COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Surprise, surprise, Georgian troops launch a spontaneous mutiny. Russia astounded.



A tank battalion has mutinied at a military base near Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, the government has said. BBC

Tanks and armoured personnel carriers are being sent to quell the rebellion at the Mukhrovani base, witnesses say.
The authorities say the mutiny is part of an attempted coup - linked to Russia and aimed at assassinating President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Russia's envoy to Nato described the charges as "mad". The trouble comes a day before Nato exercises in Georgia.
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev has condemned Nato for planning military exercises in a country "where there was just a war".

Georgia and Russia have poisonous relations, and fought a war over Georgia's breakaway territory of South Ossetia last August.

In a separate development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he would not attend a planned meeting of the Nato-Russia Council later this month following the alliance's expulsion of two Russian diplomats last week.

They were expelled reportedly in retaliation for a spy scandal involving an Estonian official.

'Plotter at large'

The mutiny at the Mukhrovani base, some 30km (20 miles) from Tbilisi, erupted on Tuesday morning, when soldiers began disobeying orders, Georgian officials said.

The soldiers were aiming at "disrupting Nato exercises and overturning the authorities militarily", Georgian Defence Minister David Sikharulidze told Georgian television.

It was not immediately known how many soldiers were taking part in the mutiny.

"The rebellion continues. Law enforcement agents are on the scene," Mr Sikharulidze said.

The mutiny broke out as the government announced it had disrupted a coup plot.

The interior ministry told the BBC that the plotters wanted to destabilise Georgia and assassinate President Saakashvili.

Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said one of the suspected coup leaders - former special forces commander Georgy Gvaladze - was arrested. But he an alleged co-plotter - former chief of special forces Koba Otanadze - was still at large.

The spokesman said the government had been aware of the plot for two months.

The rebellion appeared to be "co-ordinated with Russia", the interior ministry said.

But Dmitry Rogozin, Moscow's ambassador at military alliance, said the mutiny in Georgia was the result of "crazy politics of President Saakashvili".

In a separate development, opposition protests are continuing in Tbilisi.

The demonstrators say they plan to bloc three main roads into the capital later on Tuesday.



55 comments:

  1. From the tone of the report, the Georgians are not taking this as a mlitary threat, but a criminal one.

    No drama, Obama?

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  2. Emanuel:
    Thwarting Iran easier with Israeli-Palestinian talks
    .
    By JPOST.COM STAFF

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  3. I'm at AIPAC

    I'll have much to say tomorrow...

    let me say this...

    I cant tell HOW many Democrat Congressmen tell me they are fed up with Obama...

    I smell some CHANGE...

    I also smell the ballless wonder we call Obama...

    I sense Obama will do NOTHING about Iran, in fact playing the persian bomb against the arabs and israel

    For some sick reason i think he WANTS iran to get a bomb.. and then open up the world to chaos...

    The ideas of a joint iranian/north korean emp attack on the usa or whereever was whispered...

    now that iran and nkor both can shoot solid fuel ballistic missiles into space it makes one wonder WHY obama did not allow the usa's X-band FBX-T radar system in Pearl Harbor to sail to Japan to track Nkor?

    yep i see war...

    most likely this fall to jan....

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  4. "WHY obama did not allow the usa's X-band FBX-T radar system in Pearl Harbor to sail to Japan to track Nkor?"
    ---
    Carbon Emissions

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  5. wi"o" delays his annual call to arms, from its' normal projected jump off time, during the summertime, to the fall of 2009.

    Things must be calmer than normal, in Zion and amongst those who purport know.

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  6. The news Monday from Tokyo was hardly heartening for Detroit. The Japanese car factories have reduced a glut of inventory and are building cars in numbers again. Toyota said it built 472,000 cars in March, many of them in the United States, up 40,000 over February. Honda and Nissan said they built more cars in March, too. Toyota, which has replaced GM as the world's biggest auto manufacturer, has negotiated a 26-percent cut in the wages of its union workers and announced Monday that it would cut bonuses for nonunion managers by 60 percent.

