As for me, I'd rather see the sun rise of the next day.

One other thing about the journalists ransom fund. It could manifest in the form of insurance. Like the ships used for ransom off Somalia. Possibly Lloyd's of London (click here). I think the journalism business uses the words, "It comes with the territory." as a defense for what goes on.

The real cure for such dangerous tasks is to not pay for the story in the first place as potentially tainted by false beliefs such as purported by John McCain.

It is no different than when Hetherington and Hondros died in Libya. It was completely misguided for any professional journalist to believe without being embedded with sufficient military presence they would survive the day. Computers are remarkable in recording 'on the street' authenticity, but, they don't protect those that believe they are bringing the story to the viewer or reader.

A nomination or winner of an award is not all that. Making a living means living through it, not being memorialized for the effort.


April 21, 2011

An Oscar-nominated war-film director (click here) and a second prize-winning photojournalist died covering a battle between rebels and Libyan government forces in the western city of Misrata on Wednesday.

Two other Western photographers apparently working alongside them were wounded.

British-born Tim Hetherington, co-director of the 2010 documentary "Restrepo" about U.S. soldiers on an outpost in Afghanistan, was killed, said his U.S.-based publicist, Johanna Ramos Boyer.

Chris Hondros, a New York-based photographer for Getty Images, died later Wednesday after suffering a serious head wound, according to Getty's director of photography, Pancho Bernasconi....

They too, should not have done it.

When it comes to Ukraine, President Poroshenko is correct.

He has the backing of the Former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger when attempting to create a bridge between The West and Russia. President Poroshenko was the perfect choice in the Ukraine elections. He has had strong economic ties with Russia while seeking new economic relationships with Europe. Putin blew it when he escalated tensions. Just that simple.

What was that I hear?

"We just don't want to take the chance!"

Excuse me.

That is populous fear. There is no fact there. It speaks loudly to the reason why the USA needs to reduce it's military profile. Readiness is fine, but, to understand why the USA has a WWII military industrial complex is to realize why other people of other nations have a populous fear of the USA.

Somewhere within the radical Islamic culture right now there are young men stating, "But, they can wipe us out in a moment without provocation. Why shouldn't we attack them now?"

Americans have gotten used to living in Cloud City with a massive military footprint to kill any insect colony that they don't want to take a chance with.

At least "W" had 911 to legitimize his lies, but, Obama has a couple of beheaded journalists, one which was living with his Syrian wife. That is not a reason to war. That is bad judgement and ambition of a couple of folks that didn't have people to pay ransom.  There is no legitimate reason for the USA to enter into a war posture. 

Bad judgement by journalists do not dictate the actions of the USA military nor ever should. The truth is the USA media is responsible for the deaths of those two young men. The media followed the words and actions of John McCain as if he was the Commander and Chief. The journalists that could report on the rebels decided it was a noble effort. Then the tables were turned on them and the rebels turned out to be questionable in their abilities and out of the chaos called Syria rose a new warlord called IS/IS/L. Like I said bad judgement BY EVERYONE in the media services. Everyone. And the USA is not going to fight wars propagated by a plutocratic media.

If the media is going to be this stupid, it needs it's own fund to pay ransom for their colleagues.

Keeping USA Embassy staff in a country without a sovereign government while wishing and hoping a new one formed out of desperation will only result in more danger the staff faces. That is why there are more and more and more military sent to Baghdad. The staff needs to be removed from the former Iraq. There is no reason for an embassy in Baghdad EXPECT war. They haven't experienced the worst yet.

The United States is there and it is escalating. Kerry and Obama are carrying out the Bush crimes all over again. The land and it's use is not up to us, it is up to the people that live there. Destroying American war machines is the right thing to do, but, to enter into war again is going to be more killing and more reason to kill.

This is Kerry - The War Secretary.

It is going to be interesting come November when there are dead Americans that start showing up. Everyone expects this to get better, but, it isn't getting better yet and as long as the USA continues to have a presence there it isn't going to.

The bombing helped did it? While Kurdish and Shi'ite fighters are on the ground it gave them an advantage and they took the dam. Then why is the USA bombing at the dam again?

Dead Americans won't effect Republicans, this is what they want. But, the rest of the 67% is an entirely different issue. When dead Americans start coming home in flag draped coffins then you'll see how much they want to return to a land where there isn't even a country.

The USA media is a joke.

Every one of them is screaming we don't want another 911. But, they conveniently forget THE TRUTH about 911. 

My advise to anyone concerned about another 911 is; don't put the bastards in office. That IS the only appropriate response to the 'idea' the USA is direly needed to attack Syria for reasons of Homeland Security.

Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militia men fire at ISIS forces about 105 miles north of Baghdad in support of the people of Amili.

The more military hardware and munitions into Syria, the more the problem grows.

I always expect the USA to learn from it's mistakes, but, it makes them over and over. IS/IS/L is just such an example.

