Syrian Civil War: The Arms Trade & Political Acceleration

Yesterday the European Union passed a resolution that lifted several of the embargoes that have been placed upon Syria over the course of its two year civil war.  The EU, under the pressure of France and the UK, said that it would now be legal for countries to supply the Syrian rebels with weaponry.  The vote has turned the EU on its head, with France and the UK voting in the affirmative and the other 25 member states opposing the measure.  And, with such a diluted victory Foreign Secretary William Hague has had to quickly stop the hawkish rhetoric for supplying the rebels with arms.  So, essentially, the European Union has stumbled into a provocative action with no intention of following through. 

 

But, with the passage of the resolution, the damage has been done – Moscow, seeing the lifting of the embargo as a threat to the status quo in Syria has vocally and publicly amped up their intention of sending anti-aircraft systems to the Assad regime (S-300s).  By doing so, Moscow has come into conflict with Israel, just weeks after Netanyahu and Putin had cooled relations with talks in Moscow.  This morning, Russia was rebuked by the Israeli defense secretary, who said that Israel would not hesitate to prevent the shipment of heavy weaponry to Damascus and the government forces in Syria. 

 

With Russia and Israel at such a critical head, the world began to work to avert crisis.  The United States’ State Department blasted Russia’s insistence on shipping arms to the government.  From there, rumors began to circulate that President Obama was asking the Pentagon to draw up plans for a no-fly zone over Syria.  From there, reports began to surface that some of the shipments may have already been delivered, meaning that Syria, unlike Libya, with their archaic air defense systems, would be able to prevent the imposition of a US or NATO air operation.  With the world on edge and the possibility of a Russo-Israeli war, it seems as if Putin blinked and backed down from overt shipment of advanced air-defense systems.  Many speculate that this could mean the word coming out of Moscow was just retaliatory rhetoric in response to the act of the European Union, or that Moscow had already delivered the air defense systems, and was just testing the waters, seeing if Israel would be open to allowing more shipments to be made in a public matter.

 

It is clear that the Middle East is tense, and European intervention is adding fuel to the fire.  Russia has spent a lot of their political capital to insure that the Assad regime is maintained and buying Russian weapons.  With Iran and Hezbollah increasing their public support, it is possible that Moscow wants to insure that they remain in the ear of Assad so, in the post-war period, they can have leverage, thus allowing them to maintain their Mediterranean base.  On the other side of the Syria issue, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have been providing large amounts of support to the rebels, and it is possible that France and the United Kingdom have thrown the European Community into the public battle in order to have control of the future of the rebel movement – especially after the terrorist attacks in their capital cities that have many people questioning the radical elements of the rebellion.  In short, France and the UK believe, like Russia, that if they fund their respective partners they can control the ideology and outcome of the war.

 

Israel, it seems, wants to avoid the importation of large weapons systems because, after the Civil War has concluded, the weapons will still be in country, and, most likely, they will be in the hands of a movement that has anti-Jewish sentiment.  And, on top of that, Israel wants an environment where Syria cannot defend itself from an air attack, so, in the event of chemical weapons use, or the transportation of weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel can strike without impunity.  Last month Israel made international headlines, when they launched a night raid on a chemical weapons facility, drawing a lot of attention from Russia and Iran – who both pledged to never allow such an attack to happen again.  Iran, unable to provide defense systems, moved their offensive weapons to the west, and Russia, as we have seen, began to step up weapons deliveries.  If the Syrian defenses go into action, Israel will be unable to run low-risk operations and will have to resort to using their missile arsenal.  This action could prompt an Iranian retaliation, thus escalating a crisis in the Middle East.

 

Today, the world avoided a crisis.  Today Russia backed down, but that does not mean the conflict is over.  Though the reports are not numerous, the anti-air systems may have already made their way into Syria – and, if that is true, the conflict will continue to heat up.  If there is a large weapons shipment heading towards Lebanon, or if Hezbollah continues to antagonize Israeli forces stationed on the border, Israel will launch another air raid into the country.  If Israeli planes are shot down by Russian made weaponry, Moscow will face isolation and scrutiny on the international stage, and public opinion and rage will force Netanyahu to expand operations into Lebanon and Syria.  In short, the Syrian Civil War, having raged on for more than two years, has already spilled over into Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq and has the potential to drag other states into a parallel conflict.  John McCain visited Syrian rebels yesterday, as well.  It is clear that the United States is going to expand their role in Syria.  And, if France and the UK have, just by lifting an embargo without actual action, it is hard to fathom what will happen when a state does begin to import weapons to Syrian rebels in a public and dramatic fashion. 

Cutlure War: Europe on Fire

In the past week we have seen Europe burn as she struggles to define her cultural future in the wake of a terrorist attack in East London.  On Wednesday, the English people looked on with horror as two radicalized Islamists from the congregation of cleric Anjem Choudary ran down an English soldier in Woolwich in their vehicle, and, in front of school children, old women, and people on their commute to and from work, hacked the wounded soldier with their knives and hatchets.  With the soldier wounded and unable to defend himself, right in front of the Woolwich barracks, the terrorists decapitated Drummer Lee Rigby, who leaves behind a grief stricken wife and children. 

