has promises from the Elect to pursue his failed foreign policy.
Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Jimmy Redux
Abysmal former President
Citi JPMorgan Chase: One Hand Washes the Elect
Two banks will helpfully keep people in their homes. At least, that will be the party line but let us look a bit deeper than that.
Sharia compliant Citi will modify $20 billion in home loans in a new program aimed at homeowners who haven't defaulted yet which could help 130,000 mortgage borrowers stay in their homes. This sounds all well and good.
The news follows similar initiatives announced by other banks. In particular I was interested to discover that JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) was another bank which like Citi heralded an enhanced housing rescue effort. JPMorgan Chase's goal is to rescue 400,000 borrowers.
The Citi (C, Fortune 500) effort, dubbed the Citi Homeownership Assistance Program, targets 500,000 Citi borrowers. CitiMortgages CEO Sanjiv Das said he expects that more than a quarter of these people will seek assistance, with mortgages worth about $20 billion.
For borrowers who have yet to default, Citi will freeze or reduce interest rates, extend the lifetime of the loan, or even reduce the loan principal. This lowering of the interest rate is typical of Islamic financing.
Since the banks do not know how well they can do they will need the cooperation of the government. The bottom line is that the bank programs won't be nearly as effective as any massive foreclosure prevention effort that may yet be implemented by the U.S. government.
And there is a possibility that such a program may yet emerge. Congress already enacted its Hope for Homeowners initiative, which will allow borrowers to refinance their mortgages into loans backed by the Federal Housing Authority. Now there is talk of a new $50 billion plan that could bail out as many as 3 million homeowners.
The selling point is that the bank programs do not cost the taxpayers anything so who could object?
JPMorgan Chase expands their housing rescue plan and will put a moratorium on foreclosures until its new program can be implemented in about 90 days. The bank will hire and train more staff to handle the added caseload that the plan will generate. JP Morgan Chase expects to process 400,000 families who will keep their homes during the next two years by working out $70 billion worth of loans. To handle the challenge, the bank will add 300 new counselors, for a total of 2,500, and opening 24 new regional counseling centers.
In the financial meltdown there are companies that are prospering and adding staff to handle the additional load. To be successful in their endeavor though, they will need the assistance of someone in the government, someone on the inside, someone whose campaign they supported with significant donations.
I am just speculating but I wonder if both Citi and JPMorgan Chase have found their man in Washington D.C.
Actually, both companies were noted in a recent 7 November blog post documenting just how much money they contributed to the President-elect:
JPMorgan Chase & Co. $581,460
JP Morgan Chase & Co is one of the nation’s leading financial services firms, offering commercial and consumer banking and credit services, securities brokering and financial consulting. Through its subsidiary Chase Bank, the company is one of the top consumer credit card issuers in the country. As expected, the firm has lobbied heavily on legislation that would affect the nation’s financial industry, including bankruptcy reform and banking deregulation. In 2002, federal investigators launched a probe into the firm’s relationship with former energy giant Enron. Prior to the energy firm’s collapse, JP Morgan Chase had been one of the company’s biggest financial backers.
Citigroup Inc. $581,216
Citigroup is the world’s second largest financial services firm, with $1 trillion in assets. One of the company’s subsidiaries is brokerage firm Salomon Smith Barney, which has been plagued with lawsuits and government investigations into its financing of bankrupt Enron and ailing WorldCom. In 1998, Citigroup’s lobbying helped repeal a federal law that prevented banks from getting into other businesses, allowing the company to acquire an insurance firm. Citigroup continues to lobby on a number of issues, including financial privacy, bankruptcy reform and terrorism reinsurance.
People can stay in their homes, thanks to the banks, and to their man in Washington, bought and paid for.
Sharia compliant Citi will modify $20 billion in home loans in a new program aimed at homeowners who haven't defaulted yet which could help 130,000 mortgage borrowers stay in their homes. This sounds all well and good.
The news follows similar initiatives announced by other banks. In particular I was interested to discover that JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) was another bank which like Citi heralded an enhanced housing rescue effort. JPMorgan Chase's goal is to rescue 400,000 borrowers.
The Citi (C, Fortune 500) effort, dubbed the Citi Homeownership Assistance Program, targets 500,000 Citi borrowers. CitiMortgages CEO Sanjiv Das said he expects that more than a quarter of these people will seek assistance, with mortgages worth about $20 billion.
For borrowers who have yet to default, Citi will freeze or reduce interest rates, extend the lifetime of the loan, or even reduce the loan principal. This lowering of the interest rate is typical of Islamic financing.
Since the banks do not know how well they can do they will need the cooperation of the government. The bottom line is that the bank programs won't be nearly as effective as any massive foreclosure prevention effort that may yet be implemented by the U.S. government.
And there is a possibility that such a program may yet emerge. Congress already enacted its Hope for Homeowners initiative, which will allow borrowers to refinance their mortgages into loans backed by the Federal Housing Authority. Now there is talk of a new $50 billion plan that could bail out as many as 3 million homeowners.
The selling point is that the bank programs do not cost the taxpayers anything so who could object?
JPMorgan Chase expands their housing rescue plan and will put a moratorium on foreclosures until its new program can be implemented in about 90 days. The bank will hire and train more staff to handle the added caseload that the plan will generate. JP Morgan Chase expects to process 400,000 families who will keep their homes during the next two years by working out $70 billion worth of loans. To handle the challenge, the bank will add 300 new counselors, for a total of 2,500, and opening 24 new regional counseling centers.
In the financial meltdown there are companies that are prospering and adding staff to handle the additional load. To be successful in their endeavor though, they will need the assistance of someone in the government, someone on the inside, someone whose campaign they supported with significant donations.
I am just speculating but I wonder if both Citi and JPMorgan Chase have found their man in Washington D.C.
Actually, both companies were noted in a recent 7 November blog post documenting just how much money they contributed to the President-elect:
JPMorgan Chase & Co. $581,460
JP Morgan Chase & Co is one of the nation’s leading financial services firms, offering commercial and consumer banking and credit services, securities brokering and financial consulting. Through its subsidiary Chase Bank, the company is one of the top consumer credit card issuers in the country. As expected, the firm has lobbied heavily on legislation that would affect the nation’s financial industry, including bankruptcy reform and banking deregulation. In 2002, federal investigators launched a probe into the firm’s relationship with former energy giant Enron. Prior to the energy firm’s collapse, JP Morgan Chase had been one of the company’s biggest financial backers.
Citigroup Inc. $581,216
Citigroup is the world’s second largest financial services firm, with $1 trillion in assets. One of the company’s subsidiaries is brokerage firm Salomon Smith Barney, which has been plagued with lawsuits and government investigations into its financing of bankrupt Enron and ailing WorldCom. In 1998, Citigroup’s lobbying helped repeal a federal law that prevented banks from getting into other businesses, allowing the company to acquire an insurance firm. Citigroup continues to lobby on a number of issues, including financial privacy, bankruptcy reform and terrorism reinsurance.
People can stay in their homes, thanks to the banks, and to their man in Washington, bought and paid for.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Obama's 1984
Graphic source: Patriot Brigade Talk Radio Network
Original wording
Graphic source: Change.gov
Revised
The newly launched official website of President-Elect Obama, Change.gov, originally announced that Obama would “require” all middle school through college students to participate in community service programs; however, after numerous objections the wording was revised, and softened, in an excellent example of a 1984-like change.
The language sparked a revival of the much-publicized video of marching Obama youth and Obama’s “civilian national security force,” which the candidate said in July would be just as powerful and well-funded as the U.S. military.
Elect Gitmo Guy Expounds Legalistically
"I am not going to give a time certain because I think what we have to do is evaluate all those who are still being held in Gitmo. . . . We have to put in place appropriate plans to make sure they are tried, convicted and punished to the full extent of the law, and that's going to require, I think, a review of the existing cases, which I have not had the opportunity to do."
Professor R. K. Betts, Political Science Quarterly
Obama, 10 November 2008
Huh? What does "time certain" mean? We have to evaluate. No kidding. We need to have "appropriate plans." Hmmm, deep. What plan did you have in mind? Oh yes, and slap them on the wrist with the law. Think that will work, eh? What arrogance, you need to personally review these cases and make a reasoned, legal argument. That, my friends, is hubris to the extreme. American law means nothing to our enemies, nor should it, since they are serving God. Man's law is chimera. Yet, the Americans persist in viewing terrorism as a law enforcement issue.
As noted in a perceptive essay:
"Liberal legalism has delegitimized tactics and brutalities that once were accepted, but this delegitimization has occurred only in context of fundamental security and dominance of Western powers."
Professor R. K. Betts, Political Science Quarterly
The U.S. tried the liberal legalistic approach during the Clinton regime and we were attacked consistently. Now that we have a new player on the field the same old tactic will not work again. But, so far, what are left with? The latest indication is that we will work with the same flawed tools to ensure more legal rights for people who seek to kill Americans based on their understanding of God's higher dictates. It will not work. It did not work before, it will not work again.
