My dream job - CC judge.
Besides the cool robe and the great jewelry.

Do nothing for months - not a single decision in 8 mos.
When forced into a judgement - postpone (after holidays good enough even though national crisis) and postpone again! (citing undue influence and pressure) (next time will argue - they are no pens avail.)
Come up with really funky decisions - like Kuchma's third term as Pres. was actually his first!
Ah life as a jurist.

But best of all would be Parliamentarian - so dedicated they continue to come to work even after they are 'fired'. And so easy - just keep eye on Chechetov to know how to vote. And immune from any and all prosecution - what's not to like?

I wanna be a Pasha, sorry Potentate, sorry meant to say Parliamentarian.

I certainly do not want to be President!
Why would I want to do deal with the ones who put the word 'fracticious' into 'fractions'?

-------------
Interesting word change - no longer is there talk of commands "команди" but entrenched camps "табори".

Tymoshenko said they weren't getting paid enough

Of course they are not - but with reasons beyond Coalition being tightfisted. If they got real spare change, some would get drunk and it would not look good for the media as well as events have not transpired to set that fuse alight (not yet anyway.)

----
share free food with the Blue visitors

All talk of political tourists aside, they are not visitors but defenders of the PM which have descended on the city. (And I don't think anyone is starving - going hungry yes. But 10-20% of the entire pop. is malnourished.) Being amenable and co-existing peaceably has been occurring but these people are in town to intentionally prop up a regime which threatens to deny Ukrainian democracy turning it into fascism. And ANY succor would be used to buoy the Coalition and spun into - see the city residents support us.

Let's face it - why Maidan? if they are living in tents in Marinsky Palace Park? It is an intentional choice which sends its message across on so many diff. levels (territory, meaning, replacing memories and associations, this is where web cameras are in view, ...)

Elections might be in Oct.?
Horsetrading going on - and amazing that the RU delegation arrived in Kyiv. Normally they would prefer not to be visible.

So as elections are coming !
Let's talk language (forget real issues like комуналнi послуги or employement.)
(article on how English dominates bus. education)
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/10/europe/engbiz.php

I can imagine the uproar if education in eng. was pushed.

I don't know, IIU, seems like life on the lower courts would not be so bad - all the bribes you can collect.

Plus, you get to sign decrees invalidating Presidential directives, which are already being considered by the Constitutional Court.

About 3 of these lower court decisions have popped up already.

I wonder what the going bribe is to invalidate Presidential decrees?

Boy, the maneuvering and squirming that is going on to avoid elections, by the Party of Rossiya, is amazing. It just gets worse and worse.

From reinstating the old Election Commission, complete with the guy who was found to have committed election fraud, to now - putting out the word that "they just can't get ready in time to have elections by March 27 - they'll have to be in October."

Kind of odd, since the PR is pushing simultaneous Presidential elections, PLUS a referendum on NATO, and the March 27 deadline did not seem to be a problem for that.

I just remembered a video, from before, or just slightly after, the April 2 presidential decree disbanding parliament, on Channel 5, when a reporter asked one of the Yanuk supporters who had been bused into Kyiv what he was there for.

"To vote for Yanukovych."

Question: "Are there elections?" (Of course, at that time, there were not)

Reply: "Just to vote for Yanukovych."

Maybe that guy was a little early, but apparently he knew something that the rest of us did not.

On the Yulka front, her web site shows a poll of 378 students, with her winning some astronomical percentage of the vote.

I guess that's good enough for her, apparently, to decide that she can go it alone.

If she does, that's clearly opposite to what she was saying before.

A judge in a lower court? Hmmmm. But you can 'buy' them for so little - $1k. And you still have to do work. Nah - much better be a seat warmer on CC.


"Kind of odd, since .."

Great point which u made :)))
Coming up with one vote - Impossible!
but coming up with multiple ballots combining both elections and referendum. Easy!

Gotta love it!

Oh the gloriously spun rumours!
Get this technique - interview someone regarding the events in Ukraine and then publ. their words (opinion) as the 'final word' because it is line with Coalition 'propaganda'. Using 'would u care to comment' or 'speculation' as gospel and then running around and going but so-and-so said ...

Darn it - where is that mike?

The face of PoR jurist brilliance acknowledges that there are "holes" in the legal codes (and that's just the way they like it.) But when directly asked, where is the money coming from to pay for the Coalition demonstrators? Talked right past the question, volubly speaking but saying nothing. Obviously, she has a great career political career ahead of her.

------
Next - deputies might barricade themselves in the Parliament.
http://5.ua/newsline/266//39557/

Moroz continues wigging out and the RU delegation sat in on the events in Rada. (I am not sure if they are there to calm him down or arm him.)

What's the point of locking themselves in?

The Coalition of Judases is the only going there anyway - well, except for the Russian Duma, of course.

So - let's do everything possible to kick and scream and moan and groan and fuss and bribe to avoid elections.

But - let's let the Austrian prime minister, or the Russian Duma, or a PACE reporter, solve all of our problems.


Let's let flag waving on Mariyinsky and Independence solve our problems.


Let's sort of pretend to prepare for elections - just in case, because we've said that if the Constitutional Court rules that the President's decree is legal - we will abide by it.

These people are LUNATICS, and Moroz clearly is wigging out.


One really telling thing - when Yanuk had has press conference, about 56 minutes into it, he started talking about how he had been elected president, and how he had nevertheless abided by the decision of the court regarding presidential elections.

He lost his composure, for the first time that I've ever seen, and was very clearly choking on his words at that point, visibly upset. Stupid of him to bring it up.

