Pakistan and One Man

Over at The Amboy Times the question of “Are We Losing Pakistan?” was raised. I raised a couple of point that might be saying we are at least not losing.

I think Pakistan is too much on the edge to say whether we are winnign or losing. The above examples are frightning indeed but there are also several examples that would point to Pakistan moving away from being in support of a terror mentalty.

With the growing percentage of forgien fighter oppurating in the Afghan-Pakistan border war, shows that the movement may be losing steam.

The return former prime minister Benazir Bhutto maybe a sign of growing moderation in the poltical arena in Pakistan.

There has also be a major offense into areas that were left alone such as the Swat Valley and throughout northenr Pakistan

It is too early to be think of losing Pakistan to the terrorist and even if it is trending that way, it too important not to let it happen if at all possible.

A short time after that a state of emergency was declared in Pakistan and threw everything up in the air. Right now there are statements being issued about the scheduled upcoming elections.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistani government said on Monday it would hold a national election by mid-January, as it came under pressure from the United States for imposing emergency rule and detaining lawyers and opposition politicians.

President Pervez Musharraf, facing international criticism after suspending the constitution and purging the Supreme Court, told diplomats on Monday he was determined to quit as army chief and become a civilian president.

The move by President Musharraf seems to be an aim at guarantying his continued role as President. I would guess he sees himself as the only one capable of leading the nation during these difficult times. It easy to convince yourself that nobody else see the thing you do and know how to get it done. It is a warm feeling to believe that you are irreplaceable, that you are the only one to see what is right. It is also a very dangerous thing to do. Nobody is irreplaceable and nobody has all of the answers. When a person limits the path, they also limit the unseen opportunities.

This may not effect some of the short term goals in the ME but it a serious step back when one looks at the long term situation. One man saving a nation isn’t too far from one man controlling a nation. One only has to look at Castro and Chavez for the harm that can follow.

Sidenote:
Thanks to Church and State.

ECN 11/05/07

Iran Sees Venezuela as Doorway to Americas, Republican SaysBy Kevin MooneyCNSNews.com Staff WriterNovember 05, 2007Exclusive Interview (CNSNews.com) - Top U.S. officials who avoid confrontation with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez should exchange their passivity for a more forceful Latin American policy, Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) said in an exclusive interview with the Cybercast News Service.

This one is more speculation then actual news. I do believe that the future dictator of Venezuela is an important world figure to watch especially for America but the strength of the ties to Iran remains to be seen. Right now I think they are just buddying around together because of a perceived common enemy.

Italy moves to expel EU nationals as part of crime crackdown
05.11.2007 - 09:28 CET
Italian authorities have started rounding up illegally residing Romanian immigrants following a fast-track adoption of a decree allowing expulsions of EU citizens who pose a threat to public security. While Romania is protesting the measures, Brussels has confirmed they are in line with EU rules.

'Musharraf Can No Longer Be a Partner'
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf says he declared a state of emergency in the country as part of his struggle against terrorism. The problem is, no one believes him. Commentators say that it's time for the West to finally support the Pakistani opposition. more...

PetroChina shares triple value in record IPO
By DONALD GREENLEES AND DAVID LAGUE
The Chinese oil and gas giant became the world's first company to pass $1 trillion in market capitalization when it debuted on the Shanghai Stock Exchange Monday.

Abusive Relationship

The Republicans in general and the other Dem. Candidates are going to ride this story for all it is worth.

Addressing a crowd of Republican donors, the former Tennessee senator joined Clinton's Democratic opponents in seizing on her debate answer on whether she supported a plan by New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to grant drivers' licenses to illegal immigrations.

At first, Clinton appeared to praise the plan. Pressed later in the debate, she seemed to backtrack, saying she didn't say it should be done. Her campaign sought to clarify her comments on Wednesday, saying she supported the governor's effort

Politicians are expected to double talk and everyone gets flustered at one time or another but when you do it during a presidential campaign it really gets noticed. When you happen to be the current front-runner it really gets noticed. The hardest thing for Clinton to overcome her will be the fact that it didn’t start from the right side but is a case of the Dems trying to eat their own. Both Edwards and Obama need a real big boost to bring down Hillary and they know if she wins the nomination that there is no room for them. It may have not been his first choice but when Edwards was offered the second spot for 2004 election, he jumped at it. That isn’t going to happen this year because he doesn’t add anything to Hillary. The only way Obama gets the second spot this year is if he pushes Hillary too hard and she needs to buy him off and the only way to push her is to tear her down. He is showing he can’t climb higher than her so he needs to bring her down to his level anyway he can.

Is this enough to pull Hillary down, I don’t think it is even close. She has waded through campaign irregularities so far without a scratch and there have been a lot of irregularities. There is this blind love affair with the idea of the Clintons. It is like an abusive relationship that a person just can put down for too long. A little “I’m sorry” and sweet talk and the Clintons are back in the house just waiting for the next time they can sucker puck American, steal some money and have an affair. Too many times the abused partner ends up in the hospital or worse yet dead. It easy to see the cycle but so hard to get out of. We keep thinking things will be different and rewrite history to cut out the bad times.

