I have a long way to go in race relations in the USA.

I spoke with several people today. People I know and mostly respect. 

I asked some straight forward questions when negative comments were made about Ferguson. One negative comment was, "As soon as the black officer arrived everything was fine." 

So, I asked, "Do you think there is racism in the USA?"

Answers: "Yes, in the past and still today."

Question: "Do you think Blacks hate Whites." (All those I asked were Caucasian.)

Answer: "Most definitely."

Question: "Do you believe there are bad people in the world?"

Answer: "Yes, there are good people and bad people."

Question: "Was Michael Brown, Jr. a bad person?"

Answer: "He stole, didn't he. Are you going to tell us he was a good person?"

Reply, "Yes, I believe he was a young, black man with great potential and everything anyone states is that he was on the right path to success and a happy life."

Question: "You stated Michael Brown, Jr. was a bad person. Did he deserve to die for stealing a package of cigars, if indeed he did steal them?"

Answer: "No, of course not, but, he did steal and I sincerely don't know the particulars of the circumstances that lead to his death. But, if the police officer felt threatened he would defend himself."

Reply: "The missing cigars was not the reason he died. The officer involved, Darren Wilson, did not know about any theft. Michael Brown was participating in demonstrations and he was wounded with one shot by Wilson when he was walking away from the officer after he was told to stop. After Michael Brown, Jr. was shot the first time he stopped and turned with his hands up and Darren Wilson continued to shot him twice more, one in the chest and one in the abdomen. Michael Brown, Jr. fell to the ground and died on the street without a jury, charges or a trial. He died innocently enough, in fear for his life and without the benefit of an EMT or emergency room. Now, do you think he should have died?"

Answer: "There needs to be an investigation." (all stated the same thing)

Reply: "This problem is not about young, black men, although they are frequently the victim. This is about over use of force in our society whereby innocent people without resources and/or good choices and/or social clout are gunned down like animals about to attack a police officer. This is about who has the power to kill and the use of this power. There have been investigations across this country without any police officer going to trial. What occurs after the deaths of these citizens is a lot of shifting of blame and very little acceptance of responsibility or acknowledgement there is something very wrong in this country. The other reason this is not a high priority is because the majority of victims are black. Do you remember the death of Trayvon Martin?"

Answer: "Yes, that was wrong. Zimmerman should be serving time in prison. He stalked the young man and if I were Trayvon I would have fought Zimmerman, too." 

Reply: "Do you think Trayvon was shot because he was black."

Answer: "I don't know." 

Reply: "If you don't know then how can you say Black People hate White People? Isn't that something you don't know, too."

We have a lot of work to do in this country. Our minorities are poorer and segregated and their importance to any city or town isn't necessarily important. They aren't really neighbors. They aren't seen walking to the public school bus everyday. They aren't seen cutting the grass or trimming the hedges or planting annuals every spring. They are marginalized and when there is 'law enforcement talk' about any questionable killing it is the police officer provided with reasonable doubt and without question. All my personal contacts are people I would consider to be reasonable, open minded and fair. I was completely shocked at their opinions. 

There is a lot of racism yet and the media has to carry their fair share of responsibility for the prejudice and mind think. They are carrying the news, the prejudice is built in.

The Ferguson Police department just indicted itself.

The police officer involved in the shooting stated he didn't know anything about a robbery. AND. A video tape and one sided complaint does not make a robbery either. It is unclear what transpired between the people in the convenience store. 

But, to place that video into the public venue indicts the Ferguson police department in victimizing those they believe to be 'bad people.' There are no bad people in Ferguson, there are people. 

It seems to me the Ferguson police department are afraid of people in the city. To announce the name of the officer involved in the shooting somehow was license to defame the victim of the shooting. The convenience store episode is completely unrelated to the shooting, yet to release that is to say, "Michael Brown, Jr. had it coming." 

