Thomas Friedman has an interesting column on
Tipping Points a topic taken from a book written by
Malcolm Gladwell.
While I agree -- a 100% guarantee that a positive "tipping point" will not be "tipped" in the opposite direction would be nice, life and history have no guarantees -- this is precisely why we must remain diligent... If recent history is any indication we only have to look back twenty-six years (1979) when an appeasement administration (Jimmy Carter) betrayed the then Pro-American Shah of Iran giving way to the Shah's fundamentalist enemies and revolution. This destabilized the Middle East further and opened the door for the Iran/Iraq war -- where the following administration had to choose the "lesser of two evils" -- Saddam or the Ayatollah... Appeasement put us in this undesired position of having to choose -- Appeasement is the root of horror that has manifested itself over the last 26 years -- and to avoid this yet again we must be diligent and support those that support us. This is a hard learned lesson and listening to liberals I feel that it is an "unlearned" lesson by many -- appeasement and isolationism have and will continue to have negative results… Some highlights:
I think that what's so interesting about the Middle East today is that we're actually witnessing three tipping points at once.
Thanks to eight million Iraqis defying "you vote, you die" terrorist threats, Iraq has been reframed from a story about Iraqi "insurgents" trying to liberate their country from American occupiers and their Iraqi "stooges" to a story of the overwhelming Iraqi majority trying to build a democracy, with U.S. help, against the wishes of Iraqi Baathist-fascists and jihadists.
In Lebanon, the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which Syria is widely suspected of having had a hand in, has reframed that drama. A month ago, Lebanon was the story of a tiny Christian minority trying to resist the Syrian occupation, which had the tacit support of the pro-Syrian Lebanese government and a cadre of Lebanese politicians who had sold their souls to Damascus. After the Hariri murder, Lebanese just snapped. Lebanon became the story of a broad majority of Lebanese Christians, Muslims and Druse no longer willing to remain silent, but instead telling the Syrians, and their Lebanese puppet president, to "go home." Lebanon went from a country where few dared whisper "When will Syria leave?" to a country where nearly everyone was shouting it, and Syria was having to answer.
The Israel-Palestine drama has gone from how Ariel Sharon will use any means possible to sustain Israel's hold on Gaza, which he once said was indispensable for the security of the Jewish state, to being about how Mr. Sharon will use any means possible to evacuate Gaza - with its huge Palestinian population - which he now says is necessary for saving Israel as a Jewish state. The issue for the Palestinians is no longer about how they resist the Israeli occupation in Gaza, but whether they build a decent mini-state there - a Dubai on the Mediterranean. Because if they do, it will fundamentally reshape the Israeli debate about whether the Palestinians can be handed most of the West Bank.
While all three of these situations would constitute tipping points by Mr. Gladwell's definition, I would feel a lot better about all three if I thought that they were irreversible - and couldn't tip back the wrong way. [Column here]
Just another example of the many jobs Clinton started and didn't finish -- Somali is a bad memory for many who lost friends and loved ones with absolutely no one being held accountable by the United States of America.
A group of Somali cabinet ministers and MPs has denounced government proposals to deploy foreign peacekeepers.
They issued a statement saying troops from neighbouring Ethiopia and Djibouti would not be acceptable. [Read story here]
BTW: Mr. Clinton, What was that
exit strategy again?
As I pointed out
here there continues to be progress, good progress, against the insurgency -- despite the Ted Kennedy(s) and their rhetoric.
A half-brother and one-time aide to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has been captured, the Iraqi interim government has said.
It accused Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti of planning and carrying out terrorist acts.
He is high on a list of the 29 most wanted insurgents, and the US military was offering a $1m reward for him. [Read complete story here]
Yes, I say this is good. Is it far enough, no, but they are moving the right direction -- I figure Kennedy, Kerry, and other bleeding heart liberals will have some negative spin on this.....maybe this is a Bush puppet too.
CAIRO -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in a surprise reversal, yesterday took a significant step toward democratic reform in the world's most populous Arab country by ordering that presidential challengers be allowed on the ballot this fall.