 

For twenty minutes the radical Islamists paced the street as the unarmed police units hid down the block, waiting for the armed units to arrive.  For those twenty minutes Britain and the free world were held hostage by deranged men who believed that they were waging a holy war against an un-holy people.  One of the scoundrels looked at the camera of a person filming the event, and said, “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.”  And with those words the war of cultures was sparked, and the people of Europe took to the streets. 

 

For nearly a week now, there have been race riots in Stockholm, Sweden as Arab and Islamic youths have been fighting against integration.  In France, three days after the attack in Woolwich, a French soldier was stabbed in the neck, but managed to escape and thwart the terrorist attack.  In England, the English Defense League and other ultra-nationalist groups have taken to the streets to protest radical Islam and the failed multicultural state.  The Prime Minister, already backed up against the ropes by the UK Independence Party and other far right conservative back benchers, has been driven even further to the right, and has sworn to gag those responsible for radicalization. And, in a shocking poll, the English people now support the re-establishment of the death penalty for those who commit acts of terror.  In this veil of European crisis, the dream of a multi-cultural Europe seems to have transformed into a nightmare. 

 

For nearly twenty years the world has remained silent as Europe has diluted her culture, opened her boarders, and has made welcome a large demographic that has no interest in mass integration.  To be blunt, Islamic communities marred with radicalization have no interest in joining the national identity of the welcoming nation.  And, for far too long, it seems as if Europe has been in a blissful denial.  Well, there is no doubting that today the people of Europe are more aware of their current crisis now than at any other point in recent history.  Right-wing historian and French nationalists Dominique Venner sent shockwaves through the numb body of Europe when he, at the age of 78, committed suicide at the alter of Notre Dame a day after the decapitation of Drummer Rigby.  In the note found in his breast pocket Venner wrote, “I believe it is necessary to sacrifice myself to break with the lethargy that is overwhelming us.  I am killing myself to awaken slumbering consciences.”  Venner saw the end of the Second World War, he saw the end of the Cold War, he saw the beginning of multi-culturalism, and with it the death of both the French and the European identity.  Venner has not died in vain, he has not passed onto the next life without purpose.  The conservatives of Europe have heard the echo of his death, and have risen to defend a Europe under siege from within. 

 

Radical Islam is being protected by a naïve and blissfully ignorant radical leftism that reared its head during the height of the Occupy Movement and has bellowed during the austerity of the Economic Crisis.  Today, during the protests in London, the conservatives in the streets booed the English anthem, God Save the Queen.  One conservative commentator said that that action was enough to describe the abhorrence of the left-wing movement.  Those on the left were taunting the middle-class English men who took to the streets today – they dared to call those men the racists.  But, what those on the left ignorantly fail to recognize is that they are protecting the racists!  The conservative protests are an action to protect the institutions that make such disgusting liberalism possible.  Clerics like Choudary who are, every day, preaching anti-English and anti-Western hate are calling for the implementation of Sharia Law throughout not only England, but the world.  In the day following the attack, the BBC called Choudary and two other moderate Muslim leaders in for an interview to address the horrors that have been brought to England’s streets.  The two moderates denounced, clearly and with passion, the attack.  But Choudary, hiding behind cunning and word play refused to denounce the attack.  He, in his manipulative way, supported terror tactics and murder so long as those tactics were being deployed against the west.  He believes that Muslims who kill the non-believers for Allah are destined for heaven, and those who do not convert are destined for the fires of hell.  He even went on to say that the hostess of the show will be nothing more than fuel for the eternal fires of hell.

 

The Britain First coalition has given the Metropolitan Police an ultimatum to “arrest the anti-British Muslim extremist, Anjem Choudary by Wednesday 6pm or they will.”  The time has come for the center-left governments of Europe to move to the right now, or risk the possibility of far-right groups, with popular support, taking matters into their own hands.  Governments must abide by the will of their people or organizations that may not have the interests of all parties in their dogma will take up the slack.  Though David Cameron has talked a big game in the media yesterday, he must follow through or far-right groups, with isolationist and ultra-nationalist beliefs will begin to work to extradite radical Islam.  The culture war is heating up, and the governments of Europe need to decide which side they are going to be on when things get violent.  And, mind you, any violence that does come will be on the hands of the governments that say idle for too long and threw the interests of the nation aside when multi-cultural internationalists came knocking at the door. 

Harry Reid to Ted Cruz: You’re a schoolyard bully!

This morning, in the Capitol, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) rose to appoint conferees to a House-Senate budget committee that would be charged with ironing out the budget that was recently debated and passed on the Senate Floor.  Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) rose to object the motion on the grounds that the current budget does not have a clause that will prevent the increase of the federal debt limit.  Reid took that objection as a move to “eliminate all taxes in the final House-Senate budget,” and thought the move absurd.”

