Russia, United Nations

Rape, Kremlin Resists Pulling Out

By anyone’s standard, when she says stop, and he doesn’t, its rape. Well, I should amend that a little. ‘Anyone’ apparently does not apply to Russia. They have experience in raping neighboring countries, just like they are doing right now in Georgia. Russia forcibly entered Georgia with their air force and ground forces, knocked out infrastructure, ransacked Georgian military complexes along with civilian property and civilians themselves, sank its navy and took control of its only oil port.

Russia’s president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, on Saturday signed a revised framework for a deal to halt the fighting in neighboring Georgia, which has stirred some of the deepest divisions between world powers since the cold war. But the Kremlin then indicated that despite the accord’s approval, it would not immediately pull its troops from the country.

Now, a so-called agreement to end the invasion and leave has been signed by Russia and Georgia. And Russia’s response is one that says that the agreement isn’t worth the paper it was printed on.

If you’re wondering what’s the big deal, and why is it any of our business who an imperialist Russia plows under? This video will answer that question.

related links: Kremlin Signs Truce but Resists Quick Pullout | Germany offers support for Georgia’s NATO bid | Bush tells Russia to get out of Georgia

2008 Election, Media, Politics, Russia, War On Terror

Barack Obama, Not Ready For Prime Time

The Russian invasion of the sovereign State of Georgia exposed just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the capacity and capability of the rookie, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), to protect and defend the interests of the United States.

So when Obama’s first reaction to Russia’s military invasion of Georgia was wishy washy, and over the course of three days evolved into something more like John McCain’s (and my) reaction on day one, you have to grade Obama’s ‘3a.m. phone call’ with an F.

Does Obama’s grasp, or lack thereof, of Russian and European conditions make you feel secure? Electing Obama is really electing his hundreds of advisers that tell him what to do and how to react, because he has no clue.

Monica Crowley writes about Obama’s foreign relations experience. How’s this for the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on European Affairs? Have you seen this reported anywhere?

Obama’s utter lack of experience and even interest in Russia and its “near abroad” has surfaced in two ways.

First, he took a trip to Russia in 2005 in order to talk to Vladimir Putin about decommissioning Russian nuclear weapons. The Kremlin is still laughing at that one. Of course, that doesn’t stop Obama from wanting to decommission AMERICA’S nuclear arsenal. To set an example, of course. More laughter from Moscow.

Second, for the past year and a half, Obama has been the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on European Affairs. And guess what? He’s never held a policy hearing. No meetings, no witnesses, no testimony, no nothing. This is why Obama himself is a “know-nothing” on what is turning out to be a central issue for the United States, our allies, and for the campaign. But Senator Clueless never bothered to take an interest in Europe or Russia. He just wants your kids to speak Spanish and for you to refrain from visiting Europe to keep our “ugly American” quotient down.

Then there is this short list in experience compared to McCain, for the one campaigning to become Commander In Chief. Military: McCain 26 years, Obama 0. Congress: McCain 22 years, Obama 143 days.

related links: Monica Crowley, Senator Clueless | Russia Chooses War Over Diplomacy

MRIOTD, War On Terror

American Airlines Wins MRIOTD Award

American Airlines is charging extra baggage fees to troops going to Iraq to fight in the war. This forces soldiers heading for a war zone in Iraq to

try to get reimbursement from the military. Presumably in their spare time. I’m sorry. I believe in the capitalist system and business making a profit and all that, but on September 11, 2001, American Airlines flight 11 was hijacked by terrorists and crashed into the North Tower 1 World Trade Center. Fifty-one minutes later, American Airlines flight 77 was crashed into the Pentagon by the same group of terrorists.

America suffered the first 3000 casualties in the War On Terror that day, and the war was on. The VFW is trying to get American Airlines to waive the extra baggage fee for our brave men and women going to war.

What is American Airlines’ position?

‘Because the soldiers don’t pay a dime, our waiver of the fees amounts to a discount to the military, not a discount to soldiers,’ said Tim Wagner, spokesman for American Airlines. ‘Soldiers should not have to pay a penny of it.’

And their point is? There comes a time when being an American means more than a logo on the side of an airplane. The fact that American Airlines is showing itself to be ‘American’ in name only, by not waiving this fee, qualifies American Airlines for the Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day award.