The store episode could have been solved by calling his parents and asking them to straighten out the situation. I was called when my sons were younger to bring about an understanding and how to resolve it. A box of cigars? You've got to be joking. What is that a misdemeanor of petty larceny? That is a fine in court not a death sentence.

August 15, 2014
By Yamiche Alcindor, Marisol Bello and Aamer Madhani
USA TODAY

FERGUSON, Mo. — Michael Brown (click here) was identified as a suspect in a strong-arm robbery of a box of cigars moments before he was shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson, police said Friday.

However, in an afternoon press conference by Ferguson, Mo. Police Chief Thomas Jackson, said the two incidents were not related. He said Wilson did not know about the robbery when he confronted and then shot Brown, whose death spurred violent protests and unrest in the St. Louis suburb over the past week.

Wilson stopped Brown and a friend because "they were in the middle of the street, blocking traffic," Jackson said....

I am very worried about this community and it's relationship with the police. There needs to be a change in leadership.

Storms damaged 35% to 50% of homes in Metro Detroit.

By Niraj Warikoo, Christian Hall and Robert Allen 
Detroit Free Press

Aug. 14--The damage done (click here) by Monday's heavy rains and flooding across metro Detroit became increasingly clear today as debris from waterlogged homes continues to pile up.

About 40% of homes and commercial properties in Dearborn were flooded or had sewer backups in their basement as a result of the storm, city officials said. And reports are still coming in. Warren reports about one-third of homes affected, and about 50 percent of Ferndale's homes were flooded, according toFerndale Mayor Dave Coulter's Facebook page.

In cities near I-75 and I-696, among other flood-affected areas, curbs are littered with trash bags, carpeting and countless odds and ends pulled from basements. The tri-county area was declared a disaster area by Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday....

...Dearborn got hit with 6 inches of rain on Monday, the second-highest amount among all cities in metro Detroit, according to the National Weather Service. Earlier this week, more than 75% of "Dearborn's roads, including state, local and county roads and main arteries were flooded and impassable," the city said in a statement.

City Hall has been "extensively damaged" by flooding. And more than 85 cars were towed out of floodwaters....

August 15, 2014
11:32 UTC
MT Satellite of Australia and New Zealand (click here for loop - thank you)

Strong winds and massive tides battered Wellington's south coast last night, causing a fishing boat to break from its moorings and an esplanade to be covered in debris.

The Esplanade in Island Bay was closed for an hour this morning while boulders, rocks and seaweed were cleaned up....

...Gusty southerlies and swells of up to seven metres had caused the debris, MetService meteorologist Liz Walsh said.

"A mean wind speed of 72 km/h was recorded at the airport between midnight and 5am," she said.

"We also recorded gusts of around 100 km/h so it was well into a gale."

A gust of 105 km/h was also recorded further north in the city....

August 15, 2014
1317 gmt
The Weather Channel's Western Pacific Ocean Satellite

There is no consistent ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone).


August 14, 2014
By Robin Burks

A new study (click here) shows that as global warming continues, Antarctica's ice shelves may melt faster than initially thought and add up to 14 inches to sea levels by the end of the century.

The study, done by an international team of scientists, used data collected about Antarctica and climate change and plugged that into computer models. The models showed startling results: Antarctica may soon be the top source of rising sea levels faster than scientists previously believed if greenhouse gases continue to increase at their current level....

August 15, 2014

1326 gmt

The Weather Channel South Pole Satellite

Australia is at 6 o'clock. There are multiple vortexes transferring heat from the Equator into the Antarctica continent.

There are already models for coastal flooding and cities below sea level. The Netherlands and now even Europe have massive dam structures to protect cities. New Orleans is among the newest to enter into this class of city. It's pumping system is world class and protects the city from flooding. There is plenty of information to draw from already proven to work. The USA doesn't have to reinvent the wheel, there exists tried and true methods.

