The Top 40

Putin, and more importantly Russia, is willing to go to war, a very big war, to keep the Crimea. Their interests are emotional not economic. Did we care what the cost was after Pearl Harbor. Hold that thought.

This sort of petty harassment only increases the prospect of war in Europe and North America. Remember, Pearl Harbor itself was the Japanese response to American economic sanctions intended to force Japan out of China.

I don't recall Putin ever being cornered. If he ever is, I'm afraid he would get real nasty.

Gee, be a shame if "unexpectedly", (ie)bitcoin or the like, became the de facto medium of world trade, making SOME banking interests moot.
Be a shame if all those "world economic treaties" collapsed, and made the dollar/Euro as valuable as say...the Peso or Lira.
Or maybe that's the idea in the first place.
Just how "flexable" has (ie)Mr. Obama's (& al.)
New World Order puppet masters instructed him, AND his appointed ones, to be?
This World Class "welfare", with it's constant "broken eggs" approach to "free" omelets for everybody...um...later, has "evolved" from necessary evil to clear and present danger.
Bread and circuses? Oh wait, there's no bread.(or omelets)
But it'll be "different" THIS time, RIGHT?
Better continue to disarm the little people...because...um....the children, "accidents", and "International UN treaties", and stuff.

Wait. Is that because of something Obama did? What is the ambient temperature in Hell right now??

I'm just wondering how it is that president Obama decided it was legal and constitutional to freeze the funds of a private bank without congressional allowance. We're not at war with Russia, the nation isn't even a "rogue state" or associated with the war on terror.

The world is in turmoil, and is a wacky place right now. I read the comment sections here and at some other sites and it's no wonder the world is wacky, there are a lot of nut cases loose these days. Many of them appear to be faithful readers.

Boy I wish the press would back up Bush like this.

Sadly, its just smoke and mirrors to fool us maroons.

Russian Credit Cards don't work so they have to go to their banks?

Oh noes!

Here... Putin ... lemmeee help you turn this valve on the oil pipeline to Europe which supplies it with 32% of its oil needs and flip this switch which snuffs out 38% of Europes Gas needs.

Good thing spring is on its way...

Sorry guys, this article is as much of a joke as the European military. I suggest they start brushing up on their Russian.

@Glenn Lyon

In previous years, I would have agreed with you, Glenn. But it is obvious you are not paying attention.

I suggest you start with reading up on history.

This is an inconvenience, nothing more. The only people who think this is tough are the kind of people who get "war weary" from watching tv.

I wish people could hold more than one thought in their head at the same time. Such as: Putin is our enemy and Russia should be treated like an opponent, not a "partner". On the other hand, their claim on Crimea is not unreasonable. Russians are acting like thugs but Ukraine looks more like a real nation without those Russian-majority areas. Besides how can the West complain when we bombed Kosovo into existence not so long ago?