It is simple math. Send in ten guns to a conflict and ten people will most likely die, BUT, the ten guns live on and quite frequently in the cashe of the enemy. Just because a soldier of radical Islam dies doesn't mean his weapons do. A gun doesn't bleed.

Just curious. How is the containment of North Korea and Iran's nuclear capacity coming? America Feeling good about it or is it that it lacks alternatives?

September 4, 2014
By Steven Borowiec

...South Korea's problem with suicide (click here) has been well documented. But a World Health Organisation report has found that the problem is even worse in its northerly neighbour, making the peninsula one of the most suicidal regions in the world.

The report, entitled Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative, estimates that in 2012, 9,790 suicides took place in North Korea, with roughly equal numbers of males and females killing themselves. The report acknowledged that acquiring data was difficult, and that it had arrived at its North Korean estimate by factoring in a range of statistically predictive factors.

Analysts say North Koreans may be driven to suicide by poverty, and the psychological stress of living in a restrictive environment. "I heard economic hardship was the main reason, but really, for anyone who is gay or lesbian or has mental health issues, life in North Korea is really tough," said Sandra Fahy, assistant professor at Sophia University in Tokyo and author of the forthcoming monogrpah Marching Through Suffering: Loss, Survival and North Korea....

So they miss a deadline. I'm sure they will catch. Oh, yeah, the sanctions. Containment. Yep.


September 5, 2014

...Iran has missed a deadline (click here) to answer questions about its nuclear programme, the IAEA global nuclear watchdog says.

Iran had agreed to provide information to help allay concerns about a military dimension to its programme, but had failed to do so, the IAEA reported.

These include suspected work on detonators which can set off nuclear bombs and high explosive charges.

It comes weeks before a deadline for Iran and world powers to reach a final deal to resolve the nuclear issue....

Indeed.

Six soldiers died because someone called about insurgents disrupting a polling station.

September 6, 2014

WASHINGTON: Avoidable miscommunication (click here) between US air and ground forces led to a “friendly fire” incident in Afghanistan that killed five US soldiers and one Afghan in June, according to a military investigation report....

...The June incident happened in Zabul province in southern Afghanistan at the end of an operation led by the Afghan army and supported by Army Special Forces. Their aim was to disrupt insurgents and improve security for local polling stations in the Arghandab district in advance of the June 14 Afghan presidential runoff election....

...Muzzle flashes seen at their position on the ridgeline were mistaken for signs of rifle fire from insurgents, in part because the movement of the six was not properly communicated to those coordinating with the B-1 crew. And when the B-1 crew said their targeting pods had detected no US marking devices at that location it was decided that targets must by insurgents....

Zabul Province in Afghanistan has a history of disruptive Taliban, but, that goes back to 2010. Do missions in Afghanistan NEVER obtain their long term goals?

April 6, 2013

Our State Department family (click here) is grieving over the loss of one of our own, an exceptional young Foreign Service officer, killed today in an IED attack in Zabul province, along with service members, a Department of Defense civilian, and Afghan civilians. Four other State Department colleagues suffered injuries, one critically.

Our American officials and their Afghan colleagues were on their way to donate books to students in a school in Qalat, the province’s capital, when they were struck by this despicable attack....

It would appear that 13 years of military operations in "The Wack A Mole Country" of Afghanistan hasn't resolved anything. Case in point. But, American money and munitions continue to pour into the country while dead bodies are returned to the USA.

Testament to the meaningless wars of the USA to attempt to build a nation.

Saudi Arabia has control of it's militants. It always have. They don't use tanks do to it either.

September 6, 2014
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

...Authorities have detained (click here) several suspects in close operations that started since last December, the paper added. It said 48 Syrians were arrested, including 11 who entered the Kingdom as “visitors.”

“The Interior Ministry in its statements did not disclose the charges against them, but the close arrests over the past few months give signals that they were plotting to carry out terrorist acts at the behest of the Assad regime,” the paper said. The number of Syrians detained in Saudi jails is the second largest for foreign detainees after Yemenis, whose number is 189, according to the paper.

The ministry said it had apprehended 88 individuals with suspected links to foreign terror groups, said alarabiya.net

“Security agencies, over a period of several months, monitored all the suspects, particularly those with extremist ideologies,” said a ministry statement carried by the SPA....

These leaders stop extremists all the time. Saudi Arabia doesn't go to war with their neighbors, anyone notice that? It shares a border with Al Anbar. Hello?

September 6, 2014
A court has sentenced four Saudis (click here) to prison for up to six years and prevented them from traveling for participating in fighting in Syria with ISIS and the Nusra Front. The convicts impersonated other people and left Saudi Arabia with fake passports through land ports. One of them participated in guarding a terrorist camp. 

Another was imprisoned and banned from traveling for five years. He was accused of traveling with others to take part in the fight in Syria by stealing the passport of his brother and leaving the Kingdom through the Al-Rigi land port to Kuwait, and from there to Turkey. Smugglers later helped him slip into Syria.
Some months ago, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah issued a royal decree criminalizing fighting abroad or belonging to extremist or religious groups....

