Le Sabot Post-Moderne: Ukraine Update -- 9 January

janvier 09, 2005

Ukraine Update -- 9 January

- At the tent city, they're still mocking Yanukovych's wife. She said that all of us in the tent city (I've long since moved out) were getting meningitis, that we were eating narcotic-laced oranges, and that our valenki boots came from the States. Here's a tent city response I noticed yesterday:

amerikanskiy valenki.JPG

- Our buddy Joe St asked to see Yulia Tymoshenko's flag. They're the majority at the tent city now:

- The election results should finally be certified tomorrow. Then Yanukovych can file another frivolous lawsuit with the Supreme Court, get smacked down, and Yushchenko can be inagurated. Then we break out the hot pepper vodka.

- Another protest in the east -- 2,000 people in Donetsk. Once again, the Witch of Konotop, Progressive Socialist Natalya Vitrenko, was the ringleader. They waved Russian flags and ranted about the "orange plague." This seems more about Vitrenko trying to stay viable for the 2006 Parliamentary race. She needs 3% to win seats for her party, and she's down to 1.5% at best.

- We're getting ready for high inflation in Ukraine -- 7% is the optimistic figure. Yanukovych doubled pensions for the election, and spent the last year keeping prices on many things artificially low to win support for his presidential bid. Unfortunately, it's Yushchenko's administration that'll have to pay the bill.

- A good Times story about religion and the Revolution -- Orthodox slander campaigns, Protestant participation, etc.

Posted by Discoshaman at janvier 9, 2005 08:42 AM | TrackBack

ORANGE YOU GLAD YOU SAID YOU'D WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM IRAQ?

Yuschenko ran on a platform of closer ties to the EU - and WITHDRAWAL OF UKRAINIAN TROOPS FROM IRAQ.

Well, the Jihadoterrorists have targeted and killed Ukrainian troops serving there - SEVEN. And also two Kazakhs.

Will Yuschenko cut and run - AND SEND THE SAME MESSAGE THAT ZAPATERO SENT: "we are cowards who will run when attacked, and who will appease aggression."

This is an interesting first test.

Yuschenko has SOME obligation to do what he said he'd do in the election campaign - WITHDRAW.

But after his BRAVE - nay HEROIC confrontation with tyranny, how can he give into the Jihadoterrorist/Baathist tyrants in Iraq!?

It will be a sad day for democracy EVERYWHERE when Yuschenko - who's own campaign was aided so dearly by external activists, and whose NATION'S DEMOCRACY was saved by external pressure - caves into isolationists and appeasers.

We shall see if he is, in his heart, a grateful universalist (who belives that all humanity deserves to be free, and who belives we must all do our part to help our brothers and sisters everywhere regain theri innate freedom) and a man with a backbone, or not.

Posted by: reliapundit at janvier 9, 2005 07:57 PM

reliapundit-

He's not cutting and running, he's said from the beginning that he planned to pull out the troops if elected. And I honestly don't blame him -- I don't see the situation as at all analoous to Spain's. I'll explain today in a post. Thanks for taking the time to lay out your thoughts on this stuff. We can discuss it further on the thread. :-)

Posted by: Discoshaman at janvier 9, 2005 08:49 PM

great article on the role played by religion in this election. How sad, too. It strikes me that religion is really just a wench of politics.

I won't point to any examples *ahem-John Piper* but the less religion stays out of politics (though maybe NOT political issues *ahem-abortion*) the more they stay focused on the Gospel message *ahem-the ultimate geo-political force in human history*.

Ko or Vych, it doesn't matter when it comes to religion. At least it shouldn't.

Posted by: Marty in Oregon at janvier 9, 2005 10:14 PM