Obama Sets High Bar for World Intervention

CBS News

July 10, 2009

Posted by Stephanie Condon

The United States and other nations will inevitably confront world crises where they have a “moral imperative” to intervene, President Obama said today — but only in “exceptional” circumstances.

“There has to be a strong international outrage at what’s taking place,” Mr. Obama said in a press conference in L’Aquila, Italy, where the G8 summit has wrapped up. He called striking a balance between meeting that moral obligation and respecting national sovereignty “one of the most difficult questions in international affairs.”

“I don’t think there is a clean formula,” he said. “In general, it is important for the sovereignty of nations to be respected.”
Mr. Obama added that conflicts should be resolved through diplomacy and setting up international norms that countries want to meet. …

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/07/10/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5149472.shtml?tag=stack

HALLELUJAH!!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!

If there is another war between Russia and its neighbor Georgia, Vice President Joe Biden will not likely show up in Georgia – with a battleship in tow and mentioning American dollars for Georgia.

President Barack Obama was quoted as saying:

“I don’t think there is a clean formula,” he said. “In general, it is important for the sovereignty of nations to be respected.”

“Sovereign nations” may not be what the Zionist state of Israel wants to hear – especially with respect to Syria and Iran. Could this mean that, perhaps the President should “get off Israel’s back”?

Does Israel consider Iran to be a sovereign nation? Does Israel consider Syria to be a sovereign nation – worthy of respect? Does Israel think its behavior should be open to scrutiny – without the defense of its anti-Semitic shield?

America’s neocons have had their day in the sun. They have failed miserably. It is now time for them to attempt a graceful ride off into the sunset. And their “Middle East sidekick” should consider taking that ride with them because the killing spree of the Middle East sidekick can’t go on – in a civilized world.

Blowing up facilities in countries that you don’t like may have been ok in the eyes of America’s neocons – they loved wars. But if the United Nations is to become RELEVANT again, PREEMPTIVE SELF-DEFENSE must be called what it is: Aggression.

The United Nations has its written definition of aggression – perhaps the UN should re-read that definition and explain it to the Zionist state. Weirdly enough, the Zionist state has already “detected” bias for Syria in the United Nations.

Imagine that!

The UN, as seen through the eyes of the Zionist state, is biased toward Syria.

Imagine that!!

There can be a great deal of space between what is real and what is imagined.

Using the “bias” tool now means the “6,000,000 card” can be held in reserve – until later. The Zionists may need it after “solving” their Iran problem.

Technorati Tags: obama,high bar,world intervention,world crisis,g8 summit,moral obligation,respecting national sovereignty,diplomacy

The G-8 Speaks Softly on Iran’s Nuclear Program

TIME cnn

By MASSIMO CALABRESI

The leaders of the G-8 countries meeting in the Italian mountain town of L’Aquila issued on July 8 an unusually tough statement on Iran’s postelection crackdown, calling on the regime to respect the rule of law and human rights. But when it came to Tehran’s nuclear program, which President Barack Obama sees as the overriding strategic issue between the U.S. and Iran, the leaders struck a milder tone, urging negotiations and underscoring Iran’s rights to a civilian nuclear program. It was the clearest indication yet that despite the postelection violence in Iran, Obama intends to stick to his strategy of offering carrots before sticks for handling Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Top U.S. aides tried to convince the Western media that the G-8 statement’s section on nuclear issues had been tough on Iran. In a conference call with reporters on July 8, Under Secretary of State William Burns said the document stressed “the sense of urgency that I think all eight leaders feel about the nuclear issue” and “the deep concern about Iran’s continued failure to meet its international obligations.”…

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1909148_1909157_1909648,00.html

In the forefront of concern about Iran’s progress in nuclear technology is a country that did not sign the United Nations’ nuclear non-proliferation treaty. That country, Israel, is not bound by the United Nation’s nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Therefore, Israel could if desired, quietly build and deploy 150 – 200 nuclear weapons and the United Nations’ IAEA might not say a word. Not a word!

