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."

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Nato’s Malignant Godchild




Armed militias are threatening the security and stability of Libya, Amnesty International has warned.
The human rights group says at least 12 detainees held by militias have died after being tortured since September.
The report is being released to coincide with the one-year anniversary on Friday of the revolt that toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Last month, the UN said about 8,000 pro-Gaddafi supporters were being held by militia groups.
The interim government has said it is trying to reassert authority, but correspondents say it has largely failed to rein in the groups.
'Nobody responsible'
According to Amnesty, some groups of former rebels are committing human rights violations with impunity, unchecked by the interim government.
"Nobody is holding these militias responsible," Donatella Rovera, senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International, told AP news agency.
The report cites detainees who said they been suspended in contorted positions, beaten for hours with whips, cables, plastic hoses, metal chains and bars, and given electric shocks with live wires and taser-like electroshock weapons.
In one detention centre, in Tripoli, investigators found severely tortured detainees who interrogators tried to conceal, Amnesty said. The report is based on research conducted in Libya in January and February.
The group noted that African migrants and refugees - who were accused during the conflict of being "mercenaries" for Muammar Gaddafi - were among those being abused.
Militias have also been responsible for fatal clashes in Tripoli and fighting in other towns in recent months.
On Tuesday, thousands of fighters from across western Libya held a parade in the capital, displaying heavy machine guns and rocket launchers, and firing rifles in the air.
_________________________
In the past month, the BBC has seen corroborating evidence of torture in Misrata, Libya's third city, as well as the town of Gharyan, south of the capital Tripoli.
In January, the BBC saw the corpse of a man whose body bore the marks of torture, including beating and electric shocks.
On Friday, there will be celebrations across the country to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the revolution that - it was hoped - would usher in a new era.
There is now a real fear that some of the very men who - with the support of Nato - fought the battle to topple the old regime, are now jeopardising the country's future.

69 comments:

  1. Foreign policy success of the first order. It knocked off a deserving tyrant, kept the oil flowing to Europe, weakened a moslem country, and set them to fighting one another for the next decade, and being consumed with this they won't be much of a problem to anyone else. Without Obama and NATO, Qadaffi would have prevailed. All this without one American killed or even injured.

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  2. .

    Foreign policy success of the first order

    Thousands of innocents killed. Torture. Murder. The carrying out of blood fueds. The militias fighting amongst themselves.

    The Islamists running the country. Billions of dollars spent. Setting it up so the Brits, French and their oil companies can steal Libyan oil.
    Stolen guns, ammunition, and missiles shipped all over the ME to help the fighting there.

    All this without one American killed or injured.

    A very good day, or so says our feel-good philosopher from Idaho.

    Tell it to the mother whose kid became collateral damage during one of NATO's (read US) drone attacks that "had a technical problem".

    Foreign policy success of the first order? Perhaps to one who doesn't give a flying fuck as long as he is not personally involved.

    I'm realistic enough to know this shit happens everyday. You normally have to assume a level of dispassion when other countries are doing it amongst themselves. But it's different when it's your country bombing the kids.

    .

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  3. .

    Per News/WDIV poll,

    Santorum: 34%

    Romney: 30%


    In Michigan.


    .

    ReplyDelete
  4. Don't let it get to you Quirk. It's just another day in the neighborhood. They are been going at it before Christ's time. Our guiding star must be, whatever weakens an islamist country, or islam as a whole, that is the path to follow. I am just quoting Hugh Fitzgerald to you. A man whose writing began to make a lot of sense to me.

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  5. Foreign policy success of the first order

    Another dirty colonial war, stirring up and irritating ancient feuds, initiated by the usual European colonialists, England and France, conducted by US aircraft, fought on the ground by lowlife US mercenaries, Blackwater-rebranded. All this paid for by US taxpayers. What business do we have supporting Africa’s old colonial powers?

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  6. Just another day at the beach

    (Reuters) - Rival militias fought a two-hour gunbattle over a luxury beach house being used as a barracks in the Libyan capital Wednesday, underscoring how volatile the country is following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.

    A Reuters reporter heard exchanges of both heavy and light weapons coming from the Tripoli district of El-Saadi beach, a stretch of Mediterranean coast overlooked by office skyscrapers and the Marriott Hotel.