[...]
Touting "freedom and democracy," Mr. Mubarak told an audience at Menoufia University, north of Cairo, that he had instructed parliament and the consultative Shura Council to amend the constitution's Article 76 on presidential elections.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bank of America Corp. has lost computer data tapes containing personal information on 1.2 million federal employees, including some members of the U.S. Senate.
The lost data includes Social Security numbers and account information that could make customers of a federal government charge card program vulnerable to identity theft.
Despite all the criticism of our military and the Iraqi forces the
good work continues!
A TOP aide to al-Qaeda's frontman in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been arrested, the Iraqi government said today.
"The terrorist Mohammed Najm Ibrahim, alias Mohammed Najm, who with one of his brothers runs a Zarqawi cell, is responsible for the beheading of several citizens and for attacks against Iraqi security forces," it said in a statement.
Ibrahim was arrested in the town of Baquba, north of Baghdad, it added, without giving the date of his arrest.
On February 21 police in Baquba announced the arrest of another member of the Zarqawi group. [link]
I stated "if the Marine killed a non combatant, did not obey his ROE ("Rules of Engagement") he should be prosecuted; but report it, leave it alone and let the military deal with it", during a rant about the media only reporting negative news;
here. Well the military did and is continuing to deal with this incident -- professionally I might add.
A US marine filmed apparently shooting dead an injured Iraqi in a Falluja mosque last year may not be formally charged, according to media reports.
Military investigators have concluded there is not enough evidence to prosecute over the shooting, US television network CBS news says.
However, the US military said the investigation had not been completed. [Read more here]
I am waiting to hear "the military is just covering it up" -- well actually to make it go away they should have prosecuted the young marine, but then you would hear the same thing we are hearing about the prison abuse prosecutions -- "the military is just offering us a sacrificial lamb"... Well thankfully the military knows that as far as the media goes they will not get a fair shake so they simply conduct fair investigations while attempting to ignore the media -- although like a whining child that is hard to do.
Although I am against abortion this is the wrong way to go about disputing a law, period -- and I personally do not want to be associated with radical jerks like this. Now let's see if we can get some "international" terrorist with this law!
PITTSBURGH - The leader of a Ku Klux Klan splinter group was sentenced to 12 years in prison Friday in what prosecutors said was the nation's first conviction under a new anti-terror law.
David Wayne Hull, 42, was convicted of teaching a government informant posing as an anti-abortion activist how to use a pipe bomb at a November 2002 white supremacist gathering on Hull's property south of Pittsburgh.
I am sure many will have a problem with this
story about a solider being charged for refusing to deploy -- let me feel you in on a few things... The United States Army is still set up on discipline -- not feelings -- you do get to choose what you will and want do. Even if this guy applied and got a discharge for "conscientious objecting" he did not have it at the time of deployment and he obviously had been in long enough to know you do what you are ordered -- he could have continued with the proceedings but he also had an obligation to "his commitment", to the Army, and to his "fellow soldiers" to follow orders -- just as the Army has an obligations to the many that follow orders to prosecute anyone that fails to follow them..
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — An Army mechanic who refused to deploy to Iraq for a second tour of duty will be court-martialed on desertion charges, officials said Friday.
Sgt. Kevin Benderman, 40, missed his unit's deployment flight Jan. 7 after giving his commanders notice 10 days earlier that he planned to seek a discharge as a conscientious objector. Benderman said he had become opposed to war after serving in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
I have blogged several items highlighting some goods signs for Israel/Palestine peace;
here,
here, and
here. But I am afraid this is will be a major set back!
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli police say a suicide bomber caused an explosion outside a beachfront nightclub in Tel Aviv Friday night that killed three people.
Please read the complete story, because there was some immediate action by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas -- but will it be enough?
If I was a Japanese man I might take this personal -- how about you all?
