Sunday, March 12, 2023
I am extremely skeptical about the detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Wouldn't it be wonderful for China to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize while attempting to support Putin's genocide?
Hezbollah and the Houthis have become powerful and quite frankly they and Israel are on a path of conflict. Iran supports both the Houthis and Hezbollah and it's drug cartel with Venezuela. But, China also has investments in Africa and the Middle East. Beijing is more than scared about the tensions in this region of the world and what a war might do to it's wealth.
December 18, 2017
For over two-and-a-half years, (click here) the United States has supported Saudi Arabia in a war against the Houthi movement in Yemen. The war has created the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the world and threatens to turn into the largest famine in decades.
Yet very few Americans know who the Houthis are, what they stand for, and why they are our de facto enemies. Two administrations have backed the war against the Houthis without a serious campaign to explain why Americans should see them as our enemies.
Yemeni politics are incredibly complex and volatile—rather than get drawn into a quagmire against an enemy they hardly know, the United States and its partners should get serious about finding a political solution....
...The American invasion of Iraq in 2003 deeply radicalized the Houthi movement, like it did many other Arabs. It was a pivotal moment. The Houthis adopted the slogan: “God is great, death to the U.S., death to Israel, curse the Jews, and victory for Islam,” in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The group also officially called itself Ansar Allah, or supporters of God. It was a turning point largely unrecognized outside Yemen, another unanticipated consequence of George Bush’s Iraq adventures.
Hezbollah, the Shiite movement in Lebanon which successfully expelled the Israeli army from the country, became a role model and mentor for the Houthis. Although different kinds of Shiites, the two groups have a natural attraction. Hezbollah provided inspiration and expertise for the Houthis. Iran was a secondary source of support, especially since the Houthis and Iranians share a common enemy in Saudi Arabia....
Hezbollah and the Houthis have become powerful and quite frankly they and Israel are on a path of conflict. Iran supports both the Houthis and Hezbollah and it's drug cartel with Venezuela. But, China also has investments in Africa and the Middle East. Beijing is more than scared about the tensions in this region of the world and what a war might do to it's wealth.
Oh, by the way, I hope Treasury is looking into the level of investment by China, any Chinese oligarchs, Russia and Russian oligarchs and Silicon Valley Bank. It would be more than amusing if the FDIC on Monday is sending checks to Russia while it is on sanctions to end the war with Ukraine.
But, as the Iran and Saudi Arabia, the tensions started when Saudi Arabia assassinated a Shi'ite Imam, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr (click here). No surprise here, the Imam was a critic of Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are Sunni Muslims. Iran is Shi'ite Muslims.
By Bruce Reidel
Al-Houthi (click here) was given a ceremonial funeral, nine years after he was killed
For over two-and-a-half years, (click here) the United States has supported Saudi Arabia in a war against the Houthi movement in Yemen. The war has created the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the world and threatens to turn into the largest famine in decades.
Yet very few Americans know who the Houthis are, what they stand for, and why they are our de facto enemies. Two administrations have backed the war against the Houthis without a serious campaign to explain why Americans should see them as our enemies.
Yemeni politics are incredibly complex and volatile—rather than get drawn into a quagmire against an enemy they hardly know, the United States and its partners should get serious about finding a political solution....
Hezbollah, the Shiite movement in Lebanon which successfully expelled the Israeli army from the country, became a role model and mentor for the Houthis. Although different kinds of Shiites, the two groups have a natural attraction. Hezbollah provided inspiration and expertise for the Houthis. Iran was a secondary source of support, especially since the Houthis and Iranians share a common enemy in Saudi Arabia....
Saudi Arabia has the greatest incentive to negotiate a peace with Iran. I just don't see Iran laying down arms shipments to the Houthis. The USA has been successful in confiscating the missile shipments. The meetings haven't really begun. I guess it is a wait and see sort of thing.
It is the Savings and Loan mess all over again.
I am quite sure an investigation has already begun and people will be held accountable.
March 12, 2023
By Jeanna Smialek and Alan RappeportFederal regulators (click here) announced on Sunday that they would ensure that all depositors of Silicon Valley Bank — which failed Friday — were paid back in full as they rushed to contain fallout from the collapse of the large institution.
The Federal Reserve, Treasury and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced in a joint statement that “depositors will have access to all of their money starting Monday, March 13. No losses associated with the resolution of Silicon Valley Bank will be borne by the taxpayer.”...
...The move to cover deposits came after the F.D.I.C. on Friday took over Silicon Valley Bank on Friday, putting nearly $175 billion in customer deposits under the regulator’s control. The bank’s failure, the largest since the depths of the financial crisis in 2008, has raised concerns that other financial firms could suffer similar fates as rising interest rates put pressure on the banking sector and as nervous depositors consider pulling out their money....
