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Commentary:

OK Obama – now is your time to shine! Let’s go in there and get those boys out of harms way! They are completely innocent! You know it, Iran knows it and the whole world is watching to see what the US will do on this one.

One thing is for certain. The region is going to change radically over the coming months. The question is which direction this change will take. Democratic leadership would certainly bode well for the US while a move in the direction of Islamic extremism would not. Somewhere in the background of all this lurks Iran, who has recently boasted of improved missile capabilities even of the ability to put satellites in orbit within a year. How much is true I don’t know. But in light of recent events pertaining to this countries nuclear program, I wonder if perhaps Ahmadinejad is playing his cards very close to his chest.

Caught smack in the middle of all the political fires in places like Egypt, Syria, Jordon, Yemen and Turkey is poor Israel. A country with few friends living in a very tough neighborhood. A country that now faces a very uncertain future. Uncertain, that is, unless America stands up and let’s the Muslim world understand in no uncertain terms that any move against this that country is a move against us. Even more importantly, we must be able to back that up with the one thing that Muslims understand the best…force. Massive and crushing force.  For it is interesting to note, that the more things fall apart in the Middle East amid the rhetoric that casts my country and her beliefs in a poor light, the more pissed off we have become.

Fact 1: My country has been and is a great ethnic mixture of good-hearted, free people of all beliefs who are the first to give someone the shirt off their backs and the last to leave in a crisis. The faults we do have are vastly overshadowed by the good that we have done and continue to do even in light of a failing economy.

Fact 2: The Muslim extremists of which the Muslim Brotherhood is a vocal part have done absolutely nothing for the advancement of its people, not even to improve the squalid conditions under which they live. Rather, it stands for a crooked and twisted theological ideal that punishes the meek while rewarding the ruthless. It denigrates women and all peoples who refuse to kowtow to their system. It is, in short, pure and unadulterated evil lead by mean-spirited me. It is as evil as anything can exist be on this earth and it is something that needs to be excised like a cancerous tumor.

The epicenter of all this mess has been and continues to be the leadership of Iran. A group of individuals who see nothing wrong to strapping bombs onto the backs of children. A country who is actively planning for the destruction of Israel and who has thumbed its nose at the western world for decades while it continues to subjugate its own people. A leadership who is just begging to get socked in the jaw. Hey free world, are ya up for it?

Now I hear news that the nuclear sophistication of this very secret country may be much higher than initially thought by the west. In carefully worded public comments in recent days, both senior American and South Korean officials have uncovered that a new plant shown to a Stanford University expert last month, could not have been constructed so quickly unless there was a sophisticated network of other secret sites — and perhaps a fully running uranium enrichment plant — elsewhere in the country. Now it is thought that the north may have as many as twelve devices ready to go in their nuclear arsenal with more coming sooner rather than later.

A weapons buildup effort, at a time when relations have become strained to the breaking point with South Korea. As time moves forward, I feel that things will only go from bad to worst. America can ill afford another conflict of this potential size and scope, at this critical juncture, when the economy is sluggish, millions are out of work and our forces are spread so thin. Unfortunately, things rarely happen in the order you would like and it is entirely possible that soon the conflicts we find our country engaged in, will heighten in Muslim countries and in the Yellow Sea. As the old saying goes, I feel like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs and he that troubleth his own house…shall inherit the wind.

You can bet your bottom dollar that SEIU leadership is taking notes on how to paralyze a country into submission, as is currently happening in France this date. The labor action, led by the Confederation Generale du Travail, is a textbook example of how to force an existing government towards the lines of a Communist ideal. Sort of a ‘strong nudge’ effect.  The focus of this political tug of war are the people of France. It’s always the people (including those who work for the unions) that end up getting the shaft. There should be a national betting pool here on which European nation will fail first. The big question would then in what denominations they want to get paid?

Whatever happened to that Gulf oil spill thingy?

It’s almost as though it never happened. Poof, no spill!  This seems to be the attitude of the government and media even though much of the damage done by the Deepwater Horizon is yet to be determined. (I’m guessing the damage done to the reefs will take a very long time to heal over). Well, at least the government had the sense to lift the oil moratorium. Why they imposed it in the first place is a puzzle to me. I mean what was really accomplished except that some platforms high tailed it down to Venezuela? Really! So much of what is happening on Capitol Hill is now beyond the keen of the average citizen and I guess that is really what troubles me.

Is the race for governor in New York a joke or what?

How about that debate that featured Paladino and Cuomo along with a ragtag line up of hairballs and fringe supporters? Hope everyone caught it. What a circus. Better than the Comedy Channel even! Now while Cuomo will win the race hands down, it was refreshing to see someone like Paladino putting his neck on the line. I actually like the man. The problem is only wise-guys, insiders and crooks have the ways and means of getting elected today. It’s a shame to because it will be ‘business as usual’ once the elections are over. Count on more crumbling infrastructure, bad service and incredible waste from the new bunch of clowns that will soon take or continue holding office.  Even Kristin Davis of the Anti-Prohibition Party made a good point about how she ‘delivered on time and didn’t have to keep a second set of books’ when she ran a prostitute service.  Some day, perhaps a few honest Americans will wise up, run for office and clean up the mess left by the convicts currently in office. Can’t happen too soon for me!

