• What I take away from the Libya and Somalia raids by our Special Forces?
Beyond the obvious ones, namely that Somalia
is a failed state and there's limits to our power in a lot of places
unless we want to shed a lot of blood (remember that, you "Syrian
action" fanatics) is that our exercise in nation-building in Libya
seems to be pretty much of a flop (remember that, too, "Syria action"
fanatics).
Also, that, among Obamiacs as well as Bushies, the continued blindness toward this
thing called "boots on the ground" seems only to grow in response to concerns like the one I just expressed.
• This NYT piece hits the nail on the head: Rick Perry's job hunting trips are likely not even about recruiting jobs to Texas but instead about a 2016 presidential run.
• Immigrants can help revitalize a "dying" city; one such city, Dayton, Ohio, is actively pursuing them.
• A liberal Catholic philosopher agrees with my insight and says there's no doctrinal changes out of the mouth of Francis the Talking Pope, just "changes of style and tone."
Showing posts with label Somalia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Somalia. Show all posts
October 07, 2013
April 24, 2009
The truth about Somali pirates
Far from being al-Qaeda influenced radicals, they’re poor fishermen “piratized” by international fishing fleets, among other things.
They want money, not jihad, notes John Feffer, who notes the same things I do about their strong similarity to the Barbary pirates of 200 years ago, also secularists after money — this time, after being “piratized” out of European trade markets.
Feffer rightly worries that this could be the wedge to try extending U.S. imperialism in the horn of Africa again. He also worries that this will be a wedge for the military-industrial complex to ramp up its greed, this time for the crappy, problem-burdened (what modern American military hardware hasn’t been “burdened”?)
And, Obama’s defense budget has a 4 percent increase. No starving the beast by him.
They want money, not jihad, notes John Feffer, who notes the same things I do about their strong similarity to the Barbary pirates of 200 years ago, also secularists after money — this time, after being “piratized” out of European trade markets.
Feffer rightly worries that this could be the wedge to try extending U.S. imperialism in the horn of Africa again. He also worries that this will be a wedge for the military-industrial complex to ramp up its greed, this time for the crappy, problem-burdened (what modern American military hardware hasn’t been “burdened”?)
And, Obama’s defense budget has a 4 percent increase. No starving the beast by him.
April 15, 2009
NO, you first, Ron Paul, on Somali pirates
Color me highly skeptical of goldbug Congressman Ron Paul’s call to issue letters of marque and reprisal for American privateers to attack Somali pirates.
Just over 200 years ago, on the “shores of Tripoli,” we used the Marines, not privateers, and the Barbary pirates didn’t have machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, etc.
So, Goldbug Ron? You first, sir. I’ll even scrape up funding for the boat. And a two-way radio to alert the Somalis you’re coming.
Maybe you can bore them to death with a talk about “fiat currency.”
Either that, or they’ll think you’re going to pay a ransom note with Italian cars.
Just over 200 years ago, on the “shores of Tripoli,” we used the Marines, not privateers, and the Barbary pirates didn’t have machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, etc.
So, Goldbug Ron? You first, sir. I’ll even scrape up funding for the boat. And a two-way radio to alert the Somalis you’re coming.
Maybe you can bore them to death with a talk about “fiat currency.”
Either that, or they’ll think you’re going to pay a ransom note with Italian cars.
March 18, 2009
Anti-vaccine nutbars spooking Somalis
Children of Somali immigrants in the Twin Cities appear to have a higher than normal rate of what appears to be autism.
I use “appear” twice because:
• Autism is still not clearly defined and overlaps with symptom definitions such as Pervasive Development Disorder, which is itself not a disease or syndrome;
• We don’t know what causes autism — adding that to not clearly knowing what autism is only compounds the issue;
• It’s not clear if the “spike” in Minneapolis-St. Paul is statistically significant or not.
None of these highly relevant facts, though, has prevented leaders of the anti-vaccination conspiracy crusade to scare Somalis into believing vaccines cause autism. As the story notes, this is compounded by the fact Somalia has a very high measles rate and many of the immigrants, children in tow, go back there from time to time.
Read the full sttory for more information.
I use “appear” twice because:
• Autism is still not clearly defined and overlaps with symptom definitions such as Pervasive Development Disorder, which is itself not a disease or syndrome;
• We don’t know what causes autism — adding that to not clearly knowing what autism is only compounds the issue;
• It’s not clear if the “spike” in Minneapolis-St. Paul is statistically significant or not.
None of these highly relevant facts, though, has prevented leaders of the anti-vaccination conspiracy crusade to scare Somalis into believing vaccines cause autism. As the story notes, this is compounded by the fact Somalia has a very high measles rate and many of the immigrants, children in tow, go back there from time to time.
Read the full sttory for more information.
November 28, 2008
From the halls of Montezuma to anywhere but the shores of Mogadishu …
Ted Rall wants to know why, if we’re bombing the hell out of Afghanistan, including weddings, we’re doing nothing in Somalia to the pirates there.
A good question, indeed.
Guess Shrub hasn’t read the Marine’s Hymn, including the first-line words about eh “shores of Tripoli” — to fight piracy.
Or, riffing on the most famous line from that era, today’s words should be:
“Billions for defense contractors, but not one cent to oppose piracy.”
A good question, indeed.
Guess Shrub hasn’t read the Marine’s Hymn, including the first-line words about eh “shores of Tripoli” — to fight piracy.
Or, riffing on the most famous line from that era, today’s words should be:
“Billions for defense contractors, but not one cent to oppose piracy.”
November 25, 2008
Somali piracy bad enough for Blackwater
Boy if this isn’t close the “the devil you know,” for shipping companies to be looking at hiring Blackwater as marine private security, I don’t know what is.
More proof piracy is that bad? Some Europeans are shiping from south and southwest Asia by way of Cape Horn. in an attempt to avoid the area entirely.
Meanwhile, Russia wants to invade Somalia, even knowing full well that our own attempt at “limited war” there didn’t work too well.
And, especially in the case of oil supertankers, or Very Large Crude Carriers, as they’re more technically known, hijacking them is almost ridiculously easy.
They have huge blind spots and small crews, and if the captain things about resisting, a grenade launcher reminds him that he’s sitting on 300,000 tons of oil.
Read the full story for more on the challenges there.
More proof piracy is that bad? Some Europeans are shiping from south and southwest Asia by way of Cape Horn. in an attempt to avoid the area entirely.
Meanwhile, Russia wants to invade Somalia, even knowing full well that our own attempt at “limited war” there didn’t work too well.
And, especially in the case of oil supertankers, or Very Large Crude Carriers, as they’re more technically known, hijacking them is almost ridiculously easy.
They have huge blind spots and small crews, and if the captain things about resisting, a grenade launcher reminds him that he’s sitting on 300,000 tons of oil.
Read the full story for more on the challenges there.
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