Funding for al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia and ISI may have come from rich Gulfies, including rich Saudis; there is no, zero nada evidence that the Saudi royal family funded the latter. Daesh has attacked Saudi targets and killed Saudi security personnel.
I doubt that these leaders will discuss the baleful effects of Saudi and U.S. military efforts in the region, which include the use of cluster bombs, as reported by Glenn Greenwald. link to theintercept.com
Inmate Davis is not a criminal. She obviously lacks full capacity.
The Kentucky officials over her have pulled the old “Pontius Pilate trick,” washed their hands and left her in the jaws of a greater power for her non-compromising zeal.
Davis features herself as a media frenzy martyr. And indeed martyrdom is a very Christian act. Something that has worked powerfully for thousands of years. Nevertheless, in today's United States it is the act of a somewhat deranged individual.
The symptoms are obvious. She needs help, not incarceration.
I think Walker was proposing this wall to stop Muslim terrorists, not illegal immigrants from Canada. How much money do you have to spend to stop one terrorists??? Is this the least efficient way possible to fight Al Queda? It is something out of Monty Python.
Bibi's dreams of empire fade into the backdrops of Palmyra and dead babies on the beach. More images of victims, sooner might have done some good. There's been an endless stream to choose from. Now the consequences of the Long War are intruding on the self perceived civility of the West. Baby bodies don't go well with morning coffee. Politicians will demand "Who lost the Long War?" That's the same thing they asked after Vietnam.
A real irony of all this is that for decades the big thorn in the relationship between US and KSA was Israel, US support for it and Saudi opposition to it. Today it is all these other regional issues, with to the extent Israel is an issue it is because the Saudis agree with the Israelis against the US in opposing the Iran nuclear deal. Such is history.
" Saudi Arabia did not create Daesh and does not like the organization. But it knows that if Daesh is rolled back in Iraq and Syria, Shiite Iranian allies will likely be the biggest beneficiaries, and so it has put Daesh on the back burner." Prof Cole, is it not a bit too sophisticated to say that SA did not create Daesh? My understanding is (based to a large part on your fine blogging) that ISIS mutated from the remnants of the Saddam army, the remnants which were funded and backed by SA or its elite. The question I would be asking the king is what are you planning on doing to reduce your role in the carnage in Syria, which IMHO is primarily a result of geopolitical games we and the Israelis have been playing with the help of Turkey, Qataris and the Saudis, though we would like our public to believe that it is all because of that 'monster' Assad in Syria. It is the INTERVENTIONS of ours and our so called allies that are responsible for it! Very sad and shameful.
It seems clear to me that Obama is well aware of how inconsequential the Iranian involvement in Yemen is, as he hinted in his Friedman interview in July (“In some cases, for example, the Houthis in Yemen, I think Iranian involvement has been initially overstated,” said Mr. Obama), and it's also clear to me that the US technical support for the Saudis in Yemen began in part as an effort to hold them back--to restrain the indiscriminate bombing and save civilian lives. But if so, it's clearly not working, as we learn today. I'd like to try to imagine Obama could use this meeting to make it stop.
On all fronts our interests run contrarily to current Saudi actions. Saudi actions in Yemen are destabilizing and bring a humanitarian catastrophe right to Saudi's doorstep. Saudi financing of terror groups in Syria and Iraq (or groups that ally with terror groups) is again deeply against our interests. Despite all of this, we sell weapons to Saudi Arabia. According to NYT, Saudi Arabia spent 80 billion USD on weaponry last year (my rough calculations seem to indicate that is more than 10% of their GDP: that's crazy, considering they do not add much to the world output other than the sale of oil). The US government has arranged for the delivery of weaponry worth 39.6 billion USD since 1990 (according to Federation of American Scientists). Considering how Saudi Arabia uses these weapons in Yemen and their financing of destabilizing groups all across the Middle East, it is time we consider an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia. In any event, a revaluation of our relationship with Saudi Arabia is most likely inevitable, considering the deep disparity in interests.
I have not visited Rowan in a coon's age, and it is hard for me to take a side in this without knowing whether Kim is an Underwood or a Holbrook. If you are interested in the county's past, I recommend this video for the historiography and photographs but not for the music.
Why don't Americans - I am one - learn US history properly? Imagine how much easier this process would be if Americans knew the truth about American actions in Iran...
One day they will know, and things will be a lot different I hope.
The notion that the Vienna accord somehow enhances the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon is patently ill-founded and cannot possibly justify the undeniable fuss Israel and Saudi Arabia are stirring up about it; one must seek another reason and in blunt human terms it is probably akin to jealousy. Iran out of purdah can exercise a considerably more important role in local and global affairs than either of them this side of the irrational. Perhaps this is already illustrated by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister visiting Damascus as the Saudi king was still on his way to the White House
It sounds like these "friends" don't have much in common.
I'm sick of US administrations treating the Saudis like their eccentric old uncle. The oil weapon can't quite be used to devastating effect like in the past. It's time to draw a line.
The migrant crisis in Europe highlights the need for a negotiated settlement on Syria. That should be the top item on Obama's list when he meets with the Saudis. It's time for the Saudis to put aside their intransigence to a possible role for the Baathists in a future government. Nobody wants it but no one wants 11 million displaced persons either.
I am strongly of the opinion that European countries should accommodate as many of the refugees as possible - possibly giving some of them time-bound leave to remain permits, and possibly longer-term leave to remain permits for highly skilled refugees and those who are worst-hit by the violence in Syria.
Having said that : Germany is expecting 800,000 refugees this year.
I'm really struggling to comprehend how ANY country can be expected to handle refugees numbering around 1% of their total population. This is going to create massive civil and economic disruption - possibly political disruption too.
I explained to you that a partition between natives and illegal immigrants who were not even born in Palestine is what makes the partition of Palestine different and illegitimate. The Zionist colonists could not be viewed in any way as legitimate residents, let alone claimants to sovereignty in a territory in which they settled under the force of arms. They are what they are: invaders.
Also, the UN or League of Nations were/are not law making bodies so your interpretation of their actions as "legal" is simply bizarre.
Slavery was legal, Israel is building settlements which according to its laws are legal, the dispossession and expulsion of Germany Jews was LEGAL. Just because you don't like the outcome doesn't mean it's not legal, according to your strange interpretation....
But of course, it sounds you are inflicted with the mental disturbance called Zionism which clouds your mind and judgment so I don't expect to reach an understanding with you.
There are six time zones in Canada, six out of 24, i.e. one quarter of the circumference (24,859.82 miles, or 40,008 km) of the Earth's equator, about a 6,000-mile wall. So make it as high as the Isreali zionist apartheid wall so you won't cross into Canada.
Unfortunately, the largest divergence between the US and Saudi Arabia is occurring at a cultural level below the likely attention of President and King. Yet it is also the one most consequential to all of our futures: Whether the fossil fuel economy continues for even one more decade, or whether the current uncomfortable symptoms of climate change are multiplied suddenly to levels that will certainly threaten our grandchildren, and which may possibly affect all of us who plan on living later than 2025 or so.
Much of America, especially the Republican plutocratic class, is bound up with the fossil fuel economy, so nothing is going to change quickly, yet too many people are waking up. The fossil fuel economy must be transformed, soon, or our world will be transformed, most likely in extremely unpleasant directions.
Man-made global climate collapse isn’t “about Obama.”
Since the multinational fossil fuel industry realized it’s unfortunate necessity well over a century ago, our entire planet has been continuously bullied by greed, war and manipulation until our truly frightening future has been revealed.
If the passion spewed against those with names easy to remember was applied to immediately finding a better ways to boil water, generate electron flow, make engines of transport much more efficient and stop killing, burning and consuming every other living thing then some progress can be made.
Otherwise, we are all sad little crickets chirping in a vacant brown field that was once our beautiful garden.
Does he honestly not know how long that border is? That it goes through the length of 4 of the great lakes? That it crosses the Rocky Mountains? That his proposal makes him look like an idiot?
