Iowan

Duh... what's a blockade?

2010-06-01T17:58:00.000-05:00

I would just like to outline my theory behind what is horribly wrong with the recent happenings off the coast of Israel/Gaza. This much we know for sure, a couple of ships from various places with lots of people from various places were trying to take stuff to a place that the government of Israel has publicly declared a blockade against.

Can we agree on that at least?

Okay, so the question of the hour, what does it mean to have a blockade, Mr. Activist? It means that no ships are allowed into an area, with the concept that physical force will be used to deter any ships from doing said illicit activity. So, when you have a military vessel from the government that is imposing the blockade saying, "Please turn around, or we will be forced to take action," what should you do? Plow on ahead, claiming peaceful aims? Sure, if you happen to be a complete moron.

Do I agree with Israel's handling of the situation in Gaza? No. Do I think the activists that were aboard these ships are complete morons? Yep. So, both sides are wrong in their handling of the situation. There is no need to latch on to one side and say that they are 100% correct. The Israelis handled this situation in a fitting manner. The activists have legitimate grievances regarding Israels handling of Gaza as a whole.

The activists charge a naval blockade and then proceed to act surprised that they were boarded. In addition to their shock that they were boarded, they are absolutely dumbfounded that the Israelis used force when attacked. Now, this would be relatively understandable given the long of history of idiotic tactics in activism. This tactic of throwing yourself into a situation that is guaranteed to lead to physical reaction only works if the thing you are attempting is something you have every right to do. A black guy sitting in an all white cafe for example. This does not apply to charging full-bore into a loaded shotgun held in the hands of someone yelling they will shoot if you don't stop.

I wouldn't be too upset with these idiot activists if it weren't for reading this article. I wouldn't even be upset by the inability of the person interviewed to give any reliable detail other than, well, I wasn't armed. She couldn't speak for anyone else, and she wasn't even within view of anything that happened. The part in this story that upsets me is that this absolute freaking moron brought her one year old child along, because, to paraphrase, there are a lot of kids in Gaza and they were going to play with them.

I'm going to let that sink in.

That's right. This person took their one year old child and charged into the maw of a blockade thrown up by one of the most high-tech navies in the world, with the full understanding that something terrible is going to happen. Part of me wonders if she was hoping the child would die, because that would be fantastic publicity. Another part of me thinks that is crazy, that no one would put their child in harm's way. The latter part of me is incorrect, because this woman did it.

So, every time I hear the activists interviewed on the radio say they were attacked by the Israelis, I say to myself, "Duh."

Every time I hear the Israeli reaction, I think to myself, "Duh."

Both sides are full of people that don't understand the real problem. The Israeli government wants to continue to oppress the Palestinians. And if we didn't have issues like this, what would all of the abject morons do to put their children in harm's way?

Peace.

Armenian Genocide

2010-03-07T08:49:00.004-06:00

The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs passed 23-22 the resolution to define the atrocities committed against the Armenians in 1915 as genocide. Not a very big deal when you consider this didn't enter them into an exclusive club.

Countries officially recognizing the Genocide:

Argentina
Armenia
Belgium
Canada
Chile
Cyprus
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Lithuania
Lebanon
Netherlands
Poland
Russia
Slovakia
Sweden
Switzerland
Uruguay
Vatican City
Venezuela

Not to mention 43 of the 50 US states recognize the genocide. There is also a smattering of international organizations, including the Turkish Human Rights Association, which recognize the atrocities as such. So why does this matter to the Turkish government so much? Why did they pull their ambassador back to Ankara to discuss matters further? It's a political tactician's dream, that's why.

A brief summary of why Turkey is awesome:

Turkey is probably the US government's most crucial ally in the Middle East. They are the only predominantly Muslim nation in NATO. They have the second largest military in NATO. They serve as a counter-weight to the damaging effects our friendship with Israel has in the hearts and minds of inhabitants of the region. We have one military base in Turkey, with the prospects of a second now dwindling.

Thus far, they have also been the most impressive in defying the US in order to retain their status in the Middle East. This is most surprising because, to most observers, they seem to need friendship with the US as much as the US needs friendship with Turkey. So, coming back to the question, "Why would Turkey be so upset?" Remember how I said that it was a political tactician's dream? Enter Azerbaijan and the Armenian land seizure of 1993.

Recent talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the return of a Nagorno-Karabakh, a province seized by Armenia in 1993, have come to a stand-still. So, think of this as the equivalent of Alsace-Lorraine for those of you who know your popular European history. It's a disputed piece of territory that both entities lay claim to. The Armenians currently control it, and you know what they say about possession and how it relates to the law.

So, Turkey has to play the bad-ass card once again and throw a fit about US resolutions. Not that it's anything new, see 2007 under G Dub. Turkey has been a stolid supporter of its ethnic brothers in Azerbaijan. This current event serves them well to stone-wall the normalization process and apply pressure on Armenia to concede to demands already on the table. Will the gambit pay off? Who knows?

Did the US know what it was doing when it decided to pass this resolution? In the venerable words of Alaska's own, "You betcha!" The US probably decided to play this as a gift to Turkey in order to highlight the situation in Armenia/Azerbaijan/Turkey.

We can't afford to lose Turkey, or Azerbaijan, as an ally. So we would dare not do something this dire to upset them. So, we must have done it so they could stand against us and show their strength.

Also, the difficulty the ruling in party in Turkey is having comes up, but I don't think that is as relevant since the Turkish military is becoming more and more democratic. The Turkish military, by the way, being the force that has truly created modern Turkey.

Feel free to post questions. Or just welcome me back after my brief hiatus!

Peace!

Honduras

2009-07-11T08:45:00.002-05:00

Why is it that the world has rallied behind Zelaya?

Because he was the democratically elected leader and technically what happened could be construed as a military coup by those people around the world, by world "leaders" mind you who probably couldn't even find Honduras on a map, let alone tell you anything about it's history.

Media outlets the world over keep using rhetoric to make the event sound like a military coup. Here's a question though: Doesn't the military need to take over and keep power for it to really be a military coup? This seems more like a method of maintaining constitutional integrity and removing from power and ineffective and unloved leader.

Micheletti isn't a new dictator. He just happened to be the next in line, and has thus far found approval from every branch of government and the military. There is also an understanding that he will not stand for election come January. He doesn't sound like a military dictator in the sense of past favorites like Gaddafi or Pinochet.

Then there is the popular notion that the overthrow was committed illegally. This seems difficult to prove for some. The Supreme Court of Honduras issued an order for the military to remove Zelaya from office. The National Congress duly swore in Micheletti after Zelaya was removed to Costa Rica (with no physical harm coming to the man.) So, we have the Supreme Court issuing an order to remove a dangerous leader from power... and somehow this is illegal?

It's not like they removed Zelaya because he was a populist and was attempting to turn the country into a dictatorship. He wasn't even popular with an estimated 30% approval rating. He was however attempting to thwart legal channels. A popular referendum is no way to change a constitution. There are too many things that can go wrong with them, for example- fraud, ignorance of the electorate, fraud and of course the old time favorite for democracies- fraud.

Now, we have an argument from some that is sound. They say that Zelaya should have been tried in court instead of being forcibly removed from office. That sounds great on the surface, but with elections coming up in January the remainder of his term would have been bogged down in legal battles. With the forcible removal, the country can continue not wasting a lot of congressional time trying to wrap their minds around the legality of Zelaya's proposal.

It was a bad idea to try and change the constitution. It was a bad idea to forcibly remove Zelaya from power. It would be a terrible idea to allow him back as president. However, the EU and President Obama are trying to get him put back into power. They are ignoring the mood of the Honduran people- most of whom say that while it was probably wrong to remove Zelaya, bringing him back would cause turmoil and it shouldn't happen.

On the sidelines we also have Hugo Chavez. He is rooting for the return of his pal Zelaya. There is even an underlying threat of military intervention. How would Obama react to that? Mr Chavez has already denounced the weak response by the US. That's a leader I can get behind. With one face he is saying the US needs to leave Latin America alone, with the other face he denounces them for not doing more. Ah Chavez, you make me glad I live in America.

But, with the help of Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, it seems that there might be an end in sight. Arias is an amazing leader and I truly hope that a good biography of him comes out in the near future, in English mind you so we can issue it to students and tell them, "This guy is the kind of guy we should respect." He managed a difficult situation but it seems Zelaya will be allowed back into Honduras, but taken directly to the courts. So, I guess we won't avoid the disgusting legal battles after all. We will avoid Mr Chavez doing anything stupid militarily though. I hope.

Micheletti also removed the de facto Foreign Minister after he called Obama a "negrito." This is a derogatory term translated roughly as "little black man." In case we couldn't figure that out.

So, the changes that took place will stand, but Zelaya gets to be put on trial. He still won't be president, Micheletti will retain that position. But now Zelaya has the opportunity to be imprisoned. I would much prefer that than to having the world as my oyster.

Honduras is still struggling to overcome a crippling drug-gang epidemic and I think the populace will show that they want a strong leader in office the next go-round. So, keep your eyes on Honduras and look for the elections in January, because until then its just going to be one ridiculous legal accusation after another.

Peace.

Why Mogadishu matters more than Tehran

2009-06-25T16:48:00.003-05:00

Over the past few weeks there has been quite a bit of media coverage of the situation in Iran. Apparently, the dictatorial regime in charge has been accused of rigging the "democratic" elections. There have been massive street protests and horrendous amounts of police brutality and repression of freedom-loving democratons. Wait. Let's get the facts straight here...

True- Ahmadinejad's election was probably rigged.
According to polling results, the actual number of voters in some regions is twice the number of inhabitants. And these massive numbers of voters voted for Ahmadinejad. This seems to be in keeping with the percentages he won in the 2005 elections. Which it does a very good job of. So, the ruling elite can point and say, "He got the same percentage of votes as last time." This is in fact a farce.

False- Ahmadinejad's opponents would herald a new era in Iranian politics.
To be perfectly honest, the presidential election in Iran is more like the caucuses here in the US. You have a bunch of elites running on essentially the same platform, all of whom have to be selected by the party elite in order to run. Except in Iran, there aren't two parties working against each other. There's just the one. So it turns out that we just get an Obama v. Gore, or Bush v. Cheney sort of election. While the election was rigged, it really doesn't matter. What matters is way beyond anything this election could fix.

Iran has some pretty serious issues. None of these relate to the elections. The protests in the streets are a waste of energy and are detrimental in the long run. Iran will not change over night. Two years from now (sans intervention of course) it will still be the Middle East's "Bad Guy." It will still want nukes, it will still be run by clerics and it will still have no chance in hell of a place at the international family table.

So, nothing has changed. Nothing will change. And Obama can't do a damned thing about it. Neither can Gordon Brown, albeit if Obama was in Brown's shoes that might be another story...

This brings me to my main issue with the coverage of Iran: IT'S NOT THAT IMPORTANT!!!

Look at what has been happening in Somalia.

-Hasn't had a stable government since 1991
-An extremist Islamic group al-Shabab controls roughly 1/3 of the country
-Pirates control the northern coasts
-The AU, the EU, the UN and the US all say,"But... we just don't know if you're worth it..."

Here's an idea: Let's all sit idly by while a new Taliban sets up camp next door to the Suez Canal. That seems like a brilliant concept right? That way they can bomb ships much easier and have greater access to, well, everything. Afghanistan doesn't have a coast on one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world!! Somalia does!!

