What If?

Boy oh boy.  We've sent an aircraft carrier and accompanying ships to Yemen.  First it was announced that they would prevent Iranian ships from unloading weapons for the Houthi rebels.  No sooner had the ink dried on that one it was announced that no, we were just there to keep the shipping channels open.

Now the Iranians have sent a fleet of their own war ships to the area while announcing that the U.S. is a threat to them.  To say the least things are getting a bit tense.

This is what happens when someone who thinks he is all knowing tries to play all sides against one another. So what will happen if the Americans make a perceived misstep and the Iranians take umbrage to it? Will they fire on the American vessels? Would Obama allow the Americans to fire back?

What a dilemma.  All for the sake of reaching a non-agreement over Iran getting a nuclear bomb. Non-agreement?  Well, since we don't know what's in it or even what's supposed to be in it, how can it be called an agreement? They call it a frame work but it isn't even that.  The last word from Iran was the sanctions had to be lifted immediately.  Obama seems to have no problem with that and is rumored to have promised them a $50 billion bonus if they'll just sign the damn agreement!  Yep.  $50 billion.  The State Department won't deny it.

And it's still not an agreement because we get absolutely nothing in return for allowing Iran to continue enriching uranium and handsomely enhancing their economy to boot!  Does Obama really think this is going to cement his legacy as the great mediator between Iran and the rest of the world?

Personally, since I'm becoming a conspiracy theorist, I think Iran already has all it needs to put together their bomb.  I also suspect that John Kerry is doing this in hopes of getting it signed sealed and delivered so he can run against Hillary claiming he did what she couldn't.  Not that even she would want to.

I can figure no other reason why a man who has been in government as long as Kerry would go along with this debacle of a foreign policy summoned up by a delusional president.  Its a huge gamble on his part for if it fails so will he.  It isn't how he envisions going down in history, I guarantee.

I'm almost afraid to wrap this up to go tune on tonight's news. What will we have given away today? Other than what's left of our sanity.

The Devil Is In The Details

So.  The framework for a nuclear deal with Iran is now a reality.  We'll have to wait until June 30 for all the bells and whistles which have been agreed to are spelled out if our President cares to share them.

I'd feel better if John Kerry hadn't been so loose with the sanctions.  No matter what he says, they cannot be "snapped" back in place should Iran renege on the agreement.  Sanctions were our ace in the hole, not war as the administration would like us to believe.

I wished I trusted Obama and Kerry but I do not.  If, however, Iran's feet can be effectively held to the fire it will be good but only to a certain extent.  I'm sure when the announcement about the completion of the framework phase hit the airwaves every Arab country in the region put Pakistan on speed dial if they weren't already there.

Not only is the United States not trusted, those in the region are smart enough not to trust Iran either. Therefore there will undoubtedly by an arms race with Pakistan and North Korea obliging. It's difficult to believe but if the war escalates it's likely to be bloodier and more devastating than the current war.  It will be Shia against Sunni and neither are particularly interested in any niceties of civilized warfare.  Such as they are.

I cannot help but wonder why Iran's aggressive behavior hasn't been made part of the deal.  As is they have carte blanche to continue with their march to take over the middle east and to ultimately destroy both Israel and the U.S.  

Unfortunately the original premise of preventing Iran from ever developing a bomb has been negated.  It's one more example of red lines being erased by this administration.

I hope I'm wrong in all of my summations.  I really do.  It's just that the personal ambitions of both Kerry and Obama overshadow what most people who know the region and the disposition of the involved countries warn against. I can't help but believe the many are more knowing than the two.

Time will tell.  An uneasy time at that.

On The Brink

We're seeing in real time what happens when the United States relinquishes its position of power in the world.  Forget this leading from behind rubbish.  It's an oxymoron, emphasize the moron.

Another more convoluted one would be negotiating a nuclear agreement with a terror state while the terror state continues to cheat on a current agreement. It is also spreading its tentacles into a multitude of countries in a scheme which will ultimately bring it face to face with ISIL, both wanting the same end.

The Arab States are coming forward.  The U.S. is nowhere to be seen in a leadership role anywhere. A civil war is brewing between Shites and Sunnis and it won't be pretty.  It isn't pretty now.

What's also puzzleing is why are we having these negotiations in the first place if Iran isn't looking to make a bomb, as they insist?  That seems to have gotten lost in the rush for a deal.  They're contridicting themselves by their actions.

This is a lead up to a concern I have about the next Presidential election and the Democrats in particular.  We currently have a President who thinks and behaves as though he is above the law.  He isn't but there is no recourse.  I don't think the founding fathers ever imangined such a person would ever assume the Presidency meaning the people would be to smart to elect such.  Wrong.  We elected him twice for all the wrong reasons.  The first time we misunderstood what he openly told us about his goals.

The second time, why? We didn't think Romney 'understood' the little guy?  We didn't trust his religion?  We knew Obama was on shaky ground with his Benghazi story although the bulk of it didn't come out until after the election.  The suspicions were there never-the-less.

We knew of the escalating flaws in Obamacare.  We knew trouble was brewing at the IRS, along with several other issues. Yet we re-elected him. Like a TV show, were we curious to see how it would play out? Well, we're seeing it.

Now we face 2016 and Hillary.  She expects no challengers yet she has a sack overflowing with ethics questions, misdirections and a paper trail destroyed by her own hands.  We'll soon be free of one who has treated the office of President as his own personal dictatorial pedestal.  Why on earth would we want another to occupy it?  For that is exactly what Hillary wants. We should topple it, never to allow it to rise again.