 

Reid went on to say, “The senator from Texas was on the losing side, now he wants us to adopt the losing side’s view or we cannot go to conference… My friend from Texas is like a schoolyard bully.  He pushes everybody around and is losing and instead of playing the game according to the rules, he not only takes the ball home with him, but he changes the rules that way no one wins except the bully who tries to indicate to people that he won.”  Cruz defended himself, declaring that he was not aware they were on the schoolyard.  Then, like a frustrated parent who has been outwitted by their child, Reid shouted “enough” across the Senate floor.

 

There are times when, while watching the political scene in the country when it does seem as if the country is a playground.  It is a playground in a school yard, where federal government and their cronies steal the lunch money of the students, shorten and overregulate the time of play, and scheme to confiscate the toys and redistribute them to the children who did not bring any or think the other kids have too much.  In the world of Harry Reid and the leftist machine, sharing is caring, and sharing is the rule of thumb.  So, when the government neglects to restrain itself, and leaves out previsions that would restrict their ability to spend money without obstruction, someone must stand up and cry foul.  Ted Cruz stood in opposition to a budget that will turn a blind eye to runaway spending, just as a parent turns a blind eye to a child strewn with addiction.

 

Reid told the country that Cruz wants to change the rules, he told the country that Cruz wants to take the ball and go home, and, he told the country that because Cruz’s party lost the debate and vote over the budget that he should shut up, sit down, and drink his big government medicine.  What Harry Reid has forgotten during his twenty-six years in the Senate, is that the message of his lecture to Ted Cruz is not the American way.  If our history is one of “playing by the rules” we would still be English subjects.  If our history is one of “playing by the rules” the majority of our states would still bear slavery and segregation.  If our history is one of “playing by the rules” we would be a people impoverished and separated.  We are not a country regulated by the Democratic Majority, we are a country inspired by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  Those documents, Senator Reid, are the tenants of our freedom and the safeguard of the American way of life.  THOSE documents are the rules that bind Ted Cruz, not the formalities and customs of the Senate chamber. 

 

If a citizen sees an abridgement of our liberties, it does not matter the minute, moment, or place, tyranny must be confronted, and tyranny must be called for what it is.  We do not live in a democracy ruled by the mob, Senator Reid; we live in a Republic that safeguards individual rights and natural law.  And, so long as there is runaway government spending and a government hell-bent on the destruction of the bill of rights, there better be a man like Ted Cruz to stand up and confront this destruction.  A man standing up for what he believes is not a form of bullying - a government pushing that man down, and a leftist society that lusts such is bullying.

Coup: A Crisis in Chad

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Reports coming out of N’Djamena, Chad say that the security forces of President Idriss Deby have foiled a coup attempt that has been in the works for “over four months.”  The government announced late Wednesday night that there have been arrests made in the morning.  Oppositions members say their leader Saleh Maki, and their speculation has been confirmed by his family.  The AFP reports that the “army had been neutralized” and the ringleaders have been handed over to prosecutors for investigation.  Chad is part of the African coalition fighting, under the leadership of France, against the Tuareg rebellion in the north of Mali that has, in the past year, been hijacked by al-Qaeda.  As of right now, Chad has nearly 2,000 soldiers fighting in the country.

 

Chad has, since independence from France in 1960, been a state of infighting and civil war.  From 1960-1975 President Francois Tombalbaye lead as an authoritarian leader who distrusted democracy and forged, by 1962, a one party state.  During his rule, he ostracized the northern and central regions of Chad, with the base of his support in the south.  In 1965 a revolt over taxes erupted, leading to the start of civil war within the country.  Tombalbaye called in French reinforcements, but when they were unable to provide sufficient support, he began to increase relations with Gaddafi in Libya – which lead to Libya cutting the supply routes to the northern rebels.  As the war pressed on Tombalbaye began to act “irrationally and brutally,” which lead his southern supporters in the military and civil service to turn against him.  And, in 1975, he was ousted and killed in a military coup. 

 

Through the smoke of the military junta General Felix Malloum came to eminence.  And, after the initial surge of support his government received from ousting Tombalbaye, in the south, the realities of governance began to settle in.  As the war with the northern rebels dragged on, Malloum allowed Hissene Habre, the leader of the northern rebels, to enter the government as Prime Minister in 1978.  In 1979 Prime Minister Habre sent his forces into the capital against the forces of General Malloum, creating a power vacuum that lead to a large civil war amongst over ten factions that caused great concern in Libya, who could not afford another long era of instability on its southern border.  From 1982 until 1990, Libya intervened in the north, along the Aouzou Strip, pushing as far south as the 16th parallel.  This rise of Libyan power in northern Chad inspired the French, with support of the United States, to lead an intervention force to occupy the territory between Chand and Libyan forces.  In 1984 the two intervening sides agreed to leave the country, clearing the way for President Habre to consolidate power in the south.  By 1990, Libya intervened again, and this time the French looked the other way, and allowing Idriss Deby to march his forces on the capital and seize power. 

