Intelligent politics for savvy people: Common sense view of world politics and news. Roundup of best stories. News analysis and news opinion unfettered by media mogul ownership or agendas - and some funny political humor. - Denny Lyon
Standing by on a hilltop, Soldiers with the
101st Division Special Troops Battalion,
101st Airborne Division watch as two Chinook helicopters
fly in to take them back to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan,
Nov. 4, 2008. The Soldiers searched a small village
in the valley below for IED making materials and facilities. (Photo credit:Wikipedia)
A Truth Journal: WTF? Outrageus Afghanistan: Many Reasons Wrong Idea To Commit To Another Decade There: From Denny: This is crazy. America does not need to remain in Afghanistan for any reason and certainly not for an undetermined amount of time, committing any amount of troops. To hear the Afghans tell it they expect us to subsidize their economy by training and financially supporting their entire army. It's outrageous.
The Afghans possess both the natural resources - and a thriving drug trade - to pay for themselves. American taxpayers do not want to spend billions of dollars more on this boondoggle with the tail wagging the dog yet again...
Unleash your inner funny emotional diva. This design also available in pillows, other sizes of bedding, blankets, clocks, pajamas, hoodies, area rugs and curtains;come see!
The Social Poets: Funny Jon Stewart: Obama Fail On Chinese Dissident: From Denny: Jon Stewart watched with horror, like the rest of us, when President Obama dumped one desperate Chinese dissident, Chen Guangcheng, in favor of "diplomatic relations" with communist China. So much for America standing up for human rights and the little guy.
Could this international incident be more telling about the "real" Obama instead of the marketed hyped one? Obama made America look dickhead bad to the international community. "Oh, thank you, for egg on face."
John Oliver: "Gaddafi is one of the most eccentric despots in the Middle East. This leather-faced, Ukrainian nurse-loving lunatic has been in power since 1969."
Then Oliver compares both their bosses as dictators: "We both work for charismatic dictatorial figures who don't like to leave their rooms unless it's to go on to TV. They are both addicted to the adulation of crowds. They both look really weird up close. They both like Jewish jokes - though probably for different reasons..."
Image by Getty Images via @daylifeFrom Denny: Only Jon Stewart could send off Gaddafi with a Big Bang out of this world. He likens Gaddafi to the death of the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz.
You watch the striped legs with fire engine red shoes suddenly withdraw and disappear under the house - that was dropped onto said naughty witch - and then the witch vanishes in the famous Hollywood magic.
So it is with Gaddafi vanishing off the world stage. Actually, he was also mocking the media for telling viewers about how graphic were the death photos of Gaddafi so Stewart had a little fun with this idea.
The Social Poets: Roundup of Late Nite Jokes: 2012 Election Politics: "From Denny:While the nation laughs at the GOP contenders trolling across the nation for dollars and votes the comedians are out in full force making us laugh harder. First, there is the Sarah Palin 'We The People' Bus Tour across America to show her patriotism.
Forget it the historic facts were spewed out wrong. Just keep rolling that bus while you collect wads of cash to stuff into your greedy pockets. It's amazing anyone gives her money as she promises illogical things and delivers air promises. When the press quotes her exactly everyone is still left scratching their heads, wondering what was she addressing as an issue and what was her solution.
Then we all got to snicker as Newt Gingrich got fired by his own campaign. Come on. Who fires their candidate? Yeah, it was that bad. Kind of makes you feel bad for the Republicans. OK, not enough to vote for any of them but still... Can you imagine trying to sell lipstick on the Newt Pig? That's one hard sell that not even Tiffany's jewelry could improve. It's no wonder they covered their faces like The Taliban and left town."
From Denny: Once the United Nations and The Arab League agreed to a no-fly zone late last week, they wasted little time in implementing it. That has to be the fastest the United Nations has ever moved to agreement or action to help a besieged people.
