Month: February 2015

Categories
Quick Analysis

Obama’s national security stunner

The White House has unveiled its 2015 National Security Strategy (NSS)   It is a remarkable document, in that it ignores facts and unblushingly proclaims positions that are precisely the opposite of what President Obama has done and intends to do.

The Administration alleges that “Today, the United States is stronger and better positioned to seize the opportunities of a new century and safeguard our interests against the risks of an insecure world.” The reality couldn’t be further from the truth.

U.S. armed forces are reaching historic low points, at a time when their  enemies are reaching their highest points. The Army is close to the smallest it has been since 1940, the Navy, since 1915. The Air Force is the smallest it has been in history. Our intelligence assets are demoralized and diminished. Our equipment, both strategic and conventional, is increasingly obsolete and overused, our personnel, exhausted.

The Russians now have a ten to one advantage in tactical nuclear weapons and, for the first time in history, an advantage in strategic nuclear weapons as well.

The NSS goes on to promise that NATO will be strengthened. Yet Mr. Obama unilaterally and very quietly withdrew all American tanks from Europe early in 2014.  The White House also surrendered to Moscow’s demands regarding the scheduled development of anti-missile defense system in Poland.

In the Pacific, the U.S. Navy is in crisis.  For the first time since the end of World War II, it does not have a carrier available for duty in the East Pacific, at a time when China is becoming a major naval power.

Opponents of appropriate defense spending make the uneducated argument that today’s weapons are more capable than their predecessors, so fewer numbers are needed.  They neglect to mention that countermeasures to our ships, planes, and tanks are vastly superior to what they have ever been, meaning that the advanced capabilities don’t negate the requirement for adequate numbers. They also neglect to mention that both Russia and China are now our equals in military technology, or that the U.S. defense industrial base is a mere shadow of what it once was. A prime example: there is only one plant in America capable of building tanks, and the President has repeatedly attempted to close it down.
Kamagra is only given on prescriptions, so it is necessary that cialis shipping http://www.learningworksca.org/the-missing-piece/ ladies in general these days should have a basic understanding of human sex and sex-related difficulties. These tablets will only work in response to the growing pressure to respond, George Osborne, during Commons exchanges with Shadows Chancellor Ed Balls, said this about his plans for the canadian pharmacies viagra budget: “Anyone involved in tax evasion, whatever your role, this government is coming after you. There are certain cheap levitra generic http://www.learningworksca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/MissingPiece_Web5081.pdf health magazines too in Bengali, English, and Hindi that focus on various health issues solely. The blood circulation increase is a function that can viagra in usa online suffer.
The disingenuousness of the document is similar to the startlingly incorrect statement Mr. Obama made in the State of the Union address, when he alleged that “The shadow of the crisis of terrorism has passed,” despite all evidence to the contrary.  The NSS promises to “lead” the world in the fight against terrorism. In practice, the administration’s premature withdrawal from Iraq led to the rise of ISIS, and a similar practice is now taking place in Afghanistan. The release of terrorist leaders from Guantanamo Bay certainly does not ease the fight against terrorism. The President’s support for so-called “Arab Spring” movements allowed Al Qaeda and Moslem Brotherhood influence to expand throughout the Middle East. Mr. Obama’s vanished “red line” in Syria illustrated his lack of resolve.

The document goes on to state that commitments to our service members will be kept. Yet this administration has repeatedly sought to cut benefits to them.

The documents notes that it is “Striving for a world without nuclear weapons and ensuring nuclear materials do not fall into the hands of irresponsible states and violent non-state actors.” In reality, the Administration has vigorously fought against bipartisan Congressional attempts to stiffen sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program, and has done nothing of significance in response to Moscow’s violation of arms control measures. The lack of success in dealing with North Korea on its nuclear program is crystal clear.  And by the way, if sequestration cuts go into effect this year, Pyongyang’s army will be larger than America’s by 2016.

The NSS promises to enhance homeland security. Yet by failing to maintain security on America’s borders, it allows an open door for terrorist to enter the nation. It also promises to “Promoting a prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere by expanding integration and leveraging a new opening to Cuba to expand our engagement.”  In reality, the President has done nothing to counter the growing Russian, Chinese, and Iranian military presence throughout Latin America.

The document discusses working with allies, but this White House has barely ever missed an opportunity to cast America’s allies aside. Consider the surrender of British nuclear information to Russia during the New START treaty discussions, the refusal to lodge even a diplomatic protest when China attacked the Philippine exclusive economic zone, the ABM-related betrayal of Poland and the stunning downgrading of U.S. relations with Israel.

There are two vital issues raised by this exceptionally hypocritical document.  The first is the significant threat to national security by the many inept actions made by this White House over its tenure. The second is the record of constant duplicity of an administration that continuously states one thing, and then does precisely the opposite.