Congressman Sander Levin from Michigan's Ninth Congressional District Metro Detroit, the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, Jewish, and a strong Israel supporter, has given unflinching support to the Iran deal as in that nation's best interests:
In response, the GOP Ninth Congressional District and other local Republicans have sponsored rallies in opposition to the Iran nuclear accord and targeted the Jewish community for political recruitment. The Michigan Republican Party's executive committee has added a plank to its platform expressing support for Israel.
Our country spent the last decade or so destroying a nation of 30 million, with little detectable remorse for its suffering population. Is it possible for us to concern ourselves with predicted climate change problems in a remote state of 730,000 residents including 14,000 natives? Yes it is possible, as long as there is no call for resources to to help them, i.e. no burden placed on us in the lower 48.
Considering Obama's recent approval for Royal Dutch Shell to do exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska is the perfect location for a presidential much-a-do-about-nothing. Having set the stage for thousands of new Chukchi oil related jobs, an much state revenue, I'm sure that carbon easily trumps (dictionary meaning, not proper name) harm to native habitat and indigenous species.
And let's not forget Obama's realpolitik proposal to increase our icebreaker fleet so Russia's big icebreaker fleet won't bully us around in the icebreaking cold war (pun intended).
Perhaps the U.S. “newz” media could stop substituting facts for faith and understand that “knowing” and “believing” are not the same and, in fact, are the polar opposites.
Corporate-controlled media is always beseeching viewers to “believe” when we should “know.” And, if facts are necessary, we get “trust us” and a line of well-written bovine droppings from nicely attired, excessively made-up, semi-attractive display readers and carefully prompted “experts.”
Unfortunately, it will take a lot more than a boycott to bring about what is really needed.
According to a Russian spokesman for President Putin, reported on RT among other outlets, the Israeli report has been denied as absolutely untrue. Given the source and Israel's involvement with ISIS and opposition to the Iran nuclear deal it would be prudent to question the bona fides of any report coming from Israeli sources.
One of the many horrific effects of human-induced climate change is sudden and unexpected mass deaths like 120,000 Ice Age saiga antelope dying within a few months in remote locations such as Kazakhstan.
I didn't know about the drunken trees. That's new to me. And I'm still learning about the land erosion along the coast in Alaska. Land erosion along the west coast of the United States has been more noticeable in the last twenty to thirty years.
One new issue is catching attention in the Arctic. As the Arctic melts in the summer and the areas of open water get bigger and last longer, the chance of truly damaging storms increases. Why? Because waves now have room to build and they're powerful enough to destroy more ice. This is very dangerous for ships and oil platforms.
I oppose the Shell Oil platform but I understand the difficult politics and issues Obama has to deal with, including Russia. But there is a real risk of increasing the problems of global warming.
Alaska demonstrates a growing global truth that hasn't been articulated yet and that different scientists have expressed roughly in different ways. It's this: the science of global warming is sound but we can't truly know where we are if CO2 emissions keep increasing, and the potential for future problems keep increasing. A good analogy is a forest fire. In the first few hours, no scientist can tell you how destructive that fire is going to be. It depends on many factors, including how fast that fire is brought under control. We're not moving nearly fast enough. More important, as long as CO2 emissions continue to rise, we truly don't know where we are.
I have been going through the various message boards on the Guardian, Slate, Globe & Mail, Yahoo, etc. The venom towards those fleeing unbearable conditions is quite appalling. (Not to mention the disgusting unadulterated hatred of Muslims.) It was the US-UK destruction of Iraq that directly led to the rise of ISIS. It is the NATO occupation of Afghanistan that fuels the fighting in AfPak. Libya is in tatters because NATO bombed the country and overthrew the regime. The US drone program pushes more and more despondent individuals towards radicalization, which in turn, further destabilizes the region. Every NATO member has a responsibility to settle refugees.
Also may it bankrupt the US economy building it and give the Canadian armed forces some target practice monitoring and enforcing a 100 mile area along the barrier south of the Canadian border like the Israeli's monitor the fence they erected along the border with Gaza and the US is so found of supporting with US dollars.
Recently, I have been wondering if global warming could trigger the yellowstone caldera. This supervolcano erupts about every 600,000 years and the last event was 650,000 years ago. In any given year, the chance of an eruption is probably small, but what if global warming, which may be causing seismic events, is placing extra stress on the caldera? How stable is the caldera? An eruption would bury everything within 3000 miles under volcanic ash. North America would become Pompeii writ large.
The history of the relationship with Israel, at least since 1967, has always been that of a huge and ongoing shake-down.
Along these same lines, the money Israel "paid" in compensation for those they killed on the USS Liberty in 67 was also, indirectly, US tax dollars.
Some underemployed economist out there ought to do some Present Value calculations of how much each US citizen has paid, depending on their age, for our largesse over the years. Not saying it'd every be published, realities being what they are, but it'd be an eye opener and it might get posted here as a guest piece....
Turkey can't escape its direct involvement that contributed to the entire chaos in Syria and its allowing Isis fighters to descend upon Syria via its border. Not to mention training fighters and supplying them with deadly weapons. It's calculation that they would do the fighting for them against the Kurds was short sided. Aylan Kobani and his family's tragedy in particular is directly caused by Tukey. Ardogan should stop throwing stones from his glass house. link to reuters.com
Next, let's defend the US from birds flying in from Central America. None of them have a wildlife import permit. And stop the Monarch butterflies coming from Mexico!
This may turn out to be an historic turning point in Israel policy for the victory over Netanyahu, Schumer and AIPAC on an issue that the Israeli government pronounces fundamental to their existence demonstrates what united world powers can achieve.
All true. Of course, it's much worse than this: since, as you rightly point out, the Arctic warms faster than the rest of the planet, this melts the permafrost. But the consequences of melting permafrost go FAR beyond sinking houses and damaged roads. It threatens MASSIVE release of GHG, both carbon and--worse yet--methane. See, e.g., link to nasa.gov
Ironically, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (which brings the oil that increases global temperature as it is burned) is threatened by the thawing of permafrost as the pipeline is much more likely to buckle as the soil sinks and then burst.
Here's a link to a detailed article about the great expense of maintaining oil/gas pipelines: link to dnvusa.com
You can joke all you want, but republicans take this very seriously. New Madrid is just one of many potential crossing points. Our borders with middle earth must be impermeable.
Surely David Frum would have been front and center when Reagan began talks of detente with the Evil Empire of the USSR. Certainly Nixon would have been criticized by the neocons for pumping money into China as a trading partner. All in all those two precursors to the Iranian deal have not worked out to badly....better than the two wars the neocons inspired.
America and the World needs a news, information revolution.
The 99% of Americans should boycott all the corporate news - TV, radio and paper. Without an audience to take in their useless news, commercials and ads the corporate news would lose billions of dollars for ads/commercials and go bankrupt.
Such a boycott would also kill or seriously limit the useless and stupid political ads and give impetus for independent news outlets to start presenting real truthful news and information.
I became totally fed up with the "American corporate news" over three decade ago - I stopped listening, reading and watching their crap. PBS is not much better.
PBS = Public Bull S--t that brainwashes and keeps Americans unconscious and uninformed so that they can be easily controlled. FDA = Federal Death Administration that test and approves various forms of treatments for symptoms without treating the real cause or problem.
Perhaps the American people would approve an Office of Truth, Honesty and Full Disclosure with Clarity and Brevity which would keep Americans informed about actions that could, will or may curtail or reduce the freedoms that are guaranteed by the US Constitution or that are taken for granted.
How the hell did the Supreme Court approve unlimited donations that would reach the politicians? With words that confuse the issue and other excuses.
Oh dear lord, YES PLEASE! If ANY of the current GOP hopefuls make it into the White House a big impenetrable wall along the U.S./Canadian border would be extremely welcome. The only thing that I,as a Canadian, think might be better is if they were to come up with some sort of science-fiction inspired way for the U.S. to seal itself away from the rest of the world in a pocket universe until it collectively cures it's insanity.
