War is a blunt instrument, be your weapons ever so precise. Firepower has a limited utility inversely proportional to its explosive potential. Nevertheless, my response to those who say that ‘war is a lie’ is to ask the city fathers of Carthage what they think about the notion. Indeed, Tripolitania — the northern sector of modern-day Libya, formerly part of the Carthaginian Empire — has been a scene of many wars, including the dance between Generals Rommel and Montgomery during World War II. There are many factors in this uprising: Ghaddafi has used water to play Libyan tribes off one another, destabilize his neighbors , and build a “legacy” ; advancing desertification , and the high cost of food due to climate-change induced Russian drought , have put pressure on Ghaddafi’s system. (High food prices were a factor in Egypt’s revolution as well .) In the meantime, Ghaddafi has socked away untold scores of billions in oil wealth . That is the Libyan social, economic, and political picture in a snapshot; Libya is a “sick man” of North Africa because Moammar is a despot. You can see it in Libya’s cities. As an ardent anti-urbanist, Ghaddafi sleeps in a tent and writes semi-poetic screeds about how much “I hate the city.” He has done little to prepare Libya for a burgeoning population; education and opportunity have been non-existent. His ideology, as presented in his ” Little Green Book ” (like Mao’s Little Red Book ; get it?), is pastoral authoritarianism . Since mid-February of this year, an armed uprising has challenged his power and rejected his ideology. The presence of pre-Ghaddafi flags among the rebels is proof enough that an entire order is being rejected. But a symbol is the only unifying feature thus far: the rebellion has fallen along tribal lines, as the armed forces have been maintained this way — with the out-tribes receiving less equipment and money than the loyal ones — for years. Much of the volunteer mob has no formal military training, with no central command structure to exploit openings or pursue objectives. Thus, mobility has been a limiting factor for the rebellion. Moving lots of men and material from one place to another and bringing the enemy to a decision is not easy, which is why militaries spend most of their time practicing movement. Ad hoc military units created from turncoat elements of the Libyan military are only slightly more cohesive than the disorganized mob. There have been many reported incidents of rebels taking an area only to lose it the next day by disorganization. Ammunition gets wasted in celebration. Without fire discipline or direction, many opportunities were lost — and the forces loyal to Moammar Ghaddafi began to control the chaos better than the rebels. By last Saturday, when the world intervened, the opposition had collapsed and loyalist forces were already at the gates of Benghazi. Allied forces are now one week into their intervention, having destroyed the organized spearhead of Ghaddafi’s ground forces, established total air supremacy, and relieved Benghazi with supplies. In effect, the campaign has leveled the odds again. The rest will have to be up to the Libyans themselves, which is as it should be. Ongoing battles in key cities along the Mediterranean shoreline have seen continued used of heavy weapons and sniper fire against civilians. Western air power has limited utility here. As one Iraqi Colonel testified after the 1991 Gulf War, forty-six days of allied bombardment had reduced him from 35 tanks to 31; within minutes of engaging American M-1 tanks, he had exactly one tank left. It simply isn’t possible to find and destroy every Libyan tank from the air, and even if you could, it would be impossible to separate rebel from loyalist. There is nothing a Mirage jet can do about your sniper, except perhaps drop a bomb on him; and that might not be helpful, particularly if you wish to avoid civilian casualties. This deadly balancing act is a design feature of OP Odyssey Dawn. The strategy seems to be that more innocent Libyans die at Moammar’s hands than the West’s. For his part, Ghaddafi is doing a fine job of making that strategy a success. Moreover, urban environments actually limit the use of tanks, which become vulnerable in close quarters (there is nothing more dangerous to a tank than infantrymen waiting in cover). Thus, the fight for the cities will continue to be an infantry battle. The crucial factor, then, is gasoline: Moammar Ghaddafi has a limited supply of fuel to run his tanks and motor his troops. If rebels achieve control of the means of fuel production , Ghaddafi hasn’t got a prayer of maintaining his grip — rebels will have freedom of movement to concentrate their ad hoc formations decisively. The government’s recapture of Ras Lanuf led to the near-fall of Benghazi for much the same reason. The notion that loyalist commanders will turn coat once the Western alliance shows up — an illusion that mainly seems to have affected the opposition — may actually prove true once the spigot is off. So here, then, is a nightmare question for both the anti-interventionists of the left and the entire Republican Party: what if it works? Video via BlackWaterDog Crossposted at Osborne Ink
