Open Thread - 4 October 2015

 

pl

Comments

[LeaNder]

via Phil's attention:
http://lobelog.com/cardin-finally-introduces-still-weaker-iran-oversight-bill/

Not reading Jim's log to the extend it deserves. Helped me a lot once to connect dots over here. ;)

[Johnny Reims]

Patrick Bahzad
Completely off topic but for your Rothko allusion in an earlier thread, so I assume you have a genuine interest in art. Plus some good words re: France and, yes, even French Bories.

Imo, the creativity for the artist mentioned in the article, linked below, derives from her having struggled with what you called “it”-- another reason I send this to you. She was roughly between the age of 2 and 5 years at the time, losing almost all her friends on a weekly basis while having to endure monthly lumbar punctures (spinal taps) and the such, all before age 6.

Her art, apparently, is around Lacoste now. You may like her interpretation of Bories.

Warning: this article is written in art style Manhattan-ese (Manhattan Observer, have no idea why interview happened, probably from patron) but she is from a small town. She knew nary a soul when first landed in NYC. She is only interested in her art, nothing else, zero interest in the social stuff.

http://observer.com/2015/08/an-american-in-provence-why-this-artist-is-having-the-best-summer-ever/

Imo, her art celebrates the victory of life over death.

[Lars]

I would be interested in hearing from those with experience in this area about this: http://www.salon.com/2015/09/26/how_to_explain_the_kgbs_amazing_success_identifying_cia_agents_in_the_field/

[AbuAbdullah]

Anyone take a look at Ambassador Bolton's op ed piece on Russia's involvement in Syria? I found this passage particularly interesting:

"Looking ahead, with Assad and Iran operating from much stronger positions, we face the risk that regional ideological adversaries will act in concert when their interests align, as in the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact dividing Poland. The gravest threat to U.S. interests, after a nuclear Iran, is the Russia-Iran-Syria axis reaching a modus vivendi with the Islamic State. A “truce” would allow ISIS to consolidate its new state from the rubble of Syria and Iraq (presumably with Kurdistan de facto independent) and concentrate on its highest-priority targets: the Arabian Peninsula’s apostate, heretic oil-producing monarchies.
With Putin explaining the historical precedent, ISIS and Iran could divide up the goods. Iran would tighten its hold on Baghdad and focus on Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, with their large Shiite populations, while ISIS goes after the other Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the holy cities of the Hijaz. Tender Western ears may find this cold-blooded, but the regional and religious logic is straightforward. The inconvenient betrayal of one side by the other can come later."
https://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/putin-unleashed_1039611.html

[b]

Want to have a good laugh?

Read this CNN op-ed by a Saudi shill:
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/04/opinions/syria-assad-problem-obaid/index.html

/quote/
With this recent development, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Saudis are going to be forced to lead a coalition of nations in an air campaign against the remnants of Syrian forces, Hezbollah and Iranian fighters to facilitate the collapse of the Assad regime and assist the entry of rebel forces into Damascus.

Since the beginning of the conflict, the Kingdom has been pressing the international community to act, but to no avail. Now, following a successful Saudi-led campaign to wrest Aden and the rest of south Yemen from Houthi, Saleh and Hezbollah fighters, Saudi Arabia realizes that it can and must take matters into its own hands.
...
The situation on the ground in Syria is ripe for a concerted air campaign that can assist the two major rebel coalitions ready to take Damascus and turn the course of the war. These two forces -- "Army of Conquest" in the north and "Southern Front" in the south -- are strategically positioned, battle hardened, and more than equipped to carry out what will be required by land. All they require is sustained air support that can neutralize the remnants of Assad's army brigades, national defense forces, and Hezbollah/Iranian battalions, as well as prevent Syrian planes (and now maybe Russian ones as well) from dispatching their dreaded and devastating barrel bombs. With such assistance these coalitions will be able to move into Damascus and take the capital city on their own.

A large coalition of Arab and non-Arab nations are ready to follow the lead of the Saudis, including Turkey, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and Kuwait. Pakistan and Malaysia are also seriously considering this option.

