"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."
July 03 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: On 'The Founding Fathers' And Their Foibles - The Problem With Fame And Success Is By The Time You Achieve It... You're Old!
In The News: Sorry about the late (very late) posting. Due to equipment failure at Da' Buffalo's end, an internet connection was unavailable until the evening of Sunday, July 5th 2009. In short-form geek-speak the PC/MCIA port that is used for connecting to the internet on my computer... 'torched'... ie.failed at the most basic electrical level, and it took a day or two kicking and stomping around the pasture till I turned up enough change to connect in... 'other' ways.
The news for the day is here but I've relegated the information contained therein to those who would care to listen. However, there Travus DOES touch extensively on the our new strategy and tactics in Afghanistan.
Thanks to ChrisM, my MP3Angel, for supplying backup copies of the commentary and news.
"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."
July 02 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: 'It Doesn't Make Any Difference Whose Tank Runs Through Your Rice Paddy' - One Grunt's Korean War Wisdom Updated For Iraq, Afghanistan, And Region
In The News: The State of California is in a fiscal state of emergency which among other things will cause all legislative activity except budget negotiations to cease. State employees are going to get 3 days a week 'off' and many people, including the financially impoverished who receive matching state funds to their federal benefits, will receive IOUs in lieu of $$$
4,000 Marines have been inserted into Helmand province Afghanistan attempting to wrest control of the province back from the Taliban and in East Afghanistan, a new poster boy for why America makes wars... so we can dote and worry over captured US soldiers... Use them as raison d' entre to continue fighting a losing war
The AfPak war is lost, un-winnable, and they're lying about it... Radio Netherlands:
Pakistan is in the middle of a huge offensive against Taliban fighters in the border area with Afghanistan. United States drones are supporting the operation with reconnaissance and bombing flights. The military assumption is that the war in neighbouring Afghanistan will remain unwinnable as long as the Taliban in Pakistan have not been beaten, or at least reined in.
Afghanistan and Pakistan have become one and the same issue - in international political jargon already known by its acronym AfPak. RNW spoke to senior foreign affairs analyst Bernard Hammelburg. [Source]
President of Honduras Zelaya is supposed to return to his country today with a dignitary escort from the OAS, UN, and high officials of Latin American countries including the president of Argentina. The diplomatically isolated sitting government says will arrest him if he returns.
The Cheney Energy Task Force, outed by JudicialWatch with maps and nomenclature for Iraq's oil infrastructure, had OTHER 'irons on the fire' as well:
'The New Yorker 's Jane Mayer later made another discovery: a secret NSC document dated Feb. 3, 2001 - only two weeks after Bush took office - instructing NSC officials to cooperate with Cheney's task force, which was "melding" two previously unrelated areas of policy: "the review of operational policies towards rogue states" and "actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields." [The New Yorker, Feb. 16, 2004] [In Full @ Juan Cole's Informed Comment]
"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."
July 01 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: It's Easy To Get Caught Up In The Minutiae But It's Worth Noting That America's Primary Motivational Factor Is FEAR - The "Communist Menace" Revisited
In The News: Today is the first of July, the end of California's fiscal year. Despite the lack of a budget they all just bailed out last night at the end of the session and headed for an ill-deserved vacation while state employees and recipients of state-matched federal funds for subsistence (SSI etc) will get IOUs. Meanwhile, the federal government is threatening to take control of some California state parks, which ostensibly belong to the people of California, and their elected representatives are losing their heritage via financial negligence.
It's also the 'end' of the US war on Iraq.... right! The total investment? 4325 US soldiers killed, the continual looting of the US treasury at a million dollars an minute (or more) assisting in the destruction of the US economy, the destruction of Iraqi culture and society along with many archeological sites (There's a US military installation on top of the site that the Bible calls "Babylon") and a huge UNCOUNTED numbers of Iraqis killed and wounded.... "We don't DO body counts"... "General" Tommy Franks, an American war criminals said that. He's now a TV 'talking head' who's analysis of the Iraq war is just as criminally negligent and lacking in fact as ever. See the San Francisco Chronicle's "How many Iraqis died? We may never know"
The North Korean ship suspected of carrying weapons to... wherever... has reversed course back towards Asia... Possibly towards Vietnam, a nation related to the Koreans by the moniker "Communist" only. The question arises... could the ship simply be a decoy or diversion?