From the sea over 100 miles away, the UK and America lobbed cruise missiles at Gadafi installations, most especially his air defense ones. After all, if you are going to send up French and American planes to enforce the no-fly zone you first have to take out the military capability of Gadafi to fire upon them.
While America claims to only be part of the operation it is clear we are the majority of it during the first few days of establishing air superiority over Libya. Of the 136 cruise missles launched, only eight were from the UK, the rest were American.
There were over 30 air strikes, again, mostly by Americans. I don't know why France was not the lead here since Gadafi is their Problem Child they enabled for four decades. They should be the ones to deal with him.
The Social Poets: Japan: Nuclear Update, Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Political Cartoons: "The Japanese keep changing and downplaying the radiation level numbers. At one point last night one Japanese official said the radiation levels at the troubled nuclear plant had reached 1,000 times the healthy levels. He was later forced to back off on that number, claiming it was a mistake in translation. No, it wasn't. Read that as a diplomatic way for a bureaucrat to get out the truth, knowing he would have to walk it back but at least the information would get out to the public."
The Social Poets: Women in Peril: Ivory Coast Protesters The defiant leader of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, ordered his forces to fire upon thousands of unarmed female protesters. Six were killed. In this culture, when women march as protesters it is considered a last resort against an unrestrained Army.
From Denny: Today news reached the West that Gadhafi air bombed a rebel held town in eastern Libya in a desperate attempt to retake control. Two bombs were dropped near al-Brega.
Why did Gadhafi choose that town when so many others are now under rebel control? Try the fact this town possesses key oil and natural gas facilities: money makers.
Gadhafi decided to drop yet a third bomb for good measure. People on the ground retaliated with what meager means they had like shooting or throwing stones. Then they did the wise thing and fled the area.
Fighting was seen on the ground as Gadhafi's forces moved in to take control of the university in al-Brega. People were rushing to the bombing site with stretchers. Doctors report there are at least four dead, 23 wounded, all victims of gunshot wounds.
Here is the good news: Locals say the rebels were successful in repelling the Gadhafi ground forces and are still in control of al-Brega.
Another town getting the Gadhafi bombing treatment?
The town of Ajdabiya took a beating as Gadhafi's aircraft bombed military camps located just outside of the town. A local tribal leader says that the youth of Ajdabiya gathered together and headed toward the conflict to help defend their town. This town has been in rebel hands for several days and they do not want to give it up easily.
What about the military bases in Libya: who is in control?
From Denny: An update on the evolving situation in Libya. There are still about 300 Americans trapped in the chaos and another 100,000 internationals trying to evacuate. Gadhafi is threatening to blow up the country if defeated. No one is sure if that means by atomic bombs or conventional - or if he will actually do it.
Gadhafi has lost most support in the international community and among his diplomats, politicians and military. All that remains are the usual suspects: the loyalist Republican Guard. Sooner or later they too will see overwhelming odds of armed protesters and throw in with them much like the police did in Egypt. It is a matter of time before the armed protesters take Tripoli as they have many other cities across the country.
From Denny: Finally, President Obama announces sanctions on Libya again. This Libyan dictator spent decades in sanctions limbo only to get thrown back into sanctions prison yet again. This guy should have been overthrown a long time ago.
Obama says he is freezing Libyan nationals' financial assets and there are economic sanctions to be put in place as well. He has not said what the specifics are to be exactly, as yet undetermined pending review of what will work best. Read that as he and his staff don't know and will be running around asking all the so-called experts what to do.
So far Obama has phoned key allies like UK Prime Minister Cameron, Prime Minister of Turkey, skirt-chasing Italy's Berlusconi and the United Nations Secretary General. Obama does not want to institute a no-fly zone but does not say why. The American embassy in Libya has been shuttered and closed down. Well, yeah, the country is in the process of becoming a failed state quickly.