    "Buying American" is not as simple as it once was; Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, BMW and Mercedes are built in America, too. Buying from GM and Chrysler may be an act of good citizenship, anyway. But if you buy a Pontiac Vibe or a Chrysler convertible, keep Barack Obama's telephone number at hand
    .

    Wesley Pruden is editor emeritus of The Washington Times

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  7. For the time being, Toyota has been replaced by Volkswagen as #1. VW is projected to retain the title until the North American market recovers.

    Re: the RT news segment. That guest expert, Peter Navarro? was no friend of Georgia,

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  8. Perhaps the largest concentration of Swedes in Minnesota can be found in the St. Croix and Rum River valleys.I don't know the answer. I might have guessed Rockford, Illinois.


    Bob @ Mon May 04, 02:24:00 AM EDT
    ...

    In 1969 you'd have been right, Bob. Probably still is, although discounting absolute numbers and counting only pop/unit area, Kingsburg, CA might compete. Drove through there Saturday. Neat as a pin yards, nice homes, and lots of flowers. Nice folks in Kingsburg. High School team is the Vikings if memory serves me right. "Vikings" fared poorly vs the Sierra High School "Chieftains" through the 90s, but are doing better these days. Better than the "Vandals" at least.

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  9. my, my, the wingnuttery is in full bloom at The Belmont. Bobal, you fit right in, 'OH! OH! The mighty O wants to make US a one party state'

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  10. He wants to distribute wealth back to it's rightful owners:

    His Crooked friends and the non-productive.

    ...there's a reason Joe the Plumber immediately resonated with all those who seek the truth.

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  11. Linear,
    My folks best friends were from Kingsburg.
    A Dentist, he was also an avid gardner and community leader.
    They had a unique old house that was neat as a needle, also.
    In the dentist's chair, you'd look out the window to see the miniature garden with bird feeders and a small pond!
    Harriet's popovers were legendary.
    VDH's family is also from Kingsburg.
    Reunions were a big thing.

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  12. "Koi (鯉 or コイ ?) (IPA: /ˈkɔɪ/), or more specifically nishikigoi (錦鯉 ?) (IPA: [niɕi̥kiɡoi], literally "brocaded carp"), are ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are commonly kept for decorative purposes in outdoor ponds and water gardens.

    They are sometimes also called Japanese carp.

    Koi were developed from common carp in Japan in the 1820s, and are still very popular there as they are a symbol of love and friendship.

    Many different colors and color patterns and have since been developed; common colors include white, black, red, yellow, blue, and cream.
    The most popular category of koi is the Gosanke, which is made up of the Kohaku, Taisho Sanshoku, and Showa Sanshoku varieties.[1]"
    -
    We called 'em "Goldfish"

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  13. In 1968 (1967?) a SR-71 made an emergency landing at Grand Forks AFB (ND) and was "parked" between two B-52 hangers close to the N/S road that paralled the base runway. The aircraft was completely visible to anyone using the road. Immediately after landing, GFAFB security established machine gun "nests" close to the plane. The two man crew could not exit the plane until a C-130 arrived from Edwards AFB with the ground support equipment and aircraft technicians to evacuate the crew and "fix" whatever the problem(s) were. Of course, everyone on the base came to see the 71 and security had to control traffic. After the "fixes" were accomplished (two days?), the 71 exited the base heading north. A few minutes later it returned at a very low altitude at tremendous speed in a fly by. It was awesome and was probably witnessed by about everyone on the base.

    Eye candy for people who like airplanes

    Grab your beverage and relax for a few minutes of awesome beauty. The SR-71 was the creation of Kelly Johnson, Lockheed, Eisenhower and the Air Force. It was envisioned in the '50s, first flew in the early '60s, retired in the '80s, briefly brought back in the '90s.

    In all, 13 units of the single seat A-12 were built, and 32 of the Pilot + Recon two seat SR-71 units were built.. Five A-12 were lost, one is stored. Twelve two seaters were lost. The remaining 27 are on display around the USA . The closest is at Atwater , the old Castle AFB museum at Merced with 50 other classic warplanes. You probably have a better opportunity of viewing the one in San Diego . Ask me and I'll tell you where the others are. NY, OR, OH, DC, etc. I can find most answers to most questions. Just ask. Start with the 2000+ mph, the 80,000 feet + altitude. More if you wish.

