BROWN TIMELINE

BROWN TIMELINE
The President and Crew put a lot of pressure on events in Ferguson, some would argue causing a boiling kettle to boil over. The following timeline draws heavily from Newsweek, however I have filled in the details from other sources. Feel free to share.


AUGUST 9th
While driving a police SUV, Wilson encounters Brown and a friend of Brown walking down the street about midday. Accounts differ but witnesses agree there was a confrontation and Wilson fired multiple shots at Brown, killing him. Autopsies found that Brown had been shot at least six times.

Aug. 12th
President Barack Obama calls for reflection and promises a U.S. Justice Department investigation. Brown's father urges an end to the violence.

Statement by the President on the Passing of Michael Brown:

"The death of Michael Brown is heartbreaking, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family and his community at this very difficult time.  As Attorney General Holder has indicated, the Department of Justice is investigating the situation along with local officials, and they will continue to direct resources to the case as needed.  I know the events of the past few days have prompted strong passions, but as details unfold, I urge everyone in Ferguson, Missouri, and across the country, to remember this young man through reflection and understanding.  We should comfort each other and talk with one another in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.  Along with our prayers, that’s what Michael and his family, and our broader American community, deserve."

Aug. 14th
After complaints of heavy-handed police tactics, Governor Jay Nixon puts the Missouri Highway Patrol in charge of security, led by Captain Ron Johnson, an African-American from the area. Protests are boisterous but peaceful.

This is PRIOR to the release of the name of Officer Wilson...

Nixon says the security will be overseen by Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Johnson, who is black, said he grew up in the community and "it means a lot to me personally that we break this cycle of violence."

FROM KCTV-5:

"Johnson said the community, state and even the nation "are looking for law enforcement leadership that serves the citizens," and every interaction with citizens will be done with the utmost of respect. "I understand the anger and fear that the citizens of Ferguson are feeling, and our police officers will respect both of those," Johnson said. Nixon promised a "different tone" in dealing with protests and issues in the coming days than has been seen. "We need to dim that acceleration," he said.

He said one way toward doing that is to expeditiously release the name of the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown Jr., while ensuring the officer receives proper security protection.
"I would hope that the appropriate release of that name with the security around it to make sure thatthere is no additional of violence be done as expeditiously as possible," he said. "I think it would be an important milestone here to get that out as expeditiously as possible."

Aug. 15th
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson identifies Wilson as the officer who shot Brown. Jackson releases security video of a strong-arm robbery at a convenience store minutes before the shooting that shows Brown shoving a store clerk. Jackson says later that Wilson's stop of Brown was unrelated to the robbery.

Aug. 16th 
Gov. Nixon declares a state of emergency and sets a curfew.

From Washington Times: 

"Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon pleaded for peaceful protests in Ferguson ahead of the grand jury’s announcement later this evening on whether Officer Darren Wilson will be indicted for the shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown. “Our shared hope and expatiation is that people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint,” Mr. Nixon said. “Together we are all focused to make sure that the necessary resources are at hand to protect lives, to protect business and to protect free speech,” he said.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to plan and be prepared for any contingency, it is necessary to have these resources in place in advance of any announcement of the grand jury’s decision,” Mr. Nixon said in a press release last week. “We will protect your right to peacefully assemble and speak your mind … But turning violent and damaging property will not be tolerated,” Mr. Slay said."

Aug. 17th 
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder orders the Justice Department to conduct its own autopsy on Brown. Gunfire rings out during protests and police disperse demonstrators with tear gas.

From Reuters:

"The autopsy report, obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and published on its website, suggested Brown sustained a gunshot wound to the hand from close range and came as a grand jury considered whether Wilson should face charges. "The department considers the selective release of information in this investigation to be irresponsible and highly troubling," Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said.

"Since the release of the convenience store footage there seems to be an inappropriate effort to influence public opinion about this case," Iverson added, referring to the Ferguson police department's release of video shortly after the shooting that showed a robbery at a nearby convenience store, although it did not specifically link Brown at the time to the footage.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder expressed frustration with local officials investigating the incident as the Justice Department also conducts a federal investigation, according to a department official. In a meeting with Justice Department lawyers on Wednesday, Holder said he was "exasperated" by the "selective flow of information coming out of Missouri" and called the leaks "inappropriate and troubling," the official said."

Aug. 18th 
Nixon lifts the curfew and sends the National Guard to Ferguson. The Brown family releases results of a private autopsy

Aug. 20th 
A St. Louis County grand jury begins hearing evidence

Aug 23rdFerguson Protester Confronts Jesse Jackson: "When You Going To Stop Selling Us Out?"

