Day: October 19, 2015

2016: I Find Myself In A Quandary

As the real election process approached I find myself agreeing with the one person that I detest the most……Donald Trump.

In the beginning his comments were offense and a bit hateful….comparing immigrants to rapists and criminals….then his words about a female candidate were women hating in tone…..but recently he has made a couple of statements that I actually agree with….at least in principle.

The first one of his statements was that we should have left Saddam in power and the Middle East would not be as violent and hostile as it is today……I agree with his assessment……we could have used Saddam to our advantage and used him to destroy AQM and in doing so would have eliminated the people that put together ISIS……

Then recently he made another statement that I agree with…at least in principle…..

On Friday, Donald Trump espoused a belief that is taboo among Republicans and off limits for even most Democrats: that George W. Bush bears some responsibility for the attacks on 9/11, Politico reports. During an interview with Bloomberg, the GOP presidential frontrunner was asked if he would be able to show compassion and reassure Americans during a natural disaster or terrorist attack. He responded by saying he’s more “competent” and has a “bigger heart” than either of his predecessors. He also pointed out that 9/11 happened while Bush was in charge. When the interviewer expressed shock he could blame the former president, Trump seemingly stuck by it. “He was president, OK?” Trump said. “The World Trade Center came down during his reign.”

The New York Times reports Trump’s comments on 9/11 are just the most recent in a string of criticisms directed at George W. Bush as part of his attacks on primary opponent Jeb Bush. “Your brother’s administration gave us Barack Obama because it was such a disaster, those last three months, that Abraham Lincoln couldn’t have been elected,” Trump told Jeb Bush during a debate in September. While George W. Bush refused to address Trump’s latest comments, Jeb Bush weighed in on Twitter: “How pathetic for @realdonaldtrump to criticize the president for 9/11. We were attacked & my brother kept us safe.”

Let me clarify my stand….it is his fault because he was at the helm of the country at the time of the attack…..it is like the GOP blaming everything on Obama because he is president and it happened on his watch.

I find it unsettling that I could agree with a misogynistic toad like Trump….but the truth is the truth….and it is a perfect political ploy….it is brilliant (something I thought I would never say about Trump)………he has Jeb defending his brother and not his own policies….I have to give him a thumbs up on this tactic.

Even the American Conservative is brow beating Jeb on this issue…….

Source: The Trump-Bush Fight Over George W. Bush | The American Conservative

Jeb needs to really get his sh*t together….he is losing badly to Trump on ALL fronts!

I know that my quandary will soon dissipate….but for now it is quite unsettling that I could agree with Trump on things……surely there is an antidote for this…..I believe it is called …..commonsense……Ha!

Yemen vs Saudi Arabia or Daood Vs Goliath

My most recent op-ed for Ace News Room……I try to make sense of why this conflict is happening and what could be done…..this appears to be nothing but a conflict of religious beliefs……the age old cause of war……

I thank Ace News Room for giving me the chance for my opinions to get a wider readership…..please take a moment and visit Ace News….they are quickly becoming a one stop news source for people that want answers to life’s events….visit soon and visit often………. you will not be disappointed….

Source: Yemen vs Saudi Arabia or Daood Vs Goliath

Iraq Descends Into Chaos

For those that have put Iraq out of their minds……

But this time it is political chaos which could lead to further violence……chaos has been the norm for Iraq since 2003 and now with the conflict against ISIS why would it be any different than in the past?

This takeaway provided by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)……..

The political crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan caused by delayed Presidential elections descended into outright political violence on October 8. Regional President Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), has continued to hold office even though his term expired on August 19 and no elections have occurred. Other Iraqi Kurdish political parties, particularly Gorran (Change), the KDP’s main political rival, tried to contest the extension of Barzani’s term and leverage concessions in return for his continuation in office. Popular protests against the government turned violent on October 9 after multi-party talks collapsed the day before. On October 11, the KDP ordered the speaker and other members of the Kurdish parliament from Gorran to leave the regional capital of Arbil, declaring that Gorran was no longer a part of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Gunmen loyal to the KDP barred a Gorran convoy from entering Arbil. This dangerous maneuver by the KDP to solidify Barzani’s position as regional president has escalated tensions within the KRG and serious political violence may protract. Unless negotiations between the KDP and the opposition parties reaches a meaningful compromise in short order, the KRG could split or collapse as opposition leaders move their operations from the seat of government in Arbil to Suleimaniyah.

This time it is in the region of the Kurds in North east Iraq…..a once fairly stable region but that was yesterday……the Kurds, the most reliable combatant against ISIS, is in the middle of some sort of political upheaval…..

The parliament speaker and ministers are all members of the Gorran party, which the dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) accuses of orchestrating violent protests that resulted in five deaths.

The unrest is the most serious the relatively peaceful region has seen in years and could undermine its effectiveness in the war against Islamic State, in which it is a key ally of the U.S.-led coalition.

The ministers of religious affairs, finance, trade, and peshmerga forces on Monday met Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani who “asked them to leave their posts”, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesman Safeen Dizayee told Reuters.

 

Keep in mind the peshmerga forces are the forces that are fighting ISIS tooth and nail and now their leader has been bumped from the government……how will this effect the fighting capability of the pershmerga?

Also to watch is the complaint that Kurds have had that the US is backing-off on the promises of arms and supplies……

Source: The Kurdish-Islamic State Problem

There is also the fact that Turkish airstrikes in Iraq have targeted Kurdish sites and not so much those of ISIS…

There are those that are predicting a big problem brewing in the region…….

Source: The Kurdish Problem | The National Interest

All this just illustrates that problems will be an inherent part of Iraq for decades to come…..and the once victorious Kurds are not immune to the chaos….no matter how well they fight ISIS……

Most Americans show a serious lack of interest in the dealings in Iraq…..we have become insulted from the chaotic nature of the region……the media is doing the public NO favors by downplaying the situation in the Middle East…….

Just another incident that could well come back and bite the US in the ass….like so many events in the region……..lose focus……..prepare for the bite with lockjaw!

Welcome to the New Middle East

Remember four years ago when the Arab Spring was in full swing?  We were told by experts that this would be a new start for democracy in the region……that was a bit correct but not in the way it was sold to the American public.

There is a “New Middle East”…..but it has little to do with democracy or the road to such a desire.

Granted the Middle East has seldom been a calm place  and most people that have NO idea about the region or its people will cling to that thought as a way to explain a way the problems in the area.

The truth is that since 2003 war has been the new Middle East….and it is filling all the gaps that most hoped the desire for democracy would fill……

A truly good piece on what is shaping the Middle East…….How Palestinisation, Afghanisation, and Balkanisation are reshaping the Arab world.

Source: Welcome to the New Middle East – Al Jazeera English