Statements, comments and forecasts that have no substance, but just might turn out to be relevant.
1. Six ME countries have severed ties with Qatar. Trump is taking credit and so he should. Sometimes keeping things simple is the easiest way forward. Perhaps the president should have stayed in the background but thats not always his style. Qatar has been a sponsor of terrorism for years. At a minimum, confronting them head on places this problem on the table and talking to them via Kuwait keeps the negotiating option open. Good move by Trump. COMMENT: This is a departure from the Obama doctrine (Kerry and the State Dept used to talk to Hamas via Qatar). In the Arab world occasionally bulldozer diplomacy is more effective than lip service. The Trump national security team appears to get it.
2. GPF: There are reports that Syrian Kurdish forces are attacking Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State. This was expected. What was not expected are reports that Syrian government forces are preparing to attack the city as well. Reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Al-Masdar News say the Syrian army has crossed into Raqqa province and is garrisoned roughly 50 miles from the city. But according to an unconfirmed report from by Lebanese Al Mayadeen TV, the army has actually reached the city itself. The assaults, nearly simultaneous, cannot be a coincidence. COMMENT: this combined assault could indicate a new understanding between Moscow and Washington. It appears that Trump has given his NS team the go ahead to get the job done. This will be a long and bloody campaign.
3. The United States is preparing to go to war in North Korea. The Americans have assembled a huge maritime and air armada in the vicinity. Obviously a diplomatic solution would serve all sides. However, any diplomatic solution at this time would look like a North Korean capitulation. COMMENT: This will be a moment of truth for China. They understand that the US intends to use substantial force to get the job done including the possible use of an EMP device. An attack on NK will potentially send world markets into a tailspin, so stay tuned.
4.Yuval Steinmetz (Israeli energy minister) :“Even if there’s a 50 percent likelihood that climate change and global warming are caused by human activity, it is our duty to act to minimize risks,” Steinitz posted on Facebook Thursday, the same day as Trump’s announcement. “The Paris accords were a rare occurrence in which the world united — save for Syria and Nicaragua — to care for the welfare and health of future generations.” COMMENT: Anybody who does not believe that the planet is in dire straits, should simply step outside and smell the coffee. This phenomena is putting our kids and grandkids in danger and needs to be addressed urgently.
5. So Trump has decided not to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. TOI: "Disappointing Jewish and Evangelical supporters in Israel and the US, but not really surprising anyone, Trump set his signature underneath the exact same “presidential determination” that Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama made before him. The president has already publicly urged a most unhappy Netanyahu to rein in settlements, and openly differed with him over Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s readiness for peace." COMMENT: Israel's supporters were ecstatic at Trump's words of friendship. Now apparently Trump doesn't want to upset the "peace process" applecart. Been there...done that!
6.Mark Yusko: "According to the CDC, the fertility rate in the US is at its lowest level since records began in 1909. This, coupled with the fact that 10,000 people turn 65 each and every day in the US, means growth in the working-age population will remain at record lows... thus weighing on any economic expansion." In addition by removing labor costs, automation is driving down the price of core goods. But no longer is this just in manufacturing. In a recent study, PriceWaterhouseCooper found that 38% of US jobs will be automated by 2030. COMMENT: Automated vehicles, automated manufacturing...this does not bode well for Trump voters or Chinese manufacturers. lets hope these folk don't get left behind. Leadership is required!
7.WPO: Ricky Best was stabbed to death last Friday on a Portland light-rail train when he and two other passengers tried to calm a man yelling anti-Muslim slurs at two teenage girls. Best and the two other stabbing victims have been hailed as heroes. Now, Portland police say that as Best lay helpless, someone apparently made off with his wedding ring and backpack. The suspect is described as a “white male with a blonde hair mullet, wearing a black Jordan Brand baseball cap, a black T-shirt featuring an image of Marilyn Monroe and an American flag. COMMENT: God Bless America!
Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out - Bullyville.com
Bullying builds character like nuclear waste creates superheroes. It's a rare occurrence and often does much more damage than endowment - Zack W. Van
That millions of people share the same forms of mental pathology does not make these people sane - Erich Fromm, The Sane Society