The United Nations not withstanding, Israel has demanded that America do something about Iran or it would. Earlier, Israel did take matters into its own hands and bombed facilities in Syria. I am not sure what, if any, response came from the United Nations.

Would Israel use aggression(PREEMPTIVE SELF-DEFENSE?) against Iran like it did against Syria? Any opposition to the Zionist state’s future bombing of Iran might be called anti-Semitic.

Technorati Tags: g-8,iran,tehran nuclear program,western media,united nations,aggression

Buffett Backs Second Stimulus

The Legendary Investor Is Critical of the First Stimulus Package, Comparing it to Viagra and Candy

abc NEWS Money

By ALICE GOMSTYN and BIANNA GOLODRYGA

July 9, 2009

As debate grows about a possible second stimulus package for the flagging American economy, at least one legendary investor is giving the idea his guarded approval.

“I think that a second one may well be called for,” Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, told “Good Morning America” today. But, he added, “you hope it doesn’t get watered down in many ways.”

Buffett cautioned that a second stimulus package, like the first, won’t be “a panacea,” because stimulus packages take time to work. He criticized lawmakers’ work on the first stimulus package, which contained $787 billion in spending.

“Our first stimulus bill … was sort of like taking half a tablet of Viagra and having also a bunch of candy mixed in … as if everybody was putting in enough for their own constituents,” he said. “It doesn’t have really quite the wall that might have been anticipated there.” …

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=8039651&page=1

Realism is out there in the business world. The reality of the “deep hole” dug during the Bush Team’s watch is evident to some – but not to others – apparently. The above post takes a realistic view of the economic status of America.

The neocons had twenty four years to apply their management style to America – including their “legendary” VOODOO ECONOMICS.

Voodoo economics, with its DE-REGULATION of the financial industry and the never executed constraint on government spending enabled the latter-day neocons to make quick work of America’s economy. America’s economy was brought to its knees. The economies of the rest of the world started looking at self-preservation. Even capitalism came up for discussion.

It will take time for America to re-earn the money lost to wars, world police activities and “business profits”. Business profits had to be enhanced after the neocons flattened the “wage growth” curve of America’s workers – both high school and college. The below graph is an excerpt from : the BBC’s “The end of the American dream?”

…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/5303590.stm

Someone had to benefit from the increased productivity of American workers.

Technorati Tags: buffett,second stimulus,legendary investor,realism,business world,deep hole,voodoo economics,de-regulation,constraint on government spending,wages and productivity

Mullen: Strike on Iran an Option, but a Bad One

Joint Chiefs chairman: Strike on Iran remains option but US and Israel should avoid it

By ANNE GEARAN AP National Security Writer

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON July 7, 2009 (AP)

A military strike to thwart Iran’s nuclear weapons capability remains on the table but could have grave and unpredictable consequences, the top U.S. military officer said Tuesday.

“I worry a great deal about the response of a country that gets struck,” said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “It is a really important place to not go, if we can not go there in any way, shape or form.”

Iran is perhaps one to three years away from getting the bomb, leaving a small and shrinking opening for diplomacy to avert what he said could be a dangerous nuclear arms race in the Middle East, Mullen said.

“I think the time window is closing.”

Mullen said President Barack Obama’s diplomatic outreach to Iran holds promise, despite political upheaval and deadly protests following Iran’s disputed presidential election. …

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=8026290

Technorati Tags: mullen,strike on iran,israel,nuclear weapon capability,diplomacy,dangerous nuclear arms race,president barack obama

LOUDelf Commented on “Mr. George W. Bush’s Legacy…

LOUDelf said: “You missed a critical situation the Bush administration faced: 9/11”.

And I did indeed miss 9/11. But the Bush team handled 9/11 similar to the way it handled many if not most of the major Bush team tasks. Lots of questions were generated but few answers were forthcoming from the Bush team. The legacy writers will likely have a difficult time with 9/11/2001.