August 15, 2014

It might have been a slow start (click here) to the ski season but snow is falling thick and fast on the ski fields now, forecasters say.

With a full two-metre snow base now on both Whakapapa and Turoa ski fields, Mt Ruapehu's snow trails were looking the best they had in years, operations and trails manager Steve Manunui said....

..."Over the last 72 hours there has been an accelerated and significant snowfall on Mt Ruapehu.

"Both ski areas are wearing their new white winter coats with pride. We've hit the sweet spot in terms of snow levels and with the fantastic forecasted conditions this weekend, now is prime time for skiers and riders to come enjoy the fresh snow."

The whole mountain would be opening this weekend.

MetService said all the ski fields were having the same fortune....

July 22, 2014

Last month (click here) was the hottest June since record-keeping began in 1880, according to a monthly report by US government climate scientists.

The combined average temperature over land and ocean surfaces was a "record high for the month at 61.20 Fahrenheit (16.22 Celsius)," said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration....

Alaska had the 2nd wettest June since 1918 only behind 1980.

34% of the continguous USA experienced drought.

Hurricane Christina (June 9 - 15, 2014) reached 240 km/hr winds, the second such storm in 1918 in the East Pacific.

Antarctica Sea Ice Extent was 9.6 percent above normal since the continental melting distributed larger amounts of frigid water into the circumpolar ocean circulation.

New Zealand had the warmest June (It is winter in the southern hemisphere) since records were kept in 1909.

Australia had significant drought with rainfall 32% less nationally and 72% less in Western Australia.

India has rainfall deficits of 57% nationally with regional deficits of 39% to 74%.

Europe and Africa have experienced a much warmer June with some records reaching in the top 10% of all records.

Taken alone, the ocean's global surface temperature in June was the highest for any month on record, breaking the past record set in 1998, NOAA added.

July 17, 2014

Harsher storms, (click here) worsening flooding and rising seas threaten the public's safety and health across the country, President Barack Obama warned Wednesday as he urged local communities to prepare for the effects of climate change.

Joined by top federal officials and local, state and tribal leaders at the White House, Obama said communities experiencing negative effects firsthand know that climate change is already upon us. He said boosting the nation's resilience and fighting climate change shouldn't be a partisan issue for lawmakers in Washington....

HMNZS Wellington weathers a storm during sea trials in the Southern Ocean

Ferguson, Missouri has international focus.

What so many realize is the failure of freedom, democracy and the USA Constitution. This isn't just about the shooting death of one young black man with a life full of promise, this is about the treatment of an entire segment of American society which cause their premature deaths. The bullets are judge and jury. The streets of the USA are now the courtrooms. This has to stop.

August 15, 2014

...“We want the law (officers) (click here) to keep the law, not break the law,” says fellow protester Denise James, who believes prayers rather than violence will help change race relations for the better. “Officers shouldn’t use their authority in the wrong way – treat people like you would want to be treated.”

Residents of this predominantly African-American community are furious that Brown, who was to start college on Monday, was shot multiple times after an altercation with a police officer. The teenager was known as a "gentle giant" by his Normandy High School teachers. The teenager was wearing shorts and thongs and was clearly unarmed, according to witnesses Tiffany Mitchell, Piaget Crenshaw and Dorian Johnson.

After trying to run away from the officer in a patrol car, witnesses say Brown stopped after being hit by a bullet, before putting his hands up. He was then allegedly shot multiple times by the police officer who had pursued him on foot. His body remained on the street for hours before being removed....

I might add the focus of anger at some convenience stores is not unusual during racial riots in the USA. In past riots when the smoke cleared and angry young black men are able to speak to the reason for the looting and violence lies a pattern within the community of acquiring alcohol from these stores. There is a lot of frustration in these communities with such stores and the reliance on them as a food source as well. The communities try to turn the corner on alcohol addition, but, it is increasingly difficult when incorporated into their lifestyle is a store that is the only source or frequent source of food. That reality may seem silly to some, but, it is a real focus of frustration by the community.