    Militias have carved up Tripoli and the rest of Libya into competing fiefdoms, each holding out for the share of power they say they are owed.

    A witness, who had been relaxing on the beach with his family, told a local television channel fighters armed with anti-aircraft guns screeched along the coastal highway and stormed a walled residence.

    "It was chaos, the fighters suddenly arrived in cars and started shooting at the house. Families fled from the beach," Abdul Musharim told the Libyan news channel 'Libya’.

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  7. My guy, the ever embarrassing Republican Sen. John McCain, always influential on foreign affairs, mostly wrong on mostly everything, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, believes we should continue our magic in Syria and think seriously about “arming the opposition.” The head of Al Qaeda agrees with McCain, AQ is all in.

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  8. Deuce: What business do we have supporting Africa’s old colonial powers?

    Saudi Arabia can only squeeze excess production for so long before they have to rest the fields. So Libya had to be prodded along. Syria, they can let things play out.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Quirk: Santorum: 34% Romney: 30% In Michigan.

    Romney's cap and trade idea doesn't play so well in Pontiac, MI.

    ReplyDelete
  10. .

    Romney's cap and trade idea doesn't play so well in Pontiac, MI.


    Half the people here don't know what cap and trade is. They do, however, know what "auto bailout" means; and most are on the opposite side of the issue from Romney.

    .

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  11. .

    Our guiding star must be, whatever weakens an islamist country, or islam as a whole, that is the path to follow.


    Weakens Libya? It's a friggen tribal nation with no air force, few tanks, and less firepower than M-13 or one of the drug cartels. Weakens? Wake up and smell the coffee. The only reason we took a chance of going in there was that they were so damn weak already.

    Jesus, Bob, I'm not familiar with this Fitzgerald asshole but he sounds like a dick.

    And I suppose in some screwed up rationalization bumping off a few dozen kids or turning them into orphans weakens Libya.

    Give me a break.

    .

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  12. Obviously I have my tongue in my cheek a little there, folks.

    But, nobody was killed on our side.



    ....

    Hillary agrees with McCain and Zawahiri on Syria. So, all the folks that matter, agree.

    Somebody said all these politicians seem kinda like lying swine or somesuch, I agree with that.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fitzgerald used to write for JihadWatch. Knew more European literature than the entire Bar here put together. Had the wisdom to see where the real threat rises.

    ReplyDelete
  14. .

    And don't give me all that bull about Ghadafi being a bad actor and how we had to take him out. The hypocrisy is galling.

    The guy was a whack job yes. He said if the rebels keep fighting the government they would be punished. What did you expect him to say?

    That got translated by Hillary and Obama and their minions in the press as Ghadafi threatens to decimate the population.

    As for the colonel himself, he was a perfect fall guy after our fiasco in Egypt. He was on the hit list after taking down that airplane. However, if they wanted to get him, they could have done it then and been justified. But they didn't. He gave up the newks and everyone then said what a great guy he was (albeit a bit quirky).

    Hillary called him someone we could work with. Hell, he was having wet dreams about Condi. Yeh, we worked with him just like we did with Mubarek in Egypt. Use him as much as we could but then kick him to the curb when things got dicey.

    There are aggressive wars, defensive wars, wars of retribution, and wars of choice. I've mentioned my views on all of these.

    To characterize Libya as a short-lived kinetic action does nothing to change its character from that of being a war of choice. Pure politics (with thousands we directly helped kill).

    Enjoy your coffee and eggs.

    .

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  15. .

    Knew more European literature than the entire Bar here put together.


    Well, damn. Who better to tell us how to handle Libya than someone who can tell us how the ancient Romans did it.

    .

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  16. .

    OMB director undercuts legal case for Obamacare


    One more problem for Obamacare. Is the individual mandate a tax?

    Not as significant as the unfunded liability being forced on the states or the actual mandate itself but still troublesome in Obama's arguments before SCOTUS (politically if not legally).

    Tax or No Tax?


    .

