Veterans Administration Really Needs to Get It Together and Start Taking Better Care of Our Returning Veterans Who Are Suffering from PTSD and Other Mental Issues

There’s a report out that eighteen veterans a day are committing suicide.

And the VA continues to make veterans who are already feeling suicidal wait a minimum of eight weeks for someone to see them.   They can’t continue doing that!  Nor can they just hand a suffering veteran a pamphlet and a bag full of sleeping pills and anti-depressants to deal with their Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Delaying disability paperwork for months is irresponsible, too.  It’s gotten to a point that lawsuits are underway, and one judge called the VA’s handling of veterans as “unchecked incompetence.”

Would the veterans do better seeing civilian medical experts, rather than government ones?   I think the answer is “yes.”  SOMETHING’S got to change, because the current system is failing those who need it the most.

We can do much better than this.

The Way That the U.S. Government is Releasing Bin Laden Information, They Have BECOME WikiLeaks: We Don’t Need to Know Everything

The government has released much more information than they should have concerning materials seized during the raid on Bin Laden. 

Particularly troubling is the release of information contained in Bin Laden’s diary, which describes new specific terror plans to disrupt the U.S. and the West.

Anyone in counterintelligence will tell you that you don’t tip off the enemy that you know about their plans.  You allow it to continue, while turning some of the operatives involved, so that the entire operation can be taken down in one stroke, instead of having them disappear into the shadows, only to have them reappear months later with plans we don’t know about.

Our government should keep al-Qaeda guessing as to what we actually do know, while chasing down every lead.

The government needs to control the information much more than they have.

Double Standard Hypocrisy: It’s OK for the Muslim World to Celebrate America’s Failures, But When Our Citizens Do The Same to Celebrate Bin Laden’s Downfall, the US Gets Criticized for Offending Muslim Sensibilities?

I’ve got a bone to pick with the double standard that we’re seeing in international relationships between America and the Muslim world.

It involves the take down of Osama bin Laden and the subsequent spontaneous outburst of celebration of Americans around the country, that was widely reported in the media, both here and abroad.

Before continuing, I need to say that I was not one of the ones who was out there who was celebrating the death of a mortal enemy.   I was relieved that the SEALs got him, that’s for sure.  And I was glad that our enemy had been delivered into American hands, thanks to the tireless efforts of the military and our intelligence community.  

But I do NOT celebrate death, even to a misguided soul like bin Laden’s.  I would have preferred taking him alive, in spite of the dubious state of our legal system when it comes to habeas corpus and military commissions.

But now, four days after bin Laden’s death,  those who were out at all hours of late Sunday night and early Monday morning who chose to celebrate bin Laden’s downfall are being criticized for being insensitive to Muslim sensibilities.  HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!

It occurs to me that the ones who are criticizing the outpouring of emotion over here show NO such awareness or sensitivity to AMERICAN sensibilities in recent years when Muslim governments organized anti-American demonstrations over OUR misfortunes. 

The hypocrisy in the media and the Muslim world is ASTOUNDING!

After ten years of sacrifices, I think our fellow Americans have earned the right to observe the passing of bin Laden HOWEVER THEY CHOOSE TO.  And the rest of the world should GET OVER IT! 

Pakistan is No Ally of Ours: They’ve Been Playing Both Sides From the Get-Go, Got Caught Red-Handed, and Has Egg in Their Faces

Is there anyone out there who REALLY believes that Pakistan had no idea that Osama bin-Laden was living less than eight hundred yards from a Pakistani Army base? 

I don’t.

It appears our government doesn’t buy that idea at all. 

They launched the operation to get bin-Laden without Pakistani involvement, penetrated Pakistani airspace, mounted a major attack within eyesight and earshot of thousands of Pakistani troops, killed bin-Laden, blew up one of their own choppers after it suffered engine problems, loaded bin-Laden’s body and the booty from his hideout and withdrew from Pakistani airspace in a back-up chopper.  Our leaders then notified the Pakistani leadership that the attack had taken place, but not while the U.S. task force was still within Pakistani airspace.

The reason why is they couldn’t trust the Pakistanis. 

They might well have notified bin-Laden to head for the hills as the choppers were inbound.   Or had their troops fire on the SEALs.

