trying To Free Citizens, Or Conquer Georgia

What does bombing a port city, bombing military bases away from the border, and targeting an oil pipeline have in common? If you answered steps to defeating a country, you're probably right. If you said, steps to rescuing citizens, you're probably wrong. Is Russia really trying to rescue those people? If they are, they're not doing a very good job because 1000's of people have died so far.

Georgia said a Russian air raid had "completely devastated" the Black Sea port of Poti in attacks that the country's UN ambassador likened to "a full-scale military invasion".

This was followed up with air raids on Gori, the main Georgian city closest to South Ossetia and another near the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline -- the world's second longest -- which Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze told Georgian television was "miraculously" not damaged.

Russian planes carried out at least three attacks on Gori and the surrounding area, a defence ministry spokeswoman told AFP.

She said the attacks targeted a bridge and military bases, but also struck apartment blocks which were left in flames and witnesses told AFP that scores of people had been killed. Cars and buses loaded with people fled the city.

I don't claim to know a whole lot about the internal conflict in that area, but it seems to me that Russia had been planning this for a while. I certainly hope someone, somewhere is recognizing this for what it is, and there are plans to stop it before it gets unmanageable, like in the 60's.

 

***UPDATE 08/11/08 11:32PM***

From LGF, we have this link that outlines how this war really started.

As the propaganda spewing out of the Kremlin reaches a feverish pitch, we take a moment to remind our readers of the basic facts concerning Russia’s barbaric actions in recent days and the recent history that lies behind them.

John Edwards Admits He Cheated On Cancer-Stricken Wife

Well now, I guess NOT everything printed by the National Enquirer can be dismissed. John Edwards admitted today that he DID have an affair with Rielle Hunter. He does deny being the child's father, but hasn't taken a paternity test.

John Edwards repeatedly lied during his Presidential campaign about an extramarital affair with a novice filmmaker, the former Senator admitted to ABC News today.

In an interview for broadcast tonight on Nightline, Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 44-year old Rielle Hunter, but said that he did not love her.

Edwards also denied he was the father of Hunter's baby girl, Frances Quinn, although the one-time Democratic Presidential candidate said he has not taken a paternity test.

Edwards said he knew he was not the father based on timing of the baby's birth on February 27, 2008. He said his affair ended too soon for him to have been the father.

 

Previous posts:

John Edwards Cheating On Cancer-Stricken Wife? *UPDATED W/ Love Child*

I Was Going To Post About John Edwards 2AM Rendezvous

Mexican Army Crosses Into US, Detains Border Agent

Act of war or simple misunderstanding? The AP version of this story is quite different from the Washington Times version. From history, I lean toward the Washington Times article being a more accurate depiction of what occurred.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint Sunday night by members of the Mexican military who had crossed the border into Arizona, but the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist.

Agents assigned to the Border Patrol station at Ajo, Ariz., said the Mexican soldiers crossed the international border in an isolated area about 100 miles southwest of Tucson and pointed rifles at the agent, who was not identified.

It was unclear what the soldiers were doing in the United States, but U.S. law enforcement authorities have long said that current and former Mexican military personnel have been hired to protect drug and migrant smugglers.

 

Here's the AP version:

Four Mexican soldiers crossed into Arizona and held a U.S. Border Patrol agent at gunpoint before realizing where they were and returning to Mexico, federal authorities said Wednesday.

The confrontation occurred early Sunday on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, about 85 miles southwest of Tucson, in an area fenced only with barbed wire, said Dove Crawford, a spokeswoman for the Border Patrol.

The soldiers, outfitted in desert camouflage, pointed their rifles at the agent and shouted at him not to move, Crawford said. They lowered their weapons after about four minutes when the agent convinced them of who he was and where they were, she said. The soldiers then retreated into Mexico.

The Mexican government has sent soldiers north along sections of the border in efforts to tamp down drug-related violence.

Russia, Georgia Fighting Escalating To War

The occasional skirmishes between Russia and Georgia have now escalated to war, or close to it. Russia is trying to keep control of a old Soviet state and Georgia is trying to keep its independence. Russia begins bombing Georgia and sends in150 armored vehicles. Georgia beings shooting down Russian jets and destroying anything Russian, including people.

Parts of Russia's 58th Army — including 150 tanks and armored vehicles — reportedly were moving Friday on the capital of South Ossetia after Georgian troops entered the city in an attempt to crush separatist forces seeking to control the breakaway province.

[...]

"If it's not war, then we are very close to it," Lamaia said. "The Russians have invaded Georgia and we are under attack."

President Bush and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reportedly were discussing the Georgia crisis after attending the opening of the Beijing Olympic games.

[...]

Fighting escalated between Georgian and Russian forces escalated earlier in the day with Georgia claiming to have downed four Russian combat warplanes, and Russian planes bombing the Vaziani airbase outside the Georgian capital of Tblisi.

Why Comerica Bank Sucks: Part II

Part I can be found here. A brief explanation of Part I, Comerica bank demanded Norwalk Furniture immediately pay their $11M loan for no other reason than they didn't want any accounts left in Ohio. Comerica demanded all the manufacturing plants and retail store closed so they could be liquidated. Thousands of employees were without job instantly.

Norwalk Furniture has been family owned for 106 years. Now, because of Comerica's actions, Norwalk Furniture was required to take on investors. The investment companies have purchased the loan from Comerica and taken over the company. No doubt these investment companies will replace the family with executives of their choosing.

The good news is, at least the thousands of Norwalk Furniture employees still have a job.

I hope people will never do business with Comerica, and those that do, will move to a different bank.