Spank That Donkey

Argentina's Hillary, who literally succeeded her husband as President of Argentina is threatening the United Kingdom again over the Falkland Islands.  Undoubtedly she is following Hugo Chavez's example of after you finish screwing your economy up with socialist policies, delay being overthrown by rattling the sword at your neighbor.

Her Husband did the same thing earlier, and I thought Hugo was behind that.

 I have a solution to Great Britain's short term military needs to put an end to the sabre rattling.  Simply lease her the newly retired USS John F. Kennedy, or some of our retired smaller LHD amphibious assault ships to supplement their navy.  I think a dollar per month should suffice.

That will save lives, because rather than lose power, Argentina may just initiate war to divert the public's attention.  It's happened before, and we should make no bones about supporting the UK, who has been steadfast allies to the USA in the War on Terror.

Out of all seriousness, I have felt that the UK wanted to get their limited Military resources out of Iraq because of this kind of a threat.  They were way over stretched last time they had to retake the islands, and they have further down sized their military since.  Argentina knows this, and now that Chavez bought Argentina's debts from the World Bank, where will the sanctions come from?  These people may very well take that gamble.

Greg over at BVBL is taking me to task on revealing that Del. Marshall would move our 35,000 military personnel now in Germany to the Mexican Border in an effort to stem if not stop the influx of illegal aliens into the USA.

Let's check out the argument point by point:

BVBL - "Yeah, “fencing” and “border patrols” are working so well for us now."

STD -  Absolutely agreed, if the GWB Administration put the Transportation Safety Board nazis, who shake down my grandmother's carry on luggage; and 'redeployed' them from our airports to the border crossings, not only would illegal immigration be halted, but the smuggling of  nail clippers would also be severely curtailed in the USA.  I guess GWB's priority of hassling legal citizens far out weighs illegal citizens?

BVBL -   but I have to admit that the prospect of replacing our non-construction of a border fence, and hugely discredited “virtual fences” with folks like the Berlin Brigade sounds darned enticing. I’m certain that drug smugglers who readily engage our Border Patrol with automatic weapons fire, and cartels that murder illegal alien “mules” in the employ of other cartels would demonstrate a considerably higher degree of respect for our border if instead of having the 6,000 National Guard soldiers currently engaged in civil engineering and logistical support we had a Division-plus of fully equipped combat troops.

STD:  Undoubtedly the GWB Administration sent our National Guard to the border without weapons, so our guys wouldn't kill anyone, much less the drug smugglers.  If that were to happen, undoubtedly some Human Rights attorney would file a law suit at the Hague against our National Guardsman, GBW, Condi, and anyone else they could think of.  Accordingly, the USA would be roundly denounced at the UN, ala the treatment that Brazil, Bolivia, & Venezuela etc. gave Columbia.  You see Columbia went into Ecuador to kill terrorists attacking Colombians. 

Reality here is that our current, or future President's attitude towards illegal immigration is what will secure the border. 

BVBL:  Those soldiers in Germany effectively ensure that we provide for the defense of Europe so Europe doesn't have to.

STD:  This is a valid point.  However, I would argue that 35,000 military personnel is really bare bones compared to how many troops we had stationed there during the Cold War.  Old Europe is now having to step up to the plate, as Russia has twice now cut off natural gas supplies to the west.  Currently, we are expanding NATO into the New European nations of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary.  Hopefully, when we draw down troop strength from the Middle East they will begin establishing expanded bases with our new allies in Europe.

Worldwide peace will not be won along our Southern border.  It will be achieved by keeping Russia's Putin in check.  I guess what I mean to say is that illegal immigration is a political problem, not a military one.  NATO was a very successful military alliance, and we should expand it to insure the continued growth of capitalism in the world.  Putin has been moving Russia backwards, and not forwards in terms of Democratic/Republic government.

Let me put it this way.  I would be more impressed with Del. Marshall if he were thinking more in terms of securing the USA's and capitalism's future worldwide.  We all know that illegal immigration is nothing more than cheap labor, and along those lines; the Mexican immigrants of the 1990's -2010 may parallel the Irish immigrants of the 1860's....  Just a thought.

