Monday, August 21, 2017

Ah, yes, the myriad of TREATIES.

That is not from fracking.

Curious. India has already been working for peace in the region. I think a coalition may not even be necessary.

August 21, 2017

 (click here) As Nepal's new Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba arrives here on his first visit this week, Nepal wants India to devote the full-spectrum attention that New Delhi has showered on Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Afghanistan.

Deuba will be here between August 23-27, and India and Nepal will headline a "partnership". An MEA statement announcing the visit said, "India-Nepal partnership has witnessed significant growth in all areas of cooperation. The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity to both the sides for holding wide-ranging discussions on issues of mutual interest."

Twenty years after the same Deuba signed the Mahakali treaty with India, both countries are hoping they will finally get it off the ground....

Looks like Tillerson has a lot of diplomatic missions to carry out before there are NEW treaties and coalitions. Definitely looks like a UN Security Council agenda.


It was a good soldier's speech.

The last time American soldiers went into a very dangerous battlefield in Iraq they were sent with some of the lousiest arms in history. If it wasn't for the USA news media American soldiers would still be relying on the wealth of their families to have body armor.

The merits of the approach boil down to intelligence, diplomacy, and cooperation. There is no way the USA can guarantee cooperation between India and Pakistan. Kashmir is among the issues that have to be RESOLVED by diplomacy.

The tribal region of Pakistan has been a very difficult challenge. The late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was focused on the tribal region when she returned to run for President. She was gunned down by al Qaeda. We have witnessed the brutality of Pakistan's segregated society in the wonderful young woman named Malala Yousafzai (click here).

This region of the world has many, many problems. The expression, "You can lead a horse to water, but, you can't make it drink," comes to mind. Nation building doesn't work.

There are models, NOT THEORIES, that show how a Third World country attains a better economic strategy that moves the people from dependency to a motivation with a vision. Brazil has been able to move forward. BRIC countries. They have moved forward to embrace education, seek citizen quality of life and incentives to continue to have a vision.

These countries are still a danger to the USA. They have not moved to the point where they seek alliances with the USA in a sincere way. The world is a dangerous place. There is no magic.

The MISSION of the USA is to seek out countries that WANT to come out of the middle ages to modern times. Unfortunately, countries such as Pakistan believe they are safer with nuclear weapons. THAT IS NOTHING BUT POLITICS. That is also the politics of the extremists in Iran. The politicians know it is not an answer, but, they spend the money to have the people believe they are strong leaders.

If the USA is going to threaten these lesser countries they will seek weapons such as nuclear missiles. Threats are not the answer. 

Osama bin Laden was a little tin god. He received money from his inheritance and hated the USA. Osama bin Laden is dead and no one has been able to replace him, not even his son although he likes to pretend it will happen.

The USA has enemies. That has been the case for a long time. It is time to seek peace and continue to protect from countries disinterested in civilization and from little tin gods.

I remind. The attacks against Lower Manhattan, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2017 was predicted by the CIA.

There was no failure in intelligence when September 11th occurred in 2001. 

They are sister and brother? They like high maintenance lives, huh?The USA is on a war budget and Americans need a good health care system.

Admiral Mullens identified the Haqqani Network. He took his complaints to Pakistan. It is the first time an American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs spoke truth to Pakistani power. 

Admiral Mullens gave President Trump a leg up. It is up to him to continue that focus and bring Pakistan ENOUGH STABILITY to take on terrorists such as the Haqquani Network.

When I hear a President state he is going to seek a regional coalition to bring about improvement in the lives of the people while ending war; my gut reaction is SEATO was disbanded.

In September of 1954, the United States, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Pakistan formed the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization or SEATO.

SEATO lead to Vietnam. It was the impetus. President Kennedy was going to stop any USA war into Vietnam, but, he didn't live long enough to bring the advisors home.

...But the U.S. and the international community (click here) never followed through on their promise to help the Afghan government achieve real reform. The 2015 parliamentary elections have been delayed pending electoral reform that was never legislated. The lack of district elections, a virtual logistical impossibility, has impeded progress toward a constitutional convention because district representatives are required for a quorum.

