Theo Spark

Tuesday, 15 June 2010

News........

Mapping the Spill: the Toxic Brown Stuff Spreads

Daley Thought:Identity Politics

National debt comes to £78,000 a head

Green Fatigue

Obama Jobs

Congressman Assaults Student on Washington Sidewalk

A Shrink Asks: What's Wrong with Obama?

Nasa warns solar flares from 'huge space storm' will cause devastation

I admit it: I was wrong to have supported Barack Obama by Daniel Hannan

UN 'gravely concerned' over rising tensions on Korean peninsula

Russia prepares to move in to stop Kyrgyzstan violence spreading

Nicolas Sarkozy 'bans tall workers from factory walkabout'

Barcelona bans burkas in public buildings

Wives who hire hitmen to kill husbands to stop getting divorce perks

Somali football fans executed for watching matches

and finally......

Thank You, Porn! 12 Ways the Sex Trade Has Changed the Web

The 10 hottest MILFs in sitcom history

Video: Of Mosques and Men: Reflections on the Ground Zero Mosque

H/T Bob C

Reason TV: "You Are Your Brain": David Eagleman on Transforming Criminal Justice

Video: The Air Force Story Chapter 21 - Superfort August 1943 - June 1944

Monday, 14 June 2010

The Left's Reaction to Afghanistan's New Mineral Riches‎

Okay, NYT's got what's apparently a big deal, "U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan." I'm just now checking Memeorandum, and boy folks are excited. The Times' story is sensational. The mineral find is estimated at $1 trillion, and "Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world..."

The U.S. does not fight wars for treasure, of course (which is actually kinda dumb, when you think about it, considering how China's reaping the strategic-economic gains from America's military sacrifices). But my first thought upon seeing the headline is "Great, now all the netroots neo-communists will be attacking the Afghan deployment as an imperialist boondoggle all along, blah, blah, blah ..."

It's not, but that won't deter a new round of unhinged attacks from folks on the left who just a few short years ago argued that Iraq was distracting the U.S. from our real, more important war in Afghanistan. Michael J.W. Stickings pretty well sums up the left's cravenly antiwar political opportunism:

I will admit that, like many, I was an early supporter of the Afghan War. But I was a supporter specifically of the effort to topple the Taliban government and to remove al Qaeda from its safe haven. Since then, though, it has been a badly mismanaged war, largely because Bush shifted focus to Iraq, but also because the war, with the Taliban overthrown and al Qaeda pushed back into the mountains and the Pakistani border regions, lacks a compelling purpose, let alone any sort of realistic objective.

So, let's take a look around the 'sphere. What do we find?

At:

* AmericaBlog, "Without a strong environmental protection organization, chances are high that the dash for cash will lead to grabbing minerals in the fastest way possible without considering the environmental impact."

* Attackerman, "And now, naturally, someone’s telling [NYT'S James] Risen about the specter of great-power resource competition that just so perfectly implies a new rationale for extended war and post-war foreign influence."

* Balloon Juice, "Maybe it’s just my sour nature and dim view of humanity, but I fail to see why the discovery of trillions of dollars of minerals in Afghanistan is Good News for America®."

* Daily Kos, "We have no need to worry that Afghanistan is suddenly going to transform itself in a stable, China-friendly minerals exporter any time soon. After we leave, it will probably collapse into civil war, which is none of our business. These discoveries are no reason to stay in Afghanistan."

* Democracy Arsenal, "The only thing this story shows is the desperation of the Pentagon in planting pie-in-the-sky news stories about Afghanistan and trying to salvage the lost cause that is our current mission there."

* Digby's Hullabaloo, "As if people and nations never fought to the death to possess humongous mineral resources."

* Kevin Drum, "I have a very bad feeling about this. It could quickly turn into a toxic combination of stupendous wealth, superpower conflict, oligarchs run wild, entire new levels of corruption, and a trillion new reasons for the Taliban to fight even harder."

* Matthew Yglesias, "In general, though, waging war for control of natural resources makes a lot of sense for third world bandits & militias or would-be coup leaders, but doesn’t cost out for citizens of a developed market oriented democracy."

