59 Days until Inauguration - Not an easy transition for the country but smooth for Obama

There is an issue with layoffs across the country. They take many forms, extending from small business owners laying off their management staff in order to run the business themselves AGAIN (Gee, what a shame), all the way up to car manufacturers' ripple effect in having dealerships close. There won't be anything government can do about it. This is the Bush White House and their answer is to 'do nothing,' so there in lies the problem.

Let's face it, the directive of CORPORATE America is to abandon the country and its labor and to move to other countries and their cheap labor markets while sucking the life out of the USA economy.

Well, they have done exactly that. Along with their corporate operations they have also taken away the tax base of the USA and have nearly trashed the fiscal stability of the USA along with it.

It is unpredictable at this point to realize the extent of the damage done by the Republican initiative to undermine the labor force of the USA to facilitate greater profits for stockholders, but, considering there are a lot of foreign companies engaged in the USA and seeking to stabilize themselves, they'll be abandoning their operations here as it costs more to operate here (click on title to entry, thank you).

The House and Senate need to return jobs to the USA economy, they need to stand their ground and demand for a return to the job market, ultimately the tax base of the USA. Everyone wants the 'bailout' for their own purpose, but, the companies receiving them are so short sighted they can't even see the 'best way forward.' The 'bailout' monies are being used for 'short term' deficit within these corporations, they aren't looking at 'long view' stability of ANY country, much less the ones that are offering 'give aways' as an attempt to end the Wall Street Crisis.

Well, there is another crisis that has to be addressed. A bigger crisis than Wall Street has and that is the MAIN STREET CRISIS. Without stabilizing that crisis first, there is no need to stabilize Wall Street.

Offering 'free money' to corporations without understanding where that money is going and how it will 'pay off' any bailout is hideous and abusive use of government. Corporations are forced to file 'plans' of payment when they declare bankruptcy. They are forced to become more efficient. They are demanded by courts of law to become accountable. Without having a government representative on every Board of Directors of every company in trouble there is only one way to know how any bailout will be successful and that is through judicial monitoring of a bankruptcy.

I think every American would like to see some loyality to the people of this country by corporations that have a long standing history with this country, however, I also believe every American knows that we cannot blindly look the other way to government 'hand outs' while American jobs (THAT WAS AMERICAN JOBS) are outsourced. The American workforces have made these companies among the strongest and greatest in the world. We can do it again with or without them. Yes, we can !

The moral responsiblity we have to our children and their well being is far greater than any loyality to corporations that are unwilling to provide products we demand to that goal.

Iraq plays politics with 'real issues.' Piracy? Iraq's politicians are using piracy to run their militia games? I don't think so.

That is a bunch of horse manure if I ever heard it ! Anyone care to observe the 'length' of the Iraqi coastline? Like what coastline! Anyone care to NOTE the larger and better protected coastline of Kuwait? Who do these people think they are? Better yet, what kind of fools do they think Americans ACTUALLY are?

GIVE

ME

A

BREAK !

I do believe Iraq has a SURPLUS in their treasury? I suggest they expand their navy ! The USA is NOT the world's police !

Next thing ya know, Bush will be 'imagineering' another attack of Basra or worse. More innocent civilians dead and more impoverishment. No ! We are not fighting the never ending 'militia games' of the Iraqi territories. There is more 'fire power' within the borders of that country already than they ever should have had in the first place.

This is going to come as a shock to all the 'bosses' in Iraq, but, they ain't our 'favorite son' no more ! I do believe there are terrorist networks in Pakistan and Afghanistan that are REAL threats to the USA (click here). UNLESS of course, Iraq plans to welcome a terrorist initiative to their governments against the USA? Will Iraq become an 'oasis' to Osama bin Laden? Not likely. He's not Shia. And if bin Laden tries? I don't believe he'll be welcome for long. His longevity would be shortened immediately in the country that has nothing in common with his value system. They aren't going to replace Saddam anytime soon.



Iraq: Early US pullout will open way to piracy (click here)
The Associated Press
Published: November 22, 2008
BAGHDAD: Iraq's defense minister is warning that a premature U.S. pullout would expose Iraq to the danger of piracy in the Persian Gulf.
Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi says U.S. forces currently protect Iraqi ports and their hasty withdrawal would have "grave consequences" and endanger Iraq's security and sovereignty.
He told reporters Saturday that an early pullout would allow the kind of rampant piracy taking place in the Gulf of Aden to happen in the Persian Gulf....

The terrorist networks are attempting to destoy each other. I think its a heck of an idea! Why interfer? The real challenge to The West and the Middle East is to stop allowing the pirating. The ships need not enter the Gulf of Aden for now.

