They could easily impeach Trump for illegally placing taxpayer funded US military in Syria, but political class loves this illegal action: Zero co-sponsors for 10/31/19 bill forcing Trump to remove US military from Syria

US Congress loves arming terrorists, refuses to pass the Stop Arming Terrorists Act.…Trillions of taxpayer dollars flow to companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, IBM, cyber security companies and others who would likely go bankrupt if US stood for peace instead of permanent war.
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“Secretary Esper confirmed that this [threat of overwhelming US military force] includes denying access to the oil from Russian and Syrian forces.”



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10/31/19, “H.Con.Res.70–Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic that have not been authorized by Congress.” congress.gov/bill 

“Sponsor: Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2] (Introduced 10/31/2019)
Committees: House–Foreign Affairs
Latest Action: House – 10/31/2019 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.  (All Actions)”

“116th congress
H. CON. RES. 70  

Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic that have not been authorized by Congress. 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic that have not been authorized by Congress. 

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 

SECTION 1. REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES IN THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC THAT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED BY CONGRESS. 

(a) Findings—Congress finds the following: 

(1) Congress has the sole power to declare war under article I, section 8 of the Constitution. 

(2) Congress has not declared war with respect to, or provided any specific statutory authorization for, United States military participation in any activity related to securing, guarding, possessing, profiting off of, or developing oil fields in northern Syria. All of these actions are unconstitutional. 

(3) President Donald Trump stated on October 27, 2019 regarding Syria that “we are leaving soldiers to secure the oil. Now, we may have to fight for the oil. That’s OK. Maybe somebody else wants the oil, in which case they have a hell of a fight.” And that “it can help us, because we should be able to take some also. And what I intend to do, perhaps, is make a deal with an ExxonMobil or one of our great companies to go in there and do it properly. Right now it’s not big. It’s big oil underground but it’s not big oil up top.”. 

(4) The Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, stated on October 28, 2019, regarding oil in Syria that “US troops will remain positioned in this strategic area to deny ISIS access those vital resources. And we will respond with overwhelming military force against any group that threatens the safety of our forces there.”. Secretary Esper confirmed that this includes denying access to the oil from Russian and Syrian forces. 

(5) Oil, natural resources, and land in Syria belong to the Syrian people, not the United States. 

(6) Depriving the Syrian people from the economic benefit of their natural resources will inhibit them from rebuilding their country. It is not humane or in the national security interests of the United States for the Syrian Arab Republic to be an unstable or failed state. An unstable or failed Syrian state further proliferates the presence of terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and ISIS in Syria, and significantly deteriorates the humanitarian condition of the Syrian people. 

(7) Section 8(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1547(c)) defines the introduction of United States Armed Forces to include “the assignment of members of such armed forces to command, coordinate, participate in the movement of, or accompany the regular or irregular military forces of any foreign country or government when such military forces are engaged, or there exists an imminent threat that such forces will become engaged, in hostilities.”. 

(b) Removal Of Armed Forces.—Pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), Congress hereby directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic, except United States Armed Forces engaged in operations authorized under the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note), not later than 30 days after the date of the adoption of this concurrent resolution unless and until a declaration of war or specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces has been enacted into law.”

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Added: If a “war on terror” exists, why isn’t it attacking the US since US is a massive terror sponsor? Not saying it should, just wondering why it isn’t. 

Jan. 11, 2014, “Big money behind war: the military-industrial complex,“ Jonathan Turley, al jazeera 

“The new military-industrial complex is fuelled by a conveniently ambiguous and unseen enemy: the terrorist. Former President George W Bush and his aides insisted on calling counter-terrorism efforts a “war”. This concerted effort by leaders like former Vice President Dick Cheney (himself the former CEO of defence-contractor Halliburton) was not some empty rhetorical exercise. Not only would a war maximise the inherent powers of the president, but it would maximise the [diversion of US taxpayer dollars] budgets for military and homeland agencies. 