The CIA report on detainee abuse and torture is due out today. Expect the MSM talking heads to tell us that we DID get 'valuable information'... Which in retrospect will only be a reiteration of the 'valuable information' that "Torture derives no valuable information from the tortured". However, the 'waterboardings' will continue until the information improves. See FindLaw, "Obama's New Euphemism"
In Afghanistan we've turned "old friends" into new enemies. A former anti-communist tribal leader from Afghanistan's "Cold War" era (when Osama bin-Hidin' was NATO's best buddy) is rumored to be the new leader of Afghanistan's resistance movement. Meanwhile, civilians in Pakistan are finding out that THEY are the target: Pakistani Taliban leader survives strike (which killed 80... mostly civilians, including children)
"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."
June 30 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Lets Celebrate 'Iraqi Sovereignty Day' Because The War In Iraq Is Over... Right? For Us, It MIGHT Be... For The Iraqis, It MIGHT Be More Complicated Than That
In The News: Early Morning KVMR Stream failure... Bummer. The news this morning brought to you by KPIG radio.
Iraq is KIND OF for Iraqis - Technically US troops are OUT of Iraq's cities (On a more circumspect note, when searched, Google said "Did you mean to search for: US troops are OUT of Iran's cities") today, however US Troops WILL remain in and around the cities of Iraq on 'standby' until 'requested' by Iraqi commanders. Expect those incidents to be un-reported to the US press, who will most likely NOT be present in any manner where they could physically observe US troop movements themselves, or for that matter be aware of ANY activity by the 132,000 'contractors' (cf. mercenaries) remaining in Iraq. In Da' Buffalo's opinion, the dirtiest part of the Iraq war is just beginning... under the radar, and without press observation, even as the US appears to be withdrawing.
From Foreign Policy In Focus:
Today is the deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities. But don't expect a great deal to change. "The original intent of moving troops out of the cities was to reduce the U.S. military role and send the message to Iraqis that the United States would be leaving the country soon," write FPIF policy outreach director Erik Leaver and FPIF contributor Daniel Atzmon in A Withdrawal in Name Only. "But troops that are no longer sleeping in the cities will still take part in operations within Iraqi cities; they will serve in 'support' and 'advisory' roles, rather than combat functions. Such 'reclassification' of troops as military trainers is another example of how the United States is circumventing the terms of the SOFA agreement." [In Full, with information about the Honduran coup as well]
Deposed Honduran president Manuel Zelaya says he will return to Honduras soon. The details of HOW that might occur remains to be seen, but it's liable to be with the direct support of other nations in the region. Will he fly in on Hugo Chavez' presidential plane with massive crowds to meet him and escort him back to his seat of power? It won't be Obama's ride, Air Force One, with US troops escorting him, that's for sure. Hence the Miami Herald (long time supporters for the overthrow of US-hostile governments in Latin America and the Caribbean) headline: "US troops stay put in Honduras; Americans advised to stay inside or get out"
According to reports, a couple of Honduran battalions have had second thoughts already
"'Two infantry battalions of the Honduran Army have risen up against the illegitimate government of Roberto Micheletti in Honduras. They are the Fourth Infantry Battalion in the city of Tela and the Tenth Infantry Battalion in La Ceiba (the second largest city in Honduras), both located in the state of Atlintida (sp?).'" [In Full @ NarcoNews]
Essentially what's happening is the people of Honduras elected Zelaya but the Honduran legislature is still controlled by the oligarchy, who had, if not direct involvement in the coup, vested interest in seeing that Zelaya was removed from power despite his democratic installation as the nation's leader. The military? They tend to come from the working class (at least the 'grunts on the ground' with guns do), not the upper classes, and are always the wild card in any Latin American coup. We are seeing The Venezuelan anti-Chavez coups redux, with OR without US involvement, which at this time is an unknown.
An interesting note on Coups from Foreign Policy The US-EPA is beginning to inspect coal-fired power plant 'ash dumps' which are causing major downstream contamination and have physically collapsed occasionally, killing people nearby. Most of the high-hazard facilities are in the Southern US. More, and a list of those locations from Facing South
The Obama administration met with gay rights activists yesterday, marking the 40th anniversary of the "Stonewall Riots" in NY, ostensibly the opening volley of the Gay Rights movement in the US... But it was MORE than that.
