Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Rahm, Iwo Jima and Libya

February 23, 2011
February 23 is … International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day. A delicious day for my dog, Burdette.
BRUCE A. BRENNAN BLOG FROM THE WORLD AND MY MIND
The news as I see it and the views as I want them.

Illinois, welcome to the Rahm Emanuel era in running Chicago and Illinois. If he follows in the footsteps of his former boss, President Obama, Chicago will attract most of the deadbeat welfare recipients in the Midwest with all the give-aways he will push. They will reelect him and Detroit will be happy but that is all that will happen. Nothing good for Illinois, business or working people will happen. Chicago had just started to see a return to the city of working people; that will come to a screeching halt.

 It was February 23, 1945 and four days of bitter battle had taken its toll on the 28th Regiment of the Fifth Marine Division of the U.S. Marines. Their task had been to neutralize the defenses and scale the heavily fortified Mount Surabachi. The volcanic peak, at the southern tip of the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, was one of the first objectives of the Marines’ invasion of this small, strategic island, 750 miles south of Tokyo. Although losses were heavy, the Marine platoon succeeded in its mission and reached the top of Mount Surabachi on this day. Victory was triumphant as the famous photograph (by Joe Rosenthal) of these Marines raising the American flag portrayed.

The photograph inspired the Marine Corps Memorial, Iwo Jima Statue which now stands near Arlington National Cemetery, the largest cast bronze statue in the world. This monument is dedicated to all U.S. Marines (since 1775) who have given their lives for their country. As the flag was being raised, Navy Secretary James Forrestal was standing on the beachhead below. When he saw Old Glory waving in the breeze, he told Lt. General Holland M. Smith, “The raising of that flag on Surabachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years.”  God Bless the Marines and all of our military branches.

Yesterday I mentioned $4.00 a gallon gas was on the horizon. I spoke too soon. Libya, with 2% of the world’s oil reserves underground, will cause a greater price increase. Over 90% of Libya’s income from exports comes from oil. It costs money to suppress a country, kill your citizens and end a revolution. Libya will spend whatever is necessary to stop this revolt. Even if they cannot stop the revolt, the oil prices will go up. Oil companies will see to that. If the Libyan leaders lose their struggle to remain in power, they will damage the frail infra-structure enough that oil prices will have to remain high to rebuild.

The selfish, self-centered leaders in the Middle East have the “If I can’t have it, neither can you.” attitude. The Nazis had it and Saddam Hussein had it.  Remember him starting the oil fields on fire as he ran away with his tail between his legs from Kuwait. I am confident Moammar Gadhafi, who vowed to die a martyr, has it. I only hope old Moammar gets about that dying part quickly. Send him to the streets of America for a weekend; someone is bound to slaughter him and his young nurse that he takes everywhere.
Slaughter in the streets of America; Libya has nothing on us. A Florida police officer was shot and killed near downtown St. Petersburg, becoming the city's third officer to be killed in the line of duty in less than a month.

St. Petersburg Police said the shooting happened after two officers were called to the area around 10:30 p.m. Monday to investigate a report of a suspicious person who may have been a prowler. Officer David Crawford spotted the suspect and got out of his vehicle to approach him. At 10:37 p.m., another officer, Donald J. Ziglar, reported an exchange of gunfire and told dispatchers an officer was down. Ziglar found Crawford lying on the pavement near his cruiser, police said. He had been shot multiple times at close range. Crawford, a 25-year-veteran, was pronounced dead at Bayfront Medical Center. He was 46. Authorities said there was no evidence that the suspect was injured during the exchange of gunfire and an intense manhunt was ongoing Tuesday. A helicopter and canines were being used in the search. Sponsored LiPinellas County Schools announced that a middle school and two elementary schools near the scene would be closed Tuesday and students were being notified to attend nearby schools.

U. S. Marshalls released mug shots of the Tucson shooter. He does not cleanup that well. He still looks like a killer taking up needed space and wasting good oxygen.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard hacked into the web site for the news organization Voice of America. This propaganda arm of our government seems to be up to the task of protecting its secrets and internal files. I wonder how WikiLeaks missed this one.

A top Republican seen as a potential presidential candidate has changed his position about a KKK inspired license plate Mississippi was considering making available to citizens of that state. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour now says if a proposal to issue a license plate honoring a confederate general, who became an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan, ever reaches his desk, he won't approve it. Earlier, he would not say what he would do but he has apparently read the opinion polls that are generally against the license plate. Another potential candidate moving to the center to upset the fewest number of people; even politicians know you can’t please all the people all the time but you can please the most number of people all the time with a little poll watching. Politicians do not need conviction; they need a good bean-counter.

The Wisconsin protests have spread to Indiana and Ohio. Tomorrow, I will speak my mind on this whole revolution frenzy we are seeing throughout the world.



BRUCE A. BRENNAN
DEKALB, IL 60115
COPYRIGHT 2011

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“Love is sentimental measles.”


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