LET EUROPE SECURE ITS OWN OIL SUPPLIES

Excerpt below from American Thinker. Note that with Western hemisphere oil -- from Mexico, Venezuela, Alaska etc., the USA does not really need Arab oil. Most Alaskan oil goes in fact to Japan

Europe gets forty percent of its oil through the Persian Gulf. But by an accident of history (and civilized policy -- ours, that is) it is the United States that guards the Gulf from madmen like Ahmadinejad. Well, so be it. We gain from world peace and free trade, and it is better to keep the maniacs far away from our shores.

But it is now way past time for Europe to step up to the plate again. They have the economic might, the population, the brains -- but not the guts -- to behave as a decent actor on the world stage. And the British "hostage crisis" -- which was not a crisis at all, but a staged provocation, an invitation for the Brits to kowtow, which they did -- should spell the end of our patience.

Europe's response to Ahaminejad's game tells us all we need to know. Tony Blair tossed the hot potato to the UN, which tossed it right back again. Then he tried his good friends in the EU, and they ducked it altogether. Then, secretly, he got George W. to trade Iran's Quds thugs, who were imprisoned in Iraq for directing IED attacks on Americans, in trade for those 15 clueless Brits. Result: The West looked helpless against the ruthless blackmailers of Qom. So in the end, Europe got away again with letting Uncle Sam do it.

We can shrug off the screaming anti-American hate mongering of the media in Germany, France and (on the Left) in Britain. We can ignore the fact that Britain is selling its sovereignty to the EU, about as feckless a bunch of political con artists as ever exploited a badly indoctrinated population. What we cannot allow, over the long term, is to get stuck with all the adult work of maintaining the peace around the world, while the Europeans exploit our generosity and we pay the price in blood and treasure. It's past time for Europe to grow up.

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THIS DISGRACE HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES

How dumb and irresponsible can military bureaucrats get? Every soldier or ex-soldier knows the answer to that: VERY. For decades the U.S. army has been issuing its troops with a rifle that constantly refuses to work -- despite unending complaints and despite the danger to the lives of the troops. No wonder lots of U.S. troops in Iraq keep an AK47 handy!

It's a debate that's gone on for years - and now it's finally coming to a head. The compact M4 carbine - a shortened version of the M16 - that is now standard issue for most Army troops, some Marines and other specialized units is facing increased criticism because of its tendency to malfunction with even the minutest exposure to the elements. Some ground communities, including special operations forces, have begun to sideline the M4 in favor of newer, gas-piston operated variants such as the Heckler & Koch-manufactured 416 and the FNH-built Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle, or SCAR....

The 416 is used by the Army's elite Delta Force, and a recent Army Times investigation showed the service's top equipment buyers ignored data from the spec ops community showing the M4 had fundamental flaws. Enamored by the development of futuristic weapons such as the XM29 and, later, XM8 - neither of which were ever fielded - the M4 stayed in the hands of Soldiers deploying to hot, dusty, austere environments like Iraq and Afghanistan....

So far, however, the Army is unwilling to buy what the special operations community believes is a clearly superior system and is still spending money looking for another technology while Soldiers use what many say is an inferior weapon in harsh combat conditions.

More here

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ELSEWHERE

The hypocrites who condemn Imus: "Sharpton and Jackson have now highlighted something they never intended to address, i.e., the vile and disgusting content of much hip-hop and rap music. Conservative talk show hosts don't play this stuff on the air. It's the bread-and-butter of Urban radio stations. Hollywood celebrates it ("It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Original Song—lyrics here) Sharpton and Jackson have never picketed an Urban radio station; they've never called for boycotts of the record labels that produce this filth; they've never asked the FCC to investigate the playing of these recordings on the public airwaves; and they've never demanded the firing of any DJs or executives who promote it."

Possible Imus backlash?: "It's possible CBS, MSNBC and other advertisers forgot something. Imus's fans. He had about 3 million listeners, and if the local affiliate call in show is any indication, people are PO'd as hell about how CBS and MSNBC handled this. So far not a positive call one about Sharpton, with callers using all the well known names he is know by. While a lot of callers cite that he was wrong about making the statement, they are outraged that CBS and MSNBC bowed to race pressure and blackmail. A lot of the talk is of fan letter writing campaigns and stuff to force CBS to put the show back up on the air. Anyone knows, 3 million people can bark real loud at sponsors. This could get good".

A good quote from Taranto: "The news media, supposedly vigilant against racial stereotypes, actually are relentless in promoting politically correct ones: privileged whites, victimized blacks. As with all stereotypes, these have a degree of truth--but as the Duke case shows, stereotypes also can obscure the truth, sometimes with unjust results."

Waste and mismanagement are the hallmarks of government: "As many as 6 million prepared meals stockpiled near potential victims of the 2006 hurricane season spoiled in the Gulf Coast heat last summer when the Federal Emergency Management Agency ran short of warehouse and refrigeration space, according to agency officials."

UK: Govgoons to raid homes over parking tickets?: "The UK parliament is considering legislation that would authorize bailiffs to break into the homes of motorists accused of not paying parking tickets. Under legislation currently making its way through the House of Commons, bailiffs would seize items out of the home in order to pay off the amount owed in tickets, plus hefty fees. Any homeowner that attempting to stop the bailiff would face up to a year in prison."

For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, IMMIGRATION WATCH and EYE ON BRITAIN.

List of backup or "mirror" sites here or here -- for readers in China or for everyone when blogspot is "down" or failing to update. Email me here (Hotmail address). My Home Pages are here or here or here

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"Why should the German be interested in the liberation of the Jew, if the Jew is not interested in the liberation of the German?... We recognize in Judaism, therefore, a general anti-social element of the present time... In the final analysis, the emancipation of the Jews is the emancipation of mankind from Judaism.... Indeed, in North America, the practical domination of Judaism over the Christian world has achieved as its unambiguous and normal expression that the preaching of the Gospel itself and the Christian ministry have become articles of trade... Money is the jealous god of Israel, in face of which no other god may exist". Who said that? Hitler? No. It was Karl Marx. See also here and here.

The Big Lie of the late 20th century was that Nazism was Rightist. It was in fact typical of the Leftism of its day. It was only to the Right of Stalin's Communism. The very word "Nazi" is a German abbreviation for "National Socialist" (Nationalsozialistisch) and the full name of Hitler's political party (translated) was "The National Socialist German Workers' Party".

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