I Believe It Is Peace For Our Time

The Crimea has a special place in Russian history. Per David Brooks, Putin has a much grander vision but right now, Putin seems to be offering Obama an off-ramp (rather than the other way around): accept the revised status quo, dial back the bloviating, and move on.

Sufficient unto the day are the snacks thereof for the Russian bear. By way of comparison, Hitler expanded Germany in patient steps over several years, remilitarizing the Rhineland in 1936, annexing Austria in the spring of 1938, and picking up the Sudetenland that fall.

If Putin really wants to bite off the eastern Ukraine, he need not hurry - Obama is unlikely to be a less lame duck in six months or a year. So Putin can let the world recalibrate to the new status quo and then impose a new recalibration when it suits his vision or political needs. Rome wasn't built in a day and the Ukraine won't be re-integrated in Greater Russia in a week. But it is hard to see why Putin would stop now, forever.

TROUBLING: Hillary Clinton Compares Russia Moves To Nazi Aggression. I'm on the same wavelength as Hillary?

GUTLESS: Perhaps fearing a Godwin's Law disqualification, Hillary backs off the Hitler talk. But wait a second! Comparing a tin-pot tyrant like Assad to Hitler has obvious flaws. But with Putin we are talking about the leader of a former superpower contemplating its former greatness and seeking a rematch. Why is the comparison to post-WWI Germany out of bounds there?

Comments

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

TomM-- I think this is right. Putin's not going anywhere, he has several years to assemble his empire, by continuing to take advantage of Obummer's idiocy. But I see you're stealing Hillary's! lines, I read that last night she said Putin is acting like Hitler.

Question: What happens if the EUs wake up and help Ukraine develop its shale natgas, and otherwise try to break GazProm's monopoly. Tsar Vlad won't like THAT.

[henry]

NK, just more for Vlad to grab.

[Ignatz]

Soft power and smart diplomacy are unicorns that thrive in the captivity of the ivory tower zoos of the Ivy League.

Out in the wild steppes of Russia there aren't any bars between the bears and the frail little ponies the ivory tower bookies put our money on.

Those who should have been able to count on us and we get to pay off the bookies' debts while they write their rose colored memoirs.

[Threadkiller]

http://shoebat.com/2014/03/04/new-inconsistencies-malik-obamas-irs-paperwork-revealed-eve-hearing/

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

Is there a live feed to see the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearings with Lerner?
the CSPAN site is unclear to me & it is supposed to start at 9:30

[Old Lurker]

Permit me to go OT right at the top of a perfectly new thread.

I saw the LUN story a few days ago and believe it is a paradigm example of the difference between a command and control economy and a free economy. It forces a paperwork form driven system which will clog up the pipeline and degrade productivity, and is dead simple to understand.

The issue is the Feds, now that they are moving all medical care into a central database they control, now wants doctors and providers to code every single step into one of 155,000 individual codes which requires of course the silliest of micro management. So an injury from a skateboard, on steps, by a 14 YO male, with a beer can, in his left hand, at night, with some light will be code XYZ but had the beer can been in the other hand it would be XZY.

Now how old-school-punched card is that? The Doc will have to leaf through a phonebook to locate the correct code and will have a high error rate.

In the age of google search algorithms, if there is a central database but without the silly codes, a simple search based on the key words would instantly pull up the 313 cases that someone might want to study.

Problem solved.

But now we can see gazillion of man hours in the health care industry being wasted on this new regulation.

As I said. A paradigm example.

Rant over.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Henry-- ah, but there's the rub and the reason why I posed the question. If Ukraine becomes both energy self-sufficient, and even a net natgas exporter to germany/dutch consumers to generate forex, they won't be the easy mark they are now. They'd have defense resources and support from the EU who likes the wealthier Ukraine who broke the gazProm monopoly. It might taking a shooting war to grab Ukraine at that point. So what does Putin do to prevent that from happening?