There are elements of the Pakistani military and intelligence service who have been actively aiding the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and there was no guarantee who the Pakistani President might have notified in the Pakistani military hierarchy, or if foreknowledge of the attack would reach those bin-Laden supporters.

Pakistan doesn’t know what they’re doing with their internal security.   I think Pakistan is a bigger risk than Iran is right now, as Pakistan already has nuclear weapons, has a major Taliban presence, and is protecting them.

I do not believe that the Pakistani President knew that bin-Laden was where he was.  But I think that ObL had to have the help of elements of the Pakistani military to camp out half a mile from a major Pakistani military base.  And I don’t think that the Pakistani President looked hard enough, or asked the right people the right questions.

And the fact that bin-Laden’s been there SIX YEARS?

Pakistan can’t be trusted.  They were never really on our side to begin with; they were the ones who STARTED the Taliban in the first place.  

The mujahedeen that we supported in Afghanistan against the Soviets in the 1980s ended up fighting Pakistani-backed Taliban forces in the 1990s Afghan civil war, and lost.   Surviving mujahedeen formed the Northern Alliance, which the U.S. supported against the Taliban in 2001.

Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism.   The aid needs to be cut immediately; they aren’t doing what they pledged to do with the funding and fight terrorism…they’re aiding people like bin-Laden.  Why are we giving them billions of dollars?

Congratulations to the U.S. Military on Getting bin-Laden

After nearly a decade of war and covert operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the U.S. military went after bin-Laden, after intelligence confirmed his location.   And they got him.

Congratulations and THANK YOU to the U.S. military for closing the book on bin-Laden.   Hopefully it’s a step closer to bringing the Afghan war to a close.

Trump’s “Profanity-Laced” Speech Was Nothing of the Sort: It Was a Good Speech With a Few Exclamation Points Here and There

The media talking heads were all aghast at Donald Trump’s speech in Las Vegas, in which he dropped some “f-bombs” and dared to raise more talking points.

99.5% of the speech was clean; it was over thirty minutes long. This was no profanity-laced speech. His speech is on YouTube, under "Trump speech Las Vegas".

Yes, Trump is a prima donna. He'll be the first to admit it. His taking credit for President Obama's releasing his birth certificate was hugely amusing. But he's also a lightning rod, which may make him a very difficult person to vote for, from my point of view.

In any case, this speech wasn't profanity-laced, and the media should stop trying to sell it as anything other than what it actually was: a speech with exclamation points here and there.

Trump isn't even a candidate yet. And I'm not sure he's serious about it yet, but people are definitely listening to what he has to say.

I'm enjoying the show.

Iraqi Prime Minister Says Iraqi Government and Military Will Be Ready on December 31st: All U.S. Troops Need to Be Out of There, Ahead of Time if Possible, so That They Can Be Home for the Holidays

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, that Iraqi troops would be ready to assume control of Iraqi security, paving the way for U.S. troops to return to their families for the holidays.

Hopefully U.S. troops will be withdrawn on time; it would be even better if all the troops were home for Thanksgiving.  Their families would really like that.

It’s time for Iraq to run its own affairs and fight its own battles.  It’s long overdue.

Trump’s Early Lead in GOP Polls Shouldn’t Be As Perplexing as Some Political Analysts are Finding It: Trump is Leading for Very Simple Reasons

Some political analysts are finding it difficult to believe that Donald Trump is leading in many GOP polls.  Called a “sideshow” and a “joke candidate” by leading Democratic and Republican leaders and advisors, Trump is being taken seriously because you will NEVER EVER catch him doing THIS:

Nor will he apologize for everything in sight as Obama has done.  Nor will he take a  back seat in something as important as getting the budget done and passed ON or AHEAD OF TIME.

The American people want strength in their President, not more weakness.  And while Obama may not be the worst President in history (something that’s been said about just about EVERY U.S. President in history by each President’s political enemies) he isn’t helping the perception that he’s the observer-in-chief.

People should remember that Obama wasn’t willing to state what his opinions were during the 2008 election, a tactic that many Democrats also followed in prior elections as well.  Now the results are on FULL display in the White House.  Even the Democrats in both houses have criticized President Obama for his lack of leadership on recent issues.

