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Somali Pirate Hijacking Resolution Obama Style

Posted by halthouse1 on Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:00:00 AM
From The Political and Financial Markets Commentator at http://politicsandfinance.blogspot.com.  If you like what you read, visit and sign-up for free daily email or feed delivery of that days article.
 
Mike Haltman
 

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Somali Pirate Hijacking Resolution Obama Style

There Is Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Take a good hard look at the picture below. It is the USS Bainbridge with a Somali dingy in the foreground. The P-3 Orion aircraft that are also in the area are not shown. This is a lot of firepower for the size and scope of the mission. It is a great show of force by the Obama administration, that as we see is not instilling much in the way of fear within the Somali pirates that have U.S. citizen Captain Richard Phillips as a hostage. They have made the demand of $2 MM for his return.

THE SOMALI PIRATES ARE OFF THEIR ROCKERS.

My question to the Obama administration is what Plan B is. These pirates have nothing, and "when you ain't got nothing you ain't got nothing to lose" (Bob Dylan 1965). They live in a failed state and are being directed to do what they do by business interests on shore. These men I am sure are considered expendable by their employers and are therefore in a desperate situation.

The pirates want what they want which is money and they want it much like they have gotten it in every hijacking they have done in the past. They made the mistake this time of targeting a U.S. flagged vessel for the fact that it has brought world attention to the problem that before has been a story buried on page 5.

We can bring an aircraft carrier to the region, but unfortunately for this extremely brave Captain who behaved as a captain will, the only real deterrent going forward is to attack the boat, hopefully save the Captains life, but in the process indicate that going forward there will be no negotiating with terrorists. A pirate with all of romantic thoughts back to the age of Captain Hook, is a terrorist plain and simple. I realize this sounds callaus, and if it was me or a family member or friend of mine I may hesitate to say it.

The Obama administration is now being put in the position of its second foreign affairs test having failed the first one over the North Korea missile launch. The longer this standoff drones on, the weaker we will look. The more we try and negotiate and fail, the weaker we will look. There is no time for U.N. threats or to get a coalition of our allies together, but it is now the time for swift, definitive action out of this administration that says to the world, do not f__k with the United States.

We have not heard much from the President on this issue, and there are hopefully high level talks that are being conducted, but these are the types of situations where the American public needs to hear what the President has to say. He has not been shy in his first days in office as I seem to see him every time I turn on my T.V. Where is he now?

My hopes and prayers go out to this brave Captain's family and friends and I hope to God that he comes out of this okay, but we need to exert our force and resolve this situation. Sphere: Related Content
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The G-20: Anarchists and Correspondents Speak Out

Posted by halthouse1 on Thursday, April 02, 2009 6:00:00 AM
Watching The News: The Bias Is Sometimes To Much To Take
Before getting to the G-20 itself, I have to say that the coverage from some "news" outlets is unbelievable in it's biased love affair with President Obama. I know that this comes as no great surprise, but sometimes it gets to the point where it has to be brought up.
 
John Harwood is the Chief Washington Correspondent of CNBC and a political writer for the New York Times. I watch him report on CNBC, only because I watch the ticker on the bottom. As a correspondent, it is his job to report the news, not to invoke his opinion of the news. That is not the case and at times it is to much to bear.
 
The commentary Wednesday was that the throngs of protesters in downtown London stood in stark contrast to the throngs outside of Buckingham Palace expressing their adulation for President Obama, ostensibly proving the strength of his popularity not only in the United States, but in England and the rest of Europe as well. If that is the case John Harwood, then the protesters and anarchists must be an indicator of popular U.K. and European thought as well.
 
More likely, these are both relatively small groups of people drawn by a specific occasion. Each could be in the majority of English thought or minority, but it is not John Harwoods place to make that determination. I would also assume that not every person outside of the Palace was pro-Obama or pro-United States, but in this case of consistent partisanship, that possibility was not mentioned.

Anarchists and Financial Fools Day
 
In a world that is feeling the pain and frustration of the financial crisis, the protests that went on Wednesday in London by anarchists and other groups was for the most part non-violent, although uniform in the condemnation of the capitalist way of doing business.
 
The first thing that I was struck by is that as non-participants in capitalism, the protesters have more than enough time to travel to these summits and demonstrate.
 
The second thing that I was struck by was that it seemed as if there were some non-anarchist types interviewed who also seemed to question whether an alternative system might be better.
 
The problem as I see it is the potential for these types of protests and waves of dissatisfaction to slip from fringe groups to the regular folks who begin to understand the extreme depth and ramifications of the problem. These world leaders and rainmakers need to solve or stem the tide of the problem before the term social unrest spreads to groups that we would never have anticipated that it could spread to.
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What If Hawaii Was At Risk? What Would We Do?

Posted by halthouse1 on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 8:00:00 AM

From <a href="http://politicsandfinance.blogspot.com">The Political and Financial Markets Commentator</a>. Visit and sign-up for your free email or feed delivery.