Business as usual.

September 6, 2014
Two Indonesian Navy ships (click here)— KRI John Lie 358 and KRI Usman Harun 359 — docked at Jeddah seaport on Wednesday.
A reception hosted on board one of the ships was attended by Saudi Royal Navy Western Command officials with Col. Khaled Mohammed, Abdul Rhman Al-Otaibi, lieutenant commander, Indonesian Consul General in Jeddah Dharmakirty Syailendra Putra and his wife and diplomats from the Indonesian Consulate. Prominent Indonesian expatriates and Indonesian and Saudi journalists also enjoyed the evening with traditional Indonesian food and dance performances.
Col. Khaled Mohammed said that the visits of naval ships of different countries always help in strengthening relations between states and give their citizens an opportunity to exchange experiences and training.
Abdul Rahman Al-Otaibi said that warships of different countries visit the Kingdom with different missions. The current visit of Indonesian naval ships was to enhance the relationship between the two navies and countries...

The USA has to trim it's military spending. There is no real reason for it, except a militarized police force at home and a threatening presence abroad.

September 6, 2014 ISTANBUL: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (click here) will seek the extradition of his ally-turned-foe, US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, (He has his own website where he calls his accusers Nazis - click here) when he meets US President Barack Obama at the NATO summit on Friday, Turkish media reports said.
Erdogan, inaugurated last week, has vowed to press his battle with Gulen and his supporters whom he accuses of using influence within the judiciary, police and state bureaucracy to plot against him in his final year as prime minister.
On his plane traveling to Wales for the summit, Erdogan told reporters the “parallel structure,” the expression he uses to describe Gulen supporters within the state apparatus, would be among subjects he would discuss with Obama there.
Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. His followers revere him as an enlightened, pro-Western face of moderate Islam but secular critics say he infiltrated government ranks with religiously-minded professionals. “Deport him or give him to us,” the pro-government Yeni Safak and other newspapers quoted Erdogan as saying of Gulen. “Let him come and live in his own country if he says he hasn’t committed a crime.”
Erdogan says Gulen’s followers orchestrated a corruption probe against his inner circle, which emerged last December, and in response the government has purged thousands of police and hundreds of judges and prosecutors....

And he has global reach. 

The Gulen Movement (click here)

This study is an effort to understand how the Gülen movement, named after the prominent Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen, has a sphere of influence on the global scale. Active in more than a hundred countries with schools and intercultural centers, the Gülen movement is considered to be one of the most significant social movements that arose from the Muslim world.

The West. He denounces The West, but, does so with logical observation.

...When these people (click here) reach a particular level of economic development and wealth, the story goes, they will stop being problematic and will integrate accordingly. Once people internalize "tolerance and mutual respect," as embedded within the concept of democracy, and once they made these principles sovereign in their personal and public relations, then social problems would dissipate, or so it was hoped. Reality, however, proved that even after democracy has been established, religious, ethnic, and cultural differences continue to be a source of conflict.

Today, there are 192 United Nations member states, and perhaps twenty more outside the UN umbrella. There are more than six hundred language groups, and more than five thousand ethnicities. In only very few countries do all citizens speak the same language or belong to the same ethnic-national group. Such political, social, cultural, military, and religious multiplicity signifies potential dissension and conflict on an international scale. This potential often makes democratic assumptions uncertain and debatable. Since the end of the Cold War, ethnic and cultural conflicts have become central rallying points for political violence....

Those observations are not inaccurate. But, he shouldn't be hiding out in the USA if he is innocent of any crimes.

There are international agreements that already address the Syrian Peace Process. NATO isn't reinventing the wheel.

9.    Clear steps in the transition. (click here) The conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic will end only when all sides are assured that there is a peaceful way towards a common future for all in the country. It is therefore essential that any settlement provide for clear and irreversible steps in the transition according to a fixed time frame. The key steps in any transition include:

(a)    The establishment of a transitional governing body that can establish a neutral environment in which the transition can take place, with the transitional governing body exercising full executive powers. It could include members of the present Government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent;...

What this states is that Syria is suppose to be inclusive in it's resolve by all parties. In other words, John McCain should be arming rebels to end the existence of another. 

It is also very clear there is to be no escalation of tensions and/or violence to achieve this end. I don't see NATO redefining international treaties in order to insure an end they decide is important. The END of the violence is already make clear within international documents, WHICH I WILL POINT OUT, the EU was a party to.

1.    On 30 June 2012, the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Turkey, Iraq (Chair of the Summit of the League of Arab States), Kuwait (Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States) and Qatar (Chair of the Arab Follow-up Committee on Syria of the League of Arab States) and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy met at the United Nations Office at Geneva as the Action Group for Syria, chaired by the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States to Syria. 

Is there something I missed here that states NATO has territorial rights to run game in any way Cameron wants to because his politics requires it? NATO may have their own ideas, but, there are countries in the region that can and should see to the outcome of the people in Syria. The USA Congress has no jurisdiction as the EU does not. Neither does Russia. 