The worst part? Al-Shabab is not a homegrown group. Most Somalians are moderate or just really laid back about religion. These terrorists/militants/bad people are pouring in from other countries because they can. They seem to know that the US/UN/EU/AU/NATO/insert acronym here won't do a damned thing to stop them. At least until it's too late.

The people of Somalia are suffering because of past interventions, but will we step in to help? Will Europe? Will Somalia's neighbors? The US just announced a shipment of arms to the UN-backed government. That kind of action hasn't helped over the last 18 years, why would it help now? A lot of the pirates and terrorists are using weaponry we sent there over the last two decades against us and the Somali government.

Somalia - 10; Iran- 0

Look at what is happening to Roma across Europe:

-Kicked out of Northern Ireland by a bunch of racist morons
-Living in slums across Europe for little reason (including Italy, France, Germany- all of the "enlightened" European countries)
-Laws are being passed stripping them of their rights- see Italy

Where is the press coverage of this? Well...they don't have the right popular appeal...

Where is the press coverage? Watching South Carolina governor's talk about infidelity. Scrutinizing how that will affect his chance of becoming president. It didn't hurt Bill. And he came from Arkansas!

Who cares about IRAN? People are dying in Somalia at a much faster rate- due primarily to pathetic attempts in the past to "help." Roma are living in poverty unlike that of most of Iran. 150 people are massacred in Zimbabwe last year- we are just now hearing about it... makes me glad I purchased a "bloodless" diamond (considering the Kimberley Process is bullshit.)

Sorry. That rant was justified. I'm sick of hearing about the oppression in Iran. It's actually pretty similar to some scenes from earlier in the year... at the G20 in London... albeit different, because it's Tehran.

I'm tired. Peace.

Albania Applies to EU

2009-04-28T17:49:00.003-05:00

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha officially submitted the country’s application for EU candidacy status during a visit in Prague to the rotating Czech presidency of the European Union.

This is a big step for this small Balkan country. They still have much to do in the way of reforms in order to bring themselves in line with the EU's standards. Most of the reforms in need of change fall under the categories of justice, freedom and security. These are pretty important categories, but they are also broad and subjective. How do you measure freedom? I'm sure the EU has a very scientific method of devising a citizenry's freedom, but...

Justice is a little easier to define, but it is still a rather vague category. For example, in the US, justice in one state/region can be defined differently in another state/region. Gay marriage in Iowa? Legally approved, so here it's considered just that same sex couples can marry. But in New York? Not so much. Justice varies quite a bit within each region due to different feelings of what constitutes it. It's very subjective, but you can measure "justice" by legal standards, which I'm sure the EU has another awesome scientific/statistical method to devise this.

Security is a tough one. Especially for the region. After all, one would hardly consider Greece "secure" with all of the riots and bombings, but they are a prominent member of the EU. How can you reconcile this? Albania is a relatively secure nation for the region. They are also luckier than neighboring Macedonia, as Greece isn't debating their legal name.

The bid to join the EU comes on the heels of Albania's admittance into NATO as full member on April 1st. Proof that they are making strides in their international relations, and their desire to be accepted by the West.

News updates because I haven't posted in a while

2009-04-16T21:45:00.001-05:00

There have been several developments of late that I wish to weigh in on, so here it is.

Pirates of Somalia
These brilliant little fellas decided to attack a US flagged merchant ship for the first time last week. The result? A bunch of dead pirates. The aftershock of dead pirates? A lot of hub-bub about the pirates becoming nastier because of harsh US and French (I know right?) responses.

Why this is a load of crap: A firm slap to the Somalian pirates is just what is needed. Sure, they might get more violent in the future, killing merchant sailors that stray too far off the path laid out for them. The US Navy needs to stick to a hard line when it comes to piracy. Let them know that a ship destroyed is more acceptable than a ship in enemy hands. When have we dealt with terrorists so even-handedly as some of our wimpier allies? Never, unless you go back to pre-Madisonian days when we had NO navy to speak of. Then it was a matter of Tripoli pirates, now its Somali pirates. We have the naval capacity to bombard their safe-havens on shore.

Which leads me to the second point. Somalia's government demands sovereignty in dealing with the pirates. This government needs all of the help in can get. The US should work with them to pinpoint and destroy known pirate bases. The government is on a knife's edge with the withdrawal of AU forces. Muslim extremists, and some general nut-jobs, are threatening to turn this country into a new Afghanistan. If you think Afghanistan was an important trade route because of the oil, wait until the Red Sea becomes impassable. Even the French have their panties in a wad of this region, they and the British have a vested interest in the trade through the Suez Canal. In addition, if this region becomes even more destabilized, with Egypt losing revenue from trade, what will happen to the ME peace processes?

Somalian pirates lead to more than a hijacked vessel every now and then. This problem needs to be dealt with firmly by the UN, with the US, UK and France at the fore. Otherwise it could lead to dire consequences down the road.

Swat valley welcomes Shari'a law
Oh come ON PAKISTAN!!! They don't like the US bombing, rather accurately, Taliban bases within their borders. Now they are allowing territories to dictate legal matters based on religious doctrine? Women are being stoned to death for not wearing veils, or attempting to go to school!

I don't care if they DO have nukes. Let India eat them alive. The problem with this region stems from Pakistan. Now that we don't have a strong alliance like we had under the Bush regime, allied with Musharraf, we have no control over them and no one in the region trusts them. They are the destabilizer in the region.

Israel shows promising signs under bizarre circumstances
This is a strange one. With the arrival of a hard-line, right wing, nigh on extremist regime in Israel, things are looking up for Palestine. Is it all a ploy to garner public support? Maybe, but Netanyahu really appears genuine in his desire to establish a Palestinian state. He might not come right out and say it, but his actions definitely support this hypothesis. In a meeting with Tony Blair, he expressed his interest in overseeing the foundation of new era in Palestinian relationships.

The government has been laying more blame on Iran for instability in the region, claiming that Iran’s primary objective is to expand its power in the Middle East. Israel almost seems to be forgiving of Palestinians. Almost saying, “It’s okay, we know that deep down inside, it was Iran talking.”

What does this mean for the peace process? Moderation for one thing. Perhaps the Israelis can deal with the Palestinian problem ethically and take away the primary battle cry of their enemies. They would gain much more by effectively helping the Palestinian cause than they would ever gain by undermining it. Even in the face of rocket attacks, the peace initiative will prove more fruitful in the long run.

Rebound in the US economic outlook
While there hasn’t been a lot of great news coming from Wall Street, there have been substantial signs of improvement. Several banks and financial institutions are planning on repaying their debts to the Federal Government using profits from the last quarter. This won’t lead to an instant rebound in the realm of unemployment, but this type of turnaround wasn’t expected until at least the fourth quarter of ‘09. Some of us might have predicted that it wouldn’t be as bad as all that, but we can’t all be rockstars right?

And how’s the news from retail? Crappy mostly. But Hobby Lobby recently announced that they would be upping their corporate minimum wage to ten dollars an hour, which is quite a bit higher than the federal minimum wage of chicken feed. Ten dollars an hour does not equate to a king’s ransom, but for retail workers, it’s pretty freakin’ nice. Believe me, as a department manager, I made around that and was damned glad for it.

The Mideast Conflict in 27 Words

2009-03-30T10:46:00.000-05:00

"There are two sides in the Middle East conflict: Jews and Arabs who want compromise, and Jews and Arabs who want to demonize and eradicate their neighbors."

-Rob Eshman
Editor of the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles

Football Riot in Northern Ireland

2009-03-30T09:05:00.006-05:00

For once the violence in Belfast wasn't caused by religious/sectarian parties. It was caused by football (soccer, if you will.) More specifically, in a recent World Cup 2010 qualifier between Poland and Northern Ireland, police say a group of hardcore hooligans from Poland started a riot outside the game at Windsor Park. Northern Ireland won the game 3-2, leaving it at the top of group 3 in the Euro zone qualifiers. But the riot is picking up more of the headlines.

Before you ask the question, "It's a football riot, who cares?" let me tell you a little more. Ireland is dealing with its own immigration troubles these days. No longer is it the young Irish lad in America trying to work his way up from the gutter. In Northern Ireland, Polish immigrants are struggling to live and work in relative peace ad prosperity with their neighbors. This can be said about most "Western" countries, but Northern Ireland is the case for the day.

The hooligans that threw bricks, bottles and fireworks at riot police, injuring 11, had traveled from Poland for the game. They were not the locals trying to make a better life for themselves. But who carried the blame? Locals.

Police Superintendent Chris Noble stated: “A number of homes were attacked and these are being treated as racially motivated incidents. We believe there was a hard core of Polish nationals who came to the game without tickets but with a clear intent to cause trouble to genuine supporters and residents. Unfortunately, their actions may well have put the safety of law-abiding and local Polish residents in jeopardy.”

This comes at a time when Northern Ireland is trying to keep a positive outlook on life. The state has already lost one officer and two soldiers this month due to civil strife. Combine this with the riot, and add in a little bit of horrible economic downturn and you are going to be left with a bit of social tension. And who will this tension be turned against? Polish immigrants. Just like in America, it's the immigrant that takes the fall. Questions like,"Why are the immigrants taking jobs from hard-working Americans/Irishmen?" or "How could we let so many immigrants in?" will begin to run rampant.

Mostly espoused by people that don't fully understand that a person is a person no matter where they hail from. And people have the right to work hard so that their family can prosper.

Either way, hopefully Northern Ireland can move past this debacle with good grace. It's been shown in the past. It's not too much to hope for. Besides, they won the game and they are doing pretty good in the Euro qualifiers. So that's something to celebrate.

Peace.

Gul visits Talabani- First such trip in 30+ years

2009-03-25T08:33:00.006-05:00

SE Times article - Gul makes landmark visit to Iraq

Turkish President Abdullah Gul embarked on an important visit to see Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Monday. What makes it important? Other than the fact that it is the first visit from Ankara to Baghdad in over thirty years, the two leaders have some pretty daunting issues to deal with.

The first and foremost of these issues is the Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK.) Operating out of northern Iraq, this group launches attacks into Turkey's southeastern provinces. The goal of the PKK is to establish an independent socialist Kurdistan. Were it not for their Marxist-Leninist leanings, drug trafficking, kidnappings and bombings, this group could almost be considered freedom fighters. In fact, American politicians constantly use Saddam Hussein's mistreatment of Kurds in this region as a reason for the American-led invasion.

Gul wants Iraq to take a strong stance and eliminate the threat of the PKK to Turkish civilians. Iraq's constitution prohibits armed activities, but dealing with the Kurds is something very difficult because of the past atrocities committed against them. Also, it is important to note that Talabani is himself of Kurdish descent, which may or may not alter his perspective on the situation.

Also on the agenda for these two leaders are economic concerns. Trade between the two nations will be crucial to their success in the years to come. They will be dealing with water allocation from the Tigres and Euphrates as well.

Move aside Bushisms, OBAMAnations are HERE!

2009-03-20T20:53:00.004-05:00

With the remark about his bowling skills being akin to the Special Olympics, Obama has successfully made George W. Bush saying "nucular" a non-issue. But it's okay my liberal friends, he is the golden one after all, not some crazy "Texan." So, for a run-down, from Slate.com, I give you the complete list of Bushisms followed by a list of the top 25 Bushisms.