<strong>What Would The United States Do If A Missile Out Of North Korea Was Headed Towards Hawaii? Let's Ask Secretary Of Defense Gates:</strong>
<strong></strong>
<span style="font-size:85%;">"Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Gates said North Korea "probably will" fire the missile, prompting the host of the show to ask, "And there's nothing we can do about it?"</span>
<span style="font-size:85%;">
"No," Gates answered, according to an account of the interview on foxnews.com. "I would say we're not prepared to do anything about it."</span>
<span style="font-size:85%;">
Last week, Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said in an interview with ABC News that the U.S. military was "fully prepared" to shoot down the missile, if ordered to do so. But Gates said Sunday such a response was unlikely.</span>
<span style="font-size:85%;">
<strong>"I think if we had an aberrant missile, one that was headed for Hawaii, that looked like it was headed for Hawaii or something like that, we might consider it," Gates said. "But I don't think we have any plans to do anything like that at this point."</strong></span> (<a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/not-prepared-stop-north-korea/story.aspx?guid=%7B2F21B81C%2DF016%2D4240%2D9CC2%2DEE7833BADA71%7D">MarketWatch</a>)

<a title="Blue Hawaii by janruss, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/janinerussell/2121859675/"><img height="328" alt="Blue Hawaii" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2085/2121859675_0213b1e9a2.jpg" width="500" /></a>

Hmmmm. Has Hawaii heard about this? I would hope if a missile was headed for New York, the Pentagon would do more than just think about shooting it down. Is Hawaii expendable, or does this exchange indicate the state of our foreign policy?

Are we operating under benign neglect? Through policy by omission as opposed to commission?

Where, I ask again, is <strong>Secretary of State Clinton</strong> through all of this. Is she waiting at the United Nations to be ready to put in our complaint to the Security Council when North Korea test fires this missile? Is she personally observing the dismantling of our missile defense in Eastern Europe so that we can then rely on the Russians to take care of the nuclear threat in Iran?

It seems as if our foreign policy is going to be to react when God forbid something happens. I personally don't think that is a foreign policy. It is the old hope and pray. <strong>The Obama administration seems to want to go to the polar opposite point of the Bush administration in terms of foreign policy.</strong> They don't even want to say anything that may appear to be combative for fear of sounding less than diplomatic.

That stance has gotten us to the point of an imminent missile test firing and the planned trial of two journalists accused violating the North Korean border. As I have said the Obama administration is being tested, and so far the grade is not an A.

Maybe we can hurry up and get a quick U.N. Resolution.


<p><strong></strong></p>
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The North Korea Missile Launch Discussion Continued

Posted by halthouse1 on Friday, March 27, 2009 6:00:00 AM
From The Political and Financial Markets Commentator at http://politicsandfinance.blogspot.com
 
Morality Update: 5:00 PM ESPN Around The Horn
 
Maybe a little early in the day and on a program watched by kids. Right or wrong?

North Korean Planned Rocket Launch
 
As discussed yesterday, North Korea is moving ahead with it's plans to launch what they say is merely a rocket designed to put a satellite into orbit. The suspicion is that this will serve as a test for a rocket that would be used to power a long-range missile that would be capable of reaching Alaska. There is also speculation that the launch may actually be used to test the Taepodong-2 missile (the picture below is only a dramatization). To keep the world in suspense the top of the rocket is reported to be covered.
 
 20061029-040416-IMG_5009
 
This clearly represents a test of the resolve of the Obama administration in terms of response to the potential provocation, and it appears that we will move on down the rhetoric road which will utilize the U.N. as our mouthpiece. The White House said that any launch would be a violation of a U.N. ban and result in serious consequences. Secretary of State Clinton warned that a violation could keep the talks on hold that would supply North Korea with aid for decommissioning it's nuclear capability. Does the leadership of North Korea care that much about aid that might be of help to the average citizen? I don't know about that. "We intend to raise this violation of the Security Council resolution, if it goes forward, in the U.N.," Clinton said Wednesday in Mexico City. "This provocative action in violation of the U.N. mandate will not go unnoticed, and there will be consequences." (Townhall.com)

I am sure this threat does not have Pyongyang quaking in its boots. This is a rock and a hard place moment for the Obama administration, and the rest of the world will be watching!
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The Consistency Of The Media Are It's Inconsistencies

Posted by halthouse1 on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 7:00:00 AM
The Consistency Of The Media Are It's Inconsistencies
 
During the course of the Bush administration the main stream media was all over the war in Iraq, documenting on a daily basis the violence and the tragic deaths of our soldiers, soldiers from other countries and civilians. These stories would be front page and would very often be the lead story on the nightly news
 
