michael shetzer's Blog
About the Author
WE NEED A RENAISSANCE!
Our economy allocates scarce dollars to maximize the utility of the consumer. Translating from economics to English, I just said money is scarce & we should be smart in its use. In my travels in the USA I too often hear claims that a municipality must have tax money for a new sports facility or lose their team. The one we built a ‘few’ years back is no longer good enough…. so they say. This is an anemic argument that the public takes like a marlin on live bait.
I am not sure where to start but let’s try at the governors level with key states (both blue & red) passing legislation that there will be no more tax subsidies for professional sports. If this will not work then at the federal level with Washington, DC saying that there will be no more federal money to states that allocate tax dollars, etc to the subsidization of professional sports facilities. This would be in the same vein as many years ago when the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21. Many states said they would not increase the drinking age. The fed simply said that there would be no more federal highway money for states not complying. All states are now 21 to drink. I want to stay out of the argument about the drinking age. Point is that we are the USA & we can get this done. This is simply a question of our priorities.
I want to keep you with me so I will show the light we must follow. About one in six dollars now goes for health care; 33% of the USA’s public schools had classrooms in portable buildings in 2005 & as far as far as energy we simply must conserve. A good start with energy would be passing a law that no car will be built or imported to the USA after…say 2010 that gets less than 50 MPG.
Our country must look inside her boarders and fix the public school system. Making an argument for building more schools & raising teachers salaries should be the politicians delight. Not skyboxes & domes! In short, we demand a population that has access to quality safe & free education. Since we are at the trough, we also want our entire population to have access to efficient health care. Our Lady USA will become as she was many years ago when we have a widely dispersed healthy & educated population.
People we need a renaissance. Stop government giveaways throughout the USA & there will still be professional sports. One result of my call to action will be that municipalities will have more money for education while the salaries of professional athletes will fall. The system as it is now is a transfer of tax money to wealthy team owners & athletes. I say again…end this and the ball games will continue. Do not change and our country will continue to crumble.
The forecasts of Kennedy in ‘Rise & Fall of the Great Powers’ are now in our face. The path I have given is simple. The result will be a population that cares more about the environment and less about celebrity tabloid gossip. What our population is not getting from the educational & medical systems they are getting from the tabloid world. Once again we need a renaissance and to continue the giveaways will be to give away the great country we have built in 232 years. The candidates are now jockeying for The White House. Where is the candidate that can deliver my call to action?
I agree 100% with this article from WashingtonPost.com today by David Ignatius.
"Yes, I know the "Team of Rivals" argument for Hillary Clinton as the ideal secretary of state for the Obama administration. But before it’s a done deal, let’s consider the counter-argument that this crew could prove to be a “Ship of Fools.”
In questioning whether Clinton is the right person for Foggy Bottom, I am not in any way disagreeing that she should have a big voice in the administration and in the nation’s future. She would have made an outstanding vice president (or president, for that matter), and she would be a sublime Senate majority leader. It’s easy to imagine her as the legislative architect for Obama’s domestic agenda. That’s a role she has been preparing to play her whole life.
But she’s an unwise choice for secretary of state, and here’s why:
The game changer in foreign policy is Barack Obama himself. Traveling in Europe earlier this month, I was stunned by the excitement he has aroused. The day after the election, the French newspaper “Le Monde” carried a cartoon atop its front page that showed Obama surfing a red, white and blue wave. Above him, it said: “Happy New Century!” You can sense the same enthusiasm around the world -- in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia. Even among the followers of radical groups, such as Hamas and the Taliban, Obama has inspired a sense of change and opportunity.
Given this ferment, the idea of subcontracting foreign policy to Clinton -- a big, hungry, needy ego surrounded by a team that’s hungrier and needier still -- strikes me as a mistake of potentially enormous proportions. It would, at a stroke, undercut much of the advantage Obama brings to foreign policy. And because Clinton is such a high-visibility figure, it would make almost impossible (at least through the State Department) the kind of quiet diplomacy that will be needed to explore options.
The foreign policy landscape already has too many big elephants wandering out from the Senate, with Sen. Joe Biden becoming vice president and former presidential candidate John Kerry taking over as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. With this many big talkers on the loose, it’s terrifying to imagine what life will be like in a few months for the booker on “Meet the Press.”
And I haven’t even mentioned here the biggest elephant of all, former President William Jefferson Clinton. I am a big fan of the ex-prez; he’s one of the wisest and most effective thinkers on foreign policy that I know. But it’s even harder to imagine him fitting in as the spouse of the secretary of state than as spouse of the president or vice president. I’ll leave to the transition’s team legal vetters the question of Bill Clinton’s potential conflicts of interest, after having been a “buckraker” speaker and door opener for wealthy business and political leaders around the world. But those leaders would surround almost everything Hillary Clinton tried to do in Foggy Bottom.