This new coalition of companies, agencies, and lobbyists dwarfs the system known by Eisenhower when he warned Americans to “guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence…by the military-industrial complex”. Ironically, it has had some of its best days under President Barack Obama who has radically expanded drone attacks and claimed that he alone determines what a war is for the purposes of consulting Congress…. 

Across the country, the war-based economy can be seen in an industry which includes everything from Homeland Security educational degrees to counter-terrorism consultants to private-run preferred traveller programmes for airport security gates. 

Recently, the “black budget” of secret intelligence programmes alone was estimated at $52.6bn for 2013. That is only the secret programmes, not the much larger intelligence and counterintelligence budgets. We now have 16 spy agencies that employ 107,035 employees. This is separate from the over one million people employed by the military and [so-called] national security law enforcement agencies. 

The core of this expanding complex is an axis of influence of corporations, lobbyists, and agencies that have created a massive, self-sustaining terror-based industry. 

The contractors 

In the last eight years, trillions of dollars have flowed to military and homeland security companies. When the administration starts a war like Libya, it is a windfall for companies who are given generous contracts to produce everything from replacement missiles to ready-to-eat meals. 

In the first 10 days of the Libyan war alone, the administration spent roughly $550m. That figure includes about $340m for munitions – mostly cruise missiles that must be replaced. Not only did Democratic members of Congress offer post-hoc support for the Libyan attack, but they also proposed a permanent authorisation for presidents to attack targets deemed connected to terrorism – a perpetual war on terror. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) offers an even steadier profit margin.

According to Morgan Keegan, a wealth management and capital firm, investment in homeland security companies is expected to yield a 12 percent annual growth through 2013 – an astronomical return when compared to other parts of the tanking economy. 

The lobbyists 

There are thousands of lobbyists in Washington to guarantee the ever-expanding budgets for war and homeland security. One such example is former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff who pushed the purchase of the heavily criticised (and little tested) full-body scanners used in airports. When Chertoff was giving dozens of interviews to convince the public that the machines were needed to hold back the terror threat, many people were unaware that the manufacturer of the machine is a client of the Chertoff Group, his highly profitable security consulting agency. (Those hugely expensive machines were later scrapped after Rapiscan, the manufacturer, received the windfall.) 

Lobbyists maintain pressure on politicians by framing every budget in “tough on terror” versus “soft on terror” terms. They have the perfect products to pitch – products that are designed to destroy themselves and be replaced in an ever-lasting war on terror….  

Even with polls showing that the majority of Americans are opposed to continuing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the new military-industrial complex continues to easily muster the necessary support from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. It is a testament to the influence of this alliance that hundreds of billions are being spent in Afghanistan and Iraq while Congress is planning to cut billions from core social programmes, including a possible rollback on Medicare due to lack of money. None of that matters. It doesn’t even matter that Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called the US the enemy and said he wishes that he had joined the Taliban. Even the documented billions [of US tax dollars] stolen by government officials in Iraq and Afghanistan are treated as a mere cost of doing business.”… 

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Pres. Trump could end the “impeachment” by using his absolute authority over classified information to remove the shield behind which it’s being done. He brought it on himself by filling top posts in "national security" agencies with persons who'd never back him and kicking out good ones-Codevilla

“Trump rails loudly against what is being done to him. But he does not use his absolute authority over classified information to remove the shield behind which it is being done.”…All of this “is possible only because President Trump has appointed to positions of power in the national security agencies lots of people committed to his destruction and has been prevailed upon to fire the good ones.” 

11/1/19, “The Impeachment Dog Bites Orange Man Scam,” Angelo Codevilla, American Greatness 

“Usually, there is no more reason to pay attention to establishment bureaucrats opposing a president elected to oppose them than there is to dwell on dogs biting whomever frightens them. But now the Democratic Party is using what little remains of the intelligence agencies’ credibility as the sword with which to strike Trump and the claims to secrecy of those agencies as the shield from behind which to do it. In other words, it is doing just what it did during the Russian-collusion scam. That is why the scam itself is the story…. 

