Primarily that is it. The acquiring party becomes responsiblity for the weapons system. There might be some conditions made in the transfer contract. But asking a gov't that is under the pressure of conflict to remember them or abide them.....seldom happens. Asking a group like the FARCs to abide by some conditions to thier use......not likely at all.
The FARC have a mixed bag of weapons systems from the intel I have read on them. Alot is American because they in conflict with a gov't that is mostly supplied by the US and they acquire it either on the field or theft or corruption from the Columbians.
Assuming Chavez is supplying, having a supplier of ak-47s across a border, is going to make it easier for them to resupply and to rearm. Likely they will run larger units with more weapons avialable to them. Not good for a lot of Columbian soldiers and thier eastern area gov't villages
Ever see the results or pics of FARC attack on a pro Columbain gov't village. Let me give you a brief discription.
They use thier ak-47 to keep the locals in thier house. Then they use bombs made from natural gas containers to destroy and flame the houses. Any that get out of the house alive, they gun down. They have destroyed many village in eastern Columbia that are pro gov't this way.
When the US gov't either sales or approves a weapon sale to a foreign party, it is to ligitmate gov't party. Not a revolutionary group. Yes, they lose control over how that weapon system is used. But few or none would use it like FARC use thiers.
Saying that Veneseulain weapons sales to FARC is comparable the same as US gov't sales to foreign gov'ts, is not accurate or honest. Most gov't have controls and chains of commands on how those weapons are used. FARC has number of warlords that run their operation...much like gangs. Get the difference?
Sorry, I know Huphrey Bogart is not there anymore and I think that his bar is gone as well. But heck of a movie. As I have said in the past, everything that you needed to know about life in 2 hours of film.
In a good geo political option pole, you have to offer a 'range' of viable options......from one extreme to the other extreme.....that could really be considered by a gov't for implimentation. That is very honestly how some gov't do operate when it come to this kind of thing. Those are viable options. They then try to impliment the right option. Are they best, or the most right, or the most moral? We can debate that till both are falling over.
My bet is that when the oil company started putting up gas lines and drilling, they also acquired minerial rights to them. This occurred prior to Chavez being in power. Once they bought those minerial rights, it was no longer Veneseulian property. Chavez used nationalization to return the fields to his countries ownership. If so it is a pretty simple case of theft by gov't decree.
One might say the that Mr. Chavez is the man with more rebels connections...consider his being able to negotaite release of the FARC's prisoners recently. That he did a really good thing until you ask.....are Venesuelian made AK-47s part of the deal? are FRAC drugs now freely to pass thru Venesuela? I have absolutely no proof of either. But FARC is not going to release those guys for nothing. What did Chavez give to get them out? I have been listening, but not hearing. Also consider the friction between Columbia and Venesuela. FARC rebels are in the middle of all that.
You see it as the United States 'taking things' when it comes to oil. In most cases.......it is joint agreements (the US oil company and the foriegn gov't and a one or more of the local oil companies) for the project to occur. With assigned minerial rights PAID for by the oil company....prior to any drilling. At least that is how they did it on Dallas:-). Our Federal government is slightly involved in it, at this this early stage. Yes, it approves the contracts of the American firm via the US Department of Commerce. But the agreement is largely between those parties. When nationalization occurs is fancy way of gov't theft.
What about his attempt to become el Presidente for life recently? To end the democratic process there in Venesuela? about his police suppressing opposition parties and leaders? he has forced a few out of the country.
The reason that he failed in this attempt to become president for life by the way...was because his two primary voting blocks (workers and farm labors) failed to go to the polls. Maybe they are not as happy with him as you think?
One of the corporate parties (oil company) of the US did go to the teacher (court) and asked for a resolution. The other party (Venesuela)does not like the pending punishment of the teacher (court). Says I am going to punish your bigger brother (entire USA by keeping my play toys (oil) from him) if the teacher punishes me.
Yes, you got it.:-)
Except in this case.....the big brother has some pretty big toys of his own to play with(use)........
Just a little more info on the law suit. I suspect (but am not totally sure) that is from Vensuelian nationalization of the oil firm's facilities there. That there were corporate and gov't agreements in place, and they feel a breached of them with the nationalization.
For the US gov't this is a tricky one. Do you become agressive for a US oil company? My bet is that they (the Gov't) will let it play out in the courts. And if the company gets double compensation for breach of contract...likely they will be happy as well. It could cost Chavez a lot.