The most effective secretary of state I’ve covered in 30 years of writing about foreign policy was George Shultz. He was also the most apolitical. The least effective I can remember was Sen. Ed Muskie, another failed presidential candidate. Someone in Jimmy Carter’s entourage must have had a “team of rivals” idea when they named Muskie to succeed Cyrus Vance. But it was a bad idea then. And I’m sorry to say, it’s a bad idea now."
Ultimate use of any player is to place them in the best position...Hillary as Sec of State a train wreck waiting to happen...This is NOT a knock against Hillary...Treat her fairly & place her is a position where she can best serve her our country.
"Yes, I know the "Team of Rivals" argument for Hillary Clinton as the ideal secretary of state for the Obama administration. But before it’s a done deal, let’s consider the counter-argument that this crew could prove to be a “Ship of Fools.”
In questioning whether Clinton is the right person for Foggy Bottom, I am not in any way disagreeing that she should have a big voice in the administration and in the nation’s future. She would have made an outstanding vice president (or president, for that matter), and she would be a sublime Senate majority leader. It’s easy to imagine her as the legislative architect for Obama’s domestic agenda. That’s a role she has been preparing to play her whole life.
But she’s an unwise choice for secretary of state, and here’s why:
The game changer in foreign policy is Barack Obama himself. Traveling in Europe earlier this month, I was stunned by the excitement he has aroused. The day after the election, the French newspaper “Le Monde” carried a cartoon atop its front page that showed Obama surfing a red, white and blue wave. Above him, it said: “Happy New Century!” You can sense the same enthusiasm around the world -- in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia. Even among the followers of radical groups, such as Hamas and the Taliban, Obama has inspired a sense of change and opportunity.
Given this ferment, the idea of subcontracting foreign policy to Clinton -- a big, hungry, needy ego surrounded by a team that’s hungrier and needier still -- strikes me as a mistake of potentially enormous proportions. It would, at a stroke, undercut much of the advantage Obama brings to foreign policy. And because Clinton is such a high-visibility figure, it would make almost impossible (at least through the State Department) the kind of quiet diplomacy that will be needed to explore options.
The foreign policy landscape already has too many big elephants wandering out from the Senate, with Sen. Joe Biden becoming vice president and former presidential candidate John Kerry taking over as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. With this many big talkers on the loose, it’s terrifying to imagine what life will be like in a few months for the booker on “Meet the Press.”
And I haven’t even mentioned here the biggest elephant of all, former President William Jefferson Clinton. I am a big fan of the ex-prez; he’s one of the wisest and most effective thinkers on foreign policy that I know. But it’s even harder to imagine him fitting in as the spouse of the secretary of state than as spouse of the president or vice president. I’ll leave to the transition’s team legal vetters the question of Bill Clinton’s potential conflicts of interest, after having been a “buckraker” speaker and door opener for wealthy business and political leaders around the world. But those leaders would surround almost everything Hillary Clinton tried to do in Foggy Bottom.
The most effective secretary of state I’ve covered in 30 years of writing about foreign policy was George Shultz. He was also the most apolitical. The least effective I can remember was Sen. Ed Muskie, another failed presidential candidate. Someone in Jimmy Carter’s entourage must have had a “team of rivals” idea when they named Muskie to succeed Cyrus Vance. But it was a bad idea then. And I’m sorry to say, it’s a bad idea now."
Ultimate use of any player is to place them in the best position...Hillary as Sec of State a train wreck waiting to happen...This is NOT a knock against Hillary...Treat her fairly & place her is a position where she can best serve her our country.
We should let General Motors go bankrupt. Ford and Chrysler as well, if it comes to that.
Yes, we've heard all the arguments about how many jobs are at stake, both at the Detroit Three and its many suppliers. Also, how this may adversely affect millions of retirees. If you dissect this issue with your heart, it's hard to not give GM and the other two Detroit manufacturers billions of dollars so they can continue doing business as usual. And they will continue doing business as usual, which is why this mess should end up in bankruptcy court, not with wheelbarrows of taxpayer cash flowing out of the U.S. Treasury. In short, billions now to GM will not cure the illness, and if the money is forked over it likely won't be the last time Detroit will come calling for a handout.
Only the forced reorganization of Chapter 11 bankruptcy could finally force these manufacturers, especially GM, to recognize that the 1960s aren't coming back. There's no way GM or Ford will close their doors with a Chapter 7 going-out-of business sale, though that fate should not be ruled out at the much weaker Chrysler.