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  17. Libya, with it's history of murder of Americans and Jews should become in public what in private it always has been....

    a toilet.

    it's arab occupying people?

    murderous, berber erasing, western hating, islamic arabs that 1st started their crap with America in 1783

    From the Halls of Montezuma,
    To the shores of Tripoli;
    We fight our country's battles
    In the air, on land, and sea;
    First to fight for right and freedom
    And to keep our honor clean:
    We are proud to claim the title
    Of United States Marine.

    Misnamed the "barbary wars" is really the islamic attacks on the Colonies of the Americas

    Karma is a bitch.

    May their tribal/nation state reap what they have sowed for hundreds of years unto it'sself

    I for one have popcorn and hope to see "libya" dissolve into nothing but a scattered and disjointed entity that cannot do harm to others...

    ReplyDelete
  18. “I’ll put it this way, you don’t deserve to keep all of it. It’s not a question of deserving, because what government is, is those things that we decide to do together," Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) told the Don Wade & Roma show on WLS-AM."I think you need to pay your fair share for things we've decided are our national priorities," Schakowsky added.”

    Fucking Democrats.

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  19. If you think your security is enhanced by slaughtering civilians where we have no business, good luck.

    I find it amusing that the same people who idolize Lincoln for butchering 600,000 of his own people to put down an insurrection and maintain the union, think the opposite applies in Libya, Egypt and Syria.

    Why not name some bridges and schools for Janet Reno and her fine work in putting down the dangerous insurrection of David Koresh, killing 76 Americans, including 17 teenagers and children.

    Too bad for the Davidians that Mexico did not provide air support to make it a more even fight, Libyan style.

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  20. Deuce: I find it amusing that the same people who idolize Lincoln for butchering 600,000 of his own people to put down an insurrection and maintain the union, think the opposite applies in Libya, Egypt and Syria.

    A government must have a monopoly on the use of force, otherwise you have anarchy, and a lot more than 600,000 people would have perished. That's why the Constitution was written, to form a more perfect Union, insure domestic Tranquility, and provide for the common defence.

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  21. Wasp said...
    ...
    I think you need to pay your fair share for things we've decided are our national priorities," Schakowsky added.”

    Fucking Democrats.

    This coming from the person sucking 86k out of the government teat bitching about paying for "national priorities". Seems you have equal self-awarness as WiO.

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  22. ash: Seems you have equal self-awarness as WiO.



    Except I employ people, i pay workman comp, I pay unemployment insurance, i pay inventory tax on goods I already paid tax on...

    I am quite self aware.

    What I am not is a supporter of looters, terrorists and anti-semites.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 Over Lockerbie

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  24. Ash!

    You insulted Zena, Ms T, Teresita, Wasp!


    She will NEVER FORGIVE and NEVER FORGET!

    ReplyDelete
  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  26. Not only that, but I've been informed, on more than one occasion, that I will be ignored...

    ...oh my!

    ReplyDelete
  27. .

    Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 Over Lockerbie


    If anyone thinks the Lockerbie bombing is related to reasons we went into Libya, they are too friggin naive to be left walking around without a babysitter.

    .

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  28. Quirk said...
    .

    Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 Over Lockerbie


    If anyone thinks the Lockerbie bombing is related to reasons we went into Libya, they are too friggin naive to be left walking around without a babysitter.




    absolutely not...

    I think it's karma....

    I hope that all the evil doers of the world get the shit kicked out of them...

    But I gots to tell ya, when the arab guys were shoving that stick of love up ole mo's ass?

    I laughed...

    HARD.

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  29. When Saddam was being HUNG?


    I smiled...


    And when the drag Assad thru the streets like animals?

    He got what he gave...

    I shall raise a glass of 18 year old scotch in toasting his death...

    ReplyDelete
  30. no red solo cup for me...

    nope a hand blown italian goblet....

    filled with this...


    http://www.glenmorangie.com/our-whiskies/18-year-old

    ReplyDelete
  31. Santorum has 18-point lead over Romney in the ultimate swing state, Ohio.

    Occupy embarrasses Obama by protesting his Hollywood $38,500 per person fundraiser last night .

    Black Muslim Dem Rep. Keith Ellison: “Time For White People” To Stop Being Racist

    Okay.

    And Mooooochelle can have my chicken when she pries it from my dead, greasy fingers.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Wasp said...
    Santorum, channeling Pork Rinds for Allah, warns North Dakota they will be targeted by Iran.