Right now I'm terrified that the Democrats will nominate Hillary Clinton and the the lack of enthusiasm for her among the left will combine with the rabid hatred for her on the right and those factors, along with some voter suppression and possible help from the Supreme Court may actually result in a Trump victory...
Please build this. I'm sick of Americans coming over and trying to take advantage of our health care system, or trying to steal drugs we paid for with our taxes. Build a wall and keep those freeloaders out! And if we find them here, send them back to their own country!
Netanyahu (or whoever behind him) 2, as they got the best deal from all possible deals (including a non-deal) for Israel and they got to protest it too and ask for compensation and what else. Iranian people -2 as their money is given to their government and Syria is waiting for them.
For some time I believed that Bibi was just being an errand boy for the Saudis, but after observing his erratic ways I have concluded that he's fully unhinged.
In 1963, J. William Fulbright, Arkansas senator 1945/75, claimed millions tax-deductible dollars from philanthropic Americans was sent to Israel and then recycled back to the US for distribution to organizations seeking to influence public opinion in favor of Israel (get more money.) In 2015, AIPAC created Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran, classified under section 501(c)4 of the tax code, and spent some millions of dollars purportedly, "to tilt US politicians against the Iran deal." Next thing we know, Kerry promises Billions of US Taxpayers' dollars to give Israel next-generation weaponry, complete their Iron Dome, enhance missile systems, mapping technologies, new capabilities to detect and destroy terrorism "that could be used to threaten Israeli civilians" and Obama propose Netanyahu to “begin the process aimed a further strengthening our efforts to confront conventional and asymmetric threats” and to Secure a new 10-year “Memorandum of Understanding” with the Jewish state that “would cement for the next decade our unprecedented levels of military assistance.” Read it ripin' and bleedin' US taxpayers. See? Zionists spend some millions making believe they are "outraged by..." (fill here whatever you want, after all we are going to be brain-washed by the NY Times, LA Times, Boston Herald, Chicago Tribune, etc. to accept like sheep whatever they want us to believe) and reap... BILLIONS!#$% Of money we #$% desperately need! So, after some 52 years later, the Three-Card Monte trick Fulbright said, is STILL being played by Zionism on us. Are we so easy? Can't we do something against it? How to counteract the NY Times, Boston Herald, LA Times, etc penetration? We need to do something. IMHO.
Where will Israel/Palestine be 10 years from now? A two-state solution? A one-state solution? Or the status quo: a no-state situation. There are millions of UN-registered Palestinian refugees: over 2 million in Jordan, half a million in Syria, about 450,000 in Lebanon, 2.5 million in the West Bank, 1.2 million in Gaza. Let's urge CNN and the other networks to ask each Presidential candidate what they envision for Israel/Palestine 10 years from now, and what they will do to make that happen.
Israel has said they won't give up any land and that they want to put the Gazans on a diet and mow them like grass. So keep on blaming Hamas! One day maybe the world will wake up and confront the biggest terrorist nation of all!
Joe: with all due respect, while I'm sure your phone call to Casey was heard, I think it was my 80 year old Mom's demonstrating with others outside Casey's District office last week that turned the tide and brought him around. An added plus: It was her first time participating in a political demonstration. All kidding aside, Casey and the others who supported the President have made the Middle East a bit safer. But those of us who support this deal will have to stay vigilant. The Republican congress has lost this round but they aren't going to stop trying to sabotage the deal.
I suspect that gimbals and controls for small heliostats are getting much cheaper to buy. If you could use Mylar on recycled plastic for structural forms for the mirror? You could mold in different focal points. The cost of mirror, controls and gimbal could get as low as two hundred bucks per 2 sq/m unit. Right now you can buy a cheaper 2 axis small camera gimbal for 15 bucks without control circuits (for R/C.) You should be able to buy a decent one to hold the heliostat mirror for $150 if they get mass produced. Track the sun is simple. Probably a $10 circuit. If you used a lithium battery and small solar panel on each Heliostat you could make them run independently by themselves without wiring. Maybe radio control programming. Add another 100 bucks. Small units might be bolted to concrete blocks or timbers simply resting on the ground. Setup of the gimbal or software would compensate for slight tilting. As long as it resists the wind. Just thinking out loud.
Netenyahu has made a number of strategic mistake in the last few years. First he came up just short of supporting Romney in the 2012 election. Then he went to the Republican congress to object to the deal. All of which backfired.
The only way the Arctic is drill-able is because of all the man made pollution from fossil fuels... So, what kind of person thinks they care about global climate change and the human causes when they sigh away rights to drill for more oil in the Arctic.
I live in Delaware and I wrote a letter to Chris Coons telling him I will actively campaign against him if he goes against this deal. He has visited our Muslim community in Delaware and many of us share the same view that we want peace with Persia. I'm so glad he changed his mind.
Rowan County, Kentucky, was the scene of the Rowan County War, a feud between the Underwood and Holbrook extended families which dragged on from 1884 through 1887, in which 20 were killed and 16 wounded. Here is a contemporary account from the New York Times:
In my youth I learned a traditional American ballad, "The Rowan County Crew," which I sang to the great annoyance of my family and friends. I thought it was ancient history. I never dreamed I would see maniacs like Kim Davis go to war over their delusions and disturb public order in Morehead, Kentucky.
Juan, I imagine that Kramer would have applauded the following piece that you reported on. In 2012 “An Israeli human rights organization, Gisha, sued in Israeli courts to force the release of a planning document for ‘putting the Palestinians on a diet’ without risking the bad press of mass starvation, and the courts concurred. The document, produced by the Israeli army, appears to be a calculation of how to make sure, despite the Israeli blockade, that Palestinians got an average of 2279 calories a day, the basic need. But by planning on limiting the calories in that way, the Israeli military was actually plotting to keep Palestinians in Gaza (half of them children) permanently on the brink of malnutrition, what health professionals call ‘food insecurity’.” link to detailedpoliticalquizzes.wordpress.com
What would happen if someone came in with 3 women and petitioned for a marriage to 2 and a concubine permit for the 3rd? Would she permit "God's Law?" Someone should test this out.
Stand your ground Kim ! The supper court does not make laws ! Make the gays go to some other Satan worshiper for a unholy union. Arrest the gays for breaking the sodomy law ! They want "justice" jail all of them.
Esta, Hamas won the latest Palestinian election. While they certainly have their flaws, their rule in Gaza is no occupation. I might also remind you that Israel was just as militant against the Palestinians before Hamas even existed, so Hamas can't be the main problem. Then there are faction within Hamas. After the election the more moderate, non-violent faction seemed to gain strength, but when Israel and the West refused to accept the result of the election that hope was crushed.
Getting rid of Hamas while keeping the Israeli occupation would only give room for even more militant organisations like Islamic Jihad and maybe even ISIS. To defuse the situation it's the Israeli occupation of Palestine that needs to be removed. Israel as the stronger part has a choice, the Palestinians don't.
This is a WIN primarily for United States and then for its president Obama. Revived us as a nation not sold to special interest. This is epic. Not sure if any other president could repeat this. Obama leadership combined with bravery of 34 senators who proved that our nation’s interest come first. WE ARE A COUNTRY. This will help not to be a laughing stock in the Middle East and elsewhere. USA can act and deliver and not be hostage to other nations lobbing influence. Every president since Bush senior was afraid of Israel and our foreign policy was paralyzed. We lost so much by war in Iraq, sanction on Iran. As the result of sanction on Iran the BRICS was formed, straight bilateral trades on the rise side stepping, dollar. Hopefully we learned the result of putting interest of our ally first, we went from surplus and only superpower to debtor nation. Due to the militaristic nature, and excessive preoccupation in the ME it costs cost us a failure of pivoting to Asia. Contributing as a large component that Asian perceived China as less of a threat as regime change and sanctions. We could not balance our interest between Europe and Asia reaps the benefit of being in the middle.
