ON AND OFF THE RECORD VOL XXI #34 ITEMS THAT DID NOT SLIP UNDER MY RADAR
Date: January 22, 2007 5:17:52 PM CST1. The Wall Street Journal reported this week on what happened after immigration officials raided a Georgia chicken processing plant last fall, hauling off 120 workers, with hundreds of other illegal aliens voluntarily leaving the area. The plant did what many anti-immigration groups say is the solution to becoming dependent on immigrant and illegal alien labor: It raised wages by more than a dollar an hour.
But the company still couldn't attract enough employees, so it also sent buses to pick up American workers from nearby towns and set up dormitories for those who wanted to stay on site. The company nonetheless could only hire a fraction of the workers it needed, and new workers were far from ideal.
The company says that the workforce has turned over three times since the raid. Worse, production has plummeted. The immigrant workers produced an average of 80 pallets of poultry a day per six-person assembly line; the new workers produced only 45 pallets with 15 persons on the line.
The company is still short-handed by 300 people, so it is recruiting Laotian Hmong immigrants from Minnesota and Wisconsin and busing in felons on parole. In any case, with more expensive, less productive workers, the company will have to pass on its costs to consumers — or go out of business.
Magnify this problem by the thousands and you can see the impact on the U.S. economy.

2. Some very worrisome news came out of China this Saturday — but it got a little more than a blip in the U.S. press.
At a high-level financial conference this past weekend, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao said, “China would actively explore and expand the channels and methods for using [its] foreign exchange reserves.”
Considering that the bulk of China’s reserves are in U.S. dollars, it should send tremors about the future of the greenback.
The dollar has been reeling in recent years. A shift by China out of dollars — as Wen is hinting — could be catastrophic.
China’s reserves recently surpassed Japan’s — now exceeding $1 trillion. Some 70% of these reserves —– more than $700 million — are in dollars.
It is of note that the Financial Times placed its report on the China development smack in the center of Monday page one. Why would U.S. media wish to play down such an important item?
Of course, we believe it is not in China’s short-term interests to disrupt the currency markets or the U.S. dollar, of which it holds some $700 billion.
But, in the longer-term, we believe China will use all its strengths, including economic and military to further its path towards super power status.
In this respect, we note last week’s news (given a low profile in our mainstream media) that China had shot down one of its own defunct satellites, 500 miles out into space, at the same height as U.S. military satellites. What sort of message does that send to any observant investor or military strategist throughout the world?
To us it means that China is already on the march to super power status and is our main challenge, even in times of peace.
We urge you to pay great heed to the recent announcements and especially actions of the Chinese, even if buried deeply in our news media.
We believe that China’s actions are set to influence such key items as the U.S. dollar (and therefore U.S. interest rates), world commodity prices, gold, and U.S. defense strategy and spending.

3. Russia has completed transfers of the Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said. The Tor-M1 is a high-accuracy missile designed to intercept cruise missiles as well as both manned and unmanned aircraft. Despite U.N. sanctions on Iran, Russia insists that the contract was in line with international law and that the system is for defensive purposes only.

4. Saturday, Jan 20, the USS Stennis picked up 2,500 troops at San Diego. The Stennis Strike Group has still to collect two ships at Hawaii before heading east with a complement of 6,500 US soldiers.

5. George Soros, the New York-based billionaire, declared his support for Mr Obama the moment the first-term senator from Illinois signed the papers last week. Mr Soros, who has been one of the most generous supporters of Democratic campaigns in recent years, gave Mr Obama the maximum permitted individual donation.

6. The most important point is that this “War for the Free World” is not a conventional war. This war, other than for brief interludes in which set-piece battles were fought and won as during the early weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom, is a dark, shadowy war. It must be fought against an enemy adept at using a mixed-strategy of ideology, propaganda, terrorism, money-laundering, non-state combatants, rogue state sponsors, and irregular, conscience-less brutality to conduct operations against America.
By restricting ourselves to artificial, bureaucratic geographical division of responsibility, by thinking only in terms of conventional battlefields, and by relying on gentle, media-friendly tactics we are trying to fight our sworn enemies with unacceptable – indeed potentially fatal - mental and physical constraints. If victory is our objective then we must fight the war to win, using forces specially configured and trained to employ an effective strategy to defeat this terrible an enemy. Those forces are found in the special operations community and the sooner we call on them to take charge the better chance we have of winning this war.(Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu )


From: weston@cvtv.net
Subject: ON AND OFF THE RECORD VOL XXI #36 TRAITORS AND USEFUL IDIOTS
Date: January 27, 2007 10:37:48 AM CST

Tens of thousands of demonstrators from across the country are expected to converge in Washington today to urge the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq as President Bush is proposing to send more troops in an effort to stabilize the country. The usual traitors will speak to the the assembled weirdos and enemies of capitalism and our system of government: Jane Fonda, Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon and Jesse Jackson.
The event is expected to draw groups of many stripes. The chart for the assembly site shows sections reserved for veterans and labor, gay and peace organizations, in addition to others dedicated to opposing global warming, nuclear arms and torture and a group called End Israeli Occupation of Palestine and the women-run peace organization CodePink and the group Iraqi Voices for Peace.
These groups and individuals are acting as the political arm of the terrorists overseas to help bring about America's defeat in the war on terror Supporting are the Democrats who would not even applaud when Bush called for victory in Iraq.
Just ask any lib or left winger if they want democracy in Iraq to succeed and the US leave after victory over the terrorists. The answer is: NO. Leave now and admit defeat.
"There is a limit to human wisdom. Only stupidity is unlimited." from 100 OLD HUNGARIAN SAYINGS.