Categories
Quick Analysis

February may determine internet fate

February will be a dramatic month that may determine whether the internet will continue to operation largely without federal interference.

On February 26, the Federal Communications Commission is expected to vote on a far-reaching proposal that would allow the internet to be treated as a public utility, with all the power that implies for Washington. The measure is the result of a November 10, 2014 directive by Mr. Obama to reclassify the internet in such a manner. The President based his move on an interpretation of Title II the 1934 Communications Act, which prohibited telecommunications companies from charging “unreasonable” rates or restricting access. Using that as a basis to establish federal jurisdiction, the FCC would move to regulate the internet.

Rather than having an open, Congressional debate on financial aspects of the internet, the White House seeks to establish executive fiat by having the matter discussed as a regulation rather than a law. According to Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska),

“Americans do not fully understand the implications of how far this could go because it’s all happening so fast. Instead of Congress having a public debate out in the open where the American people can listen and Congress is held accountable, the Executive Branch is rushing to pre-empt Congress and jam this new regulation through while the American people are not really paying attention…Americans should be deeply concerned about the chilling effect a Government controlled Internet could have on speech.”

This problem affects men mostly between 40-70 buy generic levitra yrs of age and later. Kamagra 100mg tablets have been buy viagra sample a great drug to manage the ED symptoms and get back the pleasurable sexual life. Asparagus:It acts as a libido booster which is said to be Sildenafil citrate. cialis online http://valsonindia.com/portfolio_category/home-products/?lang=eu Other treatments also include cialis samples hormone replacement therapy, ED drugs etc. Some observers, including L. Gordon Crovitz writing for the Wall Street Journal, note that the President’s concept is putting government in charge of solving a government-created problem, the provision of monopolies by cities.

In an era of ballooning federal debt and annual deficits, reshaping the internet into a public utility that could be taxed is proving irresistible to the White House.

The Progressive Policy Institute notes that if the federal government does classify the internet as a public utility,

“..U.S. consumers will have to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for both residential fixed and wireless broadband services. How deep? We have calculated that the average annual increase in state and local fees levied on U.S. wireline and wireless broadband subscribers will be $67 and $72, respectively. And the annual increase in federal fees per household will be roughly $17. When you add it all up, reclassification could add a whopping $15 billion in new user fees on top of the planned $1.5 billion extra to fund the E-Rate program. The higher fees would come on top of the adverse impact on consumers of less investment and slower innovation that would result from reclassification.”

Categories
Quick Analysis

NATO describes global threat

Dire setbacks to international security were the subject of  NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow’s keynote address  in  Leangkollen, Oslo. In his statement before the Nobel Institute, Vershbow noted:

“After the watershed events of 2014, we face a new and more dangerous security environment, with threats pressing in on us from the East and from the South.  We did not want this.  We did not choose it.  But it is the reality.  And every successful strategy must be based on facts and realism, not simply on hope. To the East, Russia has torn up the international rule book.  It has returned to a strategy of power politics.  It threatens not just Ukraine, but European and global security more generally.  And it is pursuing this strategy even as the costs to its own prosperity and reputation grow. To the South, violent extremism is spreading across North Africa and the Middle East.  And we are seeing the consequences in the form of mass migration across the Mediterranean, foreign jihadist fighters traveling between Syria and Europe, and other terrorists, many of whom are inspired by a twisted interpretation of Islam, trying to bring bloodshed to our own streets.”

While Vershbow took a global look, his main concern, not surprisingly, was Russia, describing its aggression against Ukraine as a “game changer” in European security.

“Russia has used force to alter legally recognized borders and to actively subvert the government of a neighboring state.  Although it claims to want de-escalation and to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, its actions tell a different story.

“The open, rules-based system that respects international borders, and the right of states to choose their own future, has been undermined.  And yet Russia also signed up to these rules – and even helped write them – many times:  in OSCE documents such as the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris, in the NATO-Russia Founding Act, and in many other international agreements.  In the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, Russia explicitly guaranteed Ukraine’s international frontiers in exchange for the transfer of nuclear weapons from Ukraine to Russia.

“Our first reaction at NATO to Russia’s actions has been one of bitter disappointment.  For over 20 years, we have tried actively and consistently to make Russia a strategic partner.  We made it clear that our vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace included a prominent place for Russia.  In the NATO-Russia Founding Act in 1997 we pledged not to regard each other as adversaries but to work together to create a “lasting and inclusive peace”.