Come on Democrats.  Harry Reid is retiring.  Hillary will have to groom her own personal savant willing to blindly do her bidding.  I'm sure she will have that in Chuck Schumer if he assumes the leadership.  Promise him face time before a camera and he'll be putty in her hands.

Isn't there anyone wearing the Democrat brand who sees this for what it is and will challenge her for the sake of the country?  Please?

Personal Animosity And The Nuclear Arms Race

It is no secret that President Obama has little time for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.  He has been less than politic about his feelings while Netanyahu has bitten his tongue and remained civil.

A large part of the issue is what the U.S. demands as part of the two state solution for the Palestinians and what the Israelis are willing to do.  Netanyahu declared during his recent re-election campaign that there would be no Palestinian state as long as he was Prime Minister. He backed off the statement by saying he wasn't altogether against it but now isn't the time.

Why not now?  Because he is surrounded on two sides; by Hezbollah on one and Hamas on the other.  Both are terrorist groups who have declared their intent to drive Israel from the face of the earth. I'd see no reason to negotiate either with that as the prevailing attitude.

For some reason, however, our President is determined to punish Netanyahu for not acquiescing to him.  Obama wants him to embrace the nuclear negotiations with Iran. He's also determined to punish us by threatening to go around Congress with the secret details and go straight to the U.N.

To add insult to injury we have declassified what had been a secret agreement with Israel not to make public the extent of their nuclear program.  That they have one is no secret, but to break our word and make the details available to anyone who cares to look does no more than insure there will be an arms race in the middle east.

I don't believe the Israelis would use them unless hopelessly cornered and I believe the only country that would try to corner them is Iran if they had the same capabilities.  We're making it possible for them.  Add to that the Sunni/Shite strife among the other countries you can bet everyone who can will get either a ready made bomb or the technology to make their own.

I'm sure negotiations have long been underway between the Saudis and Pakistan or North Korea.  To me, Obama has now, with this latest action, set the match to the fuel that needed the smallest of parks to ignite the region.

Who knows how this will play out but it seems to be an awfully big risk just to justify his Nobel Peace Prize and pave the way for John Kerry to get his.

The Letter

I'm not going to get into whether or not is was prudent for 49 Senators to sign a letter and send it to the Mullahs in Iran or not.  I do understand, however, why they did it.

This administration works in secrecy and have been found at times to be less than truthful.  Thus there is a great deal of mistrust.  This is compounded by keeping the aspects of the negotiations secret except for leaks.

This has led to the frustration being shown by the writing of the letter.  They don't trust Obama, via Kerry, to make a good deal.  What has leaked out seems to have confirmed those fears. Here we have a commander-in-chief who is solely responsible for foreign policy who has yet to keep his word on any of the conflicts hammering the Ukraine and much of the middle east.  Why, they ask, should they trust him on this?

As Iran shows off it's new missiles and takes shots at a mock up U.S. carrier during war games, why would we think their nuclear ambitions should be given any leeway?  They are openly hostile to the United States.  They are basically annexing Iraq by leading their troops in the war against ISIS and if the suspected ethnic cleansing is really happening around Tikrit that opens a new front of the war.

Sunni ISIS against Shite Iranians and Iraqis. As the Shites plow through Sunni territory they must refrain from killing those left behind as ISIS retreats or the conflict will evolve into a full fledged civil war.  One that has been smoldering long before we were even a country is now on the brink of exploding.

A nuclear Iran could make short order of their Sunni problem, ISIS would no longer be competing for the 'califate' and they'd be free to go after the rest of we infidels in the most deadly of ways.

This is what some in Congress wonder if the President grasps.  If his ambition is to have an agreement that allows a time frame for Iran to go nuclear with no further restrictions, in time they will carry out their own ambitions. Does the President care? Does the supposed glory of an agreement mean more than a relatively safe world?

The Senators who signed the letter know well by now how the President's mind works.  They rightly worry about it. They are letting the world know that the President does not speak for all of us. No advice was sought, no 'go ahead' given by anyone who knows the territory, the history of Iran, the dangers being invited and the mind set of the President.

They are worried.  Israel and Egypt and Jordan are worried.  We too should be.

To The Administration - Grow Up!

Benjamin Netanyahu is an angry man.  He is also frustrated because we who were once his most staunch ally have turned our back on him.  No, not him.  His country.

We're showing it in the most infantile of ways.  Forget "protocol" about who should have informed whom of his coming to Congress to speak.  That's a debatable point considering the actions of our President.

The reason he is coming is to plead his case against the deal the administration is crafting that in essence will allow Iran to produce a nuclear bomb with the intent of using it against Israel, among others.

This is politics at its worst.  All so Obama and Kerry can claim a "deal" that everyone else in the world is against. Netanyahu is coming to tell his reasons that not only he is against it but that we too should be.

What is it he is going to say that has the Democrats, like the lemmings they are, going to boycott the speech, the President refuse to see him and the Vice President conveniently out of town? Perhaps he is going to speak the truth that the administration desperately wants to keep from the public in case a bulb actually lights in our collective intellect and we join in the protest against the deal.