Country At An All Time Pessimistic Low
All of 16% of those questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey stated that things are going well; That is about as low as things have gotten. 83% of those polled say things are going badly which is an all-time high. That high pessimist rate is higher than 1992, when George, "It's the economy, stupid,: more than 1980, when Carter was sacked for disappointing the country, and more than 1975, after Watergate and the Nixon pardon.
I am not expecting a miracle or an FDR. We do not produce that kind of leadership in America anymore. We are producing politicians who are receiving despicably high rates of campaign contributions.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Obama Gaffes in First Foreign Policy Conversation
In his first foreign policy discussion, good thing it was not a critical conversation, Obama misled the Polish President, President Lech Kaczynski. Obama told Kaczynski that he intends to continue plans for a missile shield in eastern Europe. If this is true, and this was the public announcement, this would be interpreted as a hard line against Russia. Russia has been infuriated by U.S. plans for the missile-defense installation, which includes basing missile interceptors in Poland. The interceptor rockets would be linked to an air-defense radar system in the Czech Republic. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned this week that Russian missiles will be deployed against the planned system. "The Iskander missile system will be deployed in Kaliningrad region to neutralize, when necessary, the missile shield," Medvedev said. "We are also planning to use the resources of the Russian naval fleet for these purposes." Good thing there were no actual missiles involved. Denis McDonough, Obama's senior foreign policy adviser, had to reverse the understanding that Kaczynski had. Obama has made "no commitment" to plans for a missile defense program in eastern Europe.
This is the first substantive conversation with a foreign entity and Obama has already been vague and unclear, thus, annoying the already aggressive Russians. Obama better learn on the job quickly before serious issues arise because of his lack of experience.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
U.S. Treasury Promotes Islamic Finance
The U.S. Treasury is using American tax dollars to teach 'Islamic Finance 101.' The program is "designed to help inform the policy community about Islamic financial services, which are an increasingly important part of the global financial industry."
The Treasury Department has collaborated with Harvard University's Islamic Finance Project to coordinate the event.
Some speakers include Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Neel Kashkari, senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Jr.; Harvard Business School professor Samuel Hayes; Mahmoud El-Gamal, chair of Islamic economics, finance and management at Rice University and Islamic finance adviser to the Treasury Department; Sarah Bell of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo, Shariah adviser and Islamic scholar; Michael McMillan, chair of the Islamic Legal Forum at the American Bar Association and professor of Islamic finance; and Rushdi Siddiqui, global director for the Dow Jones Islamic Market Indexes and vigorous advocate for Islamic finance.
Islamic finance is a system of banking consistent with the principles of Shariah, or Islamic law.
Islamic finance has reached $800 billion by mid-2007 and growing at more than 15 percent each year. Wall Street now features an Islamic mutual fund and an Islamic index. Oddly of course, though, the U.S. may be the first country that funds anti-American terrorists who are often financially supported through U.S. investments; the U.S. funds its own enemy.
In financial Jihad, America is losing the financial war on terror because Wall Street embraces a subversive enemy ideology on one hand and providing government and corporate life support to state sponsors of terrorism as well. Islamic finance, or "Shariah-Compliant Finance," is a "modern-day Trojan horse" infiltrating the U.S. Shariah is a repressive doctrine that regulates every aspect of life for Muslims, and has already been proposed in Britain, ultimately, it could change American life and laws. The three nations that rule 100% by Shariah law, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, are among the most horrific human rights abusers in the world.
Obamination Jugend
I don't know if this is exactly how it starts but I would be wary of militant Obamination youth who march and shout out Obama slogans to a biblical 'Alpha, Omega' chant. The scenes from Black Muslim Farrakhan calling Obama the Messiah is alarming enough but
views of teen boys who are in uniform and drill, shout, and profess, 'Yes we can' are ominous. It would make the
Nazis proud.
Obama Backs Bush on Iran
EFPs, EFP cones and other materials seized in a 28 October raid. The cache was found in Iraq after Iran exported the materials to attack Coalition troops. Graphic source: Multinational Division Baghdad.
Ali Larijani, Iran's parliament speaker, has criticized President-elect Obama for saying that Iran's development of a nuclear weapon is unacceptable.
The comments came after Obama was briefed by American intelligence and contradicts what he said during his campaign for the presidency.
During the campaign, Obama stated: "I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us," (Obama’s remarks in Pendelton, Oregon, on 18 May 2008).
Now, I guess the Iranian nuclear threat is of genuine importance, and he may mean "us," as in the U.S. and Israel. The U.S. should back Israel to the hilt as Bush has in the stalled Middle East Peace process
Larijani views Obama's present view along the same lines as Bush's, because he object to "the repetition of objections to Iran's nuclear program, which will be taking a step in the wrong direction."
Obama also said he would help mount an international effort to prevent it from happening.
Larijani was speaking two days after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulated Obama, the first time an Iranian leader has offered such wishes to a U.S. president-elect since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
"Change" Is Not
As noted consistently, Obama says little about his plans, he notes that it is top priority to implement a "fiscal stimulus" package but he does not relate who or what it is for. Is this code for I will be bailing out more friends on Wall Street or my contributors?
Who knows?
But, as puzzling as that comment might be, another statement is even more troubling.
Hussein said: "state and municipal governments [are] facing devastating budget cuts and tax increases." Governments do not face tax increases; government levies taxes. Does the President-elect understand how taxes work? The people are taxed, not the government. I can only suppose, since there are no details, that Obama intends to funnel money to increase government. This is not a fiscally wise move in budget-challenged times.
Obama is clear that change is not forthcoming; he stated that he intends to "strengthen our economy in the long term."
Not much will change for the American people apparently.
Then, of course, there is the pure fluff: "We have taken some major action to date." Really? Such as? One has to wonder: is an acceptance speech "action," is a first news conference, "action." We don't know but maybe the Obama's kids getting a puppy was the major action. We really don't know what that action reference means.
He stated: "we will need further action." Yes, we will.
The message is clear: "And I have said before and I will repeat again: It is not going to be quick, and it is not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in."
Change is not coming, so much for the "change" campaign.
Who knows?
But, as puzzling as that comment might be, another statement is even more troubling.
Hussein said: "state and municipal governments [are] facing devastating budget cuts and tax increases." Governments do not face tax increases; government levies taxes. Does the President-elect understand how taxes work? The people are taxed, not the government. I can only suppose, since there are no details, that Obama intends to funnel money to increase government. This is not a fiscally wise move in budget-challenged times.
Obama is clear that change is not forthcoming; he stated that he intends to "strengthen our economy in the long term."
Not much will change for the American people apparently.
Then, of course, there is the pure fluff: "We have taken some major action to date." Really? Such as? One has to wonder: is an acceptance speech "action," is a first news conference, "action." We don't know but maybe the Obama's kids getting a puppy was the major action. We really don't know what that action reference means.
He stated: "we will need further action." Yes, we will.
The message is clear: "And I have said before and I will repeat again: It is not going to be quick, and it is not going to be easy for us to dig ourselves out of the hole that we are in."
Change is not coming, so much for the "change" campaign.
Obama to Respond by 1 December
The U. S. Supreme Court has set dates in which Barack Obama, the DNC and all co-Defendants are to respond to the Writ of Philadelphia area attorney Philip Berg, which is on or before December 1, 2008. Berg remarked today, “I look forward to receiving Defendant Obama's response to the Writ and am hopeful the U. S. Supreme Court will review Berg v. Obama. I believe Mr. Obama is not a constitutionally-qualified natural-born citizen and is ineligible to assume the office of President of the United States.”
More to follow.
China Hacks House
China, mercenaries for hire, or some foreign entities hacked the White House. This revelation comes after earlier pronouncements that most likely the Chinese had already hacked into Obama's and McCain's campaign computer networks. Previously, there is evidence that Congress was hacked as well.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Out of the Box: Obama Insults
The first chance he got at his initial news conference Hussein put his foot in his mouth by stating: "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any seances." Nancy, wife of President Ronald Reagan, was mocked in 1988 when the former chief of staff Donald Regan revealed in a book that the First Lady had consulted an astrologer to determine the president's schedule. President Reagan died in 2004 at 93.
But other first ladies, such as former First Lady, Hillary, have reportedly used spiritual advisers. Hussein did not mention Hillary in his insult.
Obama Owes Favors
Candidate Obama declined public financing for the first time since the system's creation and went on to amass a nearly two-to-one monetary advantage over McCain; likewise, congressional races went to the candidate spending the most money by a 93% rate in the House of Representatives and 94% of Senate races. To obviate contribution limits, organizations bundle together many individual contributions.