 

Deby faced several immediate coup attempts, but was able to hold the capital and the political power needed to maintain stability and hold elections in 1996.  From 2005 to 2010 Chad was engaged in both a civil war with rebel groups in the east and Sudan (a war that effected the situation n Darfur, as well).  After 2010, the wars were over, but the tense relations between Chad and Sudan have remained high.  For 22 years Deby has been a beacon of stability in the region, but his time may be up.  In the past two years military spending has gone from over 4% to just over 1% - which may have earned him some enemies in the army.  It is possible that his extended rule has created political frustration among the opposition.  Unfortunately, we may never know the motives behind the alleged coup as the culprits may be rushed through the courts, which is a common occurrence in these situations. 

 

Something must be noted that Deby has been a soldier in Africa for the west in the war against radical Islam.  Though Deby was put in power through Libyan intervention, he was no staunch ally of Libya during the final years of the Gadhafi era.  With the crisis in Mali, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast in the past five years, it has become apparent that religious and ethnic strife in West Africa has not died with the turn of the century.  This, in addition to the crises in North Africa and the Middle East, has come to threaten global stability.  The supply of raw materials coming out of these regions to Asia, America, and Europe can throw the global market into chaos – threatening the political situation in every major economy across the world.  Stability must be procured in West Africa, no matter the cost.  Democracy must be insured in West Africa, no matter the cost.  And, pax-Americana must continue to be the rule of the world.

Open the Adirondacks to All Disabled, Veteran or Private Citizen!

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On March 25, 2013 Assemblyman Dan Stec (R-Queensbury, NY) released a statement on his official New York State Assembly page that it was the job of the New York State government to assure that the needs of the “developmentally disabled” comes before the needs of the Tonight Show.  At the time of this statement, the Republican caucus in Albany was up in arms at the budget cuts that would have cut nearly $120 million from the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) while proposing $420 million tax credits to “Hollywood productions that film in New York.”  The Republicans, in a personal triumph, shinned a lot of light on this obscure imbalance and were able to get an amendment through the budget that eventually reduced the cuts to OPWDD to only $90 million.  Assemblyman Stec said before the cuts were softened, “Where I come from, we were always taught to help those who can’t help themselves…  Providing adequate funding for the developmentally disabled is the least we can do as state officials to ensure the basic needs of the most vulnerable members of our society are being met.”  In short, he said that nothing should stand between the needs of the “developmentally disabled and those who care for them.” 

 

Assemblyman Stec’s words are honest and make everyone in the 114th Assembly District proud.  Unfortunately, Stec was able to talk the talk, but so far he has been unable to walk the walk.  During his victory lap through his district in January, Stec pledged he was going to be the candidate that would make the economy and the job market the number one priority.  With that old pledge, and his newfound pledge made in March to protect the disabled, it is an obscurity that Stec has sponsored a bill (A.04616) in the Assembly that would “provide disabled veterans access to certain restricted bodies of water in the Adirondack part through the use of float planes.”  This four page piece of legislation would put in place a program that would allow our disabled veterans the ability to petition the local government for a permit that would allow them to gain access to some of the Adirondack’s most exclusive areas by plane. 

 

Though no one can object to the fact that there are many parts of the Adirondack Park that should be opened to the disabled provided the access to those areas does not disrupt the natural beauty of the park, it is clear that Stec has a bias for veterans over the regular population.  It goes without saying that our disabled veterans deserve this opportunity – they have served our country and many of them have sacrificed for our freedom.  But, I believe the bill does not go far enough.  Stec should, if his March pledge to protect the disabled was sincere, call for an amendment that would allow all people with disabilities the opportunity to petition for a float plane visa.  By distinguishing veteran disabled from citizen disabled Stec is propagating a culture war that honors one citizen over another. 

 

The world famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking once said, “Obviously, because of my disability, I need assistance.  But I have always tried to overcome the limitations of my condition and lead as full a life as possible.  I have traveled the world, from the Antarctic to zero gravity.”  Mr. Hawking was afforded the opportunity to travel to places that men with the heart to do so could be able.  Right now, New York State is preventing the fulfillment of free travel, right now Assemblyman Stec is standing in the way of universal freedom for all, and right now Stec is propagating a cultural war that tells Americans that if you serve the state you will be rewarded.  That is not the American way, that is not what our country was founded upon, and that should not be the mantra of New York.  New York should become a beacon that shines from the highest peak, glistens off the calmest lake, and resonates in the hearts of all, regardless of life experience, history of service, or genetic makeup.  Assemblyman Stec, amend Assembly Bill 04616 and grant the ability to petition for access to the Adirondack’s closed lakes to all who need, wish, and desire to experience the beauty and magnificence of our home. 

 

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers but as fountain of life.” – John Muir, 1898

 

 

 

RELATED ARTICLES & POSTINGS:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Dan-Stec/story/51720/

http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?default_fld=&bn=A04616&term=&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Votes=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y

http://www.adirondackjournal.com/news/2013/jan/07/assemblyman-dan-stec-identifies-initial-prioritie/

http://capitaltonightny.ynn.com/2013/03/bipartisan-anger-over-opwdd-cuts/

Pervez Musharraf: The Final Gasp of Modernization

Today, General Pervez Musharraf, former leader of Pakistan, had is request for bail revoked.  Quickly, his body guards removed him from the courthouse and the party returned to his compound outside the capital of Islamabad.  From there, Musharraf has to contemplate his future.  Initially, he returned to the country after self-imposed exile in London and Deli, when he was forced out of office in 2008.  Musharraf, a western educated military man, embodies all that Pakistan has come to reject – he is a modernizer, a pro-westerner, and a man who took the fight to the Taliban in the western tribal lands. 

