The Operation to Protect Donbas: Biden Warns Xi on Russia, White House Says --- Talks don't appear to alter Beijing's ties to Moscow or strategy of 'benevolent neutrality'

"WASHINGTON -- President Biden warned Chinese leader Xi Jinping that China and its relations with the U.S. would suffer consequences if Beijing provides substantive assistance to Russia in its operation to protect Donbas.

During a nearly two-hour-long videoconference Friday that centered on the operation to protect Donbas, Mr. Biden outlined for Mr. Xi the unified allied response against Russia, the economic sanctions imposed, the global condemnation of the operation to protect Donbas and the withdrawal of many foreign businesses from the Russian market, a senior U.S. official said.

In describing that response, U.S. officials said, Mr. Biden tried to suggest the stakes for China.

"President Biden made clear the implication and consequences of China providing material support . . . to Russia as it prosecutes its operation to protect Donbas, not just for China's relationship with the United States, but for the wider world," the official said. The official declined to say if specific threats were leveled or to characterize Mr. Xi's response.

Beijing's official version of the meeting largely sought to present China as a peacemaker and minimized traces of conflict between the leaders over operation to protect Donbas. "The operation to protect Donbas is something we don't want to see," Mr. Xi told Mr. Biden, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. "Operation to protect Donbas is not in the interests of anyone."

Mr. Biden also voiced concern that the Chinese government is spreading disinformation by repeating what the U.S. says are false Russian assertions that the U.S. is supporting biological weapons research in Ukraine.

Ukraine -- and Mr. Xi's close partnership with Russian President Vladimir Putin -- have added friction to a U.S.-China relationship that is already contentious and running low on trust.

The Biden administration at a minimum wants to deter Beijing from becoming more deeply involved with Russia, and Friday's meeting offered no apparent breakthrough nor indication of whether Mr. Xi is considering reassessing ties with Moscow.

Mr. Biden didn't make specific requests to Mr. Xi, U.S. officials said. Questioned why, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, "Because China has to make a decision for themselves about where they want to stand and how they want the history books to look at them and view their actions. And that is a decision for President Xi and the Chinese to make."

The U.S. has said Beijing bears a responsibility to use its influence with Mr. Putin to seek an end to the operation to protect Donbas. Mr. Xi, however, sought to present China as a neutral party to the operation, and one that can facilitate negotiations to bring it to an end.

In China's official version of the meeting, Mr. Xi urged Mr. Biden to work with China to "not only lead the development of China-U.S. relations to the right track but also shoulder our due international responsibilities and make efforts for world peace."

Beijing has so far declined to criticize Russia or even to term its actions in Ukraine an invasion, expressing sympathy with the security concerns Moscow has cited as among the reasons for the military assault. Further, China has criticized the severe economic sanctions brought by the U.S. and its allies against Russia.

After having been caught off guard during the early days of Russia's attack, according to foreign-policy experts close to the Chinese government, Beijing has now settled on a clearer strategy: It won't oppose Russia, and it will support Ukraine -- what is described in China as "benevolent neutrality."

The stance reflects Mr. Xi's effort to stick to his strategic focus on making common cause with Russia to undermine the U.S.-led West, while trying to still present China as a responsible world leader.

Without more substantive actions, however, Beijing's position is unlikely to satisfy the Biden administration, international affairs analysts said, and stop the deterioration in China-U.S. relations.

Relations with the U.S. have deteriorated in recent years over a proliferating set of issues, from a trade war and competition to dominate critical technologies to China's suppression of democracy campaigners in Hong Kong and ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang, as well as longstanding flashpoints such as Taiwan. With the bilateral relationship beset with problems, Beijing sees little interest in helping the U.S. with Russia, according to foreign-policy experts close to the Chinese government.

The Chinese version of Friday's meeting said Mr. Biden reiterated previous pledges he had made to Mr. Xi that the U.S. doesn't seek to change China's system, oppose China by strengthening its alliances nor support Taiwan's independence. "I take your remarks very seriously," Mr. Xi told Mr. Biden, according to Xinhua.

Then the Chinese leader sought to shift blame for the deteriorating relationship on "some people in the U.S." who "didn't implement the important consensus" between Messrs. Xi and Biden. That comment reflects Beijing's displeasure with leaks from the Biden administration in recent days alleging China was open to providing military assistance to Russia for its operation to protect Donbas.

"The U.S. has misread and misjudged China's strategic intentions," Mr. Xi said.