As RealClear Investigations has shown, these bureaucrats were part and parcel of the Obama Administration. Some of them were key players in the Russia hoax starting in 2016. They include the Intelligence Community’s inspector general, career employees of CIA, and Democrats on staff with the House Intelligence Committee, as well as White House personnel. Some even have personal connections with the Biden family and with Ukraine. 

How it came to pass that the Trump White House and the CIA are employing leftist activists is another story in itself…. 

In the absence of the president’s proper stewardship of the national security establishment, the American people’s sense of smell is its last defense against biting canines…. 

The real ground of the unending attacks on Trump is the ruling class’s decision to resist the 2016 election’s outcome. It is a revolution from which the Republic is unlikely ever to recover. 

The role of the intelligence agencies in that resistance is one of that revolution’s principal parts. Indeed, only the vestiges of these agencies’ mystique, plus their legal claims to secrecy, have enabled the Democrats and the media to pretend the American people should regard partisan bureaucrats as wise and expert stewards of national security. They are no such thing. 

The bureaucrats who have launched their attacks on Trump from behind the intelligence agencies’ shield of secrecy, and through the Democrat-controlled House Intelligence Committee’s hearings are part and parcel of the Democrat-led ruling class. We are asked to believe that the nation is being saved. In fact, some very dirty dogs are biting American voters… 

They protect their bureaucratic allies from cross-examination by asserting the privileges of national security. Then they use the very media accounts they generate as the basis for more frankly political accusations. 

The spectacle of a CIA official who bundled together the anti Trump resentments of some of his friends in the agency, in the White House, and in Congress and then got a friend at the agency to shield them all from cross-examination by changing its regulations regarding “whistleblowers”—all that and more—is possible only because President Trump has appointed to positions of power in the national security agencies lots of people committed to his destruction and has been prevailed upon to fire the good ones.… 

Trump rails loudly against what is being done to him. But he does not use his absolute authority over classified information to remove the shield behind which it is being done. 

In the absence of the president’s proper stewardship of the national security establishment, the American people’s sense of smell is its last defense against biting canines and scams.”





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German political class eager to illegally invade and occupy Syria and Iraq, top pol says Germans have have their "very own security interests” in northeastern Syria-Johannes Stern, wsws

"In northeastern Syria, “our very own security interests, our international obligations, and the expectations of our partners, who require assistance, determine what we do.””...The Green Party “supports the return of German imperialism to the world stage, but added that it has to be better prepared. “ Yes, we Greens also see Germany having a responsibility in the world.” 

11/2/19, “Germany’s grand coalition extends military operations in Syria and Iraq,” Johannes Stern, wsws.org 

“Germany’s grand coalition has officially extended the military operation in Syria and Iraq, which has now been running for over four years. The government took the decision last week. 

The decision concerned the extension until March of next year [2020] of operations by Tornado fighter jets and refuelling aircraft, which operate from the Jordanian base of al-Azraq. The army’s training missions in central Iraq and in the Kurdish-controlled north were extended even longer, to 31 October, 2020. 

The proposal by Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to establish a security zone in northern Syria with 30,000 to 40,000 European troops led by Germany is also being worked on intensively. Der Spiegel reported last weekend that Germany could send 2,500 soldiers to intervene in Syria. The German military has assumed a scenario whereby the zone would be divided up into sectors 40 kilometres [24.85 miles] wide and 30 kilometres [18.6 miles] deep. In one of these sectors, Germany could lead an international force as a “framework nation,” and supply three combat-ready battalions. 

The news magazine gives a glimpse of how concretely the war plans are being prepared. The military strategists in the Defence Ministry speak of a “complete package” which they will present: “reconnaissance, special forces units, ‘boxer’ tanks, heavy weaponry, artillery, soldiers, and mine sweepers.” The German army also believes it can provide its own air support for its troops, “Both reconnaissance missions with ‘Tornado’ fighter jets and armed combat with ‘eurofighters’.” There are only two areas where “we would be reliant on assistance: helicopters and medical care.” 