    So enjoy. One more thing. The author of the captions to the picture in this video made one misstatement, due to youth. The U-2 Recon aircraft was created in 1955, flew operationally in 1956. Kelly thought the USSR would shoot it down in 18 months. Lucky us, it flew until Gary Powers was downed on 1 May 1960. But Kelly Johnson already had the go-ahead from Ike for the A-12. It first flew in 1962, JFK kept the manufacture of it active. No one told LBJ, 'cause everyone knew he would spill the secret. He wasn't told till the week after JFK left us. And sure enough, LBJ gave out the secret in a matter of months.

    Anyhow, the most interesting, most exciting five years of my life were spent in the program, as a KC-135 refueling pilot. Where the Blackbird went, we went. You will see several refuelings in the following. Enjoy.
    SR-71

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  14. Will the Dems Declare that water injection is a WMD Scale Rape of Gaia?
    What's the purpose of life w/o a crisis?
    ---

    Suicide Watch goes up for Rufus...

    -

    "So it's hats off to the oil-and-gas men with their 3-D computerized formation maps, their rented drilling rigs and their dirty hands. Once again, they have provided us with more energy than all the foundation studies, energy blogs, feed-in tariffs, production tax credits and renewable portfolios will ever generate. Only two years ago it appeared the Lower 48 was pretty well played out for natural gas, just as oil has been for three decades. Now it appears we have enough gas to get us through the 21st century. "

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  15. Linear, if you put the warhead face down on the floor, with the gun frame right by it, you can reach down one handed, load and lock, while using your other hand for some other task, like drinking coffee, or talking on the phone....

    My order was waiting on the porch when I got home. Could have had it sent to Arkansas in time for Mother's Day, but mom will just have to be content with the patio furniture. My arsenal is now 4 bug shooters, but that will change when the kids get theirs. You're right about the string, Bob. I'll use some baler twine I picked up at Car Henge in Nebraska about 15 years ago.

    I got my order in under the sale deadline, Doug. Hope you can get the good price.

    Good video, rat. That same stunt was pulled on a CHP rig at Shaver Lake, according to local legend. I've posted it in the past.

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  16. Scanned Xena's link and notice reference to the Fayetteville play. Drilling and development therein is big in Arkansas right now. Seems the guys at Chesapeake, et al don't read Rufus' posts at the bar.

    Here's an anecdote for y'all. A little county in the natural state is facing hard times, claiming ZERO industry at present in a county that used to thrive on chicken processing.

    A big modern sewage treatment plant, with matching big financing charges, is now idle, having been built to handle the waste water load carrying chicken guts, etc. The locals in cooperation with the drilling community are wanting to convert the plant to treat the drill water wastes that are now being treated by applying to the soil in "land farms". The "land farms" are under scrutiny by the usual suspects for alleged pollution. The community with the plant and the drillers with the treatment problem are hamstrung by the state environmental department, who won't issue permits for the conversion for three or four months. In the meantime the Governor, legislature, and counties are lining up at the Stimulation trough.

    By the way, Bob. My mom and her neighbors want to thank you for the FEMA money that came to her community to clean up the branches that came down during the January ice storm. It was much appreciated. Millions and millions of federal dollars finding a good cause. Warms the heart.

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  17. Reminds me of the SoCal folks that passed a law against non-free range chickens.
    ...so millions of chickens no longer husbanded there.
    So SoCal people now eat non-free range chickens that are imported.

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  18. Doug: ...there's a reason Joe the Plumber immediately resonated with all those who seek the truth.You can have him. Joe the Plumber on "queers":

    "I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children."Meet the new GOP, same as the old GOP

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  19. Release torture photos? "Yes."

    Release Air Force One joy ride photos? "Classified"

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  20. You could also use Flyshooter The Original Bug Gun for up close combat fun, kinda like paintball, or squirt guns.