The reason the USA is at all involved is because President Obama received a request from the then Prime Minister of Iraq. There is no joint treaty with the region and everyone else. The USA has the responsibility to protect it's allies, namely Jordan and Turkey that share borders with the area, but, there is nothing providing international intervention by NATO to this region.

The AGREEMENTS about Syria are already reached and simply be tossed out because NATO thinks differently.

There is already 1100 Americans in the former Iraq and they need to come home along with whatever diplomats that currently provide THE EXCUSE for the 1100 American military personnel to be there.

If NATO expects Russia to live up the rule of international treaties, then NATO needs to as well.

Air support for any military movements in northern region of the former Iraq can come out of Turkey.

These are the countries that were signators to Geneva II on Syria. Geneva II took place on 22 January 2014 in Montreux and on 23–31 January 2014 in Geneva (Switzerland). The other name for this agreement is Geneva II Middle East peace conference. In this understanding is the fact some countries want the Assad government supported while creating a "Transitional Government" where all people have a stake in the political outcomes of the country. NATO cannot simply decide it is going to change the game plan and carry out their own ideas. That is exactly the problem in Syria and that is why there was Geneva II. 

The travesty to Geneva II is the fact the so called opposition has no cohesive leadership. There are multiple authorities in Syria. One is Assad and Hezbollah. Others are many including The Free Syrian Army. That has been the trouble the entire time. A completely separate problem is that of the dissolution of Iraq. Add to that the fact the Baathists have joined IS/IS/L the former al Qaeda in Iraq. 

ISIS is not the problem alone. The real problem and why the country remains unstable is there is no consensus among the people within Syria whom the opposition leader is. The reason IS/IS/L was once considered the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is because both the Baathists and Syrian rebels were working together.

That is the problem with ATTEMPTING any confrontation in the Middle East and/or Pakistan/Afghanistan/India; there is no culture that provides allegiance to a common goal. It is like trying to catch a gopher in a borrow with two or more exits. While one exit is closed the gopher is busy making another.

DAMN IT, this is costing the USA billions everyday and no one gives a damn about that. This so called 'idea' from NATO won't work. It just won't. The people already on the ground in Syria are way ahead of The West. 

When the USA entered Afghanistan after the 2001 attacks on Lower Manhattan and the Pentagon it was cake walk. The paratroops found friends among the Afghan people and when the tanks arrived it was simply a matter of moving from the north to south without a hitch.

Why?

When fighting forces in these lands organize (And Dr. Abdullah Abdullah is more than qualified to talk to the truth within my words.) it is under a warlord that pays them through plunder of the land they conquer. When a warlord finds himself under attack and the fighting force knows they are outnumbered what happens?

They disappear only to have regrouped to form another fighting force under a different warlord. McCain likes to refer to this as "Wack a Mole." 

Conventional Western war methods don't work in these lands. The ONLY method of any country with these dynamics is containment. Eventually, containment leads to leadership to relieve the suffering of the people and that is where The West and others find leverage to bring about a different and more benevolent outcome to the people. At that point refugees can find their way back to their homes to repopulate the land.

There is Geneva II and that outlines basically what I have stated here. The problem with Geneva II is there is no outstanding leadership willing to come forward in peace to resolve to a Transitional Government. Syria is not at the point whereby Geneva II can apply it's principles. 

As far as Americans and Europeans going to Syria to fight; that is their choice AND their peril. I do not see The West has any responsibility to rescue anyone when the choice they made is so very dangerous. If the USA pledges to rescue every American now captured by IS/ISL, it is dragging itself into a forever war and that is exactly what the rebels of IS/IS/L wants. None of those that died ever believed they would face a ruthless Islamist. To that end their religious leaders within the sovereign borders of any other country have caused their deaths.

The USA is not obligated to defend Islam. 

This is real tragedy for a family.

I find it hard to believe the private plane industry hasn't developed a method to handle this.

This may seem arrogant, but, why can't there be a "fly-by-wire" installed within these planes that can be accessed from outside the plane emergently?

It just seems to me there needs to be an aircraft that can be equipped with technology that can connect with a Fly By Wire component in the private plane when the pilot is incapacitated. Couldn't there be an aircraft with a few pilots on board, one, perferably two to fly the "Master Plane" while another one or two command the plane where the pilot is disabled. I don't understand how Fly By Wire can exist with such success in landing Jumbos and not have that technology to handle these problems in order to safe lives.

According to the Arab News, Israel is increasing tensions in the region.

Where does Israel get the idea they can destroy any mosque?

September 5, 2014
Paris-Arab News

Crown Prince Salman, (click here) deputy premier and minister of defense, urged UNESCO on Thursday to take effective steps for protecting Masjid Al-Aqsa — the third holiest mosque in the world — from Israeli designs. 

Prince Salman made this call during a visit to UNESCO headquarters in Paris before the conclusion of his four-day official visit to France. The crown prince later returned to Jeddah.