Ebola's toll continues to increase.

August 16, 2014

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) The World Health Organization says beds in Ebola treatment centers in West Africa are filling up faster than they can be provided.

Spokesman Gregory Hartl said in Geneva Friday that the flood of patients to newly opened treatment centers shows that the outbreak's size is far larger than official counts show. WHO said Thursday that recorded death and case tolls may "vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak."

Hartl said that an 80-bed treatment center opened in Liberia's capital in recent days filled up immediately. The next day, dozens more people showed up to be treated.

According to WHO figures, the outbreak, which began in Guinea and has spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, has killed more than 1,060 people and sickened nearly 2,000.  

It is time to quarantine this area of any travel, except, for essential medical personnel. The medical treatment facilities are overwhelmed. Humanitarian relief needs to replace the economy that obviously will fail without tourism and trade. 


August 15, 2014

Geneva: The Ebola crisis in west Africa (click here) is outstripping the ability of aid organisations to stem the epidemic, the head of international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said Friday, likening it to a war.

"It is deteriorating faster, and moving faster, than we can respond to," Joanne Liu told reporters a day after returning from a 10-day mission to the hard-hit region.

"It is like war time. There is fear," she said.

"It's moving, and advancing, but we have no clue how it's going. Like in a war time, we have a total collapse of infrastructure," she added.

The outbreak started at the beginning of this year in the forested border zone between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and has also spread to Nigeria.

While Guinea had initially been the hotbed, the pace of the outbreak there has slowed, with concerns now focused on the other countries, notably Liberia.

"If we don't stabilise Liberia, we'll never stabilise the region," said Liu.

August 15, 2014

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) (click here) has banned athletes from west African countries affected by the deadly Ebola virus from competing in some events at the Youth Olympics, starting in China this weekend.

The IOC released a statement on Friday saying that while there were no suspected cases, organisers had decided to bar three athletes from competing in combat sports and events in the pool as a precaution.

"We have been reassured by the health authorities that there have been no suspected cases and that the risk of infection is extremely unlikely," the statement read.

"Together we have developed a policy which balances the health needs of all, with respect for the rights of the young athletes from the region."

The IOC said the decision to ban some athletes from competing had been made in conjunction with the organising committee from Nanjing under the guidance of the World Health Organization....

  

The preliminary talks were just place holders. It was to set the terms for the final accord.

August 16, 2014

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's foreign minister says it is unlikely to reach a final nuclear accord with world powers by a November deadline.

Parliament's news website on Friday quoted Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying that even if a general agreement is reached by the deadline, the two sides will require more time to discuss details. "Hence, it is unlikely to reach a final conclusion before a four-month span," he was quoted as saying.

Iran and the P5+1 group -- the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany -- in July extended their nuclear talks until November.

Western powers have long suspected Iran is secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program, charges denied by Tehran.

I can't imagine it is easy surrendering to the law, either. So, what is the hurry with the guns?

We only have two arms. Not four. So, I don't know how this message becomes any clearer. It is the person receiving the message that has the problem. It simply is. When one person expresses no resistance to law enforcement and isn't honored to that reality, what is wrong with the other party in this?

For god's sake, what is everyone seeing?

This is Wesley Snipes. He was pursued and eventually was arrested for all non-violent charges. He served time and is out performing again. What is there to be afraid of? He is a citizen, did something wrong and surrendered to police. He is alive today after he served his time. I don't know what other people see and I don't know why a police officer believes it is okay if people are dead when they wanted to live and accept their circumstances.

I think Governor Nixon is concerned for the community in Ferguson.

We can't bring Mike Brown back, but, we can stop the insane reaction by police to young black men. Governor Nixon is correct in that this is a national problem. We know it is and we have to find a way forward.