He should stick to playing guitar.

I still haven't figured out what his son does in the Rada - do they have billiards tables in there?

That Channel 5 news story about the deputies threatenting to barricade themselves in is funny.

"We love democracy so much, that we will do everything we can to use force to keep our seats and our power and wealth."

Very democratic of them.


The Russian Duma were seated as guests.

And now we know why - because, let's face it, when you vote for the Party of Rossiya, you are actually electing the Russian Duma.


Only now it has become exceedingly clear!!!

Maybe the British Parliament should also invite the Russian Duma to sit in on their sessions?

Well, no doubt they are opponents, paid advocates for an unjust order and whatever charity would be spun by their leaders, but I think that is of less concern than trying to change their hearts.

You say you wish there was news media that would give these people better info on what's really going on, but that seems to be wishful thinking for right now. So if you want these people's perceptions of Kyev and Orangites to change, perhaps the best way would be thru hospitality?

I'm sorry, it is just an idea and I know it's easy for me to say such when I'm here far away from Ukraine. I'll just keep such to myself and observe what you and Elmer have to write...

dlw

I agree with the hospitality concept though mine would consistent of American Red Cross, Traveller's Aid Society and Lutsenko on a pulpit.

You take care of them, help them and educate them all in one throw.

Which would be shut down before even finished unpacking flyers! by whom? The militia.

dlw - The militia are physically standing between protestors in order to "protect" the people. And protect from what? that's right protect them from each other but why do so? What is to fear? Conversations? like the ones that went on at the OR? and people went aha but I am for that too - better life, work opportunities, free and independent Ukraine, etc.

Tymoshenko & Kyrylenko spoke on a political talk show on a state run tv channel - very pop. channel in the East and guess what - the political talk show is no more. Not just the episode the whole show. Bye bye producers.

I agree that it would be great if "Welcome to Kyiv" tour would happen rather rally.

What did the PACE reporter really say?

Well, look here.

http://eng.maidanua.org/node/711



It turns out that the PACE reporter did NOT give any legal opinion about the President's decree after all.

Gor blimey' I missed Yanu going into 'meltdown'.

Never will I forgive myself! What must his American handlers must have done. (I wonder if they have a pet phrase for this occurence - kinda like - oops he's doing a Yanu! quick end the press conference. And then berate him for not sticking to the script and Absolutely NO adlibbing (smoking allowed).)

elmer - the psychic wound that PoR and Yanukovych personally experienced with the Pres. elections of 2004 is a deep deep deep one. And they cannot get over it. They just can't and don't want to because they have not gotten their own back.

And Yanu's son for me, is a question mark. Remember no great man is 'great' to their own family. He is just a regular guy at home, just a dad. Nazariyev (deceased leader of Turkmenistan) sent his son out of the country to avoid problems while the head of Mittal steel grooms his son to enter into the dynasty. Families can be trickier than politics or companies.

elmer - what is the point of the mp's barricading themeslves - easy - create conditions that seem on the surface to be close to Russia Yeltsin 1993. Ukrainians will then react negatively to the Pres.

Power of the seal (pechatka)
BYuT charges that Minister Lavrunovych is blocking the electoral procedure and threatening criminal charges. The Minister issued the order to not stamp the documents for the vote.

http://5.ua/newsline/266//39575/

Well, IIU, you know the situation better than I do and what is and isn't possible. Maybe, individual orangers can individually buy a Yanuk supporter a beer or something and talk about matters. It doesn't have to be some big formal matter...

I am glad to see the PACE person correcting how her words were spun. The more I read, the more the situation sounds hairy and quite a bit nervewracking...

I updated people about what was going on in Ukraine, today and so yes I think the US is aware of what's going on. I hope Bush is willing to do more than just push for acceptance of Ukraine and Georgia into NATO.
dlw

I know nothing - I'm from Barcelona! (youd only get the reference if u r a Fawlty Towers fan.)

I watched Fawlty towers many years ago some, but not enough apparently...

This guy has a thoughtful economic perspective on the matter...
http://rationalred.blogspot.com/2007/04/thoughts-on-situation-in-ukraine.html

dlw

well, on a closer read, it definitely is a marxist perspective and quite xenophobic about the purported western domination of Ukraine. If we in the West bought Yuschenko, I think we shd get our money back...

dlw

Here are some fruits. I just got this email response...

"Thanks very much - very helpful.




Christa Case
European news editor
The Christian Science Monitor
One Norway Street
Boston, MA 02115
617.450.2415
casec@csps.com

----------
From: DLW
Sent: Friday, April 6, 2007 12:39 AM
To: OpEd
Subject: Reporting on Ukraine.

Responding to: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0406/p07s01-woeu.html

I recommend that you direct more attention to blogs, as english news from Ukraine is quite restrained as the freedom of the press has declined in the past year.

Foreign Notes, Orange Ukraine, Neeka's BackLog, Abdymok, Ukrainia or Taras Kuzio's blog are reasonable blogs that often translate from Ukraine to English and demonstrate a better knowledge of what's going on in Ukraine than most english news media.

dlw "

So, it seems my proposed strategy of writing western newspapers and blogs may be paying off...

dlw

IIU - Help me.

Is it Yeltsin in Russia in 1993?

Of is it Yugoslavia of not too long ago?

Because the way these guys keep spitting out propaganda nonsense, it's hard to keep up and reconcile.

They seem to be saying anything that comes to mind, and they seem not to care if they are not making sense or contradicting themselves.