I just read the speech Newt Gingrich gave last week. One sentence caught my attention: "The terrorist threats are larger and more formidable than the political system in Israel or the US can cope with." Suddenly I came to realize the truth of this statement and its implications. The United States is no longer capable of defending itself because its form of government has been so corrupted and emasculated that unified action by the nation is no longer possible. A very large segment of the population is no longer concerned about our safety from attack because they have been lulled into believing by unscrupulous politicians that good intentions are sufficient when facing a determined enemy. I remember Adolf Hitler constantly announcing that he was for peace. All you had to do is to surrender, lay down your arms and there will be peace.
Seemingly intelligent people believe that if we surrender, Islam will stop its aggression and there will be peace. They do not understand that the hatred against the USA is not based on our war in Iraq, or our support of Israel but they hate, condemn and fear our corrupt, decadent culture. They are not different in their scorn of our morals and degenerate behavior than are fundamental Christians, Orthodox Jews and other fundamental religions. The only difference is that their religion compels them to do something violent about it by destroying infidels, whereas peaceful religions maximum effort is to proselytize or send missionaries.
Many of you may recall that prior to the presidential elections in 2004 I wrote several articles demanding that someone ask the two candidates just one question: What will you do if a nuclear bomb destroys downtown Manhattan or any major city? None of the media or politicians had the guts to ask this question. Newt Gingrich now asks the same question: What will you do in the first 24 hours after a nuclear explosion occurs in any major city? We do not have a national policy, or strategy and will hopelessly descend into utter chaos both on the local and national level.
Many of you will suddenly remember the Bomb Shelters and the Survival Ranches I have been advocating and selling. It will be too late. The US will sink into a third world nation under mob rule, with feuding drug warlords, armed clashes between minority groups and anarchy, or in the alternative will become a totalitarian dictatorship. Well organized Muslim liberators will find millions of followers because through the thousands of newly built mosques they will offer food, order, safety and protection to the masses accustomed of depending on the welfare state.
I find myself in a strange yet familiar situation. Sixty five years ago I was sounding the alarm about Hitler and an approaching Holocaust and was resisted, ridiculed, suppressed, even threatened by the establishment, by politicians, religious and community leaders all of whom perished in the disaster I was warning about. The speed by which our current disaster is approaching may force me to see it again , twice in one life time. There is no leadership, we have a nation divided against itself, a determined enemy motivated by divine instructions continuously given by their mullahs, an emasculated "make love not war" generation of community leaders and corruption all around.
I do not agree, however, that Israel will let the ineptness or corruption of politicians stop it from defending itself. Just today the Iranian Government announced that Ardeshir Hassanpour, Iran's most prized nuclear scientists in the military field who directed and founded the center for nuclear electromagnetic studies since 2005 and co-founded the Nuclear Technology Center in Isfahan, where Iran's uranium-conversion facilities are located, suddenly died last week It was known that the Mossad has targeted Iranian nuclear scientists for assassination in a similar manner as it has done prior to the bombing of the Iraq nuclear facilities in 1983. War is hell and either you kill or will be killed. I hope the US will not wait to find out this sad fact the hard way.
What will it take to reach a point in your life when you decide that this situation is more important than anything in your life and you better start becoming active in saving your family, your community and this nation? If you cant find leaders, become one.
ON AND OFF THE RECORD VOL XXI #41
Date: February 13, 2007 8:58:59 PM CST
PRELIMINARY SCOOP
Sulejmen Talovic, an 18-year-old who lives with his mother in Salt Lake City, had a backpack full of ammunition, a shotgun he was using and a .38-caliber pistol when he killed five people and wounded four at the Trolley Square mall. You are lucky if you even see the name of the killer mentioned in the media which is trying to cover up the fact that this was a Muslim terrorist fulfilling his obligation to kill infidels. Everyone piously claims that they can't find a motivation for the killings.

You will not read that he was follower of Imam Shuaib-ud Din of the Khadeeja mosque, a violent hate mongering imam who was terminated from his position on Jan. 15 and has not been seen at the mosque or his home since Jan. 13. The Imam is upset at the US justice system because his wife obtained a restraining order against him for his violent behavior towards her and their children.

He has often beat her leaving bruising and injuries that would have been visible had it not been for the fact she is required to wear a 'hijab,' a religious head-covering. (Now here is a newly discovered purpose for the garment.)

It is not clear how the imam managed to maintain contact with his disciple since he was smuggled out of town a few weeks ago to avoid being served a warrant.

As I said, you will not read the above in any of the media. Sulejmen and his mother came to Utah from Bosnia.
As soon as I learn more I will continue.
###

I just read the speech Newt Gingrich gave last week. One sentence caught my attention: "The terrorist threats are larger and more formidable than the political system in Israel or the US can cope with." Suddenly I came to realize the truth of this statement and its implications. The United States is no longer capable of defending itself because its form of government has been so corrupted and emasculated that unified action by the nation is no longer possible. A very large segment of the population is no longer concerned about our safety from attack because they have been lulled into believing by unscrupulous politicians that good intentions are sufficient when facing a determined enemy. I remember Adolf Hitler constantly announcing that he was for peace. All you had to do is to surrender, lay down your arms and there will be peace.
Seemingly intelligent people believe that if we surrender, Islam will stop its aggression and there will be peace. They do not understand that the hatred against the USA is not based on our war in Iraq, or our support of Israel but they hate, condemn and fear our corrupt, decadent culture. They are not different in their scorn of our morals and degenerate behavior than are fundamental Christians, Orthodox Jews and other fundamental religions. The only difference is that their religion compels them to do something violent about it by destroying infidels, whereas peaceful religions maximum effort is to proselytize or send missionaries.
Many of you may recall that prior to the presidential elections in 2004 I wrote several articles demanding that someone ask the two candidates just one question: What will you do if a nuclear bomb destroys downtown Manhattan or any major city? None of the media or politicians had the guts to ask this question. Newt Gingrich now asks the same question: What will you do in the first 24 hours after a nuclear explosion occurs in any major city? We do not have a national policy, or strategy and will hopelessly descend into utter chaos both on the local and national level.
Many of you will suddenly remember the Bomb Shelters and the Survival Ranches I have been advocating and selling. It will be too late. The US will sink into a third world nation under mob rule, with feuding drug warlords, armed clashes between minority groups and anarchy, or in the alternative will become a totalitarian dictatorship. Well organized Muslim liberators will find millions of followers because through the thousands of newly built mosques they will offer food, order, safety and protection to the masses accustomed of depending on the welfare state.
I find myself in a strange yet familiar situation. Sixty five years ago I was sounding the alarm about Hitler and an approaching Holocaust and was resisted, ridiculed, suppressed, even threatened by the establishment, by politicians, religious and community leaders all of whom perished in the disaster I was warning about. The speed by which our current disaster is approaching may force me to see it again , twice in one life time. There is no leadership, we have a nation divided against itself, a determined enemy motivated by divine instructions continuously given by their mullahs, an emasculated "make love not war" generation of community leaders and corruption all around.
I do not agree, however, that Israel will let the ineptness or corruption of politicians stop it from defending itself. Just today the Iranian Government announced that Ardeshir Hassanpour, Iran's most prized nuclear scientists in the military field who directed and founded the center for nuclear electromagnetic studies since 2005 and co-founded the Nuclear Technology Center in Isfahan, where Iran's uranium-conversion facilities are located, suddenly died last week It was known that the Mossad has targeted Iranian nuclear scientists for assassination in a similar manner as it has done prior to the bombing of the Iraq nuclear facilities in 1983. War is hell and either you kill or will be killed. I hope the US will not wait to find out this sad fact the hard way.
What will it take to reach a point in your life when you decide that this situation is more important than anything in your life and you better start becoming active in saving your family, your community and this nation? If you cant find leaders, become one.


