Category Archives: Foreign Events

Why does it feel like June 1914?

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This train of thought was triggered by blogger friend, Tam.  She wrote a short post noting the similarities of the current world events with those in the months prior to World War I.

Like pre-World War I Serbia, the RIFs around the world are rioting. Supposedly the cause of the rioting is a 10 minute YouTube video that had around a thousand views before 9/11/2012.  The Obama White House jumped on this excuse with both feet to cover the fact that the real reason of the riots were a planned series of attacks by a renewed Al-Qaeda—a renewed Al-Qaeda that thrived in the vacuum created by Obama’s policy of Mideast appeasement.

The riots were aided by Obama’s state department orders that removed the Marines from Libya and disarmed the Marine guards in Egypt. Obama and Hilliary Clinton ignored warnings that could have protected the Americans in Libya but did not.

The First World War started due to a cascade of events that triggered the mutual assistance treaties of the initial participants: the  Triple Entente among the British, French and Russians and the Triple Alliance of Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy on the other. Like our Gulf Wars One and Two, the First World War was preceded by the Balkan War of 1908, The Boer War of 1880 and1899 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

The ignition of that war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife. The assassination was preceded by months of protests and riots using the pretense of the earlier Balkan War of 1908. By coincidence, Britain’s Prince Harry may have been an unintended target recently during a Taliban attack on a NATO base where the Prince was assigned.

Here is where the similarities between now and WW I begin to emerge. Today’s Mideast riots were planned by Al-Qaeda.  They are nothing more than a continuation of the wars and war-like acts going back to the creation of Israel, the several Israeli-Arab wars, the two World Trade Towers attacks and Gulf Wars I and II. When you include the tension between China, Japan and the Philippine Islands over the oil rich islands and coral reefs of the South China Sea, the coincidences can be amazing.

The members of the Triple Alliance perceived a weakness among the members of the Triple Entente. They thought the Triple Entente signers would not honor the alliance. Likewise today, the US has mutual assistance treaties with Japan, Israel, the Philippine Islands and NATO. Our enemies see weakness in the US by the bunglings of Obama and Clinton. They see weakness in the economic disarray of the European Union, and, like the Triple Alliance of the last century, believe the current treaties will not be honored. The misperceptions of the Islamofascists, the Islamic Brotherhood and China could lead us to another global conflict that would rival the participants of World War I.

The election coming in November has an importance that extends far beyond our national borders. A Romney win and a repudiation of the Obama policy of Islamic appeasement could forestall another global conflict—one that could include tactical nukes if Iran completes her nuclear program or acquires a few nuclear weapons from Pakistan. The danger of a regional nuclear war is very real.

China has nuclear weapons as well. Japan has the knowledge and material to build nuclear weapons quickly if they perceived a real need.  Survival threats can easily overcome Japan’s nuclear phobia if the US does not stand as a shield against China.

We know the Islamofascists are not sane. We believe the Chinese leadership are sane…as long as they believe they can maintain their power. If China believes their need for resources, the oil fields of the South China Sea are such that the lack could endanger their position, they, too, may be willing to threaten to use nuclear weapons in a seizure of the contested islands and oil fields.

It is a perilous time. The Twentieth Century has been named, “The War Century” by some historians. The Twenty-first Century has the potential to be one as well.

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More Foreign Incompetency.

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Our amateur president has been busy this week selling out our country.  First, he attempted to take credit for throwing Gadaffi (or however his name is spelled) out of Libya.  Then when the Islamists magically appeared to take over, he praised them and their “democratic” reforms.

In order to hide the amount of US activity in the Libyan civil war, Obama claimed it was a NATO effort.  Well, just which NATO member had the capability to perform all that air and ground support?  It wasn’t the Euros.  The UK had to borrow some Maritime surveillance aircraft from the US Navy to provide radar coverage to the RN’s flotilla in the Med. The Brits had scrapped their Maritime aircraft years earlier.  After all, the US Navy had plenty.

