Random Thoughts for a busy news day

Today has so many things going on, and I have little time to research them all. So, I am going to comment briefly on a bunch of issues that I most likely will come back to.

Jobs report

The monthly jobs report is out and the numbers are dismal. The question I have is that if the unemployment is at 16 percent for young adults then what are all these young people doing? How are they surviving? Otherwise, why are they not rioting because they are starving? I am not talking about the Occupy folks. They are a bunch of overeducated romantics looking back for a Summer of Love. I am talking about the others. What are they doing? Revolutions start with less.

Venezuela seizes American ship captain

What are Hugo Chavez’s minions thinking? They are upset that their port authorities found three “assault” rifles in the locker for the ship’s anti-piracy squad … weapons that allegedly were declared when the ship arrived in Maracaibo. Now, they apparently arrested the captain on weapons smuggling charges and seem to be holding the crew. This is not only silly but it verges on being ridiculous the more that comes out.

Haqqani network squeaks

The Haggani network in Afghanistan and Pakistan says things will go badly for the American hostage they are holding if the U.S. government lists them as a terrorist group. Sounds like the shoe fits. Unfortunately for the American, he is about to become a casualty in the Global War on Terrorists.

Obit for the Arab Spring

It seems that analysts are saying that the great hopes for freedom, liberty and democracy in the Arab world are dying. Ah, were you surprised? You shouldn’t have been. It would have been nice, but the Arab countries are reverting to their traditional tribal styles. That will have to change before the other things happen.

So much for thoughts now. Thunder outside. Need to take precautions.

Random Thought 14

I find it almost humorous the current saber rattling on the northeast coast of South America.

The Colombiam military successful struck a FARC rebel base and killed the No. 2 man in the FARC organizational structure. Granted, the FARC base was maybe 3 kilometers inside Ecuador, but then the U.S. just hit a suspected Al Qaeda hangout in Africa, so what is the difference.

Ecuador admits that the camp was in its territory. Ecuador admits that government of Colombia advised its government that the action had taken place and apologized for the necessity of entering Equadorian air space and territory in order to accomplish the mission.

Now, it seems that they are upset that the attack apparently took place in early morning hours when everyone was asleep. I guess it is not macho enough to wake the rebels up and give them the chance to vamoose.

Now, Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela decides to get involved. Is this some form of comic opera or what. The Venezuelans send 10 battalions, at some of them armored units, to the border to fend off the evil Colombians and to protect the sanctuary for FARC bases it wants along the common border. Then the close the border to economic traffic. I am not sure who this hurts worse: the Venezuelans or the Colombians. Still it is a bit like cutting your nose off to spite your face.

Chavez, on the other hand, is following a familiar template for petty dictators. Create a foreign devil, create a foreign enemy for the masses to rally against and forget the failings of the dictator's government to provide a stable economy and justify its actions as necessary sacrifices in order to carry the fight to the enemy.

If it wasn't so serious (in that a lot of people could get killed in this soap opera), this would be so funny.