From Da' Buffalo's own recollections as a 15 year old runaway New York yip Yip YIPPIE! activist who just happened to be living in a rent-controlled apartment (Next to the Ninth Circle coffeehouse) less than 100 yards away when the riots occurred.
The Stonewall bar across from Sheridan Square on Christopher street in New York was not only a well-known gay bar, it was also one of the main organizing sites for the middle-class gay members of the Vietnam anti-war movement (the Drag Queens and wilder elements of the gay community organized out of "The Firehouse", at the time still only one step removed from it's namesake, and a center of action for a number of activities, at times, almost running culturally parallel to Abbie Hoffman's Cooper Square "Free Store", but today, it's simply another gay night club).
Did the police visit because of "Morality" issues? The Stonewall had been there for years, having had few problems with city authorities, or were the police there to simply inform the people present "We KNOW where you organize"?
[After the commentary, Jackson Browne and friends reminds us that there are "Lives In The Balance". Courtesy of the respective artists and KPIG radio Freedom California Earth]
The Wall Street Journal's Mary O'Grady argues that the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was not in fact a coup, since the president was himself holding a referendum in violation of an order by the country's supreme court. But I don't think one need defend Zelaya to argue that sending troops to break into a president's house and put him on a plane out of the country is generally not the best way to protect "the independence of institutions that keep presidents from becoming dictators."
If this weekend's coup seems like a bit of a throwback to the Cold War era, that's because it is...
One day after the country’s president, Manuel Zelaya, was abruptly awakened, ousted and deported by the army here, hundreds of protesters massed at the presidential offices in an increasingly tense face-off with hundreds of camouflage-clad soldiers carrying riot shields and automatic weapons.
The protesters, many wearing masks and carrying wooden or metal sticks, yelled taunts at the soldiers across the fences ringing the compound and braced for the army to try to dispel them.
One Honduran had this to say about it:
“We’re defending our president,” said one protester, Umberto Guebara, who appeared to be in his 30s. “I’m not afraid. I’d give my life for my country.”
The usual suspect in South of the border coups... The US government is being umm... circumlocutory:
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the last senior member of the administration to visit Honduras, just three weeks ago, said that the United States was working toward “full restoration of democratic order (emphasis on 'Weasel words' mine) in Honduras.”
"All The News You Never Knew You Needed To Know ...Until Now."
June 29 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: Hemispheric Freedom On The March - Through The 'Rear View Mirror' Of History It Will Be Seen That The United States 'Lost' Latin America Due To It's Single-Minded Focus On Middle Eastern Oil
Da' Buffalo wants to grab everyone's ear for a minute here with a little information rejected as a comment @ Juan Cole's Informed Comment... Apparently the liberally brain-dead elements of US society are stuck in the Rationalize/Deny/"Technocracy will save us" delusional way of thinking, and STILL believe they can have their cake (oil) and 'eat' it (continue on, business as usual) without the dead bodies and global looting:
It's easy to see we're staying (In Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East/Central Asia... until EVERY drop of oil is sucked from Iraq's soil.
If everyone expects to be able to drive to work in a society that is utterly car (individualized transport for fearful-of-the-'other' people) dependent, there IS no other current option.
A fellow named Dimitry Orlov (of the blog Club Orlov) did a presentation a while back, comparing the social fallout from economic collapse of the Soviet economy and what might portend for the US under similar circumstances.
We earned our livelihoods through the use of... EAT because of, OIL.
Excerpt: "The food distribution system makes heavy use of refrigerated diesel trucks, transforming food over hundreds of miles to resupply supermarkets. The food pipeline is long and thin, and it takes only a couple of days of interruptions for supermarket shelves to be stripped bare. Many people live in places that are not within walking distance of stores, not served by public transportation, and will be cut off from food sources once they are no longer able to drive.
Besides the supermarket chains, much of the nation’s nutrition needs are being met by an assortment of fast food joints and convenience stores. In fact, in many of the less fashionable parts of cities and towns, fast food and convenience store food is all that is available. In the near future, this trend is likely to extend to the more prosperous parts of town and the suburbs.
