Happy Greek Independence Day

Happy Greek Independence Day! March 25, 1821!

Perfect excuse to eat some gyros!

Take a side, son...

When I heard that the US armed forces had attacked Libya, a line from Battlestar Galactica immediately came to mind:

"Take a side, son."

That is preciesely what the US has not done.

Plunging into a THIRD Middle Eastern war, this adminsitration, like the last one, seems to blunder along without any real idea what it is doing.

What is the objective in Libya?

Obama mumbled something about protecting civilians.

By taking out Khaddafy's air force and not getting any boots on the ground, we have assured a stalemate.

In a civil war, which is what is happening in Libya, there are no neutral corners. Either you enter on one side or stay out of it completely. If the US was on the side of the rebels, planes would have been hitting Khaddafy when he was forced back into Tripoli. Hillary Clinton said US policy was to remove Khaddafy, so that means we are not on his side. If Khadaffy wins, he is not going to like us very much and we don't seem to be aiding the rebels.

So what are we doing there?

Answer: push up oil prices....

A stalemate ensures more conflict. Conflict means higher oil prices.

The Pentagon's comment yesterday "expect more strikes in the coming hours and days" is a startling departure from traditional policy of not commenting on operational details. It is also not a smart move to telegraph your next move.

Oil prices, of course, went up when this news spread.

Other things to look at.....

Who is leading this operation? The US was supposed to "hand off" to NATO but so far America has handled 85% of the sorties. US Africa Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany(?), is supposed to be leading this but now it is supposed to be a NATO operation and the North Atlantic Council has yet to meet.

Another question: Who is paying for this? According to Yahoo news, it will cost the US $800 million to set up a "no-fly" zone and $100 million a week to keep it in place.

A country with trillion dollar deficits has no business getting mixed up in protracted wars.
See "Spain, 1588, Netherlands" for further information.

Yes, history repeats itself.

Anyone want to open a debate on the War Powers Act?

Maybe Rahm Emanuel did the smart thing in getting out while he still could....

Back into battle...

Picture from Reuters....

I had a nice Spring Break. I did not go anywhere but I got some work done (welcome to Graduate School...) and caught up on The Office and watched my Penguins advance up the NHL standings with a roster of players I had never seen! There is a lesson for all of us.

Never give up!

Best of all, I got to spend a lot of time with Michelle :-)

And the cats......I love them too.

I am going to be very busy on the final (coursework) stretch. Down the Appian Way towards the thesis, which looks like it is going to be done during the Summer but it is going to be finished. After that, who knows? Teaching? PhD? I should get to Book Number Three. There are so many imponderables.

Then you look at the news and shake your head. Japan, gas prices, NFL on strike (how hard is it to split $9 billion?)

It is easy to dwell on bad news but let's try not to.

I will say one thing though: find your closest Red Cross and see what you can donate for the people of Japan. Especially if you have Type O blood.

I am going to hit the sack early and charge back into the fray tomorrow.

Wherever you are, remember, you are one day closer to your goal.

If you don't have one, find one! And look at the line above again.

GO FORTH AND CONQUER!!!

POTUS MIA?

Look at this video (courtesy of the Obama Campaign, now Administration)....Note it is 2008, note the price in the background, note that oil at that time was $110 a barrel. Now it is $105 a barrel and gas averages $3.50 a gallon. Where is the administration?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnLP12X3EgM

Oil math: For every dollar that the price of a barrel of oil rises, that translates into 2.5 cents at the pump. Include the 50 or 60 cent mark up at the station and you have the price for a gallon of gas.

At $105 a barrel, today's closing price, you are faced with this equation: 105 x .025 =$2.62. Now add 60 cents and you arrive at $3.22. The average price in America for a gallon of gas in $3.43. No, they can't possibly be gouging anyone at the pump.....

...and there is a Santa Claus

Feel free to stand up for yourself at any time now America.....

Libya and Oil

I have seen two newspaper reports refer to Libya as an "oil-rich nation."

It isn't.

Libya produces about 1.8% of the world's crude oil. Often it is rounded up to 2% to make it easier.

Saudi Arabia has announced that they can, and, if necessary, will, make up any Libyan shortfalls in the world market. The US gets little to no oil from Libya.

So why the huge run up in gas prices? Run ups of 20 to 30 cents in hours?

I think we know the answer......

When Mr "Hope and Change" ran for office, gas was at $4 a gallon and it destroyed the economy. It is heading there again and we hear nothing from the White House.

The oil industry assures us that this is a temporary spike.

Really? We heard the same thing when Katrina smashed into New Orleans and disrupted the Gulf oil platforms production.

The sad thing is is that we cannot blame OPEC for this.

It is Americans inflicting pain on fellow Americans....again.

Who needs al-Qeida?

First Egypt, now Libya....

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Is the Middle East waking up from a totalitarian slumber? How much do you want to bet that Syria and Saudi Arabia are nervous? Let's not forget Iran....too many Middle Eastern countries to count...

Maybe even, dare I say,Washington? Take a look at Wisconsin and tell me if I am wrong.

The US supported Mubaruk for years and subsidized him for billions of dollars annually for nearly thirty years. Now the US is a champion for democracy? I am not trying to be cynical but it seems a little odd. At least someone in the State Department seems to be awake and reacting in time. It might be a little better to be genuinely supportive of democratic movements in the future though...just a little advice. Hopefully it works out.

Libya presents an interesting opportunity. We have had several clashes with him in the past and although recently Khaddafi has attempted to improve relations, the question we need to ask is this: will anyone miss him?

Let's not forget the Lockerbie bombing and a number of other terrorist attacks to busy to mention.

Remember what I said. Genuine support of democracy and push this guy over the edge.

Do this and suddenly you have two new allies in the Middle East.

Are they bright enough to recognize this in DC?

Cross your fingers but don't hold your breath....this administration has Americans getting stripped searched in airports and is trying to force everyone to buy health insurance.

Dismantaling the Police State

The House of Representatives voted 277-148 to not extend three provisions of the USA Patriot Act. Looking at the numbers, you will see quite a few Republicans joining near unanimous Democrat lack of support for the measure. Nice to see some bipartisanship for a change. This vote also comes on a day when Janet Napolitano tried to convince the audience at a security conference in Europe that the terror threat is also "greater than the time of 9/11."
She also alluded to internal threats telling the audience that al-Quaeda sympathizers are now in the US. That sounds like an admission that Homeland Security is not doing its job. Time to get rid of that along with the "Patriot" Act.
The three provisions in question are are are authority for court approved roving wiretaps (multiple wiretaps), the "library provision" where the FBI can looking into what people have checked out of the library, and finally the "lone wolf" provision added on in 2004 where the FBI can engage in secret intelligence on those not affiliated with terrorist groups.
Yes, you read that correctly. NOT affiliated with terrorist groups. If the person in question is such a threat, it should not be hard to get a warrant. Sorry, but the FBI has been caught in some compromising positions with this and may be wandered into some legally unstable territory with this bill.
The best way to fight terrorism is to reform immigration, not turn your country into a police-state. It looks like some people are starting to see this logic. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership cannot be included in this category.

But the rank and file can!

Same can be applied to the Democrats.

Get ready for the upheaval!

No go probe the TSA....

The story is here for your consideration, courtesy of AP:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110209/ap_on_re_us/us_patriot_act