Had the international community pushed for these reforms to take place in 2014, they could very likely have been achieved. A mood of hope and unity had suffused much of the country. But the international community mistook a lull for an equilibrium and stopped pushing for political reform. When factional rifts have erupted, the world has simply told Ghani and Abdullah to get along, believing that neither of their parties want to suffer the costs of withdrawing from the government. But that assumption may no longer hold: First Vice President Abdurrashid Dostum is spearheading a coalition of ethnic parties to oppose the current government, even as the Taliban and other local actors solidify their hold over the provinces.

Why undertake such a difficult set of tasks?

It would lend legitimacy to the government, a prerequisite for a peace agreement in a country long riven by political factionalism. The Afghan government must resolve the disputes with peaceable factions, such as Dostum's, then reach out to those already at war with it....

Those are real easy words to write. No strategy, no real reason to go forward because the people of Afghanistan are just as tired of the warring as the people of the USA. They don't like hospitals being bombed. Most Americans don't either. Then American politicians want to increase the USA presence, BUT, the people are turning back to the Taliban. No surprise there.

Are the Afghan children still using downed helicopters for playgrounds? It used to be Russian jets.

I don't believe the USA has the RIGHT to strategize Afghanistan. I believe the UN Security Council needs to bring clarity to the region and the way forward.

Trump wants a coalition. Sounds like the region needs to help bring about stability so the former leader of the Northern Alliance can actually lead an Afghan National military.

There is no need for strong muscle near North Korea with this level of sanctions.

This is the current ship traffic near the Korean Peninsula.(click here)

Nuclear weapons aren't worth it. Seriously. Pyongyang needs to stop the tirade. They need an economy. It's people need quality of life. Sanctions work. It is time for Pyongyang to use diplomacy to rebuild it's reputation and begin an international basketball contest. I have never been more serious.

August 21, 2017
By Michelle Nichols

United Nations (Reuters) - Two North Korean shipments (click here) to a Syrian government agency responsible for the country's chemical weapons program were intercepted in the past six months, according to a confidential United Nations report on North Korea sanctions violations.

The report by a panel of independent U.N. experts, which was submitted to the U.N. Security Council earlier this month and seen by Reuters on Monday, gave no details on when or where the interdictions occurred or what the shipments contained.

"The panel is investigating reported prohibited chemical, ballistic missile and conventional arms cooperation between Syria and the DPRK (North Korea)," the experts wrote in the 37-page report.

"Two member states interdicted shipments destined for Syria. Another Member state informed the panel that it had reasons to believe that the goods were part of a KOMID contract with Syria," according to the report....

STOP.

The world is watching. Change course and find a stronger profile that provides for peace and prosperity for Syria, too. STOP. Just stop.

The US Congress has a problem.

The US Billionaire President has over spent the budget the American people has set for him.

August 21, 2017
By Scott Horsley

The U.S. Secret Service (click here) is bumping up against statutory limits on overtime pay, as it struggles to provide protection for President Trump and his globe-trotting family.

Agency officials estimate more than 1,000 agents and officers will log more overtime this year than allowed by law. The same thing happened in 2016, and Congress eventually passed a workaround. The agency hoped for some relief once the busy election season was over, but overtime bills have continued to mount....

This is not a surprise. The New York Times has been reporting on the expenses since President Trump took office.

President Trump is going to have to realize he is not being sponsored by The Trump Organization anymore. The American people have a budget set for these departments. The Secret Service needs their salary and no one should be expecting them to volunteer. If the USA thinks it has a problem with Russia now, wait until the Secret Service is on a volunteer basis.

The US Congress and the Secret Service has to set up a strategic plan for protecting the President and those in need of their services and stay within budget. The US Congress needs to pass a bill to enforce the strategy and the budget. The President will veto it and Congress has to be prepared to override it.

If NASA hadn't prepared us for today, there would be tragedy happening rather than joy.

NASA knows what to do now to bring interest to their programs. NASA needs to build knowledge of their activities important to the young minds of this country. They loved it and they were given about three weeks lead to question, understand and prepare. 

Now, teach the young people how important their education is and how they need to effortlessly prepare themselves. This lead to a very complex and dangerous moment in the country was enough to create experts out of our young people and children.