TOKYO (Reuters) - Most single Japanese women prefer not to marry and believe they can live happily alone for the rest of their life, a poll shows, casting another shadow on the future of a country plagued by a falling birthrate.
About seven in ten single Japanese women surveyed by the conservative Yomiuri newspaper said they would rather stay unwed.
WASHINGTON - They're mainly young, single and urban. They move frequently, usually renting rather than owning their homes. Pollsters call them "cell phone only" because they don't own traditional phones.
Not single -- but really think a "traditional phone" is a waste of money in today's environment... When I had a "traditional phone" no one ever called me or my wife on it - so we disconnected it and didn't miss a beat. That is where DSL is missing the boat -- if I wanted DSL I had to have a phone line so I would have had to pay $30 for the phone line then the "high-speed" up charge with cable "high-speed" I don't pay the $30 for the phone line!
As a CSI fan -- I do not look forward to the "Tarantino" finale!
They are releasing new seatbelts that will limit driver distractions.
We hear all the negative stories about how Iraqi soldiers are behind -- how our military does not trust them -- etc... I must admit I am pleasantly surprised that the Washington Post released this
story and picture... Some highlights:
"When I saw those Iraqis in the water, fighting to save their American brothers, I saw a glimpse of the future of this country," said Col. Mark McKnight, commander of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, which had overall responsibility for the unit in the accident, his eyes tearing.
[...]
Pfc. Russell Nahvi, 23, of Arlington, Tex., a medic whose platoon was involved in the accident, said he arrived in Iraq this month with preconceptions about the Iraqi forces. "You always heard never to trust them, to never turn your back on them," he said.
The actions of the Iraqis that Sunday "changed my mind for how I felt about these guys," he said. "I have a totally different perspective now. They were just so into it. They were crying for us. They were saying we were their brothers, too."
Iraqi Army soldiers pray in traditional Islamic manner in front of a memorial for 3 American soldiers on Friday, February 18, 2005 in Forward Operating Base Palowada in Balad. Iraqi soldiers helped Americans to find the bodies of three American soldiers with Charlie Troop Task Force 5-7 (SPC Dakotah Lee Gooding, SGT Rene Knox Jr., SGT Chad William Lake) who died in accident during a mission.
Ramin Talaie for The Washington Post
On this date in 1803 the Supreme Court ruled itself to be the final interpreter of all constitutional issues... (Simply and FYI I found interesting)
I believe among other things Ward Churchill is suffering from a mental imbalance, but that is my opinion.
Michell Malkin has clips available to listen to -- so listen and draw your own conclusion. You can here to clips
here,
here,
here, and
here; or read the transcript
here.
Here, with our readers' help, are WorldNetDaily editors' picks for the 10 most underreported stories of the past year. [Read more here]
This is a step forward -- someone at the Washington Post (
Robert Samuelson) actually acknowledged there is a problem with Social Security... He does not agree with Bush's plan, but simply acknowledging a problem is a "giant step forward"; wouldn't you say?
Our central budget problem, as I've noted in earlier columns, is the coming spending explosion in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, driven by aging baby boomers and rising health spending. In 2004 these programs cost $965 billion, or 8.4 percent of the economy (gross domestic product). The Congressional Budget Office projects that by 2030 their costs will rise to 14 percent of GDP, or more than $1.6 trillion in today's dollars. Avoiding a (nearly) $700 billion annual increase in taxes or deficits would require comparable spending cuts in other government programs. It won't happen. The projected increase in retirement spending nearly equals all federal "discretionary spending" -- a category that includes defense, homeland security, environmental programs, national parks, scientific research and much more. We're not going to eliminate all these programs.
Once you've done this math, you recognize that benefit cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are inevitable. They're the only other way to limit massive tax increases or immense budget deficits. Moreover, the benefit cuts have to affect baby boomers, because they will be the people on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. The critical period occurs from 2011 to 2029, when all baby boomers (people born from 1946 to 1964) hit 65. That's when budgetary pressures intensify. So, does the Bush Social Security plan improve the budget outlook? From all indications, the answer is "no."