The biggest contributors include:
University of California $909,283
Goldman Sachs $874,207
Goldman Sachs is one of Wall Street’s most prestigious investment banks. Like others in the securities industry, it advises and invests in nearly every industry affected by federal legislation. The firm closely monitors issues including economic policy, trade and nearly all legislation that governs the financial sector. It has been a major proponent of privatizing Social Security as well as legislation that would essentially deregulate the investment banking/securities industry. In August 2002, following months of corporate scandals, congressional investigators launched a probe into whether stock analysts at Goldman Sachs issued biased investment advice in order to protect corporate clients. The firm tends to give most of its money to Democrats. For example, in 2008 Democrats received funding 73% of the time, Republicans, 27%. Goldman Sachs' former chief executive, Jon Corzine, served in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat from New Jersey. He's now the state's governor.
Harvard University $717,230
Microsoft Corp. $714,108
Microsoft Corp is the world’s top computer software company. It is also one of the biggest campaign contributors in Washington—an astounding fact when you consider that Microsoft is a relatively new player on the political scene. Prior to 1998, the company and its employees gave virtually nothing in terms of political contributions. But when the Justice Department launched an antitrust investigation into the company’s marketing of its popular Windows software, things changed. The company opened a Washington lobbying office, founded a political action committee and soon became one of the most generous political givers in the country. The move eventually galvanized an entire industry, as computer and Internet companies quickly moved to emulate Microsoft’s political savvy.
Google Inc. $701,099
JPMorgan Chase & Co. $581,460
JP Morgan Chase & Co is one of the nation’s leading financial services firms, offering commercial and consumer banking and credit services, securities brokering and financial consulting. Through its subsidiary Chase Bank, the company is one of the top consumer credit card issuers in the country. As expected, the firm has lobbied heavily on legislation that would affect the nation’s financial industry, including bankruptcy reform and banking deregulation. In 2002, federal investigators launched a probe into the firm’s relationship with former energy giant Enron. Prior to the energy firm’s collapse, JP Morgan Chase had been one of the company’s biggest financial backers.
Citigroup Inc. $581,216
Citigroup is the world’s second largest financial services firm, with $1 trillion in assets. One of the company’s subsidiaries is brokerage firm Salomon Smith Barney, which has been plagued with lawsuits and government investigations into its financing of bankrupt Enron and ailing WorldCom. In 1998, Citigroup’s lobbying helped repeal a federal law that prevented banks from getting into other businesses, allowing the company to acquire an insurance firm. Citigroup continues to lobby on a number of issues, including financial privacy, bankruptcy reform and terrorism reinsurance.
National Amusements Inc. $543,859
Time Warner $508,148
America Online and Time Warner merged in 2001 to create one of the largest media companies in the world. The new colossus owns dozens of subsidiaries, including online services, print and broadcast news organizations, cable television companies, movie studios, music companies and publishing houses. Time Warner also owns the Atlanta Braves baseball team, as well as basketball and hockey teams. With so many business interests, the company lobbies on a number of different issues, but right now its biggest concern is over the rules governing television ownership. The company wants the government to relax the rules prohibiting cable television stations from also owning broadcast stations in the same market.
Sidley Austin LLP $492,445
Stanford University $481,199
Skadden, Arps et al $473,424
Wilmerhale Llp $466,679
UBS AG $454,795
Latham & Watkins $426,924
Columbia University $426,516
Morgan Stanley $425,102
Morgan Stanley is one of the world’s top investment banks, offering its clients everything from stock portfolio management to credit services. Like others in the securities industry, it invests in and advises virtually every industry affected by federal legislation. The company, which splits its contributions evenly between Democrats and Republicans, has been a major proponent of privatizing Social Security. Morgan Stanley also has lobbied in favor of proposals to deregulate the securities industry, so that investment firms can further extend their reach into financial services.
IBM Corp $415,196
University of Chicago $414,555
US Government $400,819
Data was accumulated by Opensecrets.org.
OpenSecrets.org is your nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Whether you’re a voter, journalist, activist, student or interested citizen, use our free site to shine light on your government. Count cash and make change.
Cf. http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php
Al-Baghdadi Will Live in the White House: Christians Should Embrace Islam
Islamist forum, Al-Hesbah, posted an audio message by the Emir of Al-Qaeda's "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI) Abu 'Omar Al-Baghdadi to "the New Rulers of the White House and Their Allies in Other Christian Countries," "...The Warriors of Jihad Hope that, in the Distant Future, They Will Dwell Under the Roofs of the White House." Al-Baghdadi called on the "new rulers of the White House and their allies in other Christian countries" to "embrace Islam," and explained that "[Christians] are the closest religion [to Islam] from among [all world] nations."
Thursday, November 6, 2008
President Elect Barry Soetoro's School Record: Indonesian Citizen, Religion, Islam
A copy of Barry Soetoro's--President-elect Obama--school record as an Indonesian citizen also lists his religion as Islam.
President-Elect as Third Term Bush
Rahm Emanuel usually receives attention for his aggressive, pit bull style of politics but I am interested in his biographical details. As we envision if the President-elect will provide something other than the third term of Bush I have to wonder about Emanuel.
I would not expect many differences between the President-elect and Bush since they are closely associated with Israel. Emanuel's father for example, is a Jerusalem-born former member of the Irgun (Irgun Zeva'i Le'ummi), a military Nationalist group treated as a terrorist organization during British rule. His father emigrated to the United States from Israel and Emanuel volunteered as a civilian volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces during the 1991 Gulf War, serving in one of Israel's northern bases, rust-proofing brakes.
I could not imagine the President-elect differing much from Bush on the unqualified support for Israel which places Americans at greater risk.
Lieberman Advised Not to Speak His Mind
Senator Lieberman is in hot water with the Democrats for having expressed himself. Of the President-elect, he said, "Sen. Barack Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who I think can do great things for our country in the years ahead, but, my friends, eloquence is no substitute for a record, not in these tough times for America."
Obama adviser Robert Gibbs responded sharply by stating that "Joe Lieberman ought to be ashamed of himself for some of the things he said tonight, not as a Democrat but as an American."
This is an odd condemnation from a party source that should prize free speech. Why shouldn't a Senator be able to state his position? It is not anti-American to evaluate a politician. Lieberman rankles nerves, and does not always toe the party line, his independence makes him an effective spokesperson for many Americans.
Note on Holland, Rubicon
This delightful romp through one of history's most fascinating periods is well-written and engrossing. Holland expresses himself clearly and surveys the important personages and momentous occasion of the Republic's downfall.
France Whines, Then Profits from Warfare
Now that the updated Iraqi plans in regard to their purchase of 516 military aircraft, from the United States and France, has been released, its interesting to note how quickly France got involved in the bargain. Once one of most vociferous voices denouncing the U.S. quickly is there to benefit from war munitions.
I think we should always bear in mind that France is out for France and France alone. They have no moral credibility objecting to U.S. plans.
The aircraft would be delivered to Iraq from 2011 to 2015; the first order is for 108 combat aircraft from the US and France, and is to be delivered in 2011.
Surge Objective
"The overall objective is to establish a unified, democratic federal Iraq that can govern itself, defend itself, and sustain itself, and is an ally in the War on Terror. The surge would provide the time and conditions conducive to reconciliation among political and ethnic factions."
The objective of the surge is clearly stated and has been achieved. The prospect of having an ally against Islamofascists in the Middle East would be a godsend. As much as a certain contingent of Americans were either duped by the mainstream media, or wished for an American defeat, it did not happen. The Iraqis are well on their way, making guarded progress as always, to standing up for themselves.
War Time Transition
The current presidential transition is the first during wartime since 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson handed over administration to President Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War.
The top military officers appointed by Bush will remain. Admiral Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has at least one more year on his term in office.
The top U.S. military officer with direct responsibility for Iraq and Afghanistan, will also remain. The chief of U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus, who is acknowledged with turning around the war in Iraq during the last year and a half.
It is unclear if U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will remain but he has publicly stated he is not interested.
Iraqi Air Force Off the Ground
Along with the latest developments in Iraqi military plans, the Iraqi Air Force is expanding, but it will not be ready until sometime during stage three (2016-2020) of the Iraqi Security Force development plan.
Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle: November 2008 Update
The transition has moved along a bit faster than expected; the details are encouraging.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Both Candidates Hacked
Isn't it great? Not only do we have enough problems with securing our borders but according to a story that Newsweek broke officials at the FBI and the White House told both the Obama and McCain campaigns that they believed a foreign entity or organization compromised their computer systems. Obama technical experts speculated that the hackers were Russian or Chinese or perhaps this is just wishful thinking on the Obama camp's part. They may see, as some of their foreign policy advisers seem to suggest, that China and Russia are our real enemies, not those folks in the Middle East after all.
Obama-Elect Defense Spending About the Same for Bush's Third Term
U.S. defense companies, helped by a 70% increase in military spending since Bush's budget since 2000, may see the trend continue under President-Elect Barack Obama, although the financial crisis is squeezing the federal budget.
U.S. defense spending rose 72 percent to $671.7 billion for fiscal 2008 from $381.3 billion in 2000, after adjusting for inflation and including spending for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The new Democratic administration faces decisions on $125 billion in major weapons programs:
the purchase of additional Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jets and Boeing Co.’s C-17 transports;
the replacement of Air Force refueling tankers and combat search and rescue helicopters;
the acquisition of a new satellite communication system;
and, a decision to curtail buying the Navy’s DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer, and buy more older DDG-51 type destroyers.