We should listen because the results of Iran being left to their own devices will lead to nuclear proliferation in the region.  The UAE and Saudi Arabia have been telling the administration that they too are nervous at the idea of a nuclear Iran.  Actually they've said more.  They've said they will have their own programs for their own protection.  From the statements you can be sure they are already in negotiations with countries such as Pakistan that can provide them what they need and will happily oblige.

We know from experience that we are now an aside in the world.  Nations are beginning to take the matter of ISIS into their own hands as well they should but we're not even at the table.  We broke it with Bush's ill advised incursion into Iraq and Obama perpetuated by unkept promises and premature withdrawals allowing for the present vacuum to be filled by ISIS and their allies.

Even so, couldn't our President at least act like an adult and listen to what Netanyahu has to say?  Is it because this struggle has nothing to do with him - not us - him? I think it's a likely possibility.

It's troubling to imagine what our next President is going to have to face when it comes to the affairs of the world.  It will be a double edged sword of trying to regain at least some of our lost stature while putting a stop to the brutal chaos.

That phone call at 3 A.M.?  Obama didn't answer it in Benghazi. Neither did Hillary.  We'd do well to make sure the next President will.

Terror In Middle America

OMG!  I came to my office to write about our pending leniency with Iran when I saw the headline that a woman has been beheaded in Oklahoma! I'm horrified.  My brother lives in Oklahoma!

I wish I could say I'm surprised but in a very twisted way I'm not.  And the irony, remember the Oklahoma City bombing which took the lives of so many and was perpetrated by a former GI?  If terror is beyond our grasp, we had better get a grip!

It doesn't even have to be a Muslim terrorist.  Just some deranged individual who has seen the reaction of the others who have been beheaded and sees an opportunity for attention.

Now is a good time to address the Iran situation because it surely ties together.  Iran has been a large part of our woes in Iraq.  They fund terrorist organizations, we know that.  They hate Israel.  We know that.  Sanctions had slowed their pace so what are we thinking when we consider allowing them to keep half their already enriched uranium?

Hello Washington.  The rest of the world does not need them in the fight against IS or it's counterparts.  At least if the war is conducted as the generals would have it.  But no.  Our Secretary of State is desparate for a victory no matter what it entails.  Literally arming a known enemy isn't much of a victory in my book, but then who am I?

It puzzles me why the rest of the world doesn't share the urgency for action.  Is it because it has yet to hit their country?  They haven't had to comfort grief stricken parents and family?  They haven't had to see it on You Tube?  England has.  France has.  Where are they?

The horror in Oklahoma exemplifies, to me, what we're likely to see more of as long as beheading is the rage among the misfits. Perhaps it will become more of the proper type of rage now that it has happened here.  I don't care what his motives were or that perhaps he hadn't intended it to go quite that far.  But it did.  He was bent on harm. Period.

Please, Mr. Kerry and Mr. Obama.  Don't ease up on the Iranians.  World, where are you?  Stop them if it becomes likely. Life is difficult enough as is without aiding and abeiting the enemy.  We know who they are.  It doesn't matter what they choose to call themselves or what we choose to call them. Just stop them.

The Death Of The Middle East

If you've been watching the news you know the situation in the Middle East is dire.  The new reports on the systematic torture and death of thousands of Syrians make my blood curdle.  Even when the photographs are edited to make them less graphic.

I've long ago quit worrying about our moral responsibility to put an end to the bloodshed.  The President opted out when the method was poison gas and the victims were children. Instead he made a deal with the devil to escape any moral responsibility.  Any responsibility at all.

It goes beyond that, however.  It didn't take long for the rebels whom we could have supported to be infiltrated by those wanting to make any new regime in their own image.  So now it's a three way war.
Some how denying access to medical aid and the most basic of foodstuffs isn't as bad as chemical weapons.  No matter that the people have been reduced to eating cats and rats if they are able to find and catch them being near death themselves.

This is just Syria.  Think about what they're doing to themselves.  They're killing themselves.  Not only children, but those who are of an age to bear children. Given enough time, there will be no one left.

Now let's go back to Iraq where we withdrew all our troops.  They are engaged, once more, in a bloody
civil war where the loser is having the most radical version of Islamic law reimposed. In Afghanistan the same is about to happen.  Do you for a believe Obama will choose the 10,000 troop option over zero troops?  The radical fringe is betting he won't and are just waiting.  Afghanistan cannot defend itself against them.

Iran has suckered us into believing they're going to play nice and give up their nuclear ambitions.  While we fall prey to that scheme they continue to threaten Iraq if they don't keep supply lines open to Syria so they can continue supplying troops and weaponry to Assad.

And now Pakistan is back in the news.  For quite some time Islamists have been killing aid workers trying to inoculate the children against polio.  It is running rampant.

Good news came that there seems to be some progress in efforts to release the doctor who helped us nail bin Laden.  The bad news is that his ploy was one of these inoculation exercises but that is was a sham set up by the CIA.  The end result is that every innocent aid worker trying to save the children are predetermined to be spies for the CIA.  The result?  Parents are afraid so they stay away from access points.

Again, a generation plus of the young will suffer death from disease while their parents die in the most unimaginable battles of just trying to save life and limb.

Maybe this is our President's policy.  Wait long enough, make the token gestures necessary to appease those few who still give us a thought, and the problem will resolve itself.  If that isn't it, then I'd suggest the President is paralyzed with fear.  That indicates to me he has no moral compass.  Rather like thinking smoking pot is no more dangerous than drinking alcohol.  That's comforting considering how dangerous drinking can be and that pot is still illegal at the Federal level.