In a statement entitled “No to a German-European security zone in Syria!” the World Socialist Web Site recently explained that the government’s plans stand in the traditions of the Nazis’ policies of war and conquest. We wrote, “Germany’s military intervention in Syria is not aimed at combatting ‘terrorism,’ or securing ‘deescalation’ or ‘peace,’ as the official propaganda claims. The real war aims are the neocolonial subordination of the country, as well as the energy-rich and strategically important Middle East region, and the deportation of hundreds of thousands of refugees to a war zone.” 

The debate in parliament over the extension of the missions already under way underscored how correct this assessment was. Eighty years after the end of the Second World War, leading politicians from all parties openly advocate policies of war and military violence, arguing that this is the only way to defend German imperialist interests in the Middle East and around the world. During the discussion of the motion tabled by the grand coalition, representatives of the government and opposition parties sought to outdo each other with their militarist tirades. 

For the government, the most aggressive speech was delivered by Johann Wadephul. “What happens in Syria and Iraq must be the focus of our security interests,” declared the deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. “Our fundamental security interests, our German, our European interests compel us to continue the fight against the despicable IS regime.” The intervention in the Middle East corresponds in particular with “our responsibility. We are the strongest nation in Europe. We are currently in the UN Security Council. With the Bundeswehr, we have one of the strongest conventional fighting forces in the Western world.” 

Wadephul gave his explicit backing to Kramp-Karrenbauer’s war plans. In northeastern Syria, “our very own security interests, our international obligations, and the expectations of our partners, who require assistance, determine what we do.” It must “be recognized that the United States [taxpayers] of America is in full retreat, it is no longer fulfilling its [alleged] responsibility as the so-called world policeman, and as the guardian of Western interests.” 

The German elites’ conclusion is clear: Berlin and Europe must replace the United States in the future as the “world policeman” and leading imperialist war machine. “That’s why it’s correct,” said Wadephul, “that we’ve been having this debate in Europe for some time. The debate began in 2014 at the Munich Security Conference with contributions from the German President, Foreign Minister, and our Defence Minister. As Germans, we know: we have to assume more responsibility in these types of crises.” 

The opposition’s criticisms of the government’s war policy came exclusively from the right. Gerold Otten, who sits on the Parliamentary Defence Committee for the right-wing extremist AfD, boasted that Kramp-Karrenbauer’s proposal was first made by his party. “For a long time now, the AfD has demanded the creation of a UN protection zone and Russia’s integration on the issue of Syria’s future.” However, what remains unclear is “how this security zone will be enforced in practice.” 

Germany’s political influence, he said, is “minimal...due to decades of self-imposed weakness.”: 

For the Free Democrats, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, an alternate member of the parliamentary assembly for NATO, demanded that the missions continue beyond the timescale proposed by the government and that they be integrated further into NATO structures. “The Tornado operations will not be complete in five months. At this point in particular, it needs to be extended … The training mission in Iraq will be integrated into the NATO mission. If you do that, we’ll support you,” she declared. 

The war policy is also supported by the nominally left-wing opposition parties. To the extent that they express criticisms, their concerns revolve around the strategic orientation and more aggressive assertion of German imperialism in the Middle East. 

According to Alexander Neu, Left Party representative on the Parliamentary Defence Committee, Kramp-Karrenbauer “embarrassed the federal government in the eyes of the Federal Republic,” because she did not confer with “the Syrian government, the allies, and coalition partners” about her “idea.”Neu complained that “Germany and the West” have “no influence and no credit in Syria,” which makes “the initiative proposed by AKK…a moot point, of no consequence.” He called on the Chancellor to “finally declare what Turkey is doing in Syria … a breach of international law.” 

Green Party defence policy spokesman Tobias Lindner spoke along similar lines. “If we really want to achieve something internationally,” he said, you can’t “go about it in a way that the coalition partners, the CSU, the public, and even the military leadership in the Defence Ministry find out about it through the media.” 

He then stated that his party supports the return of German imperialism to the world stage, but added that it has to be better prepared. “Yes, we Greens also see Germany having a responsibility in the world ... But anyone who seriously talks about Germany’s responsibility in the world … cannot afford to conduct such an ill-conceived and irresponsible foreign policy as was the case over recent days.””




