Day: April 19, 2018

Closing Thought–19Apr18

We have military serving in many countries around the world and now their numbers are a state “secret”…..

The Pentagon has removed all data related to troop numbers in their assorted wars from their primary data website, as of a newly released quarterly report. This means there is no longer publicly available official data on US troop  levels in Iraq, Syria, or Afghanistan.

President Trump has made it a stated policy not to give up-to-date, accurate troop numbers on any of these wars. Despite this, the Defense Manpower Data Center has, through its most recent report, kept publishing figures. This data was admittedly often out of date or deliberately inaccurate, but it was an official baseline for the scope of the wars.

The Defense Manpower Data Center now has no manpower data at all. Pentagon officials say that the data is not on the new report because the policy is in the process of being updated. They did not, however, explain why they retroactively removed the troop figures from their previous two reports, from September and December.

(antiwar.com)

It seems that we the people do not have the right to information anymore….next I think Trump will try to get rid of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)……

Have a good evening to all my friends…..back atcha later…..chuq

White Flags And Rice

OMG!  Pompeo had “secret” meetings in North Korea….and yet that is not the headline that should be the focus……a “secret” meeting after all the juvenile banter by the two leaders…..after the insult throwing…..there may well be a light in this cave.

Joint statement may be released during upcoming summit

North and South Korea may soon declare an end to their protracted war, according to reports detailing ongoing discussions. The two nations have been in a state of war since 1950, with the Korean War having never formally gotten beyond an armistice.

Seriously?

Or is this just one of those stories by Hanity that is pure fiction?

In 1953, North and South Korean leaders met at the “Peace House” in the border village of Panmunjom to sign an armistice ending hostilities in the Korean War. Some 65 years later, a historic meeting at the same spot may finally mean the war’s official end. In a report being shared by Western media outlets such as Newsweek and CNBC, South Korean newspaper Munhwa Ilbo says that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-In may sign a joint statement at the April 27 meeting that outlines a permanent end to the war. The paper reports the two leaders may also reveal plans to return the 160-mile-long demilitarized zone separating the countries to its original state.

Those outcomes appear far from certain, however, with Moon’s chief of staff setting expectations for the summit lower. “It may lead to the establishment of regular dialogue at Panmunjom,” said Im Jong-seok, reports Yonhap News. But, he added, “We expect the summit will confirm the denuclearization will (of North Korea), and hope to have a comprehensive agreement with the North on the matter,” per Reuters. And in a level of cooperation thought impossible only months ago, Im said a direct phone line between Kim and Moon could be set up by Friday.

Boy this could change the tune of the news for a couple of days…..something that Trump desperately needs.

I cannot wait to read the minutes of a peace meeting…..who is gonna step up as the antagonist?

This could be Trump’s big chance to actually leave a mark on history……..other than being a juvenile ego driven leader.

Syria And The Question Not Asked

Now that the US and NATO has boldly gone where others feared to go…..then there are a few questions that need to be asked….

1. Why couldn’t the military wait for inspectors to do their jobs?

2. How do we know we’re being told the truth?

3.Have strikes like these ever really “punished” a country’s leader – or “sent them a message,” for that matter?

4. Why isn’t the full range of U.S. activity in Syria getting more coverage?

5. Where are the advocates for a smarter national security policy?

6. How can a country uphold international norms by violating international law?

7. Did the airstrikes make Trump “presidential”?

The answers can be found here…..

http://theantimedia.com/7-questions-about-syria-airstrikes/

Personally, I feel these questions should have been asked before throwing missiles at Syria.

Now that the smoke is clearing, in more ways than one, there is a big mess coming Trump’s way.

President Trump celebrated firing more than 100 missiles into Syria by Tweeting, “Mission Accomplished!” They say if you cannot learn from history you are condemned to repeat it. So I guess we are repeating it.

We all remember that “Mission Accomplished” was the banner behind then-President Bush as he gloated aboard a US navy ship that the war in Iraq had been won. After his “victory,” however, some 4,000 US military personnel were killed, perhaps a million Iraqis were killed, and the country’s infrastructure and social fabric were so badly destroyed that they probably can never be repaired.

Actually, there is much about the US attack on Syria that reminds us of Iraq.

http://theantimedia.com/trump-syria-attack/

At least one Trump adviser wanted to do the right thing……Mattis…….

According to the New York Times, US officials said that ahead of Friday’s US-led attack on Syria, Defense Secretary James Mattis urged the president to get Congressional approval first. Trump overruled this, however, and officials say he wanted a “rapid” response.

Officials went on to say that Trump was worried about being seen not to follow through on his “get ready” Tweet about the attack. Mattis argued about the risk of a “wider war” with Russia. The compromise was the Friday attack, which was more limited than some hawks were expecting.

It again shows a divide between Trump and Mattis on key foreign policy issues. It is particularly huge in this case because it reveals an active Defense Secretary wanting Congressional authorization for an overseas strike.

(antiwar.com)

Mattis could be playing with fire as far as his tenure at the Pentagon goes……

I believe that I have shot my wad on this situation…..You may return now to the melodrama or is it Kabuki of the Trump White House……I shall re-visit this topic as events may dictate.

Is Hungary Shaking The Pillars Of The EU?

There is a row going on in Central Europe among the member of the EU and NATO…..Hungary is in the process of having its elections……

With Hungarians headed to the polls on Sunday to vote in parliamentary elections, most analysis of the country’s political situation has revolved around the country’s alleged turn away from Western-style democracy. Yet while the debate rages on at institutional and political parties level, public opinion research indicates that the reality is far more complex.

While many assume that the turn toward populism and warmer relations with the Kremlin under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is bringing Hungary into Russia’s orbit, a recent poll by the International Republican Institute indicates that the majority of Hungarians continue to support key transatlantic institutions like the EU and NATO.Alhough the key to the country’s political alignment ultimately remains in the hands of its national elite, the preservation of the status quo is to some extent up to the West, which must redouble its efforts to keep Hungary in the transatlantic fold.

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/hungarians-head-polls-will-european-allegiance-suffer

With the election finalized and the winner is Orban….what will there be for the future of Hungary?

Viktor Orbán’s victory in Hungary’s recent parliamentary election was not fair and he is not going to play nice in his third consecutive term. Those who are worried about the fate of democracy in Hungary have to get used to that reality and get to work quickly.

Protest marches in Budapest, like the one we saw on Saturday, might fulfil an important therapeutic role but they are no substitute for effective political action.

Although Mr Orbán is a talented and ruthless politician, his takeover has been more than helped by the opposition’s divisions, incompetence and lack of leadership. Mass protests ring more than a bit hollow considering that a few days ago Mr Orban’s Fidesz party gained a two-thirds majority in a free and non-fraudulent (though unfair) parliamentary election, at a record-high turnout.

https://capx.co/hungarys-opposition-face-an-uphill-battle-against-authoritarianism/

The EU is calling for sanctions against Hungary…….

The EU should launch a sanctions procedure against Hungary because of a “clear risk of a serious breach” of the bloc’s basic values, a draft report by a European Parliament (EP) committee published on Thursday (12 April) said.

The report detailed the curtailed rights of the constitutional court, stricter control over the courts, the curbing of freedom of expression, a biased media council, the financing of newspapers through state advertisement, the threat to academic freedom, and the rights of migrants as some of the issues where the report concluded a serious deterioration in fundamental rights and the rule of law.

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/draft-eu-report-calls-sanctions-hungary

Hungary bears watching for future events and situations…..