 

In 1999, he came to power in a coup to depose a corrupt and stagnant political institution.  He came to power to revive business and Pakistani nationalism.  There must be made a clear distinction made between nationalism and fundamentalism.  During his time in power, Musharraf began to take the steps necessary to curtail the fundamentalism that began fumigating in the military’s ranks.  And, with him gone, it is clear that there is no religiously moderate leader or strong man in place to curtail the threats of radical Islam in Pakistan.  Since he has been removed from power, the army has ended its role in daily economic life, which may seem nice to outside observers, but to the people of Pakistan, who relied on the military’s engineers to modernize the irrigational infrastructure, it has been devastating.  The new government in place today has no liberal tendencies, no modernizing force, or any desire to curtail fundamentalism.  The government in Pakistan today exists solely to enshrine radical Islam and to protect terrorists in their tribal lands. 

 

Musharraf has been damned by the west in recent years as a man who represents all that we detest.  They see Musharraf and associate him with Pakistani terror, they see Musharraf and they associate him with the decline of democracy, they see Musharraf and they see the anti-western strongman threatening stability in South Asia.  They could not be any further from the truth.  He is a man who represents the modernizing force, one that is needed to drag Pakistan, kicking and screaming, into the international system.  Does that mean that democracy must be curtailed?  Yes.  Does that mean that civil rights will have to be restricted?  Yes.  But does that mean that he is a man against progression?  No.  Musharraf sent signals to the international markets that Pakistan was a place for investment.  Under his rule, roads will be tended, water will be cleaned, women will be respected, and radical Islam will be quieted.  And, with those signals comes a modern economy.  And, the next step from there is progressive liberalism.  Today, in our world, we hold strong to the notion that change must happen when change is demanded.  Unfortunately, that is not, and never will be, the case. 

 

Europe took a thousand years to emerge from its feudal system to become the thriving democratic bastion it is today.  Pakistan, before the military coup of 1999 was still ruled by feudal families and law.  And, in the past 8 years, Pakistan has begun to return to that feudal reality as families and tribes have taken power in the face of a weak centralized government.  The West, it must be said, drove the only thing insuring modernization out of the country, because we perceived him as a terror supporter.  The only thing Musharraf wanted was a nationalistically motivated country that could, with vigor, unite the Muslims of Pakistan and Kashmir.  Kashmir is, mind you, over 95% Muslim.  The region only joined India in 1947 when her Hindu princes wished it.  It is only natural that a Muslim majority, living under Indian domination, would wish to be joined with Pakistan – and, furthermore, it is only natural that a nationalist movement would arise in support of that movement in Pakistan.  And that is the extent of Musharraf’s wishes – a nationalist movement, not a religiously fundamentalist movement.  As long as there is no nationalistic power in Pakistan, the people will be free to join the jihad.   

 

I am not a supporter of war, dictatorship, or aggression on any part – but, I do recognize the need for the world to have pro-western governments with a tendency towards modernization.  Before 1999 Pakistan was ruled by feudal politics, after 2008 power was given back to the tribes and ancient families.  There has been no change, and there is no motive for change from within the country.  There is simply a political institution trapped in stagnant complacency and a military filled with jihadist officers.  With no strong handed reformer nothing will change.  Pakistan will continue to be a hot bed for radical activity, and when the older generals, men trained in the style of the raj are retired or die, the military will rest in the hands of jihad.  And, there will be no moderate force, no voice of reason left in the country.  And, when the Kashmir issue flares or the United States angers the people, violence will be had.  Cooler heads will not prevail, people with a stake in the international system, like Musharraf and his internationalist supporters, will not be there to demand peace – there will simply be fundamentalist flare and religious war. 

 

Musharraf was a man who had what it takes to funnel the military out of the fundamentalist camp into the nationalist movement.  Which, though a lesser of two evils, revolved around the annexation of Kashmir, not the destruction of the modern world.  If Musharraf’s boat for legal entry into the political system has sailed, unless his lawyers can undo the legal damage that has been done in the past day, and unless he can retain permission to run for a seat in the north, I fear modernization for Pakistan is further away than any of us could have dreamed.  Modernization and internationalism must take hold in Pakistan; the leadership of the country must either be replaced or swayed in order to do such.  The military, if it is going to take action to modernize the country, must do so before radical elements come to power.  Regardless of what happens, Pakistan’s road is rocky and long.  No matter what happens, the world will be watching, waiting for the day the people are enlightened and prepared to ascend to modernization and global fraternity. 