#ApesWithMacbooks

[Babak Makkinejad]

I like Ambassador Bolton's analogy.

So, Ambassador Zarif would then be reprising the role of Comrade Litvinov, who was trying to get an Anti-Nazi pact with UK and France on behalf of the Soviet Government.

Since US has finally agreed to accept all Iranian nuclear activities within NPT, the road for further cooperation between US and Iran in the Middle East is clear.

Failure by US and Iran and Russia to create an effective Anti-ISIS collation would make Ambassador Bolton's scenario more likely.

If ISIS gains control of Mecca, or Median or both it will become invincible and its threat would extent to all Muslim states outside of the Seljuk Lines.

Specifically, the military governing structures of Egypt and Pakistan can no longer be considered durable. The existence of the Indian Union also would become more precarious due to ISIS-inspired/instigated religious civil war between Muslims and Hindus in India.

ISIS, like the Ottoman & Roman Empires has to expand or die.

[Tyler]

AA,

John Bolton needs to stop reading Tom Clancy novels before he writes articles.

Honestly I think the players have changed but this is literally the plot of one of his books IIRC (Shia and Sunni team up to attack SA).

[turcopolier]

b et al

"These two forces -- "Army of Conquest" in the north and "Southern Front" in the south -- are strategically positioned, battle hardened, and more than equipped to carry out what will be required by land." My, my. This must have been "the plan" amongst SA, Israel, and the US before the Rooshans kicked over the milking bucket. What I don't understand is how people like Petraeus and Crocker can make themselves believe that either their AQ buddies (JAN, J al Fath, etc) or IS will not end up running a post SAR government. pl

[Will]

About Hurricane prediction

This is a national DISGRACE. we"ve got plenty of money for bombing foreigners to smithereens but have let our infrastructure go to hell. Yes, a hurricane model is infrastructure. The European model has been way ahead of our U.S. official version for years. Now, we are playing catch up. Yes, Stupidity has consequences.

This is the land that invented supercomputers and we haven't had our best computers on this. Supercomputers have come a long way and can be built out of cheap microprocessors, even playstations. The initial conditions are also very important. In numerically solving these partial differential equations, a very small difference in initial conditions leads to widely different results. (the butterfly effect). Here's what the European model does : it uses more data, including satellites, and smooths the initial conditions.

It correctly predicted Sandy's turn inward and Joaquin's turn outward.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/upshot/hurricane-joaquin-forecast-european-model-leads-pack-again.html

[Patrick Bahzad]

JR,

Thx for the link, I already had a look and will read the whole piece now while enjoying a glass of Lebanese red whine. Been a busy week over here and reading about an American artist in Provence is certainly going to make for a nice change. Thx for posting this ! PB

[Patrick Bahzad]

To quote a famous movie "who writes this shit ??". But then I'm reading the author was an advisor to the Saudi government and academic at a Saudi university. Enough said ... These people live in lalaland.

[ex-PFC Chuck]

This wilo be interesting:"The A-10 Called Out For A Showdown" with the F-35.
http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/The-A-10-Called-Out-For-A-Showdown-10-3-2015.asp
Who's going to establish the rules and assure that the playing field is level? There's a lot at stake for the perfumed princes and contractor fat cats whose stars are hitched to Lightening II.

h/t to jo6pac, whose comment on the previous thread set me on the path toward this.

[Johnny Reims]

The rapturists (Hagee et al) believe the blood moon prophecy is unfolding right now in Syria, with the final of the 4 blood moon eclipses taking place on Sept. 28, 2015.

One would think that those operating any IO in the MSM would know this and play upon those assumptions or they really believe that narrative themselves.

But any strategic plot ending in deus ex machina is really poor form and when looking at probabilities...well...the ending appears somewhat unlikely to unfold as planned.

[Jack]

Sir

They must believe they're the omnipotent controllers of destiny. The IS/AQ government in Damascus will be puppets on a string.