Continue reading …Conservatives really do live in the land of wishful thinking. Yes, of course you can give away tax dollars that are supposed to be used for enforcement and use them for tax breaks! Of course you can cut funding for air traffic controllers without putting air travelers at risk, of course you can stop inspecting pharmaceutical factories and food processing plants, and expect them to just tell you if there’s a problem. After all, who would risk their company just to make a buck? All of the above, but especially the nuclear power industry: More than a quarter of U.S. nuclear plant operators have failed to properly tell regulators about equipment defects that could imperil reactor safety, according to a report by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s inspector general. Operators of U.S. nuclear power plants are supposed to tell the NRC when pieces of equipment “contain defects that could create a substantial safety hazard,” regulations say. Although the report doesn’t assert that any imminent danger resulted from the lapses, many experts said the lack of communication could make it harder for other nuclear reactor operators to learn about flaws in their own equipment, because many similar parts are used in other reactors. “If it happens in this one, maybe it’s a faulty part that’s in another plant and they should know,” said Diane Curran, a lawyer who has represented citizens groups and state and local governments in cases related to nuclear plants. “If you don’t report on this, the other licensees can’t look in their books and say, ‘Oh, do I have this one?’ and ‘Maybe I should switch it out.’ ” The NRC inspector general’s report appeared at a time of heightened concern about nuclear safety as workers in Japan battled to control radiation leaks, fire, power outages and explosions at a series of reactors. The inspector general’s office did not describe the defects, and that frustrated lawmakers, who said the report on unreported problems did not say what those problems were. I guess it will surprise no one if I point out that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is known to be an industry-friendly watchdog who never barks and loves to wag his tail. So the fact that they’re reporting problems? It’s got to be much worse.
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• More than 250,000 expected on march against coalition cuts • Protesters gather in London in biggest demo for eight years • Police warn against infiltration by extremists • Read our latest news story on the protest The Public and Commercial Services Union has set up its own live blog of the march. 12.30pm: Here’s a map of the march route 12.20pm: PA news agency has been speaking to some of the protesters: Peter Keats, 54, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, who works for Jobcentre Plus, said: “We’re toasting the success as so many people have turned out. The press were saying 100,000 people but I think we have far exceeded that. I’m hoping for half a million. I’m hoping the government will start to listen with this many out. “Personally, I think it’s wrong the way we are hitting the poor. I’m not so much worried about myself but the customers I deal with are vulnerable and I’m worried about them and I’m worried about the kids of this country.” Alan Dowling, 40, who works for the UK Border Agency in Sheffield, said: “The other day the immigration minister was on TV saying we need to do more. How are we going to do more enforcement when we are cutting enforcement officers?” 12.17pm: Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, estimates there are half a million people taking part in the protest. He told PA: “This is an absolutely incredible turnout and display of anger which the government will have to take notice of.” Hundreds of police officers lined up outside parliament behind metal barriers as the marchers passed by and moved down Whitehall. 12.09pm: Matthew Taylor, who has been following the education feeder march, has now joined the main protest. In this audio report, he says the main march dwarfs the scale of the education protest: “The student block has suddenly become much quieter than it was now they see the scale of the TUC march.” 11.58am: Paul Lewis is on the Golden Jubilee Bridge near the Embankment, overlooking the march. He says the turnout is huge, stretching from the Houses of Parliament to St Paul’s Cathedral. He says the atmosphere is good natured. The only scuffle he’s seen was a protester heckling the shadow chancellor, Ed Balls. 10.49am: My colleague Matthew Taylor is with the education feeder march, which set off from the University of London in Mallet Street, Bloomsbury, around 20 minutes ago. Groups of Scottish students who set off at 11pm last night are leading the chanting. Student organisers had said ‘more than 10000′ people would meet here but so far there are probably month more than 2000 – although more are arriving all the time. Students and lecturers are being joined by various activist groups and so far the mood is vocal but pretty good natured. We’re at Russell Square now. There’s a small police presence. The police and the organisers don’t seem clear on the route but we’re on our way down to join the main march. 