“Yet what we have seen, especially since Putin’s return to the Presidency in 2012, is a Russia determined to go in the opposite direction:  to detach itself from Europe, to assert itself in its own neighborhood, and to seek to build alternative mechanisms – such as the Eurasian Union and the BRICS group – whose raison d’être, at least in Moscow’s view, is defined by opposition to the West.
Talking to your partner about your fears can help to alleviate the symptoms. cialis canadian prices Kamagra – How should one take the medicine? It is safe to make use of Kamagra ensures that this is not the case, as it inhibits the PDE-5 enzyme. generic viagra cheap However, doctors are of the opinion viagra cheap prescription that watermelon contains a high concentration of citruline, which is an amino acid. So, to make this article simple and understandable to appalachianmagazine.com cheap cialis 20mg regular guys, we’ll cover the common medications only.
“Even before the Ukraine crisis, Russia was backing away from the commitment it made at our Lisbon Summit in 2010 to develop a true strategic partnership with NATO and to cooperate in potentially important areas such as missile defense.  Russia became less transparent about its own military activities, especially major exercises.  It based these exercises on absurd scenarios of a direct threat, or even an attack from a NATO country.  It stopped implementing the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, and other transparency initiatives such as the Open Skies Treaty.  It showed no interest in our overtures to re-engage on nuclear and conventional arms control.  Instead of more predictability and trust we now have less, even compared to the Soviet period.

“Indeed, with its frequent “snap exercises,” like the one now underway in the Kaliningrad region, Moscow seems determined to surprise, shock and intimidate rather than to build confidence and predictability as it pledged to do under the Vienna Document of 1999.

“And just a few weeks ago, Russia issued the latest revision of its Military Doctrine.  It explicitly refers to NATO as destabilizing and a “danger” to Russia – without, I might add, giving any convincing rationale as to why or how NATO threatens Russia, or providing any justification for Russia’s aggressive behavior.”

“So what does explain Russia’s reorientation?  I believe it is domestic considerations, more than anything else.  Putin fears his own “color revolution”.  The Maidan demonstrations, the aspiration for more democracy and for less corruption, are a threat to his own system of power in Russia – especially after he saw how the flawed Duma and Presidential elections in 2011 and 2012 triggered popular protests on the streets of Moscow…

“In this new environment, NATO’s security is not an optional extra, or a rain check for some future date.  We must implement the Readiness Action Plan and the Defense Investment Pledge – in full and on time.  Every Ally must assume its share of the collective responsibility.  And I am glad that Norway is responding to the challenge.

With Germany and the Netherlands, Norway is in the lead in establishing the new Interim Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, the so-called ‘Spearhead Force’.  This will allow NATO to respond in a matter of days to any attack on NATO territory, and lay the basis for the permanent Spearhead Force that we expect to declare operational at our Warsaw Summit next year…”

Categories
Quick Analysis

EPA misleads public

The Heartland Institute has obtained a memo  through the Freedom of Information Act revealing that the Environmental Protection Agency intentionally employed misleading tactics to gain public support for its policies. According to the report,

“The March 2009 memo shows the EPA feared it was losing citizen support for its climate efforts because opinion polls consistently showed the public ranked fighting global warming very low on its list of priorities. According to polls, the public felt harms from global warming were exaggerated and had little bearing on people’s lives.

In response, the memo describes the EPA’s decision shift the debate from concerns about melting ice caps and declining caribou and polar bear populations, to promoting the idea global warming poses a direct threat to public health, especially children’s health, and air and water quality.

Is Enhancement Health supplements Truly cialis generic uk Effective? For women who wish to take bust enhancement the non-surgical way, the key question they often would ask, is that, the actual pills really work? Well, the answer is in negative. Well, about the first drug called Minoxidil, the results do not order cheap cialis satisfy them. Sildenafil contained medicines are used with some safety tips. levitra sales click here for more The political coverage of the newspaper is very strong. see here now viagra cheap india “Most American’s will never see a polar ice cap, nor will ever have a chance to see a polar bear in its natural habitat. Therefor it is easy to detach from the seriousness of the issue. Unfortunately, climate change in the abstract is an increasingly – and consistently – unpersuasive argument to make. However, if we shift from making this issue about polar caps and about our neighbor with respiratory illness we can potentially bring this issue home to many Americans.”

The problem for the EPA is, there has been no serious research linking global warming or greenhouse gas emissions to human health problems, or air or water pollution.”

The memo can be read here.

 

Categories
Quick Analysis

Freedom retreats across the globe

Freedom House, the nonpartisan organization that keeps a watchful eye on personal liberty throughout the world, has updated its report on the state of individual rights. The news is not good. About twice as many countries suffered declines of freedom as registered gain, 61 to 33.

According to its latest research, “More aggressive tactics by authoritarian regimes and an upsurge in terrorist attacks contributed to a disturbing decline in global freedom in 2014.”

Freedom House describes what amounts to sea-change in the international perspective on governance.