Delusions of grandeur permeates our nation's capital.

[turcopolier]

All

I just watched the 1400 showing of FNS. It is true that Crocker said the US should impose a no fly zone in Syria to stop both Russian and Syrian air force ops and that if we did not want air to air combat with the Russians we should enforce the NFZ with AAA from the fleet off shore. Bat Shit Crazy! I suspect early onset Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia. This reinforces my belief that it was intended and expected that the Army of Conquest and Southern Front were going to finish off the Syrian government and that somehow that would result in a united, secularist Syria. I am tired of saying things like, "incredible," and "amazing." pl

[Ryan]

Tyler,

Indeed. Bolton writes and says the silliest stuff, which is why he's always on Fox. Too bad, they used to have Pat Buchanan on but dropped him in favor of given Bolton more air time.

If I learned anything from Bolton it might be this. The neocons have moved a year forward from 1938 to 1939 with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. I wonder if this means that we won't hear the usual ignorant hollering about "1938" and "Munich" and will have to listen for the next ten years about "1939" and the "Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact"?

On another bad note I wish you a happy 50th anniversary of the Hart-Celler Immigration Act of 1965. It isn't right for Ted Kennedy to get all the credit for this demographic disaster, so I included the names of the authors, Sen. Phillip Hart and Cong. Emmanuel Celler, both Democrats.

There couldn't be a fire hot enough for those two criminals.

[Tigershark]

Better you watch FNS than I. Enforce a no fly zone with AAA in absence of a UN declaration? I believe that is called a Declaration of War. Is he nuts?

[Ryan]

I'm glad you watched FNS, colonel, because it allows me to ask you a question.

My question for you is this. Why is Keane pushing this nonsense? I can see the state department types desiring belligerent action but Keane ought to know better.

On this "Army of Conquest" I heard Chris Wallace speak of the the other day. He believes it is full of "moderates".

[bth]

Bolton is an idiot. But to you point, did you see the diplomatic incident last week between Iran and Bahrain? It comes closure to your theory that Iran might be making tangible plans to destabilize the gulf. More to the point, the price of oil needs to double for Russia and Iran to reach financial stability. There aren't a lot of ways to accomplish that, but one is to destabilize Saudi Arabia.

[Ryan]

Anyone who wants to see the FNS clip the colonel references can see it here:

http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/?intcmp=hpft

It takes a minute to load and is short, a little over ten minutes. It's worth watching.

[turcopolier]

Ryan

Keane makes a very good living as a military figurehead for the neocon sector of the Borg. pl

[Babak Makkinejad]

All:

More of the same:

http://news.yahoo.com/video/anne-marie-slaughter-hillary-clinton-165529091.html

[William R. Cumming]

Perhaps the cost less than one F-35?

[Ryan]

Borg indeed.

I see, sir. Thanks.

It still floors me that here you have someone who achieves as high an honor as Keane has, to become a full general of the American Army and sell it out for 30 pieces of silver. He probably believes that at the end saner people will prevail, so he can push this idiocy, If they don't he won't live to spend it and neither will we.

As for Crocker, he didn't come across as lucid as Keane did, so I believe you're on to something here about him and senility. In the past I don't recall him being this bad. I also note that Keane didn't object to any of his views, but as you say, they pay well.

As for Crocker's comment about a "good hand" that's ridulous. There never was a hand to play that would have resulted in anything good coming out of this muddle.

Our situation today with the neocons and the R2P crowd reminds me of an account in the waning days of WW II where some people sought cover in a sanitorium from artillery fire. The inmates were loose and wandering around. One of them kept beating his head against the wall. When he started doing this the new arrivals would drag him away. They did this several times until they were distracted. When they turned back they discovered this soul had finally succeeded in killing himself. One of them said words the to the effect "well, he finally found peace." I hope we fair a little better.

[ex-PFC Chuck]

re: " . . the diplomatic incident last week between Iran and Bahrain?" You mean this? "Iran expels Bahrain envoy?"
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/iran-expels-bahrain-envoy-1.1594240