Now comes Trump who’s standoffish and will mix it up with anybody out there.  While he’s definitely off-the-wall, he’s seen as having a lot of strength and possessing the will to tell the world what to go do with itself, something that President Obama has yet to prove.  And the American public is sick and tired of being sick and tired.

That’s why Trump is doing so well early on.

NATO Is Learning a Valuable Lesson on Going to War Without U.S. Help: They Can’t Handle It

NATO is discovering that they don’t have the political or military will to fight an air campaign over Libya without American assistance.

The headline in a German newspaper said it all: “NATO Fears War Without End.”

NATO members should have thought about that before securing a U.N. Security Council resolution, and before they started dropping bombs and firing cruise missiles at or on Libyan targets.

Here is the NATO/Arab League order of battle over Libya, according to globalsecurity.com:

Belgium—(6) F-16 fighters
Canada—(2) P3 Orion spy aircraft, (2) tankers, (6) F-18 fighters
Denmark—(4) F-16 fighters
France—(1) EF3 command & control aircraft, (6) tankers, (8) F3 fighters, (4) Mirage fighters
Greece—(4) F-16 fighters, (1) command & control aircraft
Italy—(4) Tornado fighters, (4) Typhoon Eurofighters
Netherlands—(1) tanker, (6) F-16 fighters
Norway—(6) F-16 fighters
Qatar—(1) C17 Heavy Transport, (2) Mirage fighters
Spain—(1) SAR bird, (1) tanker, (4) F-18 fighters
Sweden—(8) JAS-39C fighters, (1) command and control aircraft, (4) tankers
United Arab Emirates—(6) F-16 fighters, (6) Mirage fighters
United Kingdom—2 Air Wings with support aircraft, 10 Eurofighters, 4 Tornado aircraft 

By my count, that’s 86 fighters, or seven full squadrons of fighters to clear the skies of Libyan aircraft, and bomb targets.  That’s without the additional 33 fighters that the U.S. pulled off the flight line, which was a minority of the total fighter aircraft currently in use. 

There’s nothing wrong with the NATO and Arab League fighter numbers, except that the various governments don’t have the stomach for a prolonged campaign that the U.S. Air Force is already accustomed to.  And they’re unwilling to contribute more combat aircraft to the campaign, even though they’ve got PLENTY of late-model fighters.  France and Britain are encouraging NATO to contribute more aircraft.

Speaking of the Arab League, only two countries belonging to the AL (out of 22) are involved; the UAE has more combat aircraft involved (12) than all other countries, except France and Britain.

There was a HUGE lack of foresight in the planning of this U.N.-sanctioned debacle.  And the U.S. should not have been involved at all.  This is a NATO mess.

And now with France locking horns with the outgoing Ivory Coast government, the second such direct clash between the French military and Ivory Coast since 2004, the main driving force behind the NATO effort is engaged in three conflicts of its own: it has forces in Afghanistan, is engaged against Libya, and is now engaged in Ivory Coast.   France may not be able to withstand internal political pressure to stop their military campaigns.

It may fall to Britain to lead the alliance.

NATO really needs to rethink what it’s doing in Libya, what its goals are, and what it can accomplish with air power alone.

I think putting non-Arab troops on the ground in Libya would be a colossal mistake.  And putting American combat brigades in there isn’t an option, regardless of whether we close down shop in Iraq or Afghanistan first.

I think the U.S. should keep doing what it’s doing, and stay out of the NATO/Libyan fight.

Federal Government Spends 8 Times More Than They Made in March: This is Unsustainable, Reckless and Needs to Change TODAY, Not in 2012

I’ve been listening to the pundits analyzing the different (and ultimately meaningless) numbers that both parties are planning to cut out of the current budget.  The Democrats wanted $4 billion in cuts, the GOP wanted $61 billion in cuts.  They’re negotiating a $33 billion compromise cut.

It isn’t nearly enough.

The federal government took in $128 billion in tax revenues in March, and spent $1.0582 TRILLION in the same time.  That translates to the feds spending 8.2 times more than they brought in.

If you or I spent 8 times more than our monthly income month after month, how long could it possibly be before the monthly bill to repay the loan would exceed our total monthly income, or our ability to pay it back?

