Month: December 2015

Bah! Humbug!

‘Tis the day before Christmas and all through the blog

The day has become a consumerist bog…….

It is that time of the year when people say “peace and joy to the world”….but how many actually mean it from their heart?

These days there seems to be a whole lot of disdain for any compassion…..which is truly sad for I know that Americans are much better than the rhetoric of the day.

But while some are bad mouthing a religion they do not understand….there is a similar discourse by one that they feel some how akin to…..I read an article that I felt I needed to pass on during this season of “glad tidings”…..

Lehava group’s Benzi Gopstein says Christmas not wanted in Israel, and says of Christians: ‘Remove the vampires before they drink our blood’ –

Israeli anti-racism activists have called for an investigation after a far-right Jewish leader urged a ban on Christmas celebrations in the country and called Christians “vampires”.

Benzi Gopstein, who heads the far-right Lehava organisation and has been arrested a number of times, made the comments in an article on the ultra-Orthodox Jewish website Kooker.

“Christmas has no place in the Holy Land,” wrote Gopstein, who lives in a Jewish settlement in Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

He spoke of the “fall of the line of defence of the Jewish people for hundreds of years against our enemies, the Catholic Church.”

“The mission of those vampires and bloodsuckers remains. If Jews cannot be killed, they can be converted,” he wrote.

“We must remove the vampires before they drink our blood once again.”

The Coalition Against Racism in Israel and others have called on authorities to investigate Gopstein.

In August, Israeli police questioned Gopstein after he condoned torching churches amid an uproar over recent hate crimes, including the firebombing of a Palestinian home that killed a small child and both his parents.

On June 18, an arson attack occurred at a shrine on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel where Jesus is believed to have performed the miracle of loaves and fishes.

Israeli prosecutors have charged three Israelis in that case.

Lehava claims to fight for Jewish identity, in particular by opposing marriages between Jews and gentiles.

This pervert and those that think along those lines are destroying this world with their hatred…..it is not limited to one religion or the other…..maybe the world needs a little more compassion and understanding….it could not hurt…..at least in my opinion……

You see stupid is everywhere…….tolerance is in short supply….even in this season of joy……

Darkness at Noon: FDR and the Holocaust

These days with all the craziness being committed in the Middle East…..all the killing….all the violence….all the destruction…..the conversation almost always turns to the horrors of the Holocaust.

Since I am a devotee of historical stuff I thought I would give the thoughts of FDR and the Holocaust…..FDR has been credited with many things….but what did he know or do after learning about the Holocaust?

What did the era’s most prominent symbol of humanitarianism think when confronted with the world’s most compelling moral outrage? History records only a question mark.

Source: Darkness at Noon: FDR and the Holocaust | World Affairs Journal

Hopefully my reader learned something that was not known before reading…..

Why the US pushes an illusory Syrian peace process

There has been a wealth of “good” news….there seems to be a consensus that there is a plan for a settlement in Syria….a peace process if you will……when the news came out I said then that this was basically a “feel good” process and that it had little chance of success,

I read a lot of information from the Middle East and I read a piece that confirms my fears about the deal……not as promising as we are lead to believe……but then little is…..

The notion that a political settlement will take place lacks credibility – the realities on the ground in Syria won’t allow it

Source: Why the US pushes an illusory Syrian peace process | Middle East Eye

The UN has gone a bit further……since the main source of income for ISIS is their funding apparatus…..the UN has addressed this in a plan to fight the barbarity of ISIS……..

Source: UN Security Council Adopts Resolution to Cut Off Islamic State Funding | World Affairs Journal

And There Is The Syrian Situation

I have been giving my perceptions of the whole Syria/ISIS thing since the beginning and so far I have had not much response….only the predictable…..ISIS Bad……that is a forgone conclusion…..but what is the situation these days?

I apologize for the lengthy articles….but they are a couple of great sources for opinion on the situation in Syria and the possibility of any success…..