One thing Obama did get right was to "hold his powder" as my Grand Dad used to say. Obama refused to satisfy the critics who demanded he come out and start screaming at and denouncing Gadhafi when the protests began. Well, there was the little matter of many hundreds of embassy and oil industry personnel still present in this chaotic country and we had to get them out safely. Today, a plane took off from the capitol city of Tripoli with Americans glad to leave that nightmare. Others arrived after 60 hours trapped on a ferry. But at least they are out now.
From Denny: What's been going on in Egypt since the protesters won? They cleaned up Tahrir Square and went back to work and school. With the Army leading the interim caretaker government, emotions still run high and so does the uncertainty of the country's future.
The world thought everything was settled and the country had decided upon a temporary course. Why the march? The democracy activists believe the interim government retained far too many old familiar faces from the Mubarak regime. They just don't trust them to deliver a true democracy to the people.
Tuesday of Challenge March
Online organizers are calling the rally "Tuesday of Challenge." They hope to gather a million strong. The protesters desire to put pressure, and keep up the pressure, on the current Army-regent administration, leading until an election can be held. They plan yet another march on Friday too.
They say their slogan this week of marches is "The people want the overthrow of the regime." You can't get any more clear than that.
From their Facebook page: "We are going back to Tahrir (Liberation) Square and we will stay there. The higher (military) council has left Mubarak's government to do what it wants."
From Mohamed El Baradei, a leading opposition figure and well respected in the country and around the world, supports continued protests. He, too, is frustrated with what appears to be "cosmetic change" in the current government which he condemns as an "insult to the revolution."
From El Baradei's Twitter page: "Continued mass, peaceful protests - and the formation of a party, including those who launched the revolution - are our way to complete the journey of change. The regime will not be reformed from within the regime."
How the protesters view the current cabinet
Remember how the Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafig, said they were choosing new ministers? Well, over a week later, they are still in process and people are becoming suspicious of what may be truly transpiring behind the scenes. This cabinet currently still in power was appointed by Mubarak and nothing has changed since Mubarak stepped down. The protesting Facebook group say they prefer a government of technocrats.
From activist Ahmed Naguib: "A conference tomorrow will announce a call for a Friday march in the millions across Egypt - and in Tahrir Square - in response to the latest changes in interim government - and to reassert the demands of the people's revolution." Naguib did admit some changes made in government posts were "some good moves toward reform and change - but still not enough."
The military rulers promised many changes to the constitution. They announced that the constitutional changes necessary to hold elections should be ready soon. They are fully aware that any signs the Army might renege on their promise of true civilian and democratic rule could reignite massive protests again.
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Exhausted Egyptians rest on Tahrir Square after days of protests on 30 Jan 2011. Image by Getty Images via @daylife
From Denny: The Egyptian people continue their hard struggle toward a free and open democracy. The protesters have this much time and effort invested in pushing out a corrupt leader they might as well go the distance and finish the job.
Have you ever noticed when a world event like this takes place that the surrounding observer nations all view the event from their own prism of concerns, wants and needs? Everyone is looking at this Egypt Revolt as "What's in it for me?" instead of the more compassionate and wise approach of "What is best for the Egyptian people?"
World leaders and Big Business place their concerns as to how much oil is going to cost us. Journalists worry about whether their freedom of speech is hampered. Political analysts speak with one voice, wailing and crying loudly, "Oh, Egypt is going to the dogs! Terrorists, the Muslim Brotherhood, will gain control of the government and the world!"
The Think Tank people worry about Egyptian foreign policy and how to angle it to America's advantage. Religious extremists try to gain control so they can be the ones running the dictatorship and stashing billions of American dollars away in Swiss bank accounts just like Mubarek did.
Other Islamic leaders in the Middle East are sweating bullets of fear, terrified they will be put out of power too, just like the Tunisian leader got chased off. Meanwhile, Mubarek stalls for time as he moves his stolen money into accounts around the world other governments and the protesters cannot discover.
Over almost 30 years, American taxpayers have given their hard-earned money to Mubarek to the tune of at least $60 billion. It's an obscenity. There are plenty of school children right here in America, millions of them, who could use updated textbooks and a college education. Instead, American presidents, to the tune of five of them now, have wasted our money by allowing dictators to pocket it. The least our presidents could have done is see to it those billions of dollars went to alleviating poverty in Egypt.