The Congressional Budget Office says that the U.S. debt will reach 800% of GDP by 2037 if spending levels remain unchanged.  We must stop this madness now, and reduce our debt load to much more manageable levels.   The debt level should not exceed 30% of GDP; we are currently at 97.3%.   GDP was $14.66 trillion, and the debt was $14.26 trillion, as of March 25th, 2011.  This is INSANE!

They Feds need to stop overspending immediately and start to live within their means like most American families and individuals have to.  They need a balanced budget Amendment to the Constitution by the end of 2012.  And the cuts to the 2011 budget should be massive, and not a paltry $33 billion that is barely a drop in the bucket.

The government needs to make the cuts now, while there’s still a choice as to what to cut, because once we hit the tipping point there will be NO choice, and what the politicians are trying to protect today will be impossible to keep tomorrow.

Congress and the President are failing us.  They need to get it in gear NOW, and get the job done!

Florida Pastor is At It Again: This Time He’s Gotten People KILLED in Afghanistan

Last September I wrote about all the hoopla about a Florida pastor who was threatening to burn the Koran on September 11th, and how other “hate pastors” like Jeremiah Wright and Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist church were grabbing undeserved media attention.

The Florida pastor finally carried through on his threat to burn a copy of the Koran, confirming that a “trial” was held for the Koran last month and that it was subsequently burned.

And once again, the illiterate Afghans (who probably can’t even read the Koran) went on a rampage in direct response, beheading two UN workers and killing five others.  Five demonstrators were also killed.    Afghan rioters then attacked a NATO base in a suicide attack, wounding three soldiers.

This man’s act has lead directly to the deaths of thirteen people.  How many more will die because of his unthinking actions?

New 4G Cell-Phone Networks May Jam GPS Signals; If This is True, They Need to Delay 4G Until This Problem is Resolved

As an avid GPS user, I’m very concerned about reports that some of the 4G network frequencies that are being looked at for use are too close to Global Positioning System (GPS) frequencies, and that the GPS signals might be jammed.

We need GPS more than we need 4G at this stage.   GPS is “critical need” and 4G is still in the “nice to have” category, in my estimation.

Commercial air traffic, ground-based delivery trucks, emergency responders and other critical agencies use GPS to get to their intended destinations, not to mention millions of families and individuals who navigate all over the place using GPS for critical and non-critical travel.

I think that if they just move some of the frequencies further apart that will take care of the issue.  The frequency being proposed for use by LightSquared is in the 1525MHz-1559MHz range, while GPS kicks on at 1559Mhz-1610MHz.  Cell phone towers send out their signals which are orders of magnitude stronger than the incoming satellite signals.

A recent test by Garmin showed that the GPS signal was lost after they sent a GPS unit into an area where a 4G signal was active on the proposed frequency.  At various ranges, the GPS unit was way off its target, then lost the signal completely when it was in proximity to the test transmitter.

Is this problem limited to ground-based GPS units, or will it affect commercial airliners, military aircraft and other kinds of aircraft that rely on GPS?  What about enhanced 9-11 systems?

LightSquared, Garmin, and other experts in the GPS and cell phone fields are looking at the problem.  Hope they solve the issue quickly.

al-Qaeda IS Active in Libyan Civil War: Is Anyone Getting a REALLY Bad Feeling About Arming Them to Fight Qaddafi?

With confirmation that al-Qaeda is actively involved in the Libyan civil war, some questions need answering.  This is a huge problem, though one that was not a surprise, as Libya had the second largest contingent of al-Qaeda fighters in Iraq in recent years.

As far as I’m concerned, the rebels can do without American arms or ammunition or air cover if they’re accepting aid from al-Qaeda.  There have been reports that the Libyan al-Qaeda fighters left the field in Iraq to return to their homeland to join the fight against Qaddafi. 

I have a real issue with arming people who may well take (or send) those arms to Iraq and use them against American soldiers, once Libya’s dictator is gone.  al-Qaeda is our enemy, not our ally. Not under ANY circumstances!  And especially not with the blood of American soldiers and the victims of 9/11 on their hands.

Our Administration needs to decide where its priorities lay.  I think it erred in getting us involved in the first place.  Listening to requests for help from some of the murderous Arab League membership was a huge mistake, and one that will haunt us for a long time to come.

