Day: March 18, 2014

Maybe Rocks Would Be More Effective?

From the Ukraine we take a hard left and head south by southwest (not a Hitchcock movie)!

Yes, I am a geek when it comes to international relations, especially dealing with the Middle East.  Whenever people hear the term “Middle East” they immediately think of Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians and its neighbors…..the country of Israel is so important to the US that we sink $429 million into their scheme for a system to intercept incoming missiles, Iron Dome is its code name.

“The Iron Dome system is capable of intercepting and destroying short-range rockets, and mortar and artillery shells, and is an invaluable component of Israeli missile defense,” the statement reads. “During Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, Iron Dome was credited with saving countless Israeli lives, and was called a ‘game-changer’ by many Israeli policy-makers.”

The agreement, concluded last Wednesday, “ensures continued US funding for procurement of Iron Dome systems and interceptors, and provides for significant co-production opportunities for US industry. Under the terms of the agreement, $429 million will be transferred immediately to Israel to support Iron Dome procurement.”

Iron Dome is this magic bullet that will protect Israel from rocket attacks from their enemies, which are many in the region……but what is it exactly?

The system is designed to counter short-range rockets and 155 mm artillery shells with a range of up to 70 kilometers. According to its manufacturer, Iron Dome will operate day and night, under adverse weather conditions, and can respond to multiple threats simultaneously.

Iron Dome has three central parts:

  • Detection & Tracking Radar: the radar system is built by Elta, an Israeli defense company and subsidiary of the Israel Aerospace Industry, as well as the IDF.
  • Battle Management & Weapon Control (BMC): the control center is built by mPrest Systems, an Israeli software company, for Rafael
  • Missile Firing Unit: the unit launches the Tamir interceptor missile, equipped with electro-optic sensors and several steering fins for high maneuverability. The missile is built by Rafael.

The system’s radar is developed and manufactured by IAI’s ELTA division and referred to as ELM-2084. It detects the rocket’s launch and tracks its trajectory. Then, the BMC calculates the expected hit point according to the reported data, and uses this information to determine whether the target constitutes a threat to a designated area; only in this case an interceptor missile is fired to detonate and destroy the rocket before it reaches the expected impact area.

Now that you are well aware of the scope of this weapon……maybe we should see how well t does work…..

A barrage of at least 70 rockets was fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on Wednesday evening. There were no casualties.

The IDF’s Iron Dome system successfully intercepted three rockets, and area residents have been called to stay within protected areas.

Intercepted 3 out of 70?  That is less than 10% of the incoming rockets were intercepted.  We, meaning America, spent $429 million to help develop a system that has less than 10% success rate……..now there is money well spent…..maybe they should hire a bunch of slingers and let them hurdle rocks at the incoming rockets……bet the success rate would be better and it would cost the US a whole less money…….whatcha think?

America’s War-Weary Public | Consortiumnews

Russia’s response to the Ukraine situation has got all the usual suspects on the Right thumping their chests like insane primates……eventually calling for the US to do more and more until we are ass deep in another armed conflict.

But how will the American people react?  Will there be support for yet another war?

America’s War-Weary Public | Consortiumnews.

How Dare They Vote!

In case you were wondering…there is NO new news on the missing airplane.

In case you were not sure about me and my habits….let me expand a bit…..I surf many international websites and read many foreign newspapers…….first their reporting is a bit more accurate than the propaganda we get here in the US and second the news is just more interesting than the he said she said crap they pass off here as news.

Today I would like to discuss the recent vote in Ukraine…….the people of the Crimea have voted to secede and become possibly part of the Russian Federation…..and the big mouths started condemning just about everything that is being done as some sort of plot…….but there is another way to look at it….