The conflict is with Hamas occupation, not Palestinian community per se. As you know, the issue import/export of weapons. (I know, simplistic answer.) If they could eliminate Hamas, there'd be a shot at peace. The whole situation is heartbreaking and devastating. Personally, I'd like to see Palestinians and Israelis live and support each other peacefully. Do you think it's possible, if Palestinians were granted their own state that surrounding countries would cease their mission to destroy Israel? Sadly, the answer, no. It's a religious war, not a war for land per se. It's all about, in the end, to seize that little gold dome (I know, simplistic answer.) Seeds of Peace in Maine (http://www.seedsofpeace.org) is an amazing effort to teach young Palestinian and Israeli leaders to facilitate change. I appreciate your post, I alway need more information to understand political complexities. :)) esta
The potential harm from the US rejecting the deal would be largely economic and self-inflicted, but much external damage from this extraordinarily untidy process has already been done. No small number of Europeans will feel quite chuffed if the US Legislature does reject the deal, By the way, Jeremy Corbyn looks set to become leader of the UK parliamentary opposition, and quite possibly the next UK prime minister. He wants to withdraw from NATO and abandon Trident. Blair is fiercely against Corbyn but the more vociferously he warns against him the more support Corbyn seems to attract.
With Casey deciding to vote for the Iran P5+1 agreement I suddenly feel complete. I feel this way due to the fact I called Senator Casey's office last Friday, and left a message for him to vote for the agreement. Now, I need to spread the word that the 150 billion dollars that Iran is receiving, is Iran's money that was withheld by the sanctions. I say this, because I heard Donald Trump tell his followers that WE the U.S.A. are even giving Iran 150 billion dollars. Trump's statement is completely wrong. I'm not sure if the candidates are that ill informed, or they are just lying. Americans are in desperate need of the truth on many issues. I am thankful for sites such as Doctor Cole's, for he is a truthful person.
"Nobody argues that Britain ever had a right to colonize Palestine with European Zionist colonists, even though the Balfour declaration was put into a “legal format” such as the Mandate for Palestine by the League of Nations."
What you are saying is that you can reject a law if you don't happen to like that law.
Try that next time you are booked for speeding, and let me know how that turns out for you.
The Mandates were legal instruments. They were perfectly "legal", precisely because the prior sovereign power (in this case, the Ottoman Empire via its successor state "Turkey") agreed to handover its sovereign territory to a Mandatory Power nominated from amongst the Principal Allied Powers.
That's perfectly legal, however much You Don't Like It.
"Regarding partition, it is ridiculous to claim that anyone had the legal right to partition Palestine between its native inhabitants and illegal European colonists who were forced upon them."
And in making that claim you run into something of an evidentiary problem, which is that this wasn't the *only* instance in which a Mandated Territory was split into two successor states.
Clearly, it could be done and - evidently - it was perfectly legal to do it.
Witness: Syria Witness: Lebanon Witness: Jordan
You need to explain to me why *those* partitions were legal and *this* partition wasn't.
Other than, of course, you have a bee in your bonnet regarding *this* partition.
"It *can* be disputed. Indeed, your claims can be rendered absurd."
Dispute away, and by doing so you are invalidating the legitimacy of: a) Syria b) Lebanon c) Jordan d) Palestine e) Israel
Not only that, but if you want to argue that a Mandatory Power **didn't** have the legal authority to decide upon the method of state succession then you are invalidating the legal status of: Ruwanda Tanzania Camerooon Ghana New Guinea Nauru Samoa
The Mandates were LEGAL instruments, they weren't political policy positions.
You may not like how they were set up, nor the paternalism that drove them.
Fine. Hate away, you won't find much argument from me.
But as LEGAL instruments they were perfectly legitimate, and in the case of the ending of the Mandate for Palestine via the Plan of Partition both the UK (the Mandatory Power) and the UN General Assembly (the supervising body) followed the law to the letter.
Again, you don't have to like the p.o.l.i.t.i.c.a.l. outcomes that resulted from those deliberations, but that is not at all the same thing as arguing that what transpired was not legal.
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I'll jump in: she believes she is entitled to the Presidency. Hillary Rodham Clinton wants to be President of the United States. THAT is why she is running. It is her turn, she has suffered ignominy and shame, countless slings and arrows, standing by Bill and toughing it out, so that she could arrive at long last at this point in history, where it is HER moment, where it is HER time, where it is HER right to be President. It is, in the end all about HER - Hillary Rodham Clinton. By contrast, Bernie Sanders is about helping people, he is running not for himself, but for the average American. and THAT is the difference.
Typo in your summary of Elaph news report: MiG-28 is a fictional aircraft in the 1986 film Top Gun (real Mikoyan fighters are designated with odd numbers).
According to my computer translation of Elaph, Russia would like to sell MiG-29 fighters and Yak-130 advanced trainers to the Syrian Air Force, which has operated the MiG-29 since the 1980s. I suspect they will need to include pilots and ground crews to make that sale. If I had the skills to fly or maintain a fourth-generation jet fighter like the MiG-29, I would be long gone from Syria and working for Emirates SkyCargo (or frankly anyone including Yellow Cab).
haary: "Let’s face it, Islamic State has to be defeated, the US will not align with Assad"
Why not?
I mean it: what stops the USA from "aligning with Assad"?
He has never attacked the USA. He has never expressed any interest in attacking the USA.
From a purely US-centric PoV there is absolutely nothing stopping the USA from allying with Assad in order to defeat ISIS.
That support need not extend any further than that one aim, any more than allying with the Soviet Union in WW2 signalled anything more than an alliance of convenience in the face of a common enemy.
This "we can't work with Assad" nonsense is exactly that, and pronouncing it as a self-evident truth doesn't make it any less of a lie.
The USA can work with Assad.
It SHOULD work with Assad, because if there is one thing we know for a fact it is this: Assad wants ISIS dead and buried even more than the USA wants ISIS destroyed.
Give him the tools, and he'll do the job. Guaranteed.
So if the USA doesn't want to give him those tools then, honestly, Uncle Sam isn't levelling with us.
Gabriel, I would imagine that is one of the reasons why the USA is unconcerned about this development, in the sense that currently political considerations might necessitate that the USA look the other way at Erdogan's shenanigans.
In which case any resupply convoys crossing the Turkish border into Syria may be immune to US-bombing, however much the Americans grit their teeth in anger.
Not so as far as the Russians are concerned - no such political considerations need stay their hand, and so Erdogan might be well-advised to rapidly reconsider how much aid and comfort his is willing to give to his pet terrorists.
Funding for al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia and ISI may have come from rich Gulfies, including rich Saudis; there is no, zero nada evidence that the Saudi royal family funded the latter. Daesh has attacked Saudi targets and killed Saudi security personnel.
What a great overview. This article and your one last week on Russia possibly bombing ISIL in Syria are must reads. It was a relief to read them!
I doubt that these leaders will discuss the baleful effects of Saudi and U.S. military efforts in the region, which include the use of cluster bombs, as reported by Glenn Greenwald.
link to theintercept.com
I love that quote! Do you know who first said it?
A couple of fast attack subs, an AEGIS cruiser and a fleet of destroyers and it’ll all be good.
King Salman can afford it.
All history does not start with Obama.
Inmate Davis is not a criminal. She obviously lacks full capacity.
The Kentucky officials over her have pulled the old “Pontius Pilate trick,” washed their hands and left her in the jaws of a greater power for her non-compromising zeal.
Davis features herself as a media frenzy martyr. And indeed martyrdom is a very Christian act. Something that has worked powerfully for thousands of years. Nevertheless, in today's United States it is the act of a somewhat deranged individual.
The symptoms are obvious. She needs help, not incarceration.
And a whole lot less attention.
Govidate Walker ended his formal education when he dropped out of junior college.
Not an idiot but merely someone's tool.
I think Walker was proposing this wall to stop Muslim terrorists, not illegal immigrants from Canada. How much money do you have to spend to stop one terrorists??? Is this the least efficient way possible to fight Al Queda? It is something out of Monty Python.
Bibi's dreams of empire fade into the backdrops of Palmyra and dead babies on the beach.
More images of victims, sooner might have done some good. There's been an endless stream to choose from.
Now the consequences of the Long War are intruding on the self perceived civility of the West. Baby bodies don't go well with morning coffee.