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Ukraine is now the Mexico of Europe. So many Ukrainians have to leave the country to find work that Ukraine is now tops in Europe for remittances sent home to loved ones, per World Bank. As of 2018, Ukraine is also the poorest country in Europe, per IMF

Ukraine has become the Mexico of Europe. Such a large percentage of Ukraine’s population has to leave the country to find work while leaving loved ones behind that Ukraine in 2018 is now tops in Europe and Central Asia for remittances sent home to loved ones at $14 billion, per World Bank....Additionally, Ukraine is now the poorest country in Europe, per IMF.

[Image: Ukraine map, via famous wonders]

4/8/19, “Record High Remittances Sent Globally in 2018,” worldbank.org 

“After posting 22 percent growth in 2017, remittances to Europe and Central Asia grew an estimated 11 percent to $59 billion in 2018.…Ukraine, the region’s largest remittance recipient, received a new record of more than $14 billion in 2018, up about 19 percent over 2017. This surge in Ukraine also reflects a revised methodology for estimating incoming remittances, as well as growth in neighboring countries’ demand for migrant workers.” [subhead, “Regional Remittance Trends”]

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Added: Per International Monetary Fund, “Ukraine overtook Moldova as the poorest country in Europe as measured in GDP per capita in 2018.” 

4/26/2019, “What is wrong with the Ukrainian economy?“ Anders Aslund, Atlantic Council 

“Ukraine is now the poorest country in Europe. According to the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine overtook Moldova as the poorest country in Europe as measured in GDP per capita in 2018 at $2,963, 8 percent less than in Moldova.”…

IMF chart: “5. Report for Selected Countries and Subjects,” imf.org

Above IMF chart shows Ukraine overtook Moldova in both 2017 and 2018. Below, Moldova maps:..

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Comment: If Ukrainians believed for one minute that John McCain, any US government official (“Yats is the guy,") or any self-proclaimed US “democracy” advocates on the ground in Ukraine wanted a better life for ordinary Ukrainians, they deserved the shock they got. To begin with, US massively sponsors Islamic terrorism, (including child beheaders). Congress even refuses to pass the “Stop Arming Terrorists Act.“…………

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In Dec. 2013 US Senator McCain traveled to Ukraine to lead an anti-government “regime change” protest. As Senator McCain said, “And of course Ukraine is the crown jewel.…Russia, without Ukraine it’s an eastern power, with Ukraine it’s a western power." 

12/15/2013, “John McCain backs opposition leaders telling Ukraine protesters: ‘America stands with you – Ukraine will make Europe better’,” AP report via Daily Mail





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Ukraine is now poorest country in Europe per IMF, overtook Moldova in 2018. Parliament has legal immunity from crime, wealth is sent offshore where it’s “safe,” judiciary supports corrupt elites. No money for business loans, private land sales banned, insiders behave like 18th century lawless European elites, 50% don’t repay loans to banks-Atlantic Council, Anders Åslund

Ukraine oligarchs still control 80-85% of the country’s GDP as of 4/30/2015..."On average, Ukrainian MPs [Parliament has 450 members] keep $700,000 at home. Those who have a lot of wealth transfer it to offshore havens, where the money is safe....The banks’ primary problem is that their biggest clients do not pay…consider themselves too superior to pay, and unfortunately the Ukrainian judiciary agrees.”…”Since 2014 [through 10/3/2017] there has not been much change [in Ukraine]. Business people continue to hold leading political roles….After the Euromaidan protests [and US regime change, “Yats is the guy"], the political influence of some oligarchs increased even further."…10/3/2017
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4/26/2019, “What is wrong with the Ukrainian economy?“ Anders Aslund, Atlantic Council
 
[Image: Ukraine map, via famous wonders] 

“Construction is booming in Kyiv, Ukraine, but not the rest of the economy. A major reason is that Ukrainians with some extra savings do not put their money into banks but buy additional apartments instead. Others keep their savings in cash. On average, Ukrainian MPs [Parliament has 450 members] keep $700,000 at home. Those who have a lot of wealth transfer it to offshore havens, where the money is safe. 