MY NEW DOG HAD TO BREAK THROUGH THE ICE THIS MORNING TO GET A DRINK. LUCKILY HE WAS RAISED IN MINNESOTA AND KNEW ALL ABOUT ICE AND FREEZING. HE KNOWS MORE THAN ALGORE.
HERE IS AN INTELLIGENT COMMENT FROM A VERY SMART GUY.



I am a geologist and an insurance agency CEO. That puts me below "experts" and ahead of politicians on the knowledge/background of earth sciences.

Fact: For all of the earth's 4.3 billion years of continents and oceans, sea levels have risen and fallen.

Fact: The sun has grown in luminosity for the last 4.3 billion years, roughly 25% brighter today. Yes, it will continue to grow brighter as it ages, but we won't be in danger of being cooked for another billion years or so. That's something for my grandkids to worry about.

Fact: The earth has had periods of dramatically warmer times, no ice caps (dinosaurs!), and higher sea levels, over the last 500 million years. Antarctica at one time had no ice, but did have large forests. Today that continent has ice sheets over 3 miles (16,000 feet) thick covering large coal deposits from those same forests. Both Antarctica and Alaska were home to dinosaurs 200 million (or so) years ago.

Fact: The little ice age destroyed the Viking settlements on Greenland (yes, it was warmer in 1000 A.D. there than it is today) apx. 1300 A.D. The little ice age was a period of expanding glaciation in North America and in Europe, with growing glaciers threatening entire villages in the Alps in the 1300s. Famine, shorter growing seasons, and southward retreat of warmer weather crops led to wholesale movement of populations. The growing of grapes for wine (Roman influence wasn't all bad) in Britain ended then, along with the onset of the 100 years war in western Europe. The black plague of the 1300s led to the deaths of 1/3 of European population. The severity of the plague was a direct result of the effects of the colder climate. The climate has been gradually warming for the last 4 hundred years, with spikes of warmth and cold.

Fact: In the early 1800s, a major cold spike led to the year of no summer (and no crops) in New England. In July of that year, it snowed in Massachusetts. Not a fun time to be a farmer in the northeast.

Fact: While man is adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, our understanding of the weather is so poor that: A) we can't predict hurricanes with any accuracy (remember CU's prediction for 2006), and B) the weather forecasters can't predict tomorrow's weather with 100% accuracy, let alone next month's weather. Weather newscasters represent the only discipline that I know of where it's ok to be wrong half the time and not get fired.

Fiction: A consensus report clothed as hard science, predicting planetary temperatures and weather for the next 90 years. Science is not consensus, it's hard facts. Until planetary weather modeling is accurate enough to predict tomorrow's weather as well as a few days in advance, long-term modeling is consensus/political/wishful thinking.

Fact: The majority of Antarctica's ice sheets (80%+) are thickening. For some odd reason, Iceland's glaciers are reputedly growing.

Fact: The earth's oceans (7/10 of our biosphere) absorb huge amounts of atmospheric CO2, a necessary component of all sorts of creatures, from microscopic to shellfish, our proverbial food chain. Sandestin seashells and coral looks pretty cool, thanks to CO2 (CaCo2). Check out all of the limestone all over the world; all formed by Calcium carbonate, all from our atmosphere, with Ca ions provided by rivers from the continents.

Fact: The Chinese and Indians are specifically excluded from any restraints on CO2 production in the Kyoto protocols.

With all deference to the incredible resources available to Al Gore, let's put some of his movie in perspective. First, fewer glaciers in the Americas aren't a bad thing. Where there once was a glacier, today is a diverse habitat. A lot more biosphere for plants, animals, and fish. Warmer winters require less fossil fuels to keep people from freezing. Growing seasons are longer, and agrarian areas grow northward. Again, this is provided that this isn't a short term phenomenon.

Let's concentrate on facts, not Barbara Boxer (proof positive that any low IQer from California can succeed in U.S. politics) as Senate spokesperson talking about consensus. She's the last person you want (from a credibility standpoint) telling the press that anyone doubting this fine "scientific" report is a "flat-earther". Good grief, are we entering the middle-ages in American science circles? We all want to protect our standard of living, which includes our habitat. But science dictates that a theory be proven before its accepted as proof. Unless you have a political agenda.

Scott West
CEO
Pathfinder Insurance Group
Home office, balmy (excepting during glacial periods) Houston, Texas


It is not pleasant to read my messages. It ought to be disturbing and frustrating. I hope somehow , somewhere a leader will arise and say: I HAD ENOUGH!


THIS IS WHAT THEY HEAR AND READ IN TEHERAN
Iran answers U.S. Gulf buildup with test of SSN4 anti-ship missile
Iran's military tested an anti-ship missile in the Gulf as a massive U.S. naval build-up is underway. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired missiles designed to destroy large enemy naval vessels. The missiles were identified as the SSN4. Fadavi termed the SSN4 a strategic anti-ship cruise missile, saying it was capable of destroying Western cruisers. He said the SSN4, with a 500-kilogram warhead, could withstand electronic counter-measures.

The Iranian news agency Fars reported that Iranian police clashed with armed Sunni rebels in Zahedan in southeastern Iran. Wednesday, a car bomb killed 11 Revolutionary Guards in the town, claimed by the Balochi Sunni group Jundallah. An informed source in Tehran said the relevant documents, photographs and film footage showing the explosives were American would soon be made public.