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  21. How'd ya come out at Coulee City Casino, Xena?

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  22. Ash, thou stale old mouse eaten dry cheese, the moment Rat tipped me off the quote was wrong, I posted the same at BC. Thou art unfit for any place but hell. Thou mangled onion-eyed vassal.

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  23. Ash, thou stale old mouse eaten dry cheese, the moment Rat tipped me off the quote was wrong, I posted the same at BC. Thou art unfit for any place but hell. Thou mangled onion-eyed vassal.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Bobal, the Casino in question is in the town of Coulee Dam, not Coulee City, and it only has 20 quarter slot machines, we've changed course and we're heading to a Lummi tribe casino near Ferndale/Bellingham, same overnighter plan, we'll head out on the 15th. In September is our twentieth anniversary, so we're saving up for Disneyland/Seaworld.

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  25. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, a non-governmental group based outside Iran, someone who was convicted on the basis of another's testimony and who escaped the stoning pit may have their life spared. --

    --

    Rationality comes to the Iranian justice system.

    Man Stoned To Death For Adultry, Woman Said To Have Been Pardoned After Repenting

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  26. We went to that Casino outside of Bellingham, I bet it's the same one. Nice place really, about the right size. Has roulette, craps etc. in addition to the one armed bandits. Some pictures of old coastal Indian life at the entrance.

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  27. al-Bob,
    please post thread and comment number.
    I haven't been following Ash's Weak Cheese.

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  28. The government has determined that Bank of America will need
    $33.9 billion in capital, according to an executive at the
    bank.

    The government notified the bank of its decision on Tuesday,
    bringing days of negotiations to an end. The amount is higher
    than bank executives believed the bank needed, the executive
    said.

    ReplyDelete
  29. yoyyy...

    Right, Sam. Anyone traveling through Central California on 99 can stop off at the Castle Air Museum, Atwater. They have an SR-71 on static display. You can walk right up to it and touch that cold titanium skin and marvel at the technology, while at the same time you're saddened to see that beautiful aircraft covered with bird shit. It's a great museum for bomber buffs. B-36, B-52, B-50, B-29, B-24, B-17, B-25, etc. Even that RAF delta wing craft that starred in one of the Bond movies.
    Castle AFB used to be a B-52 base and maintenance facility.

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  30. bobal said...
    Looks like the days of the Libertarians, Greens, Constitutionalists, and other 'unnecessary' parties may be numbered--

    41. twobyfour:


    The Dear Leader 0 steps into a large pile of dung by saying there are two many political parties.

    [the url is blocking the post, so copying the article verbatim]

    WASHINGTON- In what experts are calling a “ground-breaking move,” President Obama Sunday called “lesser” political parties unnecessary, hinting that he may consider outlawing them.

    “There can only be so many points of views in our country,” the President said at a press conference on Sunday. “It is clear that parties such as the Socialist Party, Workers Party, or Libertarian Party will never represent a meaningful percent of the American public. They simply cannot contribute to the electoral process.

    “I hate to say it, but it may be easier and cheaper to remove these parties,” President Obama continued. “In a time of recession, we can benefit two-fold from removing these smaller parties. One, by ending these entities, it will be much cheaper to run elections and count votes. Two, we need political unity in a time like this, and lesser parties, such as the Constitution Party, only serve as divisive.

    “I will never say that we should get rid of these parties,” Obama said, “I just feel the need to outline the benefits that are possible.”--
    --

    This kind of talk should wake everyone up. Even Ash.

    Am taking 2X4's word he actually said this, as I have heard nothing about it.

    Mon May 04, 08:27:00 PM EDT


    desert rat said...
    Well, bob, I've read the entire transcript of the news conference, and those words were not used, by Mr Obama.

    When googled, though, I found what may be the source of the false but accurate quote from Mr Obama.
    http://jumpinginpools.blogspot.com/2009/05/obama-lesser-political-parties.html>Here at Jumping in Pools.

    To bad it's accurate but false, it'd be real red meat theme.