...That kind of broader panic is what regulators were trying to avert with the freshly announced package, which took advantage of an exception that allows the F.D.I.C. — which is usually supposed to clean up a failed bank in the cheapest way possible — to risk incurring additional costs if there is a risk to the financial system involved.
The agencies said that “any losses to the Deposit Insurance Fund to support uninsured depositors will be recovered by a special assessment on banks, as required by law.”...
History will hold former Vice President Pence in the highest esteem for his heroism on January 6th.
By Jonathan Weisman
Former Vice President Mike Pence, (click here) delivering his strongest public rebuke yet to the president who made him his running mate, said on Saturday night “that history will hold Donald Trump accountable” for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which he called “a disgrace.”
The annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington is usually a venue for lighthearted ribbing between political figures, government officials and the district’s media veterans, but Mr. Pence used the occasion on Saturday to dig into Mr. Trump at a moment when conservative media commentators and some Republicans in Congress have again tried to dismiss the seriousness of the Capitol riot.
“Tourists don’t injure 140 police officers by sightseeing,” Mr. Pence said, according to media reports from the event, an implicit rebuke of the Fox News host Tucker Carlson and other conservatives who have used selective security camera footage to reframe the riot as a largely peaceful demonstration. Thousands of hours of that footage was released to Mr. Carlson by the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California. “Tourists don’t break down doors to get to the speaker of the House or voice threats against public officials.”
And Mr. Pence made his reprimand of Mr. Trump personal when he said, “President Trump was wrong; I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”...
Former Vice President Mike Pence, (click here) delivering his strongest public rebuke yet to the president who made him his running mate, said on Saturday night “that history will hold Donald Trump accountable” for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which he called “a disgrace.”
The annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington is usually a venue for lighthearted ribbing between political figures, government officials and the district’s media veterans, but Mr. Pence used the occasion on Saturday to dig into Mr. Trump at a moment when conservative media commentators and some Republicans in Congress have again tried to dismiss the seriousness of the Capitol riot.
“Tourists don’t injure 140 police officers by sightseeing,” Mr. Pence said, according to media reports from the event, an implicit rebuke of the Fox News host Tucker Carlson and other conservatives who have used selective security camera footage to reframe the riot as a largely peaceful demonstration. Thousands of hours of that footage was released to Mr. Carlson by the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California. “Tourists don’t break down doors to get to the speaker of the House or voice threats against public officials.”
And Mr. Pence made his reprimand of Mr. Trump personal when he said, “President Trump was wrong; I had no right to overturn the election. And his reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know that history will hold Donald Trump accountable.”...
The insurrection of January 6, 2021 and the timeline leading up to it will be studied forever as part of the history of the United States of America.
Former Vice President Pence stood in the breach and never wavered or surrendered to fear or threat. He had an amazing role in protecting the country and the USA Constitution. No one will forget the bravery he exhibited that day and his dedication to our great country.
History is important. The January 6th Committee made sure that history received all the facts and passed on to the Justice Department the necessary focus to hold the former president accountable for his actions and his plans.
January 6th was not a happenstance. The insurrection was planned and orchestrated. It failed, but, it was not for the trying.
The National Guard finally made it to the USA Capital and ended the siege. Someone needs to do the story about the National Guard. They arrived to an incredible scene and never wavered in their resolve. People's lives were at stake and they were not about to fail. Their training allowed them to move into position to end the siege and return order to one of the most iconic buildings of our country. Hopefully, they are all okay. We have lost police officers to their despair over the events of that day. They and the National Guard were heroes. They will always be a vital part of the country's history as well.
There are three systems converging on the West Coast. Every system has different temperatures.
There is an Arctic System in the north and it looks like a circle. There is an air mass off the Equator which is the lower edge. The air mass in the center is coming straight off a warm Pacific Ocean. Any one of these air masses are enough to cause significant rain, however, the three coming together with varying temperatures and water vapor content equates to nothing but disastrous.
Californians need to pay attention to their weather stations. It would be helpful if they had NOAA radios to keep on top of developing conditions. These are dangerous circumstances and the people must pay attention to their weather forecasts.
These are not fun times for families, so keep everyone close until this resolves. In my opinion all beach access is off limits and no one should be trying to catch the perfect wave. There are no perfect waves with these systems, they are turbulent and produce rough and rouge waves.
March 12, 2023By Nouran Salahieh and Holly Yan,
...A new atmospheric river (click here) is expected to slam the state Monday, threatening heavy rain and even more flooding in central and Northern California just as another atmospheric river winds down, the National Weather Service said....
I like the way this meteorologist is dressed at the link below. He is definitely dressed for the weather with layers of clothes to insulate.
By Ryan Hanrahan
...Our meteorologists (click here) are tracking a major nor'easter that could bring over a foot of snow to parts of the state early this week.
The storm will form Monday into Tuesday. Rain will begin across most of Connecticut and will quickly change to snow in the Northwest Hills....
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