THIS IS WHAT THEY READ IN MOSCOW
Russia modernizes its superpowerful Bulava missile to crush USA’s ABM system
16.02.2007 Source: URL: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/87498-Bulava_missile-0

Russia-U.S. relations are again begin to resemble the Cold War era. The latest developments indicate a cold front taking shape. The politicians do not seem to care much about global warming. In the past, the problems in the relations between the two nations had to do with a political rivalry. Nowadays the problems mostly relate to a military sphere.

Military rivalry has always played an important part in the international relations. Russia and the U.S. used to be engaged in a sort of competition on the world market of arms and military equipment by actively supplying them to a number of regimes at the Middle East and Asia. Now the rule of the game is based on an equal reaction taken by one party for every action of the other one. It is hard to tell who set the ball in motion. By and large, Russia had moved forward slowly yet consistently in the past, without taking note of any other competitors. Russian military strategists still use the term “indicated enemy” for referring exclusively to the U.S. Likewise, U.S. military uses the same term in relation to Russia. The plans for the development of anti-missile defense system announced by U.S. President Bush were probably the first step that led to the latest round of escalation in terms of military rivalry.

Russia strongly objected to the move yet the U.S. remained adamant. Russia responded by making a number of highly publicized statements regarding inefficiency of the proposed anti-missile defense system. Russia also promised to deal an “asymmetrical but very effective blow.” The steps actually concerned the implementation of a national nuclear re-armament plan. Specifically, the plan envisioned that such new ballistic missiles as Topol-M and Bulava enter service in the foreseeable future. The Bulava is Russia’s newest ballistic missile, developed and built using the latest technologies. It is designed to easily overcome any anti-missile defense system.

The Bulava was supposed to be deployed on nuclear submarines. In other words, it was supposed to become a mobile weapon. The enemy would have to build a wide net of anti-missile defense system for covering North America from coast to coast. In response to Russia’s plans, the U.S. decided to deploy assets of its anti-missile defense system in Poland and Czech Republic. The reasons behind the deployment of the system are obvious. The system will be capable of intercepting Iran’s ballistic missiles only if they should fly across Russia’s airspace. The latest test launch of the Bulava that failed for a third time in the last four months seemed to become Russia’s reply to the U.S. plans.

The test launch of the Bulava ended in failure on December 24. Shortly after the incident, Kommersant, a leading business daily, reported that “two special commissions were set up to investigate the causes of the failed test launches.” The first commission will deal with technical issues directly related to the launches, while the other one will try to locate the origin of a leak to the press about the failure of the Bulava. Well, to say a “leak” is to say nothing. The whole world became aware of the three unsuccessful launches of the Bulava. The previous two unsuccessful launches occurred September 7 and October 25, RIA Novosti reported. The missiles were launched from a ballistic missile submarine in the White Sea. The first missile failed to reach its target, and the second self-destructed after deviating from its trajectory.

The Bulava was supposed to become a powerful weapon that can be launched from any location around the globe. One missile is capable of destructing about ten targets, each the size of a city. The R-30 (SS-NX-30) intercontinental ballistic missile was developed on the basis of the Topol-M, a similar land-based missile. The Bulava were to be deployed on new submarines of Borei class. One submarine will carry 12 missiles aboard. The Bulava is equipped with 10 warheads; each of the warheads can be programmed for independent target acquisition. In other words, one submarine will be capable of hitting 120 targets while operating in any part of the world, the Arctic and Antarctic inclusive.

However, the three unsuccessful test launches occurred in a row following the four successful ones. The Bulava missile was developed at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology. A team of designers and engineers was headed by Yuri Solomonov. The team was previously involved in the development of the Topol-M. According to Solomonov, the Bulava was designed to become a modified version of the Topol-M that would enable the government to significantly cut production costs. That is why all the tests were carried out at sea. There were no test launches on land. Besides, the above design bureau has never developed naval missiles. The test program went off without a hitch until last year. The latest series of failures put in jeopardy the plans for the deployment of the Bulava in 2007. The Russian military will have to conduct from 12 to 14 successful test launches of Bulava missiles prior to commissioning them as the naval component of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, said Anatoly Perminov, head of the Federal Space Agency, in an interview to Kommersant.

Many analysts pointed out a direct link between the Bulava deployment plans and President Putin’s second presidency, which is drawing to a close. The Americans are confident that “there was no lack of funding for Russia’s state weapons procurement program. In a situation when the world oil prices are on the increase, and Russia has become one of the world’s largest energy exporters, the Russian government is spending a record amount of money on the modernization of strategic missiles. The funds currently allocated for the purpose exceed the total spending over the last 25 years,” United Press International reports. As for those responsible for spreading secret information, steps have been taken too. According to the Russian media, three officers with the Russian Defense Ministry and naval headquarters were discharged from service several days after the first reports about the December 24 failure were published. The officers reportedly leaked information to the press.

THIS WHAT THEY READ IN ISRAEL

Saudis to purchase nuclear option, advanced missiles and spy satellites off the shelf from Pakistan and Russia

Moscow will assist in Saudi development of a civilian nuclear program and build six “research satellites” for the oil kingdom. Gulf intelligence sources report this was agreed in the talks held in Riyadh earlier this week by visiting Russian president Vladimir Putin and King Abdullah. Israeli military sources report that Moscow in fact undertook to provide Saudi Arabia with half a dozen military surveillance satellites, launch them and set up ground control centers, thereby making the oil kingdom the first Middle East national with a multiple spy satellite capability for tracking the military movements of its neighbors, including Iran and Israel.

This Saudi-Russian venture has got Israel worried because it will enable Riyadh to pick up highly sensitive intelligence on its military movements and relay it to Egypt and the Palestinians.

This development confirms previous intel analysis that the Saudis do not intend wasting time developing their own military capabilities but are going shopping for finished products.

On Jan. 21, Saudi rulers favored visiting Pakistani president Gen. Pervez Musharraf with exception honors when he arrived at the outset of a tour of five Arab capitals. King Abdullah personally welcomed the visitor and drove him in the royal convoy to a palace outside the capital where they were closeted alone for three hours. The king also conferred on the Pakistani ruler the King Abdul Aziz Award.

This ceremonial led up to an epic accord of 7 secret clauses on the terms in which Pakistan would make nuclear weapons available to, and sell, Saudi Arabia nuclear-capable missiles. Musharraf agreed to make them available in the event of a nuclear emergency facing Saudi Arabia, the Gulf emirates, Egypt or Jordan. A mechanism was thus set up for Saudi Arabia to potentially beat Iran to the draw in acquiring a nuclear bomb, as well as controlling the security of its allies.