In a video obtained by the website Western Journalism, Jesse Jackson is stopped and confronted by at least two protesters at a McDonalds in Ferguson, Missouri who criticize his lack of involvement on the ground and his position in the black community. The protesters were talking through the passenger window of a car as Jackson was being chauffeured around.

"You've been marching all day long? We haven’t seen you marching all day long. Are you going to pay the bond of those brothers that’s been locked up?" the man asked Jackson "Are you marching today with us, or are you just going to sit in the car?" another man said. "We ain't seen you," the first man said. "When you going to stop selling us out, Jesse? We don’t want you here in St. Louis. When you going to stop selling us out, Jesse?" Jackson remained silent throughout the ordeal.

Opportunist Jesse Jackson Asks For Donations In Ferguson, And Protesters Have None Of It

Whenever any race-related incident happens anywhere in America, you can be sure that The Reverend Jesse Jackson will soon show up.And show up he did in Ferguson, Missouri. The founder of Rainbow/PUSH coalition got on the bullhorn to speak with protesters… until they just about ran him out of town.According to reports and from witnesses on Twitter, Jackson asked protesters for donations for his church. This may be a new low for Jesse Jackson. Maybe he should save his pandering for a more appropriate setting."

Aug 26th
Michael Brown buried, Al Sharpton presides at funeral

From Talking Points Memo:

"Rev. Al Sharpton delivered a nuanced eulogy Monday at the funeral for Michael Brown, a fiery speech that was one part a critique of overzealous policing and one part a candid commentary on problems in the black community. Quick: Which part do you think Fox News played up?

Never mind that there was plenty in Sharpton's stemwinder that should have pleased Fox's biggest star, Bill O'Reilly, who for years has harangued black people to eradicate what he deems as social and cultural ills in their community.

"Blackness has never been about being a gangster or thug," Sharpton said in the eulogy for the 18-year-old who was killed by a white police officer earlier this month in Ferguson, Mo. "Blackness was no matter how low we was pushed down, we rose up anyhow." He continued with that theme, even denouncing what he described as "ghetto pity parties."

Sharpton:
Blackness was never surrendering our pursuit of excellence. It was when it was against the law to go to some schools, we built black colleges and learned anyhow. When we couldn't go downtown to church we built our own AME church, and our church of God and Christ. We never surrendered, we never gave up, and now we get to the 21st century, we get to where we got some positions of power. And you decide it ain't black no more to be successful. Now you wanna be a nigga and call your woman a ho, you lost where you come from.

We've got to clean up our community so we can clean up the United States of America! Rev. Al, you don't understand what they doin' to us. I understand. But I understand that nobody gonna help us if we don't help ourselves. Sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves won't solve our problems. Sitting around having ghetto pity parties rather than organizing and strategizing and putting our differences aside. Yes, we got young and old. Yes, we got things that we don't like about each other, but it's bigger than our egos. It's bigger than everybody. We need everybody because I'm gonna tell you, I don't care how much money you got, I don't care what position you hold. I don't care how much education you got. If we can't protect a child walking down the street in Ferguson, and protect him, and bring justice, all you got don't matter to nobody but you!

Some conservative commentators picked up on this. The Washington Examiner's Byron York noticed the rhetoric, writing about Sharpton's "serious moral hectoring of black people" in a column published Tuesday. Former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough, Sharpton's colleague at MSNBC, praised the eulogy, saying that the civil rights leader delivered a "strong statement" to the black community."

Sept. 3th
Nixon lifts the Ferguson state of emergency

Sept. 4th
U.S. Justice Department announces civil investigation of Ferguson police

From STL Today: 

"In a press conference at the Justice Department headquarters, Holder stressed how both his own experience with law enforcement, as well as interactions with Ferguson residents on the Aug. 20 visit, had weighed on the decision to launch the broader investigation. Holder was both praised and criticized for making the trip while tension ran high.

“I think the trip was invaluable for my own perspective to have obtained in a very personal way a sense of what the situation was there, by interacting with residents of Ferguson, by speaking to the investigators who were involved in the ongoing investigation,” Holder said. The Post-Dispatch reported in the wake of the Brown shooting that since 1997, 21 law enforcement agencies around the country — starting with Pittsburgh and ranging from East Haven, Conn., to Los Angeles — have signed consent agreements to improve policing after Justice Department investigations.