Prior to 9/11/2001, pilots from the Middle East trained on American soil. It is difficult to believe that Middle East pilots training on American soil went unnoticed by America.

If field agents, concerned with the security of America did notice foreign pilots training on American soil, they likely would have passed that information on to their higher-ups. And, if that information was considered serious, their higher-ups would likely attempt to pass their concerns on the the White House. And that’s where events start to get murky.

Two Months Before 9/11, an Urgent Warning to Rice

The Washington Post

Sunday, October 1, 2006: Page A17

On July 10, 2001, two months before the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, then-CIA Director George J. Tenet met with his counterterrorism chief, J. Cofer Black, at CIA headquarters to review the latest on Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Black laid out the case, consisting of communications intercepts and other top-secret intelligence showing the increasing likelihood that al-Qaeda would soon attack the United States. It was a mass of fragments and dots that nonetheless made a compelling case, so compelling to Tenet that he decided he and Black should go to the White House immediately.

Tenet called Condoleezza Rice, then national security adviser, from the car and said he needed to see her right away. There was no practical way she could refuse such a request from the CIA director.

For months, Tenet had been pressing Rice to set a clear counterterrorism policy, including specific presidential orders called “findings” that would give the CIA stronger authority to conduct covert action against bin Laden. Perhaps a dramatic appearance — Black called it an “out of cycle” session, beyond Tenet’s regular weekly meeting with Rice — would get her attention.

Tenet had been losing sleep over the recent intelligence he’d seen. There was no conclusive, smoking-gun intelligence, but there was such a huge volume of data that an intelligence officer’s instinct strongly suggested that something was coming. He and Black hoped to convey the depth of their anxiety and get Rice to kick-start the government into immediate action.

He did not know when, where or how, but Tenet felt there was too much noise in the intelligence systems. Two weeks earlier, he had told Richard A. Clarke, the National Security Council’s counterterrorism director: “It’s my sixth sense, but I feel it coming. This is going to be the big one.” …

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000282.html

Technorati Tags: 9/11,bush team,pilots,middle east,two months before 9/11,legacy,white house,george tenet,condoleezza rice,cia director george j. tenet

Mr. George W. Bush’s Legacy – Still a Work in Progress?

Unraveling and exposing the works of the Bush administration may not be easy.

The Iraq war is  distinctly Mr. Bush’s legacy to America. However many of the details of the  cause of that war are not known to the American voter. It is anyone’s guess as to if the cause of that war will ever be made public. At this time, the Iraq war is the only major war fought by America, whose cause is unknown.

In 2003, much ado was given to “weapons of mass destruction(WMDs)”. But the WMD cause of the Iraq war turned out to be much ado about nothing. The WMD assertion failed the test of American and world minds. Afterwards, strangely enough, the source of the WMD assertion did not get back to the American people to explain the “downfall” of the WMD assertion.

Legacy writers are likely to be at a disadvantage when trying to compose the Bush legacy. Mr. Bush’s Secretary of State believed that  the American people would soon start to thank Mr. Bush for what he has done.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had this to say:

(CNN) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that despite President Bush’s low approval ratings, people will soon “start to thank this president for what he’s done.”

“So we can sit here and talk about the long record, but what I would say to you is that this president has faced tougher circumstances than perhaps at any time since the end of World War II, and he has delivered policies that are going to stand the test of time,” Rice said in an interview that aired on CBS’ “Sunday Morning.”

The secretary of state brushed off reports that suggest the United States’ image is suffering abroad. She praised the administration’s ability to change the conversation in the Middle East. …

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/28/rice.administration/?iref=mpstoryview

Mr. Bush did indeed face tough “circumstances”:

Iraq War

Guantanamo Detainees

Economic Controls

But, the Bush team may have played a critical role in the making of those tough circumstances.

Tough circumstances followed the victory of the Bush team over Saddam Hussein’s government. For years, there was no law and no order for Iraq’s non-combatants. Some Americans, prior to the sending of troops to Iraq, questioned the size of that troop force.