The art from some of our youngest citizens was magnificent and full of imagination and application of that imagination to reality. 

NASA! Make them great scholars! They want it!

I want to know the outcomes of the Mars experiments today.
You have no idea what a bummer it is to leave C-Span-NASA to tune into the news. It is terrible. Everyone is so excited by the events of the natural world and young people are truly happy about their experience and accomplishments. It is terrible to leave that reality and tune into today's news.

I am going to watch the X-Men for awhile.
C-Span and NASA TV has shown the beginning of the partial solar eclipse in Portland Oregon.They are doing a great job.

So much for no leaks. "USA go home."

August 21, 2017

Islamabad, Pakistan (click here) is bracing for a "tough time" and may have to seek even "deeper" ties with China and Russia to offset any fallout from the Trump administration's new Afghan strategy, according to a media report here today. 

Trump is set to announce the much-awaited new strategy for war-torn Afghanistan tonight local time (tomorrow morning in South Asia). 

Reports have said the Trump administration looked into possibilities of a role for India during its policy review a .. full "South Asia strategy." 

In a report, The Express Tribune quoted at least two "senior officials familiar with the plan" that Pakistan was contemplating various options to offset any fallout from the new Afghan strategy....


No doubt al Zawahiri is in Pakistan. (click here) This is about intelligence, not war. Zawahiri would be 66 by now IF he is still alive.

Corruption has been a sincere problem in Paksitan. Imran Khan is correct. The people of Pakistan has ousted the Taliban. The debt and poverty of the people of Pakistan is due to the Climate Crisis and flooding. There have been significant earthquakes. Pakistan is unstable in many ways with nearly NO REASONS that will justify war by the USA.

The voice of Imran Khan is not that of an uneducated man. The very last thing Pakistan needs is more instability caused by an illegal war in Afghanistan.

August 11, 2017

The West (click here) is worried about the future of democracy in Pakistan following Nawaz Sharif's disqualification from premiership. European countries consider it a derailment of democracy in the South Asian nation. Are their fears about the future of Pakistani democracy justified?

Imran Khan: I would say they are completely unjustified: Pakistan is moving towards democracy. The pillars of democracy are transparency, accountability of leadership, free and fair elections, independent media and an independent judiciary. These are aspects that are currently being strengthened in Pakistan. To date, Pakistan has been a kleptocracy, not a democracy. But things are getting better.

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, a sitting prime minister has been ousted for money laundering, corruption and forgery. There′s no doubt that some people make their way into the corridors of power merely to make money. In the past, whenever the army stepped in to take control of the country, the people rejoiced. This time, however, the army has kept out of it....



Nearly 16 years and all of a sudden the USA discovers Pakistan. Amazing.

"W" diverted the war that should have been fought in 2003 to Iraq for the sake of establishing oil fields for Halliburton. It is too late to enter Pakistan with USA troops. It is also illegal. The USA Congress has not authorized any movement of USA assets to Pakistan.

August 21, 2017
By David Wroe

Afghanistan and defence experts (click here) say the new strategy US President Donald Trump will unveil on Tuesday to stabilise the war-torn country will have little effect unless neighbouring Pakistan can be persuaded to stop giving sanctuary to the Taliban.

But one analyst, John Blaxland of the Australian National University, said such persuasion will be difficult and the "opportunity might already have passed" because Pakistan has grown closer to China in recent years and feels less obliged to listen to Washington than it did immediately post-September 11....

This is a report out of the United Nations. Kindly note there is NO mention of al Qaeda.

The mention of al Qaeda by the USA President is the illegal justification of increasing the USA footprint in Afghanistan. The USA CANNOT enter into a larger war in Afghanistan and/or Pakistan with or without USA military. No USA contractors! It is illegal and the only authority that can hire private militias is Afghanistan and/or Pakistan itself.

20 August 2017

A United Nations investigation (click here) published Sunday confirmed that Taliban and self-proclaimed Islamic State insurgents jointly massacred dozens of people in Afghanistan earlier this month in an attack that "may amount to a war crime".

The body's mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it had "verified allegations" of at least 36 deaths in the predominantly Shiite village of Mirzawalang in Sayad district of northern Sar-e Pul province.