Protest is a necessary part of our society and the Governor stated "...people have to be heard. And not just that they are talking, but, as they speak we open our ears." He is absolutely correct. The only way out of the maze of tensions that spawned some of the most aggressive police tactics to date is communication. Sincere and honest communication to bring about understanding by the community and the authorities. I can't believe there are SWAT teams delivering legal documents to citizen's doors. That has to stop wherever it is instituted. 

Our national and even state funding programs for law enforcement have to be realistic. When the day to day life of people become bizarre there is something really wrong. I am sure the USA can do better. 

I am sure it doesn't matter much, but, I had tears in my eyes while the Governor spoke. Mike Brown's loss is felt by many across this country and it is being repeated. It has to stop. I look forward to the Governor being successful as well as the community to bring forth their grievances and having their problems solved.

FERGUSON, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon (click here) announced Thursday that the Missouri Highway Patrol will take control of security in Ferguson and that the unit in the embattled town would be overseen by a native son, Capt. Ron Johnson

"What's gone on here over the last few days is not what Missouri is about. It's not what Ferguson is about. This is a place where people work, go to school, raise their families, go to church," Nixon said. "But lately it's looked a little bit more like a war zone and that's unacceptable."

Johnson, who grew up in Ferguson, said people need to show respect to each other.

"It means a lot to me personally that we this break cycle of violence, heal tension and build trust," Johnson said....      

It's sexier being a ISIL radical. It is a populous movement to save the people of Syria.

I suppose arming the Syrian rebels and abandoned USA munitions and hardware was a gift from god. Well done, McCain.

Egyptian Islam Yakin who has joined the jihadist Islamic State group. Cairo: A gym freak, a fan of rap music and a philanderer, Islam Yakin, 22, has recently raised many eyebrows in his homeland Egypt after joining the Islamic State, an Al-Qaida splinter group in control of vast swathes of Iraq and Syria.PHOTO COURTESY:ORGANISER

August 14, 2014
By Ramadan al Sherbini

Cairo: A gym freak, (click here) a fan of rap music and a philanderer, Islam Yakin, 22, has recently raised many eyebrows in his homeland Egypt after joining the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), an Al Qaida splinter group in control of vast swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Yakin studied high school at the French Lycee la Liberte in the eastern Cairo quarter of Heliopolis and earned a law degree at Ain Shams University in the Egyptian capital.

Months after his graduation in 2013, the multilingual man disappeared from Egypt only to surprise his friends later with posts on social media saying he is in Syria fighting along with Islamist militants against troops of President Bashar Al Assad....

Well, of course, CEO McMillion wants stronger sales, so when is he going to raise the pay rates of his employees?

I hardly call $1.21 per share poverty. When are the Walmart employees going to be recognized in their collective bargaining organizations to provide better wages and benefits?

The average Walmart employee earns $19,105 per year while the former CEO earned $20 million per year.

Jim Walton (click here) is ranked by Forbes as 11th WORLD'S billionaires with a net worth of $34.6 billion.

What is wrong with the USA economy? Walmart. It currently employs 2.2 million globally and is the largest employer of Americans paying them poverty wages.

Walmart met analyst expectations (click here) for the second quarter with earnings per share of $1.21 and a 0.6% profit increase.

Walmart reported $4.1 billion in net income Thursday. The retailer posted $119.3 billion in net sales, up 2.8% from last year's $116.1 billion.

Analysts expected earnings per share of $1.21, according to FactSet.

Sales at Walmart U.S. stores open at least a year were flat, continuing a weak trend for the retailer at home. Prior to this quarter, Walmart's U.S. stores had seen five straight quarters of sales declines and six straight quarters of customer traffic declines.

CEO Doug McMillon said in a company statement that he wants to see stronger sales in the U.S. but overall is pleased with the results....      

This has been happening across the USA. Michigan communities were flooded by same storm.

This is an improvement over Palestine.

How many did the USA personnel find dead?