Turn a deaf ear and a blind eye.  Like the tree falling in the forest making no sound if no one is present to hear it, perhaps war has no consequences unless someone is present to witness it.

Does Anyone Have A Clue?

As the Obamacare debacle continues, so does the one in Afghanistan.  Unless you've been living in a cave, lucky you, you know that President Karzai is dragging his feet over signing an agreement that will protect our soldiers from Afghan prosecution should we leave a contingent behind and they run afoul of Afghan law.

In return, of course, we give more than we get.  They want to tie our hands even more than they already have thus making it easier for our soldiers to err.  As usual it's a bad deal at best.

In our infinite wisdom, however, we've decided to give the Afghan security forces much needed helicopters.  Note I said give.  At a time when our country could sorely use the revenue from selling them, but then the Afghans have privatized the aid we've given them so they have no money.  Perhaps that's not all bad.  At least our people will build them.  What?  No?  We're buying them from the Russians?  We're buying Russian helicopters to give to the Afghans because they are superior to ours.

Well, open the door and come right in.  Those helicopters are going to have to be maintained.  That means Russians will send their techs giving them a new foothold in the country.  What are we thinking?  We know Russia is trying to get a strangle hold on the Mideast.  They already have it in Syria.  We know they are friends with Iran and now they will have carte blanche in Afghanistan.

And speaking of Iran, Karzai has agreed on a "cooperation pact" with them. It is to entail long term political security, economic and cultural cooperation and regional peace security.  Who better than the Russian backed Iranians?

Our Secretary of Defense tried to allay fears by promising to beef up security measures in non-complicit nations and it was of course considered a threat. A state of mistrust promulgated by Israel, Iran's arch enemy.

Let's ice the cake.  It has also been reported that prosecutions for crimes against women has slowed to a crawl, not that it ever really got going.

Dogwalk's solution?  Pull all our military out!  Let the Russians sell their copters directly to Karzai.  If he can't afford them perhaps Iran will lend him the money since they are doing better now that their sanctions have been eased.

Of course, now that Mr. Putin has dissolved state media in Russia it may take some time for how this all works out to reach us.  Not that it matters.  The President wants no part of it because a speech to a captive audience can't fix it.

That's the way things are now.  I understand that.  But please, Mr. President, do the right thing and bring all our personnel home.  If you don't they'll be sitting ducks.  I'm willing to wager the boys from Duck Dynasty would even give you some tips on how to call them home.  It makes no less sense than any other part of our foreign policy!

Naivete Rules, Or Is It Really Stupidity?

Let's see where we are today.  Obama has begun a campaign to resell the ACA while still not admitting that the botched roll out is the least of it's problems.  The problem is the law itself and how he continually flouts the Constitution by imposing his own adjustments.  The roll out is but a mere example of incompetence across the board.

 Then there is the fact that the TSA is now searching parked cars at airports supposedly looking for bombs and such.  Of course you don't know about this until you find a note stuck under your windshield wiper telling you this has been done.

Don't you love the police state this administrations is creating?  Apparently so.

Let's return to the Middle East.  They should not be forgotten amid all the domestic turmoil.  We know the administration has negotiated a deal with Iran regarding their nuclear program.  We've eased the sanctions.  Countries it took years to get to comply have rushed back in giving immediate relief to Iran's financial burdens and making reimposition nearly impossible.

We are allowing them to continue enriching uranium though at a lower grade than before.  They've told us in no uncertain terms they will never give up their enrichment program so I don't see that we're being particularly magnanimous.

They also have not retracted any of the rhetoric that makes clear how they feel about the West, especially the U.S., and Israel.  Knowing that we're taking the word of a country who cares little about keeping it but never-the-less we can say we've negotiated.  Right up until it behooves them to put together that bomb.  They'll have all the necessary ingredients just like the North Koreans did and one day there will be a big boom and we'll find they've tested their very first nuke.

No, no.  We'll have strict verification criteria.  Okay.  Then why is the White House looking for ways to allow Iran to keep enriching officially?  Oh, it will be for domestic use only.  Any one who has been following this knows that the current deal has allowed for everything to stop just below weapons grade but at a point where it can be quickly upgraded.

I personally think they have already have the 20% goal, maybe even an actual bomb, and have it safely stashed away therefore entering into these negotiations with absolutely nothing to fear.  That may be a stretch but then maybe not.

The question that begs to be answered, however, is if the Iranians do not have the right to enrich why are we trying to make it easy for them to do so anyway?  For the life of me I have no idea what we're trying to accomplish in that region of the world.

Neither does anyone else and that's why business continues as usual.  Now we're supposedly turning our focus to Asia as China rattles its sabers over territory disputed with Japan. Are we going to negotiate that too and cave in to Chinese demands?  Probably.

If I were the other countries in that region and saw us coming I'd turn tail and run as fast as I could away from the "n" word.  The "n" word?  Negotiation.

Nuclear Options All Over The Place

I have never in my life seen an administration so detached from the country it is supposed to be serving not to mention the world.

It has tunnel vision and a huge disrespect for everything and everybody outside of themselves.  First let's look at the sham of a treaty with Iran which will allow them to give up nothing while we open the doors for a nuclear Iran.  Where does the arrogance come from that allows those in the administration to think they and they alone can control Iran?  Heck, they can't even build a web site.

