Starve the Beast
We go on a consumption strike until and unless our demands are met. [More]I wish I could be optimistic that enough people would care to do this that it would make a difference. I'm afraid people are going to need to be brought to their knees for it to sink in.
Meanwhile, they will preoccupy themselves with the pH Factor: Hanna Montana, Twilight, Jon & Kate Plus Eight, Dancing with the Stars, the Bachelorette, The freakin' Cougar fer cryin' out loud...
They'll go in droves to Transformers 2, to reward the slut du jour who wishes many in their families dead.
Sorry to sound so pessimistic. It's a good idea. I'm doing much of it already.
It's just that I'm doing much of a lot of things that most of those around me seem oblivious to.
[Via Tom R]
UPDATE: I rest my case.
Crabby Shack Remodeling?
Ol' Joe has a long shot chance at landing a media/PR gig with a local firm that reps some of the big players in the boomstick market. [More]And he'd like our help to make it happen.
OK, but I'll do more than give a testimonial--I'll prove what I claim.
So when I say Joe's Crabby Shack has been a resource that readers here have found value in for years, I'm not just saying it to be nice or to do someone a favor.
Click on this link, King and Queen of Poo-bahs, and see for yourself.
Go over to the title link and leave a comment if you're so inclined, and want to help turn a shack into Stately Crabby Manor. But in the interests of full disclosure, when he finally makes it huge, I've got dibs on the poolside bartender job.
We're the Only Ones "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" Enough
A Maryland Transit Administration police officer has been charged with raping a 15-year-old Elkridge girl who asked him for help finding her way home on the light rail, according to charging documents. [More]Again with my never answered question...
I'm certainly relieved to find this "Only Ones" story being reported from Maryland, as opposed to New Jersey, where at least their cops are trustworthy enough to buy more guns than the rest of us...
[Via Rick P]
We're the Only Ones Entrepreneurial Enough
A Saint Landry Parish Sheriff's Deputy has been arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs and other illegal contraband into the St. Landry Parish Jail. [More]My favorite quote:
"If they can bring in drugs, then they can bring in a weapon, and we can't have that"No, of course not. That's why "Only Ones" are exempt from gun edicts meant for the rest of us.
[Via retrotruckman]
Will N.J. 'One Gun a Month' Bill Stop the Violence?
So when this latest assault on the people who are not responsible for the violence doesn't work, the "solution" will be to drag even more people who aren't guilty into the net. [More]Today's Gun Rights Examiner looks at the State of New Jersey's latest hate crime against peaceable armed citizens.
Also get the latest from my fellow GREs.
Tell a friend? For real?
This Day in History: June 30
On June 30, 1777, Maj. General John Burgoyne's right wing put ashore on the western shore of Lake Champlain to the north of Fort Ticonderoga, while his left wing under Maj. General Friedrich von Riedesel put ashore on the eastern shore. [More]
Meanwhile, Over in Boss Daley Paradise
Six Men Shot Dead In 24 Hours In ChicagoThe mayor was never in any danger. He has taxpayer-funded armed bodyguards.
Several Others Shot Or Stabbed And Wounded [More]
Forget it Jake, it's Chi-Town.
We're the Only Ones Opening Doors Enough
Via Dan S who notes "Spoof video that might be a little more funny if there wasn't some truth behind it." [More]
Remorseless Killer Executed
The chain saw severed branch after branch with a buzz and a crack and a bang. Dust and sap and heat seeped out. [More]And notice what the car did, all by its own self.
Where have we run across this mentality before?
[Via Ed M]
No Borders
Kent McManigal challenges "borderists."
It's his 100th column and he'd like to see it widely read.
I have said I disagree with him. But continuing that debate here is not something I can focus on right now.
Go read what he has to say, and if you have comments, share them with him.
Click here to do that.
It's his 100th column and he'd like to see it widely read.
I have said I disagree with him. But continuing that debate here is not something I can focus on right now.
Go read what he has to say, and if you have comments, share them with him.
Click here to do that.
South Africa Gun Owners Get Reprieve
Fortunately, some of their citizens recognize madness when they see it. The challenge to the FCA, and the interim reprieve granted by the court, are hopeful indicators. [More]Today's Gun Rights Examiner column notes a legal stay of execution.
Also find out who AHSA is endorsing, and get the latest from my fellow GREs.
Tell a friend?
This Day in History: June 29
I this moment received an express from Capt Bouker of Otter Creek by way of Coll Hammond, informing that Ticonderoga is besieged and the communication is cut off by eleven hundred men this side the lake. You are therefor requiered if possible to raise one quarter part of your militia and send forward without loss of time otherwise that Importan[t] Place will be lost [More]
U.S. Cyber Command: 404 Error, Mission Not (Yet) Found
Lt. Col. Tim Sands (from left), Capt. Jon Smith and Lt. Col. John Arnold monitor a simulated test April 16 in the Central Control Facility at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. They use the Central Control Facility to oversee electronic warfare mission data flight testing. Portions of their missions may expand under the new Air Force Cyber Command. Colonel Sands is the 53th Electronic Warfare Group AFCYBER Transition Team Chief, Captain Smith is the 36th Electronic Warfare Squadron Suppression of Enemy Air Defensestest director, and Colonel Arnold is the 36th Electronic Warfare Squadron commander. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Carrie Kessler) From The Danger Room:
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the military to start setting up a new “U.S. Cyber Command.” It’s a move that’s been discussed in defense circles for more than a year. But despite the announcement — and despite the lengthy debate – no one in the military-industrial complex seems all that sure what this new fighting force is supposed to do, exactly.