Tough circumstances followed the incarceration of Guantanamo detainees. There may not have been an EVIDENCE ROOM with adequate content. Not even the word of the President of the United States of America is sufficient to convict a person in an American court of law. American prosecutors found hundreds of Guantanamo cases they did not want to prosecute.

Tough circumstances followed the deregulation of America’s financial system. Country killing conditions were the results of financial deregulation. This gave the Republicans two out of two of the worst financial conditions America has ever experienced.

America should certainly remember the administration of the latter-day neocons for a long time to come. Mr. George W. Bush should be a shoo-in for worst president of all time. U.S.News & WORLD REPORT continues its count.

http://www.usnews.com/polls/who-was-the-worst-president/results.html

Technorati Tags: george w. bush,legacy,iraq war,weapons of mass destruction,legacy writers,condoleezza rice,tough circumstances,guantanamo detainees,economic controls,the worst president in history

Your Rights Online: Study Deconstructs Canadian Copyright Lobby Deception

Slashdot

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday July 04

An anonymous reader writes “A new Canadian study deconstructs how copyright lobby groups manipulate public opinion by laundering proposals through seemingly independent groups. The study started after the Conference Board of Canada was shown to have plagiarized several of its IP reports and now shows the connections that all lead through the MPAA and RIAA. Michael Geist writes, ‘It is not just that these reports all receive financial support from the same organizations and say largely the same thing. It is also that the reports each build on one another, creating the false impression of growing momentum and consensus on the state of Canadian law and the need for specific reforms.’”…

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/07/04/1638223/Study-Deconstructs-Canadian-Copyright-Lobby-Deception

Technorati Tags: rights online,canadian copyright lobby,new canadian study,ip reports,false impression

The Making of America: The Legacy of F.D.R.

Franklin D. Roosevelt led the U.S. through a depression and a world war. By the time he died, the nation was profoundly changed – and we owe much of the change to him and his bold presidency…

TIME cnn

Saturday, July 04, 2009

http://www.time.com/time/

Technorati Tags: making of America,legacy of f.d.r.,depression,world war

North Korea Defies U.S. With New Missile Launches

July 4 Marked by Ballistic Missile Launch in Defiance of U.N. Resolution

By Jon Herskovitz

July 4, 2009

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles on Saturday, South Korea’s defense ministry said, in an act of defiance toward the United States that further stoked regional tensions already high due to its nuclear test in May.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the missiles were “Scud-type,” marking an escalation of recent saber-rattling by the reclusive North, which has fired several non-ballistic, short-range missile since the May 25 nuclear test. North Korea is…

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=7999318

I read a few comments at the article’s source. I fully expected to see what I saw.

One comment pointed to the administration of Barack Obama. Barack Obama is President of the United States of America. It is my belief that the United States of America cannot make international laws for or against  the country of North Korea. The United States of America cannot make a law that says North Korea cannot fire a missile. In general, each country makes its own laws to govern itself.

So, why did the commenter practically  blame Barack Obama for North Korea’s missile firing? The task of  watching for and responding to violations of United Nations’ resolutions belongs to the United Nations.

The United States of America is NOT the United Nations. But under the neocons it sometimes appeared that the United States was a United Nations proxy.

The neocons loved wars and played a leadership role in activities that had a possibility of going into war mode. Usurping the role of the United Nations could open the war domain wider.

The United Nations replaced the League of Nations. The League of Nations did not have enforcement power(guns). The United Nations does. And there are significant members of the United Nations.

Russia is a member of the United Nations. France is a member of the United Nations. England is a member of the United Nations. Germany is a member of the United Nations. China is a member of the United Nations. The United Nations is an organization consisting of  192 member states of which the United States of America is one.

So, why are the neocon lovers gripping?

1. They want to see Obama fail?
2. They want America to continue the war mentality of the neocons?
3. They want to see Obama fail?
4. They want to see America’s treasury continue to pay for wars?
5. They want to see Obama fail?