10.34am: My colleague Paul Lewis has just sent in his thoughts about the potential for trouble between protesters and the police. “I don’t think anyone doubts that the main march will be in large part good natured and peaceful. Most protesters will spend several hours marching through London, seeing little more than the placards in front of them, and finish with sandwiches in Hyde Park. But that isn’t to say there won’t be pockets of trouble, and if past experiences are anything to go by they could flare into some quite nasty confrontations with police. “Flashpoints could come when a handful of unofficial feeder marches, coming from across the capital, plan to join the main march. Will police let them? Many of the seasoned activists – those police like to call ‘trouble-makers’ – are likely to be on these fringe processions (watch out for delegations gathering right now in Kennington Park, Camden and Mallet Street) and the instinct of police, who at times exhibit an almost medieval vision of crowd psychology, is often to prevent groups mixing. That would spell trouble. “The other likely hotspots will be Oxford Street at 2pm, where UK Uncuts plan to close down shops, and Trafalgar Square late in the afternoon, which there are plans to occupy. Both of these locations, and others we don’t yet know about, are likely to be magnets for those intending to peel off from the slow procession through London in search of “direct action”. Coping sensibly with all these splinters from the main march will be a policing nightmare for Scotland Yard. It all comes down to how much coercion police use. Stop people from walking where they want and sparks fly.” 10.29am: Here’s some more comments from union leaders ahead of the march. Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, will tell the demonstrators that every time the government votes through more cuts, they should hear the “angry voices” of public sector workers losing their jobs. He also warned it faced being wiped out in May’s elections. “Every day when they discuss squeezing NHS budgets I want them to remember the nurses here on the march, the paramedics – workers who keep our NHS going. Workers who see every day the effect of the cuts on patients who are having vital pain-relieving operations cut or delayed. “Workers who worry about patient care suffering, because job cuts mean there are not enough staff on the ward. NHS workers and the public fearful that the Health and Social Care Bill will mean the break-up of the NHS – the end of our much loved health service as we know it. A new dawn of privatisation for the Tories’ friends in big business. “Every month when a library closes, a care home shuts its doors, or services for struggling young people are withdrawn, I want them to feel the fear, and anger of the people who have come here today from every part of the UK to vent their frustration and to stand up for a fairer future.” Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: “Cameron and Clegg have launched a war on working people and today’s demonstration is the start of the fightback. They expect us to suffer tax increases, pay cuts, unemployment and devastation of our pensions to pay for the crisis their friends in the City caused. They should expect the fight of their lives.” Len McCluskey, leader of Unite, said those taking part in the march were the “tip of the iceberg” because millions were opposed to the cuts. “There is growing anger, which will build and build as the impact of the cuts take effect.” 10.13am: Labour politicians will join the march and party leader Ed Miliband will address the rally in Hyde Park. He will use the speech to set out Labour’s alternative to the cuts and to accuse the coalition of fomenting the “politics of division” not seen since the “rotten” Thatcher era. Labour is calling the demonstration the “march of the mainstream”. But Gove told the Today programme there were “really big dangers” for Miliband in addressing the rally at the end of the march. “One is that people will say ‘You are calling for a plan B from the government, you don’t even have a plan A. More than that, you are associating yourself with a march which could, I’m afraid, move from being family event into being something darker.” 10.10am: Education secretary Michael Gove said today that he recognised the public concerns about the planned cuts. But he insisted that the government would not be deflected from its strategy. He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “Of course people will feel a sense of disquiet, in some cases anger, at what they see happening, but the difficulty we have as the government inheriting a terrible economic mess, is that we have to take steps to bring the public finances back into balance.” 