10 Reasons On Why We Should Not Be In Libya

10 Reasons Why We Shouldn't Be In Libya -- James Delingpole, The Telegraph

“It is one of those times when I feel estranged from the country and not comprehending of what we are doing and why everyone is so gung-ho for it all.” Rod Liddle on the Anglo-French/American Libyan intervention Spectator May 26

“One can only gape in stunned amazement at the extent of the idiocy being displayed by the leaders of America, Britain and Europe over the ‘Arab Spring’ – which should surely be renamed ‘the Arab Boomerang’.” Melanie Phillips on Libya in her Spectator blog.

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My Comment: Reasons #3, #4, #5, and #6 are the ones that resonate the most for me.

U.S. State Department Blocks Arms Sale To Taiwan Over Fears Of Chinese Retailiation

Photo: SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images

State Blocks Taiwan Arms -- Washington Times

The State Department is holding up final approval of Taiwan’s request for a multibillion-dollar arms package to upgrade Taipei’s fleet of aging F-16 jets.

U.S. national security officials close to the issue said the arms package, along with a report to Congress on Taiwan’s air power that is more than a year late, is being delayed by senior Obama administration officials, including Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, who are seeking to avoid a third rupture in U.S.-China military relations over Taiwan arms sales.

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My Comment: There was a time when U.S. policy makers did what they felt was right and in the best interests of the United States, especially when it came to giving support to our allies who we felt were being intimidated and threatened by other countries and our adversaries. Today .... it seems that we live in an alternate universe. We do not want to offend those same countries who have no problem in threatening and intimidating our allies and long term friends .... and we do so openly.

The Bureaucracy Mess At Arlington Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery, Section 64

Arlington's Paper Trail Of Problems -- Time Magazine

Many large modern cemeteries store data on the identity of remains via computer and keep track of grave locations with the aid of satellites. The previous leadership at the cemetery blew unknown millions trying to develop a similar system, but ended up just handing money to favored contractors who did little in return, according to an Army investigation last summer. As a result, Arlington tries to keep track of around 30 burials a day on pieces of paper.

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My Comment: So much for treating sacred ground as sacred ground.

Picture Of The Day

PROWLER PATROL - U.S. Navy Seaman Ryan Hilliard directs an EA-6B Prowler on to catapult one before launching off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Pacific Ocean, March 29, 2011. The Ronald Reagan is off the coastline of Japan providing disaster relief and humanitarian assistance to Japan to support Operation Tomodachi. Hilliard is an aviation boatswain's mate and the Prowler is assigned to the Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 139. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord

Israel Reveal 1,000 Hezbollah Military Positions In Southern Lebanon

'Israel Releases Map Detailing Hundreds Of Hezbollah Sites In Lebanon' -- Haaretz

Map obtained by the Washington Post reveals that Israeli intelligence officials believe that the 550 underground bunkers identified have been stocked with weapons transferred from Syria since the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Israeli military officials have provided a map detailing nearly 1,000 sites and facilities monitored by the Hezbollah militant group in southern Lebanon, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Israeli intelligence officials believe that the 550 underground bunkers identified have been stocked with weapons transferred from Syria since the 2006 Second Lebanon War, according to the report. The map obtained by the Washington Post also details 300 surveillance sites and 100 other facilities Israel believes belong to Hezbollah militants.

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More News On Israel Revealing Hezbollah Military Positions in Southern Lebanon

Israeli Map Shows Nearly 1,000 Hezbollah Sites -- NPR/AP
Israel releases map of Hezbollah bunkers in Lebanon -- Ynet News
Maps released of Hizbullah's military sites, bunkers -- Jerusalem Post
Hezbollah located in 1,000 facilities in southern Lebanon -- Israel Defense Forces

My Comment: I guess this is Israel's way of telling Hezbollah that we are watching you, and that we are also targeting you.

Why No Enthusiastic Advocacy For The British Defense Industry?

A pair of Tornados prepare to take off from RAF Lossiemouth Photo: Reuters

Who Will Defend The Defence Industry? -- Con Coughlin, The Telegraph

Ministers should be banging the drum about British skills and planning for the future , says Con Coughlin.

The Government’s enthusiastic advocacy of a no-fly zone for Libya has provided a graphic illustration of its willingness, when necessary, to exercise military muscle. Within hours of the UN Security Council approving a resolution that authorised military action, British planes, submarines and frigates were in the thick of it, attacking Colonel Gaddafi’s tanks and anti-aircraft defences.

Indeed, the performance of RAF Tornados and Typhoons has been critical in turning the tide against the Libyan regime’s forces. Thanks to the crews’ skill in using their Storm Shadow and Brimstone missiles in precision attacks, the rebels have been able to battle for control of the port of Sirte, the Gaddafi clan’s stronghold.

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My Comment: The British mindset is .... what can I say .... British .... and extolling the virtues of the defense industry is not in their character. But on the flip side .... extolling the virtues of the British soldier is something that they have no trouble in doing.

he World Could Never Survive A Real 'Battle: Los Angeles'

Military Expert: The World Could Never Survive a Real 'Battle: Los Angeles' -- AoL

A giant spaceship from another world arrives during the day and positions itself above the White House in Washington, while more ships do the same over other major cities around the world.

Then, without warning, all hell breaks loose, and the ships begin using devastating weapons and power to destroy everything around them -- people, buildings, military resistance.

This continues for about two hours of popcorn-eating enjoyment until the Earthlings on screen somehow come up with a miracle to stop these unwelcome invaders from laying waste to our beloved planet.

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My Comment: An interesting .... what if .... analysis. On a side note .... I enjoyed the film.

