Michael Travis: Volleyball, Democracy, & War

RAW: Russian Airstrike Against Civilian Area (Plus Aftermath)

(9 August 2008) A Russian jet bombed a civilian area in Ossetia. Scenes include aftermath of bombing and show wounded civilians walking around aimlessly, visibly stunned.

Volleyball, Democracy, & War

By Michael Travis

8/10/2008

Overshadowed by the dazzling spectacle of the Olympic games in Beijing, the all out war between Russia and Georgia has received scant coverage and analysis in the North American media. America's enemies however, have forsaken the broadcasts of table-tennis and competitive line-dancing, giving their undivided attention to what they view as far better sport; the defeat of "Team America" at the hand of the undisputed champion of international discord, Russia.

According to the Red Cross, Georgian and Ossetian civilians are seeking safe haven in Turkey, a move that has caused the Turkish government to reassess its stalled bid for NATO membership. In a week that has seen General David Petraeus pledging more military equipment and specialised training for the Hizballah-dominated Lebanese government, U.S. State Dept. negotiations with the Iranian leadership in Geneva, and Presidential kow-towing to the Communist regime in China, you can bet the bank that Japan, Taiwan, Israel, and Eastern Europe's new NATO members, are becoming very nervous indeed.

Under advisement from the U.S. State Department, and U.S. military advisors on the ground in Tbilisi, the Georgian government has undertaken a unilateral ceasefire in the South Ossetian region. Russia's response has been to demand a complete withdrawal (unconditional surrender) of all Georgian forces from the region. Reports on Al Jazeera and Russian television of [black] U.S. mercenaries found amongst the dead in the South Ossetian battleground have sent a very clear message to Russia's clients in Iran and Syria; While the United States has shown itself to be a paper tiger, adverse to defending its friends and allies, the Russian bear remains a power without equal, able to impose its will upon any and all foes. The Political Correctness, and subservience to the agenda of a Globalist "International Community" that is the cornerstone of U.S. Foreign policy, has provided fresh stimulus for Russia's quest to reclaim its position as a world power to be accommodated and feared.

Lasha Zhvania, head of the Georgian Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, has likened the Russian war against Georgia to "Tisha B'Av", the historic destruction of the first and second Jewish Temples, and "the saddest day in Jewish history". Tisha B'Av set the stage for almost 2,000 years of expulsions, persecution, and genocide against the Jewish people. In an era that sees an ambitious Russian government once again aligned with some of history's most bloodthirsty regimes and Islamic movements, Zhvania's observation should be taken very seriously.

As Jews fast on this 9^th day of Av, and the American President joins the "Global Village" in watching a volleyball game, the brutal forces of tyranny and violence are consolidating their hold on humanity.

In the Philippines, Islamic fighters with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front are fighting pitched battles within Christian villages in North Cotabato province.

American tourists are murdered in the streets of Beijing, as the "International Community" bows deeply to the brutal Communist regime in China.

The de facto Hizballah government in Lebanon anticipates the delivery of more U.S. Military equipment to add to its already burgeoning arsenal of Iranian and Russian weaponry. With surface to surface, surface to air, and anti-ship missile emplacements in operation, Iran's proxy army is prepared to launch devastating attacks against Israeli population centers. The new American weapons can be considered frosting on the terrorist's cake.

Iran of course, is in the final stages of preparation for a nuclear attack against Israel, and quite likely, the United States as well.

Georgia? It's in flames. (But hey! The U.S. Team won in volleyball!)

Without a clearly stated foreign policy, backed by a determined military command, standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies, American credibility is doomed. With the demise of our perceived credibility and traditional sphere of influence, attacks against U.S. interests abroad, and terror operations on American soil are inevitable. Negotiating with terrorists, and enabling despotic regimes under the dubious banner of "Democratization" has put American lives in peril and set the stage for more regional conflicts. Remember, Russia, Iran, and Lebanon are all "vibrant democracies", and represent America's deadliest enemies.

If democracy, in essence, means the abolition of class domination, then why should not a socialist minister charm the whole bourgeois world by orations on class collaboration?

Lenin, "Dogmatism And 'Freedom of Criticism'" (1901)

Oy.

Michael Travis is a Intelligence analyst who has written for defence journals in the U.K., Europe, and Israel. He is currently a senior analyst for a U.S. based corporation.

Michael can be reached at: Letters@canadafreepress.com