10.02am: Barber will tell today’s rally that there is an alternative to the “brutal” spending cuts. Ahead of the march, he accused the coalition government of threatening the NHS and destroying communities with the scale of the job cuts. “No part of our public realm is to be protected. And don’t believe it when ministers say that the NHS is safe in their hands. With over 50,000 job cuts already in the pipeline – nurses, doctors, physios, midwives – in the name of so-called efficiency savings of £20 billion, the NHS as we know it, is already in intensive care. “With David Cameron talking about selling it off to any willing provider out to make a profit, the NHS is facing the gravest threat in its history. “Today let us say to him: we will not let you destroy what has taken generations to build. Let’s be brutally clear about these brutal cuts. They’re going to cost jobs on a huge scale – adding to the misery of the 2.5 million people already on the dole. “They’re going to hammer crucial services that bind our communities together, and they’re going to hit the poorest and the most vulnerable hardest. Anyone who tells you different is a bare-faced liar. “The government claims there is no alternative, but there is. Let’s keep people in work and get our economy growing. Let’s get tax revenues flowing and tackle the tax cheats, and let’s have a Robin Hood Tax on the banks, so they pay us back for the mess they caused.” 9.45am: A Guardian/ICM poll published today shows that the public are divided over the cuts, while two other polls last night put the balance more strongly against cuts. The Guardian/ICM poll of 1,014 found that 35% believe the cuts go too far, 28% think they strike the right balance and 29% think they don’t go far enough; 8% don’t know. A YouGov survey for Unison found that 56% believe the cuts are too harsh and a ComRes poll for ITV showed that two-thirds think the government should reconsider its planned spending cuts programme . Just one in five disagreed with that view. Speaking ahead of the march, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said of the Unison survey: “I’m sure that many of our critics will try to write us off today as a minority, vested interest. This poll nails that lie. “The thousands coming to London from across the country will be speaking for their communities when they call for a plan B that saves vital services, gets the jobless back to work and tackles the deficit through growth and fair tax.” 9.15am: Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the mass protest in London against the coalition government’s public sector cuts . Around 300,000 people are expected to join the March for the Alternative organised by the TUC , the biggest union-organised event for over 20 years and the largest in the country since the protest against the Iraq war in 2003. More than 800 coaches and 10 trains have been chartered to bring people to the capital from as far afield as Cornwall and Inverness. Union members are expected to be joined by a broad coalition, from pensioners to doctors, families and first-time protesters, to football supporters and anarchists. My colleague Matthew Taylor has written a guide to all the organisations – both official and unofficial – who will be taking part . The Metropolitan Police believe a small minority will try to hijack the anti-cuts march to stage violent attacks on property and the police. The TUC organisers of the event say they have organised a family-friendly demonstration with brass, jazz and Bollywood bands. But there are concerns that unofficial feeder marches, sit-down protests and a takeover of Trafalgar Square could turn from peaceful civil disobedience into stand-offs with the police. The march assembles on the Embankment from 11am but it will still be leaving at 2pm and possibly even later. The TUC has drawn up a set of tips for those planning to join the march . The protest will culminate in a rally in Hyde Park. Guardian reporters Matthew Taylor and Paul Lewis will be out on the streets covering the protest as it happens. If you’re at the demo and want to send me any comments – or share any pictures, audio clips and videos – you can contact me either on david.batty@guardian.co.uk or on Twitter – @David_Batty Public sector cuts Protest Cuts and closures guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …WaPo Loves South Park Duo: Nasty ‘Book of Mormon’ Musical ‘Deserves Worship’
March 26, 2011 No CommentIt was a little jarring on Friday
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What could be more delightful than kneeling in the mud, pulling out weeds, with the soft spring sunshine on your back? Novelist Julie Myerson explains the intense joy that gardening has brought her, while other keen amateurs share their passion I opened my eyes to gardening when I turned 39. More than a decade earlier we had moved into
Continue reading …In Denial: Bill Moyers Claims ‘We’ve Heard No Reporter — Not a One’ Advocate Liberal Ideas on NPR
March 25, 2011 No Comment
Katrina Vanden Heuvel isn’t alone when she claimed on MSNBC that her magazine The Nation wasn’t leftish, it was “transpartisan” and “independent.” Bill Moyers (alongside Michael Winship) has penned a third loopy attack on conservative critics of NPR.