Still I would like to see a Naval blockade of the country and shut his oil income down.....just for he says at the UN.....we don't have to teach Navy folk to climb mountians. By the way. They have Navy Seals for that kind of stuff.
A SUV invasion of South America....time to call the Joint Chiefs with that idea. Maybe we can place them on the deck of few aircraft carriers and get them down there that way. Always an answer to logistics if you look close enough for it. Thanks for the post
President Chaves is unhappy that a major US Oil firm is winning a major law suit against his country, Venesuela. A law suit that if won, will freeze millions of assets of Venesuelain currency around the world. Says that if they win, he will stop oil shipments to the US.
Also he is unhappy with the US dollar and is saying that OPEC and other countries should go to the Euro for payment. This short poll gives you a chance to give opinion. What should the US do? Voting beginning now.
Moore would love to have a court case that brings freedom of press and speach into what his movies are on. It is great free advertising for him on his next project.
The problem with allegations and speculation is that is just that. Hard evidence to prove or disprove is always in short supply. It was easy for Moore to take on the Michigan auto industry when he did. Factories were closing and unemployment was growing. But does his film include sections of auto exectives trying to meet stock dividends for the companies stock holders?
Or the problems a health insurance companies has with inflation hitting across the board in claims adjustments? He take the position that the big guys never aids the small guy...never provide him with services. Think you could run your car without big oil? Chat on a computer without big electronics? Only such goods/services are provided is when big companies take business risks.
Moore would say.....hey they are getting to much money or they are to destructive to the environment or they are hurting the small guy. Where would the small guy be without any medical program at all, when he or his family needs such help? Let us have some socialized medice like in Cuba. Fine...did Moore say that Castro use to send his medical teams all over Africa as fronts for revolutions? did Moore say that Cuban medicine is almost 10-15 years behind ours in technology?
No those few points he does not mention. But it is free. And that sounds good. Old saying in life.....you get what you pay for.
She wants us out if Iraq ASAP. Also says she will support our friends around the world.
We have friends in Iraq and she would leave them to both AlQueada of Iraq, influences from Iran, and the various Cleric militia that are there. So? Can you have it both ways? Hillary says you can. I am not so sure. I am not so sure a lot of US friendly Iraqi will not lose thier lives with Hillary's or Obama's withdrawl. It happened in Vet Nam when we withdrew there.
Universal Health Care. Would be a socialized kind of program under our Health and Human Services Agency of the federal government under Hillary.
Why cannot the states solve this problem? Why does it have to be a Federal Government agency? When she attempted to get this passed under Bill's term....the legislation was 2000+ pages long. That that make for user friendly medical insurance coverage?
Large gov't. Hillary is a large gov't liberal. Wants large agencies and with large budgets to support them.
That mean tax hikes. Or cutting DoD budget. Or some combination. Raising taxes during recessary/inflationary times is not advised by most economists. It takes money out of the consumer hands and positions the country for a major recession.
I could go on here. Into the NSA foreign wire tapping program, to changing our pre emptive strikes policy against terrorist with corrosive diplomancy (what ever that is?).
I don't hate Hillary. But before I support her or any one for president, I want to know thier positions and policies. What are the consquences of them? Where does that improve the country?
It is easy for person outside the country to say....bring on a woman or afro american into the position of President. Yea for equal rights. Yea for woman's rights. You don't live here or do you face the same situations that we do that do. And guess what.....you don't vote here. As far as I see, you have a right to a opinion.
That is lot like the question of who is 'most commited' between hens and pigs making a breakfast? The hen supplies the eggs, while the pig supplies the bacon, obiviously the pig is more committed.
It is both our right and our obligation to know these running canididates prior to supporting them. That is a key part of our process.....to you it seems hateful. Historically, I can show you other nominations and elections that make this one seem like a cake walk. During the years of our countries yellow journalism of the 1920/30s.
At thier level of politics, all is fair. Because when that one person get to the oval office, he/she needs to be ready to be commander in chief and chief administer of the United States of America.
I would buy the plane....so I could go anyplace I wanted....when I wanted.
Then.....buy a condo on the soon floating residential cruise liner, Majestic........it is going to sail all the ocean of the world stopping at some 130 ports annually.
Also family and friends that are in need presently.
See what happens as you get older? The dreams get bigger and more expensive...LOL
For what it is worth, I am not much on Karma either.
