StormWarning’s Counterterrorism

As we approach the 7 year mark post Sept 11th, Americans need to be reminded about the prupose of the War on Terrorism. Actually, we shouldn’t need it. But as President Bush prepares to leave office, he is seeking to re-affirm that we are at war with al Qaeda.

Sound strange? Well, I’ve been concerned about American complacency from when the last of the public funerals of those who died in the attacks. And yet, partly because of the passage of time, and partly because the focus of attention has been on Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran as pieces of geography instead of battlegrounds in the war versus al Qaeda. It was al Qaeda that attacked us on September 11, 2001. It was al Qaeda that attacked us at the USS Cole and at the African embassies.

Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Bush’s advisers assert that many Americans may have forgotten that. So they want Congress to say so and “acknowledge again and explicitly that this nation remains engaged in an armed conflict with Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated organizations, who have already proclaimed themselves at war with us and who are dedicated to the slaughter of Americans.”

The language, part of a proposal for hearing legal appeals from detainees at the United States naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, goes beyond political symbolism. Echoing a measure that Congress passed just days after the Sept. 11 attacks, it carries significant legal and public policy implications for Mr. Bush, and potentially his successor, to claim the imprimatur of Congress to use the tools of war, including detention, interrogation and surveillance, against the enemy, legal and political analysts say.

Some lawmakers are concerned that the administration’s effort to declare anew a war footing is an 11th-hour maneuver to re-establish its broad interpretation of the president’s wartime powers, even in the face of challenges from the Supreme Court and Congress.

If not in any other way, this Global War on Terrorism has been miserably mismanaged. September 11th was not and should not be treated as a singular event in history. Aside from the fact that other al Qaeda attacks pre-date Sept. 11th, the question now is how the war will be waged following the election of the next President

Perhaps the attempt to tuck language into legislation is a bit “funky,” but the fact is that too many Americans have lost focus. Many of those Americans are on Capitol Hill. Sadly my dear reader, we have lost our way in my opinion. Paraphrasing: if we forget history, it will repeat itself. We are at a cross roads in our Nation’s history. If we choose wisely, we may actually remain vigilent and remain prepared for the coming of the next attack on our Homeland. “Choose wisely grasshopper” when voting this November. There is only one real choise, and his name is John McCain.

Global War on Terrorism

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Indeed, a fitting, yet incomplete, dedication of a cross made from the steel of the World Trade Center arrived at the Shanksville Fire Hall this weekend as part of a commemoration of the crash of Flight 93 near Shanksville Pa. The roar of 1,000 motorcycles escorted the steel beam from Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field to the site.

See the special Iron and Steel, New York City to Shanksville website here.

While this is not part of the “official” memorial that is slated to be completed on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, the 2-ton, 14-foot high cross sits on a concrete base shaped like the Pentagon at the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Co., just a few miles from where the plane crashed into a field. The cross made a 311-mile journey from Brooklyn on Saturday, accompanied by hundreds of motorcyclists, many of them current or retired New York firefighters.

The entire ceremony and day brought tears to many eyes.

As 12-year-old Matthew Barndt of Somerset sang a tribute to the fallen New York City firefighters, emotions welled at Sunday’s dedication of a cross forged from steel from the World Trade Center.

The cross, etched with the numbers “9-11-01” and emblazoned with a bronze plaque reading “Never Forget,” was placed on a hill beside the Shanksville fire hall.

CLICK FOR AN AUDIO SLIDESHOW OF SATURDAY’S EVENT

Sadly, I fear, that many of “us” have forgotten that day, have forgotten the feelings that were created that morning, and have allowed unnecessary emotions to create “clouds.”

Shanksville, World Trade Center

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Of all of the reasons to not vote for the Obama-Biden ticket (*), the one that should mean the least, in fact not even be on the radar screen is the hooey about his birth certificate. For this, I “borrow” from AJ Strata who writes in The Cult Of The COLB Crashes Into Reality:

There will always be some dupes who won’t let go (some people still don’t think we went to the moon). No wonder America has lost respect for bloggers and conservatives and politics ‘as usual’. This is a huge waste of time for anyone who really opposes Obama for President. It is akin to believing their is a hidden magical wand somewhere that will make Obama just disappear, if the right heroine or hero can just find it. Pathetic.

I’ve got very good reasons for my infrequent posting recently. Most of all is that I’ve much more important uses of my time because of business. But the reality, too, is that there are way too many people who simply don’t get it. What is “it?”