Businesses should make a profit, that’s what business does. But businesses should also be good citizens in their community. Waiving this fee is not too much to expect, especially since these special passengers are risking it all to insure that American Airlines doesn’t lose more planes full of passengers.

link: Soldiers pay bag fee on travel to war

Economy, Energy

EPA, Not Enough Damage To Limit Corn Ethanol

Using corn-based ethanol as a fuel alternative has not accomplished what the ‘experts’ thought it would do. What it has done so far is to drive up the price of corn-based products world-wide. You’ve seen this in the grocery store in higher prices. Corn has gone from $2 per bushel to $8 per bushel, hitting the poor people in Central and South America especially hard.  It has caused the United Nations to complain that they can no longer feed the poor that they used to, let alone expand their aid program to feed the world’s hungry. It has also depressed the cattle and poultry industries, and any industry that uses corn as food, whether for people or animals.

Texas governor Rick Perry, (R-TX) puts it this way, ‘we do not want to be forced to choose between fueling our cars and feeding our families.’  In his state, higher corn prices are . . .

devastating the livestock industry to the point that Texas cattle feeders have been operating in the red since 2007.

Even our largest agriculture companies are taking a hit. Pilgrim’s Pride and Smithfield both posted huge losses this past year. Tyson’s bonds were downgraded. And New Way Pork, Texas’s largest independent pork producer, has been driven out of business by feed costs that have risen 50% since 2004.

In an effort to stop the bleeding, Gov. Perry asked the EPA to cut the grain-based ethanol mandate in half for one year.

Last Thursday, the EPA announced it was denying my request. Why? Because the agency’s agriculture and energy economists said the mandates are not causing sufficient damage to warrant action.

The EPA didn’t say how much damage to the economy they were hoping for.  But one thing is clear. Using food products for fuel is a huge mistake.

Perry says . . .

Supporters of the ethanol mandate have their hearts in the right place if they want to diversify this nation’s fuel supply. But artificially propping up an industry to the detriment of the vast majority of Americans is bad policy. And that’s what this mandate does.There are many sources of renewable energy in addition to corn-based ethanol. It is time America took steps to develop the technology to make use of these sources.

Only a bureaucracy like the EPA can argue with that. Time has come to inject this agency with a good dose of common sense.

related links:Texas Is Fed Up With Corn Ethanol |  United Nations Warns Of Food Fight | New Study Recommends Against Burning Biofuels to Solve Global Warming

Energy, Politics, Russia

Georgia's President Saakashvili On Russia's Invasion

In his own words, President Mikheil Saakashvili describes what is going on in his country and why. In light of everything going on in Georgia, don’t come away thinking that it won’t affect us here in the United States. Among the first targets that Russia sought to destroy, was Georgia’s oil port. If you still do not believe that oil is the lifeblood of not only our economy but of the world economy, you better think again. But this is not a war for oil. This war is for the future of freedom in Europe.

As of this writing, Russia has pressed on beyond the disputed territories in Georgia. In this David and Goliath war, Russia seems hell bent on its old ways of military imperialism. This time in a democratically elected government State.

From today’s Wall Street Journal, President Saakashvili’s comments begin . . .

As I write, Russia is waging war on my country.

On Friday, hundreds of Russian tanks crossed into Georgian territory, and Russian air force jets bombed Georgian airports, bases, ports and public markets. Many are dead, many more wounded. This invasion, which echoes Afghanistan in 1979 and the Prague Spring of 1968, threatens to undermine the stability of the international security system.

Continue reading Georgia's President Saakashvili On Russia's Invasion →

Energy, Media, Politics

Fossil Fuels Out-Green Biofuels

You gotta love this. If they would ever see it, it would just drive the environmental wackos (you know who you are) nuts. Did you know that it is greener to burn our fossil fuels than to produce and burn biofuels? I think this would be a hard sell to Robert Kennedy Jr. but if it’s the environment that we’re trying to impact less, then we need to get serious about actually getting more of our own oil and gas so we can be less dependent on foreign suppliers. All in one fell swoop we could increase our national security, lower the price of gasoline at the pump, and help the environment. It’s a win win win.

Increasing production of biofuels to combat climate change will release between two and nine times more carbon gases over the next 30 years than fossil fuels, according to the first comprehensive analysis of emissions from biofuels.

Biofuels look good in climate change terms from a Western perspective, said Dr Spracklen, but globally they actually lead to higher carbon emissions.

The reason is that producing biofuel is not a “green process”. It requires tractors and fertilizers and land, all of which means burning fossil fuels to make “green” fuel. In the case of bioethanol produced from corn – an alternative to oil – “it’s essentially a zero-sums game.”