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

Here it is - http://www.c-span.org/video/?318121-1/hearing-irs-targeting-conservative-groups

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

OT (again)-- ADP sez no jobs in Februay, fewer jobs than previously reported in january. Obamanomics (ObummerCare in particular) has killed the jobs market. What did Gallup find to be the most important voter issue?... oh.. jobs. The Dems are going to be so killed in Nov., rightfully so: http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=OBR&date=20140305&id=17407195

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

She isn't answering anything.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Invoking the 5th?

[Jeff Dobbs]

OL:
So an injury from a skateboard, on steps, by a 14 YO male, with a beer can, in his left hand, at night, with some light will be code XYZ but had the beer can been in the other hand it would be XZY.

What's the code if it's a 44 yo with beers in both hands?

I'm asking for a friend.

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

The hearings end.
Cummings is now going mad.

[Ignatz]

Going?
Been.

[narciso]

Bely's St. Petersberg, offers a better view of Solovyiev, the Crimea was not only one of the stages for the conflict, but it was the last stand of the White Army.

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

He went mad because he said it wasn't fair that he didn't get to make a long statement...so he's gonna do it anyway.

That's rich isn't it? Not fair that his SIDE didn't get to present their views.

Hey IDIOT welcome to OUR WORLD!

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

It's probably a ploy to make the story about him.

[Old Lurker]

Gotcha covered, Hit. You, I mean your friend, has his own set of codes.

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

Now the MFM will report on Cummings & list the points in his speech. Paragraph 862 in fine print on page E45 will be a bit about Lerner.

[Danube on iPad]

OL, there's a code for injuries incurred when your water skis catch fire.

[Old Lurker]

Of course there is, DoT.

[Ignatz]

Gabriel Malor ‏@gabrielmalor

Fun fact: Alan Grayson cosponsored the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. Maybe he misunderstood.

[Threadkiller]

I missed the hearing. Did they make her envoke the 5th to individual questions or did they let her off easy?

[henry]

From our friend in Chitown, Russians pass nationalization law.

Call this the economic H-bomb: Russian lawmakers are drafting a law that will allow them to nationalize the assets of US or European companies if the US or EU pass sanctions against Russia.

Cronies hardest hit.

[narciso]

So, the Senate is taking up the Levick wurlitzer, on behalf of the mischievous
Gitmo lads

[Ignatz]

Can't imagine that will help either their markets or foreign investments.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

If the hearing lasted 15 minutes there weren't many questions. A brief political theater piece embarassing the woman. I'm for that.

[Threadkiller]

I would have preferred a full day of embarrassing her.

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

Did they make her envoke the 5th to individual questions or did they let her off easy?

Issa made her do it to a list of questions. Maybe 10 or so questions...not too many.
And then it was adjourned.
Cummings got mad that he couldn't make a statement.

[clarice]

Posted on the prior thread--fire at biggest refinery in Europe . In Tartarstan. Coincidence?

Israel intercepts Iranian missile bearing ships from Syria and Iraq to gaza.

[Ignatz]

How do water skis even catch on fire unless you're skiing on the Cuyahoga river 50 years ago?

[clarice]

http://www.thetower.org/breaking-idf-intercepts-massive-gaza-bound-iranian-arms-shipment-observers-call-attention-regional-cascade-risks/

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Good job Issa. It appears from news reports that her lawyer told Issa's staff she would testify in some kind of limited immunity arrangement, then she reneged. Obummer got to her? Forcing her to take the 5th is a public embarassment payback. What next? Issa should send a referral to AG Holder demanding a Grand Jury for IRS abuse crimes. Make Holder stonewall going into 2014 elections. Just more stuff to bury the Dems with.

[clarice]

TK, the old HUAC stunt is now done with. If the committee is certain that the witness is going to take the Fifth or if the witness does in fact assert that right, the committee is supposed to stop the questioning.

[Threadkiller]

Obummer got to her?

