Day: January 14, 2015

ISIS Coalition SITREP #64

Good day…..I apologize for the lessening number of briefings but world events have kicked a WAR off the radar of the media and the people’s thoughts….I will return to a more constant update as events permit……

Item 1–It appears that Iran’s involvement in the war on ISIS is more positive than few will admit…….

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Jan. 8 that Iran’s influence in Iraq could be “positive.”

Dempsey, who spoke with reporters following a meeting at the Pentagon with Lt. Gen. Benjamin Gatz, chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said, “If it is a path that ties the two countries [Iran and Iraq] more closely together economically or even politically, as long as the Iraqi government remains committed to inclusivity of all the various groups inside the country, then I think Iranian influence will be positive. But what really matters is where it all goes, and we’re watching that very carefully.”

Item 2–And then there is this report on Iran……

In the eyes of most Iraqis, their country’s best ally in the war against the Islamic State group is not the United States and the coalition air campaign against the militants. It’s Iran, which is credited with stopping the extremists’ march on Baghdad.

Shiite, non-Arab Iran has effectively taken charge of Iraq’s defense against the Sunni radical group, meeting the Iraqi government’s need for immediate help on the ground.

Two to three Iranian military aircraft a day land at Baghdad airport, bringing in weapons and ammunition. Iran’s most potent military force and best known general — the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force and its commander Gen. Ghasem Soleimani — are organizing Iraqi forces and have become the de facto leaders of Iraqi Shiite militias that are the backbone of the fight. Iran carried out airstrikes to help push militants from an Iraqi province on its border.

US interests could be in danger……someone needs to watch this closely.

Item 3–ISIS is gaining a foothold in Afghanistan…….

In the wake of a video showing regional ISIS supporters beheading a Pakistani soldier, Afghan officials confirmed that ISIS is not only active in Afghanistan, but increasingly so in the southern Helmand Province.

Gen. Mahmoud Khan admitted that ISIS fighters are openly recruiting in Helmand, and that a religious leader named Mullah Abdul Rauf has been trying to bring tribal leaders on board.

Mullah Rauf was a commander for the Taliban years ago, but now seems to be on the ISIS bandwagon. This could be problematic not just for the Afghan government, but for the Taliban as well.

Sad…..so sad……more thorns in the world’s butt.

Item 4–A short report on Coalition airstrikes……..

In Syria, military forces conducted 11 airstrikes, including nine near the long-contested city of Kobani, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials said in a statement. The air raids obliterated ISIS fighting positions and buildings, officials said.

In Iraq, an assortment of attack aircraft, fighter jets and drones executed 16 strikes. They destroyed some of the terror group’s fighting positions, vehicles, an artillery system, rocket launcher and buildings, officials said.

Coalition forces hit targets near a slew of Iraqi cities, including Baiji, Taji, Al Qaim, Ramadi, Tal Afar, Al Asad, Sinjar and Mosul.

Item 5–There is more from the Iranians……….

/ The Deputy of Iran’s Interior Ministry , Hossein Ali Amiri said on Tuesday, that his country’s security forces are monitoring the movements of ISIS terrorist organization

in Iraq, stressing that the organization does not constitute any threat to Iran.

Amiri said at a news conference seen by “Shafaq News”, that “ISIS terrorist organization is at a distance far from the borders of Iran, noting that the western border enjoy full security and the necessary actions have been taken on the eastern border as well.”

He added that ISIS will not pose a threat to us and our forces are able to ensure the security of the border in the best possible shape, noting that the security and military services are monitoring ISIS movements accurately.

If true….maybe then it is time for a closer relationship with Iran on this issue….at least……..

That concludes today’s briefing…….

Thanx for your time and attention……..

Turn The Page!

Sen. Bernie Sanders: Man Of The People

There are not many in Washington that I would give the time of day……my two faves are Eliz.. Warren and Bernie Sanders……I have been a fan of Sanders since his days in state politics in Vermont……he has consistently been a person of the people…..there have been others that I respected their time in DC but not many…..

Sanders has always been a proponent of the poor and the middle class……he has been vocal and demanding….few in DC would listen and even fewer would have his back when it came to the nut cutting……

He and Warren are making a dynamite one two punch…….the Left is very fortunate to have these two people as their spokesperson…….Sen. Warren let the Congress have it over the latest government funding bill…..she withheld NO punches.