Holder has stepped up the pace of investigations of local police, with twice as many as any predecessor, according to the Washington Post. The Post has reported that at least 34 departments are now being investigated. Holder said he did not think Thursday’s announcement would influence St. Louis County’s investigation of the shooting, or the grand jury that has been hearing evidence on it. “One should not draw a connection between what we are doing today and … what the grand jury is considering,” Holder said. “These are separate matters.”

Brown family attorney Benjamin Crump issued a statement saying the family was “encouraged” by the broader, departmental investigation. “We believe that transparency in law enforcement is the only way to build trust in the community, not just in the killing of Michael Brown, but for others who have suffered as well,” the statement said. “That is why we are advocating for the use of body cameras for law enforcement around the country. We can’t have another young man’s life taken amid murky circumstances.”"

Oct 24th
Holder Justice Dept "exasperated" by local probe of shooting

From Reuters:

"The autopsy report, obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and published on its website, suggested Brown sustained a gunshot wound to the hand from close range and came as a grand jury considered whether Wilson should face charges. "The department considers the selective release of information in this investigation to be irresponsible and highly troubling," Justice Department spokeswoman Dena Iverson said.

"Since the release of the convenience store footage there seems to be an inappropriate effort to influence public opinion about this case," Iverson added, referring to the Ferguson police department's release of video shortly after the shooting that showed a robbery at a nearby convenience store, although it did not specifically link Brown at the time to the footage.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder expressed frustration with local officials investigating the incident as the Justice Department also conducts a federal investigation, according to a department official. In a meeting with Justice Department lawyers on Wednesday, Holder said he was "exasperated" by the "selective flow of information coming out of Missouri" and called the leaks "inappropriate and troubling," the official said."

Oct. 23rd
Amnesty International Releases New Ferguson Report Documenting Human Rights Abuses

"Following the initial protests in Ferguson, Missouri sparked by the shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown, Amnesty International USA dispatched a human rights delegation which included observers to monitor the protests and police response.

Today, the human rights organization has released a new report, On the Streets of America: Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson, documenting the human rights concerns witnessed first-hand by Amnesty International while in Ferguson from August 14-22, 2014. The report also outlines a series of recommendations that need to be implemented with regards to the use of force by law enforcement officers and the policing of protests.

This weekend, human rights activists are gathering in St. Louis for Amnesty International USA’s 2014 Midwest Regional Conference.

“What Amnesty International witnessed in Missouri on the ground this summer underscored that human rights abuses do not just happen across borders and oceans,” said Steven W. Hawkins, executive director of Amnesty International USA.

“No matter where you live in the world, everyone is entitled to the same basic rights as a human being – and one of those rights is the freedom to peacefully protest. Standing on W. Florissant Avenue with my colleagues, I saw a police force, armed to the teeth, with military-grade weapons. I saw a crowd that included the elderly and young children fighting the effects of tear gas. There must be accountability and systemic change that follows this excessive force.”"

Nov. 11th

Nixon says violence will not be tolerated if demonstrations follow grand jury announcement in Brown shooting.

Nov. 17th

Nixon declares a state of emergency, allowing him to call up National Guard in advance of a grand jury announcement. President Obama tells protesters to "stay the course" 

From Daily Caller:

President Barack Obama told national civil rights leaders he wanted to see protests in Ferguson, Mo., “staying on course” in the lead-up to the highly anticipated grand jury ruling on the fate of police officer Darren Wilson. When Obama met with a group of civil rights activists including Rev. Al Sharpton at the White House on Nov. 5, the day after his party’s defeat in the midterm elections, he expressed his commitment to keeping the protests in Ferguson “on course.”

Sharpton said Obama “was concerned about Ferguson staying on course in terms of pursuing what it was that he knew we were advocating. He said he hopes that we’re doing all we can to keep peace,” according to the 21st paragraph of a New York Times article.

Ebola Czar: An Odd Choice

We are facing a crisis of epic proportions, and a danger unlike any we have ever seen before. A deadly disease that has never before been seen on American soil is spreading. Fear has consumed the American population, and we have more questions than answers. 

A good start is: where the hell is the Surgeon General? Well, the last one resigned. And right now, we have an ACTING Surgeon General, who also happens to be a career naval officer. His name is Rear Admiral (RADM) Boris D. Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H. Why is this not the man being presented as leading the nations fight against Ebola? Let's be honest here. He's a navy man. And this President and his Administration have been more than hostile to our men in uniform, firing generals who may disagree with administration policy. So it's no surprise the acting Surgeon General has been silenced.

