World: South Ossetia In Graphics

Found these on a Russian site (who knows? We don't read Cyrillic):


The short version of what happened in South Ossetia/Georgia.



Remember when Emperor Jor Jee told us this?



The Biblical version.

Today Emperor Jor Jee accused the Russians of "bullying" Georgia. Is he fucking shitting us? How, like, irony-deficient do you have to be to even open your festering gob on this issue? HULLO? Earth to Chimpius Tardibus!

Iraq was severely damaged by the first Gulf War, the long war with Iran, and the decade-long embargo finally lifted in 2003 (by Resolution 1483 in the UN). Iraq had nothing at all to do with the events of 9/11. In fact, there was so little evidence linking Iraq to any possible action against the US that the Dick who has his hand up Li'l Boots Teh Glove Puppet's arse had to order a forged letter to create the excuse to take us to war. Iraq, after years of war and embargo, had hardly any army worth mentioning. Iraq was much too far away to make invasion or attack easy.

Georgia, on the other hand, shares a border with Russia. Georgia's nascent military was being armed, outfitted, and trained by U.S. military and Israeli advisors. Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has recently lost almost half his countrymen's support he originally enjoyed when he took power. Georgia's Minister of Defense is an Israeli citizen.

South Ossetia has been an autonomous region (as has Abkhazia) since the days of Imperial Russia. It joined Georgia during the Russian Revolution because it (unlike North Ossetia) supported the Mensheviks. However, it is not, and has never been, part of Georgia. Although intermarriage is common, South Ossetians are a distinct community, ethnically, politically, and religiously, with strong affinity with their Russian neighbour. South Ossetians hold Russian passports, although they speak their own language (Ossetic, an Indo-Aryan language related to Iranian).

So, when Georgia attacked South Ossetia, Russia responded to defend its citizens (and, undoubtedly, to kick Saakashvili's ass around the field as a message to other nations in its "sphere of influence" that they'd better not mess with The Bear).

The Israeli military advisors who were training the Georgian army were amazed at Saakashvili's decision to tangle with South Ossetia. He has made a disastrous mess of things, and is responsible for the deaths of all the South Ossetians and Georgians in this conflict. He really should be taken in chains to the Hague and charged with war crimes. Unfortunately, stupidity is not a crime, or that could be added to the count as well. Ha'aretz is quite blunt in its assessment of the situation:

Saakashvili's statements are part of his government's attempt to bring other countries into its war against Russia. During the briefing, Saakashvili noted that he is in constant contact with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He promised that U.S. warships would be docking in Georgian ports within a few days to make sure they remain open.

Apparently, the Pentagon has different ideas.

"We do not need nor do we intend to take over any air or seaports in order to deliver humanitarian assistance to those caught in this conflict," said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell on Wednesday.

If it wasn't obvious before, it clearly is now. Saakashvili is doing his best to drag other countries, beginning with the US, into his war. Someone needs to take him out to the barn and administer six or ten of the best with the Golden Bat o'Clue(tm). His situpon should be rendered unsittable-upon for a few weeks. How dare he presume to get not just his own countrymen but total strangers killed for the sake of his ego? Who does he think he is, George Bush?

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