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Sunday, February 1, 2015
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Saturday, January 31, 2015
America’s Strategy Deficit A haphazard foreign policy makes a complicated world more dangerous.!!!
America’s Strategy Deficit
A haphazard foreign policy makes a complicated world more dangerous.
Something is going on here.
On Tuesday retired Gen. James Mattis, former head of U.S. Central Command (2010-13) told the Senate Armed Services Committee of his unhappiness at the current conduct of U.S. foreign policy. He said the U.S. is not “adapting to changed circumstances” in the Mideast and must “come out now from our reactive crouch.” Washington needs a “refreshed national strategy”; the White House needs to stop being consumed by specific, daily occurrences that leave it “reacting” to events as if they were isolated and unconnected. He suggested deep bumbling: “Notifying the enemy in advance of our withdrawal dates” and declaring “certain capabilities” off the table is no way to operate.
Sitting beside him was Gen. Jack Keane, also a respected retired four-star, and a former Army vice chief of staff, who said al Qaeda has “grown fourfold in the last five years” and is “beginning to dominate multiple countries.” He called radical Islam “the major security challenge of our generation” and said we are failing to meet it.
The same day the generals testified, Kimberly Dozier of the Daily Beast reported that Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a retired director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, had told a Washington conference: “You cannot defeat an enemy you do not admit exists.” The audience of military and intelligence professionals applauded. Officials, he continued, are “paralyzed” by the complexity of the problems connected to militant Islam, and so do little, reasoning that “passivity is less likely to provoke our enemies.”
These statements come on the heels of the criticisms from President Obama’s own former secretaries of defense. Robert Gates, in “Duty,” published in January 2014, wrote of a White House-centric foreign policy developed by aides and staffers who are too green or too merely political. One day in a meeting the thought occurred that Mr. Obama “doesn’t trust” the military, “doesn’t believe in his own strategy, and doesn’t consider the war to be his.” That’s pretty damning. Leon Panetta , in his 2014 memoir, “Worthy Fights,” said Mr. Obama “avoids the battle, complains, and misses opportunities.”
No one thinks this administration is the A Team when it comes to foreign affairs, but this is unprecedented push-back from top military and intelligence players. They are fed up, they’re less afraid, they’re retired, and they’re speaking out. We are going to be seeing more of this kind of criticism, not less.
On Thursday came the testimony of three former secretaries of state, Henry Kissinger (1973-77), George Shultz (1982-89) and Madeleine Albrigh t (1997-2001). Senators asked them to think aloud about what America’s national-security strategy should be, what approaches are appropriate to the moment. It was good to hear serious, not-green, not-merely-political people give a sense of the big picture. Their comments formed a kind of bookend to the generals’ criticisms.
They seemed to be in agreement on these points:
We are living through a moment of monumental world change.
Old orders are collapsing while any new stability has yet to emerge.
When you’re in uncharted waters your boat must be strong.
If America attempts to disengage from this dangerous world it will only make all the turmoil worse.
Mr. Kissinger observed that in the Mideast, multiple upheavals are unfolding simultaneously—within states, between states, between ethnic and religious groups. Conflicts often merge and produce such a phenomenon as the Islamic State, which in the name of the caliphate is creating a power base to undo all existing patterns.
Mr. Shultz said we are seeing an attack on the state system and the rise of a “different view of how the world should work.” What’s concerning is “the scope of it.”
Mr. Kissinger: “We haven’t faced such diverse crises since the end of the Second World War.” The U.S. is in “a paradoxical situation” in that “by any standard of national capacity . . . we can shape international relations,” but the complexity of the present moment is daunting. The Cold War was more dangerous, but the world we face now is more complicated.
How to proceed in creating a helpful and constructive U.S. posture?
Mr. Shultz said his attitude when secretary of state was, “If you want me in on the landing, include me in the takeoff.” Communication and consensus building between the administration and Congress is key. He added: “The government seems to have forgotten about the idea of ‘execution.’ ” It’s not enough that you say something, you have to do it, make all the pieces work.
When you make a decision, he went on, “stick with it.” Be careful with words. Never make a threat or draw a line you can’t or won’t make good on.
In negotiations, don’t waste time wondering what the other side will accept, keep your eye on what you can and work from there.
Keep the U.S. military strong, peerless, pertinent to current challenges.
Proceed to negotiations with your agenda clear and your strength unquestionable.
Mr. Kissinger: “In our national experience . . . we have trouble doing a national strategy” because we have been secure behind two big oceans. We see ourselves as a people who respond to immediate, specific challenges and then go home. But foreign policy today is not a series of discrete events, it is a question of continuous strategy in the world.
America plays the role of “stabilizer.” But it must agree on its vision before it can move forward on making it reality. There are questions that we must as a nation answer:
As we look at the world, what is it we seek to prevent? What do we seek to achieve? What can we prevent or achieve only if supported by an alliance? What values do we seek to advance? “This will require public debate.”
All agreed the cost-cutting burdens and demands on defense spending forced by the sequester must be stopped. National defense “should have a strategy-driven budget, not a budget-driven strategy,” said Mr. Kissinger.