Politicians will demand "Who lost the Long War?"
That's the same thing they asked after Vietnam.
A real irony of all this is that for decades the big thorn in the relationship between US and KSA was Israel, US support for it and Saudi opposition to it. Today it is all these other regional issues, with to the extent Israel is an issue it is because the Saudis agree with the Israelis against the US in opposing the Iran nuclear deal. Such is history.
" Saudi Arabia did not create Daesh and does not like the organization. But it knows that if Daesh is rolled back in Iraq and Syria, Shiite Iranian allies will likely be the biggest beneficiaries, and so it has put Daesh on the back burner."
Prof Cole, is it not a bit too sophisticated to say that SA did not create Daesh? My understanding is (based to a large part on your fine blogging) that ISIS mutated from the remnants of the Saddam army, the remnants which were funded and backed by SA or its elite.
The question I would be asking the king is what are you planning on doing to reduce your role in the carnage in Syria, which IMHO is primarily a result of geopolitical games we and the Israelis have been playing with the help of Turkey, Qataris and the Saudis, though we would like our public to believe that it is all because of that 'monster' Assad in Syria. It is the INTERVENTIONS of ours and our so called allies that are responsible for it! Very sad and shameful.
It seems clear to me that Obama is well aware of how inconsequential the Iranian involvement in Yemen is, as he hinted in his Friedman interview in July (“In some cases, for example, the Houthis in Yemen, I think Iranian involvement has been initially overstated,” said Mr. Obama), and it's also clear to me that the US technical support for the Saudis in Yemen began in part as an effort to hold them back--to restrain the indiscriminate bombing and save civilian lives. But if so, it's clearly not working, as we learn today. I'd like to try to imagine Obama could use this meeting to make it stop.
Assad is using Isis to stop the main opposition. Isis is attracting Jihadis to be slaughtered. A Baathist plot.
On all fronts our interests run contrarily to current Saudi actions. Saudi actions in Yemen are destabilizing and bring a humanitarian catastrophe right to Saudi's doorstep. Saudi financing of terror groups in Syria and Iraq (or groups that ally with terror groups) is again deeply against our interests. Despite all of this, we sell weapons to Saudi Arabia. According to NYT, Saudi Arabia spent 80 billion USD on weaponry last year (my rough calculations seem to indicate that is more than 10% of their GDP: that's crazy, considering they do not add much to the world output other than the sale of oil). The US government has arranged for the delivery of weaponry worth 39.6 billion USD since 1990 (according to Federation of American Scientists). Considering how Saudi Arabia uses these weapons in Yemen and their financing of destabilizing groups all across the Middle East, it is time we consider an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia. In any event, a revaluation of our relationship with Saudi Arabia is most likely inevitable, considering the deep disparity in interests.
I have not visited Rowan in a coon's age, and it is hard for me to take a side in this without knowing whether Kim is an Underwood or a Holbrook. If you are interested in the county's past, I recommend this video for the historiography and photographs but not for the music.
link to youtube.com
The more I read on western views in middel east the more I realize the great defiation in thoughts, interests, priorities & vision.
Why don't Americans - I am one - learn US history properly? Imagine how much easier this process would be if Americans knew the truth about American actions in Iran...
One day they will know, and things will be a lot different I hope.
The notion that the Vienna accord somehow enhances the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon is patently ill-founded and cannot possibly justify the undeniable fuss Israel and Saudi Arabia are stirring up about it; one must seek another reason and in blunt human terms it is probably akin to jealousy. Iran out of purdah can exercise a considerably more important role in local and global affairs than either of them this side of the irrational. Perhaps this is already illustrated by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister visiting Damascus as the Saudi king was still on his way to the White House
Sistani has a far higher standing as a Marja. Khameini's clerical rank was controversial when Khomeini chose him over Montazeri.
@mehdirhasan is it a dance off? That would make a good comedy.
It sounds like these "friends" don't have much in common.
I'm sick of US administrations treating the Saudis like their eccentric old uncle. The oil weapon can't quite be used to devastating effect like in the past. It's time to draw a line.
The migrant crisis in Europe highlights the need for a negotiated settlement on Syria. That should be the top item on Obama's list when he meets with the Saudis. It's time for the Saudis to put aside their intransigence to a possible role for the Baathists in a future government. Nobody wants it but no one wants 11 million displaced persons either.
I am strongly of the opinion that European countries should accommodate as many of the refugees as possible - possibly giving some of them time-bound leave to remain permits, and possibly longer-term leave to remain permits for highly skilled refugees and those who are worst-hit by the violence in Syria.
Having said that : Germany is expecting 800,000 refugees this year.
I'm really struggling to comprehend how ANY country can be expected to handle refugees numbering around 1% of their total population. This is going to create massive civil and economic disruption - possibly political disruption too.
Très bel hommage à un grand monsieur. Me revient le vers de Lucain (la Pharsale) Etiam perierunt ruinae...
I explained to you that a partition between natives and illegal immigrants who were not even born in Palestine is what makes the partition of Palestine different and illegitimate. The Zionist colonists could not be viewed in any way as legitimate residents, let alone claimants to sovereignty in a territory in which they settled under the force of arms. They are what they are: invaders.
Also, the UN or League of Nations were/are not law making bodies so your interpretation of their actions as "legal" is simply bizarre.
Slavery was legal, Israel is building settlements which according to its laws are legal, the dispossession and expulsion of Germany Jews was LEGAL. Just because you don't like the outcome doesn't mean it's not legal, according to your strange interpretation....
But of course, it sounds you are inflicted with the mental disturbance called Zionism which clouds your mind and judgment so I don't expect to reach an understanding with you.
There are six time zones in Canada, six out of 24, i.e. one quarter of the circumference (24,859.82 miles, or 40,008 km) of the Earth's equator, about a 6,000-mile wall. So make it as high as the Isreali zionist apartheid wall so you won't cross into Canada.
Unfortunately, the largest divergence between the US and Saudi Arabia is occurring at a cultural level below the likely attention of President and King. Yet it is also the one most consequential to all of our futures: Whether the fossil fuel economy continues for even one more decade, or whether the current uncomfortable symptoms of climate change are multiplied suddenly to levels that will certainly threaten our grandchildren, and which may possibly affect all of us who plan on living later than 2025 or so.
Much of America, especially the Republican plutocratic class, is bound up with the fossil fuel economy, so nothing is going to change quickly, yet too many people are waking up. The fossil fuel economy must be transformed, soon, or our world will be transformed, most likely in extremely unpleasant directions.
Man-made global climate collapse isn’t “about Obama.”
Since the multinational fossil fuel industry realized it’s unfortunate necessity well over a century ago, our entire planet has been continuously bullied by greed, war and manipulation until our truly frightening future has been revealed.
If the passion spewed against those with names easy to remember was applied to immediately finding a better ways to boil water, generate electron flow, make engines of transport much more efficient and stop killing, burning and consuming every other living thing then some progress can be made.
Otherwise, we are all sad little crickets chirping in a vacant brown field that was once our beautiful garden.
Does he honestly not know how long that border is? That it goes through the length of 4 of the great lakes? That it crosses the Rocky Mountains? That his proposal makes him look like an idiot?
Congressman Sander Levin from Michigan's Ninth Congressional District Metro Detroit, the ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, Jewish, and a strong Israel supporter, has given unflinching support to the Iran deal as in that nation's best interests:
link to levin.house.gov
In response, the GOP Ninth Congressional District and other local Republicans have sponsored rallies in opposition to the Iran nuclear accord and targeted the Jewish community for political recruitment. The Michigan Republican Party's executive committee has added a plank to its platform expressing support for Israel.
Our country spent the last decade or so destroying a nation of 30 million, with little detectable remorse for its suffering population. Is it possible for us to concern ourselves with predicted climate change problems in a remote state of 730,000 residents including 14,000 natives? Yes it is possible, as long as there is no call for resources to to help them, i.e. no burden placed on us in the lower 48.
