Lee on Sep 04 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Election 2008
Sound recommendation I’d say:
Sphere: Related Content“I should’ve asked a few more questions when Sarah joined the PTA. When my wife starts talking about reform, corruption and making government work for the American people, it’s best to just move out of the way.”
(Political Radar)
MikeR on Sep 04 2008 | Filed under: Around the Web, MikeR's Page
Chronicle of the Conspiracy
This is a good thing. She fights waste wherever she finds it.
Lee on Aug 16 2008 | Filed under: Foreign affairs, Lee's Page
Ceasefire be damned,* the Russian army reportedly destroyed the Metekhi-Grakali railway bridge. The bridge was used by Georgian refugees fleeing the mayhem in the Russian occupied zones given that the highway is controlled by the Russian army, which has naturally acquired a rapacious reputation among Georgians. Thus it could expand the humanitarian crisis in Western and Central Georgia.
Oddly, the Russian military has denied it destroyed the bridge, which is perhaps further evidence of factional schizophrenia in Russian policy, given that the bridge is in fact destroyed (photo).
In reaction to this and continued Russian occupation of Georgia, Secretary Rice said that the Russians are “perhaps” just liars. That’s news to no one at this point, but there’s reason to assume command-and-control is fantastically weak within the occupation army (much less within the state).
There’s also an energy oligarch-faction corruption rationale for a Russian action on the bridge, as it was the conduit for Azeri oil export which has now had to cease.
* Edit: Attack was coordinated to occur a couple of hours before Medvedev signed the agreement.
Sphere: Related ContentJoshua Foust on Jul 05 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Notes on the war
There are times when I’m kind of ashamed to work in the military-industrial complex:
Former congressman Curt Weldon is helping broker deals between Russian and Ukranian weapons suppliers and the Iraqi and Libyan governments as part of his new job with a private American defense consulting firm, Wired.com has learned.
Weldon, who is currently being investigated by the FBI over alleged corruption during his time in office, visited Libya in March to discuss a possible military deal, according to a letter describing the trip from Weldon to Defense Solutions CEO Timothy Ringgold. In May, Weldon, together with Ringgold and another company representative, traveled to Moscow to discuss working with Russia’s weapons-export agency on arms sales to the Middle East.
Both trips were part of the company’s effort to tap into the growing — and often legally murky — market for selling weapons from former Eastern Bloc countries to the Middle East and Afghanistan.
This has echoes of that 21 year old masseuse who was able to filch $300 million out of the DOD to sell useless only Chinese rounds smuggled through Albania to the ANA in Afghanistan. Years after the fact, that guy was arrested. Will Weldon face a similar fate? It’s unclear—Sharon Weinberger couldn’t find any government official who could say whether his actions—despite arranging arms deals with blacklisted countries—were legal or not.
Sphere: Related ContentKeith_Indy on Feb 28 2008 | Filed under: Domestic Politics, Firearms, Keith's Page
Maybe, just maybe, guns do serve the purpose of holding back the tyrants boot heel.
The data show that (although exceptions can be found) the nations with the highest rates of gun ownerhsip tend to have greater political and civil freedom, greater economic freedom and prosperity, and much less corruption than other nations. The relationship only exists in for high-ownership countries.
via Instapundit
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