First Nations tribes are not "primitive" any more than Native Americans. They exercise all the same access to modern technology as any other rural Canadian. The issue may be traditional tribal grounds of special significance, but compared to finally receiving the promised improvements to health, jobs, and education, those issues are less significant.

It may be entirely inter-provincial squabbling, as the Athabasca oil sands are located almost entirely within Alberta, and the Keystone pipeline route cuts across the corner of Saskatchewan. The route section of the latter province is short, and since First Nations workers participate heavily in energy construction, that may mean fewer jobs (and tax revenue) for Saskatchewan.

Ok, my information is not per se first-hand. I was having a discussing with a russian literature professor who had been recanting what she had learned from reading or listening from whatever sources. It is a matter of different provinces with different issues. One issue is there are several primitive tribes. You referred to “poorer” tribesmen, but from what I understood from my discussion is that we are talking about primitive cultures. To move them, would be to erase them. It is a complication.

I find that bit of information odd, since I've had some dealings with the First Nations leaders, who have all been pushing for exploiting the tar sands resources. Alberta was one of the poorer provinces, unable to fulfill the obligations for compensation to the First Nations, until the tar sands became a viable, exploitable resource. Now, the list of First Nations projects are going ahead full steam. There may be a minority of that group who aren't in favor of Keystone, just as there are Americans who don't want it, but I don't see this as something the Canadian native groups oppose.

While the media and political parties debate the Keystone Pipeline as a success/failure of this administration, the truth is--Canada is not ready to go. The pipeline would cut through indigenous populations of many north of our border and the Canadian officials haven’t found a viable way to move the natives.

Mother and grandmother were Muslim - both fled before I was born, and my father wasn't Muslim, so I am not Muslim.

I keep track of such events.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/ma...
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/euro...
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/world/...
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/201...
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2014...
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...

I seen a similar video just the other day with just one Ukrainian lady like this. Putin loves putting on a show as Obama. Could be they are both aligned with one another and the likes of MSNBC,CNN and other laim stream media groups are taking another shot at us from behind the curtain. Possible.

Ukranian and Russian are both spoken in Ukraine.
Europeans learn English and other languages in
school, from elementary up. It is part of their
education unlike in the U.S. where not too much
emphasis is put on languages.

excellent find, mck

My first response was made before I read other posts that have been made here. This is in response to some of those posts. I don't give a damn that the students speak several languages. However, it would bother me some if it turns out that the YouTube video is not what it says it is. Still, I wonder, should we kill the messenger?

what about Syria? If the resistance forces there made a slick video appealing to western sensibilities, would that be enough for you to get behind their murderous ways?

WAIT! perhaps you would have been moved by a slick video produced by the Muslim Brotherhood as well? When the Arab Spring was occurring-I was fortunate enough to be in contact with my friend whose daughter was a student at the American University. While the west was cheering the protesters for taking on Mubarak, they were raping and killing and intimidating on the streets. Then they came to power....that has worked out well, eh?
The point is, what do you know about the resistance movement and the govt in power? You DO know about the Russian govt, but what if the current govt in the Ukraine is communist, highly socialist? What if they are just a different stripe from from the Russian govt? still want to help them? We need more information....

I sympathize with any country being invaded by another. The ethnic issues many European countries deal with make it entirely understandable why one side wants Russian intervention while the other side doesn't. In the end, one side wins...the other loses, badly.
With our current administration, involving the U.
S. would probably be a really bad idea. Like many other fights of this type, we have moved in, cleaned things up a bit, then move out. This action is usually followed by another, far worse, invasion of the country which leaves a great many more dead.
Once you take another country under your wing, you'd best be prepared to stay with it for a very long time and the U.S. simply can't afford that expense at this point. All one has to do is look at a country, like the Philippines. We moved in during WWII and remained there what...40, 50 years? Look at where that country is, just a few years after the U.S. pulled out.

As much as I would jump on this and encourage people to stop Putin (I despise Socialism and Communism and Marxism and every variation thereof and don't trust Putin's motives one inch), I also know that 12,000 Muslims marched to support the other side and were part of the violence at least, if not the reason for it.
Putin is fighting the same fight we are against Islamic violence - violence happening around the world in every country in the world (except, apparently, Greenland).
Search
Ukraine+Muslim
and find evidence of your own by your own criteria and ethics.
Do I know for sure? No clue. But I it makes me wonder if that's what is at the root of this?

Re. YouTube "Brave Ukrainian College Students..."
This video moves me! I will do anything I can to support these O'So Brave! Kids. My problem is that I am short on ideas about how to help them. I welcome suggestions.

A compelling piece. I do not know the answer, but we should do all we can to reduce the European nations apprehension because of dependence upon Russian energy. We should have long ago, increased our production and offered it to the world. It has been said that anything we do now would only be long term, but just starting initiatives can drive the price of energy down and threaten the Russian revenue stream. The neighboring nations need to exert more pressure and develop more independence. What can we do besides diplomacy, economic pressure with the Russians and assistance to the Ukrainians that will not escalate and involve us in another war?

I noticed at one point one of the students said we speak Ukranian and Russian. I wondered why he didn't mention English.

yes, I read Kissinger's piece as well. It may be completely legit, but my spidey senses are engaged. These students speak almost perfect english, they are very western in their thinking and knowing how to appeal to westerners. I want more information...

The video is compelling and well done. I kept thinking about some of the stuff I hear American college students say. I don't think these students represent Ukraine and their solution(economic sanctions from EU and US) would have a major impact on world markets. I read an op ed from Henry Kissinger and he made the point that you have to concentrate on how this ends. Sanctions may make things worse. I have little confidence in our leadership.

yes, and the alternative? what form of govt does the opposition want?
That said, do you wonder how american communists respond to all the monarch like opulence these communist leaders enjoy? If everyone is so equal while do their leaders live as uber rich? Isn't that supposed to be the opposite of what communism is all about?