With Chapter 11 bankruptcy, GM will still be able to produce cars while finally facing up to some hard decisions -- like closing or selling at least three of its divisions, negotiating even tougher but fair contracts with the United Auto Workers, trimming its healthcare and retirement costs, as well as bringing supplier costs more in line with what its competitors pay.
Bankruptcy could also help clean out the executive suite and replace those 30-year GM veterans at the top with people who won't be saddled with a craving for better times that aren't coming back.
Yes, we've heard all the arguments about how many jobs are at stake, both at the Detroit Three and its many suppliers. Also, how this may adversely affect millions of retirees. If you dissect this issue with your heart, it's hard to not give GM and the other two Detroit manufacturers billions of dollars so they can continue doing business as usual. And they will continue doing business as usual, which is why this mess should end up in bankruptcy court, not with wheelbarrows of taxpayer cash flowing out of the U.S. Treasury. In short, billions now to GM will not cure the illness, and if the money is forked over it likely won't be the last time Detroit will come calling for a handout.
Only the forced reorganization of Chapter 11 bankruptcy could finally force these manufacturers, especially GM, to recognize that the 1960s aren't coming back. There's no way GM or Ford will close their doors with a Chapter 7 going-out-of business sale, though that fate should not be ruled out at the much weaker Chrysler.
With Chapter 11 bankruptcy, GM will still be able to produce cars while finally facing up to some hard decisions -- like closing or selling at least three of its divisions, negotiating even tougher but fair contracts with the United Auto Workers, trimming its healthcare and retirement costs, as well as bringing supplier costs more in line with what its competitors pay.
Bankruptcy could also help clean out the executive suite and replace those 30-year GM veterans at the top with people who won't be saddled with a craving for better times that aren't coming back.
GM is hovering near $5 & can be viewed as a penny stock. The cry is that for every job on the production line there are 5 other jobs supported/created. Now the USA auto industry comes hat-in-hand seeking Fed assistance...The USA auto industry simply needs to learn how to make cars that will sell.
We need a law that says no auto or "private-use" truck will be imported or made in USA after 2012 that gets less than 50mpg. Let's turn THE RUST BELT into a manufacturing center for GREEN PRODUCTS & create new jobs in a growing industry. The current USA vehicle industry should go the way of buggy whip producers as both have lost their place in the market.
Oil shot to over $140 & now plays with breaking below $50...The public will forget the shock therapy of $5 a gallon gas and return to wasting energy...
Please know that today the Financial Times says,
"Oil prices will rebound to more than $100 a barrel as soon as the world economy recovers, and will exceed $200 by 2030, the International Energy Agency will say in its flagship report to be published next week.
"While market imbalances could temporarily cause prices to fall back, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the era of cheap oil is over," the report states.
The developed world's energy watchdog has doubled its long-term price expectation from last year's $108 a barrel for 2030 and assumes oil prices will rebound from today's $60-$70 a barrel to trade, in real terms adjusted by inflation, at an average of more than $100 a barrel from 2008 to 2015."
WE MUST SLASH ENERGY USE!!!
We need a law that says no auto or "private-use" truck will be imported or made in USA after 2012 that gets less than 50mpg. Let's turn THE RUST BELT into a manufacturing center for GREEN PRODUCTS & create new jobs in a growing industry. The current USA vehicle industry should go the way of buggy whip producers as both have lost their place in the market.
Oil shot to over $140 & now plays with breaking below $50...The public will forget the shock therapy of $5 a gallon gas and return to wasting energy...
Please know that today the Financial Times says,
"Oil prices will rebound to more than $100 a barrel as soon as the world economy recovers, and will exceed $200 by 2030, the International Energy Agency will say in its flagship report to be published next week.
"While market imbalances could temporarily cause prices to fall back, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the era of cheap oil is over," the report states.
The developed world's energy watchdog has doubled its long-term price expectation from last year's $108 a barrel for 2030 and assumes oil prices will rebound from today's $60-$70 a barrel to trade, in real terms adjusted by inflation, at an average of more than $100 a barrel from 2008 to 2015."
WE MUST SLASH ENERGY USE!!!
Often simple headlines in international press will reflect upcoming conflict. The Russian bear depends on high commodity prices (energy & metals) to fill the government coffers so the higher these prices the more beligerent Russia will be on the international scene.
Not only is reduction of energy good for the environment but reduced demand yields lower prices...thus less revenue for Russia, etc...Now read below from press...
"President Dmitry Medvedev called Wednesday for the extension of presidential terms to six years and for the stationing of short-range missile systems in Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania, in his first state-of-the-nation address.
Medvedev also used the 85-minute address to defend Russia's actions in its August war with Georgia, which he said was the result of the "arrogant course of the American administration," which he also accused of following a "selfish" foreign policy and of mistaken economic policies he said were behind the global financial crisis."