He added that in the five wars since World War II, the U.S. began with “great enthusiasm” and had “great national difficulty” in ending them. In the last two, “withdrawal became the principal definition of strategy.” We must avoid that in the future. “We have to know the objective at the start and develop a strategy to achieve it.”
Does the U.S. military have enough to do what we must do?
“It’s not adequate to deal with all the challenges I see,” said Mr. Kissinger, “or the commitments into which we may be moving.”
Sequestration is “legislative insanity,” said Mr. Shultz. “You have to get rid of it.”
Both made a point of warning against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, which Mr. Shultz called “those awful things.” The Hiroshima bomb, he said, was a plaything compared with the killing power of modern nuclear weapons. A nuclear device detonated in Washington would “wipe out” the area. Previous progress on and attention to nuclear proliferation has, he said, been “derailed.”
So we need a strategy, and maybe more than one. We need to know what we’re doing and why. After this week with the retired generals and the former secretaries, the message is: Awake. See the world’s facts as they are. Make a plan.
Never underestimate the stupidity of people in large groups."
TWICE !!!
I'm sorry I brought this up . .. . Never mind
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Muslim Wall of Shame ... Such as beheadings, child marriage, lashings, and the taking of sex slaves.
Loganswarning |
Posted: 24 Jan 2015 06:48 PM PST Today we here at Logan’s Warning/North American Infidels are adding a new segment to our site. It is entitled the “Muslim Wall of Shame”, and it will feature Muslims that I have engaged in conversation who will not condemn any of the barbaric acts Islam allows. Such as beheadings, child marriage, lashings, and the taking of sex slaves. Koran 47:4:
Koran 65:4:
Koran 24:2:
Koran 4:24:
What is the importance of this page? It is important because it exposes the mindset of your everyday Muslim. Showing that they are all part of the problem. |
President Obama: The Crybaby in the White House
One Citizen Speaking... |
President Obama: The Crybaby in the White House Posted: 23 Jan 2015 06:13 PM PST It appears that President Obama and his cadre of progressive socialist democrats are highly incensed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited by House Speaker John Boehner to speak before a joint session of Congress without the prior knowledge and approval of either the White House or the State Department.
Let’s review …
Bottom line … The Narcissist-in-Chief, around whom the world revolves, looks like a petulant crybaby when he speaks of leadership in the presence of a real leader like Benjamin Netanyahu, a man with battlefield experience, demonstrated leadership skills and a love of his country. Valerie Jarrett, the puppet-master and the sycophantic advisers can tell Obama how fine his clothes look, but the rest of us – and the world – know he is standing there like a naked poseur. Obama lies, with impunity, to the American people on a regular basis and his Administration cannot be trusted with the safety and security of America and Americans, let alone be expected to stand by Israel in a Muslim-dominated region. Until proven otherwise, it is my opinion that there are only two kinds of Muslims, those who would behead you and the more peaceful ones who would merely applaud the beheading. It is an awful feeling when you can’t trust your country’s leadership to tell the truth and do the right thing at the right time. -- steve |
23 Truths Worth Reading! Humor too...
1. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest or Google Maps really need to start their directions on # 5 because I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my own neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blu-Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection... again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Light than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
23. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.
Ladies ... Quit Laughing!
It just gets better as you get older, doesn't it?
I was in a Starbucks Coffee recently when my stomach started rumbling and I realized that I desperately needed to fart. The place was packed, but the music was really loud so to get relief and reduce embarrassment I timed my farts to the beat of the music. After a couple of songs I started to feel much better. I finished my coffee and noticed that everyone was staring at me. I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my Ipod (with ear piece) - and how was your day?
This is what happens when old people start using technology!
Castillo: "Mireles intended to take control of the country..."
Borderland Beat |
Castillo: "Mireles intended to take control of the country..." Posted: 24 Jan 2015 11:44 AM PST Proceso (1-23-15) (www.proceso.com.mx/?p=393907) Translated by un vato for Borderland Beat
MEXICO, D.F. (proceso.com.mx)..-- The former commissioner for the Security and Integral Development of Michoacan Alfredo Castillo declared that the former member of the Council of Self Defense Forces of Michoacan (Autodefensas), Jose Manuel Mireles, intended to take control of the entire country and after that, of Latin America. Castillo insinuated that Mireles was left mentally impaired (trastornado): "I don't know whether the accident affected him". He also stated that the former spokesman for the Council of Self Defense Forces of Michoacan began to act on his own, without consulting with authorities. In January of last year, Mireles suffered an airplane accident when he was traveling to El Zicuiran municipality. He was treated afterwards for craneoencephalic trauma. Currently, he is confined in the Tepic, Nayarit, penitentiary. In an interview with MVS News (MVS Noticias), Castillo denied he had plans to become the National Attorney General ("Fiscal"), but, he added, "I will do whatever the President of the Republic orders". However, Castillo said he would prefer to take time off, since he has a one year and two months old daughter "that I want to care for, and she does not know me, I would like to recover time lost". Castillo defended his performance during the year he was special commissioner: "I see a totally different Michoacan; it depends on the crystal you look through". Yesterday, Secretary of the Interior (SEGOB), Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, announced that he had decided to remove Castillo from his position. He argued that the opposition had asked for removal of the official so that the upcoming elections would not be affected. |
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