    Sorry that you are too ignorant to see the wisdom of his (or my) words.

    But that's your problem not mine.

    ReplyDelete
  33. .

    But I gots to tell ya, when the arab guys were shoving that stick of love up ole mo's ass?

    I laughed...

    HARD.





    Well, what can you say to a guy who gets his jollies off on sodomy and torture?

    .

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  34. The European Central Bank has moved to protect its €50 billion Greek-bond portfolio from losses by swapping the bonds for new ones issued by Greece.

    ...

    The ECB started purchasing Greek, Irish and Portuguese bonds in May 2010. The ECB justified the purchases by saying they were needed to ensure their interest-rate and bank-support measures transmitted through the economy.

    ReplyDelete
  35. And in December, an amateur security analyst discovered that a little-known company called Carrier IQ Inc. had the ability to log huge amounts of data from smartphones of AT&T,T-Mobileand Sprint users, including every key they pressed and the content of text messages. The company said that although that data was technically available to it, it did not use it.

    Privacy analysts say the value of user behavior data is difficult for technology companies to ignore, and in the absence of clearly drawn laws protecting users' data privacy, firms often err on the side of collecting as much information as they can.

    "App developers are like, this data is there; I'm going to use it until someone tells me otherwise," said Ashkan Soltani, an independent privacy analyst. "People are going to continue to push the boundaries, especially as long as these boundaries are blurry."

    ReplyDelete
  36. Shit, Ron "Demento" Paul is here tomorrow. Whoa......

    I'm so excited, and am charging the batteries up in my camera.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Who better to tell us how to handle Libya than someone who can tell us how the ancient Romans did it.


    I know it wasn't intentional but Quirk has stumbled into a very good point here. One can learn a lot from the ancient Romans.

    ReplyDelete
  38. The best solution for Libya is to divide the place into two, or three. They have shown they can't get along during the last thousand years, make separate nations out of the major tribes.

    ReplyDelete
  39. On this day in 2005, the NHL officially canceled the entire 2004-05 regular season and playoffs. This was the first time a major sports league in North America had ever canceled its entire season due to a labor dispute.

    ReplyDelete
  40. The Danube River, Central Europe's key waterway, has frozen in several places, bringing trade in the region to a halt. Unlike most of Europe, which has diversified away from water-based freight transport, Central European countries on the Danube still rely heavily on the river for trade.

    ...

    Extremely low temperatures in the past few weeks in Europe have caused several of the continent's inland waterways to freeze, particularly the Danube River. Before the freeze, the region through which the Danube runs experienced a severe drought, dramatically reducing the river's flow and increasing the likelihood that it would freeze over in the cold.

    ...

    The region will recover from the freeze, but it will be incumbent on the littoral states of the Danube to create a stable political environment and foster trade. Historically, the region has seen stability only when external powers impose it.


    Danube River

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  41. Poor General Dempsey actually confessed to the Senate that we don’t really know all that much about the Syrian opposition. (Can you spell “intelligence failure”?) But then he turned around and said:

    The Free Syrian Army, which is, generally speaking, the centerpiece of the opposition, is for the most part domestic, although we also know that other regional actors are providing support. That complicates the situation…

    ...

    Doesn’t logic just grab you by the throat and make you say that Obama consistently acts as if he wants greater tyranny over Americans, both at home and abroad?

    If not, how do you explain it?


    Freedom And Tyranny

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  42. The new Mac software will also support a feature called AirPlay Mirroring that allows users to view what is on the screen of their iPhone or iPad and a television screen connected to a $99 Apple TV device. The technology is highly strategic for Apple, as it contemplates new video technologies for the living room.

    ...

    Mountain Lion comes as Mac has been a relatively small contributor to the company's record financial performance. As the company's revenue jumped 73% in the quarter ending in December, the percentage of its revenue from Macs fell to 14.2% from 20.3%.

    ...

    While Apple banks on that halo effect, its competitors are trying to follow its approach. Microsoft Corp. plans to release a new version of its Windows operating system that has a new interface that supports touch-based commands and resembles its mobile-phone software.

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  43. Quirk said...
    .

