Yesterday in response to my saying that China and Russia will come to the aid of Iran when an all out confrontation breaks out between Iran and the US there was the standard group of people who said the US would never endanger the tenuous relationship with their money source and that China would never endanger their primary income source. Well guess what today brings?
First the closing arguments in yesterdays story. Both Moscow and Beijing share a heightening distrust of what they see as the United States' oversized role and influence in global politics, and the two former Cold War rivals have forged a "strategic partnership" aimed at counterbalancing Washington's policies. The Russian-Chinese war games, which took place near the Urals Mountain city of Chelyabinsk, coincided with Russian air force maneuvers involving 20 strategic bombers which ranged far over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.
The group of strategic bombers, early warning aircraft, fighter jets and refuel
ing planes represented the biggest show of Russian air power in that region since the early 1990s, said Brig. Gen. Ole Asak, chief of the Norwegian Joint Air Operations Center. NATO in recent years has expanded to include the former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as well as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO is a regional group dominated by Moscow and Beijing and are obviously on Iran's side. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country has SCO observer status, attended the summit for the second consecutive year. On Thursday, Ahmadinejad echoed Russia's criticism of U.S. plans to deploy missile interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic, saying they were a threat to the entire region. http://www.blogger.com/
later Yesterday I learned Dozens of anti-China bills, denouncing China for alleged currency manipulation, illegal subsidizing of exports and violations of intellectual property law, have been circulating in the Senate for months. But since the recent health scares over toothpaste laced with antifreeze and tainted pet food from China, the anti-China sentiment on Capitol Hill has noticeably risen. So much so that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is about to head to China to raise "issues of concern to the U.S. Congress" with Chinese officials, including Chinese Premier Hu Jintao.
The threat of a trade war with China, by far the largest holder of U.S. debt, is serious. If China perceives itself a target, it might in turn levy a harsh tax on American imports, or outright forbid them. Such consequences, though, are not high on the minds of several Congressional committees looking for a way of easing the trade imbalance, which last year reached $233 billion.
The Senate Finance Committee approved a bill, by a 20-1 vote, that would allow the Treasury to take action against China by lowering its standard for identifying currency distortion. Since China stopped pegging its currency to the dollar in 2005, Senators say that the Yuan may have been undervalued by as much as 40%, making American exports to China more expensive and Chinese exports to America cheaper.The Senate Banking Committee has its own China bill, which would also make it harder for the Treasury to avoid labeling China as a currency manipulator.
The feeling is that China must be held accountable for its predatory practices. meanwhile we are watching Russia and China willing to confront us on not only a financial field but in a military field. This confrontation is growing on every front and it will end in as desired, Confrontation.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1647881,00.html
I reiterate It is unbelievable to me to think that Bush does not realize that when all is said and done and the war in the middle east ramps up as Iran and the US go after each other, that Russia and China will step in to help Iran regardless. Bush's drive for war and new middle east order will soon be WW3 and total disorder. Can anyone see this possibly being avoided?
James Joiner Gardner, Ma www.anaveragepatriot.com
Showing posts with label Senate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Senate. Show all posts
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
We're reduced to Worthless Political games, media jokes and critical Iraq issues ignored!
We accomplish more as we sleep: We're reduced to Worthless Political games while the media jokes and critical Iraq issues are ignored!
As we listened to the Partisan bickering over an Iraq withdrawal we have been reduced to playing Republican games. In this instance it is the Political theater of a Senate sleep over. The vote of course failed and is being called a defeat for the Democrats but it is not. It is a defeat for America and our troops.
Meanwhile some very important Issues to our troops and their care is being ignored and swept under the rug. As I was researching news sources to talk about what was happening or "not happening" in the Senate I discovered the usual biased coverage. While CNN took this seriously Fox accused Democrats of playing games. Meanwhile nothing is going to get accomplished and I had to go to other sources and stories to get the serious news on this that is glossed over, ignored, and not mentioned to us.
The CNN story did show that as we know, that all night session was absolutely worthless as everyone interviewed insisted on holding their Partisan course while ignoring the real issues at hand.
It is sickening to hear the childish senseless banter to Protect Bush and his mess while our troops are in real danger, being ill cared for, and their equipment needs go unmet and underfunded by Bush.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/17/senate.iraq/index.html
Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut did say that he would introduce an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would cut funding for combat missions in Iraq and he would use the billions in savings to rebuild the nation's military. that of course is something else that may be needed but will never happen. Millions of dollars a week are being squandered in Iraq . While our nation's military is calling out for additional resources to repair the damage caused by the administration's policies Dodd said.
Dodd said the National Guard has requested $38 billion from Congress to replace vehicles, aircraft, equipment and personal gear that were transferred to Iraq, and that shortfall remains unfunded in the current defense authorization bill.
"It means that we are short of equipment to respond to natural and man-made disasters here at home, short of equipment for training, short of equipment to maintain the standard of maintenance rotation for equipment currently in the field ... short of equipment to protect the American people," he said.