* Marc Ambinder, "The general perception about the war here and overseas is that the counterinsurgency strategy has failed to prop up Hamid Karzai's government in critical areas, and is destined to ultimately fail. This is not how the war was supposed to be going, according to the theorists and policy planners in the Pentagon's policy shop ... What better way to remind people about the country's potential bright future -- and by people I mean the Chinese, the Russians, the Pakistanis, and the Americans -- than by publicizing or re-publicizing valid (but already public) information about the region's potential wealth?"

* Melissa McEwan, "I don't know what the perfect word is to describe the reserved happiness I feel on behalf of the many average people of Afghanistan who just want a functional country with a modern infrastructure bought by a stable economy, shot through with a steely bolt of panic that the very discovery which might allow that very thing will instead bring a whole new fresh hell for them as colonialists and warlords and corrupt members of their own government stake out positions around the vast reserves of minerals which have been discovered in Afghanistan by Pentagon officials and US geologists."

* Naked Capitalism, "This vastly ups the stakes. It now isn’t hard to see that we will continue to pour resources and young men’s lives into Afghanistan to make sure we control these riches, just as we continue to throw money and personnel into Iraq to hold the prize of the second largest oil reserves in the world."

* Newshoggers, "When the NYT published Risen's story to the web last night, I tweeted "What a convenient time to find $1 trillion, eh?" and "Just as McChrystal's in big trouble, liberal thinktanks starting to shift anti-war, Pentagon publicizes $1 trillion Afghan treasure trove," because this is a zombie story, resurrected yet again for political purposes."

* No More Mister Nice Blog, "If anything, this will further alienate Obama's onetime supporters from the anti-war left, just in time for 2010 -- blood-for-treasure is a recognizable narrative -- and it means Ralph Nader will have to do very little rewriting of his old campaign speeches when he runs in 2012. (An Obama defeat in 2012 isn't going to reverse this course, however -- do you really think Mitt Romney or Sarah Palin will reject the opportunity to get sanctimoniously choked up at the noble sacrifice of young men and women dying in Afghanistan for niobium?)"

* Political Carnival, "We’re never leaving now, never..."

* Prairie Weather, "You can forget about socially-awkward burqas and Taliban insurgents as viable reasons for war and occupation. The capitalist market demands Afghanistan's mineral deposits. Who does mining better than the US?"

* Steve Benen, "As a growing number of observers, here and around the world, raise questions anew about whether Afghanistan's future offers any hope at all, along comes a carefully leaked story about nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits, which could fundamentally improve the country's economy, stability, and long-term prospects."

* Talking Points Memo, "Afghanistan's a pretty out of the way place. But it's not like it hasn't gotten a good bit of attention from great powers in the past. First the Brits, then the Russians, now us. So no one else ever looked or they didn't find anything ... And with so much in play right now about the future of the US mission in the country, the timing of the revelation is enough to raise some suspicions in my mind."

* Taylor Marsh, "Instead of pushing for people to help Afghanistan and offer troops, Afghanistan could end up being the poor girl at the prom who just won the lottery. And we all know where most lottery winners end up."

* Unqualified Offerings, "For my part, I would be content to leave Afghanistan alone and say that if somebody there somehow finds himself in control of minerals and manages to dig them out of the ground, we are willing to pay cash on delivery. We are NOT, however, willing to do our own pick-up or provide armed escorts for those who do the pick-up or the mining. The terms are cash on delivery ... Some will say that it is ruthlessly amoral to not do anything to ensure that the extraction is done by “good guys” rather than “bad guys” but I say that going in with force to ensure that the mining is done by (and profits are received by) some particular government, company, warlord, or whoever is by far a greater evil in practice than simply paying cash on delivery to whoever manages to show up with the minerals."

* Wonkette, "If you thought Afghanistan was only profitable for opium wholesalers and the defense industry, think again! According to some convenient new geological study of the mountainous, wild land that has broken the backs of so many empires, the whole place is chock full of precious metals..."

BONUS: Steve Saideman offer a thoughtful political science take on the story, "Resources in Afghanistan!?"

**********

UPDATE: Linked at Andrew Bolt, Instapundit, Shout First, and Where Are My Keys. Plus, at Right Truth, "Problems With Afghan Mineral Deposits."

Thanks!

Cross-posted from American Power.

Bedtime Totty.............