So it was all a NATO affair.  Until it was time to claim credit.

Then we come to the second great act of incompetency this week.  The negotiations with Iraq have been stalled because of an impasse in the SOFA agreement (Status of Forces Agreement).  The US wanted immunity for their troops for performing their usual duty and for any acts committed while doing those duties.  It didn’t give them immunity for criminal acts, but was to define what those acts would be.

Iraq knew that Obama was weak.  All they had to do was to remain stubborn and Obama would fold…which he did.

Now Iraq will be defenseless against Iran and will have no support from the US unless they come, hat-in-hand, and beg for it.  Does anyone think that will happen until it’s too late?  

No.  This is the situation that Iran has been dreaming about.

So, for nine, nearly ten years we’ve spilled our blood, spent our treasure only to throw it all away because of the gross ineptitude in the White House.

It doesn’t take a military genius to be able to predict that we’ll be back, either in Iraq, Iran, or perhaps both, within ten years.

And again, like after Gulf War I and II, Gulf War III is coming and we’ll have to do it all over again to retrieve what the democrats gave away.

What to post? What to post?

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I said, in a comment somewhere, every time Obama speaks, the market tanks.  Obama had his moment before Congress last week, and, yes, the market tanked.  Again.  And now Europe’s market is tanking as well.

Would someone put a muzzle on Obama and shove him in a closet somewhere?  Maybe then the market would recover a bit.

***
Mrs. Crucis and I went somewhere new for Sunday dinner.  A few years ago, a new restaurant opened in Raymore, Gregory’s.  It had started as a catering operation and expanded into a full-time restaurant.  Unfortunately, Raymore is a bed-room community and there just isn’t enough business to remain open all week.  They closed the restaurant.

They could have declared bankruptcy.  Instead, they retained the catering side, slowly paid off their debts and reopened the restaurant.

This time they’re being smart.  For now, they’re open for Sunday brunch, 9AM through 3PM.  It’s a buffet and I can tell you it was great.  Two double lines for hot items and a dessert bar.

The price was reasonable and included a 10% senior discount for everyone over 60.  Nice!

Needless to say, we overdid it and groaned for the rest of the afternoon.  We’ll be back.  If you’re close to Raymore on a Sunday, drop by.  I think you’ll be pleased too.

***
Pawlenty has just endorsed Romney and will take a position on Romney’s campaign staff.
Ho. Hum.
One RINO endorsing another RINO.

Big deal.

***
Obama spoke at the 9/11 memorial service yesterday.  When he finished there was silence.  George W. Bush also spoke at the same service.  When he finished, he received a standing ovation.  Even Bill Clinton, who blew his opportunity to kill OBL, spoke—quite eloquently according to reports and was received better than Obama.

Says something, doesn’t it.

***
Obama dumped his so-called “jobs” bill on Congress today.  At least that’s what he’s calling it.  It can be condensed into three words. “Tax and Spend.”

Been there, done that, didn’t work.

***
The special election to replace the Weiner is scheduled for tomorrow. Horrors!!!  The ‘Pub is 6 points ahead according to the polls.  This was Scummer’s old House seat in a supposed “safe” democrat district.

Signs and Portents.

***

The Mid-East is heating up.  Israel is surrounded. Their embassy in Egypt was invaded and destroyed.  Turkey says there navy will escort blockade running ships into Gaza.  Iran’s nuke processing plant is in full operation. 

Israel hasn’t forgotten the Holocaust. If they are invaded, they won’t go down easily.

Russia is, once again, pushing in support of the Palestinians, Hezbolla, and other islamic terrorist states.  The cold war has returned, no one in Washington cares and someone could pop a nuke.

There is real danger there and Obama is blowing on the smoldering sparks.  Weakness invites aggression. We may experience that old Chinese curse about “interesting times.”      

Is it time to end NATO?