“When a new president is inaugurated, these circumstances that we are talking about now are not likely to change all that much,” Lockheed Chief Executive Officer Robert Stevens stated.
The expected rate will be approximately the same, 4% of the GDP, as defense spending has been. Likewise, the Pentagon also plans to increase the Army’s troop strength by 65,000 and the Marine Corps’ by 27,000 by 2013, adding to the military budget. Obama supports the troop-strength increase. “I don’t see defense spending declining in the first years of the Obama administration,” stated Richard Danzig, Obama’s defense adviser and former Navy secretary.
“The long-term fiscal challenges confronting the United States, linked to rising health-care costs and the aging of the U.S. population, all seem to support the conclusion that the base defense budget is likely to stay relatively flat in real terms,” not counting war costs, Steve Kosiak, a defense budget analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington policy group, stated in a report last month.
War is often good for business and the American economy needs a kick, jobs depend on it.
No Rest for Omar
Spain's Interior Ministry has rejected an asylum request from Omar, son of Osama bin Laden. The ministry determined that he did not "meet the conditions necessary for entering Spain."
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Obama Lowers American Expectations
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term."
Amidst the rhetoric, the celebration, and the flourish of the phrasing, Obama can always look back and say, `I told you so.' He is lowering American expectations; he stated it in his acceptance speech. Most people will miss this key point in the joy that they feel tonight but he said it loud and clear. Obama is planning to take eight years to accomplish his plans on the scale of an FDR.
Given the seriousness of the issues confronting the next President I wonder if it is realistic to expect much at all.
Roosevelt had four months to come up with programs to address the Great Depression before he took office in 1933; Obama gets just 2 1/2 months to put a government in place.
Unemployment is at 6.1% and predicted to rise as high as 7.5% next year; worried consumers have curtailed borrowing and spending; home foreclosures are common; Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security face huge financial overdrafts; government debt is at its highest point in American history, debts are owed to Japan, China, and Middle Eastern banks flush with cash; and, 152,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq more than five years after the initial action, while an additional 32,000 are in Afghanistan in the sixth year of the war against Islamofascism.
Obama will be pulled politically from the left and from the right. He will face demands for a quicker pullout from Iraq, if he does so, the security issues remain, the sacrifices made by our military will be in vain, and Americans will be no safer, enemies of the U.S. will see this withdrawal as a huge victory as they have proclaimed in the past, and another military return, following this Iraq War, as the Coalition had to return after the First Persian Gulf War may be necessary.
From the acceptance speech, Obama reached for high aspirations, but he is really tempering Americans for lowering their expectations.
Obama certainly has not outlined how he will deal with the recession; its in his lap now.
A huge electoral victory is not change, nor does it indicate success.
LBJ won with 61% of the vote in 1964: an overwhelming Presidential victory. He enacted his Great Society programs in his first two years but his administration essentially folded with as he described it, "That damn war," the escalation of the Vietnam War.
Currently, Obama has offered few specifics on how he would govern.
The economy can certainly provide a powerful motivator. It certainly worked for Hitler.
If I recall my history correctly though, things didn't work out too well then.
Omar Flees Dad; Asks for Spanish Asylum
Omar bin Laden, Osama's son, has asked Spain to grant him asylum. He stepped off a plane at Madrid's airport during a stopover and asked to stay. This story has been around for some time since Omar has publicly called on his father to abandon terrorism. The Spanish Interior Ministry will have 72 hours to reply to his request once it's filed. Omar's flight originated in Cairo, Egypt, and landed in Madrid on its way to Casablanca, Morocco. The request was a surprise to Spanish authorities. Omar is married to a British citizen but he was previously asylum in Britain; he holds a Saudi passport. Omar hasn't spoken to his father since 2000, when he walked away from an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan with his father's blessings. He claims not to know where his father is now.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Affidavit of Obama's Grandmother Confirming Kenyan Birth
An Affidavit of Reverend Kweli Shuhubia is available for perusal. The Reverend interviewed Obama's grandmother with a translator, Bishop Ron McRae, who supplied additional supporting documents, but who most importantly, translated Barack's grandmother from her native Swahili. Obama's grandmother confirmed that Obama was born in Kenya.
Philip Berg, Democratic attorney from the Philadelphia area, has been pursuing this evidence.
Iran Celebrates Taking American Hostages: Waits for Next Opportunity
Iranians called for a U.S. "unconditional withdrawal" from all Islamic states referring to Washington as the "main war-monger and cause of insecurity worldwide." Election day USA is the anniversary of the take-over of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran by university students and followers of the Imam Khomeini in 1979. The embassy was known in Iran as the "Den of Spies." The U.S. is seen as the main cause of insecurity in the world and the Iranians should "fight against oppressive and colonial policies of the world arrogance and Western powers led by the US." The U.S. efforts are against Islamic states, especially Iran, and "resulted from the influence of Zionist lobbies on international organizations as well as the US and its allies pressures on international bodies."
The only thing worse for the U.S. is if we brought back Zbigniew Brzezinski, the U.S. Secretary of State during the Jimmy Carter fiasco of a Presidency.
Wait, it could get worse: Brzezinski has backed one of the presidential nominees, and is an important advisor to this individual, and that nominee might get elected tomorrow.
The more things change, the more things stay the same.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Note on Hanson, Carnage and Culture
Hanson argues that the military dominance of the West can be attributed to the idea of dissent, consensual government, and individualism. Hanson rejects racial explanations for this military preeminence, the dominance of technology and disagrees with environmental or geographical explanations such as the thesis advanced by Jared Diamond in Guns, Germs and Steel.
According to Hanson, Western values such as freedom, rationalism, and open dissent are a particulary lethal mix as the West has engaged in warfare. Even when non-Western societies win the occasional victory when warring against the West, it is only a temporary setback and the non-Western culture is dependent of Western tactics, technology, and has no inclination to fight to totally vanquish their foe. Therefore, the "Western way of war" will ultimately prevail. Hanson is careful to point out that Western warfare is not necessarily more (or less) moral than war as practiced by other cultures; but his argument posits that the "Western way of war" is unequalled in its devastation and decisiveness.
Nine battles illustrate a particular aspect of Western culture that Hanson believes contributes to the dominance of Western warfare: the Battle of Salamis 480 BCE, where the Greeks fought as a "free citizens," the Battle of Gaugamela 331 BCE in the decisive battle of annihilation, the Battle of Cannae 216 BCE emphasizing civic militarism, the Battle of Tours/Poitiers 732 CE and the concentration of infantry, the Battle of Tenochtitlan 1521 CE where technology and reason prevailed, the Battle of Lepanto 1571 or a victory for capitalism, the Battle of Rorke's Drift 1879 where British discipline held sway, the Battle of Midway 1942 demonstrating individualism, and the Tet Offensive 1968 where American dissent rose to the fore.
One of the biggest surprises of the book is the numerical superiority of the Americans during Tet. The Americans felt as though they lost though Hanson points out that the Vietcong were really decimated in the American counter-offensive. The work is an important corrective to the current American penchant for defeatism. Not surprisingly then, Hanson argues that the current American conflicts against insurgency and terrorism can result in an American victory.
Kurds Welcome U.S. Bases
Even if the U.N. mandate ends, scheduled for the end of this year, the Iraqi Kurds are prepared to host U.S. military bases in northern Iraq. Massud Barzani, the president of northern Iraq's regional Kurdish administration, said that his government would "welcome" such a move. This development occurred before the presidential election and before Bush becomes a lame duck president.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Obama Garnishes Shamans Support
Peruvian shamans have backed Obama for President. They gathered in Lima to send good vibes to him.
Obama's Illegals
Questions about Obama abound and at least one illegal has been found according to the AP. Zeituni Onyango, a native of Kenya, has been living in Boston despite losing an appeal for asylum four years ago. Obama's campaign is in possession of her $265 donation though and now will have to return the money since Onyango is not legally permitted to donate to Obama because she is not a U.S. citizen.
Note on Mearsheimer and Walt: The Israel Lobby
Mearsheimer and Walt are wrong in retrospect about Iraq so their basic thesis is undercut by the Coalition success in that country. Nonetheless, they provide a rationale for the continuing attacks on America, which this country should consider, the increasing unimportance of Israel as a strategic ally since the collapse of the Soviet Union. They advocate "offshore balancing" which sounds like it may have worked until the necessity of increased presence, particularly ground troops, in the Middle East.
U.S. Deaths in Iraq at Wartime Low
Military deaths in Iraq fell in October to their lowest monthly level of the war, matching the record low of thirteen fatalities suffered in July. Only eight of the thirteen Americans died in combat. The U.S. military suffered 25 deaths in September and 23 in August.
In Afghanistan fifteen 15 U.S. military deaths were reported for October. The monthly toll in that combat theater had been in the 20s since June, when 28 Americans were killed-—the worst one-month total since that war began in late 2001.