Why Do News Organizations Read Too Much into a Military Code-Name? “Odyssey Dawn” is Just As Good as “Enduring Freedom”, “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, “Desert Shield”, “Desert Storm” and “Desert Fox.”

The press seems to be getting bored with criticizing the President’s ill-advised foray into a military confrontation with Libya, and is now ridiculing the military code-name for the operation as well.

I don’t seem to see any reference in the article to the Libyans fighting for their own freedom over the long haul in Fox News’s forensic analysis of the code-name.  That was what I perceived the code-name to be referencing. 

The military follows the orders of the politicians, and the politicians are solely responsible for getting us into another mess.   That’s who the press needs to be focusing on.

Half the Nations in the Arab League are Facing Their Own Protests: What Business Do They Have Requesting a No-Fly Zone Over Libya to Protect Libyan Citizens While FIRING On Their Own Citizens Back Home??!

Let’s take a look at the members of the Arab League, and what is happening in their territory, as compared to what’s going on in Libya:

Egypt—government fell to protestors. Military running the country.

Sudan—just split in two after a civil war. South Sudan set to become independent in July 2011. Genocide in Darfur. Sudanese President indicted by ICC for crimes against humanity for his actions in Darfur, and South Sudan.

Algeria—just lifted a 19 year long state of emergency following popular protests. Government killed 3, wounded 800 in the latest round of riots.

Morocco—very stable country; a U.S. ally since 1777. One of the first nations on earth to recognize the United States after the American Revolution. Opposition took office following peaceful elections in 2002; the very first change of government like this in the Arab world. Currently fighting an al-Qaeda chapter within its territory that has targeted several north African countries.

Iraq—U.S. and international troops are still there; government is still trying to get its act together.

Saudi Arabia—Saudi king is attempting to buy off protestors with cash and with shows of overwhelming force. “Day of Rage” in Saudi capital cancelled after tens of thousands of police were deployed first. Saudi King Abdullah gave asylum to exiled Tunisian President after he was thrown out of office by Tunisian protestors. Saudi “virtue police” treat citizens harshly and violently if they are perceived as doing something illegal under Sharia law, although King Abdullah has put more moderates into the religious police.

Yemen—One of the most heavily armed nations on the planet, there are three guns per every man, woman and child there. Sliding rapidly toward civil war; government is attempting to put down protests there. President is pulling a Mubarak, wanting to stay on until after elections. Protestors want him gone ASAP. Heavy al-Qaeda presence. Government is firing on protestors, who are returning fire. Recent fighting left forty dead; government officials and military leaders have begun switching sides as a result. President expected to resign.

Syria—First pro-democracy protest of some size in decades began recently; four dead, hundreds injured by some accounts. Government and Syrian intelligence service has been using violence to influence events in neighboring Lebanon, including assassination of Lebanese politicians who want Syria out of their politics. The Syrian government shows no mercy to protestors or people around them; in 1982, the Syrian government attacked a Syrian town (Hama) that rebelled with their full military might, and left no survivors. As many as 40,000 civilians perished.

Tunisia—Government fell to protestors. Dealing with refugee crisis with incoming Libyan civilians fleeing Qaddafi’s mercenaries. Protestors in other Arab nations were inspired by the Tunisian protests, which were successful in overthrowing their government.

Somalia—Ongoing civil war. No central government from 1991-2009; pirate strongholds on the coastline; several African nations have intervened militarily with no conclusive results. Charges of genocide in the civil war. New government is getting stronger, building up a Somali military and attempting to wrest the countryside from militants.

Libya—Ongoing civil war, currently has the attention of the world. Qaddafi brought in mercenaries to deal with his own people. Heavy civilian casualties.

Jordan—Stable Arab country. Leads the Arab world in political reforms, though they still have a ways to go. Practices torture of political prisoners, application of the death penalty being questioned by Amnesty International. Peace treaties with all of its neighbors, including Israel. Protests began in January 2011 over food prices and unemployment and against the Prime Minister of Jordan. King of Jordan fired the cabinet and the Prime Minister in a nod to the concerns of protestors.

