[kj] (OT)Why haven't the Left got Georgia on their minds?

[Jim Harper]

About the Georgia situation visa vis the media/liberals/'lefties', two things spring to mind:
 
1)I have to say the situation in Georgia isn't quite the same with the US and Iraq; people are always far more willing to turn out and protest against their own leaders- and by extension dealing with matters that directly affect the nation and its leaders- than they are to protest about another country's actions. Besides, with almost every nation on the planet protesting about Russia's actions, there isn't much call for a wave of protests to force our leaders into action. When the whole world was protesting about the planned US invasion of Iraq, mass protests in American cities had a purpose- it was necessary to change the minds of the US leadership. Similar protests wouldn't have much effect on the leadership in Moscow.
 
2) I've also heard a few people claiming that 'the left' and 'the liberals' (those people are typically the kind who sees no difference between 'lefties' and 'liberals'- myself, I'm definitely liberal, but not very lefty) aren't interested in the events in Georgia. I'm not sure where that's coming from. In my corner of the woods the media, whatever their political leanings, has been totally anti-Russian. Groups like Amnesty International (and many others) have been openly critical of the Russian actions. In fact, I've had to work really hard to convince family and friends (most of whom are American and liberal or lefty) that the Georgian government/army played any part whatsoever in the events. Everyone I know is quite happy to crucify Russia out of hand, so I'm really not sure where this picture of 'lefties' and 'liberals' as Putin apologists came from, but it doesn't seem based on reality.
 
Jim.

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