Part of it is Kerry wanting to make a name for himself.  Funny.  The administration makes the point that everything is being done for the children.  Does that include a nuclear Iran? Have they even considered it?

Or is it enough because of Obama's desperate need for a victory and Kerry's desire to be seen as a great statesman.  So far all he has done is sleep with the enemy.  And let's not forget what has been recently confirmed.  Valerie Jarrett, who was born in Iran, has been paving the way for months according to the Times of Israel . Yes, the administration has flatly denied this, but if past history holds true, the more they deny it the more truth lies within.

All I can say is what in the world are they thinking?  They never consider consequences, wanting more the victory of the moment.

Then there is the Senate's passing of the 'nuclear option' which means that the minority party no longer has a say in, for now, appointments. I would expect they will expand it as needed now that a precedent has been set. The throwing away of one more practice that was designed to prevent this very thing. When, and it will happen, the Republicans regain power, the favor will be returned.  I'd like to think they're above vindictiveness of that sort but we all know neither party is.

The disturbing thing about this is it's all tied to the disposal of nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, Nevada and he needs the President's support in order to continue stalling  progress on the depositories which had been approved and permitting begun.  There it is, that dirty word again.  Nuclear.

There are conversations all over the web about how to handle the influence of those who hold extreme ideologies on government.  One would be to be more thorough in scrutinizing candidates and make sure if in rejecting them it truly benefits the country.

I fear that's a pipe dream in this day and age.  For it to work the candidates have to get the message and so far all I've seen is each party wiping their collective brows in relief as one crisis passes to another.

Meanwhile the possibility of war hangs over the Mideast.  The  al Qaeda linked rebels in Syria have joined forces and are pushing out the moderates we refused to help when it would have helped. The Afghans have thumbed their nose at us yet again and Pakistan continues to protect the Taliban.

Saudi and Israel are left hung out to dry.  But they won't.  They'll do whatever necessary to protect their interests and the region, if not the world, will explode.

Meanwhile our politicians and the administration will continue living life in the bubble they've created for themselves with nary a notice of what's happening around them.  One thing they should remember, not only do bombs explode - bubbles do burst.  That's a given.

So far though the score is a dismal Nucs 3 - World 0. Iran is about to score.  Obama is calling the defense.  We lose.

Obama Is No Jean-Luc Picard

Remember when on Star Trek Jean-Luc Picard would say, "Make it so" and the very competent 'Number One' would do just that?  I find myself wondering why our President couldn't do more to align himself with Picard. Well, for one thing he doesn't have competent 'Number Ones' and he doesn't hold anyone, including himself, responsible.  He just blames others.

As such, he gives the order and no one makes it so.  Especially with Obamacare as more and more faults are being found.  The lesson, of course, is read the legislation before passing it.

It goes further, however, and that takes us back to foreign policy.  Nothing in ours is concrete. If we even have something that is called policy.  Take the promise of having our troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 being negotiated into a broken promise.

We have the National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, at odds with Secretary of State John Kerry as to whether we back Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood or the Military who is on track to having elections and a new constitution rather than an entrenched Islamic regime.  Side with Kerry on this one.  One wonders where the President is.  Probably with Rice.  The wrong side as usual.

Then there is Syria. By partnering with Assad and Russia over the supposed destruction of WMDs, if anyone will take them, we have left the Syrian people exposed to systematic slaughter.  The cause, of course, is Assad who is practically guaranteed to stay in power and continues to be a strong ally of Iran, an even bigger nemesis. Plus, if they need WMDs again, North Korea stands ready to help them out from their ample supply.

Stay tuned to Syria.  The al Qaeda rebels have brought in their own mercenary to run the show, a well known Chechan terrorist who was looking for a new gig.  We fear him.  The Russians fear him.  Assad fears him.  And the time when we could have intervened to help the 'good' rebels has long since passed.  Nothing good can come of this.  Now everybody's lives will be at stake! What lengths will Assad go to in order to remain in power?

Back to Iran.  Some have been suggesting that sanctions should not be tightened while negotiations are pending. Every minute of every day the Iranians continue their march toward weapons grade enrichment.  There is nothing in their past history with us nor the rest of the world that suggests they will stop that march or dismantle or destroy anything already at hand.

No one trusts them.  Why are we so willing? I don't believe one phone call between historically adversarial leaders should carry that much weight.  What can I say other than Vive la France!

Come to think of it Jean-Luc Picard was French!

Ground Kerry Before More Harm Is Done

The debacle that is Obamacare is bringing a point home that has long been needed.  This administration is less than truthful on top of being inept.

The reasons are many for both.  One, they're trying to push an agenda by the American people knowing if it were transparent the people would rebel. To wit Obamacare.

To do so they've allowed people with questionable expertise in any aspect of health care craft the bill.  If they've done it on purpose to move the country toward single payer system they should all be thrown out of office.  It's not for them to decide; it's for us to decide.  If they've done it because they're inept the same holds true.

So, before things get any worse, it's time to ground John Kerry.  We're seeing now what the world already knows on an international scale.  This administration is weak and inept. It's foreign policy staggers like a drunken sailor.

Now, however, they are so in need of a victory they are willing to sacrifice a tenuous calm, with several exceptions at that, in an entire region of the world on the false pretense the Iranians would keep their word on anything. The rest of the world and previous administrations can't all be wrong when saying Iran cannot be trusted. We do know Obama is not all knowing and his word also cannot be trusted.

