Robert Parry: NYT Whites Out Ukraine’s Brown Shirts

[MFrohike]

55. That's just dumb

"If you don't argue against every instance of x, then all your arguments against x in a given situation are invalid."

One size fits all! Don't worry about particular circumstances, just be mindlessly consistent! Damn, man, that sounds like the philosophy of a WW1 general, not a thinking human being. That's just an unbelievably stupid, and dishonest, line of argument.

As for the specific situation under discussion, it's quite possible to be concerned with far right militias in Ukraine vs. far right militias in the US. Why? For starters, the ones in Ukraine are backed by the government, which is backed by the US. Except possibly on a local level, I don't know of any systematic program to aid right-wing militias in the US. In fact, I'm well aware of multiple federal and state agencies that consider that particular group of people to be both hostile and dangerous. Given that, I am stumped as to why you'd bring up militias in the US except to deflect the discussion from Ukraine.

As for why someone could be hesitant, or even opposed, to the current intervention in Ukraine, there are reasons that don't involve Mr. Snowden or your pointless namechecking of Mr. Orwell. For instance, a person might consider that Europe is in very bad shape. Does pushing a conflict between Europe and Russia help that situation? Does it help Germany, considered the strongest economy in the region, to largely cut off trade with one of its largest trading partners? Ultimately, what do you gain in Ukraine?

Anyway, unlike most on this board, I haven't picked a team on this issue. I think American involvement will be problematic (for us) at best and the potential gains minimal. I'm not worried about Putin rolling across Europe, as is so often implied on this board, because the old Red Army is dead. He doesn't have the manpower or the resources. He's a problem on his borders, at most. This pathetic imitation of Cold War forms on DU is ridiculous. I've seen the domino theory, now applied to Putin, trotted out daily by people I'm sure who would mock the same if discussed in the context of Vietnam. I've seen HUAC style tactics ("Are you now or have you ever been...&quot pushed by proponents of a Ukrainian intervention. That one makes me a bit sick. If you sound like Tricky Dick, you're clearly doing it wrong.