What did you find on those lovely links? Bushisms. Sometimes a poor understanding of grammar, or a bizarre, colloquial way of saying things. You know what you probably don't see? The President of the United States of America demeaning mentally handicapped people with an off the cuff remark that would land a third-grader in detention for a week. Bush flubbed his ability to properly pronounce things, use the correct pronoun, but never once did he blatantly snub an entire section of our populace. Before you get up in arms about Katrina, just don't.

It's apparently okay though, because Obama is in fact, OBAMA!!! He can do no wrong, no matter how grievous the slip of the tongue. He gave us HOPE and other such awesome catch phrases (which grab Gen-Xers by the cojones and never let go.) So, how can this man renowned for his eloquence fall so far from grace in so few seconds with an interviewer not widely regarded as a trickster? Obama was so widely regarded as an amazing speaker that he beat Billary, and he can't even make it through an interview with a big-chinned late-night host without insulting mentally handicapped people?

This man is the leader of the free world, and he needs to do something more than a simple apology. He needs to donate his entire salary to helping this underfunded and misunderstood community. But hey, he's got the economy to worry about. And finding secretaries that don't have undisclosed tax issues. And closing Gitmo so Osama can laugh at us. And talking to Iran. And finding his daughters a dog. And putting a basketball court in the White House.

So, I look forward to more of these slip-ups from our silver-tongued demigod. I'm sure they will come out in the future. Americans will forget Bush ever misspoke because when it comes to doing some serious damage to the office of POTUS, Obama shall be king.

Peace.

PS- Most of what he said other than the Special Olympics comment was intriguing, but it was primarily political rhetoric (which he excels at) and not worth even commenting on.

Ciudad Juarez Welcomes Troops, Atlanta Welcomes Cartels

2009-03-09T10:40:00.006-05:00

The mayor of this desperate border town, Jose Reyes Ferriz, announced that killings were already down 90% since federal army troops had moved into the city. Which means that they are experiencing a homicide rate of around one or two a day, down from the ten plus they had been seeing. The soldiers haven't had much time to set up, but a respite such as this is one that has many residents breathing easier.

The city has put out a large public awareness campaign instructing its civilians on how to interact safely and efficiently with the new troop forces. These instructions include passing through checkpoints smoothly. The government wants everything to go well during the troops long stay. The mayor admitted that they were unsure as to the duration of the operation.

Most of the citizens of Juarez were accepting of the presence. The general feeling is that as long as killings go down, troops are very welcome. There were 6290 drug related killings in Mexico last year, with many of those falling in Juarez. The proximity to El Paso has not done much to bring this spate of killing to light here in the US. Even the story of the Daughters of Juarez, where over 400 women were raped, murdered and left in the desert outside the city, barely caused a stir far from the border.

So, the situation is dire and the mayor has called in the national army. Will this be effective? The army needs to be called in because the police force has failed. It has failed through corruption and it has failed in the face of stout opposition. The public has lost confidence in the police force. Even when a police officer is killed in the line of duty, there is no public outpouring of feeling as in the US. Why? People are never sure if the officer died doing his job, or died due to involvement with a cartel.

In the past, when the Mexican army has been called in to deal with this sort of situation, it has struggled with the same issues as the police. The Economist ran a story last year on this topic. So, I won't beat it to death here. The question I wish to raise is this.

What will it take for the US citizenry to recognize the problem our southern neighbors are struggling with, and how long will we wait before we admit that it's largely our addiction to illicit drugs that brought them to this point?

Well, maybe when the cartels start causing major issues stateside? Hello Atlanta. This wonderful town of Coca-Cola, UPS and... Ted... has had some pretty serious problems when it comes to the cartels operating within their city limits. Mexican drug cartels have decided that Atlanta is useful for distribution, just like a lot of other businesses. Except for they are using it to supply the entire east coast with illegal drugs, not delicious bubbly beverages. There was also a US citizen among others decapitated in Tijuana... The impact needs to be felt in America in places other than Atlanta and Texas. Despite what these regions may feel about themselves, most people do not pay a whole heckuva lot of attention to them (being from Iowa, I sympathize.)

So, how can we help? There are some out there that think that legalization of illegal drugs would help. As a matter of fact, I believe that was a major thrust in a recent Economist. As far as that all goes... I doubt it would be much help. The main argument used is that prohibition of alcohol led to crime, so, the illegality of our modern day drugs is what causes the current level of crime. The thing is, prohibition led to homebrewers doing what they do best. We weren't establishing long pack-trains to bring in beer from Latin America (rum yes, beer no.)

There are a lot of issues involved with the legalization campaign, and a great many factors are completely ignored by proponents. The simplest solution then, is to stop using drugs. Stop smoking pot and snorting blow. When a celebrity gets caught, hold them responsible to the fullest extent of the law. The reason the war on drugs has failed (in some respects) is the lack of effective enforcement. If I were caught with some marijuana, my punishment would probably be steeper than if Lindsay Lohan were caught with copious amounts of cocaine. So, stop using the drugs, drink some beer if you're feeling stressed, and don't pour money into the hands of criminals. That should help.

In the meantime, pay attention to what's happening south of the border. These are trying times for Mexico, and the role the US plays in the coming years could completely reshape our relationship with Central America. If we offer a stabling hand, no strings attached, we could be welcomed back into the hearts of our neighbors. If we use their instability to make controlling inroads, we will lose their faith yet again, and the turmoil will continue.

Also, go UNI. It hurts to say that, but Iowa's team is terrible, endemically, so go UNI. I wish you the best.

Peace.

Milosevic-Era Serb Intelligence Chief Worked with CIA

2009-03-02T10:39:00.001-06:00

Balkan Insight Article

LA Times article by Greg Miller

A brief synapsis of this story could go like this: Stanisic worked with the CIA in order to bring a quicker end to the troubled Balkan region during Milosevic's reign. He claims to have never taken money from the CIA. The reason all of this came up? The CIA is attempting to reduce his sentence at the Hague. They submitted a dossier that shows what "help" he was, and a list of all the "good" things he did. Never mind the death squads he established, he was helping the CIA. He is currently back in Belgrade for health reasons, strange how that works.

A brief excerpt from the LAT:

"For eight years, Stanisic was the CIA's main man in Belgrade. During secret meetings in boats and safe houses along the Sava River, he shared details on the inner workings of the Milosevic regime. He provided information on the locations of NATO hostages, aided CIA operatives in their search for grave sites and helped the agency set up a network of secret bases in Bosnia."

So the question is this I guess: Did he aide the CIA and NATO enough to warrant regard in his case? Or, will this be passed over?

If it is passed over and ignored by the Tribunal, what will that mean for future CIA operations? Will the CIA lose possible contacts in the future? What would have happened in Yugoslavia had Stanisic not been a crucial element in the CIAs plans?

How will the outcome of this case affect our sources in Afghanistan and other regions where intelligence will be crucial to victory?

I leave you with those questions to ponder. Especially considering the weak economic state of most of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, we need all the stability and intelligence we can get if something goes amiss. Like, if Serbia gets pissy enough to attack Kosovo, then Albania rides to the rescue or something like that.

Thanks for listening to the rant, and I hope you enjoyed the other articles more than you enjoyed this one.

Peace.

The case for Al-Jazeera English

2009-02-24T08:34:00.000-06:00

Front page of Al-Jazeera English webpage:

-Fighting in Mogadishu

-Swat Taliban extends ceasefire

-Wall Street slump sparks Asia fall

-Several smaller stories, such as Us to give $900 million in aid to Gaza, N. Korea to launch satellite, etc.

Front page of CNN webpage:

-Obama speech will be sober, hopeful

-Advertisements, advertisements, advertisements

-9 year old bride walks down aisle in Texas

-Possible octuplet dad wants DNA test

If that stark comparison doesn't do it for you, compare it to other mainstream mass market news agency webpages. Here's what you are likely to find on MMMNAs: proof that people are crazy, some white girl died, Obamaobamaobama, gloom and doom about how poor off Americans are. Here's what you find on Al-Jazeera: people with real problems, information on countries that are actually struggling, a brief glimpse at the next Taliban (Mogadishu?)

For those of you that actually care about world news, the real news, not the crap CNN and other MMMNAs spoon-feed people, take a chance on Al-Jazeera. It's not Al-Qaeda for crying out loud! Not everything that sounds remotely Arabic or Middle Eastern is a terrorist. The majority of terror attacks on American soil come from crazy Americans, not crazy foreigners.

The news is not something you watch to keep yourself entertained until the next episode of "Who Wants to be a Millionare" comes on. It's a vital public service that American news agencies fail miserably at. I seriously get more enjoyment out of my local news. At least they can tell me the weather.

So, again, give Al-Jazeera English a chance.

Peace.

World Bank still Screwing!

2009-02-18T12:40:00.000-06:00

BalkanInsight Article

Brief summary of the article.

The World Bank finally admitted that a project meant to safeguard Albania's coastal zones was used to selectively demolish houses in Jale, Albania. It's going to be launching an investigation into the handling of the project. An earlier investigation by the International Development Organization showed that it seemed likely that the project was being abused to develop the land into resorts. This all took place back in April 2007, and since then several families have had to struggle with displacement and homelessness.

Brief summary of my reaction to World Bank's reaction.

Um... how did this not a bigger splash? Can we get any decent coverage of events like this in the states? Not that it really matters because homelessness is becoming pretty trendy here as well. But this seems like something that should have been noticed as it was happening (back in April 2007) and at least a minor uproar heard by someone.

If VP Biden plans to make an impact in the Balkans, the first step might be to prevent the World Bank from completely screwing these people to set up resorts for rich snobs to come and enjoy the beautiful beaches.

But hey, we have Hillary Clinton as Sec of State, and we all know how much the Balkans looooove her! That whole campaign lie about bullets flying past her head, that didn't ruffle any feathers...no...

Oh right, the World Bank's statement issued on the whole thing- TA-FREAKING-DA

My reaction to that? Mostly swearing.

In it, the President of the Bank, Robert Zoellick, himself states that the handling of the situation was "appalling." You'd think the president of an organization that powerful would be able to stop this kind of crap from happening right? Then I get more ranty, because I want to know who these Presidents and CEOs and COOs are! How do such incompetent people get into places of such power. It's like giving the keys to a Bugatti to a five year old and turning them loose on the freakin' Autobahn!!!

I digress.

Peace.

Israeli Elections and the Future of the Peace Process

2009-02-12T11:00:00.001-06:00

The elections are almost finished and the final votes are soon to be tallied from Israeli service personnel. There is little doubt though that Likud has won the most seats and Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to lure Kadima into a coalition. Kadima leader Tzipi Livni has thus far refused to join any coalition that would be of a far-right religious bent. Netanyahu is most likely to form just such a coalition. What would this type of government lead to in regards to peace with Palestinians and the prevention of war with Iran, along with US-Israeli relations?

That can wait. First, if Netanyahu doesn't get Kadima to join up, where does that leave Livni? She has said that she is still trying to form a coalition under her lead. At the same time she has stated that she will not give in to exorbitant demands in order to form a coalition. She has one very strong argument in regards to her leading the country.

"I can also put together a coalition that is united around the peace process. Netanyahu doesn't want that, and couldn't do it even if he did, with his right wing partners." -Livni

What she says seems true enough. It is doubtful that Netanyahu would do much for the peace process. He might also worsen relations with Iran. This at a time when US President Obama has made moves to improve relations with Iran. However, Netanyahu will be able to form a ruling coalition, and it seems unlikely that Kadima can stand against him for long. He is offering some top spots to leaders of some of the smaller parties. He is also expected to offer Livni the top position in foreign affairs and perhaps the defense position to fellow opposition member Mofaz.

