Once again the Democrats go OUT of their way to completely misunderstand the issues at stake today in this nation and the world. From the Associated Press:
WASHINGTON (AP) – The struggles of the nation’s blacks – a loyal Democratic voting bloc – topped the agenda Thursday as the party’s eight presidential candidates gathered for their third primary debate.
- Keeping America safe;
- Fighting Islamists;
- Protecting our borders, north and south;
- Iran’s actions;
- North Korea;
- Energy independence;
- Taking advantage of our OWN available resources;
Russian President Vladimir Putin is making an astonishing bid to grab a vast chunk of the Arctic – so he can tap its vast potential oil, gas and mineral wealth.
His scientists claim an underwater ridge near the North Pole is really part of Russia’s continental shelf.
One newspaper printed a map of the “new addition”, a triangle five times the size of Britain with twice as much oil as Saudi Arabia.
With U.S.-Russia relations at their lowest point in years, stirring memories of the Cold War, Bush hopes to ease tensions when the two leaders hold informal talks on Sunday and Monday at the Bush family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Russia Holds Successful Missile Test
Jun 28 12:44 PM
US/Eastern
MOSCOW
(AP) – Russia successfully tested a new sea-based ballistic missile Thursday after several previous failures, a naval spokesman said.Capt. Igor Dygalo told The Associated Press that the Bulava missile hit its target on the Pacific peninsula of Kamchatka after being launched from the submarine Dmitry Donskoi in the White Sea.
According to published Russian news reports, the Bulava is designed to have a range of 6,200 miles and carry six individually targeted nuclear warheads. It is expected to be placed on three new Borei-class nuclear submarines that are under construction.
President Vladimir Putin has hailed Bulava as a key component of the nation’s future nuclear forces and boasted of its ability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses. However, three tests of the Bulava ended in failure in recent years.
Friday June 29, 2007
The Guardian
President Hugo Chávez yesterday hinted that Venezuela could try to become a nuclear power, during a visit to Russia apparently timed to antagonise the White House.
BZ
Insecure borders and ports; Venezuela’s gov’t. nationlalizing the oil industreffectively ordering American oil firms out); global terrorism-the war, a major bomb diffused in London, Canadian gov’t. reversing decision and WILL withdraw Troops from Afghanistan in 2009; and Russia attempting a territory grab in the Arctic.
BZ, it appears as if we may be “watching the situation”‘d right into direct conflict with Russia because Putin hates America (KGB hard-line past) and desperately wants a bigger role for Russia on the world stage.
The only ones to benefit will be the arms dealers…as always.
July 1st is Canada Day, the 140th, and I have never been so deeply ashamed of this country and its’ policies. Never.
Veritas et Fidelis Semper
Just what the American public needs, a real crisis with Russia and a dickhead in the White House…
I feel terribly secure now…
And Democrats in no way capable of understanding or seeing the threats plainly visible from any point on the compass.
BZ
Bloviating Zeppelin said…
And Democrats in no way capable of understanding or seeing the threats plainly visible from any point on the compass.
*********************
Yeah, that too…
You have your choice
Good intentioned idiots
or
crooks who will sell you out for a profit.
08 can’t come soon enough.
I really hope there are enough EDUCATED and INFORMED voters in our country to make some serious changes in 08. I doubt it but I guess we’ll see.
I fear for next year. . .
BZ
After looking an Monzer al-Kassar and doing just a bit more digging, I am coming ot find that the amount of outright stupidity and willingness to ignore evil that has been going on has been happening for decades. At *least* that long, although with a bit of pushing I am sure I can get tenuous links right back to 1917. Mr. Kassar, however is one individual who has been in contact with and worked for or with the following:
Syria, naturally, born there, but his wife is part of the Assad family. He also had control over the heroin traffick in the Bekaa area in the early 1980’s.
Iraq, along with at least two other arms dealers. Again, in the ’80s although it is well possible to extend that further via his later employment.
Hezbollah, of course, via his Assad connections and is the most likely early arms supplier for them. And through that, connections to Iran.
Ollie North, Richard Secord and others in Iran/Contra as the outer leg of the arms for hostages deal, which he was the prime POC on. Shipping Polish made Soviet Arms to the Contras via Honduras gave him entree, via those contacts to start opening up shop in S. America. Part of the deal involved a Portugese company, I have yet to track down, DEFEX.
Carlos Menem of Argentina. Kassar had worked out a deal to ship Hawk missile technology and nuclear technology to Syria, which the US scotched at the last moment, putting the screws to Menem. That said he did introduce Hezbollah to the area, and is the likely source for the late 1980’s and early 1990’s islamic violence there and for the entrees he made with FARC. While in Argentina he set up his own network of commercial/criminal interests which is cited in at least one mid-level assassination.