"These killings, corroborated by multiple credible sources, constitute violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes," UNAMA said in its report.

It added that more than half of the killings took place on Saturday 5 August when civilians tried to flee the village after militants had captured it following a battle with a government-backed militia.

Afghan officials claim that Taliban and IS fighters killed more than 50 villagers, including by beheadings, in a rare joint operation between the two insurgent groups....


Osama bin Laden is dead. Most if not all of al Qaeda is dead. There is no physical presence of al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The AUMF is expired. The troops need to withdrawn and Afghanistan is on it's own along with it's neighbors.

The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), Pub. L. 107-40, codified at 115 Stat. 224 and passed as S.J.Res. 23 by the United States Congress on September 14, 2001, authorizes the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001 and any "associated forces".

The internal unrest in the countries the USA has occupied since 2001 is a direct result of an illegal and immoral invasion into Iraq. There is nothing defining an exit strategy. Afghanistan's neighbors need to be tapped to help with stabilization of the government. The attack documented by the UN is of a Shi'ite village. Iran needs to advice Afghanistan to protect it's diaspora within that country.

Enough!

The North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiation has begun.

The first session just concluded.

August 15, 2017

Mexico and NAFTA (click here) Former Mexican trade officials were among a the panelists who discussed the upcoming re-negotiation talks for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), set to begin on August 16, 2017. Panelists expressed Mexico’s concerns and anxiety over whether a final agreement could be reached and referenced the possibility that President Trump could decide to pull out if he feels a new agreement does not benefit the U.S. Other topics included the political climate in Mexico as that country prepares for elections in 2018, and Mexico’s bargaining power based on the trade deals it has with other countries....

Canada and Mexico still have TPP ambitions.

August 20, 2017
By Don Lee

After the opening round of talks (click here) to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement, at least this much is known: The U.S. is pushing for comprehensive changes and racing to meet a tight political calendar.

In a joint statement issued Sunday upon conclusion of the first session, trade officials from the U.S., Canada and Mexico outlined an aggressive schedule for future meetings. They will reconvene Sept. 1-5 in Mexico and then later that month in Canada, to be followed by another round in Washington in October.

The accelerated pace is aimed at wrapping up talks by the end of the year, or early 2018 at the latest, to avoid political complications in Mexico’s presidential vote in the summer and the U.S. midterm elections later in the fall....

What is similar between the two collisions besides dead sailors?

What do we know about the collision? (click here)

It was reported before dawn at 05:24 local time on Monday (21:24 GMT on Sunday) and took place east of the Strait of Singapore, as the USS John S McCain prepared to perform a routine port stop in Singapore.
Singapore and US authorities said the destroyer sustained damage to her port side, which is the left-hand side of the vessel facing forward.

Destination and route (click here)

China has a state-owned shipping company called COSCO. It is why it has cranes in every country. So, the idea this is a result of China is guaranteed, but, what kind of relationship did the ship and it's port of call have with North Korea.

North Korea (click here) is the 119th largest export economy in the world. In 2015, North Korea exported $2.83B and imported $3.47B, resulting in a negative trade balance of $640M.

The top exports of North Korea are Coal Briquettes ($951M), Non-Knit Men's Coats ($169M), Non-Knit Men's Suits ($153M), Non-Knit Women's Coats ($131M) and Non-Knit Women's Suits ($97.1M), using the 1992 revision of the HS (Harmonized System) classification. Its top imports are Refined Petroleum ($186M), Synthetic Filament Yarn Woven Fabric ($138M), Delivery Trucks ($108M), Soybean Oil ($104M) and Broadcasting Equipment($59.2M).

The top export destinations of North Korea are China ($2.34 B), India ($97.8M), Pakistan ($43.1M), Burkina Faso ($32.8M) and other Asia ($26.7M). 

The top import origins are China ($2.95B), India ($108M), Russia ($78.2M), Thialand ($73.8M) and the Phillipines ($53.2M).

North Korea borders ChinaSouth Korea and Russia by land and Japan by sea.

There was a large turnover in military personnel since "W." I have to wonder if former military needs to be called back to assist current circumstances. I would think at the very least Admiral Mullens should be brought in to consult on the Pacific.