Considering Obama's recent approval for Royal Dutch Shell to do exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska is the perfect location for a presidential much-a-do-about-nothing. Having set the stage for thousands of new Chukchi oil related jobs, an much state revenue, I'm sure that carbon easily trumps (dictionary meaning, not proper name) harm to native habitat and indigenous species.
And let's not forget Obama's realpolitik proposal to increase our icebreaker fleet so Russia's big icebreaker fleet won't bully us around in the icebreaking cold war (pun intended).
Perhaps the U.S. “newz” media could stop substituting facts for faith and understand that “knowing” and “believing” are not the same and, in fact, are the polar opposites.
Corporate-controlled media is always beseeching viewers to “believe” when we should “know.” And, if facts are necessary, we get “trust us” and a line of well-written bovine droppings from nicely attired, excessively made-up, semi-attractive display readers and carefully prompted “experts.”
Unfortunately, it will take a lot more than a boycott to bring about what is really needed.
According to a Russian spokesman for President Putin, reported on RT among other outlets, the Israeli report has been denied as absolutely untrue. Given the source and Israel's involvement with ISIS and opposition to the Iran nuclear deal it would be prudent to question the bona fides of any report coming from Israeli sources.
One of the many horrific effects of human-induced climate change is sudden and unexpected mass deaths like 120,000 Ice Age saiga antelope dying within a few months in remote locations such as Kazakhstan.
link to phys.org
So, let’s keep those pet coke and coal-fired facilities burning red hot, destroy more jungles and forests so WE CAN BE NEXT!
YEEHAW!
I didn't know about the drunken trees. That's new to me. And I'm still learning about the land erosion along the coast in Alaska. Land erosion along the west coast of the United States has been more noticeable in the last twenty to thirty years.
One new issue is catching attention in the Arctic. As the Arctic melts in the summer and the areas of open water get bigger and last longer, the chance of truly damaging storms increases. Why? Because waves now have room to build and they're powerful enough to destroy more ice. This is very dangerous for ships and oil platforms.
I oppose the Shell Oil platform but I understand the difficult politics and issues Obama has to deal with, including Russia. But there is a real risk of increasing the problems of global warming.
Alaska demonstrates a growing global truth that hasn't been articulated yet and that different scientists have expressed roughly in different ways. It's this: the science of global warming is sound but we can't truly know where we are if CO2 emissions keep increasing, and the potential for future problems keep increasing. A good analogy is a forest fire. In the first few hours, no scientist can tell you how destructive that fire is going to be. It depends on many factors, including how fast that fire is brought under control. We're not moving nearly fast enough. More important, as long as CO2 emissions continue to rise, we truly don't know where we are.
How exactly?
... And the West Bank in 6 years!
I have been going through the various message boards on the Guardian, Slate, Globe & Mail, Yahoo, etc. The venom towards those fleeing unbearable conditions is quite appalling. (Not to mention the disgusting unadulterated hatred of Muslims.) It was the US-UK destruction of Iraq that directly led to the rise of ISIS. It is the NATO occupation of Afghanistan that fuels the fighting in AfPak. Libya is in tatters because NATO bombed the country and overthrew the regime. The US drone program pushes more and more despondent individuals towards radicalization, which in turn, further destabilizes the region. Every NATO member has a responsibility to settle refugees.
@cenkuygur Build it if it will keep crazy Republicans and tea baggers out of Canada
@cenkuygur I heard about this a while ago. Burst out laughing. Scott Walker is a fucking maroon.
Also may it bankrupt the US economy building it and give the Canadian armed forces some target practice monitoring and enforcing a 100 mile area along the barrier south of the Canadian border like the Israeli's monitor the fence they erected along the border with Gaza and the US is so found of supporting with US dollars.
Too late. Ted Cruz already got in.
Recently, I have been wondering if global warming could trigger the yellowstone caldera. This supervolcano erupts about every 600,000 years and the last event was 650,000 years ago. In any given year, the chance of an eruption is probably small, but what if global warming, which may be causing seismic events, is placing extra stress on the caldera? How stable is the caldera? An eruption would bury everything within 3000 miles under volcanic ash. North America would become Pompeii writ large.
The history of the relationship with Israel, at least since 1967, has always been that of a huge and ongoing shake-down.
Along these same lines, the money Israel "paid" in compensation for those they killed on the USS Liberty in 67 was also, indirectly, US tax dollars.
Some underemployed economist out there ought to do some Present Value calculations of how much each US citizen has paid, depending on their age, for our largesse over the years. Not saying it'd every be published, realities being what they are, but it'd be an eye opener and it might get posted here as a guest piece....
Think the Canadians would help build the wall to keep Americans out.
Turkey can't escape its direct involvement that contributed to the entire chaos in Syria and its allowing Isis fighters to descend upon Syria via its border. Not to mention training fighters and supplying them with deadly weapons. It's calculation that they would do the fighting for them against the Kurds was short sided. Aylan Kobani and his family's tragedy in particular is directly caused by Tukey. Ardogan should stop throwing stones from his glass house.
link to reuters.com
Next, let's defend the US from birds flying in from Central America.
None of them have a wildlife import permit.
And stop the Monarch butterflies coming from Mexico!
This may turn out to be an historic turning point in Israel policy for the victory over Netanyahu, Schumer and AIPAC on an issue that the Israeli government pronounces fundamental to their existence demonstrates what united world powers can achieve.
[…] Enter the Bear: Does Russia plan air strikes on Daesh / ISIL in Syria? by Juan Cole for Informed Comment. […]
All true. Of course, it's much worse than this: since, as you rightly point out, the Arctic warms faster than the rest of the planet, this melts the permafrost. But the consequences of melting permafrost go FAR beyond sinking houses and damaged roads. It threatens MASSIVE release of GHG, both carbon and--worse yet--methane. See, e.g.,
link to nasa.gov
I would love to have a wall to keep the US out and abrogate the FTA.
In all fairness, CNN did cover a salmon spawning on our President’s shoes.
link to edition.cnn.com
Perhaps building a wall around the current gaggle of silly GOP Presidential candidates would be much more useful?
Ironically, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (which brings the oil that increases global temperature as it is burned) is threatened by the thawing of permafrost as the pipeline is much more likely to buckle as the soil sinks and then burst.
Here's a link to a detailed article about the great expense of maintaining oil/gas pipelines: link to dnvusa.com
We should put the entire USA under a dome. It's the only way we'll keep extraterrestrial aliens from making anchor babies.
You can joke all you want, but republicans take this very seriously. New Madrid is just one of many potential crossing points. Our borders with middle earth must be impermeable.
@ChMadar goddammit this is heart breaking :( @Likay
Surely David Frum would have been front and center when Reagan began talks of detente with the Evil Empire of the USSR. Certainly Nixon would have been criticized by the neocons for pumping money into China as a trading partner. All in all those two precursors to the Iranian deal have not worked out to badly....better than the two wars the neocons inspired.
Obama attended an Artic Summit? When was it?
America and the World needs a news, information revolution.
The 99% of Americans should boycott all the corporate news - TV, radio and paper. Without an audience to take in their useless news, commercials and ads the corporate news would lose billions of dollars for ads/commercials and go bankrupt.
Such a boycott would also kill or seriously limit the useless and stupid political ads and give impetus for independent news outlets to start presenting real truthful news and information.
I became totally fed up with the "American corporate news" over three decade ago - I stopped listening, reading and watching their crap. PBS is not much better.
PBS = Public Bull S--t that brainwashes and keeps Americans unconscious and uninformed so that they can be easily controlled.
FDA = Federal Death Administration that test and approves various forms of treatments for symptoms without treating the real cause or problem.
Perhaps the American people would approve an Office of Truth, Honesty and Full Disclosure with Clarity and Brevity which would keep Americans informed about actions that could, will or may curtail or reduce the freedoms that are guaranteed by the US Constitution or that are taken for granted.
How the hell did the Supreme Court approve unlimited donations that would reach the politicians? With words that confuse the issue and other excuses.