So, if Livni accepts the post, she would be in a strong position with regards to foreign policy. How strong, and how far she would be allowed to carry her agenda remains to be seen. She could push a more accepting peace process, but I imagine that will be greatly hampered by Netanyahu and his probable coalition. The only thing we can do now is to wait and see, and hope for the best for the country of Israel.

Peace

Haaretz articles- Breakdown of Coalition Possibilities, Final Tally

America's Special Relationship with Israel

2009-02-02T17:53:00.000-06:00

It has long been established that the United States have a special relationship with the state of Israel. How this state of affairs came into being, how it has developed after the fall of the Soviet Union, and how it continues into today's world are subject to debate. What role should the US play in Israeli affairs? How should we react to their invasion of Gaza? How do we balance their intense fear of Iran with diplomacy? But, my main question, how does this special relationship persist?

A little background on how this relationship came to exist. After World War II, the sense of guilt at allowing the Holocaust to happen sent Europe and America into a bit of a tizzy. Zionist groups took advantage of this guilt to further their ends. The history of Zionism has been pretty well covered, from the Balfour Declaration to the found of Eretz Yisrael. The war of Israeli independence, which uprooted Palestinians and caused the scorn of Arab nations to befall the small Jewish country was manipulated from the start by Britain and the US to a lesser extent.

Israel was able to fight for its very existence against it's Arab enemies. This it did admirably, creating the image of the scrappy underdog. Since then however, it has been aided greatly by the United States. Why? Israel was seen as the toehold the US had in the Middle East against Soviet encroachment. The Soviet Union was making inroads in the Northern Crescent and with Egypt, and the States needed a counterbalance. Given the long history of American's interest in Zionism and the Biblical land of the Israelites, it is no wonder that they backed the new state.

Many presidents since the founding of Israel have tried to take a firm stance against the Israeli treatment of Palestinians. Something always came up though. Be it anything from the Cold War to the Iranian hostage crisis. No one ever got around to dealing strongly with Israel. Administrations constantly had to lend aid to the country in order to maintain a strong ally in the region. This is especially true after the Iranian Revolution. Now, with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the spawning of terrorist groups in the area, US administrations are stuck yet again.

Will Obama be able to take a stronger line against Israel? They have a strong grip on American politics through the Jewish Lobby in the States. And we really can't be too hard on a strong ally. The situation is precarious, but something different needs to be done. Too much time has been lost already. The right of return for Palestinians is now nearly laughable. They've been gone too long for many even to acknowledge a right of return.

Baby steps. The US needs to work with Israel towards granting Gazans and West Bankers some pretty basic rights. We need to utilize our special relationship with them to get them to adhere to international law. The first step there is to adhere to it ourselves. Obama promises change in that regard, and we can hope (sorry) for the best. Still, what will make him different?

Recently, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has proposed a tunnel between the two Palestinian territories. It would be a 48 km tunnel going under the state of Israel. This can only be described as madness. How would anyone feel safe using it? Not to mention how much it degrades the humanity of Palestinians. They can come through the land that was once theirs... underground, hidden from the light of day. The Israelis would maintain sovereignty over the tunnel, but allow the Palestinians to control traffic. Thank God for that trade-off, right? This is hardly a freedom of movement proposal.

The Palestinian leadership is hardly helping things. By allowing, or ordering, rockets to be fired into Southern Israel, they are making legitimate peace talks nearly impossible. Also, they are further alienating any Western sympathizers by appearing to most as nothing less than another terrorist cell. While many can tell the difference between idiot hate-mongers (Bin Laden) and legitimate freedom fighters (no example,) Hamas blurs the line for the majority of people. Sometimes even I can't tell what side to root for.

Oh well. The most I can hope for is the literate society in America to stand up and demand that something different be done. And for the same to happen around the world. Not like these silly little protests where angsty, wanna-be revolutionaries in Che t-shirts go around throwing rocks at police officers, but a legitimate protest. Write your Congressperson. Write Obama, I understand he has a web-page for that.

Also, do not take what I say as a hatred of Israel. The country is amazing and has brought us many amazing things. It is much like a miniature United States. It is full of promise, but it runs the risk of letting its leadership squander these promises. That cannot happen. Most important, get out there and read something other than the Twilight series. Don't forgo the entertainment lit, but don't neglect the important stuff either.

Peace.

For more info:

Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren

Sources in the History of the Modern Middle East compiled by Akram Fouad Khater

A History of Modern Palestine by Ilan Pappe

A History of the Modern Middle East by William Cleveland

The Super Powers and the Middle East by Alan Palmer

Punish Wall Street, Not Our Veterans

2009-01-23T09:36:00.002-06:00

Early last century, our government came to the conclusion that financial institutions needed a watchdog. Thus they created the SEC. It seemed a reasonable thing to do. The SEC watched the financial industry and ensured that they played by certain rules. However, the financial industry came up with ways to skirt the SEC. We have now seen that they are not to be trusted as greed is a terrifying motivator. We need something greater than the SEC. We need to reform that entire sector of our economy.

So, after being given a few chances to reform and perhaps... do better for others, the financial institutions have proved they cannot and should not be trusted. Merrill-Lynch paid benefits early, in December, in order to avoid oversight from Bank of America. In so doing, they took some funds from American taxpayers to reward themselves for running a company into the ground. Now, Bank of America is asking for more money to right the wrongs of Merrill. And where is this money coming from? Taxpayers. Hard-working Americans that understand what it is to do real, actual work. And the government's handing cash out in the billions.

But, with the economic pinch, other areas are having to suck it up and tighten their belt. Here in Iowa, one of the departments that will struggle- Veteran Affairs. Our government is willing to give these corporate vagabonds billions despite the fact that their bank accounts are well-padded and they are doing nothing to help the average American. On the other hand, the people who have valiantly served their country in its times of need have to make do with less. That's fine though, corporate fat-cats deserve more money than those that have lost limbs for the safety and freedom of Americans. Thain should go ahead and continue buying $70,000 rugs for his office, while that would serve more than two years worth of what many of our soldiers make in salary.

So, to me, it seems that the financial sector should be nationalized. There should be solid salary caps on all executive positions. These people should not be rewarded for what amounts to little more than outright theft. Where did the money banks "made" go? Into accounts of CEOs and other such foolish people that don't understand that if they take all the money from the people who generate real income for the country, the economy collapses. So, they're doing fine, but all that money is not coming back into our economy. Take the SEC one more step and nationalize banks. It's not communism. It's not socialism. It's realism. This is the only way the people of America can be heard by the financial sector. Force them to obey the laws by taking away their power. Put people into these positions that have to answer to the public.

I may not be the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the economy and the financial sector, but I understand quite a bit about it. If you have a better idea than nationalizing banks, go ahead and provide a link to your outline. Remember, I studied History, so what I say is based on the past looking toward the future. Also, this was written hastily at work after I discovered that our veterans were going to have to take cuts because of what these @%*^ing bankers have done.

Peace.

P.S. I am currently reading The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, so I apologize if I tend to see corporate ass-bags as some kind of Dark Lord.

America's Special Relationship with Israel

2009-01-20T13:42:00.009-06:00

Hate to be a Doomsayer, but...

2009-01-14T09:20:00.003-06:00

Seriously, can things get more screwed up? Take stock of the world around you, your car, your job (if you're lucky enough to have one of those) and all your material possessions. Go ahead, I'll wait...

Got it? Good, now imagine all of those sitting on a curb as you watch a foreclosure sign get thrown up in your yard. Imagine that sweet little ride getting repossessed. Now, you have to sleep at your friend's house and take the bus to work with all of the "crazies." Then, one day you come to find out the company you work for is struggling to get the loans it needs to survive. You'll have to go. Sorry pal. So, take stock of the world around you at this point. No job, no car, no home. Sounds pretty rough doesn't it? Well, it is. But, you just have to remember you live in America and that as bad as things get here, it's still a heckuva lot better than in a lot of places. Here are a few examples.

Gaza- Even before the recent Israeli invasion, life in Gaza was a day-to-day struggle for many people. Remember that house you lost? How would you feel if you were evicted from your country? Still, with the Israeli invasion things have managed to get worse. The use of white phosphorous devices is causing civilian casualties of a horrific nature. The searing gas travels surprisingly well in tight, over-populated spaces, leaving hundreds horribly burned. If Israel manages to destroy Hamas and come up with a better system for Gaza, this war could have a semi-happy ending. There are a lot of things that could still go awry though, such as war with Iran in the interim. In the meantime, innocent Palestinians will starve, be injured with little hope of medical care and huddle in groups in dilapidated buildings. It is largely Hamas's fault for being an unintelligent group of rocket-launching morons, and Israel has the right to destroy them. They just need to be careful.

Somalia- The Ethiopians have finally withdrawn their troops from Mogadishu. The African Union is leaving a small contingent of peace-keepers to defend against all the Islamist radical factions that are vying to fill the void. It is predicted that they will do little to halt further onslaughts of violence. On the coast, pirates are living lavishly with their stolen booty. Inside, children roam the streets with old Kalashnikovs, rocket-launchers and camouflage clothing. Civil war has torn this country apart for decades, leaving it the most war-torn country in all of Africa, which is no small recognition. The US is trying to get the UN involved more intensely, but everyone is concerned that they will be there too long if they go in now. They're basically cowards, allowing innocent civilians to die, children to be raised as outright thugs and erasing this country's future before it's written.

Balkans- Riots and protests clog the streets in several of these countries over everything from police brutality to poor governance to lack of pay for police officers. Kosovo is struggling to remain independent in an angry world. Serbia is trying to convince the world that it's people in Northern Kosovo are being mistreated. All of the Balkans are struggling with the row between Gazprom and Ukraine. Factories are shutting down, leaving many jobless. Millions are without heat. And now, the worldwide economic slowdown is starting to trickle down to this region. Even more jobs are being lost or threatened. The threat of war from Serbia is a constant threat, even though it does seem unlikely at this point. Meanwhile, these countries are expected to enact serious reforms so they may join the European Union. They are severely hobbled but expected by the EU to make record leaps and bounds. Hopefully, the Balkans don't get to hot any time soon.

Mexico- Druglords are becoming more and more of a threat and power in Mexico as more of their products are consumed at home. They have gained power as their countrymen have turned to drugs as an escape from poor conditions. Kids are growing up as drug dealers because it pays more than working in a maquiladora. Would it be greatly beneficial if the US forced companies setting up shop just across the border to follow the same rules they follow here? Maybe, or they might just move again, leaving a more severe void in the workforce. The point is, we have a third world neighbor to our South. We are still the most powerful economy on the face of the world. Do you see the paradox?

Now, go back to the beginning. Take stock of what you have around you. Even if you don't like your job, consider yourself lucky to have one. Even if your house isn't furnished like a palace, just be glad you have access to heating elements. We live in America people. Our lowest standard of living is still far and beyond other regions standards. We are lucky to have been born here. Do not squander that opportunity. And for the love of god stop watching tv and read a freakin' book!

Peace.

Can the Balkans serve as view toward Europe's Future?