The ransoms have to end as well. There is NO WAY that paying for extra fuel and a little more time in shipping is going to cost what ransoms cost. There will be a DROP in the price of the goods, NOT an increase. Besides, the crews will still be alive at the end of the day.

Jeeze !

Ransoms are a positive feedback loop that has propagated an income for the global terrorist networks when everyone is trying to stop them. Its completely counter productive to ending the piracy. With every ransom paid the terrorists can improve their equipment, training and ability to carry out the terrorist act. Not only that but money is attracting more recruits.

The past two weeks saw the piracy of 9 ships. That wasn't done by a small band of men, it is a small army now. I understand there are currently 20 ships and their cargo and crew being held. That is not a small band of thugs either. If the ports of Somalia are being used for that purpose than the Somali government has given sanction to same by consent or by force. Either way there are dearly few friends to the global shipping community in Somalia.

The militaries involved in this mess need to make a quick inventory of the ships and cargo that have been hijacked and realize what kind of arms and potential weapons were taken from any and all ships. It will provide an estimate to the amount of munitions now in Somalia and their potential use. It will help with further strategy to disarm Somalia and eliminate potential for militia growth among that nation's people.

The United Nations Security Council with Saudi Arabia and Egypt (click here), need to place sanctions on all the participating countries in 'hosting' terrorist networks, even if under 'threat' by these networks. The networks will only grow and recuit civilians, so the governments need to provide safety to their citizens and take a stand against the existance of the networks including the pirates.

I mean the 'CIVILIZED' world cannot continue to consent to this. It just can't. The countries involved, regardless 'the runaway train' that exists within them, have to be brought into accounting for the activities within their borders and at their seaports. This is outrageous. They don't even have sovereignty anymore, they have relinguished sovereignty to terrorists and their elements within their society. Ask Saudi Arabia how long that sort of social 'element' is tolerated there? It isn't !

If Egypt and Saudi Arabia control the activities, or minimally monitor the activity in their sovereign reach of the Red Sea there can BEGIN to advance a measure of protection that will eventually reach the Gulf of Aden.

The concern is the abililty of networks all through this corridor. If one looks at the issues with Algiers (click here) as well as Sudan and the coast of the Red Sea extending into the Indian Ocean there appears to be a very fluid movement of these terrorist 'unites' in the region.

If they are finding Somalia a convenient place to find 'goods' to finance their activities then bringing the waters of the Indian Ocean under measured and purposeful control is a good idea. The corridor of control of these groups probably stretch through Libya into Sudan and out to the Red Sea coastline.

It is vital to 'civilization' that the countries enforce sovereign rights, otherwise, they will lose them if they haven't already. The country might be called Somalia, but, it does not have the ability to defend its borders or protect its commerce.

Islamic fighters enter Somalia pirate town and plan to attack (click title to entry, thank you)
The piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean took a dramatic new twist as gunmen from Somalia's hardline Islamist movement entered the fray in hope of spoils from the hijacked Saudi oil tanker, the Sirius Star.

The fighters from the Shabaab militia, a fundamentalist movement likened to an African Taliban, were reported to have turned up in the port of Haradheere in southern Somalia, close to where the tanker is currently anchored.
Some reports said the Islamists, who have tried to impose brutal law and order on Somalia's warring clans, had the pirates themselves in their sights.
Others in Haradheere, however, said it was thought that they had arrived in the hope of collecting a share of any ransom money.
The pirate group that hijacked the tanker, which is carrying $100 million worth of oil, have demanded a $25 million ransom for return of the vessel and its 25-strong crew, which includes two Britons.
"The Islamists arrived searching for the pirates and the whereabouts of the Saudi ship," said a clan elder in Haradheere....

If the nations of the world are to be 'civilized,' they must harness their ability to stop insideous attacks from within their borders that threaten the lives, including quality of life, of their people. Every nation on this Earth has the ability to bring about an end to this hideous existance for people. It is a moral imperative of all nations to bring about the end of such activity.

A good stategy against the pirates is to close their ability to carry out their directive. If there is enough control in the northern Red Sea as well as newly exerted control in the India Ocean toward the Gulf of Aden, it will be no time before the pirates won't have a safe haven. Closing off the waters of Aden will provide a 'lack of opportunity' and will provide NO REASON for the piracy to be an attractive way to 'fund terrorist networks' throughout the region.

Securing the captured ships is still another issue. The people on board are valuable. It will provide a difficult situation unless the people taking them hostage need food and water to survive as well. Either way, I think there will be casualities. I am not sure there is any getting around it.

To simply 'secure' shipping channels could also provide the same 'lack of opportunity' for the terrorists of these waters, however, it increases the potential for military and civilian casualities that seems unacceptable to me. By allowing the potential for piracy to continue is nearly as bad as having it being successfully conducted.

Ending 'the opportunity' is a better resolve.