Memorial Day was yesterday, celebrating the service of its soldiers by America. President Obama wisely waited 24 hours to announce that nearly 10 000 US Soldiers will remain in Afghanistan for 2 more years. They’ll then have to wait until 2017 to be included in the last Monday of May celebrations! I’d still suggest that the good Barack to make sure they’re back by June 2016 if only in reference to the 2 more years. If the Democrats want to enjoy 4 more years, it would be a nice donation to his successor’s electoral campaign?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/05/27/obama-afghanistan-9800-troop-level/9624545/
Egypt is extending the polling period to a third day to compensate for the low voter turnout. Yeah, well, considering A- that the Muslim Brothers that garnered nearly 52% in the Presidential election of 2012 that brought Mohammed Morsi to power; B- that he was ousted by the General now lone candidate and C- that the said General and his buddies are doling out the death sentences by the hundreds to the said Muslim brothers, I think I understand why the turnout is so low. It is one thing to want to make use of one’s voting right and yet another to go to prison or the gallows for it. Said otherwise, it may be worthy to have the courage to die for your ideas but not ridiculous to have the wisdom to fight another day. and to think we all laughed at the various elections of the last 3 months in Ukraine, tsssk!
The Sudanese lady that is on death row for supposedly renouncing her faith while 8 months pregnant has given birth. Do check on it at the Beeb by clicking on the picture below but as for me, I’m too worried to learn that Sudan will now condemn the child too to read it through.
Click me for link.
They look so beautiful, fetching on that image that I can’t help to think that the condemnation is a call against happiness which in my mind should be a crime against humanity!
The Junta that took charge of Thailand last week to alleviate the unending protests announced that it will hold on to power indefinitely.
That makes a whole lot of sense. Approved by the old King, the General in charge is not running for election after all. If that was the case, he’d have to make promises on anything and its contrary to reach power ( even though firmly decided not to hold a single one ). Besides, not promising a darn thing is by far the best way not to break any!
The rebel factions in Donetsk Ukraine suffered heavy losses in the battle for the local airport. They might have stopped the election but the vote still empowered the loyalists? That’s the problem with knavish behavior, it rarely gets you decent results.
http://www.euronews.com/2014/05/27/ukrainian-rebels-in-donetsk-suffer-heavy-losses/
The European elections also brought their share of ridicule. As I explained in last Sunday’s Post prior to the closing of the polls, there was a clear and present danger of anit-european parties gaining seats in record breaking fashion. Once again, that prediction came to pass and the far-right and isolationist movements won in the UK, France and more so Poland [ General Jaruzelski that tried to fight the Solidarnosk union from veering the nation to the West ( and thus Europe ) at the time of the fall of USSR dying the same day by a strange quirk of fate ] ! Greece saw the Golden Dawn extremists reap 10àà5 and Germany got its first neo-Nazi representative, a very worrying fact :
http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Editorials/Euroskeptics-and-Jews-354573
Interesingly enough, this had contrasting results in different lands which should impact the future. Germany forgave France through the words of chancellor Merkel who understands that her nation can’t survive without its co-founder. Sure Deutschland is healthy and the recently introduced minimum salary won’t hinder its economy for many months to come if at all. but being the leading economy of a breaking up and possibly disappearing union is useless. If europe is to survive as a political concept, Germany has to become more conciliatory. In the th Uk, the opposite happened. PM Cameron had harsh words today on the subject and well he might.
http://www.euronews.com/2014/05/27/bossy-brussels-should-back-off-david-cameron-warns-eu-leaders/
Yes the UKIP of Nigel Farage made potent gains but the average Brit is already much less Eurocentric than is the case elsewhere. Thus the inconsequent Farage’s “win” is but a signal for him to shift his Conservative rhethoric up a notch and gain back his electorate. The same cannot be said of French President François Hollande however. Being a socialist, he is on the opposing side of the political spectrum from Front National leader Marine LePen that compounded her party’s municipal elections success with the European ones. And the good François thus appeared on the TV news yesterday to address the Nation, doubly justified by the 60% abstention rate! His admission that Europe as a government is detached from local problems is normal. His comment that austerity should give way to growth in the Eurozone is in line with his program. And his analysis that it was a vote of defiance to the governing parties, whatever their orientation was as on the money as it was courageous.Except that he also mentioned the fact that individually the nations of Europe, and the best amongst them more than others have to bear out the storm about which he expounded on the worst being for his France to “ … renounce what made its … rank and influence in Europe and the World. _ … that cannot earn its destiny in withdrawal … and its own ( Europe’s at large ) defense.”
What the reader may have missed is that there is a debate in France between the Budget and Defense ministers about reducing the Armed Forces’ funding. If this comes to pass despite both the threat raised on Europe’s eastern border ( Ukraine events ) and the frontline job accomplished by the French soldiers in Africa ( Mali, Central African Republic and now in support of Nigeria ), the former having helped save Hollande’s popularity/ratings for a few months, you’ll have been told of the ludicrous nature of his speech her first?
In any case, Europe is facing a crisis to which we will dedicate a Post soon.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140527-712243.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/05/27/eu-parliamentary-elections-analysis/9620977/
And lastly, an e-mail from my friend Nathalie in Canada got me quite angry. She reported on a sad story, the likes of which is rather common on page 3 to 6 of your local newspaper. A sterile lady dressed up as a nurse and went to a hospital where she entered a room in the neo-natal unit and grabbed a baby under the pretense of providing monitoring care before abducting the infant.
As shocking, revolting as this may be, what followed in the social media was much worse on a wide scale : someone went on to suggest that newborns should be equipped with electronic bracelet to prevent kidnapping!?! What??? Are you completely out out of your flocking mind? Not only is this day and age the most secure for residents of advanced nations that anyone in the history of mankind has ever enjoyed but what’s more, electronic bracelets are a substitute to prison in our lenient correctional and Justice systems!
Not clear enough? I don’t intend to have more kids but if my state ever tries to brand a child of mine with a device meant to circumvent crime and control those that commit it within minutes of his first autonomous breaths and moments as a free Human, it’s fucking gonna be torch and pitchfork time all the way to parliament! Did you hear that, clowns?
Argggghhhh out, Tay.
Definitive Lapse of Reason 