As the surge took effect and the violence precipitously dropped, the media somehow became silent and did not give it any of the coverage that it deserved. If reported it would be typically relegated to a page deep in a newspaper and deeper into a broadcast. That is to be expected as good Bush administration news would not be good news for the left in general, and definitely not during an election cycle. dog on newspaper The subject of the war and the bringing home of the troops or their redeployment was actively discussed during the presidential elections, but not really discussed much since the inauguration. As always the economic situation is the front page lead these days, but exactly where do we stand in Iraq and Afghanistan? Monday, bombings killed 34 people northeast of Baghdad, the third series of bombings this month. What are our plans going forward in this still very dangerous region? Iran Speaking of the Middle East, what is the status of the Obama plan to end our missile defense initiative in Eastern Europe in order to bring Russia into the mix of getting Iran to end it's nuclear ambitions? The Iran that we will sit down with us at a negotiation table and make all kinds of promises which we will ostensibly take at face value (by the way, where has Secretary Clinton been?).
For a look into what is currently going on in Iran, a Wall Street Journal editorial from Tuesday showcases Iranian treatment of political writers and thinkers, as well as providing comments made by the Iranian leadership as to it's thoughts concerning the U.S. and our new administration. All very instructive:

"Barack Obama extended the olive branch to Iran's leaders last Friday in a videotaped message praising a "great civilization" for "accomplishments" that "have earned the respect of the United States and the world." The death of Iranian blogger Omid-Reza Mirsayafi in Tehran's Evin prison two days earlier was, presumably, not among the accomplishments the president had in mind. Mr. Obama's solicitous message, timed to the Persian New Year's celebration of Nowruz, met a blunt response from the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei: "He insulted the Islamic Republic of Iran from the first day," he said. "If you are right that change has come, where is that change?"

To this, soi-disant Iran experts and latter-day Walter Durantys explain that it is merely Mr. Khamenei's opening gambit in what promises to be a glorious new chapter in Iranian-U.S. relations. Maybe the experts never got the message about no meaning no. And maybe Mr. Obama forgot that the late Ayatollah Khomeini tried to ban Nowruz, a pre-Islamic tradition, and that both Mr. Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have sought to curtail and Islamicize the holiday against widespread resistance. But never mind:
The most telling indicator of what we can expect from Mr. Obama's overture is Mirsayafi's death, a fitting emblem of everything the Islamic Revolution stands for on its 30th anniversary. What was a blogger doing in prison in the first place? Ask 26-year-old Kianoosh Sanjari, another Iranian blogger and Evin prison alumnus who fled the country in 2007and is now in the U.S. seeking asylum..."

 

Congressman Brad Sherman (D-California)
I happened to be watching the Larry Kudlow Show on CNBC and heard Congressman Sherman speaking on compensation reform and thought I had been beamed back to Russia in the mid-60's.
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The Political and Financial Markets Commentator: What Did You Miss?

Posted by halthouse1 on Saturday, March 21, 2009 9:35:13 AM
Saturday, March 21, 2009
 

The Political and Financial Markets Commentator: What Have You Missed?

If you like to read and be kept up to date on the political and financial goings on in Washington, the economy and the world, then you need to sign up for the FREE daily delivery of The Political and Financial Markets Commentator.

Over the last few days, these are some of the stories that you missed:

  • Senator Chris Dodd: Can You Spell Mortgage Insura...
  • Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never End...
  • What Should Washington Focus On This Week?
  • Rush Limbaugh: Titular Head Of The Republican Part...
  • G-20, Toxic Assets, Pakistan and March Madness
  • Yesterday Pakistan, Today North Korea
  • Is Anyone Keeping An Eye On Pakistan?
  • Is This O.J. or Madoff? (It's O.J.)
  • Business News Revisited - Jon Stewart
  • You Looking For Answers? Keep Walking!

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    Taliban Continued With An Iranian Spin

    Posted by halthouse1 on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 1:00:00 PM

    Tuesday, January 27, 2009

    Taliban Continued With An Iranian Spin




    Concern Over The Spread Of The Taliban

    In my blog yesterday I discussed the spread of the Taliban from tribal regions to Pakistan proper, and the danger that this presents in a country whose government is fragile at best. The thinking is that with nuclear weapons under the control of some members of government who may be sympathetic to the Taliban, this is a major concern.

    Some who responded to me on this questioned whether my concern for our safety from without was warranted. Where was my proof that there was any reason to be worried? As if 9/11 and the documented attacks before it were not enough, what of the desire of Iran to go nuclear? Is this a figment of our imagination? Take a look at the map and notice where it is that Iran sits. What country's does it border?

    Americans have notoriously short memories, and after all 9/11 is almost 8 years removed and we have not had any repeat performances, due in large part to the actions of the Bush administration. That in no way means that we are out of the woods. Far from it.

    The Obama Administration Iran Plan

    In a realization of one of the fears during the campaign season, this is what it appears that the Obama administration plans to do with Iran:

    "On Wednesday — less than 24 hours after his inauguration — the Obama White House Web site announced, inter alia, that they will engage in “tough and direct” diplomacy with Iran “without preconditions” and that he intends to use “the power of American diplomacy” to deal with “Iran’s illicit nuclear program, support for terrorism and threats towards Israel.” (Fox Forum).

    Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Are we going to sit at a table and negotiate in good faith with Ahmadinejad? Why don't we include North Korea and Venezuela as well while we are at it. How can you negotiate with documented liars who have stated that their goal is to wipe one of the parties in the negotiation off of the face of the earth.

    People can sign anything they want, but if you are fairly sure that they will not adhere to any of it, then what is the point other than a public relations victory at home.

    Sphere: Related Content
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