Day: September 15, 2015

The Russians Are Coming

Did you see that movie from the 70’s?  About a grounded Russian sub off New England…..laughed my butt off…..

Unfortunately this title is not about that crazy movie….but something a little more serious…..while we are misdirected to the refugee crisis….something the media is playing hard….a real problem is beginning…..

Syria is a problem…..we cannot find enough rebels to train and once trained they are captured moments after they enter Syria….then there are the airstrikes…..we are doing damage but no one is sure just what that damage is…..and all the while an enemy is pussy-footing it into Syria……

The Russian shipments of military aid to Syria have not materially changed in the last several years, but the shipments are expected to continue to rile Israel, with reports of more planned air defense systems to be delivered soon.

In 2013, Russia sent a Pantsir-S1 point air defense system to Syria, and plans to send a second set to Syria this year. These are the most advanced anti-aircraft missile systems in possession of the Syrian government, and since Israel is the only country really launching airstrikes against Syria’s government, it is seen as targeting them.

Do you appreciate that piece of crap?  Worried about what Israel will think?  What about American planes doing their stuff in Syria?  Worrying about Israel is just plain silly.

Any way the US has spoken up about Russian military hardware in Syria……

President Obama today rejected Russia calls for increased military cooperation against ISIS, insisting America’s tactics in the war would not change, and declaring that Russia’s strategy of backing the Syrian government against ISIS is “doomed to failure.”

Obama insisted the fact that Russia was still providing aid “proves” that Syrian President Bashar Assad is worried, though he did confirm the US would be in contact with Russia over the matter to prevent any conflicts.

Russia has been trying to get the US-backed rebels and the Syrian government to ally in the fight against ISIS for months, at times with the indication the US was privately warming to the idea. Though Russia is again calling for everyone to unite against ISIS, the most recent indications are that the US is once again averse to this idea, and is back to demanding unconditional regime change in Syria.

So yes the Russians are coming but for what purpose?

Source: Syria civil war: The Russians are coming to President Assad’s aid…or are they? – The Unz Review

Then there is the perspective from the Middle East on the Russians in Syria…..

Source: Russia’s expanding military presence in Syria – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

What will Russians in Syria mean to geopolitics?  Are looking at yet another confrontation for the US?

 

“Nuke The F*ckers!”

How many times in your lifetime have you heard the term “peace through strength”?

I bet a bunch for as far back as I can remember it has been a slogan of the GOP…..along with “trust but verify”……

I am sorry people but it is only a slogan nothing more……since WW2 we have gotten less safe and less secure with each new election…..

Here is a piece that talks to the subject….a good read if you have the time….

Source: ‘Peace Through Strength,’ and Other Lies by Kevin Carson — Antiwar.com

A little more history coming your way……

Nukes!  They have been a weapon of convenience for 70 years…..our use against Japan proved to the world that we were/are capable of using this destructive power we had at our finger tips……

I sue you remember, if you are old enough to vote, to remember the Cuban Crisis….if not I can help….you see in the early 60’s the Russians put nuke missiles in Cuba….90 miles away from the US and we can have that and we were one step closer to the use of the nukes again….the Russians backed down and all was avoided…..

Our nuke arsenal grew so did Russia’s then the Chinese got into the fray and the world was close but still no cigar…..

But did you know there were times when the US considered the use of said weapons?

First was Vietnam……Source: When Nixon Threatened to Nuke Vietnam | War Is Boring

I recall in the days of the gas shortages when some were calling for the US to just nuke the countries with oil and just take what we want…..that was mostly BS from morons that have NO idea what that would mean…..

If that was not bad enough….the next big day for the consideration of the use of a nuke was Afghanistan……Source: German Envoy: US Considered Nuking Afghanistan After 9/11 — News from Antiwar.com

Was all this just acting out on the ‘peace through strength’ scenario?  Or are some within our government just trigger happy?

The more you learn the scarier these leaders are……thank God logic and rationality won out in the long hail.

But for those that think a nuke is always the answer….let me remind you…..

Hiroshima……

Now Nagasaki…….

Please keep in mind that each of those cities were utterly destroyed by ONE bomb each….

Thoughts on any of this?