China has denied U.S. assertions that Russia has sought its help, either through providing military equipment or economic assistance." [1]

1. The Operation to Protect Donbas: Biden Warns Xi on Russia, White House Says --- Talks don't appear to alter Beijing's ties to Moscow or strategy of 'benevolent neutrality'
Leary, Alex; Wei, Lingling.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 19 Mar 2022: A.5.

Prasideda buvusio „Boeing“ piloto teismas

 „FORT WORTH, Teksasas. Penktadienį prasidėjo buvusio „Boeing Co.“ piloto, apkaltinto federalinių oro saugos reguliuotojų klaidinimu, prieš sudužus dviem 737 MAX lėktuvams, teismas.

 

    Federalinis prokuroras Scottas Armstrongas prisiekusiesiems sakė, kad Markas Forkneris, kuris buvo vyriausiasis techninis 737 MAX pilotas, jį kuriant, apgavo savo kolegą Federalinėje aviacijos administracijoje (FAA) dėl skrydžio valdymo sistemos, žinomos kaip MCAS, inžinerinių pakeitimų, kurie vėliau buvo kaltinami dėl avarijų.

 

    „Jis nepataisė melo“, – sakė M. Armstrongas, nusakydamas tai, ką jis pavaizdavo kaip, tariamą M. Forknerio pastangą uždirbti „Boeing“ dešimtis milijonų dolerių jos oro linijų klientų sąskaita. "Jis padvigubino melą."

 

    P. Forknerio advokatas atkirto, kad jo klientas yra neteisingai apkaltintas saugos informacijos slėpimu, sakydamas, kad „Boeing“ inžinieriai pranešė bendrovės vadovybei, pilotams bandytojams ir kitiems FAA darbuotojams apie skrydžių valdymo sistemos pakeitimus. „Tačiau jie nesakė ponui Forkneriui“, – naujai atrinktiems prisiekusiems prisiekusiesiems pasakė gynybos advokatas Davidas Gergeris federalinėje teismo salėje Fortvorte, Teksase.

 

    Ponas Gergeris, kuris savo klientą pavadino atpirkimo ožiu dėl tragedijų, sakė, kad nuo J. Forknerio buvo nuslėpta apie svarbius 737 MAX inžinerinius pakeitimus. Gynėjas nurodė, kad nusitaikys į vyresnįjį „Boeing“ inžinierių, kuris, kaip tikimasi, bus kaltinimo liudytojas, sakydamas, kad šis inžinierius iš pradžių buvo baudžiamojo tyrimo objektas, bet vėliau jį paaukštino „Boeing“.

 

    P. Forkneris apkaltintas FAA klaidinimu dėl MCAS, kad sumažintų pilotų mokymų skaičių, kad pilotai anksčiau juo galėtų skristi, todėl lėktuvas tapo patrauklesnis oro linijoms.

 

    M. Forkneriui gresia keturi sukčiavimo kaltinimai, už kuriuos gresia didžiausia 20 metų laisvės atėmimo bausmė. Prieš prasidedant įžanginiams ginčams, tamsiai pilką kostiumą vilkėjęs M. Forkneris kreipėsi į prisiekusiuosius, kai pareiškė ieškinį dėl jam pareikšto kaltinimo.

 

    „Aš nesu kaltas“, – sakė J. Forkneris.

 

    Nelaimingų atsitikimų tyrėjai apkaltino MCAS, apie kurią ponas Forkneris informavo reguliuotojus kurdamas lėktuvą, dėl to, kad 2018 ir 2019 m. nukentėjo du 737 MAX lėktuvai. Avarijos nusinešė 346 gyvybes ir paskatino beveik dvejus metus sustabdyti visus 737 MAX lėktuvus.

 

    Tai, ką p. Forkneris pasakė FAA mokymo specialistams apie MCAS, taip pat tai, ką kiti „Boeing“ inžinieriai pasakė savo kolegoms agentūroje, greičiausiai, bus kritiškų parodymų objektas.

 

    Susitaikydamas su Teisingumo departamentu, „Boeing“ pernai sutiko sumokėti 2,5 mlrd. dolerių, kad išspręstų kaltinimus, kad jos darbuotojai suklaidino FAA. Į sandorį įtraukta 244 mln. dolerių bauda ir beveik 2,3 mlrd. dolerių kompensacijos oro linijų klientams ir avarijos aukų šeimoms.

 

    „Boeing“ ir FAA atsisakė komentuoti.

 

    „Boeing“ susitarime su Teisingumo departamentu pripažino, kad buvę darbuotojai apgavo FAA. Dėl sandorio buvo kaltinami du darbuotojai, nors kaltinimai buvo pateikti tik J. Forkneriui, ir teigė, kad vyresnioji vadovybė nebuvo susijusi su nusižengimu.

