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peace and war
I’m increasingly concerned….
…about what we are going to see as an end game of the Ukraine crisis.
The States is upping the rhetoric, as is the UK. But other European leaders are remaining fairly quiet for fear of Russian repercussions – economic or otherwise.
Putin is in the regional expansion game for the long haul, kids. This isn’t going to just disappear. And I wouldn’t doubt for a moment that he wouldn’t be above shooting down one of his OWN passenger jets as an excuse to launch a ground and artillery attack into eastern Ukraine.
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Russia invades Ukraine? Yup, going to happen…
.. it’s now not “if” but when.
As reported here, Russian troops are massing at key points along Ukraine’s border. There will be a swift attack, territory will be secured and lives will be lost. Another human tragedy caused by greed. Then Putin will turn to the West and say: “so, what are ya gonna do about it?”
Sadly, the West is pretty much at a loss here. Financial weakness, military adventures recently ended and a general distaste at home for yet another foreign war have nicely handcuffed most Western leaders. Even Harper, despite his photo-op-driven bravado can do little more than spew and hiss.
Or, can he do more?
The curious thing about Canada is that we are home to the largest single employer of Russian athletes abroad – the NHL (yes, yes, I know that the HQ is in NYC… but we’re still the “spiritual home, no?). The following are the Russian players now in the league:
| No. | Player | Position | Team | Date of birth | Place of birth |
| 25 | Mikhail Grigorenko | C | Buffalo Sabres | 05/16/1994 | Khabarovsk, RUS |
| 61 | Nikita Zadorov* | D | Buffalo Sabres | 04/16/1995 | Moscow, RUS |
| 28 | Alexander Semin | RW | Carolina Hurricanes | 03/03/1984 | Krasnoyarsk, RUS |
| 31 | Anton Khudobin | G | Carolina Hurricanes | 05/07/1986 | Ust-Kamenogorsk, KAZ |
| 39 | Nikolai Khabibulin | G | Chicago Blackhawks | 01/14/1973 | Ekaterinburg, RUS |
| 1 | Semyon Varlamov | G | Colorado Avalanche | 04/27/1988 | Samara, RUS |
| 6 | Nikita Nikitin | D | Columbus Blue Jackets | 06/16/1986 | Omsk, RUS |
| 42 | Artem Anisimov | C | Columbus Blue Jackets | 05/24/1988 | Yaroslavl, RUS |
| 51 | Fedor Tyutin | D | Columbus Blue Jackets | 07/19/1983 | Izhevsk, RUS |
| 72 | Sergei Bobrovsky | G | Columbus Blue Jackets | 09/20/1988 | Novokuznetsk, RUS |
| 43 | Valeri Nichushkin* | RW | Dallas Stars | 03/04/1995 | Chelyabinsk, RUS |
| 55 | Sergei Gonchar | D | Dallas Stars | 04/13/1974 | Chelyabinsk, RUS |
| 13 | Pavel Datsyuk | C | Detroit Red Wings | 07/20/1978 | Ekaterinburg, RUS |
| 47 | Alexei Marchenko* | D | Detroit Red Wings | 01/02/1992 | Moscow, RUS |
| 37 | Denis Grebeshkov | D | Edmonton Oilers | 10/11/1983 | Yaroslavl, RUS |
| 64 | Nail Yakupov | RW | Edmonton Oilers | 10/06/1993 | Nizhnekamsk, RUS |
| 77 | Anton Belov* | D | Edmonton Oilers | 07/29/1986 | Ryazan, RUS |
| 80 | Ilya Bryzgalov | G | Edmonton Oilers | 06/22/1980 | Togliatti, RUS |
| 7 | Dmitry Kulikov | D | Florida Panthers | 10/29/1990 | Lipetsk, RUS |
| 26 | Vyacheslav Voynov | D | Los Angeles Kings | 01/15/1990 | Chelyabinsk, RUS |
| 74 | Alexei Emelin | D | Montreal Canadiens | 04/25/1986 | Togliatti, RUS |
| 79 | Andrei Markov | D | Montreal Canadiens | 12/20/1978 | Voskresensk, RUS |
| 21 | Andrei Loktionov | C | New Jersey Devils | 05/30/1990 | Voskresensk, RUS |
| 28 | Anton Volchenkov | D | New Jersey Devils | 02/25/1982 | Moscow, RUS |
| 20 | Evgeni Nabokov | G | New York Islanders | 07/25/1975 | Ust-Kamenogorsk, KAZ |
| 71 | Evgeni Malkin | C | Pittsburgh Penguins | 07/31/1986 | Magnitogorsk, RUS |
| 91 | Vladimir Tarasenko | RW | St. Louis Blues | 12/13/1991 | Yaroslavl, RUS |
| 56 | Nikita Kucherov* | RW | Tampa Bay Lightning | 06/17/1993 | Moscow, RUS |
| 41 | Nikolai Kulemin | LW | Toronto Maple Leafs | 07/14/1986 | Magnitogorsk, RUS |
| 8 | Alexander Ovechkin | LW | Washington Capitals | 09/17/1985 | Moscow, RUS |
| 81 | Dmitry Orlov | D | Washington Capitals | 07/23/1991 | Novokuznetsk, |
That’s quite a talent pool. And these cats make lots of good ol’ $US (I believe they are all paid in greenbacks).