What about his success in Syria?  Ah, yes.  The death toll is now over 250,000.  The civil war continues having passed the 2 1/2 year mark.

But the weapons of mass destruction are being destroyed. So? People are still dying.  Are you aware of Assad's latest tactic?  Starvation. Systematic, slow, agonizing starvation. Loyalist troops are not only not letting aid into civilian and rebel strongholds, which in many cases are one and the same, but they are not allowing food  in either. Is there a worse way to die?

One soldier was heard telling a young boy begging to take a bag of pita bread through a government check point, "...there are those bigger than me and you who make the rules and they're watching you right now."

While the administration basks in the fact they didn't have to used military force to rid the Syrians of their poison gas, what are they doing for those who are starving?

Have you read or heard anything about this in our media?  Neither have I.  This came from the Financial Times  which covers international news far better than our media.

Be skeptical when the administration says negotiations with Iran need be given a chance. If you look at the situation in Syria, you'll see they are inept at that too.

This is no time for glory seeking to save a Presidential or a Secretary of State's legacy. Tighten the sanctions until the Iranians cry uncle and not before.  And hope those who once believed in our strength and loyalty will have it within them to give us another chance when we shed this administration.

But don't bet on it.

Mr. President, Stop Beating The Drums Of War

I cannot believe that the President is already taking credit for something he had nothing to do with other than to not forbid John Kerry to talk with Russia.  That the threat of force has brought about this impasse with Syria.

Come on. He was no where near getting Congressional approval for credible force nor was the force he proposed exactly credible. A pinprick?  Unbelievably small?

That Putin grabbed onto a flip statement by Kerry and parlayed it into a framework for action is all we've gotten and all we're likely to get. Advantage Putin.  Advantage Syria.

We have no idea what  discussions Putin has had with Syria nor what they agreed to.  We do know Syria's civil war continues as well as the game of hide and seek with chemical weapons.

We know military action will be off the table in any U.N. Resolution as well as our arming of the rebels.  Putin will see to that.  So what is it we really have?  A frame work.  For what?

So why, oh why, are you trying to convince Iran that diplomacy paired with the threat of force will make them give up their nuclear program.  Especially since Putin is already in arms talk with them.

You undercut your own Secretary of State with your dithering.  You have completely demoralized the Free Syrian Army who desperately need weapons and our own military is exhausted with trying to keep up with your will we or won't we.  Congress is skeptical at best and the American people have probably tuned you out.

It is unbelievably unbecoming for you to be taking credit for what little has been accomplished.  If indeed anything has.  I'd think you'd have the good graces to keep your mouth shut or if you have to talk, give Kerry an "A" for effort! To you I give an "F" for false  and probably foolish bravado.

Not long ago when asked if you could change your approval rating with a speech you said you were good, but not that good.  Then you added you were still, pretty good.

No sir.  Sorry. You are not.

Pure Evil

The world has gone mad, completely mad and both Christians and Israel are sitting in the cross hairs of the manifestation of hatred and evil beyond belief.

I could not believe this headline when I read it, Arab Spring Run Amok: 'Brotherhood' Starts Crucifixions.  Crucifixions?  Are you kidding? No. According to WND radical Muslims have begun crucifying those opposed to Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi. Naked.  On trees in front of the presidential palace.

I could not believe what I was seeing so I searched about a bit and found other articles reporting the same news. Apparently the victims can be anyone with extra brutality reserved for Christians.

Well, here we go again.  Savagery in the name of religion.  It seems it's not only a normal part of Islamic doctrine but obligatory according to the Quran.  Therefore the Muslim brotherhood is obliged to include it in their legal code in order to comply with Shariah.

We've long known the Muslims are bound to wage war against Christians who in many instances are synonymous with the west.  Us.  Are we not a 'Christian' nation?

Israel is in trouble because they thwarted an attack by Hamas trying to cross into Gaza.  Morsi used this as an excuse to purge the top ranks of the military, those who were fighting to preserve some degree of sanity.

We sit here taking no stand on the slaughter that continues in Syria.  We have taken a back seat to the entire theater of war that has been going on in the middle east for years, giving thumbs up to dictators who we declare redeemable but who never are.  Mubarak.  Ghadafi.  Al Assad.  Karzi.  Now Morsi.  We only give the thumbs down when it's apparent they can't extract themselves from the destruction they reigned down upon themselves.  Why is this?

I know the country is tired of war.  We get into them for all the wrong reasons and stay out of them for the same. Our foreign policy is floundering if indeed we have any.  Leading from behind is not a policy.  Or is it?  That makes it even worse.

Morsi is instituting a reign of terror to consolidate his power.  He will be attending a summit in Iran this month.  That does not bode well. He has an invitation to visit the White House in September.  They will try to convince us he is a moderate.  One more monster we wanted to see in power.

All I can do is ask why?  What are we thinking?  Al Assad is slaughtering his own people by the tens of thousands.  Morsi is having his opposition crucified.  This is pure evil.  Period. Yet we neither hear it, see it nor speak it.

We give Israel the cold shoulder, leaving them to fend for themselves.  We welcome these governments with open arms.  Something is drastically wrong.  We are the west.  We are mostly Christian.  We are targeted. Don't ever think we're not.  Just look at the number of our soldiers being murdered by the Afghans who we're training and providing with the very weapons they use.