Please see my link at 9:26.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

And dragging today out served no purpose, it would just give an opportunity for the Dems to grandstand. The leverage over Lerner is threats to he pension. Keep her on the spot, if Obummer decides to make her the fall gal and prosecute her, give her immunity to spill in Congress, or if he keeps stonewalling keep the issue open, until we get closer to a Repub POTUS.

[Threadkiller]

Is it against the rules, Clarice?

NK, it would have allowed the GOP to grandstand as well.

[Marlene]

Didn't Lerner fear for her life? OL,one of the medical codes is for suicide by jellyfish. Special Report had a list of the most bizarre. We are leaving for Florida tomorrow,I hope our bodies can absorb the shock of a 75 degree temperature change. Maybe there is a code for that? : )

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Thanks for the link TK-- the only stuff of importance there is Lerner's close links to Obummer. If there is a direct connection where he orders her to screw the TP applicants, Impeachment by the House here we come. I'm serious about that. The Obummer Foundation records are critical, they are at the same time IRS was jerking around the TP-- if Obummer and Lerner were communicating then, this is a huge target.

[Jeff Dobbs]

I spy with my little eye...

[clarice]

CongressionalCommittee hearings are to serve a legislative purpose and whether it is by court rule, tradition or Committee rules, I can no longer recall, but it is no longer permitted to harass and subject to ridicule witnesses who plead the Fifth by asking numerous questions knowing they cannot answer them without waiving their right to refuse to answer.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Repubs don't grandstand well and the Legacy Media lie about circuses like that to LIVs. Repubs need facts to feed to the few Legacy media reporters who want actual stories. getting the IRS facts out is siege war, not the battle of midway.

[Threadkiller]

Repubs don't grandstand well and the Legacy Media lie about circuses like that to LIVs.

I assume these are the LIVs that Boehner and Jindal are not trying to welcome into their daisy chain?

[What were they thinking? Oh, this democracy isn't elected by taxpayers.]

This manner of politicizing the IRS will just make taxpayers less happy about paying taxes.

[This tyranny in proportion to other tyrannies?]

So it's taxation without proportionate representation, that's a tyranny of sorts.

[Threadkiller]

Boehner should have been going Gavel-walking on The Mall everyday since he took over.

[Miss Marple]

Our problem is exactly what NK said. We are so conditioned to the conservative values of courtesy, fair play, and good manners that we do not do grandstanding well, at all.

And when we do try, we are mocked.

Look at what Lerner did. They SAID she would testify so he touted it on Fox. Then they pull the rug out with that 5th Amendment plea.

I would be after her with everything in the book for that stunt. I would haul her attorney in for contempt for letting her do that, and file a complaint with whatever legal association he belongs to.

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

“I am a member of the Congress of the United States of America, and I am tired of this,” Cummings shouted.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2014/03/05/darrell-issa-angrily-adjourns-oversight-hearing-after-lois-lerner-pleads-the-fifth/#ixzz2v6Re1gSV

How 'bout - 'We are free citizens of the United States of America, and WE are tired of this!'

[Jeff Dobbs]

Six minutes...

[MarkO]

Seemed like a waste of time.

[C.R.]

This was from a Columbia classmate of Obama's who has been harassed by the IRS (who now won't turn over docs following a FOIA request):

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/03/04/is-this-irs-scandal-smoking-gun/

[Miss Marple]

So, what we have here is a dem attempt to set up the GOP.

1. Tell Issa Lerner will testify.
2. Issa, probably too trusting, announces this on Fox.
3. After Issa announces it, Lerner starts whining about death threats and that she is askeered.
4. Lerner appears but invokes the 5th. ostensibly because she is askeered.
5. Cummings, expert on victimology, attempts to make a big speech about how she is being bullied.

Guess what will make the headlines on NBC.

[Jim Eagle]

MaryD, Marlene, sbw,

Frederick asked me to thank you all for contributing to his Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser. He has reached a level where he has earned all 6 of the rubber duckies they give to the kids based on how much their raised:)

marlene,

By Friday, it should warm up again and stay that way. We were 80 on Monday and didn't even reach 60 yesterday and more of that today. Gray and dismal for a Florida day in March.

