Category: Current Events

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Russia builds huge bombs, switches up the government

A few days ago, Russia announced to the world that they had a new, massive, non-nuclear bomb that puts any other bombs out there to shame.

Russia unveils the ‘father of all bombs’

Russia’s military yesterday announced that it had successfully tested a lethal new air-delivered bomb, which it described as the world’s most powerful non-nuclear weapon.

In what appears to be the Kremlin’s latest display of military might, officials said Moscow had developed a new thermobaric bomb to add to its already potent nuclear arsenal.

Russia’s state-run Channel One television said the new ordnance – dubbed the Father of all Bombs – is four times more powerful than the US’s Mother of all Bombs. [guardian]

Then when you see the following headline a few days later, I find it very intriguing.

Putin dissolves Russian government, names new PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the resignation of the country’s prime minister and named the head of a financial market watchdog as his replacement, the Kremlin said. […]

In his place, Putin nominated Victor Zubkov, an little-known economist who has headed the country’s financial monitoring service since 2001.

The move sets the stage for Putin to set up a favoured successor in the high-profile prime minister’s office before upcoming legislative elections in December, followed by a presidential election in March, the CBC’s Nick Spicer reported Wednesday from Moscow. [cbc]

Makes you think a little.

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The climate is ripe for irony

There is too much going on in the world of terrorism, the Bush administration, and the coming mid-term elections in the U.S. to not wonder about all of its coincidence.

DUBAI (Reuters) – Al Jazeera television aired a video tape on Thursday showing al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden meeting what is said were some of the September 11 attackers, days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the strikes.

The Arabic channel said the tape documented the “daily life” of al Qaeda operatives as they trained and prepared in the mountains of Afghanistan. Bin Laden was shown in long white robes walking through rocky terrain with aides carrying rifles.

Release of the five-year-old video was clearly timed to coincide with the anniversary of an attack that killed almost 3,000 and launched the United States on a “war on terror” from home shores to Iraq and Afghanistan. [reuters]

This makes sense. The five year anniversary is upon us, and I would bet that terror threat levels will rise over the next few days. What else is there?

George Bush acknowledged for the first time yesterday the existence of a secret CIA prison network, and said the mastermind of the September 11 2001 terror attacks and other high-value detainees had been transferred to Guantánamo Bay.

In a robust defence of the detention regime that has brought condemnation around the world, the US president said Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Qaida operative believed to have plotted the attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, and 13 other terror suspects had been brought to Guantánamo and would be brought to trial. [guardian]

So the secret prisons, that everyone seemed to already know about, actually exist. Of course, everything has been humane and there hasn’t been any ill-treatment of prisoners. Whew! What a relief, but there’s more.

The terror suspect accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks also planned to crash hijacked airliners into Heathrow airport, according to documents released by the US government.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed conceived a plot to hit Heathrow after the attacks on America five years ago, the documents from the US office of the director of national intelligence said.

Another alleged al-Qaida member Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, described as a “key facilitator” in 9/11, was said to have been a “lead operative” in the UK plan, which the US said was disrupted in 2003.

The details emerged in profiles (pdf) of 14 terror suspects, including Mohammed and Bin al-Shibh, who, the US announced yesterday, have been transferred from secret CIA prisons around the world to Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. [guardian]

It just so happens that this terror plot was averted five years ago, but the world is being told to be thankful that secret prison camps stopped it from happening. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, five years after the fact.

Bush made the surprise admission as he prodded the U.S. Congress to approve rules for military commissions to try such detainees and with national security a key issue for Republicans who face the possibility of losses in the November congressional elections. [reuters]

Combined with the five year anniversary of 9/11 and the potential of losing the majority hand in congress, there is way too much going on here to not say that the irony of the situation makes you scratch your head a little. Even if it’s too conspiracy for you, the coincidence is incredibly interesting.

I’ll toss in a recent CNN poll about former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani[wiki], being a heavy favorite for the Republican presidential nominee for 2008 as well. That’s a whole lot of 9/11 going on.

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Blogging from inside Lebanon

Blog: Back to Iraq [Christopher Allbritton]There’s been a lot of discussion about the war in the southern region of Lebanon being different from any other conflict that we have ever experienced, especially in this Web 2.0 world.  People are blogging about it and posting videos on YouTube as everything unfolds, offering a unique, personal observation of what is going on there.

I’ve been paying attention to a blog, Back to Iraq, for some months, and this guy seems to have a knack for finding himself in, or even seeking out, tight situations.  In fact, Christopher Allbritton is a freelance journalist who reports for numerous news organizations, Time Magazine being one of the more well known ones.  After living in Iraq for about two years, he relocated to Beirut, well before the recent conflict.