 

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – H. Ford

April 16, 2013 - Kristallnacht in Venezuela

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As the smoke settles over the small town of Los Teques, the capital of the Venezuelan town of Miranda, it has become increasingly clear that president-elect Maduro, not Gov. Capriles, is a man of violence and terror.  Ever since the National Election Council released the results of Sunday night’s election, Capriles has done what any other reformer would do in a close election, in a state whose interworking’s are tilted towards the Chavez socialist machine, and has called for a recount.  In the polling stations, elections were open, with Chavez and Maduro supporters lurking over the people as they cast their ballot.  The media, in Venezuela, is under the thumb of Chavez and Maduro supporters.  The government illegally prompts their employees into pro-government rallies and all but forces them to vote for their candidate.  So, with that in mind, with the voter intimidation and government cronyism, Capriles should be damning the election our right as a corruption of the democratic process.  But, no – he is not doing that.  He simply wants the NEC, an organization crammed with members of the left, to recount their ballots. 

 

The Maduro regime has taken to the airwaves to damn this exchange, even though, on election night, he said that he too respected the electoral process and that he too would like to see every vote counted.  As Capriles calls for peaceful protests – “banging of the pots” – Maduro has called for violence.  On Tuesday there were protests across the country.  On Tuesday, the government called in the police and their goons to crack them down, to silence the opposition.  And, on Tuesday seven people were killed and nearly 100 were sent to the hospital.  And still, Capriles was called a man of violence.  Today was supposed to be a day of protests against the slanted bias of the NEC.  Today was supposed to be a protest of solidarity, support of the democratic process, and the Venezuelan people.  It is a motive that all people, no matter where they are, can stand behind.  But Maduro has said no, no to the people, no to democracy, and no to peaceful protests.  He called this march an attempt to overthrow the government.  He told the country that he would never allow Capriles to march to the city center.

 

And, for the sake of peace, Capriles said that the rally was called off.  Seven people have already died at the hands of Maduro’s bloody rule, how many more must die?  Maduro, seeing that Capriles had broken, went in for the kill.  In the capital of the Miranda state, it was nearly midnight.  But, down the main road came the roar of motorcycles.  It was not the sound of just a few, but a hoard of gang members from the pro-Chavez slums of Caracas.  Like beasts of lore they descended on the town, taking control of the city center.  They attacked Capriles’ headquarters, pro-Capriles businesses, and Capriles’ home.  Still, there is no word on the conditions within the home.  But, it is blatantly clear that Maduro’s gangs have engaged in violence.  It is this style of rule, where you blame the other for violence that has never occurred and use it as an excuse to launch your own preemptive strike at the heart of their base. 

 

In the coming hours, in the coming days, and in the coming weeks, we will see if Maduro’s tactic of fear, abuse, and deceit has quelled the move for freedom in Venezuela.  Yesterday, before the rally was called off, I told a friend that this movement could very well be the beginning of a Latin American revolution that mirrored those of 1989 in Eastern Europe.  Today, I am not sure if Capriles has the stomach to stand up to the tyrant and demand freedom for his people.  All great revolutions start from the bottom and work their way up.  Unfortunately, Capriles’ supporters have too much to lose, they represent a shrinking middle class – they have homes, families, and jobs and businesses.  To revolt would be to put all of those things on the line.  To rise would be to risk.  And, to risk would be to accept the possibility of utter defeat.  As JFK once said, “the price for freedom is always high.”  And, that is something Capriles and his supporters must never forget.  To break the chains of socialism one must be willing to be broken themselves. 

 

Rise Venezuela, rise up against your oppressive government.  Be, once more, the incarnation of Simon Bolivar!  From Canada to Argentina, from Caracas to Havana, we are all Americans.  And, all of America is standing in solidarity with the Venezuelan people as they struggle for freedom from their oppressors.  The gangs that oppose you know not the words of freedom, nor the history of your genome - FREEDOM IS ON THE TIP OF EVERY VENEZUELAN’S TONGUE.  All you must do is speak.

 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!”  Isaiah 6:8

Maduro’s Goons have Attacked Henrique Capriles

If the reports are true, it appears that pro-government mobs have besieged Henrique Capriles’ residence in Miranda.  After losing the election Sunday night, by roughly 1.6%, Chavez’s handpicked successor has targeted pro-Capriles’ rallies and calls for a recount as a call for a coup against the socialist government.  Throughout the day today and yesterday, there have been protests in major urban centers that have resulted in seven deaths and nearly 100 hospitalizations.  Tomorrow, there was to be a massive opposition rally, one that Maduro has vowed to crush.  For unknown reasons, the BBC reports that the rally was called off. 

 

Now, it appears, from the tweeting of Capriles (@hcapriles) and some Spanish news reports that the Governors’ Mansion in Miranda is under siege by pro-Maduro forces.  There is no live footage from the area, and as of right now, we cannot verify that Capriles is in the residence, though he has released a series of messages that said, in translation, “If something happens to me, the world should know who is responsible.  The illegitimate [Maduro] speaks of love, non-violence, and still ordered an attack on my official residence as Gov. of Miranda in Teques.  Whatever happens to me, in the official residence, Nicolas Maduro is responsible.”  Please, let it be known that I have translated these tweets on my own, and do not have a solid grasp of the Spanish language – though the general theme of the message has been confirmed.