“UNESCO should activate all its international resolutions to protect Al-Aqsa and all other valuable cultural antiquities in Palestine from Israeli aggression,” the crown prince said while praising the organization for giving full membership to Palestine.

A final communiqué that was issued at the end of the royal visit emphasized the two countries’ desire to strengthen their defense cooperation....

...In a cable sent to Hollande, Prince Salman said the visit would play a key role in strengthening Saudi-French relations in all fields. “Our talks have reflected the depth of our partnership relations,” he added.

Saudi Arabia and France expressed their grave concern over the ongoing events in the region, including the growing danger of the phenomenon of terrorism and extremism, hailing the call made recently by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to world leaders to accelerate the fight against terrorism and the importance of supporting the International Counterterrorism Center at the United Nations....

On July 18, 2014 Israel had a presence that was viewed as dangerous. There were young men assembled to demonstrate and Israel assaulted the mosque compound.

...Clashes (click here for video)  erupted in Jerusalem at the al-Aqsa mosque, known as the third-holiest site in Islam.
Dozens gathered outside the mosque to protest Israel's ground invasion into Gaza, according to the International Business Times. Protesters then clashed with Israel Defense Forces after Friday prayers.
According to Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, following Friday prayers at the mosque compound, about 200 to 300 masked youths caused disturbances by throwing stones at policemen stationed nearby. After 20 minutes of disturbances, police entered the compound and arrested seven people for rioting....

There are resolutions in the 1948 documents which stipulate there is integrity to religious grounds.

7. Resolves (click here) that the Holy Places - including Nazareth - religious buildings and sites in Palestine should be protected and free access to them assured, in accordance with existing rights and historical practice; that arrangements to this end should be under effective United Nations supervision; that the United Nations Conciliation Commission, in presenting to the fourth regular session of the General Assembly its detailed proposals for a permanent international regime for the territory of Jerusalem, should include recommendations concerning the Holy Places in that territory; that with regard to the Holy Places in the rest of Palestine the Commission should call upon the political authorities of the areas concerned to give appropriate formal guarantees as to the protection of the Holy Places and access to them; and that these undertakings should be presented to the General Assembly for approval;

That resolution carries a common thread through all resolutions regarding the Middle East. As recently as 2012, regarding Syria, there was a provision in Geneva-1 stating:

Offers equal opportunities and chances for all. (click here) There is no room for sectarianism or discrimination on ethnic, religious, linguistic or any other grounds. Numerically smaller communities must be assured that their rights will be respected

Geneva 1 was the basis for Geneva 2. The Middle East is defined by religion. Israel knows that. They also know it is unthinkable to desecrate any religious structure or grounds. 

In the clashes of July 18th, Israel took it's typical hard line stance against DEMONSTRATORS within their rights as they stood on religious ground. This religious compound is a sanctuary to these people and it is paramount they have the right to conduct demonstrations of their discontent. On one hand Israel wants peace, or so it says, and on the other hand it practices extremist methods and measures against people. It has to stop and all sanctuaries are to be respected.

Israel's culture is far too aggressive for the region and especially within Jerusalem. International agreements are important and Israel is proving over and over they don't respect them. 

Israel's aggressive methods against unarmed demonstrators will force them to take up arms in order to be recognized in their grievances; hence Hamas. Israel never de-escalates a situation it is always confrontation and escalation. Those waves of confrontation travel throughout the Middle East and the reaction in the extremist camps is to return the escalation through violence.

Netanyahu is in the USA playing 'the right to genocide (self-defense)' with USA politicians.


September 5, 2014
By Kevin Derby

On Thursday, Gov. Rick Scott (click here) released a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanking the Florida Cabinet for issuing a resolution last month indicating Florida’s support for Israel during the current crisis in the Middle East.

“I received the state of Florida’s recent resolution reaffirming your unrequited support for Israel’s right of self-defense,” Netanyahu wrote Scott. “My government has been acting to protect our citizens against the scourge of Islamist terrorism, and we are strengthened by the steadfast support of our many friends in Florida.”...

Israel has a right to self-defense and it doesn't take the USA to recognize it. What it doesn't have a right to is annihilation of Gaza and death of it's citizens. 

It's expensive to be transgender. It takes a court order to obtain a driver's license picture.

September 5, 2014

By James Queally

...The agency argued that Culpepper was, (click here) in effect, attempting to disguise his appearance by not appearing as a male.  

The New York-based Transgender Legal Defence and Education Fund called on the DMV to allow Chase to retake the picture in June, but the agency has not responded to multiple requests to quash the issue, according to the lawsuit.  

The suit, which was filed by the teenager’s mother on his behalf in federal court on Tuesday, contends the DMV’s policies are unconstitutional and calls for a court order to allow Chase to dress how he wants for a future photo.  