2009-01-08T20:55:00.002-06:00

Southeast European Times article

The recent row between Gazprom and Ukraine has led to a debilitating lack of oil in the Balkans. It has taken on many forms, factories shutting down, schools closing, radiators in housing complexes turning off and so on. 96% of Bulgaria's oil comes from Russia. So far, they have been the worst hit. The state is shutting down without the lifeblood that pours through Ukraine from Russia. Russia supplies 25% of Europe's gas, 80% of which flows through Ukraine.

The current conflict is somewhat of an annual fixture in Eastern Europe. However, 2008 was a very complex year for the region. The Balkans gained a new state in Kosovo, new advances (and setbacks) in the FYROM name debate, riots in Greece, Bulgarian police strikes, and now this. The burgeoning states of this region are struggling to conform to the laws of the EU in order to brighten their national futures, and a simple conflict between Russia and a former satellite are turning it all to dust. Can this be a harbinger of Western Europe's future?

The oil and natural gas that come out of Russia are very crucial to the sustainability of Western Europe's standard of living. What happens if the cordial relations with Russia fall apart? People in Germany, France and other countries face a set of dire consequences. If they lose a crucial source of heating oil, who suffers? France had better not let it's society's outer fringes suffer again, lest they ignite a new set of rioting. Germany's industrial core requires vast amounts of fuel to sustain itself, despite what they have accomplished with alternative fuels. Switzerland of course derives all of it's power from hot chocolate, so they have no worries.

This is a Europe only twenty-some years removed from the most devastating non-war war humans have ever experienced. Their sworn enemies were Russia, and now they rely on that country for a large portion of their fuel. What if the pipeline through Belarus is stopped up? There goes most of Russia's oil and natural gas. Will we see BMW factories forced to close, as we have seen factories in Macedonia close? Will there be statements from the leaders of these nations stating that they only have ten days of reserve fuel, as we have seen in the Balkans?

I have long believed that the most effective barometer for Europe exists in the Balkans. Despite its reputation in the US, it serves as an insight to all of Europe's problems. There are ethnic tensions, economic woes and a precarious reliance on foreign fuels. What can we learn from the situation in the Balkans?

Reliance on foreign fuels can be debilitating. It's a lesson that should be learned by Europe and the US in kind. The world would change suddenly if the US lost its friendship with oil producers. We would no longer be concerned with our children's international educational standings, but concerned with heating their schools. The fear of our national unemployment rate hitting double digits would be but a trifle if we had no fuel for any of out factories, the unemployment rate would skyrocket.

It's a doomsday scenario that we can see being played out in the Balkans, and hopefully, we sit up and listen this time.

Slaughter In Gaza? Or Operation Save Israel?

2008-12-31T09:25:00.000-06:00

Last count there were at least 390 Palestinians dead. 220 of these are suspected members of Hamas, leaving 170 civilians, 60+ of which, according to the UN, are women and children. In addition, nearly 2,000 people have been injured so far in the Gaza conflict. But wait, 4 Israelis are dead. Best not be delving into kill ratios. This is all a part of the massive offensive being launched against the citizens of Gaza by the Israeli Defense Force in response to rocket fire from Hamas, "Operation Cast Lead." Or, as I like to refer to it, "Operation Fish in a Barrel."

While I understand the concept of massive retaliation, I do not understand how the government of Israel can say they are only targeting Hamas members. They point fingers at Hamas and say that all they do is target civilians, whereas the IDF is taking the high road and only targeting the militants. They're not doing a very good job of it as of yet.

A sample of targets:

- Graduation ceremony for young police officers

- A police station

- A mosque

- Student dormitories at a university

Those all seem like pretty standard targets in time of war. Can't have peace officers, religion or education muddling things on the ground.

My question is this: If Israel has US backing militarily, how is it that the Israeli forces are trying to kill a pesky mosquito with a shotgun? Could they not use something known as surgical strikes? The area isn't a large one, 41 km long, 6-12 km wide. It's not like the IDF is attempting to invade Siberia. Where are the commandos we hear so much about? The superior Israeli training should take effect now, not superior technology. Send in some of these troops, take out strongholds effectively, and avoid civilian casualties. Or, continue to bomb the crap out of the entire area thus suspending any possibility that the civilian population of Gaza will ever come to view the Israelis as neighbors, as opposed to their tiny version of the Great Satan.

Alas, the IDF is massing ground forces along the border in order to invade as step three, or is it four, of the "Operation Cast Lead." I doubt those forces will ever move. Israel learned its lesson long ago fighting Hizbollah, large groups of ground forces will inevitably fail against an insurgent opposition. Surprisingly, this lesson is still being learned by many governments, despite historical lessons to the contrary. It seems much more effective to send in elite strike forces to take out these targets. Maybe I'm wrong though. And yes, you've probably been wondering if I recognize that the strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. I do, and I understand that it has to be difficult for the IDF to avoid civilian casualties. I just don't think their doing everything they can.

Meanwhile, the people of Gaza are starving, dying from lack of medical care and experiencing a deepening of their hatred for Israel. Everyone knows starving an enemy makes them more placid. It's the same with dogs, you starve them and they become much more calm and relaxed.

Also, does anyone think that this has anything to do with upcoming elections in Israel?

Is this slaughter doing anything other than lending ammunition to those that would like to see Israel destroyed? Ahmadinejad's reaction

Oh, and while we're on the topic, Egypt shouldn't open their borders to the Gazans. This would go against everything Arab countries have practiced over the last sixty years. Let the Palestinians cram into tight places, little food, little medicine, little natural resources. That way the Arab countries have something to hold over Israel's head. Sort of their Sword of Damocles.

Gideon Levy article on pilots

It's the Oil Stupid!

2008-12-12T11:00:00.012-06:00

I was reading through an article by Jan Oberg on the recent Nobel Prize ceremony for Matti Ahtisaari, and was enjoying the article's counter stance to Ahtisaari's work. I don't necessarily agree with everything he says, but I am a firm believer in looking at all sides to an issue. The article, posted at Serbianna, makes an argument that Ahtisaari was merely a pawn used by the US and NATO to secure Kosovo's independence. Apparently, he views the Balkan as the last vestige of the Cold War. Anyway, the article was interesting to read, and most of the arguments I would make against it are obvious when you read it.

http://www.serbianna.com/columns/oberg/001.shtml

My point is this I guess. He mentions that the only reason we care about Kosovo is the oil pipeline planned for the southern end of the peninsula. That's where he lost me. I know oil is important, I know the control of it is a very corruptive force in the world, this isn't news. However, every time I hear a well-reasoned argument slip into the "everything has to do with oil no matter what" mentality, I lose interest. Oberg is just one of many that undermines my beliefs. The claim that the only reason people are interested in Kosovo is that it somehow involves a pipeline is insulting to people like myself.

Here's an outline of where the suggested pipelines will be.

Note: that southern pipeline doesn't cut anywhere near Kosovo.

You can find maps:

Here

and Here

I am largely interested in, and supportive of, the independence of Kosovo for reasons of my own. The Balkans in general have always intrigued me for their role in European history. They have been very influential, but almost no one in the US understands anything about them. Quiz your average college student on Europe, and you'll probably find out that Europe is made up of Spain, France, Germany and Russia. That's it. It is this ignorance that causes me to learn as much as I can of the region. It's the same reason I study Latin America, or the "Middle East."
But, do I study these regions because I want to be able to pump gas into my Volvo for the foreseeable future? No. I am one of the great number of people pushing for alternative fuels, renewable energy and so forth.

Granted, I doubt Oberg is speaking of me when he's talking about NATO and US action in the Balkans, but he doesn't do a very good job of phrasing it that way. I am as committed as one can be to Kosovo's independence coming from Iowa. It has little to do with oil, it has little to do with my feelings toward Russia, it has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that Kosovo deserves to be independent given it's background and cultural construct.
Feel free to disagree with me, I'm sure I'm off base. Can I just read one article that doesn't spout nonsense about how, "The US only cares about x because of an oil pipeline." Not everything has to do with oil pipelines. Luckily for these people though, oil can be found throughout the world either in a pipeline, the original source, stockpiles or in the tank of a UN truck, so they will never be without this call to arms.

US diplomacy: It's the oil stupid!

Greece is burning

2008-12-10T17:46:00.002-06:00

Amnesty International Demands an Impartial Inquiry

Greek PM does his best to hold a ragged nation together

The BBC report on the region, what, it has a lot of links...

There are conflicting reports of incidents leading up to the shooting death of the fifteen year old. The police say it was an accident, a ricochet from a warning shot. They also say they were antagonized by a group of boys into action. Others say that the police officer shot the young man in cold blood, no attempt at a warning. One thing is for sure, now that Amnesty International is on the case, it should be solved in no time.

The reactions of political leaders vary. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is attempting a feat more suited to an old Olympian than a distrusted leader. He is offering government loans for the shopkeepers, soft, low interest fifteen year loans. This is only part of the plan of action he has created. At a time of great national upheaval from groups with no real goal or agenda, Karamanlis is promoting a pragmatic, long-run approach to solving this problem.

His opponents are capitalizing on the opportunity in a despicable attempt to oust him from power. Leftist leaders are promoting the actions of these anarchist youths, who, oddly enough, would probably refuse the leftist leaders as government heads...anarchists. These leftist leaders refuse to see that the great tragedy is the loss of life of someone so young. Although he may not have been the brightest bulb, it's a life lost.

In the meantime, amidst the political turmoil, the true heroes continue their task. The firefighters, the rescue workers, and yes, even the police officers. While AI is claiming that police beat two of their workers with batons, most of the officers are only attempting to protect life and property in an unstable nation. The fire crews are out every night, dousing car and building fires. These people are working tirelessly for the betterment of their county.

And to make matters worse, many of the rioters are abusing the sanctuary of university soil to store bombs and other weapons. They become embroiled in running battles with police, then retreat to the safety of university grounds to regroup for their next attack. Meanwhile, the police have no such refuge, for while they respect the laws and traditions of Greece, their enemies are merely abusing them in a vain attempt to bring the laws themselves down.

Union leaders decided to call a strike during this period of duress. Nearly one half of Greece's workforce went on strike, disrupting the nation's economy further. It appears the left is in full swing against the PM's attempt to restore order in this ancient nation. A nation that once served as the foundation for our great republic.

Also, Greece is still in a row with FYROM, or Macedonia, over what it can be called. The strangest international argument I have seen in a while. But one that is culturally significant to both sides. Therefore it should be take seriously I suppose, but given current circumstances...

And to think, this morning I was psyched up about writing on the little Isle of Sark finally abolishing feudalism... Oh well, guess you'll have to look that up on Wikipedia, or check in tomorrow.

Peace.

Teddy-nauts? What next Britain?

2008-12-09T13:52:00.008-06:00

In the mid-80s, Britain sidelined all manned missions into space. So what do they do? Send in the teddies!

Okay, so I heard about this the other day on NPR. But I had completely forgotten about it until recently. Apparently, Cambridge students got together with some children to launch teddy bears into space. Of course, this is all an effort to get children excited about science. I imagine the Cambridge students probably got just as big a kick out of this as the little kids though...

The kids, ages 11-12, didn't just lob the teddies into space. They had to design spacesuits for them to protect them from the cold. The tricky little devils used everything from hi-tech foam to old malt containers. They actually got pretty creative for 11 year olds, seriously. And what did we get to do? Drop eggs off a building? Makes us look pretty weak-sauce...

"The outside temperature got down to about -60C but some of the teddy bears were kept as warm as -35C thanks to their spacesuits. Apparently they're all in good health now," Mr Moore told the BBC.