His recent post is an amazing summary of the hardship that the civilians are eduring through all of this fighting.  I’m sure this won’t be the last time something like this will be said.

The Israelis have started shelling or bombing Dahiye again. While writing this, a massive blast rattled my windows. I can only hope that something can be done to stop this.  [back-to-iraq]

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Understanding the origins of Isreal and Palestine

I’ve read various sites of where people are having a hard time understanding where the tensions in and around Isreal has come from. Long story short, it’s been a constant struggle for a very, very long time, political and ideological differences being a factor that skims the surface. However, a post on BlogCritics the other day had a really good introduction to explaining the basics. It’s hardly a complete explanation, but it will enlighten those looking for some introductory answers.

A month or so ago somebody asked me a question that took me aback, not just because of the question, but because of the questioner. She is someone I’ve always thought was informed and knew about issues and their background, so I was quite shocked when out of the blue she asked me if I knew who the Palestinians were.

I must have look puzzled, and some of my shock must have shown on my face, because she clarified by saying that what she meant was where did they come from and how did the situation originally come about. I was still shocked, not the least because I wondered how many other people don’t know what had happened back in the late 1940s through to post-1967? [blogcritics]

The discussion that followed in the comments has been interesting to watch. History will always have flaws in the way that it is relayed. Bias and slants are a given. The best you can do is get information where ever you can. Just keep an open mind while you’re trying to sort out how much hard fact is in what you’re finding.

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They are pushing for the ban in Iowa as well

The amendment to ban gay marriage in the U.S. is not limited to the federal level. States around the nation are taking on the issue, and Iowa is included.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle[wiki] says banning gay marriage is a “quality of life” issue. Nussle, who is leaving congress after serving 16 years in the House, supports amendments to the federal and state constitutions that would ban gay marriage. “I’m an original co-sponsor of the amendment to protect marriage at a federal level. It was just re-introduced and I’m an original co-sponsor of that as well and I believe Iowa needs to set a standard when it comes to quality of life, and that’s based on the union between a man and a woman,” Nussle says.

Nussle says “activist judges” are “out of control” and have “free-lanced” on cases which have set in motion a fight over whether gay and lesbian couples have the same rights as married men and women. “I believe there’s a clear difference in this election between the candidates on this issue,” Nussle says. [radioiowa]

I’ve always had it in my mind that, aside from the idea of seperation of church and state, the government should always make laws regardless of sex or race. More often than none, much of those laws that have been created revolve around crime. People want the right to celebrate their love through marriage, regardless of their sexual orientation.

It’s all a matter of governments officially recognizing the union of a same-sex marriage, but there is also a slight stigma that conveys a sense of it being against the law for homosexuals to be in love, in the eyes of the state. We struggled with similar notions, such as apartheid, in the past. All humans deserve the respect and ability of being treated as equals.

I know who I don’t want for “guber” this fall back in my home state, but don’t think you can escape to Canada where gay marriage is llegal today. Prime Minister Harper[wiki] is pushing for a vote to repeal the law this fall. Conservative mindsets are noticeably on the rise in North America.

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Always wear sunscreen

You always hear that sunbathing can be dangerous to your health, but this is pushing it.  She was just a woman catching some rays while in California for her son’s wedding, all the way from Souix City, Iowa.

OXNARD, California (AP) — Two police officers patrolling a beach in an SUV on Monday ran over and killed a sunbather, authorities said.

The officers did not immediately realize they ran over the woman and continued driving, police Cmdr. Tom Chronister said in a statement.

The officers, who were not immediately identified, had stopped on a small berm of sand to watch a swimmer who they believed to be in distress. When they saw the swimmer was fine, they drove over the berm and apparently over the woman’s head, authorities said. [cnn]

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The plan for building a southern fence

The immigration bill passed the U.S. Senate with funding approved to “strengthen” the border with Mexico, but that made me curious about the plans for this new fence. So often you hear about the massive funding approved for some government project, but the specific details are difficult to find. Interviews with politicians in Washington give some insight, but not a whole lot. Saying exactly where or what tends to affect the bidding for the contract for whatever company takes on the task, but the lowest bidder always wins.

The details I’m looking for come from the interest group pushing hard for this reform. WeNeedAFence.com offers their opinion on what the border should be, either in its entirety or along “strategic points” along the boundry to Mexico. Barbed wire, ditches, motion sensors, and double fences. It’s the dream setup for any militaristic entity wanting to promote a “you’re not wanted here” message.