‘‘Chase is entitled to be himself and to express his gender non-conformity without interference from the South Carolina DMV,’’ Transgender Legal Defence and Education Fund Executive Director Michael Silverman said in a statement released on Tuesday. ‘‘It is not the role of the DMV or any government agency or employee to decide how men and women should look.’’...

Enemy Number One, Hunger. It can lead to instability.

September 5, 2014
By Matt Wade

Mingkaman, South Sudan: (click here) The scene at the food distribution centre at Mingkaman is all too common in villages and towns across South Sudan. Scores of women sit in the mud sorting food rations in searing heat. Once the portions have been allocated according to family size, the women heave sacks of sorghum and lentils onto their heads and carry them to the makeshift humpies that have been their homes since they fled fighting last December.

"The biggest challenge is malnutrition," said Peter Biar Deng, an aid worker based at the feeding centre. "It's very common here."...

If the people weren't hungry and struggling day to day it would provide the opportunity to think about other things besides survival. 

September 4, 2014
By Jonathan Fisher

...The recent shooting down of a UN helicopter (click here) briefly restored the country to the international headlines—but this isolated incident is just the latest outrage in the short history of the world’s youngest country, which still faces a deeply uncertain future.

Journalistic accounts of the conflict’s origins, where they exist, usually highlight historical rivalries between the president, Salva Kiir, and his former vice president—now rebel leader—Riek Machar, and ethnic warfare between the Dinka and Nuer people.

This narrative is a highly simplistic way of explaining what’s been happening in South Sudan. But it does at least point to the ultimate source of the problems: the interplay of complex historical identity politics and shameless, short-term elite politicking. This toxic blend is what makes South Sudan’s current crisis so difficult to explain....

People need land to live and food to eat and water to drink. If the basics aren't available it leads to unrest, hopelessness and ultimately violence. And that is exactly the problem in South Sudan.

September 4, 2014
By Peter Snyder

[JURIST] A group of East African (click here) and South Sudanese rights group submitted a petition Wednesday to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development(IGAD) [official website] calling for an immediate comprehensive arms embargo on South Sudan. IGAD, which is made up of eight East African nations including Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, has been mediating peace talks to end nine months of civil conflict in South Sudan. The petition calls for an arms embargo [AI backgrounder] that...:

The North Carolina Legislature prides itself on preventing frivolous lawsuits, however, not frivolous government.

August 12, 2012

A News21 analysis 9 (click here) of 2,068 alleged election-fraud cases since 2000 shows that while fraud has occurred, the rate is infinitesimal, and in-person voter impersonation on Election Day, which prompted 37 state legislatures to enact or consider tough voter ID laws, is virtually non-existent.

In an exhaustive public records search, News21 reporters sent thousands of requests to elections officers in all 50 states, asking for every case of fraudulent activity including registration fraud, absentee ballot fraud, vote buying, false election counts, campaign fraud, casting an ineligible vote, voting twice, voter impersonation fraud and intimidation....

There is that old saying, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." That is exactly why the Republicans don't listen to the public. $3.6 million is a lot of money. Money that could have been used better throughout the state.

The $3.6 million is to IMPLEMENT the law. That means as soon as the first round of voter IDs are printed and used in an election they become obsolete. No one ages? No one changes their hair color? No one puts on weight or takes it off? No one has plastic surgery in North Carolina? That is a joke, there are more plastic surgery offices in NC than anywhere else along the east coast of the USA. 

Will people stave off any aging, hair color changes, weight reduction of plastic surgery because they have to look the same as the voter ID picture? Of course not. I'll tell you a true story.

I obtained a USA passport and used it. The airlines required it and when it came to picking up tickets there was never a problem. I had the passport for eight years. I was taking a flight and was in the line for security. The TSA person looked at my boarding pass, my ticket and my passport and then looked at me. Now, mind you I just was at the ticket counter. He said this isn't you, it looks nothing like you. I was devastated. Here was a TSA person stating I was committing fraud and I hadn't. 

A supervisor was called over and asked for my driver's license and of course I had one of those. He compared the two documents and the pictures and looked at the issue date. He told me I could proceed through. Now, you tell me what if some volunteer at the voter sign in book decides I look nothing like my picture on my Voter ID. There is only one Voter ID. The reason people have a Voter ID is because they don't have a driver's license. They had to make a special trip to the licensing agency to obtain a picture ID. Now, what happens? 

What if I am an African American believed to be voting Democratic in Florida and both the volunteer or paid electioneer decides I don't look like the Voter ID picture. Fraud? Charges are pressed and quite frankly I will have gone through expense and time to obtain a card that has just excluded me from voting and caused me a legal problem when I am innocent.

PROPER Governance always takes into account any and all circumstances citizens face when such laws are passed. Why when there is absolutely NO FRAUD anywhere in the USA are these monies beings frivolously spent when Voter ID will create a new barrier for a voter to confront? Money that never needed to be spent occurred because of FRAUD. The fraudulence begins with the propagandized idea that voting for elections isn't safe. THAT IS A LIE AND WE KNOW IT IS A LIE. Somehow voting for elections is the same as driving or cashing a check or getting on an airplane. It isn't. 