Officially, the Pentagon still has a few months to figure things out. Gates told his troops in a Tuesday memo that they have until September 1st to come up with an “implementation plan” for the new command. But there’s a ton to figure out in the next ten weeks. As Gates notes, that plan will have to “delineate USCYBERCOM’s mission, roles and responsibilities,” detail the command’s “minimum requirements” to get up and running, and sort out its “relationships” with the rest of the military – and the rest of the government.
In other words, just about everything.
Read more ...
My Comment: The Danger Room asks the same questions that I asked when I reported on this story last week .... both of our observations are the same .... it appears that everything is up in the air right now on what will be the mission statement and objectives of this new command.
If I was to have any input, I would (in a nutshell) give it a defensive and an offensive mandate. Defensive by keeping and maintaining America's line of communications and networks free from malicious infiltration. Offensive .... to me this involves the disabling and corrupting the lines of communications and networks of our adversaries.
Big Shift In Afghanistan Drug Policy
G8 foreign ministers said in a joint statement that they were "firmly committed" to supporting Afghanistan and Pakistan. Photo AFPUS Announces Big Shift In Afghanistan Drug Policy -- Yahoo News/AP
TRIESTE, Italy – The United States is phasing out funding for opium eradication programs in poppy-filled Afghanistan while significantly boosting funding for alternate crop and drug interdiction efforts, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The aim of the new policy: to deprive the Taliban of the tens of millions of dollars in drug revenues that are fueling its insurgency while promoting viable crop alternatives for Afghan farmers and cracking down on the illicit cross-border heroin trade.
The U.S. envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, told the AP that the U.S. eradication programs were only driving Afghan farmers into the hands of the Taliban.
Read more ....
More News On The Changing Of Afghan Drug Policies
US changes tack on Afghan poppies -- BBC
US announces big shift in Afghanistan drug policy -- The Guardian
New Course for Antidrug Efforts in Afghanistan -- New York Times
U.S. reverses Afghan drug policy, eyes August vote -- Reuters
U.S. Reverses Poppy Policy in Afghanistan, G-8 Ministers Told -- Bloomberg
NATO And Russia Expected To Resume Military Ties -- Yahoo News/APCORFU, Greece – NATO and Russia are set to resume military ties Saturday and agree to cooperate on Afghanistan, counterterrorism and anti-piracy patrols at their first high-level meeting since last year's war between Russia and Georgia, Western officials said.
Relations between the alliance and the Russian military were frozen in the aftermath of the five-day war last August. Although political ties have thawed considerably over the past five months, there have been no formal military contacts since then.
Read more ....
More News On NATO - Russian Cooperation
NATO, Russia reach agreement -- USA Today
NATO counts on resumed military cooperation with Russia -- RIA Novosti
Russia Meets Resistance to Plea for European Security Revamp -- Bloomberg
NATO hopes for resumption of military-to-military contacts with Russia -- China View
Is Somalia's Civil War About to Expand?
Eritrea Slams US For Providing Weapons To Somalia -- AFPADDIS ABABA (AFP) — Eritrea on Saturday slammed the United States for providing weapons to Somalia's beleaguered government in its battle against Islamist insurgents.
Washington announced on Thursday that it was sending the Horn of Africa nation an "urgent supply" of weapons and ammunition at the request of Mogadishu as armed groups closed in on the transitional government's strongholds.
"US misguided acts of intervention and supply of weapons have not, in the past years, advanced the cause of stability in Somalia," the Eritrean foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
Read more ....
More News On Somalia's Civil War
Eritrea: Statement By the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- AllAfrica.com
U.S. Has Sent 40 Tons of Munitions to Aid Somali Government -- Washington Post
US gives Somalia about 40 tons of arms, ammunition -- Reuters
US military help for Somalia is under $10 million -- AP
Somalia: The Crisis and Prospects for Lasting Peace -- All Africa.com
US Forces Withdrawing From Iraqi Cities Will Move Instead To Encircle Them
Soldiers of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, gather as they begin to pack at the Joint Security Station Comanche base south of the Sadr City district in Baghdad on June 24, 2009. (AFP/File/Ali al-Saadi)From The Christian Science Monitor:
The troops will form 'belts' around volatile cities like Mosul, where some fear gains in stability will be lost when US troops pull out on June 30.
Mosul, Iraq - The commanding general in charge of US forces in the north says American combat troops pulling out of Iraq's most volatile cities are being shifted to areas encircling the cities to try to stop what has proved to be a resilient Al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent groups.