Americans would have felt at least the money went to the good of the people instead of getting wasted on excessive indulgences of the Mubarek family who are all billionaires. I want my money returned to America Put me on the board of foreign aid and I'll see to it that it is spend appropriately and wisely. Isn't it time we American voters quit allowing uncaring people to run our government, whichever political party?
Check out the latest political opinions from American cartoonists about the revolution in Egypt. Adding new cartoons as they become available so check back often.
From Denny: For the past week Egypt has been on a dizzying and fast-paced course to change their history. Hopefully, this will be mostly a peaceful transition to a new democracy.
There is a lot at stake as easily one million protesters have taken to the streets. The people have organized themselves into protection groups to guard their neighborhoods and their priceless museums.
What is at stake for the rest of the world is whether the new government will be friendly toward the Western nations who need trade and oil to continue. As it stands, the Suez Canal must remain open or the price of oil will sky rocket for the world. No one can pay those prices in this down economy. Or will the world end up with yet another anti-social backward leaning religious autocracy like we could expect from the Muslim Brotherhood?
Fortunately, President Obama has decided to finally pressure Mubarek to resign or at least leave once there are elections in September. Frankly, I doubt Mubarek can hold on that long. The smart thing to do is for Egyptians to create a temporary government with the opposition leader of their choice until free and fair elections can be held. Mubarek is so odious to the rank and file Egyptian there is just no way he can remain. If Obama wants to help stabilize the world economy he had better get a move on and give Mubarek "the bum's rush" before there is yet another assassination. Convince this guy to leave now in an orderly fashion.
Check out what American cartoonists have published about this week in Egypt.
Learn more about Egypt, their righteous grievances, their push for democracy.
From Denny: What is happening in Egypt and why? There are two political movements in Egypt vying for power to overthrow the current Mubarek government: the Youth Movement and the Muslim Brotherhood.
What sparked first the protests in the street and now, days later, violent rioting? Tunisia successfully chased out of town a corrupt leader. Now other countries in the Middle East are inspired to do the same. To take measures to avoid that happening to them, countries like Kuwait decided to quickly hand over thousands of dollars to each citizen to satisfy the anger about high unemployment.
What are the list of grievances for the Egyptians?
* economic
* social
* historic
* personal dignity
Egyptians are protective of their personal dignity and deeply offended by Mubarek's 30 year monopoly on power, refusing to transition to a democracy. Mubarek's iron-fisted approach has enabled corruption to grow.
From human rights activist Ghada Shabandar: "Egyptians are sick and tired of being corrupted and when you live on 300 pounds a month. You have one of two options: you either become a beggar or a thief." (Three hundred Egyptian pounds is about $51.) "The people sent a message: 'We are not beggars and we do not want to become thieves.'"
Egyptians believe this is their time to end the Mubarek reign of power. Why now? Turns out the aging Mubarek has positioned his son, Gamal, to inherit his father's rule. Gamal is a businessman and a political leader.
From Steven Cook, an expert at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington: "They hate Mubarak. It has become this clogged police state. I think what has happened is that Tunisia has created this hope and possibility in people’s minds, that with enough determination you can unseat an Arab dictator."
Check out some stellar political cartoons chronicling social issues and politics throughout the year, news analysis and opinion.
From Denny: What a list of news that happened this year! Whew! Sometimes the news and politics were as toxic as the weather - and we all felt like we needed government issue gas masks. Take a look at some of the highlights:
Haiti earthquake
Volcanic eruptions in Iceland and Indonesia
BP Oil Spill Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico (my backyard in Louisiana)
Floods around the world
North Korea threatening to launch nukes
Finally getting the beginnings of a national health bill reform in America - which needs a lot of tinkering to perfect
Another woman appointed to the Supreme Court - not before the GOP humiliated her publicly and drug her through the mud for not being Christian enough - she's Jewish.