THI IS WHAT THEY READ AND HEAR IN THE USA

Anna Nicole Smith Embalming Completed
AP
DANIA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 18) - The body of starlet Anna Nicole Smith was embalmed Saturday, under a court order issued a day earlier. etc. ad nauseam.

Subject: "Good fences make good neighbors"?

Thailand just announced plans to build a fence along a 45-mile stretch of its border with Malaysia.
India has almost completed a 2000 mile fence along its border with Pakistan, and a 2000 mile fence along its border with Bangladesh.
China is building a fence along its border with North Korea, which has a fence along its border with South Korea.
Morocco has a 1600 mile fence along its border with Algeria.
Pakistan has a 1500 mile fence along its border with Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan has a fence along its border with Tajikistan.
United Arab Emirates is building a fence along its border with Oman.
Kuwait has a 170 mile fence along its border with Iraq.
Saudi Arabia is fencing off its border with Yemen, and is now building a 600 mile fence along its border with Iraq.
There are fences around two Spanish enclaves in Morocco.
The United States has been authorized to build a 680 mile fence along the Mexican border.
Israel has built a fence separating most of the Palestinian Authority territory (West Bank and Gaza) from Israel.

Only one of these has brought about harsh accusations by Jimmy Carter calling it "apartheid". Can you guess?



CITGO is beginning to change its name to PETRO EXPRESS

CITGO, BEING AWARE THAT SALES ARE DOWN DUE TO U.S.
(CUSTOMERS NOT WANTING TO BUY FROM "CHAVEZ"), HAVE STARTED TO CHANGE THE NAME OF SOME OF THEIR LOCATIONS, TO: "PETRO EXPRESS"

"PETRO EXPRESS" IS ALSO 100% OWNED BY COMMUNIST DICTATOR "CHAVEZ". THERE'S NOT A DAY THAT GOES BY WITHOUT HIM "BAD MOUTHING" THE USA AND CONSPIRING TO HARM US ! YET, HE STILL GETS RICH OFF US BY BEING ABLE TO SELL HIS GASOLINE IN THE USA .

NEED I TELL YOU WHAT TO DO?



FOOTNOTES TO #41 THE SALT LAKE CITY KILLINGS.

Sulejmen Talovic, the Salt Lake City shooter, belonged to the same blood-thirsty cult as Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, who ran over nine random “infidels” on the University of North Carolina campus with a rented SUV. And the Muslim from Northern California who ran over and killed men and women including an elderly women in front of San Francisco’s Jewish Community Center.
When Suljemen was a student at Horizonte school he was discovered looking at prohibited sites that contained information about AK-47s. That’s when his parents pulled him out of school.
Amir Omerovic, Talovic’s cousin was convicted of sending letters to then-governor of Connecticut, John Rowland, one of which stated “09.11.01. Anthrax is deadly. You breathe and die. This is only the beginning. Americans will die. Death to America and Israel.”
The Salt Lake terrorist attack by Bosnian Muslim Sulejmen Talovic has resulted in renewed calls for assault weapons bans although no such weapons were used by the killer. As always in cases like this, the usual suspects among the gun-grabbers and Leftist ideologues seize incidents such as school shootings, mass murders in shopping malls, and the like, in order to attempt to capture public sentiment at a vulnerable moment to advance their subversive agenda. That agenda is the disarming of law-abiding citizens in the name of keeping criminals from using guns.

WARN YOUR FAMILY TO LOOK OUT FOR POTENTIAL SUICIDE BOMBERS AND SHOOTERS IN MALLS. THEY ARE COMING. IF YOU NEED A LIST OF SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOR AND LOOKS, PLEASE WRITE AND I WILL SEND YOU THE OFFICIAL "NON PROFILING" CHECK LIST.

IN MY OPINION.

You are lucky if you hear these words. Most people simply state their opinion as fact and dare you to challenge it. The fact, however, is that everybody has opinions, is entitled to them, is free to express them and even act on them. Forming opinions is a natural process. We are constantly doing it from the moment we wake up throughout the day.

The problem is that there is a difference between an informed and uninformed opinion. Since the truth is so difficult to determine, I would rather say there is a difference between a less informed and a more informed opinion.

Some people form opinions about everything including those things they know nothing about. Then they proceed and treat their own opinions as facts. Some of these people tend to become controlled by their own opinions rather than by the facts.

In order to from an informed opinion one must search for the facts. Unfortunately you can not depend on the news media for facts. With the attention of the public limited, the media has engaged in two distortions. Oversimplification and entertainment value. Due to time constraints they oversimplify complex issues and to attract attention they will promote opinions either 1 or 9 on the scale of 10, rather than the 4-6-range middle, better balanced but less controversial position the population has.

In my opinion these are times when we should try to form sound opinions. Periodically we should look at our old opinions in light of new facts and if they are no longer reasonable, do not be afraid to replace them. This is the only way you can control your opinions instead of letting your opinions control you. This is the only way you can adapt to circumstances as water conforms to the vessel it is poured in. This is how you survive. I know. This is how I've done it.

TWW

DURING THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN NOBODY HAD THE GUTS TO ASK THE CANDIDATES A SIMPLE QUESTION: WHAT WILL YOU DO IF A NUCLEAR BOMB EXPLODES IN A MAJOR CITY AND MUSLIM TERRORISTS TAKE CREDIT FOR THE DISASTER? THIS QUESTION SHOULD BE ASKED OF EVERY CANDIDATE RUNING FOR OFFICE AND JUST WATCH THEM HIDE AND STUTTER.
TWO TEARS AGO I WROTE THIS ARTICLE ON THE SUBJECT AND WAS SEVERELY CRITICIZED. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION? HAVE A BETTER IDEA?

Crime and its consequences – punishment - has been the fountainhead of the social contract, of all laws and religions. Punishment is preventative because it is guided by the idea of deterrence.

Specific deterrence punishes the offenders to prevent them from repeating the crime.

General deterrence is achieved by punishing the criminal as an example to other potential perpetrators and to society as a whole.

To act as a deterrent both the public and the potential criminals must have clear and certain knowledge of the punishment associated with the crime. Most importantly, punishment must fit the crime so that potential criminals can evaluate the potential rewards of the crime with the retribution of punishment.

