All Change Syria

Well Syria has just ended the long phase 1 of the civil war. The rebels have captured Damascus and Bashar al-Assad has taken his family and fled to Moscow and claimed asylum.

Ahmed al-Sharaa - De-facto New Leader Of Syria?

The key to his fall, seems to be his ignoring Turkeys attempts to negotiate a peaceful power swap or arrangement with the rebels. They finally lost patience with his refusal to shed any power, and silently authorised the rebels offensive by not saying no. 

Nobel Prize, Ignoble Politics

China's behaviour over the award of the Noble Peace prize to Liu Xiaobo one of their own citizens, but one who is in prison for protesting for human rights, has been nothing less than shameful

..... but the behaviour of some of their 'friends' around the world has been equally disgraceful.

 

A Real Hero .....

Staff Sergeant Salvatore "Sal" Giunta is a brave man ..... he's the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor (The US's highest military award), since the Vietnam war. He is cited for saving members of his squad in October 2007 while fighting in the war in Afghanistan.

Staff Sergeant Salvatore "Sal" Giunta

In October 2007, Giunta's eight-man squad was moving along a wooded ridge-line in the Korangal valley  when at least a dozen Taliban fighters mounted an ambush that was coordinated from three sides at such close range that close air support could not be provided to Giunta's unit. Sergeant Josh Brennan, who was walking point, suffered at least 6 gunshot wounds. Giunta, then a specialist, was the fourth soldier back and was shot in the chest but was saved by his ballistic vest.

Another bullet destroyed a weapon slung over his back. Moving, firing and throwing hand grenades, Giunta advanced up the trail to assist Staff Sergeant Erick Gallardo and, later, Specialist Franklin Eckrode, whose M249 machine gun had jammed and who was badly wounded. Continuing up the trail, Giunta saw two Taliban fighters, one of whom was Mohammad Tali (considered a high-value target), dragging Brennan down the hillside, and towards the forest. Giunta attacked the insurgents with his M4 carbine, killing Tali, and ran to Brennan to provide cover and comfort until relief arrived.

"I ran through fire to see what was going on with him and maybe we could hide behind the same rock and shoot together ... He was still conscious. He was breathing. He was asking for morphine. I said, "You'll get out and tell your hero stories," and he was like, "I will, I will." ..... sadly Brennan died receiving medical treatment. But according to his father, Michael Brennan, "not only did [Giunta] save [my son] Josh ... He really saved half of the platoon."

Why we are fighting in Afghanistan with one hand behind our back is because the 'human rights lawyers' have set the rules of engagement in order to get brave men killed, and give the scum 'human rights' if they are captured...... they wouldn't last 30 seconds out there where the bullets fly.

We should salute those brave men and women who risk everything on behalf of the desk warriors of the left who do everything to make sure that they fail.  Yesterday another brave soul was killed after being taken hostage by the Taliban, she was called Linda Norgrove and was an aid worker. She had been taken 'hostage' by people she had been helping, and when US forces were close to rescuing  her, she was killed in the fighting (possibly by a grenade thrown by the allies, although reports are somewhat confused).

Linda Norgrove - aid worker

Meanwhile in Iraq, the murderers of five british military policeman have been freed by an Iraqi court because of 'lack of evidence', its believed that two accused are politically 'connected' to a local warlord/politician, and are therefore effectively untouchable in the legal system we have installed in 'democratic' Iraq.

Murdered Military Policemen

If we capture any of them, and then try to prosecute them over here, they have been briefed to claim mistreatment, torture, rant in court and generally play to the world Muslim population, who all too readily believe any shit put in front of them, as long as it includes the idea that they are under attack. 

There are lawyers in the West falling over themselves to prosecute soldiers like "Sal" Giunta for 'human rights abuses'.... we are the authors of our own downfall.

Death March 950 AD

An interesting archaeological discovery in Dorset has found the decapitated, naked bodies of at least 51 young men found thrown into a old quarry and their heads piled on top. Evidence suggests that the prisoners (they were naked and unarmed), were a fighting force who were captured, and then decapitated in a rather messy manner.

Whether they were Vikings (likely) or Saxons is not absolutely certain, but the mass execution and grave rings uncannily true with events in the 20th century, in Iraq or the Balkans.

We have not improved much in the last thousand years.

Credit Where Its Due

I have been doubtful about the Iraq project that the US (with its sidekick ally the UK), have been attempting, and indeed I thought the whole debacle would end in a civil war, but recently there have been signs that despite everything, a semblance of a democratic state in a Muslim world appears to be emerging from the rubble.

Firstly, elections in Iraq have been held not once but twice, and generally accepted as being 'clean & fair', with the next national elections being set for January 2010, and for that I have to credit where its due.

And now, the Iraqi Minister of Trade, Abdul Falah Sudani (along with his brother Sabah Mohammed Sudani), and 1,000 allegedly corrupt officials, have been arrested for corruption by the anti-corruption watchdog, the Commission on Public Integrity. Few details have been disclosed, but the public watchdog said at least 50 were senior figures were included in those arrested.

Now, you can prove me wrong, but how many middle eastern states have a Commission on Public Integrity? And how many would arrest a minister and his officials, after 'serious complaints about the trade ministry, where officials allegedly took bribes for contracts'?

If this is proved to be a genuine investigation, and not some power struggle between factions in the Iraqi, then maybe this is a sign of a genuine democratic government developing in soil that is not very promising.

However, the sheer scale of the alleged corruption could mean that in fact the government is riddled with thieves and is therefore already failed .... figures suggest as much as a billion dollars a year is stolen by government officials.

Who knows, maybe George W Bush (and little Tony Blair), may be proved to be right in their assertion that history would eventually prove them correct ..... but my money is on the fact that Transparency International, say that Iraq is one of the most corrupt places in the world, third only to Burma and Somalia (which are both considered 'failed states').

When Chickens Come Home To Roost

I have noticed over the last few weeks, that subjects I have discussed in earlier posts, have been in the news again.

First: Malthusian predictions - this caused a flurry of comments, mostly on the lines that the world would never run out of food, and if it did we could all become Vegans. Well this week the head of the head of the UN World Food Programme has stated that food prices world wide, 'are rising steeply because of food shortages'. These are caused by land degradation, and the use of "Bio Fuels" (another flaky green idea from the land of the loonies - you grow crops to make oil rather than for food - Duh!).

 

Remember When This Caused A Fuss?

The first food shortage riots have taken place in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal, Yemen, Mexico, Guinea and Morocco (Where 34 people were sentenced to prison on Wednesday for participating in riots over food prices).

All ties in nicely with my 2050 predictions!