The sharp drop in American fatalities, and Iraqi too, in Iraq reflects the overall security improvements across the country following the Sunni revolt against al-Qaida and the rout suffered by Shiite extremists in fighting last spring in Basra and Baghdad. U.S. military commanders repeatedly warn are fragile and reversible.
In Afghanistan fifteen 15 U.S. military deaths were reported for October. The monthly toll in that combat theater had been in the 20s since June, when 28 Americans were killed-—the worst one-month total since that war began in late 2001.
The sharp drop in American fatalities, and Iraqi too, in Iraq reflects the overall security improvements across the country following the Sunni revolt against al-Qaida and the rout suffered by Shiite extremists in fighting last spring in Basra and Baghdad. U.S. military commanders repeatedly warn are fragile and reversible.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Something Fishy in Hawaii
The candidate just called off his campaign in the heat of the battle to travel to Hawaii to visit his terminally ill grandmother. Yet, he visited her on her deathbed but without his lovely wife and two children who may be missing their last chance to see her alive.
Today, Hawaii Health Department Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino stated that she and the registrar of vital statistics, Alvin Onaka, have personally verified that the health department holds Obama's original birth certificate.
Something smells in Denmark.
Marines and Motorcycles
Motorcycle accidents have killed more Marines, twenty-five, in the past 12 months than enemy fire in Iraq, where twenty Marines have been killed. I don't think anyone will be able to stop motorcycle riding.
U.S. Eliminates Those Targeting the West
U.S. strikes targeting al Qaeda operative and Iraqi national Abu Kasha in Mir Ali, Pakistan. Hitting North and South Waziristan apparently paid off handsomely. In Pakistan's lawless tribal areas this facilitator served as a bridge between the Taliban and al Qaeda. The targeting eliminated a key external AQ operations player who was attempted to attack Western targets, including the U.S.
The U.S. also confirmed that al Qaeda operative Khalid Habib was killed in last week's strike in South Waziristan. His resonsibilities have expanded to assisting in facilitating an al Qaeda attack against the West. Habib also assisted in al Qaeda's external operations aimed at the US and Europe. There were advanced efforts in the Waziristan area by Habib and others to send terror teams to the US and Europe. Sources confirmed that a number of suspected European and American recruits have been spotted in the area. At least two Western members of al Qaeda have been killed in the recent spate of attacks. Two men carrying Canadian passports were killed in a U.S. strike on an al Qaeda safe house strike in South Waziristan on Aug. 30.
The targets were in line with the first major strike against al Qaeda's external operations network which took place in the town of Damadola in the Bajaur tribal agency on May 14. The missile strike killed Abu Sulayman Jazairi, a senior Algerian al Qaeda operatives who western intelligence sources described as the operational commander tasked with planning attacks on the West. Jazairi also was a senior trainer and an explosives expert. These skills enabled him to directly train operatives for strikes in the West.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Obama's Radicalism
Video source: The Real Barack Obama
On 5 October 2008, and thanks to a special edition of Hannity’s America, Sean Hannity used the full-hour program for a video presentation on Obama’s questionable relationships in “Obama & Friends: History of Radicalism.”
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Age Discrimination: Not in Enterprise Business
The presidential campaign exhibited age discrimination this year in a despicable fashion but business as typified by a Silicon Valley lifestyle is usually viewed as the Mecca of wunderkinds. Au contraire, since the age discrimination issue may be less of an issue than many realize.
One such youngster is Leslie Wexner, 70, of The Limited; in retail there is CEO James Sinegal, 72, of Costco; 72-year-old billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who played rough with both Yahoo and Microsoft in the summer of 2008; 75-year-old Sheldon Adelson heads up The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas; 77-year-old Rupert Murdoch chairs News Corporation; Milton Cooper, 79, is at the helm of real estate developer Kimco Realty; pharmaceutical maker Forest Laboratories is led by Howard Solomon, 80; 80-year-old Si Newhouse of Condé Nast; and last but not least is Sumner Redstone, 85, who chairs National Amusements, which owns CBS, Viacom, MTV, BET, Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks.
How Many Dead People Registered to Vote in the Florida Election (So Far)?
In answer to the question of how many dead Floridians plan to vote thus far in the Presidential election: the answer is 1,636.
Berg at Supreme Court to File Injunction Against Obama
Democrat Philip J. Berg, Esq., rallied today at the U.S. Supreme Court to file for an injunction to stay the Presidential election pending a Writ of Certiorari regarding Obama by claiming he is not qualified to be President of the United States since he is not a natural born citizen.
Al Qaeda Wants Republicans To Lose
Abu Yahya al-Libi, an al Qaeda leader, has called for Bush and the Republicans to be "humiliated," according to a newly video posted on the Internet.
"O God, humiliate Bush and his party, O Lord of the Worlds, degrade and defy him," the video stated. The video went on to compare Bush past tyrants in history.
India Rocks: 61 Dead, 13 Simultaneous Bombs
India was rocked with a complex, highly coordinated, and simultaneous bombing attack in Assam. Sixty-one Indians were killed and more than 470 were wounded in the multiple blasts. Thirteen bombs were detonated together and were apparently designed to maximize casualties. The primary suspect in the attacks is the Bangladesh-based Harkat ul Jihad al Islami, or HuJI-B. This terror group has been behind multiple bombings in India over the past several years.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
13th Province in Iraqi Hands
The security control of Wasit province was turned over to the Iraqis which makes it the 13th of Iraq's 18 provinces to be handed over to Iraq in what formerly was the most violence-plagued areas of the country. Wasit has a 200-kilometre (125-mile) border with Iran and Iran has regularly smuggled weapons into Iraq for attacks against Coalition troops.
Shortly the northern oil-rich but ethnically volatile region of Kirkuk and of Salaheddin, the Sunni home province of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, will also revert to Iraqi security control.
The U.S. military remains in Baghdad, Nineveh, and Diyala.
Ahmadinejad Endorses Obama
President Ahmadinejad of Iran is endorsing Obama in the hopes that he will lessen the almost three decades of hostility between the two countries. Iran is prepared for Obama in that Iran just built a naval base east of the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to boost its military control over the strategic Gulf waters. Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted as stating that Iran "can prevent the entry of any enemy naval units into the strategic Persian Gulf area if need be,” in that the base is located in the port town of Jask on the Sea of Oman.
An estimated 40% of the world’s oil passes through the narrow channel between Iran and Oman.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
You Can't Beat the Price
A free hosted service that expands web analytics is now offered by a start-up NuConomy.
Germany Standing by Pakistan
Germany is standing by its commitment to Pakistan in its security and economic woes to help promote peace, according to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He was joined with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Qureshi said Pakistan was looking for strengthened trade ties with Germany and its help in accessing European markets for exports, particularly in textiles, stressing that it wanted to be self-sufficient. Pakistan is facing a worsening security situation and needs up to 4.5 billion dollars (3.5 billion euros) to deal with a balance of payments crisis.
Some 3,500 German troops are serving as part of the UN-sanctioned, NATO-led international force in Afghanistan and Berlin is planning to send 1,000 more.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Senior Taliban Perhaps Out
Graphic source: The Long War Journal
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Haji Omar Khan, a senior Taliban leader in South Waziristan who has strong ties to Mullah Omar, is said to have been killed in the strike that is believed to have killed an estimated 16 to 20 people, including "foreigners." Khan has strong ties to Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud as well as the powerful Haqqani family which the U.S. has been targeting of late.
If this elimination is confirmed, it would indicate that on the same day, Coalition troops took out high-value targets (HVT) in both the Iraqi and the Afghan fronts. This is an impressive display before the next election in the U.S.
Syrian Incursion Clears Out AQ Operative Ghadiya and Staff
Graphic source: The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
The Road to Mesopotamia is a bit clearer with the U.S. incursion into Syria. The tract was written by a jihadi named Al Muhajir Al Islami, and discovered in the summer of 2005. Al Qaeda established a network of operatives inside Syria to move foreign fighters, weapons, and cash to support its terror activities inside Iraq.
Since then, operatives and weapons moved from Syria to Iraq. Until now that is. Al Qaeda leader Abu Ghadiya and the entire senior leadership of Ghadiya's network was also killed in the raid into Syria.
Several U.S. helicopters entered Sukkariya, near Abu Kamal, in eastern Syria, just five miles from Iraq. U.S. commandos from the hunter-killer teams of Task Force 88 cleared the buildings sheltering Ghadiya and his staff.
The Syrian government has protested the attack and the government claimed eight civilians, including women and children, were killed in the strike. However, the Associated Press disputed the Syrian account, and noted that only the bodies of seven men were displayed, Ghadiya's staff.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Presidential Debate: Nader and Baldwin
An actual debate by two third party candidates was covered by C-Span.