So why hasn't the position been filled you might ask? Simple. Instead of a medical doctor, who has professional experience in educating people and professionals about health care, this President nominated a man who created an organization called "Doctors for Obama" (which later changed it's name to "Doctors for America") and showed signs he intended to turn gun ownership into some sort of mental deficiency, so his nomination was rightly blocked.

The man currently leading the fight against Ebola, CDC Director Tom Frieden, is another policy expert. Remember the fight in NYC over Big Gulp Sodas? Thank Tom Frieden. Tom is such a failure though, someone else has to step up to calm the nation, or whatever the hell it is they are actually trying to do, and the acting Surgeon General, being a loyal American, and a Navy Man, he's out... so what do we do now? An EBOLA Czar! Yes! Another Czar!

But that would be ok, right? As long as we get someone qualified! A doctor! There are tons of great medical professionals in America... this could be a major opportunity to protect our children and families....and....wait....he choose who?

A LAWYER? A FORMER LOBBYIST? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME?!?

Ron Klain has been announced as the Ebola Czar. Klain is as far into the inner Democratic circle as anyone even can be. Associate Council to Bill Clinton in Janet Reno's Justice Department, a Former Chief of Staff to Al Gore, Chief of staff to Joe Biden... He's also been linked to Gen Wesley Clark's campaign, and has been instrumental in the career of John Kerry. Oh, and he lobbied the Government on behalf of Fannie Mae, helping them overcome "regulatory issues"...

Is he a Doctor? Nope. You've heard of Solyndra right? From Wikipedia:

"Klain apparently signed off on President Obama's support of a $535 million loan guarantee for now-defunct solar-panel company Solyndra. Despite concerns about whether the company was viable, Klain approved an Obama visit, stating, 'The reality is that if POTUS visited 10 such places over the next 10 months, probably a few will be belly-up by election day 2012.'"

An odd choice. God help us all.

You don't end racism by becoming a racist...

Hank Aaron spoke to a reporter and said Obama's critics are like the KKK... This is some of the most racists garbage I have ever heard. Do you REALLY think MLK fought for equal rights for blacks so they could be used to stuff white people onto the plantation? 

You do understand that is EXACTLY where most of this comes from, don't you?

Equality is not enough for some. They don't recognize it, they won't acknowledge it. White or black, they simple choose to be identified by the color of their skin, for better or worse, and will use any means necessary to advance their own agenda. Hank's statements epitomize these kinds of people.

A man who spent his whole life fighting for equality as a professional African American athlete during some of the most divisive times the United States has the gall to label everyone who dislikes this President as a hood wearing, cross burning, member of some cracker backwood lynch mob! You're taking two steps back Hank! You don't END racism by becoming a racist.

In Hanks mind, nothing this President has done that qualifies him for criticism. Despite literally CRAMMING policy after policy, order after order, down the gullet of half this country, choking those who occupy the ever dwindling space called 'Middle America'... "just sit back and take it whitey, you've earned it" says Hank.

Let's be clear here. Hank says, "you oppose the President, you're a racist". So who might that be? Since the President is a Democrat, I guess he would be referring to Republicans? The GOP? Conservatives in General?

So just a couple of fun facts here which I hope might educate Hank who is not only a racist, but an ignorant one at that...

HANK, can you name the one member of Congress who was an ACTUAL KKK Member? Robert Bryd. Democrat.

What about Woodrow Wilson? He was a Progressive that showed the first movie in the White House, which was a pro KKK movie.

President Lyndon Baines Johnson gave a State of the Union Speech in which he and the Democrats, who had until that point done everything humanly possible to oppose any manner of civil rights for blacks, including the filibuster of the civil rights act by noted KKK member and long time democrat Robert Byrd... decided that it was time to stop oppressing blacks, and start "helping them"....

It was the birth of the Modern Progressive Movement, known as "The Great Society"... The speech, by Johnson, was lauded by so called 'liberal do-gooders' and marked the beginning of White Guilt... the individual or collective guilt often said to be felt by some white people for the racist treatment of people of color by whites both historically and presently. On this day, Johnson declared unconditional war on poverty in America.

The poverty level under Obama has broken a 50 year record. 50 years of Progressive social policies and we have MORE poor, not less. Progressive policies have done more to hurt the African American than anything the GOP has dreamed up...

Hank Aaron is an racist. And should be dismissed as such. Get your facts right you ignorant ass.

I'd kill for a good night's sleep...

I hope you will forgive my attempt at levity in the title of today's article/rant. What I have to tell you is deadly serious, and I feel the play on words might help you to remember what I am about to say.