Ukraine is now the poorest country in Europe. According to the International Monetary Fund, Ukraine overtook Moldova as the poorest country in Europe as measured in GDP per capita in 2018 at $2,963, 8 percent less than in Moldova. These numbers can be boosted in many ways. Probably half of the Ukrainian economy goes unreported in official statistics, and prices in Ukraine are so low that one gets much more for a dollar there then elsewhere. Still, the growth rate has been around 3 percent a year for the last three years, and the IMF predicts a similar rate even for the long term. A poor country with macroeconomic stability and open access to the large European market should be growing steadily by 7 percent annually. 

What is wrong? Usually the discussion focuses on what the state does, but there’s a better way to understand how the economy really functions: follow the money. 

Ukraine has a steady net capital outflow of about 4 percent of GDP each year. Foreigners see what is going on, and real foreign direct investment has been as little as 1 percent of GDP for the last five years [2014-2019]….  

There is little or no financing available for business. By and large, business investment is based on retained earnings.Since 2014, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has closed 100 of the then 180 commercial banks. In many cases, the owners of the bank had taken most of the loans, and large deposit holders lost their money. In other cases, the banks specialized in money laundering, and some functioned just like holding companies. 

But the banking system has not been cured. Because of the many bank failures, state banks now account for 58 percent of all banking assets. Interest rates are prohibitively high. The NBU just cut its interest rate to 17.5 percent a year, while inflation is just over 8 percent. The lowest commercial borrowing rates in hryvnia are 22 percent, which means that the real interest rate is at least 14 percent a year. That is far too high for investment, so bank loans are not financing investment. In spite of very high deposit rates, banks do not attract many deposits either. 

The banks’ primary problem is that their biggest clients do not pay. In total, non-performing loans in the Ukrainian banking system are more than 50 percent. The reason is that Ukraine has a few hundred people who consider themselves too superior to pay, and unfortunately the Ukrainian judiciary agrees. In particular, 427 members of parliament enjoy legal immunity and probably two-thirds of them are businessmen. Others have simply very good relations with the relevant parts of the law enforcement apparatus. European elites behaved like that in the 18^th century. It was only in the 19^th century when the playing field was levelled that Europe started growing. 

Herein lies the critical shortcoming of the Ukrainian economy. First, parliamentary immunity has to be abolished. People should join the parliament to become politicians, not businessmen. 

Second, Ukraine needs to redo the failed judicial reform so that all Supreme Court judges can be verified as honest people. The same is true of the general prosecutor’s office. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) must no longer deal with economic crimes. Its 8,000 or so officers that work in that department should be laid off. Most of them have earned more than they will need for their retirement. 

Third, the best collateral for a bank loan is land or real estate. However, today agricultural land cannot be used as collateral, because of the moratorium on private land sales. If that is finally lifted, the banks could give far more credit to agriculture, which could double its output. 

Then, banks could start to function normally and attract both capital and deposits. The market would bring down interest rates. The state banks could attract investors and be privatized. If property in Ukraine would be deemed safe, capital outflows would dwindle and instead be invested in the Ukrainian economy. Foreigners would see the transformation and want to join the Ukrainian growth party.” 

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Added: In Dec. 2013 US Senator McCain traveled to Ukraine to lead an anti-government “regime change” protest: 

[US Senator McCain said,] “And of course Ukraine is the crown jewel.…Russia, without Ukraine it’s an eastern power, with Ukraine it’s a western power."

12/15/2013, “John McCain backs opposition leaders telling Ukraine protesters: ‘America stands with you – Ukraine will make Europe better’,” AP report via Daily Mail


“U.S. Senator John McCain met Ukrainian opposition leaders in Kiev on Saturday and voiced support for protesters [calling for overthrow of government] camped out for weeks in the capital.”