Without punishment as deterrence, law enforcement could not function.

When a fanatic believes that death, while committing a crime, is not a punishment but a heavenly reward, our entire concept of crime and consequences disappears.

It is an open secret that Houston is a prime target for attack by religious terrorists. A nuclear bomb hidden in a container aboard a vessel entering the Ship Channel is a high probability. The death of hundreds of thousands, the destruction of our chemical and refinery industry, the radiation poisoning of a million people are waiting to happen.

Is there a deterrent that we have announced that would stop these horrendous events? Is there a consequence to such an attack on the perpetrators or their backers?


My personal history may provide an answer this question. Sixty years ago I was a guerilla fighting in the streets of Budapest. On December 24, 1944 the Russian Army surrounded the city. While German and Hungarian soldiers were fighting a hopeless battle, Hungarian fanatical Arrow Cross fascist groups were roaming the streets torturing and killing Jews. Their single goal was killing as many Jews as they could before the city fell.
As the Russian lines neared the ghetto, where more than sixty thousand people were jammed into a small area, the Arrow Cross planned a final massacre with the help of German Waffen SS troops. They believed that Stalin would hold the troops back, as he did in Warsaw, Poland, to allow the destruction of the ghetto and its inhabitants.

Five hundred Arrow Cross thugs assembled for the final assault waiting for the German SS to join them. A horrendous final act of the Holocaust was about to occur. Resistance was not possible, and we watched helplessly as the SS conducted a mass search throughout the city to find Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat. We found out that Wallenberg threatened the commanding SS general, August Schmidthuber, and his general staff, stating that if the massacre took place, the general and his staff would be held responsible personally as war criminals and would be executed by the Russians. The Swede was the only remaining foreign diplomat in the surrounded city and his testimony would have been decisive in finding the SS general guilty if the massacre took place. The threat worked. The general cancelled the assault just as the Russians arrived at the edge of the ghetto. Wallenberg’s threat saved the ghetto and its 69,000 potential victims.

Threatening the Arrow Cross with death would have not worked because they were ready to die for the crimes and atrocities they have committed killing more than 100,000 during their 90-day regime from Oct. 15 1944 until the liberation in mid January 1945. It was the threat to the enablers, the SS general and his staff, that prevented the crime. The lesson of 60 years ago can be applied today.

Nearly all international terrorism today is basically religious violence by Islamic radicals. The cause of the terrorism is not poverty or politics, but the paranoia of Islamic clerics unable to deal with increasing social change. Islam is now in its Middle Ages as reflected not only by their calendar but by their behavior, which is similar to the actions of the Church of the Middle Ages. It is the Islamic clerics who are preaching and supporting the terrorists because they fear the inevitable coming reformation of Islam.

Threatening fanatic Islamic terrorists with death is not a deterrent to their planned action. We must find a punishment for their backers and enablers that will force them to stop the terrorists. According to CIA reports, many leading Muslim clergymen have issued a fatwa that authorizes and endorses the usage of nuclear weapons against the United States.

Ever since 9/11 the Internet and its thousands of blogs openly discusses the probability that if the Islamist terrorists attack the United States with nuclear or biological weapons we will eventually retaliate by destroying Mecca and Medina. Just like the bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War II, they predict that similar twin bombs would end the threat of the religious fanatics.

Others predict that it would inflame all of Islam into a confrontation with the rest of the world that would last a millennium.

We do not know how many millions of Americans would have to die before such retaliatory action would be taken, if ever, but the possibility of such action may be a deterrent if it is disclosed in advance. It won’t deter the fanatics but perhaps it would encourage the large silent majority of Muslims to come out of hiding and expose the fanatics hiding amongst them. Perhaps it would speed up the reformation of Islam by changing the goal from killing the infidel, to co-existence with other religions.

If the destruction of Mecca and Medina as retaliation for nuclear attacks by Islamic terrorists is ever considered, then the announcement of it in advance should be used as a deterrent to prevent the attacks from happening. Then it will be up to the Muslim community and its clergy to make sure it never happens.

TO EXPAND YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SITUATION

Background:
Geopolitical Diary: Iranian Secrets on the Loose?

Ali Reza Askari, a former aide to the Iranian defense minister and a retired general with long service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been missing since Feb. 7. He reportedly was last seen in Istanbul. After his disappearance, Arab newspapers quickly fingered Mossad and the CIA for his assassination or kidnapping. Iranian officials made similar claims. On Tuesday, the independent Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat offered a different explanation: Askari had defected, turning himself over to U.S. agents in Turkey.

After visiting Damascus on official business, Askari reportedly flew to Istanbul on a personal trip. Menashe Amir, an Israeli analyst of Iranian affairs, has said that Askari's family left Iran ahead of him and met up with him in Istanbul. That his disappearance appears to have happened while he was traveling abroad with his family seems a remarkable coincidence. And Istanbul is a particularly convenient location for the U.S. intelligence community: Turkey's intelligence agencies are on good terms with their American counterparts, and U.S. military flights are quite common.

While Asharq Al-Awsat has occasionally been used by Riyadh for disinformation purposes -- and both the Saudis and the Israelis (and essentially everyone else discussing his disappearance) have cause to manipulate perceptions of Iran -- the fact remains that a covert war is raging, and has been. Mossad has likely taken out Ardeshir Hassanpour, a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist. In Iraq, the United States has raided an Iranian consulate and arrested Iranian citizens, including Mohsen Shirazi, a commander of the elite IRGC Quds Brigade.

One thing is clear: Askari is missing and Tehran is at least pretending to be worried. An Iranian delegation arrived in Istanbul last week to investigate, and has reportedly contacted Interpol. Some of the details of Askari's military career have been closely guarded by the Iranian government, but indications are that he has been heavily involved in strategic affairs as well as military purchases and production. Israeli sources claim that he was the commander of the IRGC in Lebanon in the late 1980s, where he served as a liaison with Hezbollah. He could even be privy to information on Tehran's nuclear program.

Iran appears to be operating on the assumption that Askari might have been compromised. While the true scope and pertinence of his knowledge is known only to Tehran (or was, prior to Feb. 7), the damage he could do to Iran is almost certainly significant. Reports that dozens of IRGC members working in cultural centers and embassies in the Arab world and Europe have been called back to Tehran, for fear that their identities will be disclosed, lend credence to the utility of the information Askari might offer. Some sources have characterized his possible defection as a "deathblow."

