There is no reward for virtue in this life

Posted on January 14, 2009 by ape man

Mexico is one of two countries that “bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse,” according to a report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command on worldwide security threats.

The command’s “Joint Operating Environment (JOE 2008)” report, which contains projections of global threats and potential next wars, puts Pakistan on the same level as Mexico. “In terms of worse-case scenarios for the Joint Force and indeed the world, two large and important states bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse: Pakistan and Mexico.

In many ways, Mexico has it worse than Pakistan. Lots of low level types die every day in Pakistan. But most of the elites are never touched because they play a double game. When Pakistan is forced to admit that someone of high level is working with the “bad guys” they put them under house arrest and let them do what they please. In return, the militants rarely kill anyone important in Pakistan.

In contrast, a lot of high level people in Mexico have either been killed (because they did not work with the bad guys) or had to face real jail time (because the government found out that they were working for the bad guys). Both of these things are largely unheard of in Pakistan. This is largely because Mexico is trying to destroy the destabilizing elements with in the country where as Pakistan is trying to get along with its destabilizing elements.

The disgusting thing is that the US is giving far more money to Pakistan (who is not really trying) then it is to Mexico (who are making an honest effort). At least there is a chance that Mexico can be saved. No such chance exists for Pakistan.

And least you think that we can deal with any collapse of Mexico by the simple expedient of sealing our border, remember this: A lot of our oil comes from Mexico, and it will not easily be replaced.

Conflicting Stories

Posted on January 13, 2009 by the editor

From the Telegraph….

EU sources told The Daily Telegraph that the crisis is expected to escalate on Wednesday as European patience runs out with Russia.

Russia has “done everything it can to damage the Ukraine’s credibility as a transit country”, said the source.

According to EU monitors sent to check pipelines in Ukraine and Russia, the Russians resumed supply only to then deliberately channel gas via difficult routes and at insufficient pressure to guarantee supplies to Europe.

Officials close to negotiations have also reported that Russia has tried to physically block EU monitors, sent to both countries to monitor gas flows.

“Russia played a trick by saying it would resume supply. Russia set this up to convince everyone it is the Ukraine’s fault not their own,” said a European source.

So far so good right? But Spiegel is telling a different story…..

But before the supplies could even get to the EU, the pipelines were reportedly shut down again. European Union observers in place to monitor gas flows said they had measured “little or no gas” in Ukraine. They said it was too early to draw conclusions from the observation, but the situation “is obviously very serious and must be improved quickly.”

Kiev soon admitted that it had, in fact, blocked the transit of Russian gas through its territory, citing “unacceptable conditions for transit” that had been imposed by Gazprom, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz, which manages the pipelines, told the French news agency AFP.

Regardless of who is right, it does not look like the EU is going to get its gas anytime soon.

New Yorkers want out worse that Californians

Posted on January 13, 2009 by the editor

From The Associated Press…..

The number of people leaving California for another state outstripped the number moving in from another state during the year ending on July 1, 2008. California lost a net total of 144,000 people during that period — more than any other state, according to census estimates. That is about equal to the population of Syracuse, N.Y.

The state with the next-highest net loss through migration between states was New York, which lost just over 126,000 residents.

Since New York has a much smaller population than California, this means that New York is losing more people in percentage terms than California.

Not Widely Reported

Posted on January 13, 2009 by the editor

From the Chicago Sun Times…..

The press corps, most of us, don’t even bother raising our hands any more to ask questions because Obama always has before him a list of correspondents who’ve been advised they will be called upon that day.

I can still remember when Bush was taking flack for trying to control the media, but Obama can get away with this with nary a peep.

But that is hardly news to anyone who has been paying attention.

They are intimidated by sheep?

Posted on January 12, 2009 by the editor

From the Telegraph…

A shepherd who allowed his wayward sheep to intimidate his neighbours has admitted breaching an Asbo which banned the flock from the village.

Reading the article closely, it seems that the real problem is that the shepherd had the legal right to let his sheep roam freely, but this legal right caused problems for the people of the town. So it seems that they used laws designed to limit the movement of wife beaters and such to force him to keep his sheep away from where he had the legal right to let his sheep roam.

Still, the headline of people in the U.K being intimidated by sheep seemed like such a good representation of the character of the modern inhabitants of England that I just could not pass it up.

Some Interesting Links

Posted on January 12, 2009 by the editor

Broken Heart, New Alfa Romeo, Funded by Belgian Taxpayers From Reason Magazine.

After Action Report—General Barry R McCaffrey USA

Tanker-Grabbing Pirates Drown, with Bounty from Danger Room.

Being in the I.C.U is not good for you

Posted on January 12, 2009 by the editor

From The New York Times…

For years, doctors thought they had done their jobs if patients came out of an intensive care unit alive.

Now, though, researchers say they are alarmed by what they are finding as they track patients for months or years after an I.C.U. stay. Patients, even young ones, can be weak for years. Some have difficulty thinking and concentrating or have post-traumatic stress disorder and terrible memories of nightmares they had while heavily sedated.

While patients may be suffering lingering effects from illnesses that landed them in the I.C.U., researchers are increasingly convinced that spending days, weeks or months on life support in the units can elicit unexpected, long-lasting effects.

So now some I.C.U.’s are trying what seems like a radical solution: reducing sedation levels and getting patients up and walking even though they are gravely ill, complete with feeding tubes, intravenous lines and tethers to ventilators.

The whole article is interesting in a “No Duh” sort of way.

Here Is One For The Anti-Semites

Posted on January 12, 2009 by ape man

From The Telegraph…..

“In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the secretary of state wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favour,” Mr Olmert said

“I said ‘get me President Bush on the phone’. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn’t care. ‘I need to talk to him now’. He got off the podium and spoke to me.

“I told him the United States could not vote in favour. It cannot vote in favour of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favour.”

That is Olmert talking tough to impress an Israeli audience. He even saw fit to mentioned how Condoleezza Rice was humiliated in the same article. I suppose that reveals him to be a true gentleman of the finest qualities.

It may have gone down well in Israel, but I can’t think that it made him very many friends in America. I can’t think of how he could have possibly done more to make it seem like the US was Israel’s lap dog.