Oh dear lord, YES PLEASE! If ANY of the current GOP hopefuls make it into the White House a big impenetrable wall along the U.S./Canadian border would be extremely welcome. The only thing that I,as a Canadian, think might be better is if they were to come up with some sort of science-fiction inspired way for the U.S. to seal itself away from the rest of the world in a pocket universe until it collectively cures it's insanity.
Right now I'm terrified that the Democrats will nominate Hillary Clinton and the the lack of enthusiasm for her among the left will combine with the rabid hatred for her on the right and those factors, along with some voter suppression and possible help from the Supreme Court may actually result in a Trump victory...
Please build this. I'm sick of Americans coming over and trying to take advantage of our health care system, or trying to steal drugs we paid for with our taxes. Build a wall and keep those freeloaders out! And if we find them here, send them back to their own country!
This is only partly satire. :)
We need to build a wall under the New Madrid Fault so the Mahars can't tunnel in from Pellucidar.
Netanyahu (or whoever behind him) 2, as they got the best deal from all possible deals (including a non-deal) for Israel and they got to protest it too and ask for compensation and what else. Iranian people -2 as their money is given to their government and Syria is waiting for them.
For some time I believed that Bibi was just being an errand boy for the Saudis, but after observing his erratic ways I have concluded that he's fully unhinged.
In 1963, J. William Fulbright, Arkansas senator 1945/75, claimed millions tax-deductible dollars from philanthropic Americans was sent to Israel and then recycled back to the US for distribution to organizations seeking to influence public opinion in favor of Israel (get more money.)
In 2015, AIPAC created Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran, classified under section 501(c)4 of the tax code, and spent some millions of dollars purportedly, "to tilt US politicians against the Iran deal." Next thing we know, Kerry promises Billions of US Taxpayers' dollars to give Israel next-generation weaponry, complete their Iron Dome, enhance missile systems, mapping technologies, new capabilities to detect and destroy terrorism "that could be used to threaten Israeli civilians" and Obama propose Netanyahu to “begin the process aimed a further strengthening our efforts to confront conventional and asymmetric threats” and to Secure a new 10-year “Memorandum of Understanding” with the Jewish state that “would cement for the next decade our unprecedented levels of military assistance.” Read it ripin' and bleedin' US taxpayers.
See? Zionists spend some millions making believe they are "outraged by..." (fill here whatever you want, after all we are going to be brain-washed by the NY Times, LA Times, Boston Herald, Chicago Tribune, etc. to accept like sheep whatever they want us to believe) and reap... BILLIONS!#$% Of money we #$% desperately need!
So, after some 52 years later, the Three-Card Monte trick Fulbright said, is STILL being played by Zionism on us.
Are we so easy? Can't we do something against it? How to counteract the NY Times, Boston Herald, LA Times, etc penetration? We need to do something. IMHO.
Where will Israel/Palestine be 10 years from now? A two-state solution? A one-state solution? Or the status quo: a no-state situation. There are millions of UN-registered Palestinian refugees: over 2 million in Jordan, half a million in Syria, about 450,000 in Lebanon, 2.5 million in the West Bank, 1.2 million in Gaza. Let's urge CNN and the other networks to ask each Presidential candidate what they envision for Israel/Palestine 10 years from now, and what they will do to make that happen.
Israel has said they won't give up any land and that they want to put the Gazans on a diet and mow them like grass. So keep on blaming Hamas! One day maybe the world will wake up and confront the biggest terrorist nation of all!
In states such as Louisiana and Texas, many well-intended folks are too undereducated to realize their demonstrated ignorance.
Blame a dual-valued state’s culture, a proven inadequate educational system and local peer-group pressure.
Besides a bunch of education jus' gets folks uppity and rabblerousin.’ Who needs that?
Joe: with all due respect, while I'm sure your phone call to Casey was heard, I think it was my 80 year old Mom's demonstrating with others outside Casey's District office last week that turned the tide and brought him around. An added plus: It was her first time participating in a political demonstration.
All kidding aside, Casey and the others who supported the President have made the Middle East a bit safer. But those of us who support this deal will have to stay vigilant. The Republican congress has lost this round but they aren't going to stop trying to sabotage the deal.
I suspect that gimbals and controls for small heliostats are getting much cheaper to buy. If you could use Mylar on recycled plastic for structural forms for the mirror? You could mold in different focal points.
The cost of mirror, controls and gimbal could get as low as two hundred bucks per 2 sq/m unit. Right now you can buy a cheaper 2 axis small camera gimbal for 15 bucks without control circuits (for R/C.) You should be able to buy a decent one to hold the heliostat mirror for $150 if they get mass produced. Track the sun is simple. Probably a $10 circuit.
If you used a lithium battery and small solar panel on each Heliostat you could make them run independently by themselves without wiring. Maybe radio control programming. Add another 100 bucks.
Small units might be bolted to concrete blocks or timbers simply resting on the ground. Setup of the gimbal or software would compensate for slight tilting. As long as it resists the wind.
Just thinking out loud.
Netenyahu has made a number of strategic mistake in the last few years. First he came up just short of supporting Romney in the 2012 election. Then he went to the Republican congress to object to the deal. All of which backfired.
The only way the Arctic is drill-able is because of all the man made pollution from fossil fuels... So, what kind of person thinks they care about global climate change and the human causes when they sigh away rights to drill for more oil in the Arctic.
Obama, the hypocrite in Chief.
Under whose authority?
... God's.
Then get him on the phone...
Nice satire, Bob.
Thanks.
Who are the remaining Dem.Sens. on the fence? I know of Cardin from MD and Booker from NJ. Any one know the remaining five???
I live in Delaware and I wrote a letter to Chris Coons telling him I will actively campaign against him if he goes against this deal. He has visited our Muslim community in Delaware and many of us share the same view that we want peace with Persia. I'm so glad he changed his mind.
Rowan County, Kentucky, was the scene of the Rowan County War, a feud between the Underwood and Holbrook extended families which dragged on from 1884 through 1887, in which 20 were killed and 16 wounded. Here is a contemporary account from the New York Times:
link to query.nytimes.com
In my youth I learned a traditional American ballad, "The Rowan County Crew," which I sang to the great annoyance of my family and friends. I thought it was ancient history. I never dreamed I would see maniacs like Kim Davis go to war over their delusions and disturb public order in Morehead, Kentucky.
Dock Boggs sings "The Rowan County Crew" here:
link to youtube.com
The lyric is here
link to reginaldstreet.org
but Dock was one of a kind, and it is more fun to hear it sung.
Juan, I imagine that Kramer would have applauded the following piece that you reported on. In 2012 “An Israeli human rights organization, Gisha, sued in Israeli courts to force the release of a planning document for ‘putting the Palestinians on a diet’ without risking the bad press of mass starvation, and the courts concurred. The document, produced by the Israeli army, appears to be a calculation of how to make sure, despite the Israeli blockade, that Palestinians got an average of 2279 calories a day, the basic need. But by planning on limiting the calories in that way, the Israeli military was actually plotting to keep Palestinians in Gaza (half of them children) permanently on the brink of malnutrition, what health professionals call ‘food insecurity’.” link to detailedpoliticalquizzes.wordpress.com
What would happen if someone came in with 3 women and petitioned for a marriage to 2 and a concubine permit for the 3rd? Would she permit "God's Law?" Someone should test this out.
Being a self-Christened pseudo-demigod doesn’t count.
She is in non-compliance therefore contempt-able.
And a potential running mate for Senadate Ted Cruz.
Stand your ground Kim ! The supper court does not make laws ! Make the gays go to some other Satan worshiper for a unholy union. Arrest the gays for breaking the sodomy law ! They want "justice" jail all of them.
Amen.
Esta, Hamas won the latest Palestinian election. While they certainly have their flaws, their rule in Gaza is no occupation. I might also remind you that Israel was just as militant against the Palestinians before Hamas even existed, so Hamas can't be the main problem. Then there are faction within Hamas. After the election the more moderate, non-violent faction seemed to gain strength, but when Israel and the West refused to accept the result of the election that hope was crushed.