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For the last two decades since the fall of the Soviet Empire, NATO has been without a mission.  Europe used the fall of the USSR to minimalize their militaries—relying on the US for support while emasculating themselves.  When the European Union wanted to use NATO to intervene in the Balkans and Kosovo in the 1990s, it was the US who had to provide the requested military force.  Bill Clinton agreed because the Euros, by themselves, were incapable of provided the needed military force.

The same scenario is happening again in Libya.  I wrote about the lopsided NATO support in an earlier post.  If you examine the chart in that post, you’ll see that the US, contrary to the lies spoken by Obama, is performing the majority of the sorties logistical support. The Brits are a distant second but they had to borrow Maritime Surveillance aircraft from the US Navy to cover their warships in the Med.  They are approaching the point were their operations will have to be cut or terminated according to the Royal Navy sources.  The UK scrapped the RN’s jump-jet carriers and Harriers last year.  If a Falklands Island scenario happened, the Brits would have to ask for the US to step in or wave their possession good-bye.

Only a few NATO nations provided support in proportion to their military capabilities, Norway and Denmark.  Norway has just announced they will be withdrawing as well. They, like the UK, have exhausted their capabilities and need to rest, repair and re-equip.

The US is still providing almost all of the logistical and munition support.  Our stocks are nearing depletion.  Why?  Because the Euros ceased making the bombs, missiles and bullets needed by any extended period of use. Like the attacks on Libya. The Euros assumed they could draw on US stocks.  After all, wasn’t standardized munitions one of the benefits of NATO?

In short, the Euros have been depending on the US to take over their military responsibilities while they have slashed their military budgets to feed their socialist schemes.  

They are parasites feeding on the US and it’s time to stop.


Outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with NATO representatives and gave this blunt speech.

Jun 10, 5:30 AM (ET)
By ROBERT BURNS

BRUSSELS (AP) – America’s military alliance with Europe – the cornerstone of U.S. security policy for six decades – faces a “dim, if not dismal” future, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday in a blunt valedictory address.
In his final policy speech as Pentagon chief, Gates questioned the viability of NATO, saying its members’ penny-pinching and lack of political will could hasten the end of U.S. support. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 as a U.S.-led bulwark against Soviet aggression, but in the post-Cold War era it has struggled to find a purpose.
“Future U.S. political leaders – those for whom the Cold War was not the formative experience that it was for me – may not consider the return on America’s investment in NATO worth the cost,” he told a European think tank on the final day of an 11-day overseas journey.
Gates has made no secret of his frustration with NATO bureaucracy and the huge restrictions many European governments placed on their military participation in the Afghanistan war. He ruffled NATO feathers early in his tenure with a direct challenge to contribute more front-line troops that yielded few contributions.

(AP) ADDS IDENTITY OF PERSON RECEIVING THE SIGNED MAGAZINE U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates hands…

Even so, Gates’ assessment Friday that NATO is falling down on its obligations and foisting too much of the hard work on the U.S. was unusually harsh and unvarnished. He said both of NATO’s main military operations now – Afghanistan and Libya – point up weaknesses and failures within the alliance.
“The blunt reality is that there will be dwindling appetite and patience in the U.S. Congress – and in the American body politic writ large – to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations that are apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources or make the necessary changes to be serious and capable partners in their own defense,” he said.

Without naming names, he blasted allies who are “willing and eager for American taxpayers to assume the growing security burden left by reductions in European defense budgets.”

The U.S. has tens of thousands of troops based in Europe, not to stand guard against invasion but to train with European forces and promote what for decades has been lacking: the ability of the Europeans to go to war alongside the U.S. in a coherent way.

The war in Afghanistan, which is being conducted under NATO auspices, is a prime example of U.S. frustration at European inability to provide the required resources. 