Not only is reduction of energy good for the environment but reduced demand yields lower prices...thus less revenue for Russia, etc...Now read below from press...
"President Dmitry Medvedev called Wednesday for the extension of presidential terms to six years and for the stationing of short-range missile systems in Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania, in his first state-of-the-nation address.
Medvedev also used the 85-minute address to defend Russia's actions in its August war with Georgia, which he said was the result of the "arrogant course of the American administration," which he also accused of following a "selfish" foreign policy and of mistaken economic policies he said were behind the global financial crisis."
I have received many comments for my highly placed international connections & all have been positive.....make that highly positive.
In short & in the words of a member of 1 of the top families from Dubai, UAE , "Obama will change the world." I have several reflections in this vein...There is much work to be done & at least the globe will give us an open door to explore a better way...THIS WILL NOT BE EASY & THE FUTURE STARTED NOV 4TH AT 11PM EST!
In short & in the words of a member of 1 of the top families from Dubai, UAE , "Obama will change the world." I have several reflections in this vein...There is much work to be done & at least the globe will give us an open door to explore a better way...THIS WILL NOT BE EASY & THE FUTURE STARTED NOV 4TH AT 11PM EST!
This is a great moment in USA history & for the world. Now we must all row in the same direction to get the shine back on Lady Liberty. This is NOT about RNC or DNC....This is about our country & she is in a steep decline...Remember a year ago many said Obama had no chance? Well he won by large margins....The darkhorse (no pun) won because we as a nation believe in a better way....We are tired of politics as usual..."We as a people will get there."
The election process took way too long....Can you imagine how long it will take to get us out of the mess we are in...? Once again we must all row together...We need a better public education system... We need to "go green" to slash enery use....We need to get in shape through diet & exercise...Do these 3 things and improvement will follow.
The election process took way too long....Can you imagine how long it will take to get us out of the mess we are in...? Once again we must all row together...We need a better public education system... We need to "go green" to slash enery use....We need to get in shape through diet & exercise...Do these 3 things and improvement will follow.
Tomorrow night for election coverage I suggest watching THE DAILY SHOW with John Stewart on Comedy Central. He presents the facts with a different twist....
This election has been going on for about 2 years & a 'small fortune' has been spent in the process. Can we agree that the process needs to be fixed?
I do believe it yielded the best 2 candidates in McCain & Obama but let's shorten the cycle.....
I do believe it yielded the best 2 candidates in McCain & Obama but let's shorten the cycle.....
WE NEED A RENAISSANCE!
1st posted March 2008
Our economy allocates scarce dollars to maximize the utility of the consumer. Translating from economics to English, I just said money is scarce & we should be smart in its use. In my travels in the USA I too often hear claims that a municipality must have tax money for a new sports facility or lose their team. The one we built a ‘few’ years back is no longer good enough…. so they say. This is an anemic argument that the public takes like a marlin on live bait. I am not sure where to start but let’s try at the governors level with key states (both blue & red) passing legislation that there will be no more tax subsidies for professional sports. If this will not work then at the federal level with Washington, DC saying that there will be no more federal money to states that allocate tax dollars, etc to the subsidization of professional sports facilities. This would be in the same vein as many years ago when the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21. Many states said they would not increase the drinking age. The fed simply said that there would be no more federal highway money for states not complying. All states are now 21 to drink. I want to stay out of the argument about the drinking age. Point is that we are the USA & we can get this done. This is simply a question of our priorities. I want to keep you with me so I will show the light we must follow. About one in six dollars now goes for health care; 33% of the USA’s public schools had classrooms in portable buildings in 2005 & as far as far as energy we simply must conserve. A good start with energy would be passing a law that no car will be built or imported to the USA after…say 2010 that gets less than 50 MPG. Our country must look inside her boarders and fix the public school system. Making an argument for building more schools & raising teachers salaries should be the politicians delight. Not skyboxes & domes! In short, we demand a population that has access to quality safe & free education. Since we are at the trough, we also want our entire population to have access to efficient health care. Our Lady USA will become as she was many years ago when we have a widely dispersed healthy & educated population. People we need a renaissance. Stop government giveaways throughout the USA & there will still be professional sports. One result of my call to action will be that municipalities will have more money for education while the salaries of professional athletes will fall. The system as it is now is a transfer of tax money to wealthy team owners & athletes. I say again…end this and the ball games will continue. Do not change and our country will continue to crumble. The forecasts of Kennedy in ‘Rise & Fall of the Great Powers’ are now in our face. The path I have given is simple. The result will be a population that cares more about the environment and less about celebrity tabloid gossip. What our population is not getting from the educational & medical systems they are getting from the tabloid world. Once again we need a renaissance and to continue the giveaways will be to give away the great country we have built in 232 years. The candidates are now jockeying for The White House. Where is the candidate that can deliver my call to action? NOW YOU HAVE YOUR ANSWER