NewsBusters: New Study Recommends Against Burning Biofuels to Solve Global Warming

Will be interesting to see what play, if any, this gets in your mainstream media. And I wouldn’t hold my breath for Kennedy to get on board either. Not with BIG OIL.

h/t Amy Ridenour’s National Center Blog

editor’s note: Some things are worth repeating, especially when the MSM doesn’t adequately cover them. This post was originally posted 8/23/07.

Politics, Russia, United Nations

Russia Chooses War Over Diplomacy

One day, we are looking forward to the start of the Olympic Games. Then, out of nowhere, we are looking at war between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the sovereign State of Georgia. This is a hard dose of medicinal reality that the free world must swallow, and deal with.

The suddenness of Russia’s air attacks and tank incursions against Georgia should be the wake-up call to the world that Russia is back to its old self. One could argue whether they had ever really changed, given their turning away from the concept of freedom and democracy under Putin’s first administration. Now in his second administration (under a different name), their idea of diplomacy between countries is military force, not the United Nations.

Russia uses the United Nations when it suits them, and blows them off when it doesn’t. Fact is, the U.N. is not capable of doing anything to solve this conflict. They have no experience in standing up to Russia in any fashion. If there is anything that I can agree with Putin about, it is the ineffectiveness of the United Nations to the point of their irrelevance in world affairs beyond serving as a global meals-on-wheels. The fact that he hasn’t taken whatever his gripe is with Georgia to the United Nations first, is proof of that. There hasn’t been any U.N. resolutions on the matter. Not eighteen, as in Iraq. Not even one.

This episode also makes the case for a new outlook on global security in some geopolitical organization of States other than the United Nations. Not to mention how our own presidential candidates and political parties view our role in the world and how do deal with people like Putin and countries like Russia that seem hell bent on shooting first.

And speaking of our candidates for president, all those who think that there will be unanimity in how to proceed please raise your hand. Peace through strength has been tried and worked. This is a time, if there ever was one, where the United States needs to be speaking with one voice, not just for the sake of Georgia and States like them, but for the world.

2008 Election, Politics

Al Franken Draws A Crowd Of One

Yesterday, Al Franken, Democrat candidate challenging the Senate seat of Norm Coleman (R-MN) held a roundtable on veterans issues at Brigitte’s Cafe in St. Cloud. He drew only one participant.

The other odd thing about this ‘event’ is that the one veteran that did show up, said that he was satisfied with the services he received after registering for services.  Josh John, a St. Cloud resident who said he served in the Navy from 2000-04, and the only person who showed up for the roundtable discussion, said . . .

“My mom and my aunt eventually got me to talk with my county VSO. He got me registered with the VA and since then, I haven’t had a problem. I’ve gotten a lot of help, and every question I’ve gotten answered.”

Reminds me of the book signing that Cindy Sheehan had. Too bad there are no pictures of this event.

link: Veteran gets one-on-one chat with Franken

2008 Election, Media, Politics

John Edwards Admits To Affair

Friday afternoon, if you haven’t noticed, is when bad news tends to be released. Most people, the guilty hopes, will be concentrating on other things. And, if it is political in nature and about a democrat, the media may just overlook it as well. That is why Friday is a good time to pay close attention to the news.

Today’s news is from former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC), former presidential candidate and potential VP choice for Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), finally coming out and admitting that the long ignored and discredited story by the National Enquirer was true. Well, except that he is denying that he is the baby daddy of the child born Feb 27, 2008.

No longer can the affair be blamed on right-wing kooks spreading lies printed by the National Enquirer. Although that generally goes hand in hand with the media blackout on this subject. John Edwards will be on Nightline tonight to talk on the subject. Edwards is counting on you watching the Olympics.

UPDATE 8/8/08: Saw the interview. Edwards said that Ms. Hunter’s 6 month old baby was not his. Although Edwards said he would submit to a paternity test, it became apparent that Hunter probably would not. Curiously enough, Terry Moran failed to ask him whether he ever asked Ms. Hunter who the baby daddy was.

UPDATE 8/10/08: Edwards’ ex-mistress nixes paternity test

links: John Edwards Out Of VP Consideration | Sen. John Edwards Caught With Mistress And Love Child! | Edwards admits to affair, denies fathering child

Belly up to the counter. Politics are on the menu and Ross is on the grill.