“Despite more than 2 million troops in uniform, not counting the U.S. military, NATO has struggled, at times desperately, to sustain a deployment of 25,000 to 45,000 troops, not just in boots on the ground, but in crucial support assets such as helicopters, transport aircraft, maintenance, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and much more,” Gates said.
…
For many Americans, NATO is a vague concept tied to a bygone era, a time when the world feared a Soviet land invasion of Europe that could have escalated to nuclear war. But with the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO’s reason for being came into question. It has remained intact – and even expanded from 16 members at the conclusion of the Cold War to 28 today.

But reluctance of some European nations to expand defense budgets and take on direct combat has created what amounts to a two-tier alliance: the U.S. military at one level and the rest of NATO on a lower, almost irrelevant plane. 

Gates said this could spell the demise of NATO.

“What I’ve sketched out is the real possibility for a dim, if not dismal future for the trans-Atlantic alliance,” he said. “Such a future is possible, but not inevitable. The good news is that the members of NATO – individually and collectively – have it well within their means to halt and reverse these trends and instead produce a very different future.”

Gates has said he believes NATO will endure despite its flaws and failings. But his remarks Friday point to a degree of American impatience with traditional and newer European allies that in coming years could lead to a reordering of U.S. defense priorities in favor of Asia and the Pacific, where the rise of China is becoming a predominant concern.

To illustrate his concerns about Europe’s lack of appetite for defense, Gates noted the difficulty NATO has encountered in carrying out an air campaign in Libya. 

“The mightiest military alliance in history is only 11 weeks into an operation against a poorly armed regime in a sparsely populated country, yet many allies are beginning to run short of munitions, requiring the U.S., once more, to make up the difference,” he said.

His comment reflected U.S. frustration with the allies’ limited defense budgets. 

“To avoid the very real possibility of collective military irrelevance, member nations must examine new approaches to boosting combat capabilities,” he said. (Follow the links to read the entire article.)

I am a child of the cold war.  We had “duck and cover” drills when I was in grade school.  I had just started high school when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred and watched neighbors digging fallout shelters “just in case.”  The draft was a cultural imperative. Everyone served in one form or another in the Armed Services.  Anyone who didn’t was a coward and subject to ridicule.

The US and NATO caused the fall of the Soviet Empire by the strength of our resolve, our economies, and our alliance.  Now twenty years after the fall of the USSR, the European Marxists are creating through the European Union what the USSR could not create through force of arms.

The US invoked NATO’s mutual defense agreements after 9/11.  It’s a good thing we really didn’t need them.

The mission of NATO has been completed.  Now, it must be revised to provide a more balanced participation or be dissolved.  Frankly, if it weren’t for our need of forward bases to protect the US from the new generation of enemies, I’d say let Europe dissolve in the anarchy of their own creation.

Perhaps that will still happen. Perhaps it is time to create new alliances to replace NATO. I note that Japan is continuing to build up their Self Defense Force.  South Korea and Taiwan, for all the negative rhetoric, still has a large and modern militaries.  Perhaps it is time to look west against the growing menace of China instead of east to the former USSR. 

I note that Vietnam is now seeking US support against China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea oil fields—fields also claimed by the Philippines              

Coming Conflicts

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If you read history, you’ll discover that national and international conflicts appear to be cyclic. Take a look at the 20th Century. The Spanish-American War ended just before the start of the 20th Century. The Boxer Rebellion in China climaxed in June, 1900.

In June 1900 Boxer fighters, lightly armed or unarmed, gathered in Beijing to besiege the foreign embassies. On 21 June the conservative faction of the Imperial Court induced the Empress Dowager Cixi, who ruled in the emperor’s name, to declare war on the foreign powers that had diplomatic representation in Beijing. Diplomats, foreign civilians, soldiers and some Chinese Christians retreated to the Legation Quarter where they stayed for 55 days until the Eight-Nation Alliance brought 20,000 armed troops, to take out the Boxers. — Wikepedia

World War I started with the assassination of ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on June 28, 1914. World War II started twenty-five years later. The Korean War started on June 25th, 1950 and the 60th Anniversary of that war will occur on Friday of this week.