1st posted March 2008
Our economy allocates scarce dollars to maximize the utility of the consumer. Translating from economics to English, I just said money is scarce & we should be smart in its use. In my travels in the USA I too often hear claims that a municipality must have tax money for a new sports facility or lose their team. The one we built a ‘few’ years back is no longer good enough…. so they say. This is an anemic argument that the public takes like a marlin on live bait. I am not sure where to start but let’s try at the governors level with key states (both blue & red) passing legislation that there will be no more tax subsidies for professional sports. If this will not work then at the federal level with Washington, DC saying that there will be no more federal money to states that allocate tax dollars, etc to the subsidization of professional sports facilities. This would be in the same vein as many years ago when the drinking age was raised from 18 to 21. Many states said they would not increase the drinking age. The fed simply said that there would be no more federal highway money for states not complying. All states are now 21 to drink. I want to stay out of the argument about the drinking age. Point is that we are the USA & we can get this done. This is simply a question of our priorities. I want to keep you with me so I will show the light we must follow. About one in six dollars now goes for health care; 33% of the USA’s public schools had classrooms in portable buildings in 2005 & as far as far as energy we simply must conserve. A good start with energy would be passing a law that no car will be built or imported to the USA after…say 2010 that gets less than 50 MPG. Our country must look inside her boarders and fix the public school system. Making an argument for building more schools & raising teachers salaries should be the politicians delight. Not skyboxes & domes! In short, we demand a population that has access to quality safe & free education. Since we are at the trough, we also want our entire population to have access to efficient health care. Our Lady USA will become as she was many years ago when we have a widely dispersed healthy & educated population. People we need a renaissance. Stop government giveaways throughout the USA & there will still be professional sports. One result of my call to action will be that municipalities will have more money for education while the salaries of professional athletes will fall. The system as it is now is a transfer of tax money to wealthy team owners & athletes. I say again…end this and the ball games will continue. Do not change and our country will continue to crumble. The forecasts of Kennedy in ‘Rise & Fall of the Great Powers’ are now in our face. The path I have given is simple. The result will be a population that cares more about the environment and less about celebrity tabloid gossip. What our population is not getting from the educational & medical systems they are getting from the tabloid world. Once again we need a renaissance and to continue the giveaways will be to give away the great country we have built in 232 years. The candidates are now jockeying for The White House. Where is the candidate that can deliver my call to action? NOW YOU HAVE YOUR ANSWER
DNC has James Cann as VP...TOUGH TICKET
Russian equipment does not have a reverse gear.
We need to toss Russia out of G8, have IOC retract awarding Russia Winter Games & get Ukraine fast tracked admission to NATO.
We need to toss Russia out of G8, have IOC retract awarding Russia Winter Games & get Ukraine fast tracked admission to NATO.
CFTA is being used as a political football....READ THE BILL & you will note the following:
"Opening markets is extremely important during this time of economic uncertainty. Last year, exports accounted for more than 40 percent of America's total economic growth. Over 90 percent of imports from Colombia enter our country duty-free, but the 10,000 American businesses that export to Colombia " including 8,000 small and mid-sized businesses " face tariffs of up to 35 percent, with rates even higher for some agricultural products. Once the agreement is in effect, Colombia will eliminate tariffs on more than 80 percent of U.S. exports of industrial and consumer goods immediately and 100 percent of U.S. exports over time.
Tariffs imposed on U.S. exports to Colombia are estimated to have exceeded $1.1 billion while the trade agreement has awaited Congressional approval. Failure to approve the free trade agreement is hurting American businesses that want to sell their products in Colombia. Leveling the playing field would make American products more competitive in Colombia and support higher-paying jobs here in the U.S."
THE BILL IS GOOD FOR THE USA! This should not be a GOP-vs-DNC issue but it is being treated like 1...IT IS SIMPLY GOOD BUSINESS TO PASS THE BILL...
"Opening markets is extremely important during this time of economic uncertainty. Last year, exports accounted for more than 40 percent of America's total economic growth. Over 90 percent of imports from Colombia enter our country duty-free, but the 10,000 American businesses that export to Colombia " including 8,000 small and mid-sized businesses " face tariffs of up to 35 percent, with rates even higher for some agricultural products. Once the agreement is in effect, Colombia will eliminate tariffs on more than 80 percent of U.S. exports of industrial and consumer goods immediately and 100 percent of U.S. exports over time.