Getting rid of Hamas while keeping the Israeli occupation would only give room for even more militant organisations like Islamic Jihad and maybe even ISIS. To defuse the situation it's the Israeli occupation of Palestine that needs to be removed. Israel as the stronger part has a choice, the Palestinians don't.
This is a WIN primarily for United States and then for its president Obama. Revived us as a nation not sold to special interest. This is epic. Not sure if any other president could repeat this. Obama leadership combined with bravery of 34 senators who proved that our nation’s interest come first. WE ARE A COUNTRY. This will help not to be a laughing stock in the Middle East and elsewhere. USA can act and deliver and not be hostage to other nations lobbing influence. Every president since Bush senior was afraid of Israel and our foreign policy was paralyzed. We lost so much by war in Iraq, sanction on Iran. As the result of sanction on Iran the BRICS was formed, straight bilateral trades on the rise side stepping, dollar. Hopefully we learned the result of putting interest of our ally first, we went from surplus and only superpower to debtor nation. Due to the militaristic nature, and excessive preoccupation in the ME it costs cost us a failure of pivoting to Asia. Contributing as a large component that Asian perceived China as less of a threat as regime change and sanctions. We could not balance our interest between Europe and Asia reaps the benefit of being in the middle.
Will be played by Kathy Bates in the film.
The conflict is with Hamas occupation, not Palestinian community per se. As you know, the issue import/export of weapons. (I know, simplistic answer.) If they could eliminate Hamas, there'd be a shot at peace. The whole situation is heartbreaking and devastating. Personally, I'd like to see Palestinians and Israelis live and support each other peacefully. Do you think it's possible, if Palestinians were granted their own state that surrounding countries would cease their mission to destroy Israel? Sadly, the answer, no. It's a religious war, not a war for land per se. It's all about, in the end, to seize that little gold dome (I know, simplistic answer.) Seeds of Peace in Maine (http://www.seedsofpeace.org) is an amazing effort to teach young Palestinian and Israeli leaders to facilitate change. I appreciate your post, I alway need more information to understand political complexities. :)) esta
This is good news & long overdue.
Can only hope America tries to force Turkey, Israel & Jordan into stopping various terrorists from entering Syria
The potential harm from the US rejecting the deal would be largely economic and self-inflicted, but much external damage from this extraordinarily untidy process has already been done. No small number of Europeans will feel quite chuffed if the US Legislature does reject the deal, By the way, Jeremy Corbyn looks set to become leader of the UK parliamentary opposition, and quite possibly the next UK prime minister. He wants to withdraw from NATO and abandon Trident. Blair is fiercely against Corbyn but the more vociferously he warns against him the more support Corbyn seems to attract.
The policies of Hamas, to me, seem as destructive.
With Casey deciding to vote for the Iran P5+1 agreement I suddenly feel complete. I feel this way due to the fact I called Senator Casey's office last Friday, and left a message for him to vote for the agreement. Now, I need to spread the word that the 150 billion dollars that Iran is receiving, is Iran's money that was withheld by the sanctions. I say this, because I heard Donald Trump tell his followers that WE the U.S.A. are even giving Iran 150 billion dollars. Trump's statement is completely wrong. I'm not sure if the candidates are that ill informed, or they are just lying. Americans are in desperate need of the truth on many issues. I am thankful for sites such as Doctor Cole's, for he is a truthful person.
"Nobody argues that Britain ever had a right to colonize Palestine with European Zionist colonists, even though the Balfour declaration was put into a “legal format” such as the Mandate for Palestine by the League of Nations."
What you are saying is that you can reject a law if you don't happen to like that law.
Try that next time you are booked for speeding, and let me know how that turns out for you.
The Mandates were legal instruments. They were perfectly "legal", precisely because the prior sovereign power (in this case, the Ottoman Empire via its successor state "Turkey") agreed to handover its sovereign territory to a Mandatory Power nominated from amongst the Principal Allied Powers.
That's perfectly legal, however much You Don't Like It.
"Regarding partition, it is ridiculous to claim that anyone had the legal right to partition Palestine between its native inhabitants and illegal European colonists who were forced upon them."
And in making that claim you run into something of an evidentiary problem, which is that this wasn't the *only* instance in which a Mandated Territory was split into two successor states.
Clearly, it could be done and - evidently - it was perfectly legal to do it.
Witness: Syria
Witness: Lebanon
Witness: Jordan
You need to explain to me why *those* partitions were legal and *this* partition wasn't.
Other than, of course, you have a bee in your bonnet regarding *this* partition.
"It *can* be disputed. Indeed, your claims can be rendered absurd."
Dispute away, and by doing so you are invalidating the legitimacy of:
a) Syria
b) Lebanon
c) Jordan
d) Palestine
e) Israel
Not only that, but if you want to argue that a Mandatory Power **didn't** have the legal authority to decide upon the method of state succession then you are invalidating the legal status of:
Ruwanda
Tanzania
Camerooon
Ghana
New Guinea
Nauru
Samoa
The Mandates were LEGAL instruments, they weren't political policy positions.
You may not like how they were set up, nor the paternalism that drove them.
Fine. Hate away, you won't find much argument from me.
But as LEGAL instruments they were perfectly legitimate, and in the case of the ending of the Mandate for Palestine via the Plan of Partition both the UK (the Mandatory Power) and the UN General Assembly (the supervising body) followed the law to the letter.
Again, you don't have to like the p.o.l.i.t.i.c.a.l. outcomes that resulted from those deliberations, but that is not at all the same thing as arguing that what transpired was not legal.
Because it most certainly was.
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I'll jump in: she believes she is entitled to the Presidency. Hillary Rodham Clinton wants to be President of the United States. THAT is why she is running. It is her turn, she has suffered ignominy and shame, countless slings and arrows, standing by Bill and toughing it out, so that she could arrive at long last at this point in history, where it is HER moment, where it is HER time, where it is HER right to be President. It is, in the end all about HER - Hillary Rodham Clinton.
By contrast, Bernie Sanders is about helping people, he is running not for himself, but for the average American. and THAT is the difference.
Typo in your summary of Elaph news report: MiG-28 is a fictional aircraft in the 1986 film Top Gun (real Mikoyan fighters are designated with odd numbers).
According to my computer translation of Elaph, Russia would like to sell MiG-29 fighters and Yak-130 advanced trainers to the Syrian Air Force, which has operated the MiG-29 since the 1980s. I suspect they will need to include pilots and ground crews to make that sale. If I had the skills to fly or maintain a fourth-generation jet fighter like the MiG-29, I would be long gone from Syria and working for Emirates SkyCargo (or frankly anyone including Yellow Cab).
haary: "Let’s face it, Islamic State has to be defeated, the US will not align with Assad"
Why not?
I mean it: what stops the USA from "aligning with Assad"?
He has never attacked the USA.
He has never expressed any interest in attacking the USA.
From a purely US-centric PoV there is absolutely nothing stopping the USA from allying with Assad in order to defeat ISIS.
That support need not extend any further than that one aim, any more than allying with the Soviet Union in WW2 signalled anything more than an alliance of convenience in the face of a common enemy.
This "we can't work with Assad" nonsense is exactly that, and pronouncing it as a self-evident truth doesn't make it any less of a lie.
The USA can work with Assad.
It SHOULD work with Assad, because if there is one thing we know for a fact it is this: Assad wants ISIS dead and buried even more than the USA wants ISIS destroyed.
Give him the tools, and he'll do the job. Guaranteed.
So if the USA doesn't want to give him those tools then, honestly, Uncle Sam isn't levelling with us.
Gabriel, I would imagine that is one of the reasons why the USA is unconcerned about this development, in the sense that currently political considerations might necessitate that the USA look the other way at Erdogan's shenanigans.
In which case any resupply convoys crossing the Turkish border into Syria may be immune to US-bombing, however much the Americans grit their teeth in anger.
Not so as far as the Russians are concerned - no such political considerations need stay their hand, and so Erdogan might be well-advised to rapidly reconsider how much aid and comfort his is willing to give to his pet terrorists.