by Stephen Lendman

For the first time since WW II, overt fascists hold real power in Europe. They hold major government posts.

They menace regional stability. They threaten world peace. Ukraine is Exhibit A.

Olexander Turchynov is illegitimate coup-appointed putschist president/parliament chairman.

He's Ukrainian armed forces commander-in-chief. He's Batkivshchyna/All-Ukrainian Union/Fatherland party deputy chairman.

He's militantly fascist. He deplores democracy. He prioritizes hardline rule. He tolerates no opposition.

He hyped the Big Lie. He did so to create a nonexistent enemy.

He did it to generate fear. He acted to enlist greater Western support. Washington provides plenty. So do rogue EU allies. Turchynov wants more.

On April 30, the state-controlled Ukrainian News Agency headlined "Turchynov: Donetsk Region Situation Beyond Control." It quoted him saying:

"Today the government in (Donetsk) does not control the situation, like in some other parts of Donetsk Region."

Ukrainian forces are on full alert, he added. He hyped a nonexistent "threat of a Russian invasion."

He lied claiming Moscow intends "a continental war against Ukraine." He urged expediting the creation of regional militias.

"We must have the capability to move those units fast to support other regions against such a threat," he stressed.

He hired foreign mercenaries. He deployed neo-Nazi Right Sector thugs. He ordered them to attack peaceful protesters.

He plans much more of the same. He enjoys full US support and encouragement.

He threatens to turn Eastern Ukraine into a cauldron of violence. He's unable to control things, he says.

He lied calling courageous/activist/Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters "terrorists."

"Our primary task is to prevent the spread of the terrorist threat to other regions of Ukraine," he said.

He turned truth on its head about fascist-instigated Maidan violence. He claimed "as we know from (its) experience, the use of force is inefficient."

"That's the situation we faced in the eastern regions," he said. He called legitimate anti-Kiev resistance "treason."

He faces growing opposition. Potentially in his own backyard. On April 29, fascist extremists and Maidan self-defense elements clashed.

Massive fighting erupted. Gunfire and explosions followed.

Radicalized extremists used guns, tear gas, bats and sticks. Ambulances rushed to help victims.

Last Sunday, ultranationalists rallied in Lvov. They commemorated the anniversary of the Galician Ukrainian SS division's formation.

During WW II, it fought Soviet Russia for Nazi Germany. Its extremist elements murdered hundreds of Polish men, women and children.

Ukrainian crisis conditions potentially head toward spinning out-of-control. Earlier articles discussed Obama's latest imperial trophy. If he can keep it, they said.

He's got a tiger by the tail. Growing opposition rejects Kiev putschists. Eastern activism potentially could spread west. Civil war could follow.

Ukrainian military and other security forces could join both sides. Turchynov's comments suggest desperation.

Perhaps he'll hang by his own petard. Maybe fascist cohorts will hang with him. Maybe ordinary Ukrainians have a chance prevail.

Perhaps Obama's Ukrainian gambit will prove overreach. Maybe right can triumph over might. If not now, maybe later.

Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters are a model to emulate. They're the best and bravest. They can teach dismissive Americans plenty. They have lots to learn.

They forgot earlier lessons lost. Grassroots activism ended centuries of slavery. Labor rights were won. So were human and civil rights.

Waned energy lost them. Wage slaves replaced chattel ones. Rank and file workers lost everything generations of struggles gained. Civil and human rights are disappearing altogether.

Regaining them demands working for what's too important to forego. Doing so takes sustained longterm struggle.

The battle for Ukraine's soul just started. Americans haven't begun to fight. Wishing doesn't win struggles. Sustained commitment is needed.

Ukrainian freedom fighters know what it takes. They're in it for the long haul. They put their bodies on the line for freedom. Not possible any other way.

Earlier US activists understood. Current ones have lots to learn. Changing things depend on it. What better time than now to start.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

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