Well folks can we all stand back and take a good look at how things unfolded. Here is the time line:

August, 01

* 08:00 A van carrying six Georgian policemen was blown up by Osettian separatists near Eredvi-Kheti north from Tshinvali on the by-pass road connecting mainland Georgia with Didi-Liahvi valley populated by Georgians. Five out of six policemen were severely wounded. The government of Georgia decided not to hunt the culprits in order not to escalate the situation.

August, 02

*Six civilians and a policemen were wounded by light arms fire from the territory of South Osettia controlled by Russian peacekeepers. This shooting followed the night artillery shelling of Georgian villages inside South Osettia.

*Later that day the Georgian villages Zemo Nikozi, Kvemo NikoziNuli, Avneri, Eredvi and Ergneti got under heavy mortar fire from the Osettian separatists. At first Georgian policemen were shooting back, but then held fire after the order from Tbilisi aimed not to escalate the situation.

August, 03
*In all the Russian media the massive anti-Georgian propaganda has been launched.

*12:00 The separatist government of South Osettia announced evacuation of more than 500 residents including 400 children.

*13:00 The separatist government appealed to volunteers across the whole Russian North Caucasus to mobilize.

August, 04-05

*During two days the Georgian villages were under constant fire from the separatist territories controlled by Russians.

August, 06
*16:00 The separatists rejected the Georgian offer of negotiations and refused to meet with the Georgian special secretary T. Yakobashvili who arrived in Tshinvali for finding a solution for the conflict.

* Later on the Georgian main national TV channel Mr. Yakobashvili announced that the Georgian government was seeking direct negotiations with the separatist authorities in order to tackle the violence in the region and avoid the escalation of the conflict. The separatists refused to negotiate again.

*20:00 The separatists started mortar fire on Georgian villages Eredvi, Prizi, Amneri, Dvani and Nuli. Trying to defend lives of civilians, Georgians returned fire. As the result of whole night heavy cross fire, two soldiers from the Georgian battalion of Joint Peacekeeping Forces were wounded. The separatists reported of their wounded too.

*Despite provocative attacks on civilians, policemen and Georgian peacekeepers, the Georgian government decided not to use heavy artillery in order to avoid casualties among civilians.

August, 07

*09:00 In his interview to Russian media agencies, the leader of separatists E. Kokoity vowed that all the Georgian soldiers who do not leave the territory of the South Osettia would be "cleansed out". The mentioned soldiers were the Georgian peacekeepers legally deployed in South Osettia alongside Russian peacekeepers.

*09:45. A Russian jet bombed the Georgian radar near village Shavshvebi, about 30 km (20 miles) from South Osettia inside proper Georgia.

*15:00. The separatists again refused to negotiate with the Georgian special secretary T. Yakobashvili, who again arrived in Tshinvali for negotiations. .

*16:00. The separatists resumed shelling of Georgian villages Nuli and Avneri.
* Three Georgian soldiers wounded after separatist attack on their armoured carrier, two of the attackers killed and two severely wounded.

* Later the Georgian checkpoint at Avneri was bombed causing several servicemen and civilians dead.

*18:30. Trying to lessen the tension

Now August 7th was when Georgia was supposed to have unleashed this terrible (unprovoked) assault on the completely innocent population of South Ossetia. Everybody please note that at this stage nothing, absolutely nothing had happened with regard to Abkhazia.

Now let's see exactly what unfolded, remembering of course that both South Ossetia and Abkhazia were integral parts of Georgia as ceeded by the former Soviet Union as being parts of the independent state of Georgia. Hey folks please note none of these folks ever bothered disputing their "claim" to independence while the good ol' communists were in charge of things - any explanations for that Ake? I mean life must have been so great under the red flag and the inspiring message of universal communist brotherhood - off course they did not dispute their claim to independence then mainly due to the fact that if they had they would have been massacred in toto. Doubt that people and "fellow travellers" - then tell me me exactly why there is not an independent Chechnya, Dagetstan and Moldova - Tell you why apologists for totally unjustified, naked aggression - that would actually harm the modern day "Soviet" Russia.

Simple statement to who ever wins the next Presidential Election in the United States of America - Put Putin in his place or else you internationally are going to be toast.

PS Yanks being top dog is not a popularity contest.