United Arab Emirates—Protest leaders were arrested and deported after leading a 3,000 man work strike over wage increases, and is threatening legal action against the rest. Liberal Arab country. Protestors appeared a few days ago to protest the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

Lebanon—Under the control of Hezbollah and Syria. People who protest against this arrangement are assassinated by bombs or bullets, or simply disappear, never to be heard from again. Got dragged into a Hezbollah-Israeli war a few years ago, and is likely to be dragged in again if the terror group decides to start bombarding northern Israeli towns again with Iranian rockets.

Kuwait—Protests have been waged by non-citizens over citizenship issues and the arrest of other non-citizens at previous protests. Protestors clashed with security forces. Thirty people have been wounded. The Emir of Kuwait is an American ally.

Mauritania—Military coup in 2008; the leader of the coup ran for President in 2009 and won the election. Protests are currently underway. They’ve been relatively peaceful protests so far, and the authorities have allowed the protests, arresting some for getting out of hand.

Oman—Protests over wages and government reform. Some protestors got violent, and other protestors wrote to the Sultan of Oman, apologizing for the violence. One person was killed, twenty were wounded. Hard to see which direction this situation might go.

Comoros—An Arab island chain in the Mediterranean, it has a small military, numbering 500 men and 500 police officers. Naval protection is provided by France; the French also have a base there. They are a multi-party “federal presidential republic” that is a working democracy, after decades of dictatorship. Power changed hands peacefully in 2006. Laws are based on a mix of Islamic law and Napoleonic codes.

Qatar—A protest scheduled on Facebook to confront the country’s problems with corruption of government officials was cancelled. Then rumors of a coup in progress started circulating around the country. A major U.S. ally in the region; American troops are stationed there. They also have some kind of a defense treaty with Iran.

Bahrain—A Sunni king rules over a Shiite majority here; there was an explosion of bloody violence between government forces and civilian protestors in the last few weeks. The Sunni king has called for foreign troops to enter his country and assist in suppressing the Shiites. Saudi troops entered the country and are currently assisting in doing so. Also a U.S. ally, and the forward operating base of the U.S. Fifth Fleet. This one’s going to bite us when we least expect it. Iran is already stirring up trouble here.

Palestine—They’ve always got protests going on, and usually it’s over what Israel’s doing to them. With Hamas in charge of Gaza, there will be no peace. And Fatah’s control of the West Bank against Hamas is tenuous at best. Violence is mostly between Fatah and Hamas, and Hamas and the Israelis. The majority of the news coverage report on the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Djibouti—Protests are underway against their President, who won against his main rival in the last election with 100% of the votes going his way. Election was denounced by international monitors. Clashes have turned violent since February 3rd, and the opposition appears to have been knocked out by the killing of many protestors, and the arrest of their leaders.

I have a hard time swallowing the fact that we’re entertaining requests from this group of nations, in particular the ones who are violently suppressing pro-democracy movements in their own countries, to protect pro-democracy protestors in Libya.

The truth is that these nations are using Libya to throw attention onto Gaddafi and off of THEM!

And our leaders are bowing to their wishes to present the public picture of a united response involving Arab and Western nations, when the Western alliance is fragmented, and only a few of the Arab nations in the Arab league are contributing aircraft or support personnel. And Arab nations are NOTORIOUS for changing their tunes at the drop of a hat.

They suckered us in good.

Arab League Declares Libya Has “Lost Its Sovereignty” and Asks For No-Fly Zone, Then Changes Its Mind When It Happens: That’s The LAST Time We Should Listen to Those Idiots!

The Arab League has apparently gotten cold feet in regards to the suppression of Libya’s air defense system, and the defense of Libyan civilians, after begging the West to help set up a no-fly zone.

They are now talking about withdrawing their ill-considered motion, or providing aircraft with all kinds of stipulations on how they are to be used.

What did those Arab League idiots think was going to happen? As soon as the first Tomahawk was fired, and the first Western aircraft entered Libyan airspace, people were going to start dying. These are not toys that the West is dropping on Libya.

We need to hand this operation over to the Arab League ASAP, and pull NATO out of this misbegotten adventure, and tell the Arab League to go screw themselves.

The next time they want a no-fly zone, they can DO IT THEMSELVES without Western help. They’re a bunch of weak-willed hypocrites that some very smart people over here said would jump ship as soon as military action began.