The last thing that should happen in this country is for Voter ID laws to be enacted, they waste money, cause all kinds of problems for citizens and are very expensive. While states are seeing reasons to spend $3.6 million to implement these unnecessary and frivolous laws they never tell the citizens of any state what it is going to cost to MAINTAIN the integrity of the law. It is going to cost plenty, including false accusations and court time, court and lawyer fee costs, as well as monies to be spent every year to insure voters look like their pictures so no one can be falsely accused as committing fraud.

One other thing. In the future since these laws are invoked this November, don't discuss the rate of fraud in elections because it will go up. ONLY discuss CONVICTIONS because there still won't be any.

In North Carolina the licensing agencies are PRIVATELY owned. Now, who is it exactly that is having their palms greased with state money for an unnecessary service. It is no different than the handicap hang tag and it's drastic change in appearance that requires more than $5.00 each time it is issued. Now, it costs $10. $5 for the handicap tag and another $5.00 for the plastic sleeve it has to go in. Amazing. Republicans come up with absolutely hideous ways of spending hard earned taxpayer dollars. It is time to remove those from office that simply use government for profit rather than efficiency and protection of the citizens and most importantly protection for their RIGHTS!


April 18, 2013

RALEIGH — The proposed new (click here) voter photo ID law could cost North Carolina as much as $3.6 million to implement – the price of providing free photos to those without driver’s licenses, and voter education efforts, state officials said.

The voter ID bill cleared another hurdle Thursday when it was approved by the House Finance Committee 18-10 in a vote that followed party lines with Republicans in favor and Democrats against. It is scheduled for a full House vote next week.

The legislative staff prepared an analysis of how much it would likely cost to implement the law which requires voters to provide a photo ID by the 2016 election. It would also require a trial run for the 2014 election.

One of the biggest costs will be providing free photo IDs to persons who do not hold driver’s licenses or other government-approved photos such as student IDs for state-supported campuses....

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/04/18/2834107/new-voter-id-law-could-cost-as.html#storylink=cpy

Looks like god wasn't on their side after all.

September 4, 2014
By Larry O'Dell

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, left, is swarmed by the media as he leaves Federal Court for the third day of jury deliberations in his corruption trial in Richmond, Va., Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014. McDonnell and his wife Maureen are charged in a 14-count indictment with doing special favors for Jonnie Williams, the CEO of dietary supplements maker Star Scientific Inc., in exchange for $165,000 in gifts and loans. Photo: Steve Helber, AP

Ex-Virginia gov., wife guilty of public corruption (click here)

The current Russia leadership aren't all that.

The current leadership continues to believe propaganda will work before actions. They actually believe the entire world is as gullible as the Russian people.

The current Russia leadership engaged Ukraine and Europe in energy deals for natural gas and extended huge amounts of money to ensnare the people of Ukraine for future exploitation. Some, as in Crimea, fell for the idea, others and a majority of Ukraines want to steer their own path to independence, yet the money into Ukraine and to pay off Yanukovych to bow to Russia and deny any interest with Europe. There was a treaty to insure Ukraine would be safe when it disarmed. Russia in all it's arrogance believed it could oppress the entire world when it sought to control the demonstrators in the Maidan. They learned differently. 

September 3, 2014
By Dan Lamothe

French officials (click here) said Wednesday that they will not deliver the first Mistral-class amphibious warship that Russia had ordered from Paris as part of a $1.7 billion weapons sale, a strong rebuke after months of aggressive actions by Russia in eastern Ukraine.

French officials said in statement that they assess the situation in Ukraine to be “serious,” and believe Russia’s actions undermine security in Europe. The statement did not say whether France will deliver the ship in the future, but said the conditions for it to do so at this time “have so far not been met,” despite the possibility of a cease-fire in Ukraine.

“The recent actions by Russia in eastern Ukraine are contrary to the basic notions of security in Europe,” the statement said.

Now, here again the Russian arrogance to it's POWER is proven to be grossly mistaken while wasting it's money on warships it never needed. Can you imagine the arrogance in Putin's office to expect delivery of warships now that it has declared war on Ukraine. "I could be in Kiev in two weeks." 

Putin and Medvedev just blew $1.7 billion US. Today the exchange rate of US to Rubles is 1:37.0583. That is a lot of rubles to simply throw away because a neighbor wanted to find it's neutrality intact to simple trade with Russia as well as Europe. Sure the Russia people aren't so much sheep to realize their own best interests are not served by the current regime. Sorry, current political party.

This is no surprise. The Taliban has been expanding its influence in Pakistan since the 2001 invasion in Afghanistan.

September 4, 2014
By Ellen Barry

NEW DELHI — Al Qaeda (click here) has released a video announcing the establishment of a new branch on the Indian subcontinent, saying it is meant to revive jihadist activity in a region “which was once part of the land of Muslims, until the infidel enemy occupied it and fragmented it and split it.”