"I really enjoyed launching the teddy bear into space and I also enjoyed designing and building the teddy bear suit," said 12-year-old Kane Robbins.

And yes, I struggled with this because I desperately wanted to write Tediz (thanks a lot Conkers.)

Also in the news:
-Athens erupts in rioting after an incident which a police officer shot a boy after being accosted by a group of teenagers. The PM has declared a state of emergency after days of rioting. News of these events are barely making headlines in US papers, in contrast to the rioting that occurred in France not too long ago, despite eerie similarities.

Ekonomist's view

-Hero dog pulls friend to safety on a Chilean highway. Sadly, the other dog was already dead. This has to be the most heartbreaking story I've seen in a while. I won't provide a link, but this dog was truly heroic, braving traffic to save his friend.

-Another corrupt politician discovered in Illinois... no surprises here.

-Israel looks forward to a hawkish future with appointments in Likud Party. This is great, they totally need a more militant outlook on the world, especially with all of the rhetoric about Iran plotting single-mindedly to destroy Israel.

-More than a thousand officials of the new EU-led mission in Kosovo, EULEX, took over responsibilities from UNMIK early on Tuesday (December 9th). Spokesman Victor Reuter says about 1,400 members of the mission are spreading throughout the province, and in a few months, when the mission becomes fully operational, it will include 1,900 international and 1,100 local staff. About 100 members of EULEX will deploy immediately in the Serb-dominated north.

So, the Balkans are still extremely shaky, even Greece. Israel is going to become more obsessed with Iran. The Brits are sending teddy bears into space. And a dog proves once again that canines are better than us. Interesting newsweek...

Another rant on Israel

2008-12-06T10:51:00.004-06:00

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4146&Itemid=31
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4101&Itemid=31
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4150&Itemid=31

With these three articles, I remembered why I am so concerned with the Israel/Palestine situation. The first point that can be dragged out of these examples is that the UN and the EU recognize that Israel is not existing in accordance with international law. In most circumstances, this would lead to sanctions. We slap sanctions on Cuba just for the hell of it nowadays. But Israel continues to occupy and settle territory that's not Israeli soil and what do we do? Cooperate with them militarily and continue to send them funds.

Ok, so maybe it would be largely impossible to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders. I don't like it, but it might have to be a concession. Given the time that has passed, it just might not be entirely possible. However, the Israeli government could at least attempt to treat their Palestinian neighbors with some semblance of decency. The blockade of the Gaza Strip for example. Letting people starve to death, and letting children die from lack of hospital care, these are actions for the likes of Kim Jong-Il or Saddam Hussein, not a dear friend of the United States like Ehud Barak.

The US needs to take a strong stance on Israel and human rights. Be they the leaders of a coalition, or just a member of a larger community. If we can get Israel back on the right track, it could lead to peaceful relations in the Middle East with a number of countries and groups. We shouldn't advocate the violence of terrorist groups such as Hamas or the PKK, but we should recognize their plights. Why do people turn to violence? Excluding al-Qaida, most "terrorist" organizations have serious political concerns. While their methods normally backfire, it does bring the information to a national stage, which is why it is often used as a last resort.

In the case of the Palestinians, most of them put their trust in Arab states that either they would be able to return to their homeland or incorporate into new ones. Neither of these promises were carried out by their brethren. While many point to this as a sign that we should not pity them, I ask you this: Do you not pity the child of an abusive parent? It's not their fault. They have been so tossed about and abused and neglected, it's no wonder that some of them have turned to violence, especially after the initial treatment at the hands of both Israelis and Arabs. The amount of violence and mistreatment at the hands of the Israelis far outweighs the destruction caused by the Palestinians. We should not condone the violence, but we should seek to end it, or at least give them no cause. If India can do it, Israel can do it. To me, Israel is just taking advantage of a group of individuals they can bully.

I just hope it doesn't end the same way as the US treatment of Native Americans. Israel should not be allowed to carry out military maneuvers in order to protect settlers who are breaking both Israeli and international law. Leave them to their own devices or prevent them from settling there. Stop mistreating innocent Palestinians. Step into line with international law. Or, face the consequences like everyone else. Face sanctions, trade blockades, possibly even direct UN intervention such as is happening in other areas of the world where one group of people is abusing another.

Israel could be a beautiful state. They just have to learn to be better neighbors. And people here in the US need to do more independent research. Basic research. Just look at something other than CNN or Fox every now and then. Get a different perspective. Just because a news network makes lots of money and has fascinating graphics does not make it accurate.

A bit out of the loop

2008-12-01T15:53:00.005-06:00

I took a few days off from reading the news for Thanksgiving. When I came back, Pakistan and India are at each other's throats, Bangkok's airport is under siege and Venice is under water.

Hmmm...

I had a little catching up to do. The first thing I looked into was the Mumbai terrorist incidents. Such a sad event looks like it was caused by extremists that have no real connection to the Pakistani government. However, given the complexity of Pakistan's history, some of the terrorists were trained by the Pakistani military or intelligence services. India's government has handled this relatively well, applying pressure on Pakistan to crack down on terrorism within its borders, the US has been pushing them in this direction for a while. Although, if India followed the US-route of attacking within Pakistan's borders sans permission, I doubt it would have the same result. Also, several of India's high-ranking security officials have stepped down in disgrace. Groups in western Pakistan aim for a cease-fire in order to free up Paki troops to secure the border with India. Both sides say they aren't gearing up for a war though. It should be interesting to see how this develops. In the meantime, reasonable people are pointing out that the targets of the attack weren't Indians so much as Westerners.

Thailand, Thailand, Thailand... what are we going to do with you, Thailand? From what I understand, these people who want a change of the democratically elected government took over the airport in Bangkok, armed to the teeth and are now in a stand-off with police? I wonder if the Republicans could rally and take LAX...

What?

Venice is experiencing some pretty crazy floods. The kind that God would have given Noah the heads-up on. Still, it looks about as bad as what we experienced in eastern Iowa this year.
Then, the DJIA drops nearly 680 points amid news that we have been in a recession since last December. OPEC is planning to cut production and try to level out oil prices at between $70-90 a barrel. Where was the idea of a "reasonable price" a year ago? President Bush is criticized for not doing enough about the AIDS epidemic in America as opposed to overseas (even when he does something good, it's not good in the right way.)

And to top it all off? My girlfriend's car door was frozen shut this morning, so she took my Volvo and I drove to work in her Sunfire... That's cool, didn't need my penis anyway...

I miss Thanksgiving. I slept in. I ate a lot. I didn't have to go to work. I was pampered. I come back to Des Moines for snow, cold, bad headlines and the job of lifetime...

Am I getting old?

2008-11-21T10:27:00.005-06:00

It's official. I'm an old man. At the age of 24 I have crossed the threshold into geriatrics. True, physically, I am not an elderly citizen yet, but mentally and emotionally.

This realization came to me as I was driving to work today and somebody cut me off. I responded with an angry fist-waving. Normally, in my youth, a middle finger or a raised hand of some sort would have sufficed. Not today though. As I tooled to work in my Volvo listening to Morning edition on NPR minding my space, I shook my fist. Then, with hands at ten and two, I continued on to work, complaining about the damn people these days and their lack of decency.

It's not just driving that gets me. I don't know how many times in the past year I have uttered the phrase, "No one ever shows any respect anymore." Be it at the counter of the grocery store, standing in line for a movie or at work, this phrase should never be uttered by someone younger than 63 years of age. It's true though, no one has any sense of common decency nowadays. It's all about "me me me me" wherever you go. The really sad part is, most of these people really shouldn't have very high opinions of themselves. They're the losers in society. They have no social skills. They are rude, selfish and unconcerned completely for their fellow man. Damn I'm old...

The fact that all I listen to all day at work is talk radio, is proof in itself that I might be gettin' on in years. Ok, so sometimes I'll pop in Thelonious Monk or Billie Holiday, but that does not help my case, does it? I have a hard time even naming what young people listen to nowadays. Other than the great music I used to get from my still young friends back in Iowa City that is. Most of the new stuff I hear in clubs sounds like garbage and is too loud... "Too loud" is another phrase left to old men. "Turn down that racket!" Seriously gettin' old here people.

My idea of a rompin' stompin' good time? At home, in my chair in front of the fireplace, reading a good book, listening to classical music and sipping either a glass of wine or a glass of fine scotch. Note: this is a Saturday night game plan, not a Tuesday. What kind of book am I reading? A history book. Not the newest thriller on the shelves. A book detailing the crimes of the US in Guatemala. Or better yet, the book about the history of the banana. Bananas. Ba-na-na. Come on. Do I watch television? Hell no! That's for young people, with their MTV and VH1. I would much rather curl up and watch an episode of M*A*S*H. I prefer Perry Mason to CSI, seriously, check PM out.

And to top it all off. Guess where my girlfriend and I went for dinner the other night? Baker's Square. It was a Saturday night. Actually, more like, five in the afternoon. I think we made it in time for the early bird special... good lord...

So, I think I am going to listen to some Ratatat, drive fast, drink shitty light beer at some crowded, overly loud bar, wake up at two in the afternoon and try to recapture my youth.

What if...?

2008-11-19T13:56:00.012-06:00

Zombies kick serious ass right? So, one of my coworkers and myself have been thinking about what to do if a zombie apocalypse occurred here in downtown Des Moines.

The building we are located in at first seems a bit unreliable. The bottom floor is basically lined with windows that could easily be shattered by mindless hordes. Unless of course the zombies turn out to be really weak sauce like in Dawn of the Dead, where they couldn't break in through the giant glass doors at the front of the mall. This building probably isn't as well constructed, based on what I have figured out about it so far (including when the keypad to the restroom fell off, that was an awkward day.) Anyway, we figure the zombies could at least get into the first floor.

Then what?

We looked around for weapons. Failed miserably at this also. I don't think a wireless keyboard would do enough damage to take down a zommer. Nor would a coffee mug with a sun on it. The coffee might hurt them, I know damn well it hurts me every day. So, we decided we would be defenseless, unless we could figure out how to throw computer monitors...

Worst situation imaginable yes? No.

Upon review, I found many positives about this building. It's the diversity of businesses that helps our case. We have a restaurant next door, I can actually see into it from where I am at. So I was thinking- food supply. While this wouldn't provide us with much food, it would be enough to stave off starvation for a while. Plus, I bet they have all kinds of utensils in the kitchen that could be used to lop off heads. That would be my first stop.

Down the hall is the elevator to the second floor, seriously, just two floors but still an elevator. This has a plus. If we hole up on the second floor, we could send out explorers and the elevator would serve us well. While the people in the elevator might get hosed, it would be simpler to prevent zombie expansion. Only so many zombies can fit in it, so only so many could possibly come back up with it. Yeah?

The best part, upstairs is a freakin doctor's office. Granted, they are otolaryngologists, but they gotta have more than just a first aid kit. So, we could hang out upstairs, eating pasta, using medical supplies to heal any damage, and use the elevator for excursions. The basics are down. This place is more secure than I thought. The best part is this though...

We are right across the street from the capital. I imagine this would be one of the first places the National Guard was sent to secure, so we wouldn't even have to hole up for long. If the Nat'l Guard could deal with zombies that is.

Alright, so my job sucks and we do a lot to avoid depression from boredom. But hey, planning for a zombie apocalypse is one of the most interesting things one can do. It doesn't take much and it allows you to be creative. I suggest everyone try it, especially if you hate your job as much as I do. It's also a little more lighthearted than some of the crap I worry about, like Roma children being slowly killed by lead poisoning in Kosovo, or the like.