The naming of Joe Biden as his running mate does not in any way compensate for Obama’s wet behind the ears approach to foreign policy. Yes, Joe Biden is a long standing Senate expert on foreign policy. But, I would have been alot happier if it was a Biden-Obama ticket (*). Then again, many of the same people who can’t let go of the birth certificate issue (certificate of live birth), will never let go of Biden plagiarism. Do you know who the best candidate not running is? More after someone guesses.

PS: AJ is right…The birth certificate story should be dead. Wanna bet one or more of the “well known” conservative blogs pick up on it again?

certificate of live birth, Obama

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Blogging 24/7 can be stressful, and dangerous to your health. Some people take “it” (being first to scoop a story) so seriously, that they can’t do anything else but literally watch the AP wire.

Its the digital era sweat shop…the home computer!

A growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs, armed with computers and smartphones and wired to the hilt, are toiling under great physical and emotional stress created by the around-the-clock Internet economy that demands a constant stream of news and comment.

Of course, the bloggers can work elsewhere, and they profess a love of the nonstop action and perhaps the chance to create a global media outlet without a major up-front investment. At the same time, some are starting to wonder if something has gone very wrong. In the last few months, two among their ranks have died suddenly.

Pay? I don’t get paid for what I write…(is it worth anything?). Is anything that people post, especially when its only a cut/paste of someone else’s work worth it? Ask the question. Why has nothing been posted here in a week? Its called work…real work.

But if you think that blogging is a high-stress job, go try to do what I’ve been doing.

The danger factor results from high levels of stress that come with 24-hour, nonstop, sedentary reading and writing. In the world of blogging, time means everything. If you can be the first one to find, analyze, and post the news, then you can reap the rewards of the traffic it will produce, and therefore make more money, as many professional bloggers are paid per click or per post.

Keep things in perspective, despite all of the hype that bloggers are citizen journalists.

blogging, health risks

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Not only should we have seen it coming, but its all about the oil.  OK, sure, Putin wants to flex the Russian bear’s muscles, but its oil, its economics, and its another instance of shortsightedness in World affairs.

First, the missed signals and the opportunity to have acted sooner (rather than the later…in this case, the “cow/bear is out of the barn”). Anne Applebaum from the Washington Post once again and very pointedly describes the core issue in A Threat Explodes In Georgia.

Russia, by contrast, is an unpredictable power, which makes responding to Moscow more difficult. In fact, Russian politics have become so utterly opaque that it is not easy to say why this particular “frozen” conflict has escalated right now.

Most importantly (read the whole article please) is this:

In any case, the time to deal with this conflict is not now but was two, or even four, years ago. For a very long time it has been clear that there was a security vacuum in the Caucasus; that this vacuum was dangerous; that war was likely; that Georgia, an eager ally of the United States, would not emerge well from a confrontation; and that a successful invasion of Georgia, a country with U.S. troops on its soil, would reflect badly on the West. Cowardice, weakness, lack of ideas and, above all, the distraction of other events prevented any deeper engagement. And now it may be too late.

This is the very same Anne Applebaum whom I quoted in a previous post on June 9, 2007:

Cold War? What Cold War? - Just what is happening in Russia these days, and why is it that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, clearly a very intelligent and qualified person, can actually state “I have a difficult time explaining that speech. It doesn’t accord with either the world as we see it nor with the character of our interactions with the Russians.” Something just doesn’t make sense, and I believe that it goes beyond the subtlety of Anne Applebaum’s article in the Washington Post, Our Strange Devotion to the Kremlin.

Now, about the motivations and “its the oil stupid!” As I observed the other day in Uncle Vlad, etc.:

Cold war with missiles aimed at each other? Probably or maybe not. Nuclear diplomacy? Watch and see, There is a reason for Putin and Ahmadinejad playing with eachother sub-rosa. But its more likely about the oil (”stupid”) and about Putin seeing the economic power of the European Union. I suspect that he literally sees a reforming of the Soviet Union as a means to the end of economic power, as well as a re-emergence of Russia as a World power.

In an event likely to be related to the Russian invasion of Ossetia, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was struck by PKK (Kurdish Workers Party):

The BTC pipeline was hit by an explosion on Turkish territory on Aug. 5, two days before the conflict began over the South Ossetia region and the oil flow had halted. Turkish officials and the operator company, BP, had said the line was not affected by the conflict between Georgia and Russia.

AND (IMPORTANTLY)

An adviser to the Russian parliament also claimed the closed pipeline would not be opened again and declared the line is “dead”.

“The world and countries in the region have seen that not NATO, but Russia is the only one who could secure the energy routes,” Alexander Dugin, international politics advisor to the Russia’s Duma, told Turkish Cumhuriyet daily.