Maj, Gen. Robert Caslen, commander of the 25th Infantry Division, says in an interview that he is watching closely to see whether a recent spike in attacks will continue after the June 30 deadline for US combat troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities.
Read more ....
Update: Elite Iraqi troops in forefront after US pullback -- Yahoo News/AP
My Comment: U.S. forces are not going to "encircle" cities per se, but I am sure that they are going to be placed at strategic spots before anyone can enter any of Iraq's cities. But will the violence continue? Hmmmm .... I personally think that it will. There is still too much bitterness and anger after so many years of war. It is probably going to take another generation or two before everything can settle down, and it is during this phase that U.S. and Iraqi forces must be vigilent in stopping those whose only interest is to ferment civil war.
Obama, Democrats In Congress Clash On Spending
President Obama threatened to veto the $369 millionCongress wants for new F-22s. Bloomberg News
From The Wall Street Journal:
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is facing his first open clashes with congressional Democrats over spending, as the White House tries to curb lawmaker demands for big-ticket items in the military and transportation budgets.
As pressure grows on Mr. Obama to show he is working to curb deficits, he has made his first formal veto threat, opposing a pair of military fighter jets. The president said this past week that the administration "strongly objects" to Congress's desire to spend $369 million for new F-22s because officials say the aircraft aren't suited for the guerilla warfare being waged in Iraq and Afghanistan. The administration also objects to the $603 million Congress wants to spend for a new second engine for the F-35.
Read more ....
My Comment: Unless the White House starts to do some heavy arm twisting, they do not have the votes to override a veto .... a prospect that I am sure the President does not want.
Honduras In A Constitutional Crisis That Now Involveds the military
Honduras Heads Toward Crisis Over Referendum -- AP
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras' leftist president hurled insults Friday at congressional leaders who are considering whether to oust him from power in a standoff over his push to revamp the constitution.
President Manuel Zelaya is promoting a Sunday referendum on constitutional changes that has plunged the country into crisis by setting the president at odds with the military, the courts and the legislature that have branded the vote illegal.
Read more ....
More News On The Crisis In Honduras
Honduras president: Nation calm before controversial vote -- CNN
Zelaya prepares for controversial Honduras vote -- AFP
Honduras Crisis Opens Regional Rift -- Wall Street Journal
Honduras Lurches Toward Crisis Over Election -- Wall Street Journal
Why not focus on Mexican Cartel/Police Alliance Instead of U.S. Guns?
Who in their right mind believes Mexican police and military personnel rely on "straw purchasers" at U.S. gun shops and gun shows to obtain military-grade firepower? [More]Today's Gun Rights Examiner column looks at a culture where only the police and military (legally) have guns. The results are what anyone who is rational would expect.
Also get the latest from my fellow GREs.
Tell a friend?
This Day in History: June 27
SPANKTOWN June 27, 1777
Gen. Charles Scott's light horse and Col. Daniel Morgan's Rangers harass British after evacuation of New Brunswick. [More]
Loyalist Paramilitaries Give Up Weapons In N.Ireland
A young family walk past a mural for the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) on Belfast's Shankhill Road in 2005. The main loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland have announced that they are decommissioning their weapons, a new milestone in the journey to peace after decades of unrest. (AFP/File/Cathy Mcarthur)From Yahoo News/AP:
BELFAST (AFP) – The main loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland announced Saturday they were decommissioning their weapons, a new milestone in the journey to peace after decades of unrest.
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Red Hand Commandos (RHC) have reportedly killed around 1,000 people between them during several decades of unrest known as the Troubles.
"The dark days are now behind us and it is time to move on," the UDA said in a statement. "There is no place for guns and violence in the new society we are building. It is time to work for a better future."
Read more ....
Update: N.Ireland's pro-British paramilitaries dump arsenal -- Reuters
My Comment: I am sure that a considerable number of arms are still hidden in people's attics, bedrooms, and basements. But this is still significant progress, and a very positive development.
A Twitter Timeline Of The Iran Election
From Newsweek:
In some ways, social media defined the protests surrounding Iran's election. Here are the most noteworthy events, as told through tweets.
The disputed June 12 Iran presidential election and the ensuing chaos were noteworthy not only for the swiftness with which the government cracked down on protesters but also for the role social media sites helped play in disseminating critical images and news. This was especially true after foreign journalists were essentially barred from reporting. Twitter, in particular, played a key role, allowing opposition supporters to communicate and organize protests, as well as to pass on information about what was happening on the ground to one another and the outside world. Below, we offer a rough timeline of events since the June 12 election, along with a daily sampling of tweets about events in Iran. (Note: Though we've made every effort to select tweets from informed posters, we have not been able to confirm the accuracy of the information contained in the posts. All times are ET, except where noted.)
Read more ....