Here are a handful (click here) of other recent collisions involving United States Navy vessels at sea — several of which included fatalities.

June 17, 2017: Seven sailors were killed when the Fitzgerald, a destroyer, was broadsided by a Philippines-registered cargo ship, about 60 miles off the coast of Japan. A Navy report released in August found that within 90 seconds of the collision, seawater began rushing through a gaping hole in the starboard hull, filling berths in which sailors had been sleeping. In response to the report’s findings, which blamed the ship’s crew, the Navy relieved two senior officers.

May 9, 2017: A 60- to 70-foot South Korean fishing boat collided with the Lake Champlain, a guided-missile cruiser, on its port side while the cruiser was conducting routine operations in international waters. No one was injured. Fishing boat crew members later said the fishing vessel did not have a radio, so they did not hear the calls from the Navy, a Navy official said at the time....

South Korea? Really!

South Korea has opposed Trump from the beginning. The current South Korean President has rejected the installation of THADD.

I knew it. Again? What has to happen here to realize there is a lot wrong.

We have been losing soldiers on a regular basis these days and it isn't all happening in the Pacific with the US Navy. How many ship captains does the US Navy have to go around? When is the US Navy going to become ineffective and susceptible to attack?

It is a strategy; weaken the fleet enough and attack becomes easier. OMG.

And Trump is going to increase the troop numbers in Afghanistan. He is another puppet to the military. Another "W." Cut taxes and spend more on military engagement.

guided-missile destroyer is a destroyer designed to launch guided missiles. Many are also equipped to carry out anti-submarine, anti-air, and anti-surface operations.

In addition to the guns, a guided-missile destroyer is usually equipped with two large missile magazines, usually in vertical-launch cells. Some guided-missile destroyers contain powerful radar systems, such as the United States’ Aegis Combat System, and may be adopted for use in an anti-missile or ballistic-missile defense role. This is especially true of navies that no longer operate cruisers, so other vessels must be adopted to fill in the gap.

China warned the US about it's activity in the region. I find it hard to believe this is a coincidence. This has to stop. Where is Congress!


August 20, 2017
By Anna Fifield

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain approaches the aircraft carrier USS George Washington for a fueling at sea on Dec. 5, 2010.
Ten U.S. Navy sailors (click here) are missing and five have been injured after the USS John S. McCain destroyer collided with an oil tanker near Singapore early Monday morning.

This is the second time in two months that a Navy destroyer based at the 7th Fleet’s home port of Yokosuka, Japan, has been involved in a collision. Seven sailors were killed when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship south of Japan in June.

The guided missile destroyer and the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Alnic MC collided near the Strait of Malacca at 5:24 a.m. local time, the Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement.

Initial reports indicated that the destroyer sustained damage to its port side at the rear, but is currently sailing under its own power and heading to port in Singapore.

“The extent of damage and personnel injuries is being determined,” the 7th Fleet said.

Search and rescue efforts are underway. U.S. Navy Seahawk helicopters and Ospreys have been mobilized, joining tugboats from Singapore, a Singapore navy ship and helicopters, and a Singapore police coast guard vessel....

...President Trump, returning to the White House on Sunday night, responded to reporters’ questions about the collision by saying: “That’s too bad.”...

"Good night, moon."

The new moon

28.8 days old

0.8 percent lit

Do you believe this? A new moon before a solar eclipse. Wow.

No playing around now. Tomorrow is a big day for many people, including lots and lots of young and little people.

PLEASE TAKE GOOD CARE OF THOSE THAT CAN'T TAKE GOOD CARE OF THEMSELVES.

August 20, 2017
By Joe Kunches

By now you’ve seen a ton of stories (click here) on the upcoming solar eclipse Monday. There are wonderful maps showing the path, the times, the amounts of the solar disk obscured. There have been pieces on the impacts to wildlife, the local atmosphere — temperature and humidity — even quirky things like “Baily’s Beads, “ the brightening’s peeking over the edge of the moon’s limb.

But, but, but. There would be no eclipse if there weren’t another partner in this organization. Yeah, what about the moon?...