WikiLeaks documents released about the Afghan War
Unemployment high around the world like in America and the world economy floundering
Obama's popularity up and down, according to which fool he is listening to as the It Advisor Of The Moment.
The Republicans marching goose step as The Party of No Conscience, No Sense and Don't Care About the Middle Class
Check out the first year of President Obama on the world stage.
From Denny: The first year of an historic first African-American presidency began well but soon fizzled. Why? Because of bad advice and overly ambitious counselors seeking to feather their own wallets. Typically, most first term presidents flounder their first 18 months in office until they can wrap their brains around the enormity of running such a huge and diversified country such as America. This president is unusually slow to adapt and accept changes to his staff who are not serving him well at all.
There was also the year long fight about health care reform of which Big Insurance fought vociferously, giving rise to The Birthers and other fringe wingnut groups accusing Obama of all kinds of outlandish things. Like what? Like claiming he wasn't born in America even though Hawaii is a state in the Union. They have also decided he is a Socialist and not a patriot and the Idiot List goes on into ad nauseum infinity stupidity.
This was also the Year of Hillary as much as it was the Year of Obama. She distinguished herself on the world stage admirably.
Rape, treason and information-dealing pay off for WikiLeaks Assange.
From Denny: Well, Assange just can't seem to stay out of the headlines. This guy must be a media exhibitionist. Now he's whining how he isn't rich enough to pay his own legal fees? This guy is supposed to be a billionaire. So, where did all his money go?
Apparently, Founder Assange is worried he can't keep his WikiLeaks "whistle blower" site running. Why? He says it is running out of cash since Paypal, MasterCard and Visa quit allowing payment donations through their sites to the WikiLeaks site. Assange states he has lost as much as $650,000 since the three sites blocked his donors. Get this: Assange was raking in as much as $130,000 a day in pure untaxed donationsto the tune of almost $4 million per month before the financial crackdown. What a sweet con. And now it looks like the wild ride is over.
So, what does a con man move on to next? Well, that's obvious: he moves on to the other muckrakers, the gossip publishing industry. He signed a $1.3 million deal with Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House in America and British publisher Canongate.
Assange may have good reason to worry. It isn't just his current legal costs fighting extradition to Sweden to face a rape charge. There are mounting lawsuits against his WikiLeaks site to consider. We can only wonder what fantastic stories will be told in this book, since he is known for his embellishment of the truth.
Assange also claims he does not want to write the book. Who believes that garbage? "I don't want to write this book, but I have to," he told the Sunday Times of London, per ABC News. "I have already spent £200,000 for legal costs and I need to defend myself and to keep WikiLeaks afloat."
In case you have been completely unplugged from technology - or living under a rock - the past few months here's the rundown on the developing WikiLeaks-Assange story:
To date, Australian Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, turned himself in to police in the United Kingdom. He was wanted on an Interpol warrant for extradition to Sweden. Two women in Sweden accused him of rape and sexual misconduct. Assange is fighting extradition and is currently out on bail with an ankle monitor and house arrest, staying at a friend's house.
Assange's fear of assassins
Assange is terrified of the American government and fears assassination squads were sent to kill him. If that were true he would already be dead. But then this guy ticked off the entire world and embarrassed the diplomatic community. There isn't a government on this planet that approves of him, his methods, his so-called cause. He reeks of selling information to the highest bidder, releasing the low level intelligence just for fun to screw with everyone's lives. I'm sure there are plenty of Afghan families who are just thrilled with him outting them as intelligence sources. Now those tribal people and their code of vengeance is something to fear.
Taliban seeking Assange
Better yet, the Taliban are who Assange should really fear. Those guys are ruthless and will kill those close to him just to get more information, especially if they are too cheap to pay for it. Assange just can't go around claiming he is the world storehouse of all the most secret and precious information and think he has no enemies. It's ludicrous.