Tape Confirms Obama Not a Natural Born Citizen
Philip J. Berg, a former deputy attorney general for Pennsylvania, told the Michael Savage talk radio program that he has a tape recording of a telephone call from the senator's paternal grandmother confirming his birth in Mombosa, Kenya. Obama's grandmother affirmed she "was in the delivery room in Kenya when he was born Aug. 4, 1961." The Pennsylvania Democrat has sued Obama demanding he prove his American citizenship-–and therefore qualification to run for president.
The issue of Obama's birthplace, which he states is Honolulu in 1961, has been raised enough times that his campaign website has posted an image purporting to be of his "Certification of Live Birth" from Hawaii.
Berg said he's pursuing the issue because of "the most important document in the United States, the U.S. Constitution."
Besides Berg's lawsuit, several other court challenges also have been filed, including one in Washington state where petitioners are seeking to have the Washington secretary of state "verify Obama's eligibility" to serve prior to the election.
The claim states, "The 'certificate' that Mr. Obama has posted on his official Website is a 'Certification of Live Birth,' and not a 'Birth Certificate' from Hawaii. There is no indication on even this certificate as to specifically where the birth took place."
The Washington state case also alleges, "Wayne Madsen, Journalist with Online Journal as a contributing writer and published an article on June 9, 2008, stating that a research team went to Mombassa, Kenya, and located a Certificate Registering the birth of Barack Obama, Jr. at a Kenya Maternity Hospital, to his father, a Kenyan citizen and his mother, a U.S. citizen.
When Jerome Corsi, an investigator reporter, recently traveled to Kenya to investigate several questions about the candidate, he was told the records were sealed and would not be made available.
Berg said he believed it also was a complication that Obama's mother divorced his father, married and moved to Indonesia for several years and Obama attended school there at a time when, Berg said, only Indonesia citizens were allowed in schools. Records that are available from Indonesia revealed Obama was registered in school as Barry Soetoro, and his religion was listed as Islam.
When Obama later returned to Hawaii, within the United States, there should have been a government document affirming his citizenship, but that also cannot be found. If that was not processed properly, Berg said, Obama would be in a situation even worse than not being a natural-born citizen.
"If he didn't go through immigration, he now is illegal and has been an illegal alien. He couldn't even hold the position of senator for Illinois," Berg said.
Further, Berg said he suspected Obama's college records may indicate he received aid as a foreigner, and that's why those records have been withheld by the campaign.
"I really think it's because it probably indicates he's from Kenya, or Indonesia, or received foreign aid," Berg said.
Berg has a tape from Obama's paternal grandmother affirming that he was born in Kenya. He is not a natural-born citizen so he is constitutionally illegible to be president. Obama only has a certificate of live birth, not a valid American birth certificate. Others have begun to challenge Obama's birth as well. Most likely, Obama is actually either a Kenyan, or an Indonesian Muslim. He may be an illegal alien. Other records that could confirm his citizenship, student records, have not been released.
Jihad Preached on U.S. Cable TV
Gary Baumgarten interviews New York Sun correspondent Youssef Ibrahim who reported that Jihad is being advocated via Arabic TV on cable News Talk Online on Paltalk in the United States.
Charles Maier on the Bush Doctrine
In regards to Bush and Iraq, Maier claims that the President's policies
have been "calamitous," (p. 60), "reckless," (p. 62), a series of
"adventures" (p. 63), and "testosterone-fueled" (p. 78); thus, with that
polemic, Maier can hardly be taken seriously. Unless he is willing to
engage the issues his analysis is flawed.
Maier wants to establish that interactions between countries actually
occur below the level of official diplomacy, at that level of motivation
and the basest instinct of human beings, religion. Yet, he returns to
official state representatives, not the below actors considered important
earlier, and finds, of all things, moderate Islam (p. 69)? If his
intention is to find and discover religion, below the surface, you would
think this would be an easy search to conduct. Any number of radical,
jihadist examples proliferate in the world but moderate Islamic world
spokespersons are much harder to find. Not one moderate Islamic
spokesperson has emerged from the Middle East; the discovery of a Martin
Luther King, Jr., or a Mother Theresa from the Middle East is not
forthcoming. We are left with the world we are actually in and not the
world Maier describes.
Maier is all over the place in his search for authentic cultural
expression from below. He even includes "street theater" (p. 72). His
argument is not simple as he suggests (p. 61), but simplistic. He
approvingly quotes Fareed Zakaria, the celebrator of America's decline
(The Future of Freedom, The Post-American World), who naively describes
Weimar as a "model democracy" (p. 76), by ignoring its obvious
limitations.
The Weimar republic faced severe problems from the start. Politically, it
was weak because Germany had many small parties. The chancellor had to
form coalitions that easily fell apart.
The government, led by moderate democratic socialists, came under
constant fire from both the left and right. Communists demanded radical
changes like those Lenin had brought to Russia. Conservatives—including
the old Junker nobility, military officers, and wealthy bourgeoisie—
attacked the government as too liberal and weak. They longed for another
strong leader like Bismarck. Germans of all classes blamed the Weimar
Republic for the hated Versailles treaty. Bitter, they looked for
scapegoats. Many blamed German Jews for economic and political problems.
Weimar was not a model democracy, it was a flawed republic from its
creation in 1919.
But Maier is not quite done with analyzing religion. He remarks: "we must
work to attenuate the passions of religion" (p. 80). How, he does not say
since he is correct in viewing religion as a phenomenon from below and he
should appreciate that the winds of religion blow where they will.
However, it is true that Turkey may be an example of one Islamic country
that largely maintains a secular government as opposed to Islamist
religionists holding sway. Yet, Maier makes the staggering proposition
that "ultimately Iran" will have a "constituency of middle-class electors
concerned with property and humane values" (p. 80).
That Iran will peacably evolve into a European-like Christian Democracy
is preposterous. Iranian development is not simply rhetoric but the
reality of Iran is alarming. Iran is a country that willingly sacrificed
one million of its own citizens in its disastrous war against Iraq from
1980-1988. What European Christian Democracy would do this today?
Maier does not seriously consider Bush's doctrine and he seriously
distorts and misunderstands the phenomenon of religion, particularly
Islamism.
have been "calamitous," (p. 60), "reckless," (p. 62), a series of
"adventures" (p. 63), and "testosterone-fueled" (p. 78); thus, with that
polemic, Maier can hardly be taken seriously. Unless he is willing to
engage the issues his analysis is flawed.
Maier wants to establish that interactions between countries actually
occur below the level of official diplomacy, at that level of motivation
and the basest instinct of human beings, religion. Yet, he returns to
official state representatives, not the below actors considered important
earlier, and finds, of all things, moderate Islam (p. 69)? If his
intention is to find and discover religion, below the surface, you would
think this would be an easy search to conduct. Any number of radical,
jihadist examples proliferate in the world but moderate Islamic world
spokespersons are much harder to find. Not one moderate Islamic
spokesperson has emerged from the Middle East; the discovery of a Martin
Luther King, Jr., or a Mother Theresa from the Middle East is not
forthcoming. We are left with the world we are actually in and not the
world Maier describes.
Maier is all over the place in his search for authentic cultural
expression from below. He even includes "street theater" (p. 72). His
argument is not simple as he suggests (p. 61), but simplistic. He
approvingly quotes Fareed Zakaria, the celebrator of America's decline
(The Future of Freedom, The Post-American World), who naively describes
Weimar as a "model democracy" (p. 76), by ignoring its obvious
limitations.
The Weimar republic faced severe problems from the start. Politically, it
was weak because Germany had many small parties. The chancellor had to
form coalitions that easily fell apart.
The government, led by moderate democratic socialists, came under
constant fire from both the left and right. Communists demanded radical
changes like those Lenin had brought to Russia. Conservatives—including
the old Junker nobility, military officers, and wealthy bourgeoisie—
attacked the government as too liberal and weak. They longed for another
strong leader like Bismarck. Germans of all classes blamed the Weimar
Republic for the hated Versailles treaty. Bitter, they looked for
scapegoats. Many blamed German Jews for economic and political problems.
Weimar was not a model democracy, it was a flawed republic from its
creation in 1919.
But Maier is not quite done with analyzing religion. He remarks: "we must
work to attenuate the passions of religion" (p. 80). How, he does not say
since he is correct in viewing religion as a phenomenon from below and he
should appreciate that the winds of religion blow where they will.
However, it is true that Turkey may be an example of one Islamic country
that largely maintains a secular government as opposed to Islamist
religionists holding sway. Yet, Maier makes the staggering proposition
that "ultimately Iran" will have a "constituency of middle-class electors
concerned with property and humane values" (p. 80).
That Iran will peacably evolve into a European-like Christian Democracy
is preposterous. Iranian development is not simply rhetoric but the
reality of Iran is alarming. Iran is a country that willingly sacrificed
one million of its own citizens in its disastrous war against Iraq from
1980-1988. What European Christian Democracy would do this today?
Maier does not seriously consider Bush's doctrine and he seriously
distorts and misunderstands the phenomenon of religion, particularly
Islamism.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Is Obama a Natural Born Citizen?
Is Obama a Natural Born Citizen? We do not know the answer to that question according to a filing by Democrat Philip Berg, a Philadelphia attorney.