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Above, 12/13/2013, McCain in Kiev  promoting overthrow of Ukraine government, AP, UK Guardian, AP
 
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Added: We’re all mobsters now. Thus, NATO is giving fellow mobsters in Ukraine $44 million. Per above article there’s zero chance this $44 million in taxpayer dollars will be spent as allegedly intended or with the slightest respect for taxpayers who earned it, and 100% chance a lot of it will end up in offshore accounts. After decades of claims that Ukraine “corruption” will be cleaned up, there hasn’t been the slightest improvement. Article describes that judiciary partners with rich criminals in treating the country like garbage. The 2014 “regime change” and installation of a US puppet government-–“Yats is the guy"—has created worse suffering for ordinary people and better than ever lives for oligarchs. 

11/1/19, “NATO allocates 40 million euros [$44 million] for support of Ukraine,” 112.international/ukraine 

“The money allocated for support in the spheres of a combatant command, cyber security and medical rehabilitation.”... 

Below, new NATO swimming pool, open to media in May 2018. via Assar architects....$1.23 billion taxpayer dollars spent on lavish new NATO hq in Belgium, “conceived in 2005.” 



US should move its 10s of thousands of homeless living on US streets to the spacious NATO hq and let them take a swim in the new pool.

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Added: Ukraine has become another Mexico, a huge percentage of its population provides cheap labor for other countries and sends scraps from their paychecks home to relatives as “remittances.” Ukraine is the top recipient of remittances in Europe, with a staggering percentage of its population migrating abroad in search of work.”… 

10/14/2019, “DC’s Atlantic Council Raked in Funding from Hunter Biden’s Corruption-Stained Ukrainian Employer While Courting His VP Father,” Consortium News, Max Blumenthal

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Added: Russian President Putin urges Ukraine eastern regions to remain part of Ukraine: 

6/6/2015, “Vladimir Putin Urges Donetsk And Luhansk To Remain Part Of Ukraine,” International Business Times, Christopher Haress 

“Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing a proposal that would see the self-proclaimed republics of Luhansk and Donetsk remain under Ukrainian control. Leaders in the disputed regions have said they might be open to the idea provided conditions of the failing ceasefire are met by Ukraine. “This is a fundamental issue.”…
 

Above, Russian speaking in Ukraine, map as of Oct. 2015

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Added: Russian President Putin fully endorses Minsk agreements: 6/6/2015: 

6/6/2015, ”Putin: self-proclaimed republics’ readiness to remain in Ukraine is precondition for talks,” unian.info 

““I would like to stress that Russia is interested in and will strive to ensure the full and unconditional implementation of the Minsk agreements, and I don’t believe there is any other way to settle this conflict today,“ he [Mr. Putin] added.”…”The leaders of the self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine have publicly stated that under certain conditions-meaning the implementation of the Minsk agreements-they are ready to consider themselves part of the Ukrainian state, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview in an Italian newspaper on Saturday.”… 

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Added: In 2014, Donetsk region of Ukraine declared its independence and asked to join Russia. While respecting the will of Donetsk citizens to declare their independence, the Russian government didn’t invite Donetsk to join Russia, instead advised dialogue with Kiev: 

May 12, 2014, “Ukraine crisis: Donetsk region asks to join Russia," UK Guardian, Shaun Walker in Donetsk and Oksana Grytsenko in Luhansk 

“Instead of previous statements saying it would protect people in the regions with troops if need be, the Kremlin called for dialogue between the government in Kiev and the south-east regions of the country. 

“In Moscow, we respect the will of the people of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions [to declare their independence] and are counting on practical implementation of the outcome of the referendum in a civilised manner, without any repeat of violence and through dialogue,” the Kremlin said.”

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Comment: If Ukrainians believed for a minute that John McCain, any US government official, or any self-proclaimed US "democracy" advocates on the ground in Ukraine wanted a better life for ordinary Ukrainians, they deserved the shock they got. To begin with, US massively sponsors Islamic terrorism, (including child beheaders). Congress even refuses to pass the "Stop Arming Terrorists Act."




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