August 14, 2014
By David Wroe

US military advisers (click here) say there are ‘‘far fewer’’ refugees stranded on a mountain in northern Iraq than previously thought, meaning the prospects of an immediate international rescue mission have receded.

After a small team of fewer than 20 US troops landed on Mount Sinjar to assess the refugee crisis, the Pentagon issued a statement saying that ‘‘an evacuation mission is far less likely’’ than previously thought.

US Defence Department officials said that air strikes and Kurdish fighters had broken the mountain siege, allowing thousands of trapped Yazidis to escape, The New York Times reported....

Police Chief Thomas Jackson needs to resign.

You've got to be joking.

Jackson has a grossly out of balance number of minorities in his police department and a death of a young black man by the gun of a police officer and this is his response?

The officer involved needs to be suspended and the investigation opened up to the public with daily reports that include eyewitness reports.

I suppose he believes this aggressive front by the police is going to improve relations with the community. Well, guess what, it's not. Learning anything yet, Jackson?

Those young black men in this community need good jobs, when are they going to be able to enter into law enforcement to their communities?

Everyday that goes by and there are violent confrontations with police it tells the community the police department has already decided it wasn't their problem. You see all those young black men? Yes? You know what their thinking? That is Jackson's first mistake. He should know what they are thinking. But, let me make a guess, "If I am going to die with a police bullet then I'll do it tonight." In mass. Every young black man in Ferguson is now shot by a police officer and going to make it real.

Enough. Jackson needs to go.

(Reuters) - Police in Ferguson, Missouri, (click here) fired tear gas, stun grenades and smoke bombs to disperse some 350 protesters late Wednesday, the fourth night of racially charged demonstrations after police shot to death an unarmed black teen.

Some demonstrators hurled rocks at police as others scattered, while smoke engulfed the area. A Reuters reporter saw two young men preparing what looked like petrol bombs in a bus-stop shelter, their faces covered by bandanas. Police said protesters had thrown petrol bombs at officers.

Protesters have gathered every night since Saturday when 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot to death in the mostly black suburb of St. Louis, during what authorities said was a struggle over a gun in a police car. Some witnesses say he was outside the car with his hands up.

Police have deployed camouflage-clad officers in body armor, including one manning a rifle on a tripod atop an armored car, to Ferguson....

POWs ?

If the civil war has resulted in an opposition force that is depleted, Ukraine has the option to offer them amnesty if they surrender their weapons and end the assault.

Allow them to return to their families and perhaps even a job. They can resume a normal life while pledging their loyalties to a free country.

Russian communists certainly know how to be regimented.

I didn't notice the Ukraine Civl War was over. Sending supplies to an opposition force is supporting them. If the opposition force in the Ukraine civil war needs this much in the way of supplies, they can't be in very good condition at this point. But, according to some reports the trucks have been hijacked within Russia. Scary. 

2000 deaths is not a minor issue. Russia needs to bring their involvement to an end. Supply the opposition forces doesn't seem to be the right path for these people. There should be clear communication between the parties to end this conflict. It isn't going to achieve anything.

Trucks of Russian humanitarian convoy wait at the location outside Voronezh some 400 km outside Moscow Photo: AFP/Getty Images

August 13, 2014
By Roland Oliphant
Moscow

Ukraine (click here) accused Moscow of mounting a cynical attempt to incite a pro-Russian rebellion on Wednesday, as uncertainty surrounded a 262-truck "aid convoy" that appeared to grind to a halt before reaching the border.

The stand-off came as violence worsened in eastern Ukraine, with the United Nations announcing that the death toll in the four-month conflict had doubled in the past two weeks to more than 2,000.

Government forces are seeking to press their advantage against the pro-Russian rebels, which has stoked fears that the aid convoy is part of a Russian plan to fend off the rebels' seemingly inevitable defeat.