Unrest In Iran -- News And Commentaries -- June 27, 2009
Iran's President Lashes Out At Obama -- Yahoo News/AP
Iran's hardline president lashed out anew at the United States and President Barack Obama on Saturday, accusing him of interference and suggesting that Washington's stance on Iran's postelection turmoil could imperil Obama's aim of improving relations.
"We are surprised at Mr. Obama," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in remarks to judiciary officials broadcast on state television. "Didn't he say that he was after change? Why did he interfere?"
"They keep saying that they want to hold talks with Iran ... but is this the correct way? Definitely, they have made a mistake," Ahmadinejad said.
Read more ....
More News On Iran
Ahmadinejad slams Obama for "interfering" in Iran -- Yahoo News/AFP
Iran uprising fizzles out as Mousavi backtracks -- Independent
Call to execute Iran protest chiefs -- The Guardian
Iranian Leaders Gaining the Edge Over Protesters -- New York Times
Iranian Cleric: Protesters at War With God -- Voice of America
Tehran Hard-Liners Seek to Show Their Dominance -- Wall Street Journal
Leading demonstrators must be executed, Ayatollah Khatami demands -- Times Online
Cleric calls for execution of some Iranian protesters -- Washington Times
Iranian Cleric Calls for 'Ruthless' Punishment of Protest Leaders -- Washington Post
Rumors and Theories Swirl Around Protests -- Washington Post
Iran election violence "outrageous," says Obama -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Violence May Hinder Talks With Iran, Obama Says -- New York Times
Obama Renews Criticism of Iran in Wake of Violence -- Wall Street Journal
Iran's crackdown complicates Obama's push for direct talks -- McClatchy News
In Iran Turmoil, U.S. Sees Chance to Gain Sway in Mideast -- Wall Street Journal
Zakaria: Not yet time for revolution in Iran -- CNN
Authoritarian Regimes Censor News From Iran -- Washington Post
How Quarreling Ayatullahs Affect Iran's Election Crisis -- Time Magazine
Obama Sweeps Hillary Clinton Under the Rug on Iran Election Crisis -- U.S. News And World Report opinion
Silence Has Consequences for Iran -- Washington Post opinion
Iran's Second Sex -- Roger Cohen, New York Times
Iran's Lessons -- Washington Post editorial
Solidarity With Iran -- Wall Street Journal editorial
An End To Nigeria's Civil War Over Oil?
Nigerian Militants Agree To Disarm By 4 August -- Voice of America
Militants of Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta region say they are studying an amnesty offer announced by President Umaru Yar'Adua, but will turn in their heavy weapons by the August 4th deadline stipulated in the document. General Boy Loaf, a commander of the main militant Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, says the group however rejects the government’s inclusion of amnesty in the peace process.
“We are not criminals,” said Loaf. “Amnesty is offered to criminals and people that have been convicted. We are fighting for our rights, carrying guns fighting to protect our fathers’ land. What we are suffering from is marginalization, slavery, oppression. We accept the peace, and are ready to lay down our arms, so the amnesty itself is just a mix of language.”
Read more ....
More News On The Possible End To Nigeria's Civil War Over Oil
Nigeria Militants Reject Govt's Amnesty Offer - Spokesman -- Nasdaq
12 hours after Yar’Adua’s amnesty: Militants blow up Shell facility -- Vanguard
Nigeria Militants Say Peace Depends on Amnesty -- Voice of America
Nigeria 'to release key militant' -- BBC
Nigerian army to halt fighting, rebels want meeting -- Reuters
Nigeria: Militants Get 100 Days to Repent - Reactions Trail Amnesty Offer -- All Africa
Amnesty for Nigeria militants to start August 6 -- AFP
Nigeria army to halt delta fighting -- Al Jazeera
Nigeria meets rebel conditions for peace -- Press TV
Liberal Discontent And The Spies Next Door -- A Commentary
Photo: Walter Kendall Myers and his wife, Gwendolyn.From The Wall Street Journal:
"Occasionally, he would voice frustration with U.S. policies," noted the Washington Post of Walter Kendall Myers, the aging New Leftist recently arrested with his wife, Gwendolyn, on charges of spying for Cuba. "But to his liberal neighbors in Northwest D.C.," the story continued, "it was nothing out of the ordinary. 'We were all appalled by the Bush years,' one said."
In this account and others, the Myerses seem less like shady characters out of a spy novel than like some of the more adamant residents of the leafy, left-of-center New York suburb where I live. They, too, as the Post has it, manifest "a deep and long-standing anger toward this country," and they certainly share Mr. Myers's rage, as recorded in his diary, at America's oil companies and health-care system.
Read more ....
My Comment: The best comment that I heard that describes the active liberal left and their support for left wing issues and Communists like Fidel Castro (and yes) Che, came from my father.
My father was born in the Soviet Union in 1922. Because of our family's connections and membership to the Communist Party, he was pampered and spoiled, receiving the best education and being groomed by the Party. When the Second World War broke out, he was put into the officer corp and survived till the end of the war with a high rank (the equivalent of a major). As a privileged member of the Communist Party, he was given a choice post in occupied East Germany, where he stayed until the end of 1946 when he decided to go (defect) to the West. He arrived in Canada in 1949.