Diplomatic cables released
For several months now WikiLeaks has released low level secret documents and video regarding the Iraq and Afghan wars. The vast majority of the information was already in the public domain. And let's not forget the diplomatic cables between American and foreign diplomats, detailing stupid opinion that no smart diplomat would ever write and send in an electronic missive. Those opinions and observations are only mentioned among friends or in person. Talk about amateurs. Who is actually stupid enough to think that electronic anything is private?
Providing political theater lately are the Republicans like Rep. King from New York who is calling Assange a terrorist and he should be classified as an enemy combatant. King is the incoming chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and wants a crackdown on WikiLeaks.
One of the few interesting ideas King has had is to label WikiLeaks dumps as a treasonable offense. By so doing then the site can be labeled as a terrorist group. And by labeling WikiLeaks as a terrorist group then it is easier to go after their finances legally. Just this month, King introduced a bill to stop WikiLeaks by declaring its activities as criminal.
ABC Interview with Assange
In this video Assange tries to defend his actions, claiming no one has died or been hurt by the vomiting release document dumps from his site. Like that's going to become public knowledge. Nor have we seen Assange digging to find out if it's true.
It's one thing to push boundaries to challenge possibly corrupt governments and authority, to want freedom of information. It's quite another to release information indiscriminately without regards to consequences for innocents or intelligence sources in a war-torn country. No one really cares how much these docs embarrass various countries and their diplomatic communities.
Listen to Assange work his wriggle room interview. It's astounding anyone labels this guy as a hero, a person so completely devoid of human compassion for, well, anyone. Is a rapist, a for-profit information dealer and a con man worthy of hero status?
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WikiLeaks never fails to entertain and outrage the world. Check out the cartoonists lampooning with glee.
From Denny: I figured since WikiLeaks is busy gathering up interesting government information around the world I might as well round up the best of the funny WikiLeaks cartoons. You know I used to be of the opinion that WikiLeaks founder Assange was just a very odd guy with an arrogance complex who enjoyed dealing in espionage and making a helluva profit at it. After all, all he does is sell the sizzle to his willing wide-eyed followers who believe his scam about justice and morality in the world. Meanwhile, Assange is selling secret information to various governments and stuffing his pockets full of wads of cash. After he makes his profit he releases the rest of the docs, some in public domain, some not as important as he claims.
Like any "secret agent" who decides to become a double or triple agent he is now discovering the scam is getting more and more difficult to maintain. The wear and tear on him has begun to show visibly. He is increasingly more paranoid and disheveled. He is currently running from an Interpol arrest for rape charges in Sweden. His latest act of hubris is to think he can hold the world hostage. Yeah, that's right. This crazy man says he will release even more docs if he is arrested. So, "How dare you arrest me?" is his taunt. Since when did world criminals dictate to anyone?
Assange is nothing but a glossy version of an old-fashioned mercenary-style spy who is loyal to no one or no country. He is up for sale to the highest bidder. Clearly, he is losing it mentally of late and his mind is unravelling at a rapid pace as evidenced by recent interviews in his "underground bunker." How dramatic.
While there are still fools dumb enough to support his meglomaniac efforts like some new Hitler rave, they don't realize his self-styled reign is coming to an end. Of course, they are also too stupid to see that he leaves his volunteers risking arrest and prison - not him. They risk their lives and freedom while Assange gets all the money. What's wrong with that picture?
And, frankly, after releasing so very many docs meant to embarrass or outrage world governments, Assange has pushed the adrenaline button one too many times. People are beginning to yawn at his efforts to bully the world. Besides, most people in the world are a lot more concerned about how to get a job and put food on the table. We really don't have the time to baby-sit some eccentric billionaire playing at world spy and throwing temper tantrums. Assange gets nominated for the 2010 Bozo Sapien of the Year Award. Check out the fun the cartoonists had with lampooning WikiLeaks and world leaders.
*** Bozo Sapien photo by I'm Fantastic @ flickr
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