Bailout GM??

2008-11-13T10:09:00.006-06:00

I've been hearing a lot of talk about this, I was wondering what everyone else thought or had heard about it. Their are people who are suggesting we use bailout money for automakers. Paulson suggested that there is no way he would use the money that way, but what if he did? Would it be a good thing? Ford, GM, Chrysler, they are all struggling, but let's not forget that even automakers like Toyota and Honda are feeling the pinch.

I will use General Motors as the example here. It's the simplest example out there right now. There are two options for GM. Either they can beg and plead for taxpayer money or they can simply declare bankruptcy.

The bailout would probably in the way of about $120 billion for two years. That's just a rough estimate put out there by Jon Blank, a senior industry strategist at Decision Economics. Compare that to what the government has already poured into AIG and it isn't a bad number for two years. It would help keep people in their jobs, from factory workers to parts suppliers. All of these workers keep their jobs and keep buying items from retailers, retailers get to keep more people on and these people are able to buy more groceries and so on. The idea of keeping people employed is a good argument for the bailout, but is it just prolonging the inevitable with GM?
It would be very beneficial in keeping the company afloat, but would not necessarily make it competitive. GM has been failing in that respect for quite some time now. We would need a way to ensure that GM would change its strategy by the time they were turned loose. We should probably turn the bums out that have been driving the company into the dirt. They should be completely cut loose, no benefits packages, no severance pay, don't let them benefit from their failure. It's not the average worker's fault the company is failing, so they shouldn't suffer. If need be, take some money away from the CEOs that have been robbing their companies blind. Would you pay someone millions of dollars to run your company into the ground? Sorry, I got a bit ranty there.

This wouldn't be the first automaker bailout, Chrysler received $1.5 billion in 1979. There are a lot of similarities with Chrysler 1979 and GM 2008. Chrysler was hit hard by the oil boycotts because they had been pumping out large gas-guzzlers... sound familiar? It pushed Chrysler in a good direction, they went with more fuel efficient vehicles and gave us the minivan. It also returned a decent profit for taxpayers in the form of a $2 billion check to the US government, seven years before it was required. Would this happen now with GM? There are those that argue that Chrysler should have been allowed to fail in order to streamline Detroit's auto-industry and make it more efficient. But then we mightn't have minivans...

Option 2 - we let GM declare bankruptcy and see if it could turn itself around given a little bit of time. This would hurt the shareholders and we might see a run away from GM stock if this gets talked about too much. They would buy themselves a buffer, might have to cut some jobs (most would be able to keep their jobs from what I gather), but the company probably won't be able to set itself straight in a few months. They might still fail because the same people would be at the helm, but perhaps it would teach them a lesson. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy might not completely destroy a company, but it's definitely a humbling experience.

Personally, I think we should figure out a way to continue the companies' existence by taking money from all of those who profited by driving the company into the ground and heavily taxing fuel-inefficient vehicles that are unnecessary. That might sound socialist, but letting people make money from failing is sure as hell not capitalism.

Chrysler bailout on NPR- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96922222

Prof talks about GM- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96945344

French cars struggle too- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96917666

GM v. Toyota- http://www.npr.org/news/specials/gmvstoyota/

More links, dealing with Midwest- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96909271

E-Day 2008

2008-11-04T08:38:00.003-06:00

Indeed it is election day, and unlike many young voters, I did not vote early. The plan has been to vote tonight at our designated polling station. My girlfriend and I are going together to cast our ballots. When we discussed who we were voting for, she for Obama, me for McCain, the question of our votes cancelling came up. Why would we even bother leaving the house? If I vote one way and she votes the other, then it's like we didn't vote at all right? Then I brought up the fact that there a lot of other people on the ballot.

This isn't just a presidential election.

No way right? So, I took the time to go over the other candidates that will appear on the ballot with my girlfriend. Granted my view in these cases might be a bit biased. I like Tom Harkin a lot for instance, so I might have endorsed him a little more than his opponent. The point that I made to my girlfriend is that, despite the furor over the presidential campaign, other offices should be considered. I wonder how many people go into the booth vote for president, then just randomly check boxes. I wish I would have thought of this sooner than the day of the election, but what can you do?

Here in Iowa we send five representatives to the House. I currently live in district 3, albeit very damned close to district 4. If you ever want a lesson in gerrymandering, look at your house districts. The race isn't what you would call a close, hard-fought battle, but it bears looking at. Leonard Boswell (D) is the incumbent. He is running against Kim Schmett (R) who is running on a solid background. It's basically a choice between a proven leader and someone who has been tested in other areas. Luckily, neither one of them seem a bad choice. Boswell is 74 though (Schmett is a spritely 55) and this might mean it's time for change. We even have a third party candidate running, Frank Forrestal under the SWP ticket. That's right, a true socialist. None of this Obama-crap. While Forrestal doesn't have much of a chance, he's on there and he's raising issues. And, if people vote by blind guessing after they vote for president, he might stand a chance.

http://www.boswellforcongress.com
http://www.KimSchmett.com
I couldn't find a good website for Forrestal, so feel free to use http://www.dogpile.com/ to look him up.

I also live in State House District 59. This is an interesting race between Chris Hagenow (R) and Jerry Sullivan (D). Again, both candidates have strong backgrounds. Sullivan is a former broker and senior financial service representative at Prinicipal Financial. Hagenow has his law degree from the University of Iowa (Go Hawks!) Sullivan is focusing on bringing new businesses to Iowa, something this state could use. Hagenow focuses on spending issues, something Iowa is generally very pragmatic about.

http://www.chrishagenow.com
http://jerrysullivanforstaterep.org

The State Senate isn't really a contest. Seriously, only the one choice. So, make sure you don't mess that one up on the ballot...

The Race for US Senate, or How Tom Harking Stole My Heart. Tom Harkin (D) is the incumbent, being challenged by Christopher Reed (R). I've grown up watching Harkin do amazing things for Iowa, so my opinion is biased. I have great respect for both candidates and wish Reed the best, as long as he doesn't beat Harkin. He's not really a bad guy, but he's running on the basic Republican platform (note, this is not necessarily what I think of when I think of conservatism). I can't even debate this, Harkin needs to win again, and it looks like he will.

http://www.tomharkin.com
http://www.Christopherreed2008.com

For more news on these guys or to figure out who is running in your district, check out http://www.desmoinesregister.com/section/iowaelection08. Not the best coverage in the world, but it works.

So, learn a little before you vote. Knowing Obama is a pretty speaker and McCain is a creepy old man doesn't make you knowledgeable. Don't just vote a party line. Please don't just vote randomly, that's how we get socialists... If you can't do it for this election, there will be another big one in two years. Just keep your head up and your eyes and ears open.

PS - I might have been upset when I last posted...

Moment to vent

2008-11-01T10:25:00.003-05:00

I have discovered of late that there are two types of people on social networking websites. The first I like. They are the mothers who post cookie recipes, that turn out to be amazing. They also discuss topics like, how do I make this casserole better? or good Halloween ideas. That's why I haven't pulled off of the website entirely and gone back to good old fashion dead-tree and postage.

The other kind of person on these sites, the more common of the two I might say, can be dubbed the "ranting douchebag that doesn't lend any credence to the conversation and should probably have just read the post and walked away but thought they would be a douchebag instead." Or, for my typing's sake, db. They don't make any sense. When they leave a post, it's just an angry rant. Or they use highly flawed information. These are the kind of people that made recess suck when you were little. They start fights because they like to fight, not because they enjoy discussing relevant issues.

Which begs the question... DO ANY OF YOU F**KING GROWNUPS LIKE TO HAVE GROWNUP F**KING DISCUSSIONS??? No one on gather.com does. I know that. I have tried to post twice, once about Israel and the Saudi Peace plan, once about the similarities between Kosovo and Ireland. Both times some jackass would enter the discussion with a comment like "I would never compare Ireland and Kosovo, there [sic] two different countries." And I am left to wonder why that is relevant to what I am asking, and are they utterly and completely mental?

Or, the post starts off angry, then I clarify my point. Then the other poster creates kind of an "oh I get it now." Instead of continuing the discussion, the other posters leave because there isn't going to be a fight. Rather than have an intelligent discussion, these people just want to leave posts using idiot phrases and words too big for their little brains to comprehend correctly.

I apologize for the rant, but gather.com sucks for anything but recipes, which it kicks ass for. Get this, I learned how to make peanut butter fudge! NFW right?

The Reality Machine

2008-10-27T12:39:00.006-05:00

So, I recently purchased a copy of The Reality Machine by Cliff Burns. It's a signed copy that I got from AbeBooks. If you don't know what that is, you haven't lived. Anyway, the girlfriend is on another one of her travels to a faraway land...called Tipton I think. So, I have time to just relax and read with the cat and a beer.

This book is actually a collection of short stories from Burns. They vary in length from a few paragraphs to a dozen or more pages. It's hard to classify his work. I imagine it could fall into horror, SF, psychological thriller or even poetry for some works. A few of the stories in it are not for the squeamish. All of them are interesting. Burns is an interesting author in many regards though. He seems to have a dislike for the publishing industry. This is apparently why he posts some of his major works online for free. He even has a podcast for the first part of his book available for download. Find out more about Cliff Burns at Beautiful Desolation.

Other than that, I have been reading Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. I haven't gotten very far yet but the story is very intriguing. I feel like I could draw parallels between the Overlords and the secret society ruling the world. Maybe Clarke felt that way, don't know. I've also got a book, Banana, that serves as my brief book. I read it in ten minute intervals throughout the day. Waiting for something to cook, waiting for the girlfriend to get ready, that kind of thing. Then I still have my Michael Oren book on the US and Middle East throughout history. It's a bit dry and I can only read a chapter or two at a time. I've also been perusing my Polish history selection, reading up on Casimir and Jagiello. Then there is the Louis L'Amour book. It's a memoir of sorts, Education of a Wandering Man. It's really interesting to see his views on education, best received in the real world, not in a school.

And last but not least for my reading list, the GRE study guide! I can't wait to be done with that ordeal. I realized that most of the classes I had taken in college the first time would have counted toward an MA had I been a grad student. I don't know what that means, but I am really excited to get back to studying the real information. Not words like circumlocution. I want to do research and write a book, but no one will fund me, and working where I work now is not a gold mine. If anyone has ideas, hook me up.

Sickened

2008-10-21T16:18:00.000-05:00

I don't understand people, never will.

Article on an assault in Pisgat Ze'ev

Jaffa

2008-10-21T09:13:00.003-05:00

Today's city that I would like to visit, Jaffa. This one is easier to explain, I read City of Oranges, and it made the city sound amazing. Then I looked into it a little more, and a little more, and soon I really just wanted to visit this city. It definitely makes the top ten places.

One of the reasons is the history of the place. It's been around since at least 7000 B.C.E. That's just as far as we have some sort of record for. That's also about as far back as we have records for in general. So, this city has seen a lot. And history has left its mark on the city.

The city grew in such a way that would make a city-planner's head spin. It developed a street system based on its needs. The housing developed slowly over time. Unlike cities that sprang up in the last hundred or so years which have nice straight, wide boulevards. The architecture is beautiful and it all looks out on the Mediterranean. The clock tower at right was built in 1902 (extremely recent for this city) in honor of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

This city used to be the site of extreme cultural diversity. It also used to be almost completely at peace with itself. This all changed with the formation of the Zionist movement. Just to cut everyone off, I am not anti-Zionist. The point is, this city lived with a diverse community and neighbors got along with one another be they Jew, Muslim, Christian, pagan or whatever. They would buy coffee and spices from one another. Politics wouldn't play into where one bought bread.