The only time I was exposed to my father's Communist past was when the RCMP came to our home in Montreal during the War Measures Act of 1970. I should know, because it was I who opened the door to let them in. An unsettling experience that still is with me today.
Years later (as an adult) I got to know more about my father and his parent's (my grand parents) past, with our best conversations always on politics, in particular Russian/Soviet history. He was a fervent Russian nationalist .... but I was surprise to learn that he was also an anti-communist. I asked him what had changed his mind ... his answer .... he had never changed his mind. With a smile .... which I will never forget .... he told me that the big secret (which was common knowledge in the Soviet Communist Party when he was there) was that there were/are 100x more Communists and their sympathizers in the U.S. and Canada than in all of the Soviet Union. Years later .... being a "student" of national security and international politics and being fortunate to travel the world .... I now know that my father was 100% right.
If my father was alive today, he would classify Walter Kendall Myers and his wife, Gwendolyn as two of those people .... and he would spit at them for the traitors to freedom that they are.
Iran's Turmoil Opens Rift Among Shiites Across Mideast
Iran's Ayatollah Ali KhameneiFrom The Wall Street Journal:
Unrest in Iran has opened a theological rift within the Shiite sect of Islam, undermining the Iranian regime's founding dogma that is shared by millions of fellow Shiites across the Middle East.
The concept, known as wilayat al-faqih -- literally "guardianship by a jurist" -- holds that, in an Islamic state, a divinely anointed scholar of Islamic law must exercise unquestioned authority over elected officials and the rest of the government.
Read more ....
My Comment: Bingo .... this Wall Street Journal article pinpoints the great debate that is occurring within the Shiite community today. It is not an Islamic/Shiite reformation (yet), but it is a few steps away from the start of one.
Pakistan Army Operation Hinders Taliban Efforts In Afghanistan, U.S. Says
From The L.A. Times:
The offensive against militants in the Swat Valley, as well as Pakistanis' growing support for the campaign, gives U.S. officials reason to believe Islamabad can turn the tide against extremists.
Reporting from Washington -- Pakistan's military offensive against the Taliban has slowed the flow of arms and fighters into Afghanistan, U.S. officials say, and has prompted intelligence analysts to issue cautiously upbeat new assessments of Islamabad's ability to contain the threat of violent extremists.
Read more ....
Update: Pakistan Army's challenge: holding onto gains against militants -- Christian Science Monitor
My Comment: The main safe havens in Pakistan for the Taliban have not been touched yet. If they are attacked by the Pakistani military .... that is when we can say that a dent against the enemy is now in progress.
Goodbye To The Old Boss, Hello To The New Boss
In this June 6, 2008, photo, reviewed by U.S. military censors, a guard stands at a gate at the Camp Delta detention compound, which has housed foreign prisoners since 2002, at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. AP, FileObama Drafting Order on Detention -- Washington Post
Officials Say It Would Reassert Power To Hold Terror Suspects Indefinitely
The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, is drafting an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.
Such an order would embrace claims by former president George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trial for long periods under the laws of war. Obama advisers are concerned that an order, which would bypass Congress, could place the president on weaker footing before the courts and anger key supporters, the officials said.
Read more ....
My Comment: All the good stuff from the White House is dumped every friday night .... tonight was no exception. As to President Obama breaking another campaign promise .... my above title says it all.
'Hizbullah Could Hit US Harder Than al-Qaida'
From The Jerusalem Post:
Hizbullah has a greater capability of staging a mass casualty terrorist attack in the US than al-Qaida does, and military action against Iran might trigger exactly that, according to a top counter-terrorism official with the New York police.
"Hizbullah at the strategic level, with its state sponsors, more or less decided not to attack the United States interests directly in the continental United States at all," Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism Richard Falkenrath of the New York Police Department told the Washington Institute for Near East Affairs this week. "But our assessment is, if they ever change their minds, they have the capacity to inflict terrible damage on the United States, and I worry about that a lot. We haven't seen it yet, but I don't like to be in a position where our defense lies in the strategic decision of a terrorist organization."
Read more ....
My Comment: Hizbullah already has the blood of hundreds of Americans .... what is a few more. Their long term objectives have also not changed .... including their commitment to the destruction of Israel.
What makes the present situation more uncertain is the impact that the democracy movement has had in Iran. The past two weeks have been a public humiliation to the spiritual leaders of the country, they have lost both credibility and face. To reassert their authority, the hardliners in the country will do what they have always done in the past .... look for a target abroad to refocus their people on it. Terrorism and/or the threat of war will do just that, and Hezbollah is the perfect tool to be used in such an endeavor.
Arab Activists Watch Iran And Wonder: 'Why Not Us?'
After opposition gains in Parliament, the government of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt delayed local elections. Shawn Baldwin for The New York TimesFrom The Washington Post:
CAIRO, June 25 -- Mohamed Sharkawy bears the scars of his devotion to Egypt's democracy movement. He has endured beatings in a Cairo police station, he said, and last year spent more than two weeks in an insect-ridden jail for organizing a protest.