US presence in Afghanistan may be a lot less because of the al-Qaeda terrorists and more because of the brewing geopolitical competition over central Asia’s vast resources, not to mention the one to three trillion dollars in minerals recently discovered there.

Afghanistan, it seems, is adjacent to Middle Eastern countries that are rich in oil and natural gas. And though Afghanistan may have little petroleum itself, it borders both Iran and Turkmenistan, countries with the second and third largest natural gas reserves in the world.

Turkmenistan is the country nobody talks about. Its huge reserves of natural gas can only get to market through pipelines. Until 1991, it was part of the Soviet Union and its gas flowed only north through Soviet pipelines. Now the Russians plan a new pipeline north. The Chinese are building a new pipeline east. The U.S. is pushing for “multiple oil and gas export routes.” High-level Russian, Chinese and American delegations make it a point to visit Turkmenistan frequently to discuss energy and plead their case.

So, you see Virginia, this war in Afghanistan is not really about terrorism. It’s all about minerals, oil and natural gas. Who has it, who’s going to get it and who will be able to take it. End of story. Zip up your fly. Game over.

As crisis after crisis has come in swift succession and then mostly hung around this country, I’m afraid I must admit to having become a bit jaded. This is especially true in light of the firing of General Stanley McChrystal in the morning hours of June the 23^rd. That the unfolding story is totally bizarre would be an understatement by me. While the press has waved and shouted about the comments he allegedly made to some Rolling Stone rat of a reporter, I have to wonder about the hidden ramifications that will be sure to come to light at some point. Surely, the General knew his remarks would create waves and surely is aides knew likewise. So, why did they do it?

Next, a quick flight across half the world followed by a brief thirty minute meeting with Obama in the morning and poof, the General is history. All this unfolding in a little over twenty four hours, even while America enters a crucial aspect of the war. Hmm. I can’t quite see what the president is doing with his other hand, but whatever it is I don’t like it. Whatever the truth of this may turn out to be, it’s apparent that an acne-faced reporter did what the Taliban could never have done on their own. Remove one of the best Generals we have to fight terror. Thanks Rolling Stone, thanks a lot!

“Iran announced Friday it has advanced its nuclear technology, unveiling new, faster centrifuges and celebrating “giant steps” forward.

In a speech celebrating National Nuclear Day, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad slammed “selfish behavior” by “arrogant” countries that have tried to negotiate a halt to Iran’s nuclear activity. As he spoke, a crowd chanted “God is great” and “Death to America.”

So, Ahmadinejad, old buddy old pal, are those new centrifuges being used just for the good of your country? Hmm…super centrifuges. Aren’t they a fast way of building a nuclear bomb? Or am I wrong here? I mean some time hence, will I be able to point with pride to a country that is working for the betterment of its people and not one that is bent on spreading radiation sickness for others?

Tell you what, Ahmadinejad; I have an envelope into which I have placed what I think your true intentions are. This was dated April 10, 2010. Oh, you scoundrel, you. Bet you I got the right answer!  Email me in about six months and I’ll be happy to share my psychic powers.

The Merchant Vessel Evita was about 300 miles from the Seychelles Thursday when three suspected pirate boats began to fire on the vessel with rifles, NBC said. They also aimed rocket-propelled grenade launchers at the Evita to force the ship to stop.

The Evita then sped up and fired flares at the skiffs, managing to escape the pirates, the news network said. That apparently is where the warship came on the scene. It’s not known if one of the pirate skiffs attempted to fire on the warship, but what is certain is that that particular vessel was turned into so much burning flotsam post haste.

If the warship elected to use a Mark 46 torpedo against the skiff, then the 100 pounds of high explosive it contains would have turned the pirates into so much jelly, which I feel is a real waste of good munitions.

I live in southwest Missouri near a small town by the name of Forsyth. The population is currently at about two thousand or more depending on who you ask. Arguably you might say my town represents the heartland of America and the folks that dwell therein a cross section of the hopes and aspirations of a nation.

The month of January, which can be know to be persnickety weather wise did not let me down. We started the month with one of the coldest weeks of over twenty years with daytime highs in the teens and lows in the single digits. We even had a four inch snow that fell on the 2^nd and then hung around until things got back to normal on the eleventh. I would then characterize the middle of the month as ‘abbey normal’ with overcast cool days and cold nights. Now, on the 21^st, there is a chance for an ice storm hitting in just a few days. Yes, it’s a normal January weather wise here in the Ozarks!

On the local scene, all appeared more or less normal. Lettuce was selling for $1.50 at the local grocery store and gas was about two and a half bucks a gallon. I think everyone is watching now for the first concrete signs of inflation to strike. (Perhaps some, like me are even beginning to horde a little here and there as a hedge against higher food prices). Unemployment is at 10% and lingering like some unwanted guest. For a town like mine, this figure is maybe a tad low as so many living here are involved in the construction trade in one form or another. I talked with a local real estate company owner who agreed that his business was still very slow. He even mentioned that seventy area agents had recently quit with perhaps more to come. Most of the people I know are either on unemployment or they doing small side jobs to keep going.