It was a zoo during car rider at school since the 7:00am mass went over time due to Ash Wednesday. Cars everywhere.

[Miss Marple]

To prove my point, have we heard ANYTHING about Lerner receiving death threats BEFORE she said she might testify?

One would think the press would have been all over that, trying to show how vengeful Tea Party people are.

[MarkO]

I wonder who would threaten to kill her if she testified?

[henry]

MarkO, Grayson.

[Ignatz]

She's afraid Sarah Palin will target her.

[Porchlight]

4. Lerner appears but invokes the 5th. ostensibly because she is askeered.

Who is in a position to want her *not* to testify?

Certainly not the Tea Party.

If the strategy is to make her look as if she's being bullied by the right, it isn't even logical on its face.

[Porchlight]

HotAir is reporting that it is Cincy IRS employees making the death threats.

Not a smidgen of corruption.

[rootin tootin pootin.]

It's a relief y'all aren't pretending to discuss the topic, since you don't venture beyond your huts to discover new horizons.

When you live in the middle of a cornfield it's hard to understand what an artichoke is.

[Porchlight]

Oops, sorry, Insty not HotAir, or so I read on FB.

[Jim Eagle]

There is a perfect illustration of inanity at 10:59. narciso writes like Alexander Pope compared to that drivel.

[Bori]

Meanwhile, while everyone's attention is on Ukraine, in other world news;

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2014/03/05/Latest-Victory-Assad-Has-Won-War-Syria

[narciso]

Yes, he's using the Algerian model, something Brahimi doesn't talk about.

[narciso]

Feith points out the bigger focus, that's not just Crimea, but Russian colonies all through out the region

[MaryD]

Congratulations and best regards to Frederick, JiB. Glad to be of help in this endeavor -- I am one of the "kids whose heart doesn't work quite right". :-)

[Dave (in MA)]

So, what we have here is a dem attempt to set up the GOP.

1. Tell Issa Lerner will testify.
2. Issa, probably too trusting, announces this on Fox.
3. After Issa announces it, Lerner starts whining about death threats and that she is askeered.
4. Lerner appears but invokes the 5th. ostensibly because she is askeered.
5. Cummings, expert on victimology, attempts to make a big speech about how she is being bullied.

Guess what will make the headlines on NBC.

They'll probably spend at least a few minutes on the fact that there was a guy sitting behind Lerner with a mysterious black smudge on his forehead. They'll either speculate about what it is or just make fun of it.

[Miss Marple]

Porchlight,

To a RATIONAL person, of course it makes no sense.

But the dems are simply trying to portray her as being victimized by those evil TP people.

I am sure she has bogus emails from fake TP people threatening her with retribution for her actions against the Tea Party.

That will be the next step in this theater of the absurd.

And the question about "who REALLY wants her not to testify" will be lost to the clamor for investigations about those fake death threats.

All emails will be shown to have come from a gmail account and transmitted from a library in Texas or Kentucky.

[rootin tootin pootin.]

"2. Issa, probably too trusting, announces this on Fox."

Did you mean to type that? He IS known for his naive manner. :)

[Miss Marple]

Hmmmm. How interesting that my comment seems to have elicited a response. I wonder why?

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

This IRS thing is dynamite. The abusive audits of critics, the proven abuse of TP applicants, and Obummer's phony-baloney 501(c)(3)foundation were all going on at the same time. Did Obummer personally get involved? He'll be impeached by the House if he did, and that's the thing he'll be most remembered for. Dynamite.

[henry]

NK, that and returning world diplomacy to the 19th Century model.

[Old Lurker]

NK, I think the IRS shenanigans combined with the grossly skewed taxing of the top 10% will lead to an undermining of our historically very high compliance rate of US taxpayers.

Ask Rick how the alternative works in Italy.

[sbwaters]

JiB, Frederick made it easy to help.