But watching tens of thousands of Iranians take to the streets of Tehran this month, the 27-year-old pro-democracy activist has grown disillusioned. In 10 days, he said, the Iranians have achieved far more than his movement has ever accomplished in Egypt.
"We sacrificed a lot, but we have gotten nowhere," Sharkawy said.
Across the Arab world, Iran's massive opposition protests have triggered a wave of soul-searching and conflicting emotions. Many question why their own reform movements are unable to rally people to rise up against unpopular authoritarian regimes. In Egypt, the cradle of what was once the Arab world's most ambitious push for democracy, Iran's protests have served as a reminder of how much the notion has unraveled under President Hosni Mubarak, who has ruled the country for 30 years.
Read more ....
My Comment: The reason why protests on Tehran's streets do not happen on the Arab street is simple .... the majority do not want it. People are always willing to give up their freedom for security, and this is the lie that has been sold to them in Cairo, the Gulf States .... and hell .... in most of the world.
The New York Times examined the failure of democracy in the Middle East 2 1/2 years ago. Its analysis and conclusions are just as pertinent today, with the exception that unlike President Bush who made democratization a central policy objective after 9/11, the Obama administration have little if any interest in pursuing democracy in the Arab world. The link to the New York Times story is HERE.
Burma (Myanmar) Presses Rebels In Bid To Eliminate Armed Opposition
In this photo taken Tuesday, June 9, 2009 released by Free Burma Rangers, Karen villagers board a pickup truck as they flee the fighting between Myanmar soldiers and Karen guerrillas into Thailand's Tha Song Yag district of Tak province. More than 4,000 ethnic Karen have abandoned a camp and villages in eastern Myanmar to seek refuge in Thailand following government attacks on ethnic insurgents, a Karen spokesman and aid groups said. (AP Photo/Free Burma Rangers, HO)From Christian Science Monitor:
The offensive is pushing thousands of refugees into Thailand. It appears to be a rebuke to Burma's neighbor, which has criticized the junta for its trial of democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Bangkok, Thailand - A four-week military offensive in eastern Burma (Myanmar) has pushed back ethnic Karen rebels and forced thousands of refugees to flee across the border into Thailand. The attacks appear to underscore the determination of Burma's regime to snuff out what little armed opposition remains to its rule ahead of elections next year.
Read more ....
My Comment: After decades of conflict, the Burmese military is going all out to either co-op the opposition, or to wipe them out. It appears that they are slowly succeeding, but at a horrendous civilian casualty rate.
The End Of Freedom On The Internet
User ID: a police officer checks registrations at an internet café in Xuchang, central China. From next month, Beijing wants new computers to be installed with extra controlsControl, Halt, Delete -- Financial Times
This week, an open letter appeared on Chinese blogs and online bulletin boards. “Hello, internet censorship institutions of the Chinese government,” it said. “We are the anonymous netizens. We hereby decide that from July 1 2009, we will start a full-scale global attack on all censorship systems you control.”
Beijing’s attempts to manipulate the internet would, the message predicted, “soon be swept on to the rubbish pile of history”.
Chinese internet users, although skilled at dodging the censors, are angrier than they have ever been. The anonymous declaration of war is just one sign of the strains emerging as the global spread of internet access, and its embrace by activists of all stripes, triggers an unprecedented crackdown by national governments that threatens to transform the way hundreds of millions of people communicate.
Read more ....
My Comment: If there is one thing that dictatorships, centrally controlled governments, and socialist states cannot tolerate .... it is criticism and independent thought. They will win the online war, because when things get too tough, they can always unplug the country from the rest of the world.
South To Boost Surgical Strike Capability Against North
South Korean and US troops are on a heightened state of alert after North Korea announced it was abandoning the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War Photo: AFP From The Korea Times:
The South Korean military plans to speed up efforts to deploy ground, air and naval weapons systems for use in strikes against key facilities in North Korea in the event of war, the Ministry of National Defense said Friday.
The plan is part of a revised version of a military modernization package. The ministry unveiled the revision of the Defense Reform 2020 initiative drawn up in 2005.
The updated plan is focused on securing independent capabilities to remove North Korea's asymmetrical military threat of nuclear and missile programs by deploying sophisticated surveillance, reconnaissance and striking assets.
Read more ....
My Comment: The South Koreans have doubts on the U.S.
A U.S. General Speculates On What A Ground War With North Korea Will Be Like
US General: Prepare For Terrorist Tactics From North Korea -- The Christian Science Monitor
The commander of US forces in South Korea says the North would likely use roadside bombs and other insurgent strategies in a ground war.
Washington - American forces may have to focus the counterinsurgency skills they have gained in Iraq and Afghanistan on the threat posed by North Korea.
The American general leading US forces in South Korea told the South Korean military this week that "our enemies" are beefing up their guerilla warfare capabilities and would likely use improvised explosive devices and similar tactics if a ground war broke out.
Read more ....