Sometime bad things happen to good people. Simply because they are close to what was bad that was happening. Christ talked about it one time. He ask a group of listeners which of the 16 people that had been killed when a wall collapsed, was the sinner that caused it to fall. None could give an answer to his question. His point was they were all good people, caught in a bad accident and none there were to blame. While maybe today, we might closely look at the contractor or designer of the wall.
On the other hand, I do think that the friends you associate with can get you into a lot of trouble and bring a lot of bad things your way. E.G. the Micheal Vick and his buddies kind of thing. Not saying this about your buddies or your self, Solitaire. Just the way to world is wired today.
Tell your buddies to hang there. God knows thier hearts...knows what they have been through and are going through. Sometime bad things are like that wall, you just don't know why it falls or comes to you. Tell they keep looking for spiritual break thrus in thier lives. You can have those in the worst of situations. Tell them that cheery attitude they have is worth more than all tea that is in China. It really is. They sound like good buds, Solitaire...you are lucky to have them. JMO
What's wrong with diplomacy? Isn't that better than flatly refusing to talk to your enemy? We talked to Moscow during the cold war and probably avoided WW3 in the process. Is it better to go in with guns blazing like some freakin western movie? It isn't a sign of weakness to discuss things with foreign hostile governments. But to refuse to even talk is something a spoiled child would do.
As I said in the first lines of the post...I was not a 100% certain. I got the 'feeling' that the NSA wire foreign tapping program would be a target. From Hillary's and others Demo disecting of it during the committe investigations. I listened to their questioning of it pretty closely. I was seeking other CS opinions and facts.
DoD Budget. Where is the draw down point? What I am saying is that with both Russia and China arming. How much can we afford safely to cut? And where? Not even Republicans canididates are gives us any real hard facts here. Is DoD budget inflated and excessive, no doubt. But how far does one reduces and still maintain national security? Hillary's social progams are going to be big ticket items......mean big dollar cuts in other places.
I am not against diplomancy with gov't on ligitmate issues between those two countries. Terrorism is something that hides behinds the border of a country. Good point is AlQueada in Afghanistan. Take the recent action of a US Navy destroyer when it engaged a terrorist compound in Solomia. Would Hillary give the shoot order without contacting the Solomia gov't prior? I get the feeling that she would first negotiate with Solomian gov't and by the time the Solomian permission is given......the bad guys have been warned and dispersed.
Same thing for UAV attacks in Pakistan and elsewhere. If we are going to go to negotiate first before shoot policy, we will lose a lot of viable terrorist targets. As the countries that shield them, warn them. And this conflict will go longer. Bush made the decision to be preemptive, the Russians have just said the same thing, as have other countries. I just was asking where she stood on preemptive strikes on terrorism.
As for talking with enemies.....are they enemies nation states or terrorist? Are they ligitmate gov't or a group of individuals that simply hate Americans/westerns that can melt into the civilian population? One you can honorably negotiate with. The other will not honor any agreement made. JMO
Not 1005 sure, but I think the F-22s first squadrons are being fielded this year. It is a heck of a warplane. I have seen it at airshows a year ago. You might not see it either Iraq or Afghanistan though. It is a air superiority fighter. We own those air spaces already, without any hostile threat in its high altitude operating space. Maybe better to have them over Europe? or Tiawan?
They had a role over accident with 5 teenager in a car here recently. 4 were killed and the 5th badly injured. All including the driver were 'texting' messages on the cells or pda's.
It is not just that you can talk via the cell. But when you try to concentrate to touch the right letter on a small keypad........well takes nearly all your concentation to do that. Plus drive a car?
We need laws on it. Both for testing and for hand helds cell talking.
Wonder if they make em a dark blue? Hmmm let us not go there.
Can you picture a General coming into the Oval office. Giving a debriefing of national security importance to her. At the end shes ask if he likes her pantsuit? To be a fly on the wall.
Hear are a few of the changes I think (but am 100% sure) she is for:
1) Dismantling or altering of the foreign wire tapping program of the NSA
It is the one intell gather means that really works. It gives up evidence and operations of the terror cells.
She sees it as a invasion of privacy on the American citizen. So she is either going to court regulate it some much that it will untimely intell or do away with it. Either way we become blind again.
2) Reduction of military spending. If she is going to bring new social services and national health insurance into the country. She has to find the money someplace. DoD budget is the biggests. The hatchet start there I think.