What if the US and Canada revoked their work permits? Sent them home? I know it wouldn’t stop Putin, but it might give him a taste of the economic and cultural isolation that would be waiting for him if he carried aloing his jingoist path. This would be more a symbolic act than anything else, but we really don’t have many other tools at our disposal, do we?
Man, the Oilers and Columbus would NOT be pleased!
But I would love to see Ovechkin’s sorry butt escorted to the airport!
Thoughts?
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Hit gun manufacturers’ cash flow…
… hmm… Not a bad idea. The Mayor of Chicago has sent a letter to the TD Bank, and other financial institutions to withdraw Smith and Wesson’s revolving line of credit. This request is intended to pressure Smith and Wesson and other gun makers to quit fighting against stricter automatic weapon controls.
I wonder how the banks will eventually respond to this.
Unfortunately, the revenues accrued through increased sales might render this moot. But given the opposition that the pro-sanity lobby (anti gun lobby) is facing down south, any help would be valuable.
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So what now, NRA?
Everyone has heard of the “fiscal cliff”…
in America.
But they are tumbling toward the precipices of other cliffs as well.
How about the “sanity cliff” or maybe the “culture cliff”?
Or the “society cliff”…
After reading about how this news guy (rightfully) called a gun-toter and “unbelievably stupid man”.
LONDON — More than 31,400 people have signed a petition calling for British CNN host Piers Morgan to be deported from the U.S. over his gun-control views.
Morgan has taken an aggressive stand for tighter U.S. gun laws in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting. Last week, he called a gun advocate appearing on his “Piers Morgan Tonight” show an “unbelievably stupid man.”
Now, gun-rights activists are fighting back. A petition created Dec. 21 on the White House e-petition website by a user in Texas accuses Morgan of engaging in a “hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution” by targeting the Second Amendment and demands he be deported immediately.
Deport. Really. For stating the obvious.
After what I have written about the American far right, I think it would be wise for me to stay on this side of the border, permanently. After all, there are at least 31,400 unbelievably stupid people down there who might try to have me shipped to Gitmo!
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A big reason why I’m an atheist…
is that I’m smarter than that.
Only fools believe.
Sorry if you are offended. But guys like these are your spokepeeps.
20 Children died because a fictional bogeyman has been called into question! GOD has been removed from schools so some fuckhead shot 20 little kids??
Proud to be an atheist who will never do evil in the name of a fictional being.
I almost hope the Mayans were right and this all ends next week.
This world sucks. And I love my children.
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KPMG reports on fighter jet cost over runs…
…are due out as early as today. And they might be embarrassing for the CPC government as the real costs may come in as much as three times higher than the Harperites have claimed and vigourously defended.
All to which I say “BAH”!
EVERYONE knows that KPMG is part of the left-wing conspiracy that, along with the media, Liberals, NDP and organised labour are trying to discredit our dear PM wherever possible!
You betcha! These “accountants” hide behind their spreadsheets and briefcases, all the while working with their fellow socialists to unseat the CPC and bring on economic chaos!
I’ll bet you didn’t know that KPMG stands for Kommunist Party Management Group, did you?
No, I didn’t think so.
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Stay classy, my home and native land…
…stay classy.
The others were the US, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.
What lovely company.
Nice to see that we have an independent foreign policy and don’t feel the need to cow-tow to the States… d’oh!
Also nice to see that we feel non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is a good thing – double d’oh!!!!
This government never ceases to amaze me.
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Is this for real?
C’mon.
At the very least, these folks deserve to have their final arrangements paid for by the state.
I guess the Harperites don’t agree.
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