Vietnam, Afghanistan Veteran Dies in Iraq

Telegraph: Reports on the death of Major Steven Hutchison a Vietnam Veteran who went back in the Army and served in Afghanistan but died in Iraq. Keep an eye on Iraq folks, if Israel attacks Iran this year expect Iran to hit Iraq, Obama might find that getting out of Iraq will be like Afghanistan, not easy and the USA will be there for years. Lets hope Israel does inform Obama if they do strike Iran, the USA would have to get its forces in to a fighting position. Iran could even invade Iraq.

Give us a PALESTSINE State and We are with YOU over Iran - Obama to Israel

The Sunday Times: Reports on the Linkage of a Palestine State to World Support for Israel to counter Iran. If Obama thinks Israel is going to allow a Palestinian State he really is reading his own press statements, Israel is not going to allow a direct threat to its heart. On the other hand Obama will need Israel to attack Iran within the year, Obama can not afford to allow Iran to become a nuclear power. One can postulate that Obama will have wished he had left the Middle East to his second term, both Clinton and Bush 43 left this issue till the last minute, one simple reason, you don't want to annoy the Israeli Lobby in the USA, they are very powerful on the Hill and in Florida.

William Shatner back as Captain Kirk ?

SciFiNow: Reports that William Shatner could be back as Captain Kirk in the new version of Star Trek. This is total geek question, what about the Temporal Prime Directive, is that mute, if so how many time lines are we talking about?

More Troops for Afghanistan - Obama

Fox News: Reports that President Obama has stated that more troops could be sent to Afghanistan. One gets the impression that Obama is going down the LBJ road, LBJ had Vietnam and Obama has Afghanistan. It does not matter how much troops or money you throw at Afghanistan, its the loss of good troops for nothing and money down the toilet, you cant change Afghanistan, from Alexander the Great down the people of Afghanistan have not taken to being invaded for their benefit or not, thus on the negative side you had the Soviet Union invasion, the West supported the mujahedeen then the West left, now its the USA and the UK in Afghanistan on the plus side, we are trying to help the people. The problem is folks the West does not have the attention span to stay in for ten or twenty years. After we are gone the Taliban or some other native group will take over and throw all the Western reform out, will Afghanistan become the new Iraq, the War god awful War that gets dusted under the carpet. At what about the poor Armed Forces, will their losses be remembered or will it become a close case.

The Second Front Starts in Waziristan

The Sunday Times: This is a follow on report from a recent Telegraph report on a second front. The Army of Pakistan is going counterinsurgency, it has to change its conventional warfare plans in to fighting the terrorists. On the other hand while the Army of Pakistan is fighting the Taliban/Terrorists while learning counterinsurgency from the USA and the UK, the West must help those displaced by this Internal War, the Government of Pakistan has to win the hearts and minds of the people, if all the Army of Pakistan does is use the heavy mob and does not follow up on the civic side it will lose the people to the Taliban/Terrorists. Thus the UK and the USA has to spends billions on the civic side, helping with the local economy, the civic structure, roads, schools, hospitals. The people have to be given hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The cost of not helping is for Western Troops to fight in the badlands of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, not sure the West could win that fight. Thus we need a strong Army and Government in Pakistan.

We are NOT AMUSED

The Daily Mail: Reports that the Queen has expressed her unhappiness at the MPs' expenses scandal to the UK PM Gordon Brown. All I can say is thank God for the Queen, wish she had the power to dismiss these scoundrel MPs'.

UK Speaker in Trouble

BBC News: Reports on the push to remove Michael Martin as the Speaker of the House of Commons. Politics is harsh, the MPs' expenses scandals requires the head of the Speaker, the general public needs someone to blame, the Speaker leads the House, he represents the House of Commons, thus his political head is the cost. Labour can use this move to place a Labour Candidate as Speaker, after the next election in 2010 the Conservatives would be able to choose one of their own. Thus cut bait as they say, Labour has to be ruthless and get their own man in the Chair.