And What Would Obama Have Done?
Published in Vzglyad
(Russia) on 12 March 2014
by Dmitriy Belyaev (link to original)
(Russia) on 12 March 2014
by Dmitriy Belyaev (link to original)
Translated from
by Olga Kerzhner.
Edited by Natalie Clager.
When Secretary of State John Kerry said that it’s unthinkable "in the 21st century [to] behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pretext," many clutched their stomachs from laughing.
Because that's what the U.S. has been doing from the beginning of the 21st century – in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya… This does not include those countries where the U.S. is using terrorists to create "revolutions" – Syria, and now Ukraine.
These double standards are the distorting mirror of this multi-faced chimera, which entangled half of the globe in its ideological propaganda to hide traces of its inhumane crimes.
Even though we now know what kind of snipers were shooting at people on the Maidan, it raises an interesting question: What would Obama, or any other U.S. president, do if a “maidan” was organized somewhere in Washington? Well, this has already happened in U.S. history.
I’m referring to the famous Los Angeles riots in 1992. Essentially, it’s simple. Here’s the short version: In early March of 1991, four white cops stopped black Rodney King for speeding. And they beat him.
As you know, racial segregation in the U.S. is a long-standing affair. Slavery in the U.S. was abolished only a few years after we ended serfdom (in 1865 and 1861, respectively). And here it’s worth noting that in 1865 only three-fourths of the states ratified the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery. In Mississippi, which was the last state, this amendment was ratified only in 2013.
Back to the story of the riots. On April 29, 1992, a Los Angeles court acquitted the cops. This led to a mass uprising of the African-American population. As in Kiev’s Maidan, criminal elements (America’s black counterparts of Ukraine’s Right Sector) flooded the city streets. Similarly, everyone looted and torched government buildings.
They created a real hell or "maidan" in downtown Los Angeles. Protesters shot at policemen and journalists (like on the Maidan). Blacks were joined by Latinos, and the 400-member “detachment” tried to storm the police headquarters.
Compared to Yanukovych, U.S. authorities spent much less time thinking. Three days later, on May 2, 1992, they brought the following to Los Angeles:
- 7,300 policemen;
- 1,950 sheriffs;
- 9,975 National Guard members;
- 3,300 members of the military;
- 1,000 FBI agents.
As a result, 15 protesters were killed, several hundred were injured, and 12,000 protesters were captured (i.e. arrested).
Once their local "maidan" was effectively and quickly dispersed, the federal government rushed to quickly hold another court hearing. Two of the initial four cops were found guilty. All four were dismissed from the American police ranks.
The moral of this story is: Do not blame Yanukovych, if you’re the one who is crooked.*
Why is it important to remember this today? Soon it will be 22 years since the Los Angeles riots. Not so much time has gone by that the American leaders have forgotten how they "quickly and effectively" scatter "maidans" at home. Also, let’s not forget how they dispersed the peaceful protesters during the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.
As one of the diplomats correctly pointed out, we need to see Obama’s reaction when, while he’s away from the Oval Office, some Mormon, like Mitt Romney, takes his spot and local fascists set up their own “maidan” on the White House lawn.
*Translator’s note: The author is referring to the Russian proverb, “Don’t blame the mirror if your face is crooked.” In other words, don't blame your own shortcomings on others.
Because that's what the U.S. has been doing from the beginning of the 21st century – in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya… This does not include those countries where the U.S. is using terrorists to create "revolutions" – Syria, and now Ukraine.
These double standards are the distorting mirror of this multi-faced chimera, which entangled half of the globe in its ideological propaganda to hide traces of its inhumane crimes.
Even though we now know what kind of snipers were shooting at people on the Maidan, it raises an interesting question: What would Obama, or any other U.S. president, do if a “maidan” was organized somewhere in Washington? Well, this has already happened in U.S. history.
I’m referring to the famous Los Angeles riots in 1992. Essentially, it’s simple. Here’s the short version: In early March of 1991, four white cops stopped black Rodney King for speeding. And they beat him.
As you know, racial segregation in the U.S. is a long-standing affair. Slavery in the U.S. was abolished only a few years after we ended serfdom (in 1865 and 1861, respectively). And here it’s worth noting that in 1865 only three-fourths of the states ratified the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery. In Mississippi, which was the last state, this amendment was ratified only in 2013.
Back to the story of the riots. On April 29, 1992, a Los Angeles court acquitted the cops. This led to a mass uprising of the African-American population. As in Kiev’s Maidan, criminal elements (America’s black counterparts of Ukraine’s Right Sector) flooded the city streets. Similarly, everyone looted and torched government buildings.
They created a real hell or "maidan" in downtown Los Angeles. Protesters shot at policemen and journalists (like on the Maidan). Blacks were joined by Latinos, and the 400-member “detachment” tried to storm the police headquarters.
Compared to Yanukovych, U.S. authorities spent much less time thinking. Three days later, on May 2, 1992, they brought the following to Los Angeles:
- 7,300 policemen;
- 1,950 sheriffs;
- 9,975 National Guard members;
- 3,300 members of the military;
- 1,000 FBI agents.
As a result, 15 protesters were killed, several hundred were injured, and 12,000 protesters were captured (i.e. arrested).
Once their local "maidan" was effectively and quickly dispersed, the federal government rushed to quickly hold another court hearing. Two of the initial four cops were found guilty. All four were dismissed from the American police ranks.
The moral of this story is: Do not blame Yanukovych, if you’re the one who is crooked.*
Why is it important to remember this today? Soon it will be 22 years since the Los Angeles riots. Not so much time has gone by that the American leaders have forgotten how they "quickly and effectively" scatter "maidans" at home. Also, let’s not forget how they dispersed the peaceful protesters during the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.
As one of the diplomats correctly pointed out, we need to see Obama’s reaction when, while he’s away from the Oval Office, some Mormon, like Mitt Romney, takes his spot and local fascists set up their own “maidan” on the White House lawn.
*Translator’s note: The author is referring to the Russian proverb, “Don’t blame the mirror if your face is crooked.” In other words, don't blame your own shortcomings on others.
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