 

With that said, it appears that Gov. Capriles, the man who, just two days ago, lost the Presidential election against Chavez’s handpicked successor Maduro in a heated and close campaign.  Following the campaign, the National Election Committee of Venezuela announced the results as 7,575,506 votes for Maduro and 7,302,641 votes for Capriles – making this election the closest in contemporary memory.  The close nature of the results has led to Capriles immediately calling for a recount, a move that, initially Maduro agreed to.  But, once the Election Committee refused, the tone of the debate changed – Capriles began calling for civil protests, a move that brought thousands into the streets banging pots and pans.  By mid-day Monday, the nature of the protests began to change, as security forces began to engage the protestors.  By early Tuesday, Capriles and his surrogates began to call for a large, official rally.  During this time, as the protests of Monday became violent, Maduro began to accuse the opposition of plotting a coup against his government, and vowed to stop the rally from taking place. 

 

And, now, the peace touting Maduro, the disciple of Chavez has allowed this attack to take place.  The government of Maduro has, before his inauguration, shown the nature of the regime.  Those who dare to challenge the status-quo of socialist acceptance, those who dare to demand respect for the electoral process will become targets of Maduro’s tyranny.  Tonight I will go to sleep while the people of the opposition are terrorized in Teques, Caracas, and throughout the whole of Venezuela are forced to stay awake as Maduro’s thugs roam the streets looking for someone who appears to be an opponent of the regime, someone who dares to oppose the will of Chavez or his successor. 

 

We do not know the full nature of the attacks on Capriles tonight, or the true extent of the violence.  Hopefully, when the sun rises over the Atlantic Ocean all will be calm and peace will be restored.  Until then, I implore you all to keep the people of Venezuela in your hearts and minds, and pray that they persevere and endure the attacks in safety.  If Capriles is made a victim of tyranny’s selfish dictum tonight we will not abandon the cause, if the people of the opposition are made ill by Maduro’s aggression may they bear their bourdon with dignity.  In the morning the truth will be learned and the battle for Venezuela will continue. 

 

“Do not compare your material forces with those of the enemy.  Spirit cannot be compared with matter.  You are human beings, they are beasts.  You are free, they are slaves.  Fight, and you shall win.  For God grants victory to perseverance.” – Simon Bolivar

WE ARE ALL BOSTONIANS NOW

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I was in my car on my way back to campus from the FDR Museum when I heard the news on the radio – two were dead after a series of explosions during the Boston Marathon.  Eleven years ago, I was touched by fire, when 19 terrorists hijacked four airplanes and destroyed the world as we knew it.  Before September 11th I was a child, unaware of the hostilities beyond the gates of America.  After that day I and those in my generation were children no more.  Today, terror has reared its disgusting head once more. 

 

My country, the world, and the innocent have been dragged into the field that we participate every day.  I, through the practice of my free will, subject myself to the horrors of the world with the hopes of making the place in which we all live a better place.  But, there are those who wish not to follow the extremism of the world, the violence of our nature, and the cruelties that we have created for ourselves who have seen humanity at its worst.  Today is Patriot’s Day in Boston – it is a state holiday, a time when children are out of school, a day that hosts the world’s oldest marathon, and a day of families and the celebration of our liberties – has been clouded with the blood of the innocent. 

 

Margaret Thatcher, having survived a terrorist attack in 1984 (Brighton Hotel Bombing), said in the conference the next day, “That is the scale of the outrage in which we have all shared, and the fact that we are gathered here now – shocked, but composed and determined – is a sign not only that this attack has failed, but that all attempts to destroy democracy by terrorism will fail.”  Though the motives of the Boston attack are still unknown, though the threat is continued, though the government has asked people to shelter themselves and avoid the streets, we will persevere.  Someone has attempted to send a message to the country on this day.  The message has been received – but, I promise you, it is not the one that they intended.  Today we are stronger than we were yesterday, today we are defiant.  The terrorists have not won; they have made us even more steadfast in our defense of human liberty and the dignity to life. 

 

As we, the Americans who were born into a generation that became touched by fire, digest the horror of today, we must not forget to remain diligent.  There has been a terrorist attack and we must recognize it as such.  Be the culprit Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Shinto, be the culprit white, black, yellow, or green, they are a terrorist.  If they are on the left, they are a terrorist.  If they are on the right, they are a terrorist.  Regardless of who they are or where they stand, they are a terrorist.  They represent no other movement than the global movement of evil.  They are a member of no nation; they are a person of no tribe.  They are not a member of my race, your race, or any race – they are a terrorist.  Without name, fame, reward, or praise, this person responsible will be given the wrath of a people tired of conflict and pain. 

 

“Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” Amos 5:24.  The person responsible will receive a punishment far beyond any court, penile system, or guillotine in the land.  As of right now 2 people have died, one an 8-year-old child, and over a 100 people have been sent to the hospital.  This person will forever know the wrath of the innocent, be that wrath dispensed in this world or the next.  Tonight, and forever, we are all Bostonians, we are all Americans.  We will grieve the dead, honor the living, and pursue the guilty.

Gun Control: Regulating Violence or Controlling People?