“In this context, regarding Turkey’s energy politics, it should be said that the BTC is not running at the moment and it will not run again.”

Have you any doubts? Consider this. I don’t work for the gov’t or any analyst group (although I do write “real” articles elsewhere). Why is it so clear (and has been for quite some time) to me that Russia through Putin’s aspirations was about to re-assert itself, when the Administration, even as recently as this week, can say that the times of the Cold War are over? Don’t believe this? Here:

“The cold war is over,” President Bush declared Friday, but a new era of enmity between the United States and Russia has emerged nevertheless. It may not be as tense as the nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union, for now, but it could become as strained.

Russia’s military offensive into Georgia has shattered, perhaps irrevocably, the strategy of three successive presidential administrations to coax Russia into alliance with the West and integration into its institutions.

Cold War over? Think again! But, President Bush at his Crawford Ranch and elsewhere has said of Putin, “I call him Vladimir.”

Its so plain and simple…as written in the NY Post article, Raping Georgia:

The Kremlin is determined to break Georgia’s will - and keep the feisty republic out of NATO.

Russia, you see, still believes it’s entitled to all of its former empire. And, tragically, “Old Europe” is back: Yesterday, Germany and other nervous European states bought the Russian line that Georgia is the aggressor. Wouldn’t want to anger Moscow…

While we see Russian tanks and aggression, it is, ultimately, about oil and economics, and about Uncle Vladimir re-asserting the power and influence of the once (and future) “mighty Russian bear” as a pseudo-Super Power. Other material available in Right Truth’s discussion of Russia’s invasion of Georgia, here.

Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan oil pipeline, U.S. State Dept.

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From a friend’s email. If you were around in 1919 (just before prohibition started) and came upon the following poster…Seriously, would you quit drinking?  Pucker up

Look at those pusses (faces/mugs)!  Almost makes me want a tall straight JD.  Of course, there is a difference between quitting and stopping. One is definitive and the other could be temporary. All from the Women’s Temperance Union.

Womens Temperance Union

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Almost unthinkably, Arab women who normally must wear a diving suit-like head-to-toe covering on mixed beaches can now wear bikinis on women only beaches! How liberal is that? This is happening only in Egypt where women shed their Sharia veils and undress to bikinis or one piece suits.

Welcome to “La Femme”, French for “The Woman”, in the posh resort of Marina, where women can lounge on sunbeds, tan, join in a daily belly-dance contest or breastfeed their babies shielded by barriers of palm tree branches from the prying eyes of men.

It is gated and shielded and costs $14 dollars on week days and $16 on weekends. Not suprisingly, this is causing quite a stir.

A security guard posted a few yards outside the beach club argued that such places catering to the whims of women were just another form of “decadence”.

A motorist agreed.

“These women should fear God, not men,” he said, asking why they could not keep the belly-dancing for home and family events.

How’s that for your Pavlov moment? Somewhat of a visual jihad???

MARINA Egypt, sharia swimsuit, Sharia veil

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Reality to many is that the World has returned to great instability, although there some among “us” who have known all along that GWOT was intertwined with Global Politics. The question I have is why “we” (our government) are suprised by any of this!

So, what have we got? Long past, I wrote about Uncle Vlad’s desire to re-establish some semblance of the old Soviet Union. Certainly not with the trappings of Soviet Communism. It doesn’t matter, well maybe it does. A Russian form of capitalism, or the oligarchic structure could offer more complex issues for an insensitive U.S. government. What was it, just a few months ago when “all seeing and all knowing” Condoleeza Rice said, “I have a difficult time explaining that speech. It doesn’t accord with either the world as we see it nor with the character of our interactions with the Russians.” That was February 21, 2007 for whoever is watching and listening. WTF?

And back on January 1, 2008 I wrote:

At one point, we were all worried about the misplaced Russian nuclear material and the possibilty that it could be used as the “dirt” in a “dirty bomb.” In the year 2007, we also witnessed a mystery of the radiation poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko…while Putin was “implicated” by Litvinenko’s dying words, no proof emerged. And yet, Vladimir Putin has now emerged as the new Russian bear. Earlier in 2007 I wrote of the coming of the new or second Cold War…it is here! With Russian supplying HEU to Iran for its soon to be activated reactor, Russia is once again emerging as a World power…doubt that? Watch as 2008 brings a new Russian-US confrontation. Finally, one cannot look at Russia and the futur without considering the Chechyn situation…brewing for more than a decade now. Muslim uprising in Chechnya is always a possibility. Given Russia’s new Bear, however, I have to believe that an uprising will result in significant bloodshed.