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Almost lost in the public astonishment over the meltdown of Charlie Sheen on the radio show of fellow 9-11 Truther, Alex Jones, was the incredibly bizarre fawning over Sheen by the radio host. I say “almost lost” because today Glenn Beck and his radio crew produced absolute comedy gold by goofing on Jones' groupie-like fawning over Sheen. It started off as just a few throwaway lines but Glenn and his crew continued building up their impersonations of Jones to a comedy crescendo that just might be the funniest radio bit ever. A word of warning: The routine is a bit risqu
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Fourth election in seven years will take place in May after opposition parties bring down Stephen Harper government Canadian opposition parties have brought down the government of Stephen Harper in a vote of no confidence, triggering an election that polls suggest will reinstate the status quo of minority rule by his Conservative party. The opposition parties held the prime minister in contempt of parliament in a 156-145 vote for failing to disclose the full financial details of his tougher crime legislation, corporate tax cuts and plans to purchase stealth fighter jets. Opinion polls expect Harper’s Conservative party to be re-elected but not with a majority, meaning he could only continue governing dependent on opposition votes. The opposition parties combined hold the majority of the seats in parliament with 160 while the Conservatives have 143. There is a chance the left-of-centre parties might join forces in a coalition if Harper wins another minority government on the expected election date of 2 May. On Saturday Harper will ask the governor general, David Johnston, to call Canada’s fourth election in seven years. “The vote today, which obviously disappoints, will I suspect disappoint most Canadians,” Harper said. Harper might be gambling that an election will confound conventional wisdom and hand him the majority in parliament that has eluded him through his five years as prime minister. He is counting on the economy to help him win re-election. Canada has outperformed other major industrialised democracies through the financial crisis, recovering almost all jobs lost during the recession while its banking sector remains intact. It avoided a property crash and most economists expect 2010 growth to come in at 3%. “By forcing an unnecessary election in this time of fragile economic recovery, Michael Ignatieff and his coalition partners are irresponsibly and recklessly putting at risk Canadians’ jobs, our economy and stable government,” Harper said. The opposition tried to form a coalition before, after Harper won minority re-election in 2008. But before he could be defeated in a no confidence vote Harper shut down parliament for three months and successfully whipped up public opposition against the coalition. The Conservatives accused the Liberals of treason for uniting with the Bloc Quebecois, a party that seeks independence for Canada’s French-speaking province of Quebec. Harper’s government is once again trying to marshal public sentiment against a possible coalition government. His underlings have attacked the opposition with accusations they will try to form a coalition if another minority Conservative government is the result of the election. The Conservatives are noting that the Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff, will not rule out forming a coalition government with the other opposition parties. Opposition New Democrat leader Jack Layton has said he will not rule out forming a coalition with Ignatieff. Ignatieff took over the Liberal party in December 2008 and the election will be his first up against Harper. Ignatieff, 63, is one of Canada’s leading intellectuals: an author, historian and TV panel regular in Britain before going into politics. Harper, 51, is a career politician who has spent the last five years emphasising a more conservative Canadian identity and moving Canada incrementally to the right. He has gradually lowered sales and corporate taxes, increased spending on the military and made Arctic sovereignty a priority. He has called Canada an emerging “energy super power” in reference to Alberta’s oil sands deposits, the second-largest oil reserves in the world, and has avoided enacting environmental legislation that would hurt the sector. In foreign policy he has extended Canada’s role in Afghanistan and been a staunch ally of Israel’s rightwing government. While the Conservatives will try to scare Canadians with coalition talk, the opposition will try to keep the focus on the government’s recent ethical issues. The Liberals were originally going to bring down the government over corporate tax cuts and spending billions in new fighter jets, but recent ethical issues helped them make inroads in painting Harper as an autocrat who shuts parliament when it suits him. Last week Harper asked police to look into the activities of Bruce Carson, a key former aide. Carson, 66, is accused of using the access he had to senior members of the government to lobby on behalf of a company affiliated with his 22-year-old fiancee, a former escort. The opposition parties were also united against Harper’s latest budget plan but wanted to defeat the government over allegations it is in contempt of parliament. “There are only two alternatives here. More of this disrespect for democracy, more of this contempt for the Canadian people, or a compassionate, responsible Liberal government,” Ignatieff said. Harper is a centre-right prime minister in a traditionally liberal country, and his plan to cut corporate tax rates has given the opposition, led by the left-leaning Liberals, an opening to argue that Canada is running a record deficit that will only worsen if taxes are cut. Opposition parties are hammering the prime minister for planning to spend at least Cdn$16bn (£10bn) on 65 American-made F-35 joint strike fighter planes, one of the biggest military purchases in Canadian history. Canada Stephen Harper guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …WI Republicans Publish Collective Bargaining Bill Despite Restraining Order