Update: SCENARIOS: Post Kim, how might events unfold in North Korea? -- Reuters
My Comment: I doubt that there will be war with North Korea. If there was, it would have no chance against the combined military might of the U.S. and South Korea, with added assistance from countries like Japan and other allies.
Latest Updates on Iran’s Disputed Election
EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran. Worshippers shout anti-U.S., anti-Israeli and anit-British slogans during Friday prayers in Tehran June 26, 2009. A hardline Iranian cleric on Friday called for the execution of "rioters" in the latest sign of the authorities' determination to stamp out opposition to the June 12 presidential election. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN POLITICS RELIGION)From The New York Times:
To supplement reporting by New York Times journalists inside Iran on Friday, The Lede will continue to track the aftermath of Iran’s disputed presidential election, as we have since election day, June 12. Please refresh this page throughout the day to get the latest updates at the top of your screen (updates are stamped with the time in New York). For an overview of the current situation, read the main news article on our Web site, which will be updated throughout the day.
Read more ....
UN: 1,200 Congolese Killed By Ugandan Rebels In 09
From Yahoo News/AP:
GENEVA – Ugandan rebels this year have killed around 1,200 Congolese civilians and abducted 1,500, mostly children, in a remote region of northeast Congo, a U.N. official said Friday.
Fighting between government forces and the Lord's Resistance Army rebels has driven another 220,000 Congolese from their homes in the Haut-Uele region, said Ross Mountain, the U.N. chief's deputy special representative to Congo.
The Lord's Resistance Army rebel group is notorious for torturing, raping and mutilating civilians. The group also forces children it abducts to be rebel soldiers, and Mountain said most of the people kidnapped in the first six months of this year were children.
Read more ....
My Comment: Only 1,200? Millions have died in this region of Africa over the past two decades. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? .... from my vantage point no. There is too much history and bitterness .... an environment that would take generations to go away if peace should (magically) breakout today.
World News Briefs -- June 26, 2009
In this Jan. 31, 1993 file picture, Michael Jackson performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, Calif. Jackson has died in Los Angeles at age 50 on Thursday, June 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)MIDDLE EAST
Elite Iraqi troops in forefront after US pullback.
Lebanon's Hariri set to become prime minister.
Hamas leader welcomes Obama's new Mideast approach.
Activists use U.S. tech to poke holes in Iran firewall (Updated).
Iran doctor tells of Neda's death.
ASIA
China tightens restrictions for web sites on sexual health.
China 'to block' Hummer takeover.
India undertakes ambitious ID card plan.
SKorea to set up intl peacekeeping force: military.
US will not use force to inspect NKorean ship.
NKorean state media news available on Twitter.
AFRICA
Nigeria militants want amnesty talks with president.
Former Rwandan foreign minister clear of genocide charges.
Rights group: Abuse in Zimbabwe diamond fields.
EUROPE
First top Russia-NATO talks set since Georgia war.
Serbia charges Kosovo ex-rebels for war crimes.
US, Germany seeking to boost Moscow ties.
Militant killed in shootout in south Russia's Ingushetia.
Albania's Berisha pledging free and fair elections.
AMERICAS
US swine flu cases may have hit 1 million.
Brazil's Lula says may seek presidency in 2014.
92 Mexican police arrested in drug cartel investigation.
International arrest warrant for alleged FARC-Anncol contact.
Career Air Force officer to lead U.S. Southern Command.
TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR
Ethiopian terror suspects denied bail.
Canadian accused of al Qaeda ties ends Sudan exile.
Ireland mulls taking in two Guantanamo prisoners.
ECONOMIC/FINANCIAL CRISIS
Mounting U.S. jobless claims force states to borrow.
Mounting jobless claims force states to borrow funds.
Somalia Civil War News Updates -- June 26, 2009
A hardline Islamic fighter of 'Hizbul Islam' fires a heavy callibre machine gun during training near the frontline. Photo AFP.Somalia Violence Kills More Than 250 Civilians: UN -- AFP
GENEVA (AFP) — Clashes between Islamist rebels and Somalia's government have killed some 250 civilians and forced more than 160,000 to flee their homes since last month, the UN refugee agency said on Friday.
The fighting "is leaving a trail of civilian casualties, destruction and renewed displacement," said William Spindler, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
"According to records of local Somali hospitals, more than 250 civilians have been killed and at least 900 wounded since last month," he said.
Read more ....
More News On Somalia
As more flee Somalia, world's largest refugee camp feels the pressure -- Christian Science Monitor
Somalis create world's largest refugee camp -- AP
Violence taking heavy toll on Somalia-aid agencies -- Reuters
Officials: US bolsters Somalia aid to foil rebels -- AP
US sends weapons to Somali government -- Christian Science Monitor
Amputations and kidnappings force Somali civilians to flee militant advances -- Times Online
Somalia: Al-Qaeda linked militants 'out of control' -- ADNkronos
US Congressional Hearing Examines Military, Political Situation in Somalia -- Voice of America
US Will Not Use Force To Inspect NKorean Ship
In this photo taken on Thursday, June 25, 2009, and released by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service in Tokyo, North Korean participants gather at a rally at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea. Tens of thousands of North Koreans shouted slogans to denounce international sanctions at a rally in central Pyongyang on Thursday, as the communist country vowed to enlarge its atomic arsenal and warned of a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" in the event of a U.S. attack. (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service)From AP:
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States will not use force to inspect a North Korean ship suspected of carrying banned goods, an American official was quoted as saying Friday.