    But I gots to tell ya, when the arab guys were shoving that stick of love up ole mo's ass?

    I laughed...

    HARD.




    Well, what can you say to a guy who gets his jollies off on sodomy and torture?



    That wasnt sodomy and torture that was KARMA

    ReplyDelete
  44. .
    Quirk said (sarcasm font/on),

    Who better to tell us how to handle Libya than someone who can tell us how the ancient Romans did it.

    To which Bob responded,

    I know it wasn't intentional but Quirk has stumbled into a very good point here. One can learn a lot from the ancient Romans.



    Now, I only ask the following question because I assume that since Bob linked his statement to my post, there is actually some relevant connection there rather than that his statement is just some general comment about the ancient Romans.

    With that assumptions in mind, I have to ask, Bob, what lessons can we glean from the ancient progeny of Aeneas that could be beneficially applied to our relations with the Libyans or (if our EB Virgil would deign to expand the conversation) with any other nation today?

    I would also appreciate it if you would please lay out your base assumptions going in. For instance, what exactly would be the reason for the Romans attacking the country? I would probably be surprised if they did it for 'humanitarian reasons'. Likewise, I doubt they would be so offended by Ghadafi saying he was going to make the rebels pay if they decided to mount a civil war against the government that they would have invaded the country. And then, naturally, would follow the ‘lesson’ we can take from the Romans.

    I am anxious to be persuaded. So please, expound on your premise.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  45. These considerations militate in favor of a U.S. decision to attack Iran should sanctions fail to dissuade the Iranians from further pursuit of a nuclear weapon. So does the fact that we already seem to have edged into a state of covert bellicosity with the Iranian government: dead scientists, mysterious explosions, Stuxnet.

    ...

    Of course Israel would rather see the United States attack Iran than do so on its own, and not only for reasons of military effectiveness. But if an unattacked Iran is a nuclear-armed Iran, the latter would amount to a crippling failure of U.S. policy (always an option, I suppose).

    If an attack takes place and the United States is uninvolved, we are nevertheless unlikely to avoid involvement in the ensuing conflict. Our collision with Iran is imminent.


    Coming Attack On Iran

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  46. .


    kar·ma
       [kahr-muh] Show IPA

    noun
    1.
    Hinduism, Buddhism . action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation: in Hinduism one of the means of reaching Brahman. Compare bhakti ( def. 1 ) , jnana.

    2.
    Theosophy . the cosmic principle according to which each person is rewarded or punished in one incarnation according to that person's deeds in the previous incarnation.

    3.
    fate; destiny. Synonyms: predestination, predetermination, lot, kismet.

    4.
    the good or bad emanations felt to be generated by someone or something: Lets get out of here. This place has bad karma.




    Karma, the inevitible results of one's actions rebounding back upon that person at some point. Most people would take karma seriously. In the case of good karma rebounding to a person, one might understand smiling even if only whimsically.

    However, bad karma rebounding in the form of torture, sodomy, and eventually death prompting one to laugh...hard...? Seems a little odd to me.

    Of course, I'm only jerking your chain. I take half of what you say seriously. I expect much of it is merely for effect.

    .

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  47. The Danube River, Central Europe's key waterway, has frozen in several places, bringing trade in the region to a halt.

    Al Gore call your office.

    ReplyDelete
  48. The majority of Poland's oil and natural gas supplies come from Russia, which uses energy as a political tool throughout Central and Eastern Europe. To decrease Russia's leverage, Poland has begun diversifying its energy picture through a variety of initiatives.

    ...

    Poland is working to diversify away from Russian energy supplies through near-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal construction and long-term shale natural gas development. But two additional developments will affect Russia's position in Poland's (and, by extension, Europe's) energy sector: the renegotiation of natural gas prices with Russia by major European energy companies and implementation of the EU Third Energy Package.

    Changes in Western Europe's energy picture have forced Russia to re-evaluate its pricing structure with many of Europe's leading energy firms. In 2010-2011, the majority of Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom's Western European customers renegotiated their natural gas contracts, and several companies -- including Germany's Wingas, France's GDF Suez, Austria's Econgas, Italy's Sinergie Italiane and Slovakia's Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel -- obtained discounts early in 2012.