In the 55-minute video, which was posted on jihadist forums, Al Qaeda’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, addresses listeners in parts of the region with large Muslim populations, assuring Muslims “in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad and Kashmir that your brothers” in the militant organization “did not forget you and that they are doing what they can to rescue you.”

Mr. Zawahri said that the new branch had been two years in the making. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist activity online, said the video was posted Wednesday....

The al Qaeda figure head is attempting to expand influence in the region. Americans believe they have a reason to stay in the region. The entire episode is another example of American arrogance.

The hostility between India and Pakistan, ongoing for more than 60 years, lies at the heart of the current war in Afghanistan. Most observers in the west view the conflict as a battle between Nato on one hand, and al-Qaida and the Taliban on the other. In reality this has long since ceased to be the case – we think this is about us, but it's not. Instead our troops are now caught up in a complex war shaped by two pre-existing conflicts: one internal, the other regional....

The USA, The West and its media always ASSUMES the history of any region on Earth begins when they become aware of it and jumps in to add military hardware that only serves to increase escalation of hostilities.

...After the Taliban were ousted by the US, a major strategic shift occurred: the government of Afghanistan became an ally of India, thus fulfilling the Pakistanis' worst fears. Karzai hated Pakistan with a passion, in part because he believed that the ISI – Pakistan's intelligence service – had helped to have his father assassinated in 1999. At the same time he felt a strong emotional bond with India, where he had gone to university. When I interviewed Karzai in early March, he spoke warmly of his days in Simla as some of the happiest of his life. With Karzai in office, India seized the opportunity to increase its political and economic influence in Afghanistan, re–opening its embassy in Kabul, opening four regional consulates, and providing reconstruction assistance totalling $1.5bn....

With the Taliban firmly entrenched in Pakistan, Afghanistan has to have a national military loyal to the people within it's borders. The United Nations is attempting to resolve the recent elections into a COOPERATIVE government between the two contesting parties. That "Unity Government" is nothing short of brilliant by the UN. The Afghanistan Unity Government brings the expertise of two men that carry a long history with the people and two separate expertise.

The greatest asset to the Unity Government is that of the addition of Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. He has the loyalty of the fighters of the Northern Alliance. Their culture can be the leading force to end hostilities within the country and break the strangle hold al Qaeda and the Taliban is looking for in the region. 

The map to the right is that of the Kashmiris. They similiar to the Kurds live throughout a large geographical area. Kindly note they straddle Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and CHINA. If a subverse effect takes over this area of the world, such as al Qaeda, there would be problems for many nations and not just India. The communication and trade between this region and all the nations they touch are vital otherwise one is looking at extremists causing significant problems for decades.

The Kashmiris also have a large DIASPORA that entends across the globe. To win the Kashmiris over spiritually could drive the diaspora as well as the people in this region as well.

Americans like to swat at flies thinking their wars will be the complete end to any danger to the country. The huge American military industrial complex provides that naive view of the world. The fact of the matter is while the USA is swatting flies in the former Iraq, there are movement taking place at the grassroots level to increase hate of The West. The more people that die at the hands of The West, the more hatred grows generation after generation in other regions of the world. 

While ranting war is a popular political paradigm in the USA and Great Britain, the fact of the matter is President Obama absolutely correct in bring regions of the world to understand their own importance in their national defense. The President is more correct in seeking 'governments of the people' in regions of the world that cooperate to provide national security to it's people. For the USA to be The World's Police is about as stupid as a nation of people can become. 

"AHHhhhh, but, it feels so right."

It feels right for every other nation on Earth for their own reasons and if the USA continues to 'kill, kill and kill some more' it will find region after region of Earth will turn against them and the national security of the USA and it's influence will dwindle while it's lack of fiscal integrity will dictate a collapse of the nation itself. The USA military machine runs on money and plenty of it. Americans are arrogant to the reality of the world. Sure any nation of the world will accept The West's military when it SIDES with one of the hostile parties, that doesn't mean a damn thing and let the former Iraq be a very good lesson to that arrogance.

Like I said, "The USA needs to apologize and continue apologizing until the Islamic world has forgotten it."

Ethnic group, (click here) in the opinion of Jordon is a group of people possessing a common ancestry and cultural tradition with a feeling of belonging and cohesiveness, living as a minority in a larger society. Each social group is the keeper of distinctive cultural traditions and the nucleus of various kinds of social interactions. An ethnic group provides not only group identity, but also friendship, marriage patterns, business success, and the political power base.

No more bombs, no more killing. Trade and economic cooperation is the only way the USA should be conducting it's relationships with any other country in the world.

Kashmir is among the most harshest areas on Earth, both geographically and climate. For the last 13 years the USA military has been unable to master the mountains of Afghanistan, yet with the right spiritual words and stroking al Qaeda has success in spreading it's poison. 

Now, you tell me who is winning the war, the military machines or the propagandists without dropping one bomb or firing one bullet?

The people of the USA are just waiting for their politicians and media to catch up with them.