Somehow, in the grand scheme of things, I could care less what Mitt Romney paid in taxes the last ten years or whether or not he releases that information.  You want something taxing to worry about?  Consider the future as the countries of the middle east fall like dominoes to the Islamic radicals.  Consider too, these monsters are beginning to be put into office by their own people.

What will we be putting into office?  Better yet, what have we put into office?

Government Intelligence As An Oxymoron

Much has been written lately about the TSA overstepping the bounds of human decency in their near strip searches of the elderly and the very young, not to mention everyone in between!  Sometimes I have to chuckle when I picture them trying to implant a bomb in an elderly person that they would set off themselves.  And a rug rat still in diapers couldn't do it at all.  I know kids are smarter younger, but there are also limits!

 Do you ever wonder how big that bomb would have to be to actually take down a plane? Is there really technology that such a powerful bomb can be implanted without showing at least a bump under the skin?  And where would they put it to make access easy without some noticeable contortions? By  the time it blows granny to smithereens would there be not so much damage but rather a mess and a bunch very of irate passengers?

Okay, you can see where my head is today, but now for the serious side.  The justification for TSA procedures comes from "chatter".  We can't take the chance that no one has been corrupted.  Meanwhile the terrorists know the buzz words to use, keep us in a tizzy and no doubt are enjoying our jumping through hoops immensely!

On the flip side, there is a real danger of something going boom and it isn't the diaper set.  It's the nuc Tehran is getting closer and closer to being able to build yet we refuse to acknowledge that possibility.  Let's face it, when they get the bomb a whole lot more than one airplane is at risk.  Try a city.  Or a country.  Maybe even ours!

Why are we in denial this is happening while the rest of the world including our allies and the U.N. are watching with grave concern?  The last assessment made by our intelligence was in 2007.  When Fred Fleitz tried to expose those doing the assessment, or the lack thereof, his criticisms were censored by the CIA and the Office of the Director of Intelligence. Fleitz recently retired after a twenty five year career with the CIA, DIA,  the State Department and the House Intelligence Committee staff.  I would think he knows his way around the subject and that his findings and concerns mesh with those of our allies and the U.N.

It seems to me if our government can tie itself up in knots over chatter, they just might not want to keep their heads in the sand when it comes to truth.  When the Iranian Revolutionary Guard posts on its website that the day after an Iranian nuclear test would be a normal day, one might be led to believe they are planning such a test.

What, me worry?  Nah.  After all, I didn't hear it on the grapevine!

Kaboom?

We misstepped in Honduras big time. Obama is getting ready for his photo op of the week which will be at West Point to explain his decision on troop levels for the war in Afghanistan. Meanwhile the three musketeers of bad behavior are scurrying around right under our nose. One can only wonder what they're up to.

Who are these pesky fellows? The Castro boys, their student to the South, Hugo Chavez, and the new kid on the hemispheric block, Iran's Ahmadinejad. Here's a trio that ought to make your blood run cold. Let's just hope that's all it does!

When Mahmoud tells Hugo, "we're going to be together until the end", I have to wonder just what they have in mind. Especially when Chavez has just returned from an unannounced trip to Cuba. Both, according to the Jerusalem Post, entertained one another by denouncing U.S. imperialism and that "murderous arm of the Yankee empire", Israel.

I also quake when I read they're talking about a direct flight route between Tehran and Caracas! Think about it. If Iran is successful in getting it's nuclear program against all our efforts and they have a direct flight path to Caracas, it's only a hop, skip and jump to Cuba. It's even less of one from Cuba to the U.S. Kaboom!

Then there is Cuba. Cuba, who's Fidel mentored Chavez. Even though tensions have eased under Obama, the military might feels it hasn't been enough since they are still listed as a "terrorist" country. So what are they doing about it? According to Reuters , they began their biggest military maneuvers in five years because they need to prepare for an invasion by the United States.

Of course this is nonsense, the invasion part. When three bad boys who are little more than dictators in countries that have no free press, what are their people to think? Is our State Department busy trying to quell these fears? I hope so but could find nothing about it.

Perhaps our "free press" should take note. Perhaps it's time to get back to covering the news. What's happening in the world is not predicated on where the President is at any one particular time. It's predicated on what's happening in the world! Right under our nose. Is that so hard to grasp or is it just too much work? Covering party crashers is so much more entertaining.

Whack A Mole In The Mideast

It's a snowy Sunday morning. Everyone must be online for even our high speed is slower than molasses. That has given me time to peruse the headlines. I wish I had made a snowman instead.

We have two more holidays of the semi-religious sort before we get into the 'traditional' holiday season. Thanksgiving, which is self-explanatory, and Black Friday which is a pagan tribute to the shopping gods.

So how is the world faring as we look forward to December? Let's begin on our own shores. The Bishop of Providence Rhode Island has revealed that he asked asked Representative Patrick Kennedy, back in 2007, to refrain from taking Communion because of his political stance on abortion. It seems to have resurfaced due to it's inclusion in health care reform which, as a good Democrat, Kennedy supports. "Your position is unacceptable to the church and scandalous to many of our members." Well, they should know all about scandals - both the church and the Kennedys!

Moving on across the ocean the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury had to sort out some differences about the alleged recruiting by the Catholic church of unhappy Anglicans.

Then there is the news from the Middle East, the confluence of religions. We have Israeli jets bombing 'suspected' weapons factories in Gaza and Palestinians lobbing rockets into Israel.

