In The Garden of Good and Evil


Reign Out Technology We Can Use

Technology is advancing, in spite of our slowing economy. The money to design and build newer, better and faster technology never slows. When military hardware technology has breakthroughs, the pacifists of the world chime in that only an 'evil mind' could create such a 'horrible weapon'.

It doesn't take me long to imagine our world if this thirst for tech-successes had been disallowed in any way. The obvious answer is: someone else, for some other country would have made that discovery, and it would be in our enemy's arsenal by now. It is this need that Americans all posess...to succeed- that creates these advancements, and if our govenment is infiltrated by Human Rights activists and Greenpeace zealots, we'll fall behind in tactical weaponry, strategic advantage and even more presently applicable- oil independence.

It's time to explore ALL of our options, to extract the oil we know exists in our territory and upgrade our refining capacity to allow for it's conversion to useable goods.

Kudos to the outgoing administration for not wavering on our ability to wage technological war. Unlike the previous administration who allowed our enemies almost free access to our most sensitive secrets. We are still ahead, and we need steadfast capitalist ideology to remain in control- Obama might win the White House, but we must not allow the Democrats a 'super majority'.


Iraq: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

When the British forces who held Basra in southern Iraq abruptly pulled out earlier this year, it was a test for the al-Maliki government to deploy their ever-increasingly viable forces to keep it under control. It was a dismal failure for several reasons, and a barometer of how well the Iraq Constitutional Government can protect it's people in post-war regions.

First of all, there are deeply implanted moles or spies in the government who tip local warlords or Clerics off to what is about to happen and to whom. As our shameful Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi reminded us, it was Iran who created stability when it suspended operations in certain areas. I think she's a disrespectful socialist who doesn't know her arse from her elbow, but take the accurate points of her speech: Iran is a powerful force in Iraq right now, Iran is a Shiite state and seeks to expand into neighboring states. Nouri al-Maliki's elected government in Iraq is Sunni dominated. Iran gives aid and comfort to the Shia fighters that still hold arms in Iraq. When the formidable British troopers left Basra, Shia fighters and supporters flooded into the streets, fired guns into the air and claimed victory. When the Maliki troops finally arrived, they enraged the followers of a local Shiite cleric there, and Muqtada al Sadr's militia put a severe whooping on the new Iraqi troops. It wasn't until a late call to the US commanders for their invincible air support that Basra fell back into Iraqi govenment control. al Sadr was called to Iran and ostensibly took his instructions from the head of the fundamental religeous government there: save your fighters, this war will change it's front many more times before it's all over. The al Sadr militia fell back, but didn't disarm.

American trooper joke in Iraq: What's the difference between a dead al Qaida fighter and a dead civilian? One has had his rifle removed.


HAMAS Still Playing Games


I'll never agree that Hamas is anything but a terrorist organization. If they are anything else, be it advocate for the poor Palestinians or voting bloc, it is still with the overriding mission statement to kill Israel and block any progress it might make on any front. The world is black and white to these people: there's no middle ground. They have learned to "play ball" on the world stage, however, and they know that to embrace the poorest of their "society", they can play on the more advanced societies' sympathies. I noticed that the uninterrupted rocket attacks on Israeli targets is always "in response to Israeli raids..." . Furthermore, they claim civilian casualties way out of whack and claim only civilian targets are fired on by Israel, they claim Israeli war operations are "war crimes".

Don't let these hate-mongers get an edge in on your understanding of this situation. Don't let their clever ("cunning", as Griff would say), revision of recent history fool you either. Don't take either side's word for it, without hearing the other side's story. Check impartial sources, I did.

I believe everyone has a right to live in this world, and that's a big difference right off the bat between me and fundamentalist Muslims.

Last week, Hamas threatened and postulated until the newly elected government allowed them an unprecedented veto in the legislature, so they may defeat any "pro Israeli or American" policies or votes. Lebanon's moderate government and public have elected a former soldier to it's prime minister position, and Hamas doesn't like him.

It should prove to be an eventful near future for Beruit's new elected goverment.

We can let the chips fall where they may, but we had better know on which side of the bread is the butter.



-Katykarter