[narciso]

He didn't have to, it's the 'can someone get rid of this troublesome Tea Party' Schumer and
Durbin, have already repeated the two step, and the IRS is legalizing the witchhunt,

[Ignatz]

--It's a relief y'all aren't pretending to discuss the topic, since you don't venture beyond your huts to discover new horizons.--

You continually say this and it's quite stupid every time you do.
Many people here link contrary opinions quite frequently.

You, OTOH, only bring links from your far left crackpot world.
Similarly most people here are ready to and do engage in debates with anyone of a contrary opinion.

You, OTOH, knee jerkily absolutely refuse to debate the merits of anything, instead preferring to post snarky, unjustifiably morally superior sounding doggerel.

Physician, you're a heel thyself.

[Miss Marple]

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.578127

US denying visas to Israeli defense and security officials

[Danube on iPad]

The four most demoralizing words in the English language: "Hi. I'm William Devane."

[rootin tootin pootin.]

"Many people here link contrary opinions quite frequently."

Your product May reduce Some of your symptoms, but those dang contraindications........

[Ignatz]

Doggerel bites man.

[Account Deleted]

OL,

The Italian evasion games are predicated upon the certain knowledge that those who write and enforce laws are themselves deeply corrupt scofflaws. I would say that BOzo's behavior as Chief Magistrate will have a deeper impact upon the increase in the rate of evasion here than the derisory behavior of the already contemptible IRS thugs.

The IRS thuggery plays well with the same segment of LIVs who were very dismayed to find 404Care not affordable. The IRS assessment of taxes on tip income by imputation has always aroused deep resentment. They don't worry much about audits but they really do hate the IRS every pay day.

[Porchlight]

He didn't have to, it's the 'can someone get rid of this troublesome Tea Party' Schumer and
Durbin, have already repeated the two step, and the IRS is legalizing the witchhunt,

narciso,

I am personally certain that the IRS directive originated from the WH.

While of course it isn't hard to guess what O might want done, actually doing it and doing it systematically across executive agencies, all at the same time as multiple public statements are being made by Schumer et. al., represents too much active collusion to have just happened because individual actors like Lerner thought the Fuhrer might like it.

After all, none of them knew the 2012 outcome for certain, and they could have had a Republican boss when it was all over.

O may have been shielded from direct knowledge but the orders came from the WH without a doubt. I realize this may never be known or proven for certain.

[Danube on iPad]

Unexpected:

"National payroll firm ADP reported Wednesday that just 139,000 private sector jobs were added in February. The number was below economists´ forecast of 155,000. ADP also revised downward its estimate of new private sector jobs in January, falling to 127,000 from an initially reported 175,000. The two months showed the least amount of job growth in over a year."

[Porchlight]

And they're blaming it on - the weather, of course.

[Dave (in MA)]

I was pretty surprised last night to hear ABC news on the radio lead their top of the hour newscast with the Romney-was-right-on-Ukraine story, coming just a couple of days after leading off with a content-free mention of Bridgegate.

[Jim Eagle]

Don't know if you saw or heard about this. Pregnant woman drives her mini van into the surf at Daytona Beach with 3 kids in the car.

Here is video of the rescue last evening

Supposedly, she did it intentionally.

[Jim Eagle]

DoT @ 11:37 LOL.

Here in Florida they are "Hi, I'm John Morgan".

[Miss Marple]

Porchlight,

I would like to know why that one lady in Texas got investigations not only from the IRS, but the EPA, the Labor Department, and (if I remember correctly) the ATF.

All within 2 months or so. She had never had anything like that with her business, ever.

Quite a coincidence, which I don't believe for a minute.

Either those agencies were colluding with each other on this (illegal, I believe) OR they were obeying someone higher up who gave them all orders at the same time.

[Jim Eagle]

The IRS targeting has already been traced to Robert Bauer when he was WH counsel. There is a timeline where his emails and correspondence kicked things off. He is the husband of that skank Anita Dunn. Also, he is Chicago.

IOW, a high ranking member of the Thugee Sect.