ECN 11/2/07

Rice in Turkey for Kurdish talks
The US secretary of state has arrived in Ankara for talks aimed at averting major military action by Turkey against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.
Ahead of her visit, Condoleezza Rice called the Kurdistan Workers' Party a "common enemy" of Turkey, Iraq and the US, and urged all sides to co-operate.

A terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist.

Venezuelan troops use tear gas on Chavez protesters
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuelan troops used tear gas and water cannons Thursday disperse demonstrators who turned out by the tens of thousands to protest constitutional reforms that would permit President Hugo Chavez to run for re-election indefinitely.

Could you imagine the outrage that would break out here in America if a sitting President tried this? Look at Chavez and his rise to power and you will see the fabled "Making of a Tyrant".

EU ministers give final nod to controversial gene therapies
31.10.2007 - 09:28 CET By Lucia KubosovaEUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU environment ministers have given their final approval to the bloc's guidelines on the development of gene therapies, leaving it up to member states to decide whether to ban research on human embryonic cells on ethical grounds.The legislation passed on Tuesday (30 October) sets out the technical details on regulating so called "advanced therapies" - gene therapy, adult stem cell therapy and tissue engineering – at the EU level.

Gene manipulation on humans is fine but don’t you dare touch corn.

Russian Youth and the Putin Cult
With elections just around the corner, President Vladimir Putin's popularity seems higher than ever -- particularly among Russian youth. The right-tilting group Nashi practically worships their leader, and isn't shy about letting the opposition know about it. By Anselm Waldermann in Moscow

ECN 11/1/07

Iraq tries to thwart Kurdish rebels with more checkpoints
From wire reports
BAGHDAD — Iraq's government said Wednesday that it had set up more checkpoints to restrict the movement of Kurdish rebels in response to Turkey's demands for firm action against the rebels.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the checkpoints would stop fuel, food and other supplies from reaching the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has killed dozens of people inside Turkey over the past month.

Will this be enough to hold off Turkey?


Japan ends Afghan naval mission
Japan has ordered the withdrawal of its two ships supporting US-led operations in Afghanistan.
The move follows the government's failure to agree a deal with the opposition to extend the mission beyond the end of its mandate on 1 November.

Hurricane season goes easy on USA
By Patrick O'DriscollUSA TODAY
The 2007 hurricane season, with a month to go, is on track to leave the coastal USA relatively unscathed for a second straight year.

As a result, parts of the Gulf Coast and Florida still recovering from the deadly batterings of a dozen hurricanes in 2004 and 2005 have had more time to rebuild and prepare for next time. The severe drought in the Southeast, made worse by 2006's mild tropical season, was prolonged this year by similar conditions.

Iraq's Christians Face Extinction, Advocacy Group SaysBy Patrick GoodenoughCNSNews.com International EditorNovember 01, 2007(CNSNews.com) - An international organization supporting Christian minorities in Islamic societies has launched a new campaign to draw attention to the plight of Iraq's Christians, a community which it says "faces extinction."

The U.K.-based Barnabas Fund, a charitable and advocacy group, said this week that Islamic extremists in Iraq are telling Christians to convert, leave or face death.

Whispers of the Wind

So far to date the post that has generated the most amount of traffic here at the Dog's Den (the alternate title which has a little more flair), is Kansas Tosses Future into the Wind. Scott, in the comment section even suggested http://www.americaspower.org/ which talks about the role of coal in America’s demand of electricity. I live in an area that is actively moving in creating a small wind farm, but not instead of, more in support of the proven coal industry. Is it a good idea, well time and economics will prove it out.

I have seen the optimism of wind farms before, they failed 20 years ago. Technology and economics have changed in the passing years and every success story started with a long string of failures. I still think that the Governor of Kansas has made a huge mistake by relying on theoretical promises.

Hillary Twist "More please."

Appearently Sen. Clinton doesn’t have enough campaign money, even though she has raised the most, to buy the Presidency.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) top advisers, doing damage control after the candidate’s debate performance Tuesday, told supporters on a conference call Wednesday that the campaign needed more money to fight back.

She has taken money from poor areas in Chinatown, bundled money from a convicted criminal and from MoveOn.org, but she doesn’t have enough. It sounds like a recurring theme in her life “The World is not Enough.”

On top of all that, life isn’t fair to Hillary because she gets asked tough questions while others get off scot-free.

Penn turned again to Russert. “The other candidates were asked questions like, ‘Is there life in outer space?’ ”

If the President want-to -be can’t navigate though unfair situations, how is she going to deal with the unfair world in general? This supposedly strongest and smartest woman in Washington can’t get her husband to stop protecting her, she can’t or won’t run on her own record and she isn’t sure if illegal aliens should get driver licenses. Of course I am cherry picking for the worst view but these are much more numerous than of her good features.
Captain’s Quarters