Remember 2008….I know it is a sore subject that few want to revisit……but to solve the problem from ever happening again there was a call to break up the big banks and eliminate the “too big too fail” syndrome where the taxpayer had to cover them for their bad business practices…….Sanders is trying again to do the right thing for the country with his 12 point plan………

Sanders detailed a 12-point economic program to,

– Invest in our crumbling infrastructure with a major program to create jobs by rebuilding roads, bridges, water systems, waste water plants, airports, railroads and schools.

– Transform energy systems away from fossil fuels to create jobs while beginning to reverse global warming and make the planet habitable for future generations.

– Develop new economic models to support workers in the United States instead of giving tax breaks to corporations which ship jobs to low-wage countries overseas.

– Make it easier for workers to join unions and bargain for higher wages and benefits.

– Raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour so no one who works 40 hours a week will live in poverty.

– Provide equal pay for women workers who now make 78 percent of what male counterparts make.

– Reform trade policies that have shuttered more than 60,000 factories and cost more than 4.9 million decent-paying manufacturing jobs.

– Make college affordable and provide affordable child care to restore America’s competitive edge compared to other nations.

– Break up big banks. The six largest banks now have assets equivalent to 61 percent of our gross domestic product, over $9.8 trillion. They underwrite more than half the mortgages in the country and issue more than two-thirds of all credit cards.

– Join the rest of the industrialized world with a Medicare-for-all health care system that provides better care at less cost.

– Expand Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and nutrition programs.

– Reform the tax code based on wage earners’ ability to pay and eliminate loopholes that let profitable corporations stash profits overseas and pay no U.S. federal income taxes.

I have NO problem with his plan…..which is unusual for I seldom find a plan coming out of the Senate that I agree with…….Americans need to get informed and back Sanders plan…….another 2008 is only a tick away from happening again…….

Because of the collective ignorance of the American people will ensure that we will face another economic crash…..and this one may not be as easy to repair as the last…….

Keep your head in the sand and you will make it possible for more suffering of the American people……I know most could care less about their fellow Americans and that is why we are doomed to keep making the same mistake time and time again……..

It’s Mitt (Again And Again)

The big news for political pundits is the chance that Mitt (a 2 time loser) may be ready to try for a third attempt at the presidency.

The news has been all over the place…….but the chance of covering Mitt is all consuming for them……

The most common reaction on both the left and right to the news that Mitt Romney is genuinely serious about another White House run seems to be … why? Some examples:

  • Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post: In a blog post headlined “His time has passed,” the onetime Romney backer writes that “he may have been the best of a crummy field in 2012, but in 2016 he’d be a very flawed candidate in a field of more exciting contenders.” Unless he can come up with specific answers to a series of questions (about the 47%, etc), she thinks his friends must explain to him that “we need to find someone who can win—and that person is not you. … Running for personal redemption is a rotten rationale for a presidential campaign.”
  • Jonathan Chait, New York: He swears he won’t believe Romney is running again, even during his oath of office. Among the reasons: Remember when Romney warned of unemployment doomsday under President Obama? No doomsday. “Romney’s sole advantage, his self-styled persona as a business guru who can get under the hood and fix the American economy, would seem to have little remaining credibility.”
  • Jazz Shaw, Hot Air: “I still have all the respect in the world for Mitt, but his time has come and gone. He can still play an important role in the national discussion and will certainly be able to help steer some significant fundraising operations, but I think he should keep his hat out of the ring this time.”
  • Jamelle Bouie, Slate: He is among the few who think Romney could make a strong candidate. Bouie argues that Romney wasn’t a “bad” candidate in 2012, but he was up against an incumbent and an improving economy, and that kind of political math rarely works. “There won’t be an incumbent in 2016, and there’s a good chance Americans will want a different party at the helm,” writes Bouie. “If Romney were the nominee, there’s no doubt that he could win the presidency.”

My personal opinion of the possibility of another Mitt run for the roses……YAWN!

The man is as boring as watching flies f*ck!

America’s angriest white men: Up close with racism, rage and Southern supremacy – Salon.com

I live in Mississippi and I have always said that the state motto ought to be “Welcome to Mississippi…set your watches back 150 years”.

Yes, even today there is still a massive amount of bigotry in the state….in the 70’s I thought that they state might move beyond the racism it is noted for…..but I was sadly mistaken.

 

America’s angriest white men: Up close with racism, rage and Southern supremacy – Salon.com.