The message this promotes is unhealthy. Illegal immigrants are a problem, but the problem won’t go away that easily. It’s never been proven that gaps in the southern border has directly led to terrorism, and you might recall news story prior to 9/11 when a man tried entering Washington State from Canada with bomb making materials.

The same interest group makes a comparison of the U.S. situation with terrorism to Isreal’s.

A secure, state-of-the-art border fence must be one element of any comprehensive effort to address the illegal immigration problem. Similar fences in Israel have reduced terrorist attacks by up to 95%. [weneedafence]

If that’s true, and there was, very recently, a sizable terrorist plot broken up in Ontario[news.google], located much closer to Washington D.C., shouldn’t there be as much concern for Canada? Our biggest trade partners? That might impede on both of our economies though, so that would be potentially damaging. More, visible terrorists plots to the north, but more economical effects coming for the south. The money is always the winner.

Here’s an idea. Create stiffer penalities for employing illegal immigrants and follow up on them. And by that I mean fines. Then you can take the millions that you don’t blow on building a fence combined with the cash you make on actually enforcing laws to pay off the debt for the war in Iraq. Even that idea has holes, but it makes a whole lot more sense than a big “do not enter” sign.

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Luring In Illegal Immigrants Via Email

News coming out of Iowa.

When a lawyer for Estephanie Izaquirre, a parentless teenager from Honduras, received an e-mail from an immigration official in Des Moines saying the girl should come downtown and “complete the paperwork” Thursday, he thought that meant she was about to get her green card.

Instead, a deportation officer arrested Izaquirre, five days after she graduated from East High School in Des Moines.  [desmoinesregister.com]

Both sides of the issue present arguments that are understandable, but the fact is that this girl is fresh from graduating high school.  That is hardly a  high crime compared to some of the other immigrants staying in the U.S. illegally.  More so, “at age 17 (she) was granted special immigrant juvenile status as an abandoned, abused child with nowhere else to go.”  She moved beyond that status and became illegal when turning eighteen.  I would like to think that immigration officials would consider that history prior to arresting her just a few days after her eighteenth birthday, having it translate over to an approved status as an adult.

The more you consider all the elements of this situation, the less it seems to make sense.  Immigration being the hot topic in the news right now, authorities are doing everything they can to show that they are doing their job.  This might be evidence that they are doing too much in certain areas.  Lori Chasser has it right by saying, “What are we going after juveniles for? I mean, can’t we concentrate on drug traffickers and human traffickers? I don’t understand where we’re going with this enforcement.”

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Give Indonesia A Break

The tsunami, bird flu, earthquake, volcano, mudslide, and another earthquake. Those are just a few of the headlines that have come out of Indonesia over the past year or two. Isn’t it amazing that a country can experience so much turmoil and yet the rest of the world casually goes about its business without too much concern? There are some relief efforts on the way, but the people there are living on the edge. [google news: indonesia disasters]

This isn’t war or politically related strife. It’s mother earth unleashing its fury upon the people who live there. It’s astounding, and the human will to push on is amazing. People regroup, recover, and move on. It’s not easy, but I have nothing but respect for the people living there.

Could you imagine this happening elsewhere in the world? Is anyone leading massive, fund raising efforts to help Indonesia rebuild? Is anyone writing horrible country songs or over hyped pop songs about it?

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Don’t You Want To Be an Immigrant, Too?

Border line in the road.One thing Rebecca has been asking me lately is about the southern border of the U.S. She asked, kind of laughing in doubt, if there are just these holes in the fences where people walk through from Mexico into the southern states. I tell her yes, that’s exactly it. The holes are not huge, but it’s not unusual to have people just wandering into, and out of, the U.S. It’s probably gotten tougher over the past few years, but these things happen.

It’s so strange to think about this issue being where I am now. I’m currently an immigrant to Canada. And let me tell you, even being an American, getting into this country to legally stay is not an easy task. You might think so, but as I was told many times, it’s easier to get a permanent resident status if you are a refugee from a third world country than it is for an American.

It might be easy to get to Canada and stay here without making yourself legal, but you wouldn’t be able to apply for provincial programs or a social insurance number. I do hear that there is some money to be made in the business of illegal drugs, but there seems to be a high risk factor in that industry for some reason. If you’re lucky enough to not be deported after that, then you have a ticket to reside in the crown’s wonderful prison system with no chance of getting any residential status here. Doesn’t that sound lovely? Continue reading “Don’t You Want To Be an Immigrant, Too?”