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Barack Obama has just finished his speech in Connecticut where, in front of an emotional panel of parents, he called for new action on weapons in America.  In his speech he outlined a plan that would require deeper background checks, a restriction on weapon types, and a restriction on limiting magazine capacity.  The President brought out a stream of statistics, 90% of Americans, 80% of Republicans, and 80% of gun owners all support background checks.  What he did not tell you that is Eric Holder’s Justice Department and his administration are not punishing states that do not enforce the laws already on the books.  He did not tell the people in the auditorium, who, caught up in the emotional presentation, chanted of we want a vote, we want a vote, that there are already federal and local laws that require background checks.  He did not tell the people that an overwhelming majority of gun related crimes are perpetrated by illegal gun owners.  He did not tell the people that, by restricting the types of weapons people could own and the capacity of the magazines, the state would have a tighter hold on their already impregnable monopoly of force. 

 

Obama is always quick to point out letters he received from hunters, showing their support for his action.  This leaves out a critical field of the debate – the dignity of self-defense.  We are granted the right to bear arms not only to help form a well-trained and regulated militia in the event of an attack by a foreign enemy.  We are granted the right to bear arms so the people can protect themselves from the government and its institutions.  When a government outlaws weaponry of a sustainable grade to the public, the government is putting the people at risk to domestic adversaries who may have come upon high grade weapons illegally, or who may be abusing their exclusive right to them.  The people must have the un-infringed right to bear arms so the people can protect themselves from a corrupt government.  We are a nation that was born from a revolution.  Our independence was blessed by the spilled blood of our forefathers – and now, we must guard our individual rights by breaking the government monopoly on self-defense and force.

 

During the Jim Crow era blacks were not permitted to own firearms in many states.  During the Jim Crow era blacks were lynched because they could not provide for themselves the dignity of self-defense and their government was unwilling to provide such a service.  Today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo thousands die every years because the government does not allow the people to arm themselves, while being unable to disarm illegal militias that terrorize and rape the country side.  Just two weeks ago the capital city of the Central African Republic fell.  While under siege the men of the small city rushed to the city center demanding arms to protect the city and their families.  The government did not arm the people.  The city fell and the people are now beginning to be subjected to a foreign culture and a way of life that they themselves do not wish to partake.  In short, history is littered with examples of an exposed and venerable population being attacked by outside forces, their government, or a combination of both. 

 

During the Nazi era in Europe, the German government went through great lengths to deprive minorities of their rights.  The Jewish people were disarmed and treated as third class citizens.  Millions were sent to their deaths in gas chambers, corralled from their homes, onto trains, and to the camps.  Millions of people were deprived of their right to the dignity of self-defense.  All of that changed when the people in the Warsaw Ghetto were armed by the Polish resistance.  And, for weeks, the newly liberated people of the Ghetto fought their oppressor gallantly.  They were outnumbered and surely they were going to be defeated.  But, in their final moments, fighting their enemy, the people of the Warsaw Ghetto achieved something that their kin in the camps could not – they achieved independence and freedom.  They achieved the ability to look at their oppressors not as master but as foe.  The German Wehrmacht was made to respect their opponent in the field of battle.

 

During the rule of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, Pol-Pot and his cronies rounded up the guns and were then next able to force the people into the fields – the killing fields.  There, he killed millions of his own people in an erratic quest to restore an ancient civilization through slave labor.  Those people, forced to kneel in the mud to receive a bullet to the brain, were deprived their right to the dignity of self-defense.  The Second Amendment exists not to let the people hunt and shoot clay pigeons.  The Second Amendment exists so the PEOPLE, not the government, can insure a mad man cannot walk into a school and kill our children.  The Founding Fathers were not dumb, they knew what they were doing – they put in place a natural check on the centralized government.  That check, greater than any of the other three checks and balances, is the power of the people.  The people made the American Revolution and our founding possible.  The people created our government.  And, the people are the ones who will be called upon by nature to end it if any tyranny is to come from its halls of power. 

 

If the Second Amendment is allowed to be chiseled away, and the people are allowed to be made weak and dependent upon the government from everything from healthcare to education to self-defense, the fruit of control is set to pick.  The tree of American liberty must be guarded first by the rule of law, the president of our founders, and lastly by the sword.  For, there is one thing that will end the crusade of tyranny – force.  We must, as a freedom loving country, insure that every man is allowed to feel safe and provide for himself.  We have just as many domestic enemies as we do foreign.  And, we must never forget that once a right is taken by government it has not ONCE been given back.  In the coming weeks, as Congress debates the gun laws, Rand Paul’s posy plans to hold a filibuster to block the debate on a bill that serves no purpose.  He, like Sen. Cruz, McConnell, and several others are standing bear chested to the spear of the opposition.  They must be supported and Obama’s proposal must be quelled.  He is using emotion and fear to drum up support for a measure that will deprive YOU of your rights; he is using a crisis to redefine our course as a freedom loving country.  Oppose the President’s plan, call your representatives and demand that they represent the RIGHT vision for America, and NEVER forget that you live in the greatest country the world has ever known.