My Xmas Eve statement was this, Iranian Reactor to Open in 2008:

I believe that we (the Bush Administration) continue to underestimate the renewed power and intentions of Vladimir Putin. Yet, according to one publication, The BulletinOnline, this helps the cause of non-proliferation. The thinking here is that if Russia supplies the HEU to Iran and removes the material, then Iran will not continue its own development, and the uses of the fuel will be more controlled. The question is whether anyone wants to trust Russia and Vladimir and Ahmadinejad.

- AND -

One must ask the serious question is we are watching as this is happening, and what we are planning to do. These deals are being couched as economic and trade…not offensive. Clearly, the Russian bear is revived, and the situation bears watching in 2008 as one of the critical International and National security issues. The question is whether anyone wants to trust Russia and Vladimir.

In October 2007, I wrote, Observing the Game(s) of International Chess and Bluffing

Its time to look at the big picture again and comment on a few of the intriguing chess moves being played out on the World’s stages: Russia and Iran, Turkey-Iraq, China and Tibet. There is alot of stuff going on in the World these days and “All the World’s a Stage.” The answer to the real question lies in figuring out who is bluffing and who isn’t.

[SKIP]

Putin is not bluffing.  He goes to Iran in spite of the assassination threat?  I’ve been making the point for quite some time now that Putin is tired of the U.S. being the only Superpower…he is reasserting the Russian Bear…and frankly, in his plans of installing his own man as his replacement, and leaving the path open for his own return, possibly even laying the groundwork for another “long term” Russian leader (read that “dictator”).  I have made it very clear that I believe we are the verge of a new Cold War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, arrives at Mehrabad International airport in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007. Putin arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for a historic visit to hold talks on Iran’s nuclear program and attend a Caspian sea summit. The visit, the first by a Kremlin leader since World War II, is taking place despite warnings of a possible assassination plot and amid hopes that a round of personal diplomacy could help offer a solution to an international standoff on Iran’s nuclear program.(AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian) (Hasan Sarbakhshian - AP)

FOLLOW THESE POSTS TO SEE:
Cold War - Perception versus Reality (UPDATED - I started writing this post a few days ago before “my day job” created its own furor. One man’s perception is another’s reality. It is thus difficult for me to accept a blanket statement by President Bush that “the cold war is over” considering the continuing rhetoric spewed by Vladimir Putin. Saying that “we don’t believe in a zero sum world,” President Bush was on his way to the G8 meeting where he would have a meeting with Vladimir (because George calls him Vladimir.

Cold War? What Cold War? - Just what is happening in Russia these days, and why is it that Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, clearly a very intelligent and qualified person, can actually state “I have a difficult time explaining that speech. It doesn’t accord with either the world as we see it nor with the character of our interactions with the Russians.” Something just doesn’t make sense, and I believe that it goes beyond the subtlety of Anne Applebaum’s article in the Washington Post, Our Strange Devotion to the Kremlin.

The Second Coming - Cold War II - Not unnoticed in some circles was the bombast of Vladimir Putin’s speech last week denouncing the U.S. as “overstepping its boundaries” worldwide. The question being posed, dear readers, is whether this White House understands the implications of Putin’s outspokenness…

DEAR READERS, I am but an observer and interpreter, I am not an analyst in the true sense of the word. But someone needs to be asking the very obvious WTF questions of those who are!

We are seeing a re-emergence of the old Soviet model. Instead of communsim, we have their form of capitalism, along with Putin’s interpretation of old KGB tactics. Implications?

- Russian influence on peaceful settlement of any Mideast conflict
- geopolitical control or influence by U.S. vewrsus Russia in Central Asia is in play
- will NATO continue its role in Afghanistan (withdrawal could further destabilize region)
- what role will Russia have in that region?
- a reinstatement of a cold war like mentality between middle Europe (land locked) versus ocean states

Cold war with missiles aimed at each other? Probably or maybe not. Nuclear diplomacy? Watch and see, There is a reason for Putin and Ahmadinejad playing with eachother sub-rosa.  But its more likely about the oil (”stupid”) and about Putin seeing the economic power of the European Union.  I suspect that he literally sees a reforming of the Soviet Union as a means to the end of economic power, as well as a re-emergence of Russia as a World power.

And what of “cousin Pervez?” He is likely to be impeached or otherwise removed from his position as President. This instability shouldn’t be tolerable, but somehow…

Ahmadinejad, Musharraf, Putin

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Sorry, but its time for some Redneck Humor. With all of the over load of politics these days (you already know who you’re voting for, but why are you trying to influence other peoples’ votes???), its time for some good ‘ole politically incorrect humor (even if you’ve seen them before).