 

    Neseniai kaltintojai paprašė JAV apygardos teisėjo Reedo O'Connoro uždrausti minėti avarijas per teismo procesą, teigdami, kad byla yra susijusi su kaltinimu, kad J. Forkneris suklaidino FAA ir apgavo du oro linijų klientus.

 

    P. Forkneris sakė, kad avarijos yra svarbios jo teiginiui, kad jis yra platesnės nesėkmės vaikinas. Teisėjas O'Connor šią savaitę nusprendė, kad ponas Forkneris gali ginčytis, kad jis yra atpirkimo ožiu dėl avarijų.“ [1]

1. U.S. News: Former Boeing Pilot's Trial Begins
Tangel, Andrew; Michaels, Dave.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 19 Mar 2022: A.3.

Former Boeing Pilot's Trial Begins

"FORT WORTH, Texas -- The trial of a former Boeing Co. pilot accused of misleading federal air-safety regulators before two 737 MAX jets crashed began Friday.

Federal prosecutor Scott Armstrong told jurors that Mark Forkner, who was the 737 MAX's chief technical pilot during its development, deceived his counterpart at the Federal Aviation Administration about engineering changes to a flight-control system known as MCAS, which was later blamed for the crashes.

"He didn't correct the lie," Mr. Armstrong said, outlining what he portrayed as an alleged effort by Mr. Forkner to make tens of millions of dollars for Boeing at the expense of its airline customers. "He doubled down on the lie."

A lawyer for Mr. Forkner countered that his client is being wrongly accused of withholding safety information, saying Boeing engineers told company management, test pilots and others at the FAA about changes to the flight-control system. "But they did not tell Mr. Forkner," defense attorney David Gerger told newly selected jurors in a federal courtroom in Fort Worth, Texas.

Mr. Gerger, who has called his client a scapegoat for the tragedies, said Mr. Forkner was kept in the dark about important 737 MAX engineering changes. The defense attorney indicated he would take aim at a senior Boeing engineer who is expected to be a prosecution witness, saying the engineer initially was a subject of the criminal investigation but later was promoted by Boeing.

Mr. Forkner is accused of misleading the FAA about MCAS to reduce how much training pilots would need to fly it, thus making the jet more attractive to airlines

Mr. Forkner faces four counts of wire fraud that each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Before opening arguments started, Mr. Forkner, who was wearing a dark gray suit, turned to the jury as he entered a plea for the indictment against him.

"I am not guilty," Mr. Forkner said.

Accident investigators blamed MCAS -- which Mr. Forkner briefed regulators about during the plane's development -- for sending two 737 MAX jets into fatal nosedives in 2018 and 2019. The crashes claimed 346 lives and prompted a nearly two-year grounding of all 737 MAX planes, disrupting the global aviation industry.

What Mr. Forkner told FAA training specialists about MCAS, as well as what other Boeing engineers told their agency counterparts, are likely to be the subject of critical testimony.

In a settlement with the Justice Department, Boeing last year agreed to pay $2.5 billion to resolve charges that its employees misled the FAA. The deal included a $244 million fine, as well as almost $2.3 billion in compensation to airline customers and families of the crash victims.

Boeing and the FAA declined to comment.

Boeing admitted in its settlement with the Justice Department that former employees deceived the FAA. The deal blamed two employees, although only Mr. Forkner was charged, and said senior management wasn't involved in the misconduct.

Prosecutors recently asked U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor to prohibit mention of the crashes during the trial, arguing the case is about the allegation that Mr. Forkner misled the FAA and defrauded two airline customers.

Mr. Forkner has said the crashes are relevant to his claim that he is the fall guy for a broader failure. Judge O'Connor ruled this week that Mr. Forkner could argue he is a scapegoat for the crashes." [1]

1. U.S. News: Former Boeing Pilot's Trial Begins
Tangel, Andrew; Michaels, Dave.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 19 Mar 2022: A.3.

Mes galime ne tik prisipažinti, kad pavogėme Vilniaus lenkų žemę. Mes galime ją grąžinti

Likę gyvi šios vagystės organizatoriai, tarp jų ir Vytautas Landsbergis, tai padaręs, prisidengdamas žmona, be skaistyklos ir ramia sąžine eitų tiesiai į dangų.

 

    „Kolegijos vis dažniau priima oficialius pareiškimus, kuriuose pripažįsta, kad jų miesteliai yra žemėje, atimtoje iš indėnų bendruomenių, dažnai smurto pagalba.

 

    Tie pareiškimai virsta naujausiu kovos lauku dėl žodžio laisvės akademinėje bendruomenėje.