Press Release: Obama & DNC admit all allegations in Berg v. Obama
Obama & DNC Admit All Allegations of Federal Court Lawsuit - Obama’s “Not” Qualified to be President
Obama Should Immediately Withdraw his Candidacy for President
For Immediate Release: - 10/21/08 - Complete contact details and pdfs of this press release and motions filed by plaintiff Berg today are at the end of this article
(Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania – 10/21/08) - Philip J. Berg, Esquire, the Attorney who filed suit against Barack H. Obama challenging Senator Obama’s lack of “qualifications” to serve as President of the United States, announced today that Obama and tbe DNC “ADMITTED”, by way of failure to timely respond to Requests for Admissions, all of the numerous specific requests in the Federal lawsuit. Obama is “NOT QUALIFIED” to be President and therefore Obama must immediately withdraw his candidacy for President and the DNC shall substitute a qualified candidate. The case is Berg v. Obama, No. 08-cv-04083.
Berg stated that he filed Requests for Admissions on September 15, 2008 with a response by way of answer or objection had to be served within thirty [30] days. No response to the Requests for Admissions was served by way of response or objection. Thus, all of the Admissions directed to Obama and the DNC are deemed “ADMITTED.” Therefore, Obama must immediately withdraw his candidacy for President.
OBAMA - Admitted:
1. I was born in Kenya.2. I am a Kenya “natural born” citizen.
3. My foreign birth was registered in the State of Hawaii.4. My father, Barrack Hussein Obama, Sr. admitted Paternity of me.
5. My mother gave birth to me in Mombosa, Kenya.6. My mother’s maiden name is Stanley Ann Dunham a/k/a Ann Dunham.
7. The COLB [Certification of Live Birth] posted on the website “Fightthesmears.com” is a forgery.8. I was adopted by a Foreign Citizen.
9. I was adopted by Lolo Soetoro, M.A. a citizen of Indonesia.10. I was not born in Hawaii.
11. I was not born at the Queens Medical Center in Hawaii.12. I was not born at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Hawaii.
13. I was not born in a Hospital in Hawaii.14. I am a citizen of Indonesia.
15. I never took the “Oath of Allegiance” to regain my U.S. Citizenship status.16. I am not a “natural born” United States citizen.
17. My date of birth is August 4, 1961.18. I traveled to Pakistan in 1981 with my Pakistan friends.
19. In 1981, I went to Indonesia on my way to Pakistan.20. Pakistan was a no travel zone in 1981 for American Citizens.
21. In 1981, Pakistan was not allowing American Citizens to enter their country.22. I traveled on my Indonesian Passport to Pakistan.
23. I renewed my Indonesian Passport on my way to Pakistan.24. My senior campaign staff is aware I am not a “natural born” United States Citizen.
25. I am proud of my Kenya Heritage.26. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my first name.
27. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my last name.28. My relatives have requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my place of birth.
29. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my first name.30. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my last name.
31. I requested changes to the portion of my birth certificate that identifies my place of birth.32. The document identified as my Indonesian School record from Fransiskus Assisi School in Jakarta, Indonesia is genuine.
33. I went to a Judge in Hawaii to have my name changed.34. I went to a Senator and/or Congressman or other public official in Hawaii to have my name changed.
35. I had a passport issued to me from the Government of Indonesia.36. The United States Constitution does not allow for a Person to hold the office of President of the United States unless that person is a “natural born” United States citizen.
37. I am ineligible pursuant to the United States Constitution to serve as President and/or Vice President of the United States.38. I never renounced my citizenship as it relates to my citizenship to the country of Indonesia.
39. I never renounced my citizenship as it relates to my citizenship to the country of Kenya.40. I am an Attorney who specializes in Constitutional Law.
41. Kenya was a part of the British Colonies at the time of my birth.42. Kenya did not become its own Republic until 1963.
43. I am not a “Naturalized” United States Citizen.44. I obtained $200 Million dollars in campaign funds by fraudulent means.
45. I cannot produce a “vault” (original) long version of a birth certificate showing my birth in Hawaii.46. My “vault” (original) long version birth certificate shows my birth in Kenya.
47. The only times I was to a Hospital in Hawaii was for check-ups or medical treatments for illnesses.48. Queens Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii does not have any record of my mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (Obama) giving birth to me.
49. Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, Hawaii does not have any record of my mother, Stanley Ann Dunham (Obama) giving birth to me.50. I was born in the Coast Province Hospital in Mombasa, Kenya.
51. I represented on my State Bar application in Illinois that I never used any other name other than Barack Hussein Obama.52. I went by the name Barry Soetoro in Indonesia.
53. My Indonesian school records are under the name of Barry Soetoro.54. I took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution when admitted to the State Bar of Illinois to practice Law.
55. I took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution when I was Sworn into my United States Senate Office.56. I hold dual citizenship with at least one other Country besides the United States of America.
DNC - Admitted:
1. The DNC nominated Barrack Hussein Obama as the Democratic Nominee for President.2. The DNC has not vetted Barrack Hussein Obama.
3. The DNC did not have a background check performed on Barrack Hussein Obama.4.The DNC did not verify Barrack Hussein Obama’s eligibility to serve as President of the United States.
5. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama was born in Kenya.6. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama is not a “natural born” United States citizen.
7. The DNC admits Barrack Hussein Obama was not born in Hawaii.8.The DNC admits they have not inquired into Barrack Hussein Obama’s citizenship status.
9. The DNC admits they have a duty to properly vette the Democratic Nominee for President.
10.The DNC admits Lolo Soetoro, M.A., an Indonesian citizen adopted Barrack Hussein Obama.
11. The DNC admits the Credentials Committee has been aware of this lawsuit since August 22, 2008 as the lawsuit was faxed to our Washington D.C. Office on August 22, 2008.
12. The DNC admits their Credentials Committee failed to verify and/or inquire into the credentials of Barack Hussein Obama to serve as the President of the United States.
13. The DNC admits their Credential Committee’s Report failed to address the issues of Barack Hussein Obama’s ineligibility to serve as President of the United States.14.The DNC admits Howard Dean, Chair Person has and had knowledge Barack Hussein Obama was born in Kenya and ineligible to serve as the President of the United States.
15. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all Democratic citizens of the United States have been personally injured as a result of not having a qualified Democratic Presidential Nominee to cast their votes upon.16. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all citizens of the United States have a Constitutional Right to vote for the President of the United States and to have two (2) qualified candidates of which to choose from.
17. The DNC admits Plaintiff and all citizens of the United States have a Constitutional right to have a properly vetted Democratic Presidential Nominee of which to cast their vote.18. The DNC admits an FBI background check is not performed on the Presidential or Vice Presidential Candidates.
19. The DNC admits the United States Constitution does not allow for a Person to hold the office of President of the United States unless that person is a “natural born” United States citizen.20. The DNC admits they collected donations on behalf of Barack Hussein Obama for his Presidential campaign.
21. The DNC admits Plaintiff and Democratic citizens donated money based on false representations that Barack Hussein Obama was qualified to serve as the President of the United States.22. The DNC admits if Barack Hussein Obama is elected as President and allowed to serve as President of the United States in violation of our Constitution, it will create a Constitutional crisis.
23. The DNC admits Barack Hussein Obama took an Oath to uphold the United States Constitution.24. The DNC admits allowing a person who is not a “natural born” citizen to serve as President of the United States violates Plaintiff’s rights to due process of law in violation of the United States Constitution.
25. The DNC admits allowing a person who is not a “natural born” citizen to serve as President of the United States violates Plaintiff’s rights to Equal Protection of the laws in violation of the United States Constitution.26. The DNC admits the function of the DNC is to secure a Democratic Presidential Candidate who will protect Democratic citizen’s interests, fight for their equal opportunities and fight for justice for all Americans.
27. The DNC admits the Democratic National Committee has been promoting Barack Hussein Obama’s Presidential election knowing he was ineligible to serve as President of the United States.
The website obamacrimes.com is urging voters to spread the word. Berg stressed his position regarding the urgency of this case as, “we” the people, are heading to a “Constitutional Crisis” if this case is not resolved forthwith.
Philip J. Berg, Esquire
555 Andorra Glen Court, Suite 12
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-2531
Cell (610) 662-3005
(610) 825-3134
(800) 993-PHIL [7445]
Fax (610) 834-7659
Obama Connections to Terrorist Ayers
For the record, and just to be complete, here are links documenting some of Obama's many connections to William Ayers:
• Ayers and Obama worked together for years on a school reform program called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge.
• Ayers and Obama also served together on the board of the Woods Fund of Chicago, a separate charity organization.
• Obama had his political coming-out party in William Ayers' home.
• Ayers mentions Obama by name in a book he wrote in 1997, and mentions that the two are very close neighbors.
• Obama gave a short glowing review of that same Ayers book for the Chicago Tribune.
• Obama and Ayers were both presenters together on a panel about juvenile justice (organized by Michelle Obama).