We have al Qaeda doing it's best to cripple the Iraqi government as U.S. troops withdraw and the Iraqi government itself is ramping up attacks against what's left of Saddam's loyalists, the Baathists, before the January elections.

I won't even get into the stalemate in Afghanistan while the troops anxiously await their Thanksgiving and Christmas MRE's. It's getting difficult to keep track of the violence as the most holy of days approaches.

Most holy of days. I got to thinking...

holy |ˈhōlē|
adjective ( holier , holiest )
1 dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred : the Holy Bible | the holy month of Ramadan. See note at divine .
• (of a person) devoted to the service of God : saints and holy men.
• morally and spiritually excellent : I do not lead a holy life.
2 informal used as an intensifier : having a holy good time.
3 dated or humorous used in exclamations of surprise or dismay : holy smoke!

and

holiday |ˈhäliˌdā|
noun
a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done : December 25 is an official public holiday.
• [as adj. ] characteristic of a holiday; festive : a holiday atmosphere.
• chiefly Brit. (often holidays) a vacation : I spent my summer holidays on a farm | Fred was on holiday in Spain.
verb [ intrans. ] chiefly Brit.
spend a holiday in a specified place : he is holidaying in Italy.

Note their is no mention of 'peace' in either definition.

peace |pēs|
noun
1 freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility : you can while away an hour or two in peace and seclusion.
• mental calm; serenity : the peace of mind this insurance gives you.
2 freedom from or the cessation of war or violence : the Straits were to be open to warships in time of peace.
• [in sing. ] a period of this : the peace didn't last.
• [in sing. ] a treaty agreeing to the cessation of war between warring states : support for a negotiated peace.
• freedom from civil disorder : police action to restore peace.
• freedom from dispute or dissension between individuals or groups : the 8.8 percent offer that promises peace with the board.
3 ( the peace) a ceremonial handshake or kiss exchanged during a service in some churches (now usually only in the Eucharist), symbolizing Christian love and unity. See also kiss of peace at kiss .

Have I just stumbled upon the missing link?

That They Are Muslim Matters Not!

Two things have occurred to me as I've watched the turmoil in Iran escalate into a real time horror story. One is that if a people are pushed hard enough by a dictatorial government, they'll fight back. The United States doesn't have to do it for them.

The second is that it matters not one iota that it's in a Muslim country and it is in fact, Muslim against Muslim. The world is rallying behind the protesters who want nothing more than for their votes to be counted honestly and their freedoms restored.

Though they will probably not win this battle, they may well, in time, win the war. The young woman, Neda, shown just as she was shot, has, in her death, become the symbol of their fight. The horror. The senseless brutality. In real time.

I think back to my college days. We had a large contingent of Iranian students on campus. Many were sons of government workers or the well-to-do. They were mostly studying engineering or agriculture with the intent of returning to Iran and bettering their country. I dated several of them and you know what? They were just like any other guy on campus. Thoroughly westernized and enjoying every minute of it. If they had chauvinistic attitudes toward women they kept them well hidden.

As I watch the students in these protests I can't help think that they are very much the same as those I knew at the same age. Many could actually be their grandchildren!

I applaud the fact these young people have stolen the march on the stodgy old theocrats who have had their way with their people far too long. It is our contribution to the cause of freedom around the world and may, in fact, be far more powerful an influence than any politician could ever hope to be. The development of the web as a means of instant communication. Who would have thought, even a few weeks ago, that Twitter would become instrumental in the dissemination of news on this scale?

The Iranian leadership never saw it coming. The question that remains is what happens now? Will they continue to bully their way through knowing the world is watching? Do they realize they cannot block the Internet forever and the amount of information stored on cell phones and digital cameras will be damning?

Time will tell. One thing I am sure of is that oppressive governments around the world have now been put on notice. When people have the will they will fight for their rights. And the world will know it immediately!

Equal Opportunity Brutality

I never cease to be amazed at the depth of difference between the culture of Islamic nations and Western civilization.

I worry about the safety of our men and women in uniform who serve in these countries when, as in Iraq, the Iraqi government wants them to be subject to Iraqi law. Any one in our government who agrees to this should be hung and quartered. That's just about what Islamic law would demand should they be found guilty of a crime like rape or adultery! Well, actually, they'd be stoned.

I had thought that women bore the brunt of their 14th century mentality but it seems not. According to Radio Free Europe , an Iranian man has been stoned to death for adultery. In this case, the woman went unpunished because she repented. Wow. If that's all it takes!

I found a couple of things interesting while I was searching for information with which to flesh out this post. One being I could not find one single photo of a man being stoned, but as you can see, women could.

The expression on the woman's face says all that needs to be said. I guess if you're lucky, the first stone stuns you enough so you don't feel the pelting until it's ended with your death.

Here's how it goes. Women are buried up to their chests, men to their waists. The stones are not to be so large that they would kill you immediately. Next time a criminal in this country who has committed a heinous crime pleads that execution by lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment might be given the choice of an Islamic execution! For far less than the grisly, inhumane murders that bring about such penalties in this country!

Do you think Western influence will stop punishments such as this? I doubt it. Iran ordered a moratorium on stoning in 2002. This, of which I write, happened this year. This March. 2009. Two more happened in February. Some moratorium.

I guess the reason the we speak of Western civilization is because we are civilized. Culture is not a synonym!