"The level of Russian cynicism knows no bounds," said Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the Ukrainian prime minister. "First they send tanks, Grad missiles and bandits who fire on Ukrainians – and then they send water and salt."

Arsen Avakov, Ukraine's interior minister, had said the "Putinist" convoy would not pass, calling it a "provocation by a cynical aggressor"....

Typical Mind Speak

The consulates in Erbil and elsewhere need to be evacuated now. In the past when the USA troops conducted humanitarian aid it wasn't in a war zone. They really think we were only born yesterday and naive to all the lies.

Haiti - earthquake

Thailand - earthquake and tsunami

August 12, 2014
By Luis Martinez and and Elisa Widerlite Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (click here) has announced that the United States has sent a new 130 member military assessment team to Erbil in northern Iraq to determine what further assistance the U.S. can provide in easing the humanitarian crisis of thousands of Yazidis trapped at Mount Sinjar.   For now, the United States has provided five airdrops of food and water to the Yazidis and conducted 18 airstrikes targeting ISIS fighters  surrounding the mountain or who were approaching Erbil....

This is NOT a humanitarian effort. It is seeking to protect people from death because there is a civil war.

This is an acceptable definition of Humanitarian Aid: Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster.

The Yazidis need to get to a refugee camp. That is a combat mission and has absolutely nothing to do with humanitarian aid. How do I know this? It has been all over the television. Bullets, helicopters and where the two meet that is a war.

...The new deployment to Erbil will raise to 935 the number of U.S. military personnel now in Iraq, including 100 who were already in Iraq serving at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad....

Sixty days after the first deployment there is additional deployments. Is there absolutely no one able to give an assessment from the Kurds to Turkey? No one? Only a USA military deployment is sufficient enough to determine the need for MORE USA military deployments I suppose.

Specialist Christopher Conner smiles with Specialist Dante Battle (R) as their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle approaches the Kuwaiti border with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division as part of the last U.S. military convoy to leave Iraq December 18, 2011. The last convoy of U.S. soldiers pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives and left a country still grappling with political uncertainty.

December 18, 2011
By Joseph Logan

The last convoy of U.S. soldiers (click here) pulled out of Iraq on Sunday, ending nearly nine years of war that cost almost 4,500 American and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and left a country grappling with political uncertainty.

The war launched in March 2003 with missiles striking Baghdad to oust President Saddam Hussein closes with a fragile democracy still facing insurgents, sectarian tensions and the challenge of defining its place in an Arab region in turmoil.

As U.S. soldiers pulled out, Iraq's delicate power-sharing deal for , Sunni and Kurdish factions was already under pressure. The Shi'ite-led government asked parliament to fire the Sunni deputy prime minister, and security sources said the Sunni vice president faced an arrest warrant....

Let's see, the Former VA Secretary stated in order to carry out an effective invasion it would take 200,000 troops. At the rate Obama is going sending 1000 troops every 60 days it will take about 4 years to redeploy an effective force.

The CLUE in December 2011 was that the USA was leaving. It meant the former Iraq military was suppose to take up the protection of it's sovereignty. Guess what? It didn't happen. No more Iraq. Try and get your minds around that. National building doesn't work. I suppose Obama and Kerry are now the geniuses of all geniuses, right?

We don't belong in Iraq.

We never did.

By Josh Voorhees...
The advisers are Marines and Special Operations Forces, (click here) according to the Defense Department. They were sent to the Kurdish capital of Erbil to assess the situation in the Sinjar area, where thousands of displaced Yazidis have been stranded with little food or water by the Sunni extremists fighting under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. But while Hagel echoed President Obama's weekend promise that there would be no new U.S. combat operations in Iraq, senior officials were quietly suggesting that that might not be exactly the case....