March 25, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Unbelievable. The Republicans in Wisconsin decided to ignore a judge’s restraining order and published the bill limiting collective bargaining rights anyway. Lawrence O’Donnell discussed the latest turn of events with the AFL-CIO’s Richard Trumka. Here’s more from the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel — Collective bargaining bill published despite restraining order : In a stunning twist, controversial legislation limiting collective bargaining for public workers was published on Friday despite a judge’s hold on the measure, sparking a dispute over whether it takes effect Saturday. The legislation was published Friday to the Legislature’s website with a footnote that acknowledges the restraining order by a Dane County judge. But the posting says state law “requires the Legislative Reference Bureau to publish every act within 10 working days after its date of enactment.” The measure sparked massive protests at the Capitol and lawsuits by opponents because it would eliminate the ability of most public workers to bargain over anything but wages. The restraining order was issued against Democratic Secretary of State Doug La Follette. But the bill was published by the reference bureau, which was not named in the restraining order. Laws normally take effect a day after they are published, and a top GOP lawmaker said that meant it will become law Saturday. But the nonpartisan legislative official who published the law disagreed. “I think this is a ministerial act that forwards it to the secretary of state,” said Stephen Miller, director of the Legislative Reference Bureau. “I don’t think this act makes it become effective. My understanding is that the secretary of state has to publish it in the (official state) newspaper for it to become effective.” Walker signed the bill March 11. Under state law, it must be published within 10 working days, which was Friday. The law has not been printed in the Wisconsin State Journal, the official state newspaper, as other laws are. Late Friday, State Journal publisher Bill Johnston said in an email that the notice for the law had been scheduled to run but had been canceled. He did not elaborate. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) claimed it didn’t matter that it hasn’t appeared in the paper. “It’s published,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s law. That’s what I contend.” Fitzgerald and Miller met Friday. Miller said Fitzgerald asked him to publish the law and, after reading the statutes, Miller agreed that he could do so. He said he has never had something similar happen with the publication of a law during his 12 years running the reference bureau. After the restraining order was issued on March 18, La Follette sent a letter that same day to the reference bureau rescinding earlier instructions to publish the bill on Friday. “I further instruct you to remove all reference to March 25, 2011, as the publication date and not to proceed with publication until I contact you with a new publication date,” his letter said. Walker’s top cabinet official, Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch, gave only a brief statement reacting to Friday’s news. “Today the administration was notified that the LRB published the budget-repair bill as required by law,” he said. “The administration will carry out the law as required.” More there so go read the rest.
Continue reading …Vermont is the first state who may actually have single payer health insurance become a reality. The Vermont House has passed a single payer bill which might actually get through the Vermont Senate, too. Boston.com : “This bill takes our state one step closer to a system that ensures that all Vermonters have access to the care they deserve and contains costs,” House Speaker Shap Smith said shortly after the House passed the bill 92-49. The measure now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to pass, but with some possible changes. Gov. Peter Shumlin, who made single-payer health care a centerpiece of his gubernatorial campaign last year, also praised the legislation. He said it would make Vermont “the first state in the country to make the first substantive step to deliver a health care system where health care will be a right and not a privilege, where health care will follow the individual, not be a requirement of the employer, and where we’ll have an affordable system that contains costs.” Under the proposed plan, Vermont would create a state-run insurance exchange which would then be converted to the single-payer model in 2013. Despite Republican efforts to exempt some businesses who self-insure their health benefits, the Democrats remained united and passed it without those exemptions. This is how it will happen. One state at a time. Watch Vermont to see how it’s done.
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