UN: Why So Choosy About Which Atrocities You Condemn?

Israel's Ambassador to UN proposes an alternative Resolution to the one just passed (2728) calling for a ceasefire, thanks to U.S. not vetoing—and there's a plot twist. pic.twitter.com/0kVDIDvBBO

— Daniel Roth (@daniel_c_roth) March 25, 2024

Recognizing One, Two ... How Many Palestinian States?

Cue the rainbows and unicorns, because Hope is just about ready to break out once again in this world of trouble. Or in parts of Europe, anyway. 

Read about it here: Ireland standing ready to recognise Palestine state 'gives hope'.

Ireland, Spain, Malta and Slovenia standing ready to recognise the Palestine state has given Palestinians "hope," [Palestinian ambassador to Ireland Dr Jilan Abdalmajidits] has said.

Earlier, in a joint-statement, the four countries' prime ministers said they were ready to recognise the Palestine state when the "circumstances are right".

You may wonder what, exactly, are those circumstances? And who decides when they are 'right?' 

Who knows? To my mind, only after all Hamas fighters have been killed will there be any point in even thinking about post-conflict reconstruction. But that's why I'd never make an EU small country Prime Minister. 

Before you break out the champagne, see this part of the statement:

"We agreed that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is through implementation of a two-state solution, with Israeli and Palestinian States living side-by-side, in peace and security," the statement said.

Now, that phrase "Palestinian States" - plural states, as in more than one state - is literally correct, since there are two of them, one run by Hamas in Gaza and the other run by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. 

Yes, I know that's not the intended meaning of the phrase, but just a bit of linguistic ambiguity. However, its the almost poetic blurting out of an awkward truth, all the same.  

If any EU small country PMs want to see an Israeli state side-by-side with a single Palestinian state, then someone will first have to make peace between the two Palestinian states that currently exist. Good luck with that.

First Saudi Male AI Robot Gets Handsy With Female Reporter

All too humanoid. First Saudi AI robot cops a feel at a press conference. https://t.co/RizqleDFDV

— TSB (@TweetingTSB) March 14, 2024

Just too funny. 

Is it something in the sand, or the silicon, over there?

Latest Update From Embassy Haiti: Still Evacuating Non-Essential Staff

At 3PM Eastern time the embassy website posted this update: U.S. military conducts operation to augment security of the U.S. Embassy in Haiti 

At the request of the Department of State, the U.S. military conducted an operation to augment the security of the U.S. Embassy at Port-au-Prince, allow our Embassy mission operations to continue, and enable non-essential personnel to depart.

This airlift of personnel into and out of the Embassy is consistent with our standard practice for Embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft.

Our Embassy remains focused on advancing U.S. government efforts to support the Haitian people, including mobilizing support for the Haitian National Police, expediting the deployment of the United Nations-authorized Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission, and accelerating a peaceful transition of power via free and fair elections.

As announced in September 2023, the Department of Defense is postured to provide robust enabling support for the MSS, including planning assistance, information sharing, airlift, communications, and medical support.

Haitians please note that "no Haitians were on board," meaning, we are not taking sides in your local conflict. 

U.S. voters please note that "our Embassy remains focused on a laundry list of highly unlikely, not to say laughable, ways to fix Haiti." Anyway, that's my free interpretation of the third para in that update. 

Meanwhile, I'm sticking with my favorable impression of Jimmy 'Barbecue' Chérizier. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

     

'Barbecue' and his gang are showing impressive muzzle discipline in that photo, and I even see some of them with fingers straight and off the trigger. They have my vote for next government leaders. https://t.co/KWUal8mz91

— TSB (@TweetingTSB) March 10, 2024

 

"The Washington Elite" Benefit From DOD-Run VIP Medical Care

In case you have ever wondered why there might be a strong appeal of populism in contemporary American politics, look no further than this story: VIP health system for top US officials risked jeopardizing care for rank-and-file soldiers. 

Yes, an OIG investigation found that this VIP practice resulted in your government "prioritizing medical care by seniority rather than medical need." I don't suppose that should raise any ruckus among the hoi polloi, do you? 

A few key quotes:

Through a unit at the White House, government personnel were routinely allowed to receive treatment under aliases, providing no home address or insurance information. For some of them, the care was free, as Walter Reed had no way to bill for it or waived charges.

White House officials, senior military and other national security leaders, retired military officers, and family members have all benefited. The Washington elite could jump the line when filling prescriptions, book appointments through special call centers, and receive choice parking spots and escorts at military hospitals and other facilities, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, according to the Pentagon’s inspector general.

At Walter Reed, the program is available to Cabinet members; members of Congress; Supreme Court justices [think RBG]; active-duty and retired generals and flag officers and their beneficiaries; members of the Senior Executive Service who retired from the military; secretaries, deputy secretaries, and assistant secretaries of the Department of Defense and military departments; certain foreign military officers; and Medal of Honor recipients.

I agree with giving special privileges for that last category, incidentally. As for "the Washington elite," I'd prefer that they use the ordinary federal group health insurance plans - which are excellent, by the way - that all the feds have.

That ought to be elite enough for anyone. 

 

Carter-Baker Commission: "Absentee Ballots Remain the Largest Source of Potential Voter Fraud.”

Here's a political Blast From the Past that might just become popular again in the current election year, a high-level bipartisan commission that called for tightening up ballot integrity, with a particular warning about absentee ballots. 

The Democrat half of the commission was chaired by Jimmy Carter, so you might think its report should have credibility with the left today, and that report warned: “Absentee ballots remain the largest source of potential voter fraud.”

In response to these concerns [of photo identification, new voting technology, and growing numbers of absentee and mail ballots], former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, agreed to co-chair a bipartisan commission, housed at Washington D.C.’s American University, to examine these and other outstanding election reform issues. The final report, titled “Building Confidence in U.S. Elections,” stressed the important role of elections in the nation’s democracy and made a series of recommendations, including: 

* A national system to connect state and local voter registration lists 

* Voter identification based on a universally available REAL ID card 

* Policies to improve voter access for all communities, as well as innovations like vote centers and voter information lookup sites 

* Stronger efforts to combat fraud, especially in absentee voting 

* Auditable paper backups for all voting technology

The Carter-Baker Commission report is downloadable here.

Ukraine Encounters Unforeseen Problem - Rodent Damage to Weapon Systems

Rodents incapacitate millions in eco-friendly military equipment in Ukraine: the unforeseen problem https://t.co/8JaPBQ4Mek

— TSB (@TweetingTSB) February 24, 2024

This had been reported on previously by UK press (here), but I hadn't noticed it until now.

Weaponry systems in Ukraine, many of which were supplied by European countries, have been rendered unworkable, not due to Russian interference, but because of damage caused by mice and other rodents. Seemingly, these creatures have developed a preference for cable insulation made of corn fiber over synthetic materials. This predilection leads to malfunctioning electrical installations, rendering the expensive equipment essentially worthless, and requiring rapid overhauling. 

-- snip -- 

Several European countries have supplied a wide range of weapon systems. However, the dilemma of ensuring electrical insulation durability has become a sticking point for newer equipment. This issue affects a multitude of nations where ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) guidelines are making their way into the arms industry.

Something will have to give. Either tear out the eco-friendly wiring, or consider all those lovely weapon systems to be expendable.

Presumably both sides will dispense with the environmental justice stuff and get on with the business of killing their fellow man.