While a kidnapped Askari would be of deep concern, an Askari who defected willingly would be a nightmare for Tehran. And this situation could be even more dire than just Askari walking in out of the cold and asking for asylum. The U.S. intelligence community could already have been working him for months -- or years.

Brushing aside the loss of someone like Askari simply might not be possible for Tehran. A defense establishment that has gone out of its way to appear threatening and capable could be exposed as a fake. Or even if it truly is dangerous and capable, its best laid battle plans and contingencies might now be in the hands of the Pentagon. From Iranian lines of communication to Hezbollah, to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's evacuation plans in the event of a U.S. attack, the possible revelations are numerous and highly sensitive.

Of course, Askari could be a double agent and Iran's "concern" could be feigned. His high position would certainly suggest a strong loyalty to the clerical regime. But making a double agent out of someone with such a vast array of devastating information seems to place too much directly into the hands of the United States -- an awful gamble for Tehran.

Whatever the case, the stakes in the covert war have almost certainly been raised. (Dr.George Friedman, Stratfor)

Gen. Askari was the officer in charge of Iran’s undercover operations in central Iraq.

Last month gunmen who abducted American soldiers in Karbala - and then shot them dead execution-style – belonged to a special commando team of the Iranian Intelligence Ministry, which was sent to Iraq especially for this mission.
GEN ASKARI is believed to have been linked to – or participated in - the armed team which kidnapped and killed the 5 soldiers.

The team was made up of intelligence officers who speak American English and were trained to masquerade as US troops, kidnap US soldiers and hold them as hostages for bargaining.

These officers are from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other Arab countries, who studied in the US and can talk like Americans - even in the idiom of US troops. Teams of these masqueraders roam at large in Iraq, clad in American uniforms, armed with US weapons and driving stolen American vehicles.

Tehran’s plan was to snatch a group of US soldiers and hold them hostage against the release of the 8 Revolutionary Guards paratroops in American custody. However, the plan went awry for some unknown reason and the Iranian commandos decided to execute their captives before making a fast getaway from the Karbala region.

Tehran views this operation as a fiasco because it did not achieve its goal. At the same time, Iranian intelligence has not been put off its plan to take American soldiers hostage in Iraq. Its chiefs are determined to do whatever it takes to obtain the release of the third top man of the Revolutionary Guards al Quds division. The Americans could not let this premeditated outrage go unanswered and had been hunting the Iranian general ever since. The participation of the Mossad assisting the US military in this matter is suspected.
(


What WW means to me.

I had prostate cancer now for 10 years and belong to a segment of patients known as the WW (Watchful Waiting) group. The name of the group speaks for itself.
I have discovered, however, that I also belong to another group with the same initials WW (Wearily Watching) when it comes to US politics. I decided that occasionally I give you a glimpse why I am so weary watching the fools and incompetents running the country.
Few people understand what is going on at our border with Mexico. Some of the stories we hear are so ludicrous that they defy imagination. Border patrol agents sent to prison for shooting a known drug smuggler in the ass; wholesale murder of police on the Mexican side; resistance on all levels to protect the border; aggressive prosecution of border patrol agents for doing their job; national guard troops guarding the border without live ammunition in their guns, etc.
Last September a disturbing report surfaced about a significant and alarming number of illegals attempting to enter the US who have been carrying Potassium Iodine tablets, which are used to protect against exposure to radiation in emergency situations. These illegals that have been caught were OTMs (other than Mexicans) mostly Iranians and Chinese on our southern border and various Middle Eastern aliens on the Canadian border.
When the information became public, the head of the border patrol denied it and strict orders were sent to agents to stop leaking information or they will face phony prosecution similar to what happened to Ramos and Compean now in prison.
The “American Hiroshima” predicted and confirmed many times is now coming closer, but the border enforcement is getting attacked almost daily by people who have been bought by the drug cartels.
Just imagine what would happen to the Laredo Drug corridor with its thousands of trucks and warehouses through which cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine reaches the US if we would actually act to stop the smuggling? The DEA estimates the daily volume to be $10 million or more than $3.5 BILLION moving on Interstate 35 annually. The newly planned Texas Corridor with its “border customs checking” located in Kansas City would be able to handle an even larger volume of business with a much easier distribution along the corridor. Have you ever wondered where the Spanish Consortium maybe getting their money?
The cartel’s wealth buys politicians, police, and Justice Dept. employees up to the highest levels.
I find it irreconcilable that that the greed for payoffs from the cartels suppresses the desire to protect the nation from enemies that seek our destruction. I understand that money talks, but can’t some of these people look forward and understand the consequences of their greed? Just WW.




SAPIENTI SAT* DEPARTMENT

Tehran announced a nationwide air defense drill. This was camouflage for the mobilization of the air defense brigades’ reserve units and their deployment around Tehran and other main towns and national strategic installations, including nuclear and oil facilities. This step placed all of Iran’s air defenses on full war footing.
The Revolutionary Guards additionally encircled all nuclear facilities with the commando units they had formed as protection against possible raids by American or Israeli special forces.
Over the weekend American air contingents from the United States and Europe continued to land at US Persian Gulf air bases.
***
The UN nuclear watchdog and Kinshasa government investigate disappearance of 100 bars of uranium believed smuggled to Iran
The DR Congo newspaper Le Phare reported the uranium was removed from the nuclear center in Kinshasa as “part of a vast trafficking operation.”
The DR Congo’s commissioner for atomic energy Prof. Fortunat Lumu and an associate have been arrested for allegedly belonging to an international network set up to mine and export uranium illegally in recent years. Tehran is suspected of being behind the affair.
***
The US urged Turkey to not launch a "cross border" action into Iraq to pursue PKK rebels. Since last Fall, Turkey has said that if the US and Iraq do not take concrete measures to stop PKK infiltration into Turkey, the Turkish military will act. Turkey reported that 250 people died in PKK attacks (including terror bomb attacks) in 2006. The Turks expect an increase in PKK attacks once Winter ends. What are some "concrete measures" the Turkish military is considering? Air attacks are the most probable. Last year both Iran and Turkey shelled Kurd rebel positions in the Kandil Mountains. However, artillery usually means artillery spotters. That can be done from the air, but most likely Turkish special operations forces would be involved in both air and artillery attacks. Turkish special operations forces conduct intelligence operations in northern Iraq, and they know the area well. What the US fears is another "incursion" with 50,000 to 100,000 Turkish troops. An "incursion" of this size could go 40 to 50 kilometers into northern Iraq. The Turks refer to this as a "limited" incursion. Given the number of troops, it is really a sizeable operation. Turkey, however, could claim that the attack is not an invasion but an operation intended to destroy terrorist bases. The Turks have done this before.
***
The Israeli Air Force received the first of a new generation of Heron UAVs. This model, called Shoval, is basically a direct competitor to the American Predator A (or MQ0-1). The Shoval has software which allows it to automatically take off, carry out a mission, and land automatically.
Israel has long been a leader in UAV development, and the Predator incorporates many Israeli innovations. Israeli uses its UAVs extensively for military operations, and has a major export customer in India.
***
US troops have many strengths, but one weakness spells the failure: moralism. American troops skillfully kill and are ready to die, but politicians want them to fight under unrealistic restrictions. The goal of terrorists is to instill terror. To that end, they will mix with population and attract the American strikes. They disregard - in fact, welcome - losses, whether their own, Iraqi, or American. Insurgents are well funded, religiously and ideologically motivated, and ruthless. It would take years of extreme repressions to extinguish their support base and ultimately prevail against them. American troops, on the other hand, have a short time span: the assault would end when media, Senate, and leftists start screaming bloody murder. The politically correct liberal democracy performs badly in dubious wars by becoming opposition.