They were right.

U.S. Following the Correct Course in Libya: NATO Takes the Lead in Sending Their Air Forces into Libyan Skies

Following declarations from the Arab League and the U.N. Security Council that allow for a no-fly zone to protect the Libyan people from Col. Qaddafi, the French Air Force is in action over Libya, presumably shooting down Libyan military aircraft, and bombing government and mercenary forces who have been attacking Benghazi.  The Italian Air Force is also in action.

There has been a lack of U.S. leadership on this issue, and for once, I am in agreement with it. 

The U.S. has two wars ongoing already, with a potentially explosive Korean situation waiting in the wings.   That’s enough for us to be getting on with. 

The majority of the American people are opposed to our getting involved in Libya.  Many polls of the American public have opposition to American involvement ranging from 66-75%. 

I hope this conflict doesn’t last long, and there’s no expansion of the NATO role beyond what is already stated.

People Need to Calm Down About Japanese Nuclear Problem: Even if Reactors Go into Full Meltdown, the Radiation Will Not Reach California

I think some people need a geography lesson.  Finland is not next to Japan.  Nor is the continental United States.  Yet people in both countries are rushing out to buy potassium iodine tablets, and some in their idiot governments are inciting a panic, like the Surgeon General of the United States.

A news article in California blasting the Surgeon General’s ill-conceived political statements said that if a nuclear reactor in California was to go into full meltdown, the authorities would only give out potassium iodine to people living within 10-12 miles of the reactor.  From Tokyo to Los Angeles, it is roughly 5,478 miles.  From Tokyo to Helsinki it is 4,878 miles.  

This is not like a nuclear warhead going off and throwing up billions of tons of dirt into the upper atmosphere, and radioactive dust raining down around the entire world over weeks and months.  By the time any radiation from Japan reaches Los Angeles or Helsinki, it will have mostly blended into the background.

At its worst, Chernobyl’s nuclear accident contaminated 125,000 square miles.  The airspace above the Pacific Ocean between Japan and the West Coast is in the neighborhood of 18,000,000 square miles.  Radiation from Japan won’t make it.  The other thing is that the Soviets had no containment for their reactors, other than the housing for the nuclear cores themselves.  And the graphite used in the Soviet reactors were like candy to an out of control nuclear reaction.

Settle down, people.  Just stay cool.

Three Danish Soldiers Captured By Forces Loyal to Qaddaffi, Eight British Soldiers Captured By Libyan Rebels: NATO Needs to Keep Boots Off the Ground

NATO isn’t doing so good in Libya so far.   Three Danes and eight British soldiers have been captured by both sides in the Libyan civil war.   Is NATO planning on attacking both sides now, and turning this into a three-way dance?

This is a no-win situation for the West. 

By all means, NATO aircraft should airdrop food and medicines into rebel-controlled areas, but the West should not be involved in combat operations.   And they shouldn’t be sending soldiers in…both sides are saying they don’t want a Western military presence in Libya. 

Why doesn’t NATO listen?  STAY OUT of Libya! 

NATO should be flying supplies and transports into Tunisia to relieve the humanitarian nightmare taking place there, instead of trying to push Qaddaffi out.   I think he’ll be betrayed by one of his own men in the end, and forcibly removed from the picture in a hail of gunfire.

That can’t happen soon enough.  However, this is a Libyan and an Arab problem until then, not an American or NATO one.  If they want us in there, they’ll ask for it.

But if the reception that both sides have given NATO soldiers so far is any indication, they won’t.  And now NATO has a really complicated hostage situation to deal with too.

Libya “May Be” On Verge of Civil War? Not! They ARE in a Civil War

The media is playing catch-up on the terminology that they’re using to describe the strife in Libya.

Since there are clearly defined lines of battle, and two sides are vying for control of the government, all the conditions exist for the term “civil war” to apply.  A Twitter user by the name of Iyad El-Baghdadi has put together these maps of the current military situation in Libya.

Judging from the reports coming out of Libya, Qaddafi is using mercenaries, government troops, heavy artillery and other heavy weapons to attack towns held by the National Transitional Council.   Libyan Army units have defected to the rebels and are fighting Qaddaffi’s mercenaries and troops loyal to him.

Sounds like a civil war to me.