Let say we did not have terrorism and just had Nation States to consider. Both Russia and China have been doing vast military spending and military modernization programs. Yes, we have the edge right now. But cut DoD for a prolonged period of time. And you can lose it.
3) Negotiation vs active intervention of terrorism on foreign soils
This is just one of those gut level feelings, I have with Hillary. That with her withdrawl from Iraq also comes a hand off order to invene in foreign terrorism. I think that she feels we can talk with the government of a foriegn country and ask them to take care of the problem. Go to the Lebanon gov't and tell them Hamas is launching rockets into Isreal again. Ask them to end it.
I think that she is going to be very 'politically correct' about this. About invention in a foreign country where terrorism is sprouting up.
JMO would like to read others that have either heard or know her positions here.
I am having trouble with Hillary's glib remarks at times.
I quote.....'pantsuit running the white house' and 'not one day longer'. Sure it is funny. But this next fours years are really critical to our country and the world. Sure it gets attention and maybe some votes and keeps her main voting block of women solid behind her.
But seems to me we (American)...or maybe the political process has let this become a popularity contest. Fine, she has new ideas and wants change. Tell me where the change is, why it is better, how do we do it. Give me the facts as best you know them to be. I want substance, not giggles.
There was a old circus man by the name of PT Barnum...his motto was....a fool is born every minute. I am not saying the we (the American voters) are being foolish in desiring change. Am saying we are being foolish unless we know what that change is.
This is not about politics for me. Rather getting the American public to understand...that unless you understand the candidate's platform......you might be placing your vote (support) in the wrong place.
Dig in with solid research and ask the tough questions of them all, is my best advice.
I know that it is hard dcj22. But it is getting both 'safer' and 'better' on these unit deployments. Better equipment and fewer hostile actions. Also the withdrawl might come into play here. Might get his unit home sooner.
God bless him for what he does and where he goes. I hope these word are a comfort to you. But I am sure the only ones that really matter are.......Honey, I am headed home.....see ya in few days time.
We (both business and individuals) give them (gov't) answers (some partial and other major) to such things the energy crisis, homeland security threats, illegal immigration and other areas of concern.
They politely listen and occassionaly they fund test research project. But unless that test project has most of the primary issues covered. It basically is trashed. No one physical project, or technology project, or information project has all of it issues covered in the test phase.
They then keep looking for answers. When the answers (or some of the answers) have been shared with them. It a reason, things like the wall on the southern border have been delayed for so long. Why cars still get 22 miles to the gallon. Why nuclear materials can be smuggled into the country. Why we don't have a manned space system to replace the Shuttle.
They need to recognize the people and business that come to them with ideas (solutions) for such problems are also trying to work inside the system. But often they (the gov't) seem to only want in house solutions to thier issues and problems. It is the gov't specifies and the vendor produces complex, I call it. They actually seem desire to keep such individuals and business outside the system and to use them solely as vendors. As vendors, they are outside the information loop of the gov't agencies often. It is the 'we vs them complex' that gets created.
I think that there is limits to our technologies and our abilities in this finite world with its limited resources. You keep saying 'no' to solutions of your problems, trying to find the perfect answer or total answer, and you make yourself ineffective and obsolete. You may never find those prefect answers. I think that is where our gov't is headed. And it explains a number of things......
How does one test faithfullness? Unless you place temptation in his path? My suggestion is that you don't place temptation in his path. Doing so might you feel just bad as the broken heart of earlier, only with quilt this time.
I think that you also need to look at what he does as a person for and to you. Are his better qualities making your life better? Do you see healing coming in the future, from either being able to forgive him or from these other qualities?
As for most men being cheaters.......well.......I feel that is a very simplistic thought on men. A very common one, though. Men are human and they make human mistakes and have errors in judgement. We could go into a biblical discussion here on how all have fallen. But I think that it comes back to if you can forgive him or not.
Love is when Mommy give Daddy the best piece of chicken. Elaine (5)
Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robery Redford. Chris (7)
Love is when your puppy licks you on the face, even though you left him alone all day. Mary Ann (4)
I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones. Lauren (4)
When you love someobdy your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you. Karen (7)
Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesnot think that it is gross. Mark (6)
You really should not say "I love you" unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it lot. People forget. Jessica (8)
What I picked up in thier answers is this. That our children pick up on our common acts of kindness and do associate them to love. If you want a child that loves, be a kind adult. That is a great way to teach love to a child.
