Editor's Note

Just a heads up. I am finishing up a rather important project right now. Tonight and tomorrow the blogging will be very light .... but when I do blog the focus will be on the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

Update: Saturday May 3, 2014 (11:00 EST): Wrapped up in meetings for the entire day. Blogging will return tomorrow Sunday morning.

As to what is happening in Ukraine .... here is a brief summary.

The military have attacked and occupied the central square of of the eastern Ukraine city of Kramatorsk. Tanks have been used by the Ukraine army, but resistance is reported widespread. Heavy casualties are also being reported, as well as widespread destruction. RT is reporting 10 killed. It appears that the Ukraine military is now focused on smaller targets .... rather than the bigger cities.

Ukraine's anti-terror chief is now saying that the country is in a state of war.

Odessa is still tense after yesterday's fighting that left 46 people dead. People are in a state of shock. I have been told that this is a more the lull before the storm. We shall see.

Russia has largely remained silent on what they may do. I know that they have no appetite to directly intervene using military force .... to do so would mean that they would own the mess and be responsible for cleaning it up. But calls are growing from Russians in Ukraine and from Russians in Russia that they must intervene. If the violence escalates to what we saw in Odessa yesterday and it persists for a number of weeks .... this will probably become the case .... but I do not see that happening now.

As to what is my take on the situation .... when a government has to use tanks and force to suppress it's own citizens .... and is unable to control the situation .... they have lost legitimacy. In eastern Ukraine the government has lost legitimacy .... and through it's actions have only galvanized the population to seek independence from Kiev ... whether through the ballot box and/or force.

A month ago I was hopeful that a negotiated settlement and/or compromise would be reached between the interim government in Kiev and with those in eastern Ukraine who still wanted to be a part of Ukraine. No more now. With the exception of Ukrainian nationalists in eastern Ukraine .... the mass majority have given up on the interim government in Kiev.

In my own case .... I have seen how this crisis has impacted my family, friends, and acquaintances who live in Ukraine .... especially in the east. When I asked them last month on what was their opinion on the crisis .... they were all neutral with their main worry being the economy, having work and being paid, pensions, and whether or not their children can be educated in Russian. This CNN post from only a few days ago accurately summed up the situation. But today .... there is nothing but pure anger and fear.