Author: p6admin

I guess Obama is no longer worried about the cult-thing

Obama speaking to a mega-crowd to accept the Democratic nomination has shades of a ‘Promise Keepers’ meeting combined with something Albert Speer could arrange. It actually gives me kind of a chill. I’m not fan of the ‘Cult of Obama’ and having a mass rally of folks is actually kind of scary. If I see anyone marching with torches I’m going to hide in the basement for the next few years.]]>

Is Europe secretly annoyed by the 'rescue' of Betancourt?

The Swiss public broadcasting network is running a story about the ransom and/or rescue mission of Colombian hostages and you can start to hear some faint whispers of annoyance. French, Spanish and Swiss official have for years attempted to negotiate for the release of captives in Colombia under the auspices of a ‘humanitarian mission’. Colombian officials have been more than annoyed at this over the years, especially in that the European powers have basically opted to treat FARC at the same level of a legitimately elected government. The rescue mission, a quasi-military operation, has set back the role of negotiations for some time to come.

Today’s broadside against Jean Pierre Gontard is likely a strong message to the European powers that they should no longer meddle in Colombia’s dealings with the FARC. I suspect we’re going to see a little more ‘let Colombia deal with Colombia problems’ in the next few months. I think Jean Pierre Gontard is history. One wonders if he would even be allowed back in the country after today’s comments.

I also love the lack of realization on the part of some European commentators. It reminds me of a statement I learned back during the Cold War. ”We judge our enemies by their actions. We judge ourselves by our intentions.” Europe’s intentions are good, but one wonders what effect their actions have, long term, to the stability of Colombia. By dealing with the FARC, in effect legitimizing the FARC (as Chavez has tried to do), the big powers of Europe are giving it desperately needed credibility (credibility they no longer have with the rank and file Colombians). One must wonder if the longer ‘big uncle Europe’ is watching over the FARC, the longer it may be in the business of drugs, kidnapping, and terror.

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Hockey arena finished for Vancouver 2010. Russian's having problems with Sochi arenas for 2014.

Some Olympic news because I’ve been lazy. Apparently the Thunderbird Arena is done and ready for action in Vancouver. This will host the mens and womens hockey, but also contains a practice rink.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin is getting involved with the construction of facilities in Sochi. Putin demanded that three sites for Olympic venues be moved because of environmental concerns and reprimanded the Sochi games preparations chief for weak assurances that construction would be finished on time.

Yes, it is six years away, but if you’ve ever done business in Russia, you know that six years is ‘last minute’ for them sometimes, especially when it comes to government work.

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Was Jean Pierre Gontard the source of the Betancourt ransom story?

UribeThe LA Times is reporting that the Colombian government is pointing their finger at Geneva-based Jean Pierre Gontard as the source for the Swiss radio report claiming a ransom for the release of the hostages. Left-wing blogs are reporting that Gontard was well on his way to arranging a negotiated release for the hostages when they were trumped by the military operation last week.

Gontard’s name is also mentioned in connection with the seized laptops, with some in Colombia accusing him of ‘unauthorized contacts’ with FARC. Chinese media is reporting that Gontard supposedly gave $500,000 to the FARC.

Perhaps the Colombia government doesn’t like this guy and wanted to tar him with this accusation. It will be difficult for him to resume a negotiator (for anything) if he is considered a leaker of information.

My bets are still on FARC supporters in Europe, either left-wing groups or drug dealers pushing through the story to help keep FARC alive.

But I’m still looking around for other theories.

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Man arrested (with burns) in London stabbing / arson case

This is a positive development I’d say.

The BBC News is reporting a suspect arrested over the killing of two French students is being treated for burns to his hands and face.

It’s been interesting watching some murder cases now that I’m a father. I find that I’m actually thinking about things in more a legal sense, not so much guilty or not guilty, but in the sense ‘how to make someone whole’ (a key to Torts law) after there has been a murder.

I think to all that someone spends raising a kid, spending money on clothes and toys that have no long-term value, but are merely expenses paid as part of development. Countless hours and dollars go into this effort, and when there is a murder, it is like an investment totally lost.

How do you even begin to pay for that? There is no rhyme or reason to the numbers. Is the loss of a PhD candidate any more than the loss of a prostitute? The world may say ‘yes, a PhD candidate will offer more one day’ but to a parent, the answer is the same–it is a total loss.

And in this case, a loss over a Playstation? What is going on in the UK?

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Not a slam-obit on Jesse Helms

A friend of mine from my early days in Washington has an op-ed in today’s Washington Post. The Jesse Helms You Should Remember. It was written by the White House’s chief speechwriter Marc Thiessen who previously served as Jesse Helm’s press secretary. It tells a different story of Jesse and some of the things that the mainstream media omitted from his obituary. ]]>

US Removes Iraqi WMD and gives it to Canada

Associate Press about the recent removal of ‘yellowcake’ Uranium from Iraq and over to Canada. The Iraqi government sold this remnant of the Iraqi nuclear program to a Canadian Uranium processor who will turn it into nuclear fuel for power plants. American military forces had to come up with a way to transport this through the insanity of some militia-controlled areas and then across the ocean without the insurgents getting wind of the convoys.

More on just what Yellowcake is and is not, and you may remember that word coming up as part of the Valerie Palme affair.]]>