Thanks for the read and the words, Rod.

As for the second part, it's obv not just because Chomsky said they should. Look into the historical and demographic make-up of the Donbas and Crimea, what happened in 2014, the percentage of Russian speakers in both areas, the moves Kiev made regarding Ukrainian nationalism and official languages, and info on the 8-year civil war that killed 14,000+, mostly russian speaking ukrainians. There are ethnic and cultural divides in the nation that, rather than try to solve, NATO and the US armed and trained one side to exacerbate the situation.

Chomsky and I are saying they should stick to the Minsk Agreement Kiev signed in 2015, granting the Donbas federalist status and a bit more independence. That is it. Follow the deal everyone signed seven eyars ago.

But I also believe in the right to self-determination of any group. Slovakia wanted to split from the Czech Republic in the early nineties. Rather than kill each other over it, they became separate nations that still get along very well. I think the people of the Donbas, the Scots, Baque, Catalans, Kurds, and even the Texans have the right to do the same.

Thanks again for the read, Rod.