Posted on 03/17/2014 6:24:05 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
(Reuters) - Sunday's vote in Ukraine's Crimea is being officially billed as a chance for the peninsula's peoples to decide fairly and freely their future - but in fact there is no room on the ballot paper for voting "Nyet" to control by Russia.
The Crimean voter will have the right to choose only one of two options in the March 16 referendum which the region's pro-Russian leadership, protected by Russian forces, announced earlier this month.
According to a format of the ballot paper, published on the parliament's website, the first question will ask: "Are you in favor of the reunification of Crimea with Russia as a part of the Russian Federation?"
The second asks: "Are you in favor of restoring the 1992 Constitution and the status of Crimea as a part of Ukraine?"
At first glance, the second option seems to offer the prospects of the peninsula remaining within Ukraine.
But the 1992 national blueprint - which was adopted soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union and then quickly abolished by the young post-Soviet Ukrainian state - is far from doing that.
This foresees giving Crimea all the qualities of an independent entity within Ukraine - but with the broad right to determine its own path and choose relations with whom it wants - including Russia.
With the pro-Russian assembly already saying it wants to return Crimea to Russia, this second option only offers a slightly longer route to shifting the peninsula back under Russian control, analysts say.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Heads, I win.
Tails, you lose.
Sounds like an 0bama trick.
Wednesday, March 18th, Putin will announce to his Parliament that the people of Crimea, under duress and after being abused by the rest of Ukraine invited Russia to help, and then voted to become a part of Russia and that it is imperative for the Russian assembly to vote equally unanimously to annex Crimea according to their wishes. Then a vote will follow that does exactly that.
It will not matter to Putin or those Russian elected officials what Barack Obama or John Kerry say about it or drone on regarding it. Those two have done NOTHING to stop or deter a man like Putin. He understands one thing...force.
The only question now is whether the will be satisfied with just the one Province of the Ukraine.
Potential things the US could have done (or still could do):
1. Immediately begin sending C-17s into Kiev with military supplies, military advisors, military trainers, humanitarian supplies, and small security detachments to protect the same. Make it a river of C-17s, and ensure those aircraft are escorted into and out of Kiev and other major cities in the Ukraine at the invite of the Ukraine.
2. Immediately release all restrictions on the exploration, extraction, and production of natural gas and oil, and restrictions on its import to Europe. Sadly, this should have been done (and was in the process of being done) in 2008 as Bush left office...but Obama turned it all off. It will now take 3-5 years to be in a position to address Europes needs, but starting the process will send the message and impact the Ruble.
3. Take whatever financial means necessary to isolate the Ruble as a world currency.
Europe will never join with us in number 3, until they are sure we are serious about number 2. Putin will never believe we are truly serious about number 2, until we do something like number 1.
But Obama and Kerry will never do one and two and will try and start with number 3 which the Europeans will not join in with because of the issues associated with number 2. Putin has already figured this out, and so has acted with impunity.
Kind of like having a choice between Republican and Democrat
1: “Are you in favor of the reunification of Crimea with Russia as a part of the Russian Federation?”
2: “Are you in favor of restoring the 1992 Constitution and the status of Crimea as a part of Ukraine?”
Sounds pretty clear to me. But I’m sure the spin doctors can twist it to their point of view.
How did Russia state-owned media spin it? You should know.
Well, if we want the Obama/Soros/sodomite EU spin we just need to ask you.
Stop it with the Soros stuff. You know I work for the House of Rothschild.
This was really stupid of the Ruskies — they should have given the option “NYET, I wanna say in Ukraine” because even then they would have got > 50% DA
All of your points are bang-on.
Right on.
With no “Tea” party option!
This is how the ‘Rats plan to run things here pretty soon if Americans don’t stop them.
The 1992 Constitution was quickly abolished by whom? Did a majority of Crimeans support the abolition of their autonomy? Or were they suckered into supporting Ukranian independence only to have the promised autonomy stripped away by their Soros-led overlords?
And Monsanto.
Eerily similar to our elections.
Yep, do you want the “D” Liberal, or the “R” Liberal?
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