Thursday, September 18, 2008

While Our Heads Are Buried in The Financials, Russia Swoops Into Our Backyard!

The financial news this week has been frightening to say the least. However, hidden deep behind the financial news is an even bigger threat that has gone undetected in it's entirety by the American public and most politicians. While we have our eyes on Wall Street, Russia has it's eye on us.

On September 8, Russia announced that it will send a naval squadron and long-range patrol planes this year to Venezuela for a joint military exercise in the Caribbean. On September 10, two Russian strategic bombers landed in Venezuela. Both countries say that they were holding joint military exercises over neutral water before the planes return to Russia. This is a direct response to America's defense of Georgia. The US currently has ships off the coast of Georgia delivering aide supplies.

This week Russia took it's aggression a step further agreeing to an arms deal with both Iran and Venezuela. Russia is sending anti-aircraft systems to Iran despite objections from the United States. Russia is offering to send it's S-300 surface-to-air missile system to protect Iran from a possible attack on it's nuclear facilities by either the U.S. or Israel.

Russia also disclosed that Hugo Chavez and crew have requested anti-aircraft systems, armored personnel carriers, and a new fighter jet that will be in production in the next few years. Russia has increased it's own military spending this year by 20-25% above it's 2007 military expenditures. We have had our eye on Iraq and Afghanistan for so long that we are missing an even bigger threat creeping into our own backyard.

I have watched Senator Obama's response to the financial crisis in the past few days. He didn't take a stance on whether we should be bailing out these institutions until the Bush administration did it for him. He says he has his own plan on the issue, but won't share it until he reviews Henry Paulson's plan. How long would it take him to make a decision on our national security?

Also in the news today, was the announcement that Governor Palin had been uninvited to a rally in support of Israel. Senator Clinton was originally schedule to attend, but withdrew from the event after Palin was invited. After Clinton withdrew, Obama supporters, if not the campaign itself, pressured the Jewish groups holding the event to uninvite Palin.

If the Democrats and Senator Obama cannot reach across the aisle on something both sides agree with, how will they reach across the aisle to deal with bigger conflicts? We need someone who will put politics to the side and deal with these growing threats head on.

We must get our heads out of the ground and start watching all of the threats against us. It doesn't help that Russia and China just bought up half of our country in the past few weeks while we were worried about the almighty buck.

8 comments:

Storm'n Norm'n said...

Great post...keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

Great Post...

You are spot on about the inaction of Obama. It was his way of voting "present" this week.

On Russia, they don't want our anti-missile defense system in Poland and Europe, but it's allright for them, as you say, to put up a system in our backyard.

There has been very little that I have read on this issue. The MSM is so caught up in getting Obama elected, and trying to lay blame on the Republicans for Fannie Mae and the financial debacle on Wall Street, that the MSM has dropped the ball.

This is the first time I visited your site, but I know I will now be a frequent visitor.

Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

I think Russia's current negotiations with Chavez are a response to us trying to park NATO in their back yard via Georgia and the Ukraine. We've been agitating that situation for years. It's been a mistake.
Georgia's Saakashvili made it clear he will step up his provocations of Russia if he thinks he has a "big brother" to back it up for him, and the Ukraine dissolved its democratic party a week ago. The Ukraine has been divided on the NATO issue, and it looks like they decided it is smarter to keep relations with Russia good.
As convenient as it would be to have Georgia as a launching pad for future problems with Iran (and not to mention the pipeline bypassing Russia' energy dominance), the US's grooming of Georgia has been in the Russian backyard. It's not so funny when the situation reverses on us.

Anonymous said...

Btw - totally agree on Obama. I'm deeply worried by the prospect of him possibly being our president. What money his Fannie and Freddie buddies haven't already pilfered from us is going to be sent to the UN in order to "globalize us". Great. We'll be broke and beholden to a corrupt organization. It's downright depressing.
Sorry I'm a cup of cheer this morning - great post - you are a very good writer.

Anonymous said...

These comments show that you are not at all aware of the complexities of foreign or domestic issues. That is why you should not be running for national office. Neither should Ms Palin. Being female does not automatically make a person competent. I am a mother (and a devout Christian for that matter) whose qualifications go way past gender. Hers do not and it is becoming more and more embarrassing for the rest of us (male and female) who care more about our country than our own popularity.

Anonymous said...

i'd like to know more about this mother whose qualifications go way beyond gender. are you perhaps a governor? a senator? please tell me more - and if you convince me, i'll write you in as a 3rd party candidate instead of voting mccain/palin as i'd planned.

Stacy said...

Dear Ms. Anonymous, leaving a comment on a blog does not prove that you have any understanding of foreign or domestic policy. You are more than welcome to disagree with policies, but generalizing experience should only cause you to look at the top of your ticket. There's not much there. Palin, contrary to the democrats attempt to prove otherwise, is NOT running for POTUS.

Thanks everyone for the great posts.

Anonymous said...

I'm from Illinois and SEnator Obama has a very thin resume as a state senator.His resume is too thin to be president.

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