• Both Obama and Ayers were close friends with the same person, Rashid Kalidi.
• There are also several unverified rumors swirling around that have not been documented: That Ayers may have helped to write part (or all) of Obama's autobiography; that Obama and Ayers shared an office space together for three years, on the same floor of the same building in Chicago; and that Ayers and Obama may have known each other as far back as 1981.
On April 12, 2002, Ayers said during an interview with a college radio station:
I considered myself partly an anarchist then and consider myself partly an anarchist now. I mean I'm as much an anarchist as I am a Marxist.... I'm very open about what I think and nobody here is surprised by what I think." Obama was working directly with Ayers within days of this interview being given--and for years prior and afterward.
Obama-Mate Ayers Planned to Exterminate 25 Million
The testimony of FBI informant Larry Grathwohl appeared in the 1982 documentary No Place to Hide. He explains how the Weather Underground, led by Obama-mate, Bill Ayers, and his wife, Bernadine Dohrn, planned the extermination of 25 million fellow Americans who were capitalists but would have to be eliminated if their plans were to succeed.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Advertising Works
In terms of revenue spent, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, what advertising campaign spent the most on advertising?
AT&T
Verizon
Barack Hussein Obama
McDonald’s
Sprint PCS
T-Mobile
Obama’s campaign has spent far more money selling its candidate on television than most major brand name companies do selling their products. Obama spent $250 million the past four months-—equivalent to $750 million in a full year. McCain is projected to have spent about $110 million.
Iraqi - Iran Showdown
Graphic source: The Long War Journal
Iraqi troops seem better able to counter Iranian forces in eastern Iraq. Al Kut in Wasit province is an area of conflict and the Iraqis appear to be holding their own. Al Kut served as a strategic distribution hub for weapons smuggled into Iraq where they were employed against Iraqi and Coalition forces as well against Iraqi politicians. The Iraqi Army stood up to the Iranian-backed Mahdi Army from Al Kut during operations during the summer of 2008 while the U.S. troops were clearly out Sadr City and other places.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Presidential Candidate: Change, Curry Favor with the World, Peace
During this election, some are saying that Washington does not respond to them, we need a government that we can feel proud about,
we need a leader for a change. This of course has all been said before, presidential candidates haven't evolved much at all once you look back, for example, this was the appeal in 1976 as well. As the U.S. slid into
1980, and sought to curry favor abroad, emphasizing our peacemaker role, the world communicated what it thought of such high-minded idealism. On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the American embassy in Tehran. Protesting the entry of the deposed Shah into the United States, they held 53 Americans hostage. For the next twelve months, the hostage situation was an ongoing American nightmare magnified by constant media attention. Confidence in President Carter eroded as a result of the Iran crisis, an oil shortage and resultant increase in gas prices, and eighteen-percent inflation. In earlier presidential races, even when the candidate tried to emphasize how prepared they were for military command if need be, and advocated the position that nations would reach out and touch each other, the world summarily dismissed the U.S. The world sees us as weak when we portray this image. We don't have to be warmongers to portray ourselves as ready to defend ourselves and American interests.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
65% of Taliban Suicide Bombers are Handicapped
According to a Japanese newspaper account, at a rate of 65%, handicapped persons left crippled by land mines or unexploded shells are recruited by the Taliban as suicide bombers, according to Rusuf Radgari, an associate professor at Kabul University's medical faculty. Radgari added: "These people are missing limbs, in poverty and unable to work, and there's the possibility that they are agreeing (to carry out these attacks) in exchange for a livelihood for their families."
Suicide attacks against foreign military and government targets in Afghanistan have increased dramatically over the past few years. A U.N. study showed that while there were only 17 cases in 2005, this figure shot up to 123 in 2006 and 150 in 2007.
Cf. http://mainichi.jp/select/world/news/20081020k0000m030105000c.html
Chinese Muslims Thus Far Denied
The seventeen Chinese Muslims had their request denied for a review by all 12 judges of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Thus far, the group has not been released.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Hussein Gets Muslim Vote
Fatema Biviji, a Muslim, is supporting Barack Hussein Obama. Biviji researched about Obama and liked that he has an international background, that he spent years in Indonesia as a young man, and his father's Kenyan roots. His internationalist views agreed with her own so she is supporting him. Her blog is featured on Obama's campaign Web site.
I agree with Ms. Biviji, Hussein is excellent for the world, and he is pleasing to Muslims.
Biden Shoots Off Mouth: Shoots U.S. in the Foot
I know I'm a tad old-fashioned but I really do not think that politicians running for national office should release national security intelligence. But ole' Joe Biden, since he is "old" like some other candidate can shoot his mouth off without fear of reprisal or recrimination from the national media. Biden stated that "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama. . . . we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy." Now, in and of itself, a crisis is not hard to find in this world, but why would a major American politician state something like this? White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten reportedly held a meeting this week with senior White House staffers and representatives from both the McCain and Obama camps. The goal was to make sure everyone is up to speed on the latest threats and have the information they need to be ready come inauguration day. Would you buy a used-car from this loudmouth?
Fury on Bin Laden
Dalton Fury is the nom de plume of a Delta Force commander who led U.S. troops into Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountains after 9/11 to chase Osama bin Laden. He has written Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man which is his account of chasing bin Laden. He points out that regardless of who is elected president, the intelligence on bin Laden is somewhat improved but it is hardly pristine. Since bin Laden lives such a spartan existence there is a tendency to dismiss him but Fury points out how craftily the Islamofascists employ the Internet and modern technology. One surprising aspect of the hunt for bin Laden according to Fury is that apparently Osama directed his wives and children to arm themselves and fight the Americans. Bin Laden asked the women and children to do the fighting for him. Fury believes that Americans don't understand how powerful Islam is as people are inspired to fight according to the Koran. The takeaway according to Fury is that Islamofascism is truly a different enemy that the U.S. faced during the Cold War.
Ft. Dix Five Trial Begins
Five foreign born Albanian Muslims in their 20s who planned an attack on Fort Dix were inspired by AQ, Deputy U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick stated at the start of their trial in Camden, N.J. Their paintball games in 2006 and 2007 emerged into terrorist training sessions and they discussed a plot, nipped in the bud, was to sneak into the New Jersey Army base and kill soldiers. The five are charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and weapons offenses. The government plans to play 90 recordings that would show the defendants planning and training for an attack. More than 200 people are listed as potential witnesses. The trial is expected to stretch into December.
Saudis Indict 991 al Qaeda Islamofascists
Saudi Arabia indicted 991 suspected al Qaeda militants for carrying out 30 attacks since 2003 according to a statement from Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz. The indictments aim to put an end to a chapter of violent opposition to the government run by the Al Saud ruling family in alliance with clerics: accused clerics include Nasser al-Fahd, Ali al-Khodeir, and Faris al-Shuweil. The Saudi policy has generally to re-educate the malcontents and release them.
Pair of Islamofascists Convicted in Denmark
Hammad Khuershid, a Danish citizen of Pakistani origin, and Abdoulghani Tokhi, an Afghan, were secretly filmed mixing the type of explosive used in the 2005 London bombings that killed 52 British commuters, and today, they have been convicted of preparing a terrorist attack. Danish agents filmed them conducting a small test blast with triacetone triperoxide, which was used by the suicide bombers in London. They pair were said to have had links to an al-Qaeda operative. Investigators found handwritten bomb-making manuals in the men's homes that prosecutors said Khuershid had copied at the pro-Taliban Red Mosque in Islamabad. They said he also had spent time in the Pakistani region of Waziristan, a militant stronghold near the Afghan border.
Two Countries: Two Policies on the Uighurs
China released a list of eight who threatened to disrupt the Beijing Olympics and are dedicated to achieving independence for its Western, Uighur region of Xinjiang. The eight, all members of China's mainly Muslim minority Uighurs, belonged to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which the United Nations listed in 2002 as a terrorist organisation with links to Al Qaeda.
On the other hand, the U.S. wants to make sure that the Islamofascists are assured of legal representation, in addition, they want to release them into the American homeland.
If the U.S. was thinking of the best case security scenario, they would send them back to China to foster terrorism covertly in China which is a win-win-win situation. The U.S. is happy, the Uighurs are happy, and China has more issues in the global economy to deal with. Wait, that's a win-win situation for the U.S. But that is exactly what the U.S. should be doing, creating and implementing intelligent security solutions that advance the interests and concerns of Americans.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Race a Bit Tighter
Obama holds a five-point advantage in a new CNN poll, down from eight points. The economy remains the top priority and Americans appear to favor Obama here.
American Held for Another Two Weeks in Pakistan
A Pakistani judge has extended the detention of a young American man of Pakistani descent for an additional two weeks. The man, identified by police as Judi Kenan, was arrested on October. Judi Kenan seems to be one of similar names, was arrested when he was travelling in a restricted zone and police found a knive on him once he was detained.
At least two young British men of Pakistani descent traveled to Pakistan before carrying out suicide bomb attacks on London's transport system in 2005.
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