From 1942 to today.
This was not just about the US, or about Wisconsin (A Wisconsin Army National Guard unit was part of the Death March), but also very much about our Philippines Allies. We all served together.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
The nuclear deal with Iran is not going well.Then there is the link to an article by Mr Eli Lake:Last month, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps fired two ballistic missiles that landed almost a thousand miles away. The US objected, but the Iranians are defiant.
“The reason we designed our missiles with a range of 2000 kilometers is to be able to hit our enemy the Zionist regime from a safe distance,” said Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh.
The Saudis don’t buy it. None of the Arab states buy it, except for the Assad regime in what’s left of Syria and the Iranian-aligned Shia government in Iraq. The rest of the Arab states rightly see Iranian muscle flexing as part of Tehran’s ever-expanding regional hegemony, not just over the Jewish state, but over the entire region, most of which is Sunni and Arab.
It ought to go without saying why nearly every nation on earth, whether or not they’re named “Israel,” ought to be concerned about Iran’s ballistic missile program. Ballistic missiles can carry nuclear warheads. Enough ballistic missiles can ravage cities even if they aren’t equipped with nuclear warheads. That’s why the Secretary of State John Kerry insisted last year that squashing Iran’s ballistic missile program was part of the deal.
But maybe it wasn’t part of the deal. It’s not entirely clear what is in the deal or if the deal is even entirely settled.
“Like most of Washington,” Eli Lake writes in Bloomberg, “I was under the impression that the nuclear negotiations with Iran ended in July…I should have been more suspicious when no one actually had to sign anything at the end of the negotiations or when the ‘deal’ was not submitted to the Senate as a treaty for ratification.”Then there is the United Nations involvement and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. It seems the UN is tougher than the US on this issue.
Here is the last paragraph of Mr Totten's article:
It’s the last thing anybody should want, but a deal with the current Iranian government is no more valuable than a deal with Darth Vader. You may recall when, in The Empire Strikes Back, Vader convinces Lando Calrissien to betray his old friend Han Solo. As is his nature, Vader reneges. When Calrissien complains, Vader turns to him, hisses, and says, “I am altering the deal. Pray I do not alter it any further.”And there you have it. Peace in our times.♠
Regards — Cliff
♠ Good for one year.
The headline is "Hillary Clinton better take notice before being Coakleyed".
The Wisconsin primary — Hillary Clinton’s sixth loss in a row — was a warning shot across her bow: She’s at risk of becoming the national version of Martha Coakley.I think there is a lot to be said for the idea that Ms Clinton is alienated from the voters.Clinton is veering dangerously close to the fate Coakley famously suffered in the 2010 Massachusetts U.S. Senate race, when she took winning for granted and got the surprise of her life from populist Republican Scott Brown. Instead of trying to court the enthusiasm that has fueled Bernie Sanders’ current surge at the polls and in fundraising, Clinton is trying to kill it. And as the crucial April 19 New York contest looms, she can’t afford more mistakes.
The last paragraph:
If Clinton’s strategy backfires, at least she’ll have Coakley to call. She’ll understand.Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
"Man from Bradford admits killing Glasgow shopkeeper Asad Shah".
Reporter Auslan Cramb, Scottish correspondent for The Telegraph gave us this report on 6 April:
The man accused of murdering a Muslim shopkeeper who posted a “Happy Easter” message on Facebook said it was because he “disrespected” Islam.Here is an opinion piece on the issue: The stench of Islamic extremism has become all too common among the religious and community leaders of the U.K.Tanveer Ahmed, 32, said in a statement that he killed Asad Shah, 40, claiming: "if I had not done this others would".
Mr Shah, 40, was found injured outside Shah’s Newsagents and Convenience Store in Shawlands, Glasgow, last month.
Mr Shah had posted a Facebook message earlier that day wishing all Christians a happy Easter. The message said: “Good Friday and a very happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation.”
After speech is controlled, then it will be thought.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
Why is it with Mr Castro that The Wall Street Journal would have a sub-headline, "The 89-year-old former leader offers a written rebuke a week after president’s historic trip"?
The Reporter is Kejal Vyas and the lede is:
Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro slammed President Barack Obama’s recent visit to the Caribbean island, warning his countrymen to beware of Washington’s sweet talk as both nations embark on a long and uncertain path toward improved relations.It could be dismissed as just an older gentleman who is cranky. But, it made it past the censors, so it is sending some sort of a message.
I think that, as Americans we should note this and then move on. We don't need Cuba as an ally. We should be neighborly and we should buy good quality products from Cuba (for hard dollars) (like Cuban cigars). The issue of Democracy and Human Rights can be dealt with by allowing Cubans to rub elbows with Americans, through free travel.
Without Russian nuclear weapons Cuba is less of a threat to the United States than the drug cartels in Mexico. Let us not invest too much in worrying about Cuba. Visit and at the same time keep an eye on the country, like we would any other Latin American nation.
Should the President have gone to Cuba? Not necessary, but not a problem.
As a final thought, I have a tag for President Barack Obama, but not for former President Fidel Castro. Who is more important? Our President, not their's.
Regards — Cliff
Interesting. It looks like "white male privilege" strikes again.
Why is that?
Regards — Cliff
Ah, the never ending argument. My Staff College classmate,♠ Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Trevor Osman♥ summed it up. "You fly over the SAMs and around the Army formations." Why? Guns. Or as I would kid my Royal Air Force classmates, you like low level because the UK has gun control and you have never learned to fear guns.
Mostly I am posting this article so that Mr John McDonough can read the tail number♦ on this Wolf Pack♣ F-16C at low altitude, with the afterburner burning, mostly likely over the Republic of Korea.
Lots of charts and hanger flying in this article.
Regards — Cliff
♠ Royal Air Force Staff College, Bracknell, Class 64.
♥ Now a retired Air Marshall (3 twinkie), Trevor Osman was a fighter pilot while on active duty.
♦ McD is big on Tail Numbers, sometimes called Bort Numbers.
♣ 8th Fighter Wing