A new level of crisis has arisen with the shooting down of the Russian plane by Turkey……

Source: An Alarming New Escalation in the Syria War | Crisis Group

I recently read an analysis that has some well thought out points…..there has got to be a new approach of handling the situation in Syria……

Source: Analysis: How to solve a problem like Syria? – Al Jazeera English

The conventional wisdom is there is a military solution to all the problems in Syria……but I have my doubts……military action can weaken and even degrade but is it a hope for a successful conclusion…..

The below press covers that subject extremely well……

Source: Campaign against Isis: Is there any hope for military success? – The Unz Review

Finally there is the promise from Obama…..we will “degrade and destroy” ISIS…..and too many keep hanging onto the idea of a regime change for Syria as the solution to the problem…..below is a piece on that subject……

Source: Regime Change is the Root of Evil in Syria – The Future of Freedom Foundation

Granted the above article is from the perspective of a Libertarian point of view……while I do not agree with them on much this piece made some good points……for instance our regime change in Iraq has been an expensive and disastrous failure…..will Syria be any different?

My purpose is to try and keep my readers informed about this situation……there have been enough American deaths in this region …..Syria could possibly become yet another quagmire in the Middle East…..

Turn The Page!

May The Force Be With You

The new Star Wars film is a hit (we all knew it would be)……but did you know that Tataoine is a real place….and no it is not in a galaxy far far away….much closer than that….it is a desert world (think Dune)…..

When the original movie came out and I heard the name of the planet that Luke was living on….. I was amazed for I had been to the world of the movie….it is in Southern Tunisia…..

As the world goes crazy for The Force Awakens, the home of the saga’s original locations has failed to capitalise on the new release

Source: Tunisia’s Star Wars fans battle to bring the Force home | Middle East Eye

A great piece about the region…..enjoy.

“Leave No Man Behind”

How many times have you heard this line used in a movie or TV show?  I guess it would be often…..

The premise is that no soldier is left on the field of battle…..a wonderful concept…..a brave bold statement……however not accurate.  The mission ALWAYS comes first…if that means a person is left behind…so be it.

But this post is about those Iraqis that help the US when it invaded in 2003….

The US has a horrible track record on assisting those that helped in our war endeavors…..in Iraq it was those people that joined with the US forces to defeat Saddam and his minions……once we had accomplished the task what was the future of those brave Iraqis?

Source: The slow death of hope for America’s loyal friends in Iraq – FT.com

Not a very honorable picture in that……now is it?

But Iraq was not the only time that we turned our backs on those that risked everything to help in our war efforts…..

For me it is Vietnam and the people known as Montagnards……indigenous tribesmen of the Central Highlands of Vietnam that joined with US Special Forces to fight the NVA and the VC…..

The bond between America’s elite fighters and their indigenous partners has persisted into the present, but despite the best efforts of vets, the Montagnards have suffered greatly in the postwar years, at least in part because they cast their lot with the U.S. Army. In a war with more than its share of tragedies, this one is less often told but is crucial to understanding the conflict and its toll.

Source: The Green Berets and the Montagnards: How an indigenous tribe won the admiration of Green Berets and lost everything.

We could also use Afghanistan of the 1980’s as an example…..only it was not so much individuals that we turned our backs on but rather an entire country.

After Soviet forces pulled out of the country in 1989. Various factions of mujahedeen — or holy warriors — took control but then quickly began to fight among themselves. And that continued bloodshed among the warlords gave rise to the radical Taliban movement.

And the US saw NO strategic benefit in further funding any ops in Afghanistan….so yes we turned our backs on the country and as they say…..”the rest is history”.

We have done this sort of thing many times…..we turn our backs on those when they are NO longer useful….and it is translating into our society as well…..

When Will Republican Candidates Speak Out About Pentagon Waste?

I have often bitched about the severe waste of cash by the Pentagon….like the multi-billion dollar flying brick, the F-35 or the Navy ship that breaks down everytime it goes to sea trials or a mine sweeping device that cannot find explosives in a room full of them and it only costs $700 million or so….there are so many others too numerous to list here……so my question is…..why?

