Archive
Straight-Talk
So Did Ya Hear The One About...
April 26, 2010
We've received several emails expressing outrage over National Security Advisor General Jim Jones' recent attempt to inject some humor into a not-so-funny subject (i.e., our problems in Afghanistan and the Middle East).
And while Jones' joke was funny, indeed, about as funny as, say, a joke about the Prophet Mohammed preaching tolerance, or a black "merchant" trying to sell a Taliban warrior a watermelon, the General and the rest of us would all be better served if he focused his attention on his day job and more important things like, Iran becoming a nuclear power, rather than trying his hand at stand-up comedy. See Jones video below.
Say what you will about the current Administration, but uniters they're not.
Dangerous Idiot Alert!
April 23, 2010
The U.S. Department of the Army has just issued an RFI (Request for Information) on "Afghanistan National Army Air Corps English and Pilot Training" (see RFI here).
"The Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training & Instrumentation (PEO STRI) is conducting market research by seeking sources with innovative business solutions to (1) train and certify up to 67 Afghani student pilots to an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) English level 4 in the English language; and (2) provide basic rotary wing or fixed wing Commercial Pilot Training to the European Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) standards."
Oookay, except here's the thing: "It is desired that the English language and basic pilot training take place within South West Asia. PEO STRI requests information on sources available to perform training in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, U.A.E, Uzbekistan, Yemen or other locations in Southwest Asia with the capability to provide requested training." [emphasis added]
So our government wants to train 67 Afghani student pilots in places like Hezbollah-Land (Lebanon); terrorist-sponsoring Syria; coup-challenged Kyrgyzstan; terrorist-infested Yemen; or Wahhabi Central (Saudi Arabia), home of those "brave" 15 pilots who visited us on 9/11?
H-E-L-L-O, is anyone awake down there in Washington DC?!
[Posted by R.S.]
Quote of the Day
April 20, 2010
"What that basically means is that we are living inside the margin of error."
James Carafano of The Heritage Foundation, in a FOX News interview re DoD's assessment that Iran could develop a missile capable of reaching the U.S. by 2015, and last week's testimony ("crowing") before the House Armed Services Committee, by a senior defense administration official who said that we're going to have a missile defense system -- covering all of Europe and protection for the U.S. -- by 2018.
[Posted by R.S.]
Notable Quotables
"Mr. Netanyahu is one of the most media-savvy politicians on the planet. On Friday he appeared live via video link on 'Real Time with Bill Maher,' taking the host’s alternately sardonic and serious line of questioning with gazelle-like alacrity."
~ Anthony Grant, jourrnalist who has written for many major newspapers and worked in television at Paris and Tel Aviv, interviewing former PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, at the outset of Mr. Netanyahu's new book (more here).
And Then Some
Dangling Israel
March 24, 2022
New Global Leaders
March 23, 2022
Ukraine Can Learn From Israel
January 31, 2022