    Russia's Position

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  49. Quirk, I'm here to hurl insults, not defend positions. I'd have to go out to the garage and find my old papers on ancient Roman administrative procedures, researched in and written in the old language, to properly answer you and it's cold out there but I will say Roman policy was about 1/3 extortion and taxation, 1/3 divide and conquer, 1/3 protection racket, and 1/3 threat of extermination and/or permanent exile. The modern development of the nuclear weapon can make the implementation of these policies less troop intensive. Per the Romans, we can always make a glass parking lot and call it peace.

    ReplyDelete
  50. 4/3'rds. Sweet. That's about how I divide my booze on a Saturday night.

    1/3 scotch
    1/3 bourbon
    1/3 vodka
    1/3 rum

    ReplyDelete
  51. Stratfor sources have indicated that Iranian naval exercises scheduled to take place by Feb. 19 have been delayed or possibly canceled. Given other recent moves by the United States and Iran aimed at reducing bilateral tensions, the apparent delay may have been motivated by a desire to facilitate talks on Iran's nuclear program, among other issues.

    ...

    A move to delay the war games would be very unusual, as Iran has typically followed through on its announced military exercises or at least provided a reason for their delay. The apparent delay notably comes after Iran stepped back from its threats to close the Strait of Hormuz made during a previous set of war games in late December 2011 and early January 2012.

    ...

    Any military exercise entails both opportunity and risk. The exercises can strengthen a potential adversary's perception of Iran's military capabilities, but they can also expose weaknesses that could degrade that perception.


    Delaying War Games?

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  52. This is why you don't want the toxic, tar sand gunk from crossing the Sand Hills. Poisonous Sludge is Death on Pipelines, and Refineries

    ReplyDelete
  53. .

    As I expected, Bob.

    Throw something out there and see it you can slip it by without someone questioning you on it.

    Typical.

    Bob, the English Major from Moscow, waxes poetic on foreign policy, lamenting that Libya, unlike Gaul, is not divided into three parts like the 'Romans' woulda done it. But of course, it wasn't the Romans that divided Gaul into three parts. It was the Gauls.

    And then Bob, the English Major from Moscow, provides us with a mathematical algorithm describing Roman success that adds up to 4/3 of super stuff. Once again, proving how good these guys were and at the same time how hung up they were on the number 3.

    And then Bob, our English Major from Moscow, while channelling Gen. Jack D. Ripper's first strike tactics and Don Rumsfeld's small footprint strategy, proposes (and not for the first time) that we "bomb their asses into the stone age."

    And then Bob, etc. etc., citing the euphemisms and expediency we have come to expect from Oz (although admittedly not ordinarily from farmers in Idaho), goes on to explain in his best 1984 style how it's 'peace' if we say it's peace.

    Amazing.

    .

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  54. .

    Sam, I cancelled my (free) subscription to Stratfor.

    Did you see where they got hacked and lost a shit load of user info?

    .

    ReplyDelete
  55. Hillary Is Looking Particularly Fetching Tonight

    .....

    that Libya, unlike Gaul, is not divided into three parts like the 'Romans' woulda done it. But of course, it wasn't the Romans that divided Gaul into three parts. It was the Gauls

    This is all confusion and Quirkish lamebrainery.

    Even Mohammed and all his men and all their fatwas couldn't meld those Libyan tribes into one. Our not unpleasant task is to keep it that way, or, from one nation, three as I like to think of it.

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  56. ah, he reads Stratfor. No wonder the confusion.

    ReplyDelete
  57. .

    Our not unpleasant task is to keep it that way, or, from one nation, three as I like to think of it.

    And the point is finally made and THE question asked. Why is it OUR unpleasant duty? Why is it OUR duty at all? Why should we give a flying shag?

    Riddle me that o wizard of Moscow.

    .

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  58. Yeah, saw that, Quirk. I don't think there's much personal info in the free subscription option.

    ReplyDelete
  59. .

    ah, he reads Stratfor. No wonder the confusion.


    Admittedly, of limited value, but then it was free.

    And I find that even with its rather simplistic view, when it comes to foreign policy, it still is a little superior to Fish and Stream the Utne Reader, and Dr. Strangelove, the main publications your views on foreign policy appear to have been influenced by.