So, like Sofia, I want to get a close up of a city that lost something most struggle to find. Peace amongst its people. The diversity still exists in some of the architecture and the sea is still beautiful, and I would love to see this city the way it was seventy years ago, two hundred years ago, five thousand years ago. But I would settle for today.

Sofia

2008-10-20T12:59:00.005-05:00

Just a quick thought...

The city I would most like to visit at some point in my lifetime is Sofia. The source of my desire is unknown even to myself, other than the fact that the city looks absolutely gorgeous. It is the capital of Bulgaria and is one of the oldest cities in Europe, dating back roughly 7000 years.

The history that is encompassed in the architecture alone is awe-inspiring. The cultural mixture looks like it would be perfect for a sight-seer. You have everything all in one convenient spot. For example the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world. Walk around a little more and you'll find the Church of St. George. This is considered the oldest building in Sofia, dating to around 400 A.D.

I think that Sofia would be a wonderful place to visit, even if most college students/graduates that I talk to don't even know it exists. The city set up and diversity would make it an extraordinary destination, despite the reputation Bulgaria has for being a violent stronghold for gangsters.

Go figure...

2008-10-17T12:13:00.006-05:00

On one of the other sites I play around on, I started two new groups. The first deals with Latin America. The group welcomes those who study the history, sociology, politics, literature or anything else about the region. It has two members. The site in particular is populated by people who like to think they are better and more educated than everyone else. Still, these people don't care about Latin America. That depresses me a little bit. This region is very intrinsically linked to the United States. All Americans should be more informed about our southern neighbors (or for that matter be able to name any of the countries other than Mexico or Cuba.) A lot of people think it's trendy and cool to go to a nice western European country and then be "cultured" when they come back. At the same time they don't even know the capital of Brazil. It's not Rio de Janeiro by the way, thanks for playing.

The other group I started deals with Eastern Europe and the Balkans. There are interesting stories in these regions. Most of them are much more interesting than Franco-Germanic history. Let's face it, the history of Western Europe goes like this...

Collapse of Roman Empire, Franks united under Charlemagne, Charlemagne dies, France and Germany are doomed to squabble for the rest of time. The End. Oh right, and the rest of Europe tries to stay out of their way, Britain goes so far as to take everything else in the world before becoming involved in European affairs.

Sure, they built neat buildings and painting some decent stuff too, but the people of the Balkans have amazing buildings as well. The region is more multicultural than most people know. Since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, these differences have caused some terrible atrocities. In a lot of areas though exist stories of great humanity. The Jews in Bulgaria during World War Two for example, read Beyond Hitler's Grasp, were saved by their government.

These two regions are rich in history and humanity, and amazing foods. I might continue to post on this topic for a while as it really aggravates me that no one cares unless it involves us in a major way. Like with Kosovo, or migrant workers, or the coffee we drink and how hoity-toity we can get about it.

**deep breath**

Hurray for Midwest Brewers

2008-10-14T09:50:00.003-05:00

The results are in for the Great American Beer Festival. Midwest brewers did fairly well all in all. Results. The Midwest Micro Brews website is a gem, but it reminds me that Iowa is lagging behind in the microbrews. The ones we have are great, but compared to Wisconsin or Michigan we are lacking. Still, we can draw on our neighbors to enjoy a variety of beers as this website shows. And they are award winning. Congratulations to all of the brewers.

In other news, soccer fans rejoice! The qualifiers are taking off for the 2010 World Cup. Tomorrow the US squares off against Trinidad & Tobago. Some of my personal favorites include Ecuador and Guatemala. High hopes, high hopes. Sadly, none of these games will be on ESPN. Why? Because ESPN is a mean, hateful organization that doesn't want me to have fun. Or they want to cover the MLB Playoffs, or the NFL regular season, or the fan-base won't get excited until the actual World Cup starts up... in two years...

See, it's not hard to write a post that is completely devoid of all Obamanation and McPain comments.

P.S. This sight rocks Brothers Brick. And how!

Independent and Proud

2008-10-09T13:26:00.003-05:00

When I read other people's blog posts, I remember why I am an independent. Stereotypes abound on either side of the aisle about the other. Democrats view all Republicans as either Bible-thumping morons or wealthy white people clinging to their riches. Republicans view Democrats as either lazy bums who want government handouts or completely immoral degenerates who are bringing America down.

The truth is, if you go to either extreme, you can find crazies. No kidding. Extreme liberals are just as crazy as extreme conservatives. When candidates vie for those people it makes it difficult to agree with them. I like to think I'm not a crazy liberal wackjob, or a psycho conservative nut. But then I can't vote for either Obama or McCain. Depending on who you listen to, one side is always loopy.

So, I stand free of political ties. I will vote for who I want this fall. I will vote for the one man I believe can lead us out of this mess and make the world love us again. I will vote for the one man America can trust. I will vote for Tom Brokaw. He's good enough for me.

Stay tuned...

2008-10-06T08:38:00.003-05:00

I am now gainfully employed. Hurray, yah, woo... Not that exciting really. The company seems interesting and the people are great, but I haven't had much luck training. And, lo and behold, data analyst is not equivalent to historian. Huh. A coworker did show me an interesting new website. New to me of course. Given my love of science fiction this website is great. It has an archive of old time radio, including original broadcasts of several amazing stories. Bradbury makes an exceptionally good listen with the creepy kid actors. The website is... Calfkiller. Strange name, great archive. It even has the original Shadow series!

Ode to my lost bookstores

2008-09-26T09:35:00.000-05:00

I love my new apartment. I love my new location in general. I'm closer to a lot of things that matter to me. Hopefully I like my new job. I dislike the lack of independent booksellers within reach.

The downtown area is lacking. I frequent one of them which is a used bookstore. The people are nice and the cause is good. It is also a decent spot to pick up novels that I have been meaning to read and donate novels I have read and don't feel the need to keep. It lacks some of the more intense historical books I desire. I can forgive them that. The other independent bookstore has a very nice setup, is very cozy and enjoys a wide variety of literature. I even found a signed copy of "Man Killed By Pheasant". It isn't a hard book to find, but it pleased me to find it. This bookstore is lacking in two areas that are very important to me: science fiction and history. These are niche areas, I understand that. The history books I especially understand, they won't sell so they can't carry them. Those two bookstores can be forgiven.

The two large bookstores near my habitation are B & N and Borders. These shall not go softly. B & N lacks an interesting SF section. Have they even heard of Isaac Asimov? Frank Herbert? Doubt it. It's impossible to find classic SF books. The new release of Le Guin's "Left Hand" can be found, because of the recent reprint no doubt. Same thing with Borders. It makes me a little sad. They can have fifteen rows of cookbooks, most being pushed by fools like Emeril, but a row and a half of decent history books is all the space they can spare.

I miss being able to walk down the street and have my choice of used bookstores. Stores that know about good books. Experts on everything from old science fiction to the new Man Booker shortlist. However, I can find all of my favorite books online, usually paying shipping and handling at odd rates. Sometimes the books can only be found in the UK or Australia, also odd.

Maybe I have strange tastes. Still, I think people need to have a decent little bookstore to browse through and real people to talk to about the books on the shelves. Nothing is better for new realms of literature like another human being. It's how I discovered SF books, late night chats with my old roommate. It's how I discovered Max Brooks, hilarious, Sandy Tolan, tragic, and Christopher Moore, odd. Human interaction is key to literature. I can get my books online through Abe or Powell. I can read other people's posts on LibraryThing. I am still left lacking. I need my little bookstore with the interesting owner, the lovable cat and the old houses converted to shelving stations. Oh well, I'm going to go read on my couch and pet my cat and try to become absorbed with something else for a while...

Drugs are Awesome

2008-09-23T22:51:00.000-05:00

Americans need to realize something about their southern neighbor. It's not their fault. At least not entirely. American corporations have exploited labor from overseas and to the south for a long time. Lately though, it has become more lucrative for some of our neighbors to create a living on our vices. It is more profitable for them to become involved with the drug trade than it is for them to work in a maquiladora. When corporations pay next to nothing and drugs offer a life of more than subsistence, the choice is clear. The risk will pay off for a few. The benefits of those in the US who abuse drugs such as cocaine and marijuana will pay off for those who exploit addicts. This number is also relatively small. Addicts hurt here financially and they turn to home grown products such as methamphetamine. Suppliers hurt in Mexico and they turn to local communities as consumers. The cycle gets more vicious as it goes on. The only people hurting are those who struggle day to day. The only people who see gains are those who are evil and exploit those people. What is the best way to end this cycle?

Stop using illicit drugs. Use this income to promote pay increases for people who need it. Drive up prices for labor here, drive up prices for labor there. Support the Mexican government in their war on drugs. Don't just support some idealistic "war on drugs" from your couch in comfy suburbia. Stop smoking pot. Stop using coke. Tell the car companies they are failing because of the way they exploit people. Buy a Nissan to piss GM and Ford off. Do every little thing you can. Stop supporting the people who don't need support. CEOs make money. No matter what. They have highly specialized accounts at this point and they don't need money. Stop giving your money to those who spend it on exploiting the vicious cycle that is killing our neighbors.

Everyone should be allowed to live free. Not just suburbia.

Question for the Candidates

2008-01-29T01:46:00.000-06:00

I really think I could make a good president. At least as far as foreign issues went I might. I doubt any presidential candidate in the current race could formulate a reasonable response to the Kosovo question. The basic concept formulated by Woodrow Wilson of self-determination (which was flawed during it's implementation in Latin American countries) was a bad idea in retrospect. The partitioning of countries did turn out to be a bad thing for Europe, especially the Balkans. We see now in European countries a turn away from this partitioning in the EU. If they could implement this strategy of political and economic unity in the Balkans, Catalonia, the Basque region, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, etc. they might be able to make something work. So, if an American presidential candidate could answer with a reasonable thought on this question, I would vote for them.

The Lemon Tree

2007-08-25T16:56:00.000-05:00

A highly readable account of the situation in Palestine/Israel. While it does not necessarily require extensive knowledge of the area, a little prior information would help. Also could serve as the next step to people who want to move beyond textbooks to something a little more human. It does an amazing job of condensing the history of a troubled region into a more moving account than a textbook could hope for.

The way Tolan blends the two stories together keeps the reader on edge. Every event shows the two sides and their reactions. As events unfold the characters become even more dear to the reader's heart. The Israeli's come out with a bit of a bad image at parts, but these parts are countered with the Palestinian reaction. The story shows how the back-and-forth retaliation violence has escalated. It recounts the events from the beginning of the Zionist movement right up to near present-day. Tolan shows these events through the eyes of a recently displaced family which has lived in Palestine for generations. He also shows it through the eyes of a family which is struggling for a place to call home after centuries of displacement.

Overall a highly good read. Recommended for people interested in the area and those just wanting to enjoy a good book.

A brief explanation of the name

2007-08-24T20:42:00.000-05:00

I am from Iowa, brief yes? No, I kept it simple because that is what I hope this blog will be. I don't want to review controversial works yet. I just want to write about the books I am reading and see what other people post about them. And this is my first blog, so be gentle.