400 Killed In The Bloodiest Day In Syria

Stench Of Burnt Bodies Smothers Syrian City, Residents Say -- CNN

(CNN) -- The stench of the burnt bodies was so potent, Abu Jafar said, he could smell it from 2 kilometers away.

"It smells awful because the regime appears to have burnt so many bodies recently," the opposition activist said Sunday from the beleaguered city of Homs.

"Some cars arrived this morning and carried away dead bodies. We are not sure where."

Jafar's account comes a day after what may be the deadliest day yet in Syria's 21-month civil war, according to opposition figures.

At least 397 people were killed across the country Saturday, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said.

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Update: Syrian opposition: As many as 400 killed in deadliest single day in civil war -- Washington Post

My Comment: 400 killed in one day .... I expect even more in the weeks and months ahead.

Russia: Assad Will Not Go

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Rueters

Assad Won't Go Soon, Russia Warns Opposition -- Sydney Morning Herald

MOSCOW: The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has said the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, will not quit before his term ends in 2014 and that it is ''impossible to change his position''.

The declaration came as Syrian armed forces recaptured a town in the west of the country after days of heavy fighting, Al Jazeera television reported. Government troops had taken control of Deir Balbah, near Homs, the station reported. An opposition coalition said the troops had executed some 220 residents, who were among at least 392 people killed across the country. The figures are unconfirmed.

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My Comment: I think the Syrian rebel movement figured that out a long time ago. This is a fight to the finish .... the only question that is left is .... will Assad be killed, captured, or will he flee to Iran. My prediction is that he will eventually flee to the Alawite strongholds on the Mediterranean coast, and if the rebels succeed in attacking there, he will either flee to the Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon or flyover Iraq (that still does not have a proper air force) to flee to Iran.

Pakistani Militants Are On The Offensive

Pakistan Militants Kill 41 In Mass Execution, Attack On Shi'ites -- Reuters

Pakistani militants, who have escalated attacks in recent weeks, killed at least 41 people in two separate incidents, officials said on Sunday, challenging assertions that military offensives have broken the back of hardline Islamist groups.

The United States has long pressured nuclear-armed ally Pakistan to crack down harder on both homegrown militants groups such as the Taliban and others which are based on its soil and attack Western forces in Afghanistan.

In the north, 21 men working for a government-backed paramilitary force were executed overnight after they were kidnapped last week, a provincial official said.

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Update: Bomb kills 19 Pakistan pilgrims, 21 troops shot dead -- AFP

My Comment: What will it take for the Pakistani military and intelligence services to finally act against these militants and Al Qaeda linked terror organizations .... your guess is as good as mine.

Egypt To Pursue Ties With Hezbollah

Thousands of people carry flags as they gather for burial of slain intelligence officer Hassan in downtown Beirut (Reuters / Stringer)

Egypt To Strengthen Ties With Hezbollah -- RT

Egypt will develop its ties with Hezbollah, recognizing it as a “real political and military force,” said an Egyptian official to Lebanese press. The announcement signals a U-turn in policy where Egypt had accused the group of operating terror cells.

In an interview with Lebanese publication the Daily Star, Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Ashraf Hamdy said that his country’s newly-elected Islamist government would build “tight” relations with Hezbollah.

He stated that the ruling Muslim Brotherhood was “stretching out its hand” to its neighbors with a view to developing its foreign policy and furthering interests.

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Update #1: New Egypt warms up to Hezbollah: ambassador -- Daily Star
Update #2: Egypt to pursue relationship with Hezbollah -- Jerusalem Post

My Comment: So Egypt has made it official .... they are aligning themselves with an organization that has been labelled as a terrorist group by the U.S.. This is a major policy shift, and will have an impact on the region and on Israeli - Egyptian ties. No comment from the White House, and even less coverage from the U.S. main stream media on this breaking story.

Picture Of The Day

Apache Flares - An AH-64 Apache helicopter releases flares over a valley to support coalition special operations forces and Afghan soldiers during a firefight near Nawa Garay village in the Kajran district of Afghanistan's Daykundi province, April 3, 2012. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Dillon

I Thought Hillary Clinton Was Too Sick To Testify On Benghazi?

Bill and Hillary Clinton. Reuters

Bill And Hillary Clinton In Punta Cana For New Year's Celebration -- Dominican Today

Punta Cana, DR.– Ex-president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton are enjoying their year-end vacation in Punta Cana, in the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic.