Fast food outfits such as McDonalds have more ways to cut costs, and so may prove a bit more resilient in the face of economic collapse than supermarket chains, but they are no substitute for food security, because they too depend industrial agribusiness. Their food inputs, such as high-fructose corn syrup, genetically modified potatoes, various soy-based fillers, factory-farmed beef, pork and chicken, and so forth, are derived from oil,"
It's called "Social Collapse Best Practices", and it's quite good... covering the implications of how the US and the Soviets had chosen to develop their cities, housing, transportation systems, and agriculture... ALL intensively petroleum based in the US, leaving America quite economically vulnerable... from within, AND without.
The answer we've come up with?
Our best solution?
Victimize... the countries that have the oil, if they won't offer it to us in deals that are the best for us, and often, as in the case of the Niger Delta, impoverishes and poisons the inhabitants of the countries we get the oil from.
So what are ya gonna do about it? Demonstrate?
"...funding military programs at alarming levels and continuing the Bush administration’s military and intelligence invasion of what used to be civilian life.
The latest manifestation of this continuity came last week when Dennis C. Blair, Director of National Intelligence, announced plans to transform the Pat Roberts Intelligence Scholars Program (PRISP) from a pilot project into a permanent budget item. Blair also announced plans to establish a “Reserve Officers’ Training Corps” to train unidentified future intelligence officers in US college classrooms. Like students receiving PRISP funds, the identities of students participating in these programs would not be known to professors, university administrators or fellow students — in effect, these future intelligence analysts and agents would conduct their first covert missions in our university classrooms. Clickthrough to Alternet @ Gates Of Hell
Isn't it ADORABLE! and SOooo much cheaper that fighting a worthless war on the other side of the planet...Obama's First Coup d'Etat - There has been a coup in Honduras. The president of that country has been ousted by soldiers and spirited to Costa Rica where he's demanding the US denounce the take-over. A tepid reply has been delivered by the US State Department and you might be able to tell who did what, with which, and to whom, by noting that the commander who coordinated the coup is a graduate of "The School Of The Americas", Romeo Vasquez. More.
Some linkage:
A military coup has taken place in Honduras this morning (Sunday, June 28), led by SOA graduate Romeo Vasquez. In the early hours of the day, members of the Honduran military surrounded the presidential palace and forced the democratically elected president, Manuel Zelaya, into custody. He was immediately flown to Costa Rica. More from VenezuelaAnalysis
From Stan Goff, Ex-S.O.G., Ex-Marxist, at Feral Scholar:
"Outside of the direct actors, we don’t know exactly what just happened in Honduras. But the spinning will start soon; and neither President Obama nor Secretary of State Clinton have called for the return of President Zelaya to his rightful office. They have made tepid statements of opposition to military takeovers and a return to “democracy” and “constitutionality.”
While we wait, I will share an older piece about the US-directed coup in Haiti (which Obama and Clinton apparently support) and the attempted coup — with US support — against the democratically elected government of Venezuela.
In 1994, when my last Special Forces team, Operational Detachment Alpha 354, entered the Haitian city of Gonaives, I along with three members of that detachment waded through a huge and agitated crowd to encounter four soldiers and two plainclothes death squad members about to fire into that crowd with M-1 Garands. They were surprised to see us, and we took advantage of that surprise to compel them to lay their weapons down and submit to arrest. One of the plainclothes gents hesitated to relinquish his weapon, and I came very near shooting him. I’m only being honest - knowing this will put some people off - when I say that I now wish I had gone ahead and pulled the trigger. In Full, with linkage
The US House of Representatives passed the environmental energy bill the other day and is taking an ALWAYS undeserved vacation till the end of July.
The US military command in Afghanistan has cancelled the poppy eradication program. A program which fed millions of dollars to corrupt recipients, often subsidizing the well-to-do warlords & growers themselves, leaving the rest of the region in poverty.
Welcome to Razed By Wolves. Just another BuffaloBlog consisting of news snippets and other media about events and the people who, by their actions and words, create those events, making the world around us a more dangerous, nastier place to live.
July 03 2009 Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: On 'The Founding Fathers' And Their Foibles - The Problem With Fame And Success Is By The Time You Achieve It... You're Old!
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