FARC via citation from Interpol and this most recent attempted arms sales puts Kassar in the spotlight as this was, basically, a ‘re-order’ of equipment. Connections made either via his own drug associates or via Menem or both.
Connections with the Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Sicilian and Russian Mafias.
The BNL scandal, in which in 1983 US cluster bomb technology was sent to Chile and then, somehow via magic, wound up in Iraq.
The BCCI scandal in which he *owned* a part of one of the Banks that not only profited from the scandal, but would also be cited for shipping advanced technology to Syria.
Part of the Abu Nidal hijacking of the Achille Lauro, in which he is cited to have worked with Nidal and to have gotten Nidal quickly out of the area via private jet.
One of the individuals cited as making the Pan-Am 103 bomb worked for Mr. Kassar.
Diversion of arms shipments to Bosnia during the early part of that conflict to supply Iranian backed Hezbollah.
Osama bin Laden, during his time with a private UK investing firm, in which he left the firm in early 2001 and cited the firm as ‘working with’ bin Laden. MAR 2001, I believe that was. How handy.
Attempts to prosecute Mr. Kassar in Spain have wound up with witnesses: recanting testimony, falling down drunk out of a third story window and just being assassinated in S. America. No witnesses, no conviction!
Plus he had enough *real* diplomatic passports (as in issued by real Nations) plus a slew of forged ones, so that while he would be in Nations that had a warrant for his arrest, he utilized his diplomatic credentials to make himself untouchable. That is how he was a wanted man in France, and yet was the one who worked out a French hostage deal with Iran just months before North and Secord came knocking at his door.
And if you think *he* is bad, I can easily name two others that are just *as* bad, or worse: Sarkis Soghanalian (his Iraqi compatriot who liked to make sure his weapons *worked* when supplying them to Saddam) and Viktor Bout (who apparently arranged for an American CIA agent to meet his demise in El Paso, TX back in the late 1980s). And I haven’t even *touched* the Asian Triads!
You know, if our government where any more *incapable* we would have just handed in the articles of defeat to Osama on 9/11. Yes, I put forth a broad charge of incompetence on BOTH political parties stretching from the 1970’s to the present day, all inclusive, no holds barred. Because we decided to start playing *political games* with folks looking to destroy the US and use our skittishness to atually *do* anything against them, we are now in a deadly situation. Game time is over, and yet both parties still want to play.
*Playing nice* with these folks is going to get us nicely dead. The days of sweet isolationism and two, wide oceans protecting us is *over*. Has been for awhile, at least back to 1983. Gone, now. Isolationism is another word for: suicide.
We can either learn to band together with those Nations that support us and directly confront this *now*, or we can go sweetly to hell marching to ‘politics as usual’ off the edge of the cliff. If we cannot put forth what it means to *be* an American and *mean it*, then we will not have America left any more. Our politics and ideologies are dissolving to transnational drivel, pure pablum for minds to soft to deal with the nasty, and harsh world of terrorists, narcotics dealers, international businesses making a ‘quick buck’, and bleeding heart organizations out to slit our wrists. If other folks want human rights they can damn well fight for them. We protect only our own and support our friends and allies in protecting theirs.
I truly do not give a damn for Darfur, and those wanting something done don’t EITHER as they have done NOTHING with their rights and responsibilities. Those wanting to close Guantanamo – yeah, so do I, by charging them with their crimes and putting them away. For Life, for that is what their crimes are via the US Code. I have absolutely utilitarian reasons for wanting Iraq basically secure: we need a place in the ME where we can reach out and *hurt someone* from it. Iraq does nicely for that, and to get to that point quite a few terrorists, Ba’athists, Iranians, Syrians, criminal thugs, drug traffickers, human slavers and arms traffickers have got to be put away for life or be pushing up daisies and we cannot do that from Okinawa. Or Afghanistan.
If you think Russia, Iran and Venezuela are nasty, just imagine what can happen if an LNG tanker exploded in Hartford or Providence or Boston. Gee, don’t need to ship much in the way of arms to hijack a ship… small crews on those these days. As you can guess the armed forces are going to be busy with the *big threats*… stuff like that? It is so easy to do only a full and complete and thorough inspection of each and every ship can stop it. Inside and outside. Ditto for the cargo container system. Mind you we have KNOWN this since 9/11 and the plans for doing it?
Uh-huh.
Still in committee.
So, when you look at politicians with an eye to voting, do ask yourself: exactly what has this bozo done to HELP things out?
And the number that have actually DONE SOMETHING EFFECTIVE?
ZERO.
Welcome to Electistan, the vassal State of Incumbistan, which has one political party to its name.