After twenty-four years of neocon management/mismanagement, America’s economy is in dismal shape. The only way the neocons’ management/mismanagement  of America can appear “non-banana republic” is for the administration that follows it to fail – big time. And that would mean that the country would have to fail – big time. But that may be ok if that provides an OPPORTUNITY for the neocons to look good.

International problems belong to the international community.  But yet, it has been said that North Korea is sending a message to America. And the message comes via a violation of INTERNATIONAL LAW. Violating international law sends a message to America?

Is America still being seen as World Policeman -   made “famous/infamous” by the neocons? And the real world policeman, the United Nations(with guns), sits in the background.

America’s pockets are not deep enough to be world policeman. The neocons just proved that beyond the shadow of a doubt – to rational minds. So why are neocons so anxious to see America clash with North Korea over the breaking of international laws?

To see Obama fail?

North Korea is a country – likely hopefully of sound military mind. It likely knows that a Chihuahua should not kick an elephant. Assuming that suicide is not an option, reason rather than faith should provide the motivation.

It might be better for an aggressor to attack a “loud talking bully” than to attack a quiet person who has shown respect for others. But for some – experience is the best and perhaps the last teacher.

Technorati Tags: north korea,missile launches,july 4,united nations,united states,neocons,comments,international law,world policeman,america

Mousavi ‘must face treason trial’

A conservative Iranian newspaper says the country’s main opposition leader must be tried for inciting unrest after June’s disputed presidential elections.

In an editorial, the Kayhan daily said Mir Hossein Mousavi was a US agent and should be charged with “treason”.

Street protests after the poll – which Mr Mousavi says was rigged – have revealed a rift in Iran’s leadership.

Separately, a UK embassy worker detained in Tehran has been charged over the protests, a report says.

The British Foreign Office says it is investigating the report, by the Guardian newspaper, that the embassy’s chief political analyst had been accused of “acting against national security”.

‘Horrendous crimes’

Kayhan accused Mr Mousavi of “killing innocent people, inciting riots, hiring thugs to assault people, evident co-operation with foreigners and playing the part of US fifth column”.

The newspaper, whose editor is appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said there were “undeniable documents” proving that Mr Mousavi had links with foreign countries. …

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8134248.stm

Is it possible to vote Iran’s current political leadership out of office?

Is it possible to vote the current political leadership in Iran out of office against the wishes of Iran’s current religious leadership? There does not appear to be a separation of church and state in the country’s leadership model. Must both political and religious leaders concur for there to be a change of Iran’s political leadership?

Could the votes of Iran’s population be considered the popular vote while Iran’s religious leaders be considered an electoral college?

… An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way. Many times, though, the electors are simply important people whose wisdom, ideally, would provide a better choice than a larger body. The system can ignore the wishes of a general membership, whose thinking need not be considered. …

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_college

The ELECTORAL COLLEGE idea is used by at least one country that has, over the course of years, demonstrated  a healthy respect for the desires of the electorate. But the electoral college is the final word. It can concur with the popular presidential vote or deny the popular presidential vote.

Using the electoral college “tool” could eliminate the “messy” process of blaming others for the WRONG outcome of an election. There might no longer be a need to blame:

1. Left Wing Revisionists
2. Right Wing Revisionists
3. TREASON
4. OUTSIDERS

If the outcome of an election is PRE-ORDAINED then a tool, other than killing or incarcerating might be just the thing needed. The electoral college could affirm or deny the popular vote.

Perhaps knowing that one has the legal and civilized power to change an election’s outcome could assuage the desire for ruthless revenge for elections that don’t come out right.

Ruthless:

1. Without mercy or pity

“an act of ruthless ferocity”

WordWeb

While religious leaders have, in the distant pass, worn RUTHLESSNESS  as well as any other “decapitator”  of human heads, the world is now in a different mode. And ruthless religious leaders look “UNGOOD”.

Technorati Tags: treason trial,iran,conservative,uk embassy,acting against national security,horrendous crimes,supreme leader,political leadership,religious leadership,popular vote,electoral college