So far the GOP has bitched about those “freeloaders” and Obamacare and how much is wasted on social programs but not one of them has stepped up and question just what the Hell is going on in the Pentagon.

I understand that they are the prostitutes to the military-industrial complex but eventually someone has got to make these spend crazy asswads to be held accountable……

Source: When Will Republican Candidates Speak Out About Pentagon Waste? | William Hartung

A damn good question that begs an answer!

Any thoughts?

Have You Heard The News?

The good news is that the Saudis have come up with a master plan for fighting ISIS….It seems that they now have a 34 nation coalition that will do the trick…..I said when I heard the news that it was too good to be true…..maybe I am a psychic….or something…..

Some key members of the 34-nation anti-Islamic State coalition announced by Saudi Arabia have a fundamental question: just what is it?

Indonesia did not know it was going to be a military alliance, which it does not want to join. A senior Pakistani lawmaker only learned the news from a Reuters reporter.

And while Western governments welcomed this week’s initiative, there was uncertainty over how it would work.

Comments from several of the countries that signed up to the initiative appeared to reveal a lack of preparation by Riyadh, which approached partners with an invitation to join a coordination centre but then announced a military alliance.

When Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the new group at a sudden midnight press conference, he called it an “Islamic military coalition”, a description that appeared to surprise some of the governments involved.

OOPS!  Our Bad!

Looks like someone may have spoken too soon…..some of the countries have trust issues with the Saudis…..why?

Modern jihadist groups follow an extreme interpretation of Islam’s Salafi branch, of which Wahhabism was the original strain, and whose clerics regard Shi’ism as heresy, laud the concept of jihad, urge hatred of infidels and back harsh penalties for religious offences.

This is a problem….because?

Saudi is the home of the salafist movement and they follow a strict fundamental line of Islam…….sound familiar?

Faith’s archivists

How about a little historical perspective?

We all know that the barbaric group known as ISIS has set on a path to destroy many historical sites all in the name of some BS they think is right…..the recent problems in Mali have put many ancient texts in danger and this piece is about the attempts to save them for the future….

Catholic monks in Minnesota are helping to save a trove of Islamic treasures in Mali

Source: Faith’s archivists | The Economist

I have a problem with anyone that destroys a civilization’s history and heritage and I salute these brave people for their efforts to preserve the history…….may I say that it is nice to see Christians acting like Christians and not just sounding like one…….

GOP: Another One Bites The Dust

The crowded GOP field just got a bit less crowded….first it was Walker….then Jindal…and now we have seen the last of another GOPer on the 2016 campaign trail….

Say good-bye to one Lindsey Graham, Senator from the great state of South Carolina……

One of the mainstays of the undercard GOP debates is out: Lindsey Graham tells CNN that he’s suspending his campaign for president. “I’ve hit a wall here,” says the conservative South Carolina senator. Graham has been consistently polling near the bottom of the pack and hasn’t qualified for the main debate once. The likely key factor: Monday was the deadline for Graham to remove his name from the primary ballot in South Carolina, notes Politico. Being able to do so allows him to avoid the possibility of an embarrassing home-state loss.

“Here’s what I predict. I think the nominee of our party is going to adopt my plan when it comes time to articulate how to destroy ISIL,” says Graham. “To those in the Republican Party who want to win, check my plan out. Hillary, if you get to be president, I’ll help you where I can. I hope you’re not. But if you are, I’ll be there to help you win a war we can’t afford to lose.” An email to supporters was expected to go out later Monday.

Sad to see him go….that is right I said I am sad to see him go…..you see he was the ONLY candidate on the assembly line that has actual foreign policy experience…..granted he was a hawk and I did not agree with him on much …..but at least he could talk with some air of experience….sadly the rest of the clown parade cannot.

Bye Lindsey…..we hardly got to know ya……