[henry]

Hearing reports of a UN envoy kidnapped in Crimea (per our Chitown friend). No links, but attributed to the Ukraine Interior Minister.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

Narciso is quite right that Lerner and other IRSers needed no Obummer instructions to abuse the TP, she got plenty of that from Schumer and Durbin, and she herself must hate the TP, as they are a threat to Imperial DC, and her power. BUT... two things: all those WH visits by the then IRS Commissioner and his ridiculous public explanation, and second Obummer really is stupid and being from ChiTown, he may have stupidly assumed he could get away with stuff like that. Clinton was galaxies smarter than Obummer, yet he got hummers from that pig in the Oval Office and then perjured himself about it. Incredibly stupid, yet he did it.

[Ignatz]

A couple of encouraging stories and one of everlasting shame;
That German family of homeschoolers get's to stay in the US permanently, and;
Russia Today anchor criticizes Putin's Ukraine uncontested arrival and then refuses to be shipped off to the Crimea, and;
slimy worthless modern American male, knocks up woman and then when she goes into labor and they are approached by three armed robbers in their driveway, runs away leaving her standing there without even the keys to get back in the house.
Subsequent police search turned up two of the perps but was unable to locate boyfriend's testes.

[Account Deleted]

Who ordered the shootings on the Maidan?

Gosh, it's almost as if competing mafia gangs are playing politics. That's not very nice. Do they think they're in Chicago?

[rootin tootin pootin.]

Both sides were fired on. Ketchup.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svoboda_(political_party)

“In May 2013 “Svoboda”, “Fatherland” and UDAR vowed to coordinate their actions during the 2015 Ukrainian presidential election.[80]”

Google Fatherland.

UDAR– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Democratic_Alliance_for_Reform

“The Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform of Vitali Klitschko (Ukrainian: Український демократичний альянс за реформи Віталія Кличка; the acronym UDAR/УДАР translates to “strike” or “punch”)[16] is a political party in Ukraine headed by retired[17] Ukrainian professional heavyweight boxer and the WBC world heavyweight champion emeritus Vitali Klitschko.[2] The party has an anti-corruption and pro-European platform.”

[Captain Hate]

We are in the best of hands:

http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2014/03/boehner-brags-of-easy-reelection-wont.html

[MarkO]

An elite speaking down to a plebian citizenry. As Obama once said, we should be thanking him.

___________________________

(CNSNews.com) - Under the Affordable Care Act, the Health and Human Services Department is spending billions of dollars to expand community health clinics, which are mainly staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

"It's going to be one part of a complex part of the health care system," Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the architects of Obamacare, told Fox News's Bill O'Reilly Tuesday night. "So if your kid has a sore throat and you want to find out if it's strep throat, or your kid has what appears to be an ear infection and you want to find out if it's otitis media -- you really don't need to go to the pediatrician. You can go to these clinics."

"But there aren't any doctors," O'Reilly said.

"Well, you don't need a doctor for every part of your health care," Emanuel responded. -

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/obamacare-architect-you-dont-need-doctor-every-part-your-health-care#sthash.gM5Ydqw3.DDJyMUhA.dpuf

It will, of course, be true that soon there won't be any doctors.

[henry]

UN envoy will abandon mission and leave Crimea. Held at gunpoint in a coffee shop after refusing to get in a car with armed pro-Russian demonstrators. Now on way to airport.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

And from our ChiTown friend: The Mumia lawyer Abegbile REJECTED by the US Senate 6 vulnerable Dems PLUS Reid vote NO. Nuke option blows up in Obummer's face like a trick cigar. Obummer is a dead man walking -- politically of course.

[NK(withnewsoftware)]

MarkO-- chocolate rations from Dr Emengele.

[Miss Marple]

Obama attending a DNC fundraiser today. His remarks are open for print press only. Q & A is closed press.

I imagine they didn't want anyone hearing questions such as "Are you out of your bloody mind?" "Or what in the heck IS your foreign policy?" or "My Jewish constituents are up in arms, what is going on?"