How can we ignore those issues and make a joke out of the very important issue of troop withdrawal? I was disappointed to see that the Washington Post also treated the all night debate as a joke instead of treating our situation seriously. Amidst all these wasted Partisan arguments on withdrawing our troops I did run into an important story that is unfolding at least under my radar and on the Washington Post. Maybe things will get done right, there now.
Anyway the secretary of veterans affairs, resigned yesterday and said he would leave his post by Oct. 1, ending a tenure marked by the largest data breach in the federal government's history and sharp criticism of the care given to injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
He has done such a great job of mismanaging the Department of Veterans affairs that I am sure he too will be given a medal.
I'm sure you remember that The agency has faced considerable criticism for its treatment of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as they move from the military healthcare system to VA's, and for its chronically slow processing of disability claims by injured or sick veterans from all eras. Critics complain about lost paperwork, a shortage of VA caseworkers, a caseload of 400,000 pending disability claims and long waits for initial appointments in the VA healthcare system.
The criticism grew louder this year when The Washington Post revealed decrepit conditions and poor outpatient treatment of wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, though that facility is run by the Pentagon, not VA.
Yet Nicholson said he was not asked to step down. He said It is a good time -- if there ever is a good time -- to leave the VA. There were no frustrations causing me to think about resigning. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071700701.html?hpid=sec-nation
Sadly, I can believe that as like Bush, his whole MisAdministration, and the bias Media, they all think they are doing a great job and they are but for them. Someone has to start doing the right thing for our soldiers in Iraq and get them home while treating them right if they are wounded. All this back slapping and game playing must stop or our soldiers situations everywhere are going to continue to degrade and get much worse.
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
www.anaveragepatriot.com
As we listened to the Partisan bickering over an Iraq withdrawal we have been reduced to playing Republican games. In this instance it is the Political theater of a Senate sleep over. The vote of course failed and is being called a defeat for the Democrats but it is not. It is a defeat for America and our troops.
Meanwhile some very important Issues to our troops and their care is being ignored and swept under the rug. As I was researching news sources to talk about what was happening or "not happening" in the Senate I discovered the usual biased coverage. While CNN took this seriously Fox accused Democrats of playing games. Meanwhile nothing is going to get accomplished and I had to go to other sources and stories to get the serious news on this that is glossed over, ignored, and not mentioned to us.
The CNN story did show that as we know, that all night session was absolutely worthless as everyone interviewed insisted on holding their Partisan course while ignoring the real issues at hand.
It is sickening to hear the childish senseless banter to Protect Bush and his mess while our troops are in real danger, being ill cared for, and their equipment needs go unmet and underfunded by Bush.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/17/senate.iraq/index.html
Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut did say that he would introduce an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would cut funding for combat missions in Iraq and he would use the billions in savings to rebuild the nation's military. that of course is something else that may be needed but will never happen. Millions of dollars a week are being squandered in Iraq . While our nation's military is calling out for additional resources to repair the damage caused by the administration's policies Dodd said.
Dodd said the National Guard has requested $38 billion from Congress to replace vehicles, aircraft, equipment and personal gear that were transferred to Iraq, and that shortfall remains unfunded in the current defense authorization bill.
"It means that we are short of equipment to respond to natural and man-made disasters here at home, short of equipment for training, short of equipment to maintain the standard of maintenance rotation for equipment currently in the field ... short of equipment to protect the American people," he said.
How can we ignore those issues and make a joke out of the very important issue of troop withdrawal? I was disappointed to see that the Washington Post also treated the all night debate as a joke instead of treating our situation seriously. Amidst all these wasted Partisan arguments on withdrawing our troops I did run into an important story that is unfolding at least under my radar and on the Washington Post. Maybe things will get done right, there now.
Anyway the secretary of veterans affairs, resigned yesterday and said he would leave his post by Oct. 1, ending a tenure marked by the largest data breach in the federal government's history and sharp criticism of the care given to injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
He has done such a great job of mismanaging the Department of Veterans affairs that I am sure he too will be given a medal.
I'm sure you remember that The agency has faced considerable criticism for its treatment of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans as they move from the military healthcare system to VA's, and for its chronically slow processing of disability claims by injured or sick veterans from all eras. Critics complain about lost paperwork, a shortage of VA caseworkers, a caseload of 400,000 pending disability claims and long waits for initial appointments in the VA healthcare system.
The criticism grew louder this year when The Washington Post revealed decrepit conditions and poor outpatient treatment of wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, though that facility is run by the Pentagon, not VA.
Yet Nicholson said he was not asked to step down. He said It is a good time -- if there ever is a good time -- to leave the VA. There were no frustrations causing me to think about resigning. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/17/AR2007071700701.html?hpid=sec-nation
Sadly, I can believe that as like Bush, his whole MisAdministration, and the bias Media, they all think they are doing a great job and they are but for them. Someone has to start doing the right thing for our soldiers in Iraq and get them home while treating them right if they are wounded. All this back slapping and game playing must stop or our soldiers situations everywhere are going to continue to degrade and get much worse.
James Joiner
Gardner, Ma
www.anaveragepatriot.com
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