There is nothing more important than a good nights sleep, and million's of Americans turn to prescription sleep aids, like Ambien, in order to accomplish this task.

Most users are aware of the common side effects: sleep walking, sleep driving, and even sleep eating. Some of the over the counter sleep aids can even make you itch and tingle and have the opposite intended effect. The more serious and rare side effects are hardly ever discussed, because if you knew about them you would probably find other ways to secure a peaceful slumber.

Meet 26-year-old Air Force veteran Derek Stansberry. On April 27, 2010, Stansberry boarded Delta Flight 273 from Paris to Atlanta. According to press reports, he passed a note to flight attendants that said, "Forgiveme, I fu***d up, I am sorry... My passports and identity are fake... Please let my family know the truth." CNN reports that he wrote he had brought dynamite aboard in his boots and laptop.

He was taken down by Air Marshall's, the plane diverted to Bangor Maine where, fortunately, no explosives were actually found. Stansberry, an Iraq vet, had just moved to Texas with his wife and baby. Mr. Stansberry was acutely psychotic when he was taken into custody. He told FBI agents that he believed that the passengers were talking about him and that he was being followed. He also told the agents that he had taken Ambien.

In 2006, Rhode Island representative Patrick Kennedy drove to Capitol Hill under Ambien's influence to “vote” at 2:45 a.m. He crashed his car. By 2007, such blackouts were becoming so common the FDA issued warnings about the potential of “complex sleep-related behaviors".

Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and former wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo suffered a "partial seizure" and swerved into a tractor-trailer, then kept driving. Kennedy told police when she was stopped that she may have confused the Ambien with her daily thyroid med.

The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders recently reported Ambien-associated homicides. "This Brief Report presents 2 cases in which concomitant zolpidem [Ambien] and paroxetine [Paxil] use was associated with uncharacteristic, complex acts of violence for which the individuals in question claimed total or partial amnesia. Neither individual had a history of aggressive behavior before killing his or her spouse; both most likely took more than 5 mg of zolpidem on the nights of their offenses."

So it should come as no surprise to you that the gunmen involved in yesterday's shooting at Ft Hood was diagnosed with PTSD, and was prescribed the prescription sleep aid Ambien. And again I ask you, when are we going to have a serious conversation in this country about how medicated we are, and the damage it is doing?

The side effects of Ambien, listed on WebMD, include: severe Depression, severe confusion, strange and unsettling dreams, hallucination, aggressive behavior, extreme sense of 'well being', nervous, anxious, easily annoyed, loss of ones sense of reality.

Are you LISTENING TO ME!?! We are feeding this to people who are already traumatized by WAR! And we stand by shocked when something bad happens.

The pharmaceutical industry served up more than $250 billion worth of sales last year. Do we need all these drugs? Some of them will absolutely yank you back from the brink of certain death. The rest?

 Well I guess you have to ask, what price are you willing to pay for a good nights sleep? Are you ready to kill for it?

End The Ban

We live in a world where Soldiers, trained in armed combat, are prohibited from carrying a firearm on post. Notice, I didn't say "are not required" as if they have an option. I said "prohibited" as in, not even if they want to. 

One of Bill Clinton's first acts as President after taking office in 1993 was to disarm American servicemen on US Military bases... he then proceeded to GUT the US military (by the way)... closing base after base, forcing senior servicemen into retirement in droves.... no wonder he wanted those bases disarmed.

But this was 20 years ago and the world has changed DRAMATICALLY. Our military installations are now targets for terrorism, and still, our soldiers are disarmed at home.

There are two possible reasons for this. One, the military and government are hiding the truth. A decade of war has left our armed forces filled with people who are mentally damaged and pose a danger to themselves or others. I don't believe that by the way. I think our fighting men and women are still some of the most steel nerved and honorable people on the planet. 'Love the solider' even if you 'hate the war' has always been my motto.

The second possible reason our military installations have remained gun free zones? Perhaps something more sinister... destroying morale and readiness or even opening our military bases up to attack from the inside, something we have in fact seen more and more frequently.

MAYBE the pressure of forcing women into combat roles, allowing serious breaks in unit uniformity like turbans, and corn rows, attacks on Christianity on base, gay and lesbian servicemen, maybe all of that is geared toward increasing the pressure within the ranks, at highlighting differences instead of concentrating on unit cohesion... creating the gas filled room only waiting for a spark... and then, in the gun free zone... everyone becomes a target.