    .

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  60. .

    I agree Sam. What you can do with an e-mail address? Not sure. It's not like I'm computer literate.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  61. .

    By the way, Sam.

    I said I quit their service (sent 2 notices) by way of the 'unsubcribe' link, but I'm still getting their articles e-mailed to me.

    Should I be concerned it's not them sending them to me but instead some black ops group?

    .

    ReplyDelete
  62. And it's Field and Stream not Fish and Stream, you rock-locked larval nymph.

    ReplyDelete
  63. I've got a very few subscriptions left for my limited edition Bob's Big Book of Basic Strategies and Enabling Tactics In Today's Hyperenvironment, Quirk. Costs under a thousand for 12 issues.

    Each addition contains the latest in avoiding credit card fraud, too.

    Be one of the few informed.

    ReplyDelete
  64. The Judge that made the ruling was a moslem named Malihi. heh

    Georgia Appeal Has Been Filed

    One of those motions is an Emergency Motion for Stay and Preliminary Injunction prohibiting the Georgia Secretary of State from including candidate Barack Obama on the Georgia Presidential Primary ballot. Read the filing on our website. Quoting from the motion,

    "should this Court incorrectly deny this motion it would confirm that the judicial branch is now unwilling to enforce the clearest and most basic requirements of the U.S. Constitution. Harm to Petitioner that would result from such incorrect refusal to grant this motion represents nothing less than the loss of our constitutional form of government for all Americans."

    Our 15 page Appeal, available on our website, argues that the decision of the OSAH court:

    violated Rules of Constitutional Construction,
    misapplied Minor v. Happersett,
    ignored the clear definition and precedential status of Natural Born Citizen in Minor,
    ignored the Minor Court’s discussion of other categories of citizens,
    ignored the Minor Court holding that the 14th Amendment “Did Not Add to the Privileges and Immunities of a Citizen”,
    applied dicta from Wong Kim Ark instead of precedent from Minor, and
    relied upon the severely flawed Indiana state court ruling, Arkeny v. Governor.

    The OSAH decision concludes that any person born within the United States, regardless of the citizenship or legal status of their parents, is a “natural born citizen” under Article II of the United States Constitution. This conclusion runs contrary to common sense, violates venerable rules of Constitutional Construction followed by the U.S. Supreme Court since its inception, and violates the explicit holding of the Supreme Court case relied upon.

    Had the drafters of the Constitution intended all people born in the U.S. to be considered natural born citizens, the 14th Amendment would not have been necessary. Had the drafters of the 14th Amendment intended that Amendment to alter the Article II definition of natural born citizen, they would have clearly stated so. Yet the term “natural born citizen” is not found anywhere within the 14th Amendment. The Amendment also makes no reference to Article II. The OSAH ruling, therefore, violates rules of construction that the OSAH had itself relied upon just days earlier in the same litigation.

    The OSAH decision ignores a precedential holding from the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of dicta from a later Supreme Court case. This issue was presented at length to the OSAH at oral arguments and in written submissions, yet the OSAH chose to completely ignore this issue in its decision.

    That the OSAH decision relies upon a non-binding opinion from an Indiana State Appellate Court to support its conclusion further illustrates their failure to follow venerable rules of construction and judicial restraint. In Arkeny v. Governor, the Indiana opinion relied upon was litigated by pro-se citizens of Indiana against the Governor of that state. The Indiana court reached its holding via an issue that did not require interpretation of the U.S. Constitution, yet that court then proceeded to construe the U.S. Constitution anyway. The Indiana court‟s decision to construe the U.S. Constitution without need to do so represents an overreaching Judiciary and violates a doctrine of judicial restraint established by the Supreme Court over 150 years ago. The OSAH’s reliance upon the Indiana court’s opinion, rather than follow a precedential holding of the U.S. Supreme Court, further demonstrates the OSAH’s errors of law.

    So now our case is in the hands of the Georgia Superior Court. We will continue to pursue the vindication of our Constitution from this outrageous ruling. Thank you for standing with us and supporting Liberty Legal Foundation in this important effort.

    In Liberty,



    Van Irion, Founder

    LIBERTY LEGAL FOUNDATION

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