You might be a Redneck if…

This is your Harley

Redneck Bass Fishin’ Boat

Redneck Grill

Redneck Lawnmower

Redneck Pet Carrier

Redneck Guest Bedrooms

Redneck Palm Pilot

Redneck Yacht

You might be a redneck if…

You need fashion tips from your husband (can this woman be serious???)

Your engagement picture looks like this (the caption on this idiot’s shirt reads: “If I threw a Stick, Would You Leave?”)

Or if your wife is quoted in the local newspaper as saying

And I guess a final point, you are definitely and most decidedly a redneck if you take offense at any of this. PS: I won’t be neglecting my few dedicated readers the next few days. I just have serious business shit to take care of (dontcha just hate ending sentences like that?).

PS: According to my friend Moon, “the key to being a true redneck is the ability to make something useful out of something that serves no use.”

redneck humor

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Despite all of the “security” and worries over terror threats at the Beijing Olympics, relatives of the US Men’s Volleyball coach were attacked by a knife wielding Chinese man who fatally stabbed the husband and wounded the wife and Chinese guide at a tourist site in downtown Beijing.

The attacker then jumped to his death from the second story of the Drum Tower, an ancient structure in the heart of Beijing which was used to tell time in the Imperial era.

The dramatic killing cast a shadow over the first full day of Olympic competition. The attack occurred despite an overwhelming security presence in the city, and marred the Chinese government’s efforts to showcase the country as open and welcoming to foreigners.

The victims are Todd and Barbara Bachman, the parents of former U.S. women’s volleyball player Elisabeth “Wiz” Bachman, according to a member of the team’s delegation who asked not to be identified because no official statements were being given. The Bachmans are from Minnesota. Wiz Bachman, a member of the 2004 Olympic team, is married to Hugh McCutcheon, the coach of the men’s team.

The attacker’s National ID card (China has them) identified the attacker as Tang Yongming, a 47-year-old man from the eastern city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province.

Although Beijing is a city of 17 million, its streets are generally safe and few residents fear walking alone even in the middle of the night.

It is illegal for private Chinese citizens to own guns.

Still, there are regular reports of violent incidents throughout the country by people who lash out in frustration over government corruption or injustice. For example, a man who was angry over a rough police interrogation in Shanghai recently walked into the station and stabbed and killed six police officers and wounded four others.

Attacks against tourists are rare, but the U.S. embassy has warned they are on the rise.

Just random violence? Or is it an example of things to come? The Chinese government can hardly afford to have street violence mar their Olympics.

Bachman, Beijing Olympics

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A big “thanks” to Texas Fred for helping to get the word out on this topic.

I have also noticed an unsolicited link/trackback to this post from a “conservative” website named “Free Brittania” their post in which offensive and mistaken inuendo is made. I’ve said that you cannot disavow statements by other people who a blogger specifically and knowingly cross posts information from another source. However, in this case, I disavow all connection of this post to any post elsewhere where the entire religion of Islam is referred to (as in this case), “muzzies.” There is no accounting for what other people think, or their capacity to deal with the World on a rational basis. - EOM

Rep. Peter King (NY-3) has called upon the Metropolitan Transit Authority in NY City to remove 1000 ads that promote Islam. This is a pre-emptive move by a seriously patriotic Congressman who, along with his constituents, suffered through the Sept. 11th attacks, and who strongly believes in his mission.  While I am not sure that I’ve ever seen a list of September 11 victims by Congressional District, its a good bet that King’s constituents were very hard hit.

“I have no problem with the ad itself, but I have a very, very real problem with those behind it,” Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said Tuesday. He is urging the Metropolitan Transit Authority to reject the ads.

The main sponsor is a grass-roots organization, Islamic Circle of North America.  One of the backers of these ads is Siraj Wahhaj, imam of a Brooklyn mosque. Wahhaj was the first Muslim to lead a prayer before the House of Representatives, but Wahhaj was also a character witness for the “blind Sheikh,” convicted 1993 World Trade Center bombing. According to King, Wahhaj is “…known Islamic extremist, and you would be giving him credibility and stature through a known government facility.”

That “midget of a mayor,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg defends the ads under the 1st Amendment and freedom of speech! Indeed, Mr. Mayor, let those ads run seven years after the September 11th atrocities.

Congressman Peter King, Islamic Circle of North America, MTA Subway ads, Siraj Wahhaj

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