According to press reports, the Clintons will celebrate New Year’s at the Puntacana Resort & Club and could also attend a fashion show scheduled for December 29, which will be held in honor of famous Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta.

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Update: Hillary Clinton too sick to testify on Benghazi, not too sick to party -- Examiner

My Comment: I am very skeptical of this report. I do believe that something is medically wrong with her, it is not like her to avoid the spotlight this long when something goes wrong like Benghazi.

Update: State Dept. Says Hillary Clinton Is Not Celebrating in Dominican Republic as Reported -- Human Events

My Comment #2: Just curious .... but what are they doing for New Years Eve? Not surprisingly .... that's a question that the U.S. State Department did not answer except to say that she will return to work next week and that she had slated this period of time as a holiday.

The Year In 60 Seconds: 2012

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - A multimedia showcase of some of 2012's top stories, including the war in Syria, the Benghazi attack, anti-austerity protests, the Newtown tragedy, superstorm Sandy, the South African miner tragedy, the U.S. election and Felix Baumgartner's space jump. Production by Jillian Kitchener.

The 10 Most Viewed Videos From The White House

A Digital Milestone In 2012: 100,000,000 Video Views -- White House Blog

 

Earlier this month, we reached a milestone with the news that our videos have been viewed more than 100,000,000 (that's one hundred million!) times since we launched the official White House YouTube channel on Inauguration weekend in 2009. Two of our most watched videos of all time were posted in the first week of President Obama’s term.

Since then, viewers have had a chance to follow the President, the First Family and the Obama Administration on YouTube via almost daily video updates, including the President’s weekly address, on demand versions of all of his speeches and remarks at public events, video of events that take place at the White House like our Champions of Change celebrations, plus behind the scenes looks at everything from preparing for the holiday season and planting the Kitchen Garden each year, to West Wing Week, an up-close review of the President’s schedule.

Check out the 10 most viewed videos below.  If you want to see more, visit our YouTube channel  -- you can subscribe for regular updates.

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Venezuela Is Now More Dangerous Than Afghanistan

Venezuela Murder Rate Soars -- The Telegraph

Venezuela, the most violent country in South America, recorded a new high of 21,692 murders this year along with a surge in kidnappings, prison riots and random shootings.

The number of victims was up by 12 per cent from last year when there were 19,336 deaths, the Venezuelan Violence Observatory said in its annual report.

High profile killings included that of a three year-old child, Edgar Torres, who was fired on 10 times while he was asleep in bed, after a gunman had come in to kill a teenage relative.

In August more than 20 people were killed in a battle between two heavily armed groups inside the Yare I prison. More than 300 prisoners died in Venezuelan jails in the first half of the year.

The Mexican ambassador Carlos Pujalte and his wife were seized from their car in a wealthy area of Caracas and held for several hours before being released alive in a slum in January.

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My Comment: Some of these stats are "eye-opening" ....

.... There are more murders in Venezuela than in the United States and the 27 countries of the European Union combined. In Caracas the murder rate is more than 200 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Here is another 'eye-opening' stat .... total NATO casualties in over 11 years of war in Afghanistan is  3,245.  Coalition casualties in operation Iraqi Freedom were 4,804.

Hat Tip: Prairie Pundit

Humor Is A Battlefield Weapon

Humor Can Be The Best Battlefield Weapon A Marine Ever Had -- Garrett Anderson, Business Insider

Happy Marines could be found throughout the Battle of Fallujah.

They would usually start at it early in the morning when their dirty faces could get away with it, a smile and a laugh, usually at some other Marine’s expense, the energy was strong in the morning, and everyone could only be happy before an operation. After that the smiles appeared only in brief short bursts, behind the gunfire and fire, the smoke that choked the young men with their black lungs.

I met Paul Stewgots during his first day assigned to our Infantry unit; he had transferred over from security forces and the Marine Corps’ elite fleet anti-terrorism force (Fast Company). I was mopping the floor in the Alpha Company office.

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My Comment: These men were lucky .... they lived to tell the tale. Humor is everyone's defense mechanism when things go terribly wrong .... especially for soldiers. I rarely saw my father laugh .... but his war buddies (at least those who survived) told me at his funeral that during the war he was a regular joker .... always making everyone laugh .... especially when times were rough and horrible. I never saw that in my dad .... I guess in the end the war took that away from him ....