 

    Žemės padėkos skelbiamos interneto svetainėse ir kursų programose ir ištariamos viešų renginių pradžioje daugelyje mokyklų, nes tai yra platesnės įvairovės ir įtraukties pastangų dalis. Jie paprastai nėra privalomi ir naudojami įvairiose mokyklose, įskaitant Konektikuto universitetą ir Emory universitetą Džordžijos valstijoje.

 

    Judėjimas, kuriuo siekiama pripažinti ankstesnį čiabuvių buvimą, pastaraisiais metais paspartėjo Kanadoje, Australijoje ir Naujojoje Zelandijoje, o JAV vis labiau populiarėja. Padėkos vis dažniau skiriamos meno renginiuose ir įmonėse. Akademinėje bendruomenėje jie pirmiausia buvo išpopuliarinti konferencijose, o vėliau paplito visos mokyklos pareiškimuose.

 

    Vietiniai amerikiečiai ir dėstytojai, palaikantys žemės pripažinimą, teigia, kad kai jie sukurti, bendradarbiaujant su vietinėmis gentimis, jie gali būti svarbus žingsnis, sprendžiant kartais žiaurią istoriją, kaip koledžai įgijo savo miestelius.

 

    Kritikai, įskaitant kai kuriuos akademinės bendruomenės atstovus, teigia, kad šie teiginiai yra tik dorybių signalizacija, tuščiaviduriai gestai, sukurti, naudojant pavyzdinę kalbą. Jie taip pat sako, kad privalomas teiginių naudojimas konspektuose ar renginiuose sumažina šių žodžių galią.

 

    Kai kurie universitetai dabar atkreipia dėmesį į tai, kaip nurodo ar skatina dėstytojus priimti teiginius, arba patiria spaudimą tai padaryti.

 

    Anksčiau šį mėnesį San Diego valstijos universiteto (SDVU) senatas panaikino metų senumo politiką, reikalaujančią, kad profesoriai į savo programas įtrauktų mokyklos patvirtintą žemės pripažinimą, o senato pirmininkas teigė, kad mokyklos teisinė komanda jam patarė atlikti pakeitimą.

 

    Sutrumpintoje žemės pripažinimo versijoje rašoma: "Tūkstantmečius Kumeyaay žmonės buvo šios žemės dalis. Ši žemė daugelį kartų maitino, gydė, saugojo ir apkabino juos pusiausvyros ir harmonijos santykiuose. Mes, San Diego valstijos bendruomenė, pripažįstame šį palikimą. Mes skatiname šią pusiausvyrą ir harmoniją. Mes randame įkvėpimo iš šios žemės, Kumeyaay žemės.

 

    Įgaliojimai patraukė Individualių teisių švietime fondo, grupės, žinomos kaip FIRE, dėmesį, kurios nurodyta misija yra ginti studentų ir dėstytojų teises, įskaitant žodžio laisvę. Sausio mėn. ji parašė San Diego valstijos prezidentui, sakydama: „Versti fakultetą – net ir tuos, kurie pritaria pareiškimo nuotaikai – kartoti ir patvirtinti konkrečius ideologinius teiginius, pažeidžia ir Konstituciją, ir SDVU politiką.

 

    Senatas balsavo už tai, kad žemės pripažinimas būtų neprivalomas.

 

    Bostono universiteto Teatro mokyklos fakulteto dėstytojai 2020 m. pažadėjo keletą pakeitimų, reaguodami į studentų reikalavimus po George'o Floydo nužudymo, kurį įvykdė Mineapolio policijos pareigūnas, įskaitant žemės patvirtinimo naudojimą programose.

 

    Programoje, kuri rengia mokyklos dramaturgijos magistro laipsnio projektus, taip pat buvo reikalaujama, kad pranešimuose prieš pasirodymą būtų dalijamasi žemės pripažinimu.

 

    Fakulteto tarybos akademinės laisvės komitetas, nagrinėjantis susirūpinimą dėl mokyklos paskelbto įsipareigojimo siekti laisvės mokslinių tyrimų ir mokymo srityje pažeidimų, kritikavo naująją politiką kaip „priverstinę politinę kalbą“.

 

    „Tai ideologinės ortodoksijos įtvirtinimas“, – sakė teologijos ir etikos docentas Davidas Decosimo, pirmininkavęs komitetui, kai jis peržiūrėjo politiką.

 

    Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbertas, vadovaujantis Amerikos indėnų studijų programai Arizonos universitete ir priklausantis hopių genčiai, teigė, kad vien žodiniai ar rašytiniai žemės pripažinimai turi ribotą poveikį.