Foreign Policy: Thank You For Shopping Walmart

I know that we are months away from the grits and the gravy of the 2016 election…..but now is as good of a time to point out the BS that the GOP pretends that it cares about and its candidates give lots of lip service but few details on solutions…..

Foreign policy should be at the forefront of any campaign….domestic issues are important but this country is ass deep into armed conflicts worldwide……the voter needs to know how the next prez will deal with all this destruction and violence.

Since the days of Ronnie Reagan our foreign policy is being outsourced, privatized if you will, to for profit companies that sole desire is to see their profits rise by leaps and bounds…..not searching for a safer more peaceful world.

Our foreign policy is now in the hands of a Walmart-esque group that looks for solutions in the amount of money they can make…..and the corners it can cut………

Read on……

Source: The Neocon Foreign Policy Walmart by Daniel McAdams — Antiwar.com

Can Bernie Keep Socialism Alive?

2016 election will have something that has not happened in a really long time….an actual socialist running for prez that actually has a chance…….

The more popular Bernie gets the more the media pushes his socialist roots…….to me it smells like an attempt at sabotage……I mean they, the media, has been force feeding the public Hillary Clinton for 2 or more years as the Democratic front runner.  And now that Bernie is gathering steam and giving her a good run for the money the MSM wants the voting public to remember the Bernie is a socialist…..a Democratic socialist…..

I am talking about all media from print to cable….MSNBC had him on last week for a spot and the anchor just kept hammering him on socialism…..to me it was not a veiled attempt….it was blatant.

His intellectual forbear, Eugene V. Debs, could be an inspiration. He could also be a warning.

Source: Can Bernie Keep Socialism Alive? – POLITICO Magazine

Bernie continues to gather support…..it appears that the public is not interested in what his “label” is these days…..most are looking for change and I mean real change….not that pansy reform of the Clintons.

But I expect the media and others to continue to try and hammer the socialist label with a hope that it will eventually catch and make Bernie an unattractive candidate.

I mean look at the person with all the media coverage….Trump…..he dangles shiny bobbles for the viewers and the mental midgets go to it and are amazed……at least with Bernie the people hear issues and solutions….not about someone’s hair or how much money they have  or how amazing they are personally…..we deserve Trump…..we need Bernie!

Will Gaza Be ‘Uninhabitable’ by 2020?

Since most people are moved in one direction or the other by the headlines then this will not get much rise out of many…..I know with the refugee crisis we can only handle one horror story at a time…..but this is as big as the refugee story…..just NO one gives a damn!

I know that few Americans will remember the Israeli attack on Gaza last Summer……I mean why should they it is not like it was any of their concern, right?

Wrong!  Anytime we have a nation that decides that the destruction of a way of life be their personal benefit is nothing short of  war crimes and should be charged as such.

Let me refresh your memory….last Summer Israel used the time honored excuse for the destruction of a way of life…..self-defense to destroy as whole society….

What once looked like this……a thriving city…….

Now looks like this……..

Their actions did not intend on punishing those that want to fire rockets into Israel proper but rather a destruction of a way of life and an entire society…..whose citizens had nothing to do with those fearsome, yet inaccurate rockets that are allegedly fired into Israel from Gaza.

Their action, the Israelis, was begun with one aim to make Gaza uninhabitable and in doing so they believe they have removed any threat.  Not damn likely!

The total destruction of Gaza was aimed not at the infrastructure that could be used for future attacks but rather the people as a whole…..they spent hours and days bombing everything from power plants to schools to hospitals….all of which is approaching a genocide.

But after the dust settled the world came to the rescue of Gaza with assistance in the rebuilding of their society and lives….all to have the operation crapped on by Israel who refuses to allow materials and supplies into Gaza to begin the reconstruction….sorry, that is not self-defense…..more like hatred.

With all these delays….what is the future of Gaza and its residents?

Israeli military action and economic blockade have rendered the coastal strip unfit for civilian life, report says

Source: UN: Gaza Could Be ‘Uninhabitable’ by 2020 | Al Jazeera America

If Gaza is to have a future then Israel MUST be made to follow some sort of decorum and allow the reconstruction begin.  If not then charges should be filed to the ICC as war crimes…..crimes against humanity…..Israel must pay a price for their hatred and their actions.  The rest of the world would demand it from anyone else….Israel is NOT immune to the laws of humanity.