    Mon May 04, 09:05:00 PM EDT


    bobal said...
    Thanks, Rat, scanning that press conference fast up and down I don't see any reference to political parties at all.

    Mon May 04, 09:26:00 PM EDT


    Then I posted something at BC saying the quote was wrong and 2x4 agreed, but said Obama was thinking such things anyways.

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  31. And then Ash cuts the cheese.

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  32. Next will be a referendum abolishing the 2 term limit.

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  33. Guys, this shale fractionation technology is about 70, or 80 years old. It works. It's really water intensive, and the shale wells deplete out quickly, a couple of years.

    The question will be the "Price."

    We'll know more in a year, or two.

    Don't get me wrong; I think it's an important deal. It's just that it might not be exactly what it looks like from "American Spectator's" article.

    "Remember the Bakken"

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  34. Pioneer Natural Resources Company (NYSE:PXD) today announced financial and operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2009.

    Financial summary:

    -- Reported a first quarter net loss attributable to common stockholders of $15 million, or $.13 per diluted share

    -- Increased first quarter average daily oil and gas sales 15% from the prior year quarter to 127,005 barrels oil equivalent per day (BOEPD)

    -- Amended the Company's unsecured senior credit facility to further strengthen financial flexibility.
    1Q9 Results

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  35. Dick Morris. All I could think of was "Andy Rooney in Training."

    He's full of shit, of course. He has no clue how "health care" works.

    We're spending a fortune on the uninsured, but we're not "curing them." We diagnose them in the emergency rooms, give a prescription for some painkillers, and send them home. The next week we do it, again. And, the next week, rinse, repeat.

    We have an epidemic of young girls that are "uninsurable" for the health problems that ail them. They can't work, and they can't get cured.

    We have millions of young men whose work lives have been cut short for the same reason.

    Families are being destroyed all over the country as a result of self-employed workers losing their health coverage, and being unable to attain new coverage.

    Would you rather get sick in Massachusetts, or Mississippi?

    The Dems are going to pass health insurance. If they get lucky and pass a halfway reasonable program, and the Pubs don't help, they Might be finished for your lifetime.

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  36. "The result of this constant targeting is that the Taliban are not able to readily coordinate attacks on coalition forces until replacement leaders are recruited and they can rebuild their knowledge and skills."

    Lt Gen Evans said coalition forces needed to continue applying pressure on the Taliban in order to create confidence in Afghan communities that there were viable alternatives to the Taliban.

    He said while one Taliban leader removed from the insurgency network did not indicate success, it did point to incremental progress.
    Taliban Leader Killed

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  37. We need more doctors, Ruf, that's the basic problem.

    Here we're down 5 at Valley Medical, right now.

    We need a medical school in Boise.

    All Obumble is going to do is make the current scarcity worse.

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  38. Bob,

    You ever heard of a feller called Steve Badraun?

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  39. Nope. Who is he?


    We have a beautiful facility here, big new building, lots of medical machinery, but, the docs we have aren't taking new patients, only so many hours in the day.

    They're stretched thin.

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  40. Good friend of the family. Spent his whole life in Coeur d'Alene. Used to own a nursery there. Can't remember the name.

    Worth a shot.

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  41. Steve of West Valley High School, Class of '63?

    I see that profile.

    Anybody that grows stuff is ok with me.

    ?gotta get some sleep--nite

    ReplyDelete
  42. Bingo.

    Did you click on my question mark?

    That seems in Tulsa.

    Musta moved.

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  43. how did you know he went to west valley?

    my parents went to west valley and graduated in '63 also.

    that's why good friend of the family.

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  44. yeah, he left coeur d'alene a couple years ago. following his new girlfriend back to her home.

    i think.

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  45. How in the world did you find him on that website?

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  46. al-Bob works in mysterious ways.

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  47. Underthecovers techniques I was told about by sooperspook al-Doug.

    Typed in the name :)

    Felt arond a bit :)

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  48. Good Afternoon!!! 2164th.blogspot.com is one of the most excellent resourceful websites of its kind. I take advantage of reading it every day. All the best.

    ReplyDelete