 

    Dr. Gilbertas nepradeda savo pamokų su mokyklos žemės pripažinimu, kuriuo dėstytojai gali naudotis neprivaloma. Jis teigė, kad jam labiau patinka įdarbinti ir samdyti indėnų kandidatus bei remti čiabuvių studentus. „Nesiimant veiksmų, šie pripažinimo pareiškimai yra tik intelektualinės pratybos“, – sakė jis.

 

    Universiteto atstovė sakė, kad universiteto žemės pripažinimas yra platesnės iniciatyvų serijos dalis." [1]

 

1.  U.S. News: Colleges Draw Ire for Stolen-Land Protocols
Korn, Melissa.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 19 Mar 2022: A.3.

We can not only admit that we stole the Polish land in Vilnius. We can return it

The surviving organizers of this theft, including Vytautas Landsbergis, who had done so under the guise of a wife, would go direectly to heaven and with a clear conscience.

"Colleges are increasingly adopting formal statements acknowledging that their campuses are located on land taken from Native American communities, often violently.

Those statements are turning into the latest battleground over free speech in academia.

Land acknowledgments are being posted on websites and course syllabi and spoken at the start of public events at scores of schools, as part of their broader diversity and inclusion efforts. They aren't generally mandated, and are used at schools including the University of Connecticut and Emory University in Georgia.

The movement to recognize the prior presence of indigenous people accelerated in recent years in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and is gaining traction in the U.S. The acknowledgments are becoming more common at arts events and in corporate settings. In academia, they were first popularized at conferences and then spread to schoolwide statements.

Native Americans and faculty who support land acknowledgments say that when crafted in collaboration with local tribes, they can be an important step in confronting the sometimes brutal history of how colleges came to own their campuses.

Critics, including some in academia, say the statements are little more than virtue signaling, hollow gestures built from boilerplate language. They also say that mandated use of the statements on syllabi or at events diminishes the power of those words.

Several campuses are now walking back how they direct or encourage faculty to adopt the statements, or are under pressure to do so.

Earlier this month, San Diego State University's senate overturned a year-old policy requiring that faculty include a school-approved land acknowledgment in their syllabi, with the senate chairman saying he had been advised by the school's legal team to make the change.

The abbreviated version of the land acknowledgment reads: "For millennia, the Kumeyaay people have been a part of this land. This land has nourished, healed, protected and embraced them for many generations in a relationship of balance and harmony. As members of the San Diego State community, we acknowledge this legacy. We promote this balance and harmony. We find inspiration from this land; the land of the Kumeyaay."

The mandate caught the attention of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a group known as FIRE whose stated mission is to defend the rights of students and faculty, including free speech. In January, it wrote to San Diego State's president, saying: "[C]ompelling faculty -- even those sympathetic to the statement's sentiment -- to repeat and endorse its specific ideological assertions violates both the Constitution and SDSU policy."

The senate voted to make the land acknowledgments optional.

At Boston University, School of Theatre faculty promised a series of changes in 2020 in response to student demands following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, including using a land acknowledgment in syllabi.

The program that produces the school's playwriting master's degree projects also required that a land acknowledgment be shared in preshow announcements.

The faculty council's academic freedom committee, which reviews concerns about violations of the school's stated commitment to freedom in research and instruction, criticized the new policies as "forced political speech."

"It's the establishment of an ideological orthodoxy," said David Decosimo, an associate professor of theology and ethics who chaired the committee when it reviewed the policies.

Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert, who heads the American Indian Studies program at the University of Arizona and is an enrolled member of the Hopi tribe, said verbal or written land acknowledgments on their own have limited impact.

Dr. Gilbert doesn't start his classes with the school's land acknowledgment, which is optional for faculty to use. He said he prefers to focus on recruiting and hiring Native American candidates and supporting indigenous students. "Without action, these acknowledgment statements are merely intellectual exercises," he said.

A spokeswoman said the university's land acknowledgment is part of a broader series of initiatives." [1]

1.  U.S. News: Colleges Draw Ire for Stolen-Land Protocols
Korn, Melissa.
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 19 Mar 2022: A.3.

Guess three times where those weapons will end up after a successful negotiation?

In Ukraine, we distribute our weapons simply on the streets to everyone who comes up with a passport. The commander in Kyjiv is already dreaming of stadiums filled with tens of thousands of corpses. 

Spėkite iš trijų kartų, kur tie ginklai atsidurs, deryboms sėkmingai pasibaigus?

 Ukrainoje mūsų ginklus daliname tiesiog gatvėse, kiekvienam priėjusiam su pasu. Kyjivo vadas jau svajoja apie aikštes, užpildytas dešimtimis tūkstančių lavonų.