I'm not, by the way, saying gays and women and people who wear turbans SHOULDN'T serve. I'm saying that a time tested tradition in the military is the concept of 'unit cohesion' or 'fighting as one'. When the military becomes a hodge podge of personal differences, you destroy unit cohesion and weaken our fighting forces.

In 2009 Muslim Major Nidal Hassan ambushed his fellow soldiers at Ft Hood, killing 13 and wounding 30 others. As a result, the restrictions on carrying a weapon on base were expanded, and still the base has seen a rash of suicides, and now, another attack.

Ask a solider about his or her rifle. What it means to them, what it symbolizes. And now realize we've got troops at Ft Hood who consider that base to be a COMBAT zone, and we have disarmed them. And we wonder why they are struggling. Mass killings where defenseless soldiers had to stand by and watch their friends murdered.

Time after time after TIME murder sprees occur in GUN FREE ZONES, be it movie theater, public malls, or military base.

So right here. Right now. I issue the call: President Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, if you are true Americans, concerned about the safety and security of the men and women who defend this Nation from ALL enemies, foreign AND domestic... end this ban.

Allow our men and women who serve to defend themselves at home. Since we very clearly cannot protect our soldiers from harm, the least we can do is allow them the tools to protect themselves.

Crimea: Russian Language, Russian Heroes, and Russian Culture

Thousands of ethnic Russians in Crimea are protesting against the new Government in Kiev, pulling that nation towards the West. A lot of Russians still live in Crimea, but they aren't alone. Ethnic Ukrainians live in the north, Russians in the south, and a third group called Tatars in the middle. Historians still aren't exactly clear why Russia gave Crimea away in 1954.

Both Russia and the Ukraine were part of the Soviet Union at the time, and it supposedly had something to do with "strengthening brotherly ties"... but one thing is clear: Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intention of letting that "gift" slip too far from his hands. Russia has staged military drills in districts that border Ukraine, a reminder of Russia's armed power, and interest in the region.

Russian Language, Russian Heroes, and Russian Culture

Parts of Crimea including Sevastopol are described as 'little Russia' and activists there have vowed it will remain so, no matter what happens with the rest of Ukraine.

The demonstrations in Crimea serve to display the broad divide in that region, as well as the rest of Ukraine, as part of the country reaches towards the West, with the other group staunchly Pro-Russian. During protests this week, one group waved Ukrainian flags and shouted "Crimea is not Russia," while the other held Russian flags aloft and shouted "Crimea is Russia".

If for no other reason than pride alone, Putin will not let Ukraine slip from the Russian sphere of influence. In 2005 Putin called the fall of the Soviet Union the "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century". To allow Ukraine to turn to the West would make him no better than Mikhail Gorbachev, who presided over the Soviet empire’s dissolution in 1991.

Further fueling what can only be called a cultural and political divide in Crimea, when the Soviet Union dissolved, there was a desire by locals for the region to rejoin Russia, but ultimately Ukrainian and Crimean lawmakers intervened and voted to stay in Ukraine.

And don't forget Yalta. In 1945 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchil (the Allied leaders), and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, met to divide up Europe. That meeting, which laid the groundwork for the Cold War, took place in the Crimean resort of Yalta.

In addition to the historical concerns, there is also the practical issue of the Russian Black Sea Fleet which has called Crimea home for 230 years...Ships and subs based there are just north of Turkey and can reach the Mediterranean to influence the Middle East and the Balkans. 

Sevastopol, the city where the fleet is based, clearly remains significant for Russia. In 2010, Moscow gave Ukraine a good deal on natural gas, partly in exchange for Kiev extending the Russian Navy lease on the base in Ukraine.

But there is another more sinister element to this whole story. The Tatar portion of the Ukrainian population is driving this divide. The Tatar's have an ax to grind with Russia since Stalin ejected them in the 1950's. The Tatar's are of Muslim decent, and as far as the people of Crimea are concerned, this group is seeking a Crimean Muslim state.

This is one dispute that we must stay out of. We cannot destroy US military assets and readiness, as we've allowed Barack Obama to do, and then try and be the World's police. And no one can say with any certainty that we have the right, the will, or the means to do anything other than stay quiet.

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, he's a maverick!

BARACK OBAMA: Let me be perfectly clear, if the chickens like their eggs they can keep their eggs. No chicken will be required to cross the road to surrender her eggs. Period.

JOHN McCAIN: My friends, the chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

HILLARY CLINTON: What difference at this point does it make why the chicken crossed the road.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken.

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white?