At Least Gaddafi's Daughter Supports Him

Woman of war: Colonel Gaddafi's glamorous daughter Aisha, 34, wears a veil and waves her father's flag as she conjures support among Libyans weary from weeks of conflict

Gaddafi's Glamorous Blonde Lawyer Daughter Joins Soldiers On The Front Line -- The Daily Mail

* Fleeing rebels pushed out of Ras Lanuf
* Ragtag opposition seems incapable of holding ground without air strikes
* David Cameron says he has not ruled out arming rebels
* Five Libyan diplomats expelled from the UK
* Officials downplay 'flickers' of Al Qaeda involvement in rebel forces
* 'Claudia Schiffer of North Africa' rallies troops

Colonel Gaddafi has unleashed his latest weapon against Libya's revolutionaries - his glamorous blonde daughter.

The tyrant today continued to press home a counter-attack in the east of the county, pushing fleeing rebel forces back out of Ras Lanuf - a town they had only regained with the help of international air strikes a couple of days ago.

And he now hopes to rally fresh support among weary troops with the help of his pretty 34-year-old daughter Aisha.

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My Comment: Aside from the glamor shots, I would not be surprise if many in Libya revile her and for what she stands for.

China Is Nervous About North Korea

China Builds Higher Fences Over Fears Of Instability In North Korea -- The Telegraph

China is reinforcing fences and has stepped up patrols along its border with North Korea as fears mount of a catastrophic famine in the secretive Stalinist state.

Fences more than 13ft high, topped with barbed wire, are now being erected along an eight-mile stretch of the Yalu river around the Chinese city of Dandong. This is a popular escape point for North Korea refugees seeking food or better lives, Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

"It's the first time such strong border fences are being erected here. Looks like it is related to the unstable situation in North Korea," a resident said of the work which began last November but is ongoing.

Previously the border was only marked by a 10ft-high fence which "anybody could cross if they really wanted", the resident added.

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My Comment: The Chinese have no illusions on what is happening in North Korea, and the last thing that they want is millions of North Korean refugees pouring into their northern provinces. From the Chinese perspective, continuous news reports like this one only reinforces their opinions.

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- March 30, 2011

Bashar al-Assad's Day Of Reckoning -- Simon Tisdall, The Guardian

The Syrian president's televised address to the nation could be a moment of opportunity or a fatal step in his fall from grace

Bashar al-Assad's address to the nation is easily the biggest moment of his young political life. Syria has faced multiple crises during the president's 11-year rule, including a massive refugee influx after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the 2004 Kurdish uprising, a rift with Lebanon after the Hariri assassination in 2005 and Israel's bombing of a supposed nuclear reactor in 2007. But none seriously threatened the 45-year-old Assad's grip on power, nor the survival of the regime. This is different.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Yemen's Crisis: The President Who Cried "Al-Qaeda!" -- Erik Stier, Yahoo News/Time

Sarkozy Gets the Better of Obama -- Leon Hadar, National Interest

South Sudan: Will Freedom Just Lead to Civil War? -- Alan Boswell, Time

Has Fukushima's Reactor No. 1 Gone Critical? -- Eben Harrell, Time

How Dangerous Is Japan's Creeping Nuclear Disaster? -- Veronika Hackenbroch, Takako Maruga and Cordula Meyer, Spiegel Online

Japan’s Political Tremors -- Karel van Wolferen, The Diplomat

The Iraq Syndrome Revisited -- John Mueller, Council On Foreign Affairs

India’s corruption curse -- Jaswant Singh, Joong Ang Daily

The African Success of Team China -- Michael Gerson, Real Clear Politics

A Bogus Report By Rolling Stone About Our Troops In Afghanistan Has Me Crying 'Bulls**t' -- Michael Yon, FOX News

'Kill Team' in Afghanistan Brings Shame to America -- Leslie Marshall, USA Today

Commentary: Where Taliban, government practice peaceful co-existence -- Maiwand Safi, McClatchy News

Syria’s special place as the Middle East’s mafioso -- Michael Ross, National Post
Is Assad Capable of Reform? -- Volker Perthes, New York Times
Assad’s shaky house -- Jeff Jacoby, Boston.com
Assad Does a Mubarak -- Dominic Waghorn, SKY News
Al-Assad could unleash immense violence tomorrow -- CNN
Israel, long critical of Assad, may prefer he stay after all -- Janine Zacharia, Washington Post
Analysis: Assad the intimidator -- David Horowitz, Jerusalem Post
Analysis: Syria status quo serves Israelis and Palestinians -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters
Factbox: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- Reuters

Is Ivorian conflict a civil war? -- UPI
Ivory Coast's conflict and Rwanda's genocide: Key differences -- Christian Science Monitor
Q&A: What's at stake as Ivory Coast teeters on the verge of civil war -- The Telegraph

Commentaries, Opinions, Editorials, And Analysis On the War In Libya

As Libyan Rebels Stall, Obama Faces Impossible Choice -- Max Fisher, The Atlantic
Why more weapons wouldn't help Libya's rebels – at least not right away -- Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor
Mission Unaccomplished -- Ross Kaminsky, American Spectator
Arming Libya's rebels: A cautionary tale -- Jonathan Marcus, BBC
Jumping the gun in Libya -- Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, Washington Times
Team Obama, world police -- Washington Times editorial
Hillary's War -- Victor Sharpe, American Thinker
Two Libyan States? -- J.R. Dunn, American Thinker
Assassinating Gaddafi -- Paul Kengor, American Thinker
Double vision over Libya -- Donald Lambro, Washington Times
Libyan Rebels no Bargain for U.S. -- Chris Stirewalt, FOX News
Did Barack Obama channel George W. Bush in his Libya speech? -- Andrew Malcolm, L.A. Times