Nationally, President Obama has admitted that the health care reform bill that has taken up so much of the government’s time and energy is dead in the water at this time. He has hinted they may have to start all over from scratch. Good luck with that is my thought. Just a few days from now, on the 27^th, the president will be giving his State of the Union address. That should be interesting. I wonder how much time will be spent on his accomplishments? Perhaps not too much I think. And what about the money supply? Is the Fed still printing real money anymore? And will China continue to support us, in this, our hour of need? I am counting on Obama to touch on these issues also.

Internationally, the story this month was all about Haiti and the earthquake that hit on January the 14^th and killed more than 150,000. A number that boggles my mind. How something so horrible could happen so close to our shores is very scary to me personally. What did buoy my heart, however was and has been the incredible amount of world support that the Haitian people have received and are continuing to receive. It will be a long time before the scars heal over, but perhaps this will mark the beginning of a new and better direction for a country that has seen so many troubled times. (Haiti, I’m referring to Haiti).

TEHRAN, Iran — A conservative Iranian legislator warned Saturday that his country may pull out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty after a U.N. resolution censuring Tehran — a move that could seriously undermine world attempts to prevent Iran from developing atomic weapons.

Iran’s official news agency quoted a hardline political analyst who made the same point, another indication the idea could be gaining steam.

If Iran withdraws from the treaty, its nuclear program would no longer be subject to oversight by the U.N. nuclear agency. That in turn would be a significant blow to efforts to ensure that no enriched uranium is diverted from use as fuel to warhead development.

The lawmaker’s threat came a day after the board of the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency passed a resolution demanding Tehran immediately stop building its newly revealed nuclear facility near the holy city of Qom and freeze uranium enrichment.

“The parliament, in its first reaction to this illegal and politically-motivated resolution, can consider the issue of withdrawing from the NPT,” Mohammad Karamirad was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, referring to the treaty. “The parliament … (also) can block the entry of IAEA inspectors to the country.”

Karamirad, a senior lawmaker and member of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, does not speak for the government but his statements often reflect the government’s thinking. His threat could be a tactic to warn the West of possible consequences if it pursues further action against Iran, such as strengthened sanctions.

Another hardline lawmaker, Hossein Ebrahimi, was quoted by IRNA as saying that Iran’s parliament will discuss the IAEA resolution on Sunday and will make a decision on how to react.

Iran’s parliament has issued similar warnings in the past, most recently in 2006 when some lawmakers threatened to pull the country out of the nonproliferation treaty during another time of increased U.N. pressure over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran backed down, and the government has said that it has no intention of withdrawing from the treaty, which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology.

Iran’s government insists its nuclear program is meant only for peaceful purposes, though the U.S. and other Western nations suspect Tehran is seeking to acquire atomic weapons.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran’s chief delegate to the U.N. nuclear agency, was also defiant Saturday in the face of the agency’s fresh demands, saying on state television that Iran will limit its cooperation with the U.N. watchdog to its treaty obligations and will not cooperate beyond that.

“Our first reaction to this resolution is that they (the U.N. agency) should not expect us to do what we did several times in the past few months when we cooperated beyond our obligations to remove ambiguities,” Soltanieh said.

He added that the country’s nuclear activities will not be interrupted by resolutions from the U.N. nuclear agency’s board, the U.N. Security Council or even the threat of military strikes against the facilities.

Ali Shirzadian, spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said his agency his ready to proceed with its nuclear projects.

“Technically speaking, we are fully prepared to produce fuel required for the Tehran reactor. To begin this, we are waiting for the order from top authorities,” Shirzadian told the government-run Borna news agency.

Friday’s resolution — and the resulting vote of the IAEA’s 35-nation decision-making board — were significant on several counts.

The resolution was approved by 25 members of the 35-nation board — including the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — marking a rare measure of unity from the six world powers on Iran.

Moscow and Beijing have traditionally cautioned against efforts to punish Iran for its defiance over its nuclear program, either preventing new Security Council sanctions or watering down their potency.

The IAEA resolution criticized Iran for defying a U.N. Security Council ban on uranium enrichment — the source of both nuclear fuel and the fissile core of warheads.

It also censured Iran for secretly building a uranium enrichment facility, known as Fordo, and demanded that it immediately suspend further construction.

The resolution noted that IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei cannot confirm that Tehran’s nuclear program is exclusively geared toward peaceful uses, and expressed “serious concern” that Iranian stonewalling of an IAEA probe means “the possibility of military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear program” cannot be excluded.

The Iranian news agency also quoted hardline political analyst Mahdi Mohammadi as saying that the U.N. agency’s resolution was forcing Iran to reconsider its membership in the nonproliferation treaty.

“The attitude of the agency is gradually bringing Iran and the rest of the developing nations to the conclusion that membership in NPT has no benefit but damage and restriction. In this case, the question that will be raised seriously is will continuation of this path serve Iran’s national interests?” IRNA quoted him as saying.