Tariffs imposed on U.S. exports to Colombia are estimated to have exceeded $1.1 billion while the trade agreement has awaited Congressional approval. Failure to approve the free trade agreement is hurting American businesses that want to sell their products in Colombia. Leveling the playing field would make American products more competitive in Colombia and support higher-paying jobs here in the U.S."
THE BILL IS GOOD FOR THE USA! This should not be a GOP-vs-DNC issue but it is being treated like 1...IT IS SIMPLY GOOD BUSINESS TO PASS THE BILL...
There are many petty issues debated here...Let get focus on 2 MAJOR issues....
(PAKISTAN)
Pakistan’s president Pervez Musharraf stepped down on Monday after nine years in power, dodging his opponents’ attempts to impeach him but deepening confusion over who will control the nuclear-armed state.
PAKISTAN IS A SHADY COUNTRY THAT HAS CONSTANTLY HAD A FOOT IN EACH OPPOSING CAMP WHILE ACCEPTING BUNDLES OF US$. They have nukes…pray they are contained.
(RUSSIA)
Russia’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, has threatened a “crushing response” to any future attack on Russian citizens as the US and Georgia continued to dispute Moscow’s claims that its troops were withdrawing.Georgia and its western allies accused Russia on Monday of continuing to destroy military and civilian infrastructure and paralysing the country’s transport network.
RUSSIAN EQUIPMENT DOES NOT HAVE REVERSE GEARS. THEY ARE A ROUGE GANGSTER NATION THAT IS HELL BENT ON INCREASING THEIR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE. THEY ‘PLAYED’ THE WORLD TO THINKING THEY SHOULD BE PART OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD & WERE ADMITTED TO G8 & AWARDED A WINTER OLYMPICS. THROW THEM OUT OF THE G8 & RETRACT THE WINTER OLYMPICS AWARD.
(PAKISTAN)
Pakistan’s president Pervez Musharraf stepped down on Monday after nine years in power, dodging his opponents’ attempts to impeach him but deepening confusion over who will control the nuclear-armed state.
PAKISTAN IS A SHADY COUNTRY THAT HAS CONSTANTLY HAD A FOOT IN EACH OPPOSING CAMP WHILE ACCEPTING BUNDLES OF US$. They have nukes…pray they are contained.
(RUSSIA)
Russia’s president, Dmitry Medvedev, has threatened a “crushing response” to any future attack on Russian citizens as the US and Georgia continued to dispute Moscow’s claims that its troops were withdrawing.Georgia and its western allies accused Russia on Monday of continuing to destroy military and civilian infrastructure and paralysing the country’s transport network.
RUSSIAN EQUIPMENT DOES NOT HAVE REVERSE GEARS. THEY ARE A ROUGE GANGSTER NATION THAT IS HELL BENT ON INCREASING THEIR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE. THEY ‘PLAYED’ THE WORLD TO THINKING THEY SHOULD BE PART OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD & WERE ADMITTED TO G8 & AWARDED A WINTER OLYMPICS. THROW THEM OUT OF THE G8 & RETRACT THE WINTER OLYMPICS AWARD.
The situation in Georgia is 1 that we must NOT take lightly. The Black Sea is a critical region & we need to get USMC in there ASAP.
There are several critical countries that could easily fall back under the Russian umbrella. This will NOT improve by talking as Russia will not react to talk.
I do not like war for the sake of war but I am for full support of a democratic nation that has been invaded.
USA NEEDS TO MOVE ASAP!
There are several critical countries that could easily fall back under the Russian umbrella. This will NOT improve by talking as Russia will not react to talk.
I do not like war for the sake of war but I am for full support of a democratic nation that has been invaded.
USA NEEDS TO MOVE ASAP!
(1) Pass the Colombian Free Trade Agreement.
(2) Get Ukraine in NATO ASAP.
(3) Slash energy use across the board.
(4) Help somebody less fortunate.
(5)If you have children make sure they learn a foreign language.
(6) Pay public school teachers starting salaries of $100,000
(7) Look at situations through the eyes of the other side.
PLEASE ADD TO THIS LIST....
(2) Get Ukraine in NATO ASAP.
(3) Slash energy use across the board.
(4) Help somebody less fortunate.
(5)If you have children make sure they learn a foreign language.
(6) Pay public school teachers starting salaries of $100,000
(7) Look at situations through the eyes of the other side.
PLEASE ADD TO THIS LIST....
We need material action & good 1st step is to reduce G8 by 1 and make it the G7.
Another positive action would be to get Ukraine into NATO as soon as possible.
Another positive action would be to get Ukraine into NATO as soon as possible.
FROM WSJ Aug 11th
"Other former Soviet states are watching the Georgia crisis with a careful eye. Russian officials have in recent months stepped up their rhetoric about possible claims on Crimea, a historically Russian region that is now Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian officials said they might block Russia's Black Sea fleet from returning to its leased naval base in Crimea, after Russian ships began a blockade of Georgia's ports.