The Marines are the first to be sent in when a war theater is to be opened. Now, we have 1000 troops in a hostile land that are the targets of extremists both in some strange new militant organization and within the ranks of the fragments left over from the once Iraqi military. If a country can't defend it's borders it is no longer sovereign. Perhaps, Baghdad can declare it's own sovereignty while the rest of the land rearranges borders. Baghdad today is the ONLY area that resembles pre-Iraqi surrender. Basically, Baghdad is a dead ender.

Nation building doesn't work and Baghdad is not a nation and is the only fragment left from the former Iraq. There is no Iraqi military. It isn't as though they just need munitions, THEY NEED TROOPS!!!!!!!!!!

It is over in Iraq. The USA military is not going back to TRY AGAIN to build a country out of NOTHING!
August 12, 2014
By Jonathan Topaz

After remaining quiet (click here) about recent U.S military action in Iraq, Sen. Rand Paul, whose foreign policy views have ignited a debate within the Republican Party, says he has “mixed feelings” about the American airstrikes.

The Kentucky Republican, who has come under fire within the GOP for what has been called his isolationist approach, noted that many supporters of strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants also called for airstrikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime last year.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” the senator said Monday evening of the recent strikes against ISIL targets. “I’m not saying I’m completely opposed to helping with arms or maybe even bombing, but I am concerned that ISIS is big and powerful because we protected them in Syria for a year. Do you know who also hates ISIS and who is bombing them? Assad, the Syrian government.”

Troops out now!

So they are called personnel now, huh?

Military personnel are being sent to northern Iraq to assess the scope of the humanitarian mission for the thousands of Yezidi minority trapped on Mt Sinjar by the ISIL. (Source: AP)

...These military personnel, (click here) comprising of Marines and special operations forces, are being sent to northern Iraq to assess the scope of the humanitarian mission and develop additional humanitarian assistance options beyond the current airdrop effort in support of displaced Iraqi civilians trapped on Sinjar Mountain by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, according to a defense official....

Oh, yeah it's temporary. The temporary PERSONNEL sent 60 days ago are still there.

The thing is this. The USA is running into the very same problem as the community in the Baghdad gated community; they can't and/or won't cross the desert because the militants have USA munitions and tanks.

The only PERSONNEL that can do anything at this point are the PERSONNEL with fighter jet back up. Guess who that is? Guess where they come from?

The leadership in Baghdad isn't going to make a bit of difference. They are behind blast walls and willing to wait it out forever. What is difference about this than any other figure head government the USA has called legitimate? Karzai has been a figure head government since the first days of October 2001. BUT. He and Bush found that government legitimate since the early days forward for 13 flyin' years. Thirteen years of American money and military. Those Photo Ops go along way, don't they?

The Shi'ites in West Iran need to continue to build up their military with sophisticated weapons and training from Iran. The USA set them free and now they better make good use of it and stay free and autonomous.

The Kurds need to continue their military approach to their borders. They should be recruiting all those willing to fight their war for sovereignty, BUT, NO CHILDREN. The children are the next generation of leaders and they should be in school and those old enough should be at the university in a country that will SPONSOR them.

An Albar will take care of itself because it's western borders are that of Saudi Arabia.

The best the USA can do is destroy all the tanks, humvees and stores of munitions currently used by militants using those PERSONNEL with jet fighters. It is called bombs. Kindly remember there are innocent people within those lands, so get rid of them in majority of ability to do so and forget the equipment too entrenched among the people. Once the majority of the military equipment is destroyed it will give Assad relief in Syria.

Who is Kardashin married to? I wasn't invited. I wouldn't know. They had a baby, right? They waited until they got married or not? Is she still on that family gossip show?

That mess doesn't really interest me. My nephew had a baby. Madison. She is so cute. They were having trouble getting pregnant at first, but, after about six months of being married it all happened. Mom had a difficult time delivering though. But, Madison is happy and healthy. They had to induce and then the OB had to use forceps. Apgar scores scared me. 2-5-9. Worried. But, she is a cutey and seems to have all her appropriate reflexes. She is only three weeks old. So, far, so good.