Opposition is just that, opposition. Whatever the incumbent’s policy, it should be opposed. And so Ms.Clinton urges negotiations with Iran. Britain, too, negotiated with Nazi Germany, and America – with Communist Vietnam. Negotiations do not work when one side is bent on war. To suggest, as she does, negotiations with Iran as a way to better understand and defeat the enemy is absurd. Clinton doesn’t tell a big mystery: what could America offer Iran? Lifting of sanctions? They would be lifted soon after Iran obtains nuclear weapons: alienating a major oil producer and nuclear power is risky. Clinton doesn’t realize that most people value other things above money: pride, nationalism, and religion. The US’ bargaining options are very limited: America could only offer money in various forms. That’s way too little.

Top Russian official Igor Ivanov shook hands with Ahmadinejad during the photo-opp. Ahmadinejad denied Holocaust and called for wiping Israel off. Russians have no problem with that. They also silenced the accounts of Holocaust perpetrated in Ukraine and Byelorussia, and helped Egypt and Syria when they wanted to do away with Israel. Clinton wants to join a good company.
***
*TO THE WISE IT IS ENOUGH. (The Latin could say it in two words. That is why I learned that it is cheapest to send a telegram in Latin.)

RUSSIA RE-EMERGING AS THE REAL ENEMY?

For several months it has become obvious that the Russians are trying to capitalize from the perceived weakness of the US political system and the apparent and admitted weakness of the US military. Here are some of the latest developments involving Russian meddling and agitation in Iran. Intelligence sources have reported that Iran has acquired Russian-made air defense and anti-tank systems to repel a possible US attack on Iran

The Russian Pantsyr 1 (SA-19)surface-to-air missile system sold to Iran is designed to engage aerial targets, including missiles; the Khrizantema (9M123), to strike advancing tank columns at long range and destroy bunkers.

Our military sources report that the two weapons systems combined are built to repel advancing armored units while at the same striking helicopter commando drops behind their lines. A third recently-delivered Russian system, the TOR M1, has been put into service by the Revolutionary Guards to protect nuclear and other strategic sites against missile attack, including cruise missiles. Some of the units are manned by Russian military advisers under the guise of "training" the Revolutionary Guards.

The Israeli military fears Moscow is also planning to supply Syria and Hizballah with the sophisticated SA-9 and 9M123. These two weapons in Syrian hands could seriously impair Israeli tank and helicopter movements and hit IDF positions and command posts deep inside the Golan.

Col. Yury Solovyov, commander of Russia’s Air Defense Forces Special Command, told Novosti news agency Friday, April 6, that Iran’s air defense system is strong enough to repel a US strike.

“Currently Iran has our defense missile systems which are capable of tackling US combat aircraft,” he said. “Iran also has French and other countries’ defense systems.”

Earlier, Russian Dept FM Alexander Losyukov stated that no US attack on Iran is expected in the coming days, contradicting a previous quote by Novosti from Russian intelligence officials who predicted a US missile strike against Iran, codenamed Operation Bite, at 4:00 a.m. April 6. Other Russian sources speak of an April attack assuming that the US can overcome its domestic political paralysis caused by the confrontation between the Executive and Legislative Branch of its government.

The Pantsyr 1 is a radar command-guided, two-stage surface-to-air missile battery mounted on a 2S6 integrated air defense system, which is fitted with two banks of four missiles in blocks of two. Each can be independently elevated vertically. The weapon can engage aerial targets moving at a maximum speed of 500 meters per second at altitudes ranging from 15 to 3,500 meters. Its effective range is 2..4 to 8 km. A high-explosive fragmentation warhead is activated within 5 metes from target with a kill probability of 70%.

The Khrizantema’s supersonic missiles shoot at a speed of 400 meters per second to hit moving targets, including armored vehicles, at a distance of 6 km. This weapon can pierce 1,200mm of steel armor – even explosive reactor armor (ERA) - making both the US Abrams and Israeli Chariot tanks vulnerable. It can also destroy bunkers and engage low-flying helicopters. The Khrizantema uniquely features two guidance modes - automatic by roof-mounted radar, and semi-automatic by a laser beam rider.

By supplying such sophisticated weapons to Iran Russia is duplicating the Spanish Civil War preceding World War II where Germany was supplying its new weapons to Franco against the communist forces supported and supplied by the Soviets.

While our political establishment is engaged in suicidal self-destruction, our enemies are gaining strength and are taking advantage of our stupidity. Do not for a moment assume that Putin and his gang are our friends. They are also attempting to recreate their close relations with India anticipating the overthrow of the Pakistani Government by radical Islamist forces. Such overthrow would create an immediate nuclear powered Islamist state threatening the Afghan and Iraqi US forces. The US has hoped to balance this threat with India's nuclear capability and Putin is attempting to use his influence to keep India out of such confrontation. More on the Pakistani danger later.  ¶ 12:44 PM