Dangerous Days

The fighting in Lebanon and Israel is distracting the world from Iran's nuclear program. It could have a major kick back effect -- and serve to ignite a much wider conflict well beyond Iraq, Lebanon and Israel. These are dangerous days. The aftermath may not be what we expect.

An excellent anaylsis is in today's column by Jim Hoagland:
http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4064520.html

I clipped the heart of the article. Here's the problem:

"The U.N. and the Bush administration also failed to press the Lebanese to live up to their responsibility to deploy forces into the border areas evacuated by Israel in 2000. Instead, Hezbollah moved in its Syrian- and Iranian-supplied rockets and its irregulars..."

And here's the solution:
"

This Israeli campaign will not erase Hezbollah as a force, alas. But a negotiated cease-fire could lead to two important steps:

One would be to put an international military force on Lebanon's border with Syria to police the traffic of rockets and disguised Syrian intelligence units into Lebanon.

The other is to get the Lebanese army finally to take control of its territory in the south and make Lebanon more of a real country again."

He's right...

Americans etc Trapped in Lebanon

American government slow to evacuate Americans trapped in Lebanon.

TV reports showed desperate women and children –Americans—who were told they were NOT on the evacuation list.

I am disappointed that our government is not doing more to get American in danger in Lebanon out of there. This is a HOT war already. It will probably get worse before it gets better.

We need envoys over there from our side -- taking care of the trapped Americans and working to keep things from becoming a holocaust. I have conducted kidnapping negotiations in the Middle East (I was in Damascus), and know the area.

That job is best done by Condi (Rice) at the moment…we need to act and act carefully and quickly...

Time for the Prozac in the Middle East

The Middle East has flared up again – hot shooting between Hezbollah and Israel, rockets and bombs. Hezbollah managed to get a drone to hit an Israeli ship for the first time, killing two and two more missing and probably dead as well. Civilian children were killed today in Lebanon after being bombed, after being turned away from a UN camp. It stinks.I went into Fox 26 on Friday to talk about it. I was asked what the “solution” was. I could only say “Put Prozac in the water” – everyone needs to calm down over there. It was good for a laugh, but tensions are flying as high as the rockets. Hezbollah could have used Iranian technology to hit an Israeli ship for the first time. Iran has a supersonic anti-ship missile if this gets really serious.I am hearing people say we need to be in Lebanon. Apparently they have forgotten what happened when President Reagan sent troops to Beirut in the 1980’s. Hundreds of them died when a suicide truck bomber hit their barracks. Does anyone expect it to be any different this time?The problem here is that Iran is using its puppets in Hezbollah to distract attention from their nuclear program – and they do have missiles that are in range of Israel. It will take a global effort from the G8 to deal with it. We can't do it alone.This could get very ugly. $100 barrel gasoline is not out of the question, since it is now nearly $80.Maybe Prozac isn’t a bad idea after all. Anything is better than a shooting war that spreads across the Middle East. President Bush has to stay focused. The complicating factor is Mr. Kim Jung Il and his strange missile dance. Now Japan is talking about a "pre-emptive strike" on North Korea. That could get a lot of South Koreans civilians killed by North Korea artillery.Buckle up your seat belts folks. As I said on Fox Friday: “This could get out of control very quickly.”

What Goes Around Comes Around

The GOP Federal judge has ruled that Mr. DeLay must stay on the ballot. In response, I heard DeLay state something like “Only in American can a federal judge order someone to run.” Order?

This statement makes no sense. No federal judge forced DeLay to sign up for the 2006 primary. No judge forced him to withdraw when he saw his chances of winning decline. If DeLay had bowed out before the primary, the voters would have gotten to make the choice – and the cast of thousands now running could have campaigned in the primary.

I guess DeLay is mad that the judge made a decision based on law instead of what is politically expedient, i.e. doing what DeLay wants.

That is the beauty of America – we aren’t controlled by the whims of the powerful, but by a standard set of laws that are supposed to apply to everyone, even Congressmen. Attacking a Republican judge for following the law is classic DeLay, and another reason I wanted to see him removed from further abusing the system. He just doesn’t get it.

I doubt the 5th circuit will overturn the ruling. They are conservative Republicans who follow the law, not the orders of indicted Congress reps who want to game the system. That is what got DeLay into trouble the first place.

It’s time to reap what he has sown…because what goes around comes around.

Time to be a beacon of truth justice and respect

I’ve been so busy that I’ve had no time to write in some time. It’s raining on our 4th of July events in Houston today, but after such a long dry spell I still welcome it.

The joke may be on the people running to replace Rep. DeLay – the judge may keep him on the ballot. The irony will be that it was a GOP motion to transfer it to a Federal court with a GOP judge who isn’t going to make a political decision over a judicial one.

The political choice in CD22 is nearing the end – either the judge will keep DeLay on the seat or they will pick someone else. It would be poetic justice to let the Congressman go down in flames on the ballot instead of letting him give the grenade to a replacement who has no money as time runs out. Either way, change is in the air. That is a good thing. CD22 needs an internationally experienced rep in this world of terrorism and global economies -- but it will most likely get the usual suspect, a politician who sends out negative attack ads like the one I just got in the mail and not much else."

We need to start picking people who know more than attack ads and bug killing to sit in a seat that deals with national and global issues daily.

Even Mexico is improving its democracy as our system is gamed by people like the series of recently indicted representatives (in BOTH parties). Mexico’s election reminds me of 2000 – a split electorate. But it is the first true democratic election in Mexico since Mr. Fox broke the PRI monopoly with his election six years ago.

My thoughts and prayers are with the crew of Discovery today as they attempt another launch. As a pilot and someone who grew up on Star Trek I’ve always been a space junkie. I think we need more private space enterprises to really get things moving. Look how much SpaceShipOne accomplished—going to the edge of space-- for $20 million. NASA burps that in a nanosecond.

I don’t expect to be picked for Congress in CD22 – my mission was accomplished when a corrupt official left. One down. A lot more to go. My attention now turns national and global.

I have set up an international law office in Sugar Land Business Park. In my past I have even done international kidnapping negotiations. But I also do a lot of domestic work – profit and nonprofit. You do what you can to help deserving people.

Happy birthday America! We must again become a beacon of truth, justice that is respected around the world. There is much to do…