A recent article in our local weekly, had this article on children (4 to 8) answering the guestion; What is Love? Here are thier answers.
When my grandmother got arthristis, she could not bend over the paint her toenails anymore. So my granfather does it for all the time, even when his hands got artristis too. That is love. Rebecca (8)
When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know it safe in thier mouth. Billy (4)
Love is when a girl puts on perfume and boy puts on shaving cologne and they go and smell each other. Karl (5)
Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of thiers. Chrissy (6)
Love is what makes you smile when you are tired. Terri (4)
Love is when mommy makes coffee for daddy and she takes a sip of it before giving it to him, to make sure it taste OK. Danny (7)
Love is when you when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss. Emily (8)
Love is what is in a room with you at Christmas time if you stop opening presents and listen. Bobby (7)
If you want to learn love better, you should start with a friend that you hate. Nikka (7)
Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day. Noelle (6)
Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they have known each other so well. Tommy (6)
During my piano recital. I was on stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I was not scared anymore. Cindy (8)
My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night. Clare (6)
We have all-black schools colleges and universities, or predominately black institutions in the US. I think that the desire to have such a educational institutions come largely from the black community. Most are private schools without state chartering.
Here is the rub. Where as State charter schools have to meet enrollment (precentages) of each race, a black private school does not. In a sense it is way to have segregated higher education schools but also have forced admittance into state charter schools. Also state charter school are mandated to have certain special program for lower requirements for admittance for students of certain races.
The future problem I see for Toronto is this. They have set a presidant to establishing schools according to race. What happens when the Asian community comes and asks for a school? Or the Spanish community? On and on there.
I come from a multi cultural educational experince. I think that it is the best 'real world' way to go. To isolate students from the cultures and races of others, send a possible message racial superiority in my thinking. Maybe it is a very hidden message, but it can be there. How do you achieve balance and objectivitity in a school, when there is little cultural diversity?
This school in Tornoto may make the students feel more at ease. But is it really giving them a real world balance? I think that it is a bad idea.
I clerked a poll down here during the primary. I had one democratic of about 250 that voted come to me and ask about being disinfranchised by the FL Demo decision to early vote.
Back to the economy for a moment. I have minor in Economics. I remember a prof was saying that making the adjustment to keep a ecomony from going into a recession was some of the hardest adjustment to make. He then when on to site the corrections that they had tried prior to the great depression of the 1930s.
Also they (gov't) is not the sole corrector in it. Business confidence that a turn around has to occur. Or else they just keep hording funds and assests, to protect themselves when it get worse.
Saying that recession is a tricky thing to get out of. They can spiral and will cause both consumer and business confidence lost. Once you got that, you are to the edge (brink) of a depression starting. A event like a 9/11 pushes you off the cliff. In the 1930s, it was the bank runs and stock market crash that were the events that tipped them.
So I see a lot of holes in just giving a tax refund and reducing interest rates to keep a recession from happening. It is a question of confidence...how does refunds and interest rates effect that?
Gee Gilly do you think that a Jew or a Christian would be a good leader for a Muslim country? Or do you think that a misrepresentation would occur and the majority of the people feel disenfranchised?
Kind of the same issue in reverse, yes?
The point is that our laws do permit a woman to run, for a Muslim to run, yes even a gay or lesbian. Check the laws of many Muslim countries. They are restrictive to the who can run, assuming they are democratic.
TTom50 Forum Posts (1,301)
Wonder if they make em a dark blue? Hmmm let us not go there.
Chavez threatens to cut off oil to the US, what should the US do?
Primarily that is it. The acquiring party becomes responsiblity for the weapons system. There might be some conditions made in the transfer contract. But asking a gov't that is under the pressure of conflict to remember them or abide them.....seldom happens. Asking a group like the FARCs to abide by some conditions to thier use......not likely at all.The FARC have a mixed bag of weapons systems from the intel I have read on them. Alot is American because they in conflict with a gov't that is mostly supplied by the US and they acquire it either on the field or theft or corruption from the Columbians.
Assuming Chavez is supplying, having a supplier of ak-47s across a border, is going to make it easier for them to resupply and to rearm. Likely they will run larger units with more weapons avialable to them.
Not good for a lot of Columbian soldiers and thier eastern area gov't villages