Bottom Line, I want legal immigration and an assimilation of those coming to the USA, under one flag.  Meanwhile, Old Europe has become a powder keg by allowing unfettered Muslim immigration into their nations.  We can not afford to lower our presence there should things turn nasty.  Furthermore, we need to insure that the New European nations do not come under the boot of the Old Soviet Bear as Russia uses it's vast natural resources to rearm, and black mail Europe in general.

One thing will not change, the United States provides the bulwark of Freedom in our world.  We can insure our, and our Allies Freedom by continuing the employment of 'Forward Defense'.  Retreat from Germany to secure Texas is hardly promoting Freedom throughout the world.

BVBL:  Bob Marshall is spot-on here, and I can’t imagine why Jim Gilmore wouldn’t wholeheartedly endorse this idea.  He doesn’t want to look weak here and continue to put our overwhelmed Border Patrol officers at risk, does he?

STD:  I do not know this for a fact, but after serving in Army Intelligence against the Soviets, Gov. Jim Gilmore would probably be more inclined to see the benefits of 'Forward Defense' in Germany, vs. a retreat to Texas.  Again, the bottom line here is that illegal immigration is a political issue that begs for a political solution, and not a military one.

(View history with a Tap) This photo of the BB USS Pennslyvania in dry dock with the destroyers USS Downes & USS Cassin capsizing against the Downes has always fascinated me.   The Pennsylvania was relatively unscathed in the attack, see here from the Naval Archives:

When Japan attacked on 7 December 1941, Pennsylvania, flagship of the United States Fleet, was in drydock at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. Her relatively light damage was repaired over the next few months, and she operated along the U.S. west coast and off Hawaii until October 1942. Following an overhaul that significantly updated her secondary battery of 5" guns and added many anti-aircraft machine guns, Pennsylvania went to Alaskan waters, where she participated in the recapture of Attu in May 1943 and Kiska in August.

Further:

In November 1943, Pennsylvania bombarded Makin during the amphibious assault on the Gilbert Islands. She repeated this role a few months later at Kwajalein and Eniwetok, and in June and July 1944 at Saipan, Tinian and Guam.

My Father was a Navy Corpsman and participated in these three island battles, being awarded the Bronze and Silver Star for volunteering to go forward from the aid stations to evacuate wounded Marines, after the earlier corpsman were casualties themselves. 

I have always been of the opinion that if President Truman, (whom GWB is often compared too), had not authorized the dropping of both atomic bombs, I probably wouldn't be here.  My father was still in the pacific awaiting the invasion of mainland Japan, when the Japanese finally capitulated.  Decisive Leadership brought an end to that war and prevented a furthering and worsening of the bloodshed.

I am confident that GWB's Leadership in the Middle East will bring about democracy and a stabilization of that region for decades to come, as occurred in Europe after the end of WW2.   We permanently stationed troops there to provide a clear signal to aggressors that an attack on our allies constituted an attack upon the United States itself....  That strategy has held in Europe, Korea and held in Vietnam until the Democrats forbade the USA to help it's ally the govt. of South Vietnam via the Case Church Amendment.  North Vietnam subsequently attacked and millions were killed, along with a disastrous flood of refugees from communism that followed.

That my friends is weak leadership.... and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid... wreaks of it.... Sen. Jim Webb is hardly better.

 This is a rather interesting development related to a previous post involving VP Dick Cheney gathering four carriers off the coast of Iran...   check this out:

The USS nuclear carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), en route for the Persian Gulf, entered the Mediterranean Sea Monday July 23 for joint maneuvers with the French Charles De Gaulle carrier. Rafale M fighters took off from its deck, touched down briefly on Enterprise runways and returned to the parent ship. This is the first time ever that French fighter-bombers have landed on an American carrier and used its facilities.

DEBKAfile’s Middle East and Washington sources say that the closely integrated maneuver is part of the growing cooperation between the Bush administration and the new Nicolas Sarkozy presidency on burning Middle East issues.

DEBKAfile’s sources have previously pointed to a dramatic opening-up of interchanges between Paris, Tehran and Hizballah. They now affirm that this new track was launched with tacit approval from Washington.

and now to the video.  This Sarkozy guy may just take the embarrassment out of being French...

(Click to See the difference)

  Stolen from