Day: April 14, 2015

What was behind the ethnic cleansing of Armenians? – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

100 years ago this year there was a situation that has been a bone of contention for all of those 100 years…..

The Ottoman Empire took it upon themselves to remove the Armenians from the territory……some have called it genocide others ethnic cleansing and even others use a milder term…..deportation…….

This may not be of interest to many but maybe try to expand your knowledge of historical events that have helped shape the modern Middle East,,,,,,,,what could it hurt?

 

What was behind the ethnic cleansing of Armenians? – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East.

Justice Is Served

After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 there were a couple of despicable situations that went mostly unnoticed and under reported…..,,the sexual assaults on female soldiers by their comrades and the electrocution deaths of soldiers in military showers built by an American company KBR and of course the stupidity of the treatment of Iraq prisoners by military personnel…….but the one that I thought that might be totally swept under the rug was the Iraqi deaths caused at the hands of the security contractors of Blackwater.

But news has broken that these murderers got what was coming to them…….

A federal judge sentenced former Blackwater security guard Nicholas Slatten to life in prison and three others to 30-year terms for their roles in a 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others. The carnage in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square caused an international uproar over the use of private security guards in a war zone. US District Judge Royce Lamberth sentenced Slatten, who witnesses said was the first to fire shots in the incident, to life on a charge of first-degree murder. The three other guards—Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard—were each sentenced to 30 years and one day in prison for charges that included manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, and using firearms while committing a felony.

Lamberth announced the sentences after a daylong hearing at which defense lawyers had argued for leniency and presented character witnesses for their clients, and prosecutors asked that those sentences—the minimums mandatory under the law—be made even harsher. He rejected both requests. “Based on the seriousness of the crimes, I find the penalty is not excessive,” Lamberth says. All four were convicted in October for their involvement in the killings in the crowded traffic circle in downtown Baghdad. The legal fight over the killings has spanned years. Prosecutors described the shooting as an unprovoked ambush of civilians and said the men haven’t shown remorse or taken responsibility. Defense lawyers countered that the men were targeted with gunfire and shot back in self-defense.

Murder is murder and must be punished…..and these Blackwater thugs have had their day in court and were found guilty of the deaths of the Iraqi civilians……and the rest will go to appeals……..

Justice Has Been served!

Marco Hits The Road

In this case it is not Marco Polo and it is not the Silk Road…..(a little historical reference)…..it is Marco Rubio and it is the road to the White House,  he has “officially” announced that he will pursue the nomination of the GOP for the presidential cycle…….the GOP now has 3 announced candidates….the problem is that these three are the masters of one liners and slogans…..not much substance there….basically, so far, it is a snooze fest……

Of course Rubio had to let it slip that he is running for the nomination before his “official” announcement……Clinton is getting all the press so he had to try and pee on her parade as much as possible before the big event…….

Marco Rubio officially announced his run for US president tonight before a crowd of hundreds at Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, the Miami Herald reports. “In many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful,” said the 43-year-old son of Cuban immigrants. “But I live in an exceptional country where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege.” Why the Freedom Tower? That’s where tens of thousands of Cuban immigrants were processed in the 1960s when fleeing Castro’s Cuba, the Miami New Times notes. Now, laments Rubio, too many Americans “are starting to doubt” the American dream, Politico reports.

The first-time Florida senator also took a swipe at just-announced candidate Hillary Clinton, reports CNN, saying that “just yesterday, a leader from yesterday began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterday.” Some 3,500 people requested tickets for tonight’s event, his staff said, and some watched from a Jumbotron across the street. Rubio had already told top donors that he’s running for president, saying in a conference call this morning that he’s “uniquely qualified” to talk about the future. More on Rubio:

  • Rubio has come far and fast, notes Time, which traces his rise back to what it calls “The Hug,” in 2009.
  • The Washington Post takes a look at Rubio’s “tight-knit, fiercely loyal cast of characters,” including his wife, top staffers, and donors.
  • The Post also runs down six things to know about Rubio, from his ability to “spit” rap lyrics to his “inconvenient friend.”

He brought up the American Dream…..they all do and not one of them explains what it means….a slogan at least.  And Rubio has his own slogan now…..”New American Century”….now that is a good one because there is NO single meaning and can be stretched to encompass anything….the perfect political device.

He , Rubio, has announced and added his name to the growing list of GOP contenders…..and so far it is a very unimpressive list…..hopefully they are saving the best for last…….

He, has a problem though….he has been on the big stage numerous times and not one of them did he appear to be presidential…..if he is to be successful in 2016 he had got to tighten up and start at least looking like a contender….