An American destroyer has been shadowing the North Korean freighter sailing off China's coast, possibly on its way to Myanmar.
Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy met with South Korean officials in Seoul on Friday as the U.S. sought international support for aggressively enforcing a U.N. sanctions resolution aimed at punishing Pyongyang for its second nuclear test last month. The North Korean-flagged ship, Kang Nam 1, is the first to be tracked under the U.N. resolution.
Read more ....
Update: U.S. is tracking a number of North Korean vessels -- Joong Ang Daily
My Comment: If this is the case .... why are we following their ships? What's the point?
Iraq War News Updates -- June 26, 2009
Police inspected the site of a bombing at a bus station in Baghdad on Thursday.Loay Hameed/Associated Press
Wave of Bombings Continues in Iraq -- New York Times
BAGHDAD — At least nine people were killed and 25 injured Friday when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated explosives in a Baghdad market area, the Interior Ministry said. The bombing was the eighth in two days as American troops prepare to withdraw from Iraqi cities by Tuesday.
The insurgents appear to be testing the Iraqi security forces’ ability to handle the situation without American backup.
Read more ....
More News On Iraq
Motorcycle bomb kills 19 in Baghdad market -- AP
FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, June 26 -- Reuters
Baghdad Market Blast Increases Tensions Before June 30 US Pullout from Iraqi Cities -- Voice of America
Top US lawmaker: Iraq pullout 'on track' -- AFP
Iraqi, US commanders strike Mosul deal -- AFP
Security gains stall in Baghdad -- Washington Times
Security gains stall in Baghdad -- CNN
Sadr City market bomb that killed 78 heralds return to violence -- Times Online
U.S. Troops, Civilians to Become Less Protected on July 1 -- Washington Post
'Great place to live': US troops exit Sadr City -- AFP
A Barrel Half-Full in Iraq -- Wall Street Journal
Security in Iraq: Is it getting worse again? -- The Economist
The Iraq Drawdown Is Proof of Success -- Wall Street Journal opinion
Is A Trade War With China Brewing?
From Time Magazine:
When the U.S. Senate last February introduced a clause requiring the purchase of U.S.-made steel and iron in Washington's $787 billion stimulus package, the Chinese government decried the "Buy American" measure as a dangerous step toward trade protectionism, stressing that Beijing would not respond in kind. "We won't practice Buy China," Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei vowed, according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.
But four months later, China's resolve to avoid a showdown over trade with the West appears to have weakened as the country struggles to keep its manufacturing sector growing during recession. Instead, China, the U.S. and the European Union may be sliding toward the kind of tit-for-tat trade battle that economists warn could impede commerce and stall a global economic recovery.
Read more ....
More News On U.S. China Trade Relations
China, clumsy commodities giant, making bigger waves -- Reuters
Friction in world trade -- Economist
China rebuffs US and EU over trade attack -- The Telegraph
China defends export policies against WTO complaint -- Reuters
Obama's WTO Complaint Against China -- Daily Kos
Tit for Tat on Trade -- Wall Street Journal opinion
Pakistan Civil War News Updates -- June 26, 2009
Pakistan's army soldiers rush to a spot of a suicide attack in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir, Friday, June 26, 2009. A suicide bomber blew himself up early Friday near an army vehicle, killing at least two soldiers in the first such assault in Pakistan's part of divided Kashmir, the military said. (Roshan Mughal)/Photo APPakistan Troops Killed In Kashmir -- BBC
At least two soldiers have been killed and three others wounded by a suicide blast in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, officials say.
The Taliban has said it carried out the attack, the AP news agency reported.
Militants have launched deadly attacks on soldiers across Pakistan, but it is thought to be the first such bombing in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
The army is engaged in an intense battle to dislodge the Taliban from strongholds in the north-west.
The Pakistani Taliban fighting the army in the north-west have no obvious presence in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, our correspondent says.
Read more ....
More News On Pakistan's Civil War
Pakistani violence spreads to Kashmir -- Reuters
Suicide bomber kills 2 troops in Pakistani Kashmir -- AP
INTERVIEW - Kashmir blast won't distract Pakistan offensive -- Reuters
Militants blow up girls' school in Pakistan -- AFP
Pakistan’s Zardari Sought U.S. Drones to Hit Taliban -- Bloomberg
Zardari asks US to give Pakistan drone technology -- Times of India
National Security Advisor General Jim Jones visits Pakistan -- FOX News
Why Pakistan is going down the tubes -- Foreign Policy
In pictures: On Pakistan's tribal frontier -- BBC