"This is about the whole of the ex-Soviet Union. Georgia is just the showcase," said Temuri Yakobashvili, Georgia's envoy in the separatist conflicts, in an interview. "Next comes Crimea," he said.""
Ukraine & Georgia should have received bids to join NATO at this years summit in Bucharest!
"Other former Soviet states are watching the Georgia crisis with a careful eye. Russian officials have in recent months stepped up their rhetoric about possible claims on Crimea, a historically Russian region that is now Ukrainian territory. Ukrainian officials said they might block Russia's Black Sea fleet from returning to its leased naval base in Crimea, after Russian ships began a blockade of Georgia's ports.
"This is about the whole of the ex-Soviet Union. Georgia is just the showcase," said Temuri Yakobashvili, Georgia's envoy in the separatist conflicts, in an interview. "Next comes Crimea," he said.""
Ukraine & Georgia should have received bids to join NATO at this years summit in Bucharest!
I am fairly well versed in the Black Sea region so my radar went up in Spring 2008 when Georgian UAV’s were shot down over Abkhazia. In effort to get the other side of the story I have been monitoring foreign news networks & consulting with overseas contacts on both sides of the equation. Below are comments from a Russian friend that knows the war business.
“Michael,
On the August 8, when Putin was in the air flying to China, Georgia started artillery and MLRS attack of the South Ossetia capital. Then troops moved and about 2000 civilians killed. The stories told by the witnesses are terrible.
Then the Russian army intervened and there is a feeling that Georgia agreed all its moves with Mrs. Rice and the EU. Now with the world press on the Georgian side they are heroes and their war is fair... Russia is viewed as the aggressor and everybody listens only the Georgian side. There is a feeling that they can't or don't want to hear the Russian side and this is unfair. Maybe Bush wants to show Russia its place near the lavatory?”
As I read my friends comments I realize there are 2 sides to the story & often the truth is somewhere in the middle. However, in this case only 1 side pull the trigger first…So what is the truth here? Did Georgia start this? Did Russia start this? Regardless, the point has been made & now is the time for cool heads to prevail…This is a serious event that could easily spiral out of control…The last time Russia crossed a boarder in aggression was 1979 in Afghanistan & we are still dealing with the blowback!
As you read my friends comments pause and view this from the ‘other’ side… I travel overseas extensively and I am often the brunt of anti-American sentiment. I always stand up for the USA as, while we are not perfect, we are the best society ever known to man. War is a dirty business and will always be with us…Our only hope is for us to find a comforting middle ground!
Now go put on John Lennon’s “GIVE PEACE A CHANCE” & sing it loud…. I am a simple messenger so do not shoot me...
“Michael,
On the August 8, when Putin was in the air flying to China, Georgia started artillery and MLRS attack of the South Ossetia capital. Then troops moved and about 2000 civilians killed. The stories told by the witnesses are terrible.
Then the Russian army intervened and there is a feeling that Georgia agreed all its moves with Mrs. Rice and the EU. Now with the world press on the Georgian side they are heroes and their war is fair... Russia is viewed as the aggressor and everybody listens only the Georgian side. There is a feeling that they can't or don't want to hear the Russian side and this is unfair. Maybe Bush wants to show Russia its place near the lavatory?”
As I read my friends comments I realize there are 2 sides to the story & often the truth is somewhere in the middle. However, in this case only 1 side pull the trigger first…So what is the truth here? Did Georgia start this? Did Russia start this? Regardless, the point has been made & now is the time for cool heads to prevail…This is a serious event that could easily spiral out of control…The last time Russia crossed a boarder in aggression was 1979 in Afghanistan & we are still dealing with the blowback!
As you read my friends comments pause and view this from the ‘other’ side… I travel overseas extensively and I am often the brunt of anti-American sentiment. I always stand up for the USA as, while we are not perfect, we are the best society ever known to man. War is a dirty business and will always be with us…Our only hope is for us to find a comforting middle ground!
Now go put on John Lennon’s “GIVE PEACE A CHANCE” & sing it loud…. I am a simple messenger so do not shoot me...
The fighting, the biggest Russian military operation outside its borders since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, has prompted international alarm about a widening conflict in the Caucasus and even a war by proxy between Moscow and Washington. ASSUME ALL OF YOU UNDERSTAND THE BLOWBACK OF THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN??
The exact course of events that led to the escalation Friday remained murky Sunday. Tbilisi said separatist forces had opened fire in the night from Thursday to Friday on two government-controlled villages, Prisi and Tamarasheni, forcing the Georgians to return fire. Yet Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said in a dramatic televised address earlier Thursday that he had issued an order not to retaliate and offered an immediate cease-fire and talks. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IS SERIOUS & THE IMPLICATIONS ARE GRAVE!