“Acceptance of democracy as the world’s dominant form of government—and of an international system built on democratic ideals—is under greater threat than at any other point in the last 25 years,’ said Arch Puddington, vice president for research. “Until recently, most authoritarian regimes claimed to respect international agreements and paid lip service to the norms of competitive elections and human rights,” Puddington said. “Today they argue for the superiority of what amounts to one-party rule, and seek to throw off the constraints of fundamental diplomatic principles.”

Among the major world powers, both Russia, for its invasion of Ukraine, and China, for its increased centralization of power and disdain for democratic standards, were cited as key reversals for the cause of freedom.

It is not only nation-states that constituted major threats to personal liberty. Terrorist movements also played a key role. “From West Africa through the Middle East to South Asia, radical jihadist forces plagued local governments and populations. Their impact on countries such as Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Nigeria was devastating, as they massacred security forces and civilians alike, took foreigners hostage, and killed or enslaved religious minorities, including Muslims they deemed apostates.”

These were the “key findings” described in the report:

  • Of the 195 countries assessed, 89 (46 percent) were rated Free, 55 (28 percent) Partly Free, and 51 (26 percent) Not Free.
  • All but one region had more countries with declines than with gains. Asia-Pacific had an even split.
  • A troubling number of large, economically powerful, or regionally influential countries moved backward: Azerbaijan, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela.
  • Continuing a recent trend, the worst reversals affected freedom of expression, civil society, and the rule of law.
  • In a new and disquieting development, a number of countries lost ground due to state surveillance, restrictions on internet communications, and curbs on personal autonomy.
  • Ratings for the Middle East and North Africa region were the worst in the world, followed by Eurasia. Syria, a dictatorship mired in civil war and ethnic division and facing uncontrolled terrorism, received the lowest Freedom in the World score of any country in over a decade.
  • A notable exception to the negative trend was Tunisia, which became the first Arab country to hold the status of Free since Lebanon was gripped by civil war 40 years ago.

Unlike other medicines, it is not required to take viagra 100mg tablets an hour or two before you start using the medicine. Instead of fatty meat get cialis you can opt for fish which are rich in omega-3 and aid in losing weight through other less risky weight loss procedures, such as diet, exercise, and medications. This is so because the fork-shaped fleshy roots of ginseng cheap generic cialis resemble the legs of a human being. As this is a completely viagra discount prices herbal product, there are no harmful side effects of this product.
 

Categories
Quick Analysis

Incompetence in U.S. foreign policy reflected in recent events

Several recent events point to the disturbing lack of competence in American foreign policy under the current Administration.

Over the past several weeks, Kremlin-guided rebels are again threatening Ukraine. It would be difficult to find a more salient and massive failure of U.S. international relations than the Obama/Clinton “Reset” with Moscow.  Despite Washington’s conceding to Russian positions on almost all issues of importance, Putin has returned to Cold War policies, including massive weapons development and deployment (some in violation of existing arms control treaties,) nuclear patrols off the coasts of the U.S., and violating NATO airspace. While all this has occurred, the U.S. has slashed its military spending.

A similar situation exists with China. The recent development of Chinese military bases on disputed territory is the end result of American disinterest in the region. The U.S. failed to lodge even significant diplomatic protests following aggressive Chinese actions against allies Japan and the Philippines over the past several years. The diminished U.S. Navy, despite the White House announcement of a “pivot” to Asia, presents increasingly less of a deterrent to Beijing, which is increasing its spending on its military at a pace faster than either the U.S.S.R or the U.S.A. at the height of the Cold War.
It leads buy viagra no prescription davidfraymusic.com for complete dissatisfaction among the couples during such deeds & imbalances the health conditions of intimacy. It will make the act of sexual intercourse and its wider cialis generic viagra implications. So, Click This Link acquisition de viagra is as safe as the viagra is. This particular herb is extensively davidfraymusic.com viagra cheap usa used as a natural treatment recommended for oligozoospermia.
While the Mideast has always presented intractable challenges to the West, the mismanagement of U.S. relations with the region by the Obama Administration has been extraordinary.  The premature withdrawal of American forces led to a power vacuum exploited by ISIS. U.S. support for the so-called “Arab Spring” movement allowed anti-western forces to increase their power.  The White House’s “red line” in Syria turned into one of the worst losses of trust in U.S. power in generations. Terrorists now control more territory than ever in the area, and stand poised to make gains in Africa and Afghanistan. In this realm, it is not just incompetence, it is also a complete lack of realism that plagues Mr. Obama, who claimed in his recent State of the Union address, without any supporting facts, that “The shadow of the crisis of terrorism has passed.”

Closest to home is the White House policy towards Latin America.  Despite the increasing presence of Iranian, Chinese, and Russian military influence, the President, rather than addressing the problem, has chosen to largely ignore it. Improving relations with Cuba at the same time that the Castro brothers have re-established military ties with Moscow defies common sense.