Russia is way out of line. How dare a large military power cook up a pretext to invade a smaller, weaker nation? “Is it just me, or does the rhetoric about the crisis in Ukraine sound as if all of Washington is suffering from amnesia?” asks Eugene Robinson at the Washington Post. “Even as we condemn Moscow for its outrageous aggression, we reserve the right to fire deadly missiles into Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and who knows where else.” Before those conflicts, there was Iraq, Afghanistan, Iraq again, and even Panama and Grenada. Russia’s invasion is certainly wrong, but “the United States, frankly, has limited standing to insist on absolute respect for the territorial integrity of sovereign states.” As for those deriding President Obama’s response as weak, they’re “either cynical or clueless. It is meaningless to rattle sabers if the whole world knows you have no intention of using them,” and Russia is one of the few nations on Earth our military might can’t intimidate. Click for Robinson’s full column.

Okay first…..the people that are the loudest are the same ones that took us into a war for NO other reason than we could do it.  Second, Crimea voted and the results are in…is not that what democracy is about…doing what the people want?

But we think that we can go about doing what we want……..let’s be honest….. in reality……we CANNOT do squat!  We can rant and rave……but squat is out of our grasp!

If foreign policy pundits agree on anything, “it’s that President Obama must do moar to stand up to Vladimir Putin,” observes Michael Cohen at the Guardian; (that’s “more” plus “roar,” he explains for those unfamiliar.) “We need more strong leadership and more retroactive bombing of Syria; less talk and more rock; definitely less projected weakness.” Yet, seemingly no one believes the US should actually use military force in Crimea. “Which raises a quite serious and legitimate question: What the hell are we arguing about?” The “dirty little secret” is that “the US has at its disposal very few levers with which to change Russia’s behavior.” Yeah, we can impose sanctions and call off summits and joint military training, but these are policies “that largely dance around the margins,” and the protracted Iranian nuclear drama has vividly demonstrated “such steps will take time and diplomatic effort to bring results.” The “moar” crowd’s protestations serve to hide a hard truth: “We are not nearly as powerful as we’d often like to believe.” Click for Cohen’s full column.

Those so-called experts can do all the one liners they want….and they can beat their chests like sex crazed primates but when it comes down to the nut cutting….WE CANNOT DO SQUAT!

The I.M.F., Ukraine and President Obama – NYTimes.com

By now most Americans could care less what happens in Ukraine……they are fixated on a news item that is perpetuated without any news…..flight 370.

The vote is in…Crimea wants to be part of Russia……Putin is poised to be a national hero there…..and the IMF gets to f*ck the country of Ukraine unmercifully……

The I.M.F., Ukraine and President Obama – NYTimes.com.

The British Are Coming!

Something wicked this way comes……..(Ray Bradbury)

Just outside my front door was the world’s worst environmental disaster ever……..the impact of the oil spill is still being felt and who knows what will be the results of future tests to determine water quality…..BP has ponied up about $50 billion in damages….and there is still NO definitive proof that all is okay…there are a wealth of opinions on the subject….most come from the American Petroleum Institute…..a think tank to convince the multitude that the oil industry is a somehow safe…….I have my doubts.

But thanx to the lame brain thinking of ‘drill baby drill’ the British (BP) are allowed to resume their work in the Gulf……..

BP is taking a big step in its recovery following 2010’s massive oil spill. The US has agreed to lift the 2012 ban that kept the oil company from doing business with the US government—including seeking contracts in the Gulf of Mexico. That means the company can begin competing for new contracts and leases as early as next Wednesday’s scheduled Gulf auction—though its path to the Gulf isn’t quite as neat as that. Per the agreement, it will have to meet increased ethics, corporate governance, and safety requirements, and must foot the bill for annual reviews by an independent auditor for the next five years. Those results will be handed over to the EPA, which can take action should the agreement be “breached,” the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal report. It’s “the best news BP has gotten since the accident,” notes an oil company analyst; to wit, the Journal points out that the 2012 injunction saw the company lose the opportunity to renew military fuel contracts valued at $2.3 billion. “BP has to get back into the hunt in order for them to score.” Others, unsurprisingly, aren’t as thrilled with the news. Activist group Public Citizen says the decision “lets a corporate felon and repeat offender off the hook for its crimes against people and the environment.” Craig Hooks at the EPA, however, says it’s “a fair agreement that requires BP to improve its practices in order to meet the terms we’ve outlined together.”

Wonder what this piece of good news cost BP?  Cash was undoubtedly passed around…but the big question should be….who got the cheddar?