How Russian and Georgian Forces Stack Up
Russia Georgia
Army 395,000* 32,000**
Main battle tanks 23,000 128
Armored personnel carriers 9,900 44
Artillery pieces 26,000 109
Attack aircraft 1,809 8
Helicopters 1,932 37
Available for military service (Ages 16-49)
Men 36.2 million 1.1 million
Women 37 million 1.2 million
* Estimate includes 190,000 conscripts. Russia has a further 419,000 in paramilitary forces
** Georgia has asked parliament to increase troop strength by a further 5,000
The exact course of events that led to the escalation Friday remained murky Sunday. Tbilisi said separatist forces had opened fire in the night from Thursday to Friday on two government-controlled villages, Prisi and Tamarasheni, forcing the Georgians to return fire. Yet Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said in a dramatic televised address earlier Thursday that he had issued an order not to retaliate and offered an immediate cease-fire and talks. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IS SERIOUS & THE IMPLICATIONS ARE GRAVE!
How Russian and Georgian Forces Stack Up
Russia Georgia
Army 395,000* 32,000**
Main battle tanks 23,000 128
Armored personnel carriers 9,900 44
Artillery pieces 26,000 109
Attack aircraft 1,809 8
Helicopters 1,932 37
Available for military service (Ages 16-49)
Men 36.2 million 1.1 million
Women 37 million 1.2 million
* Estimate includes 190,000 conscripts. Russia has a further 419,000 in paramilitary forces
** Georgia has asked parliament to increase troop strength by a further 5,000
After the fall of THE WALL & the disintegration of the USSR the country of Russia was humble & not a BIG problem to global security (except potential for loose nukes). Now that Russian coffers are overflowing with revenue from petrol they are belligerent & ganster in business matters...
WE MUST SLASH ENERGY USE IN THE USA...WE MUST HAVE MAJOR LIFESTYLE CHANGES & GO GREEN!
"TSKHINVALI, South Ossetia (CNN) -- Tskhinvali, the capital of the separatist Georgian province South Ossetia, lay in smoldering ruins Sunday after three days of fighting between Georgian troops and Russian forces.
The United States warned Sunday that "disproportionate" actions against Georgia could have a "significant long term impact on U.S.-Russian relations."
Georgia accuses Russia of executing a long-planned war with the aim of taking control of the pipeline that carries Asian oil to Black Sea ports."
Russian wants this small enclave to reduce the Western boarder of a potential NATO nation & to have another path to sell energy. IS THIS WORTH INNOCENT LIVES?
THE USA MUST HELP THE SMALL NATION OF GEORGIA...THE PUBLICS START WOULD BE TO SLASH ENERGY USE BUT THIS IS A SLOW SOLUTION...RUSSIA WITHOUT BAGS OF PETROL MONEY IS LIKE AN OLD BROKE ARISTOCRAT...
I am sad at Russia's behavior as I once had hopes that they would become a civilized nation....LEADS TO QUESTION OF WHY THEY ARE STILL IN THE G8?
Having said all this I must add they we really do not know WHO FIRED 1ST?? While it is easy to blame Russia we must get to the bottom of how this started....
WE MUST SLASH ENERGY USE IN THE USA...WE MUST HAVE MAJOR LIFESTYLE CHANGES & GO GREEN!
"TSKHINVALI, South Ossetia (CNN) -- Tskhinvali, the capital of the separatist Georgian province South Ossetia, lay in smoldering ruins Sunday after three days of fighting between Georgian troops and Russian forces.
The United States warned Sunday that "disproportionate" actions against Georgia could have a "significant long term impact on U.S.-Russian relations."
Georgia accuses Russia of executing a long-planned war with the aim of taking control of the pipeline that carries Asian oil to Black Sea ports."
Russian wants this small enclave to reduce the Western boarder of a potential NATO nation & to have another path to sell energy. IS THIS WORTH INNOCENT LIVES?
THE USA MUST HELP THE SMALL NATION OF GEORGIA...THE PUBLICS START WOULD BE TO SLASH ENERGY USE BUT THIS IS A SLOW SOLUTION...RUSSIA WITHOUT BAGS OF PETROL MONEY IS LIKE AN OLD BROKE ARISTOCRAT...
I am sad at Russia's behavior as I once had hopes that they would become a civilized nation....LEADS TO QUESTION OF WHY THEY ARE STILL IN THE G8?
Having said all this I must add they we really do not know WHO FIRED 1ST?? While it is easy to blame Russia we must get to the bottom of how this started....
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