We tend not to do celeb totty but occasionally one pops up that is worth it. See more of Gabrielle Anwar in

Old Glory Day 2010

14 June is Old Glory Day. Proclaimed by Great Satan's only nuclear regime changer, August 3rd, 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

"This famous name was coined by Captain William Driver, a shipmaster of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1831. As he was leaving on one of his many voyages aboard the brig CHARLES DOGGETT - and this one would climax with the rescue of the mutineers of the BOUNTY - some friends presented him with a beautiful flag of twenty four stars. As the banner opened to the ocean breeze for the first time, he exclaimed "Old Glory!"

He retired to Nashville in 1837, taking his treasured flag from his sea days with him. By the time the Civil War erupted, most everyone in and around Nashville recognized Captain Driver's "Old Glory." When Tennesee seceded from the Union, Rebels were determined to destroy his flag, but repeated searches revealed no trace of the hated banner.

Then on February 25th, 1862, Union forces captured Nashville and raised the American flag over the capital. It was a rather small ensign and immediately folks began asking Captain Driver if "Old Glory" still existed. Happy to have soldiers with him this time, Captain Driver went home and began ripping at the seams of his bedcover. As the stitches holding the quilt-top to the batting unraveled, the onlookers peered inside and saw the 24-starred original "Old Glory"!

Captain Driver gently gathered up the flag and returned with the soldiers to the capitol. Though he was sixty years old, the Captain climbed up to the tower to replace the smaller banner with his beloved flag. The Sixth Ohio Regiment cheered and saluted - and later adopted the nickname "Old Glory" as their own, telling and re-telling the story of Captain Driver's devotion to the flag we honor yet today.

Captain Driver's grave is located in the old Nashville City Cemetery, and is one of three (3) places authorized by act of Congress where the Flag of the United States may be flown 24 hours a day"

Cartoon Round Up....

Video: Golden Knight Sets Wingsuit Free-Fall World Record

WHY RACIAL PROFILING DOESN'T WORK

How do they recruit a little old lady to become a suicide bomber? Easy . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . STORMBRINGER

From Draw for Truth

Amercan Country Singer Jimmy Dean Dies

Grew up on his records. RIP, Jimmy

Video: Federal Spending by the Numbers

Found at Grouchy Old Cripple

Today's Weather is

Novel Ad.......

Ok. Which idiot invented these bloody horns........

.........they are a bloody nuisance.

Innovative!

Video: Soldiers Surprising Their Loved Ones: PART TWO

H/T The Lakelander

News.........

Daily Kos on Helen Thomas: Jews Back to Poland Just 'Human Nature'

Outrageous Fortune from The Belmont Club

Friends in High Places

Barack Obama's "anti-British" attack on BP backfires

Obama Begins "Lifestyle Health Modification" Program, Mandating Behavioural Changes Within US Society

U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan

Inevitable: YouTube pulls “We Con the World” video;

Luckily Hot Air have a copy........

Afghanistan: beginning of the end

Britain's debt levels rising faster than expected

Barack Obama requests $50 billion in emergency funding from Congress

Kyrgyzstan violence: British and US governments prepare evacuation of citizens

Kidnapped Colombian police officer rescued after 12 years

Russia sends troops to reinforce Kyrgysz base

Poll brings Flemish separatists closer to their goal

Army misses a trick as Geordie is hailed hero of the Foreign Legion

and finally

Hyundai and ABC Sports mock Catholics during the World Cup

Sexy Posters Defaced in Britain

Monday Mopsies.............

Video: Timelapse of Icelandic Volcano

Video: The Air Force Story Chapter 20 - Ploesti March - August 1944

Sunday, 13 June 2010

Bedtime Totty...........

'Nice Wheels'..............

Holy burning rubber – Batman’s a boy racer

Metal goodness reviewed...

I have some Music Reviews: Vard, Jane Bogeart, FM, Edenbridge, Glyder, and Svartsot on Blogcritics.

Cartoon Round Up....

ONE IMMIGRANT TELLS IT

I came to America just like these folk, with my suitcase in my hand.

They looked at my passport and my papers, stamped them and said, "Welcome to America!"

Then I was out on the curb at LAX, it was nighttime and the automatic voice telling me about the white line and the green line was something new and confusing . . .

. . . Now let me tell you why this is just plain wrong on so many levels . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . STORMBRINGER