Korea was followed by other conflicts around the globe. For the US, there was the intervention in the Dominican Republic in 1965 and the gradual buildup in Southeast Asia. History documents the War in Southeast Asia covers the period from 1955 with the French through 1975 with the fall of Saigon.

The next military operation was the invasion of Grenada in 1983 follow by the invasion of Panama at the end of that decade in 1989. Panama was quickly followed by Gulf War I with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

The point of all this is that there were few periods in the last 100 years when the United States was not in some military activity. Even the period between WW1 and WW2 was not totally peaceful. The US Marines were involved in suppressing “bandits” in Nicaragua in the 1920s.

The United States military faced armed opponents in every decade of the 20th Century. And, looking at the beginning of the 21st Century, that trend appears to be continuing.

As I stated above, the 60th Anniversary will occur this coming Friday, June 25, 2010. It is prudent to remember that conflict is NOT over. We have been in a period of armistice since the cease-fire in1953. Recent actions by North Korea, such as the torpedoing of the South Korean Patrol Boat Cheonan by the North Koreans indicates that conflict may resume. The South Korean Navy has retrieved fragments of a older Soviet designed torpedo that sank the ship. Those torpedoes are only used by North Korea.

As a blatant warning to the North, South Korea with the US, will conduct a reenactment commemorating the 60th anniversary this coming Friday.

South Korea brings out big guns for battle re-enactment

Seoul – The Korean War is now referred to as the ‘The Forgotten War’ 60 years after it began, but some South Koreans are hoping to change that as they prepare to re-enact one of its early battles this week.

As the country commemorates the 60th anniversary of the June 25, 1950, start of the war, which ravaged the Korean Peninsula, the government, military and civilians are working together to re-enact the conflict’s first naval engagement in the port city of Pusan, about 450 kilometres south-east of Seoul.

‘This is the very first victory that South Korea achieved in the war, so we want to shed light on what happened in the past,’ said Park June Su, head of public affairs at the Pusan office of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

Called the Korea Strait victory celebration, the event commemorates South Korea’s sinking of an armed North Korean steamer carrying 600 Korean People’s Army troops about 29 kilometers off Pusan’s coast, Park said.

But Korea is not the only hotspot. Israel has intercepted smugglers attempting to breach the quarantine of Gaza. Hezbollah has been attempting to bring in additional arms and rockets to the militants controlling Gaza in the guise of humanitarian aid. The initial incident used Turkish ships. The militants hoped that using ships from a NATO member would cause Israel to allow them to proceed.

That didn’t happen. Of the six ships, five allowed peaceful boarding and inspection. The sixth, however, attacked the Israelis. That ship was the one containing contraband. Ten of the militants were killed when they attacked the Israeli boarding party.

Anger over Ship from Turkey which carried contraband

It appears the International humanitarian aid ship stopped by the Israeli Navy had contraband used to build rockets and harden bunkers.

The Islamic militants used this event as propaganda fuel. Iran was the hidden sponsor and revealed itself by proclaiming they were provide a military escort for the next smuggling attempt. A futile boast since Iran has almost no Navy and of those, most of the vessels are made up of coastal patrol boats.

However, Iran’s boasting is not being taken likely. Drudge contained this headline over the weekend printed in red.

US, Israel Warships in Suez May Be Prelude to Faceoff with Iran

Tammuz 8, 5770, 20 June 10 06:08

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

(Israelnationalnews.com) Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza. Egypt closed the canal to protect the ships with thousands of soldiers, according to the British-based Arabic language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.

One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area.

International agreements require Egypt to keep the Suez open even for warships, but the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.

Despite Egypt’s reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza.

The warships may exercise the right to inspect the Iranian boat for the illegal transport or weapons. Newsweek reported that Egyptian authorities could stop the ship for weeks, using technicalities such as requiring that any official documents be translated from Farsi into Arabic.

The magazine’s website also reported that the Iranian navy is the weakest part of its armed forces. Tehran has already backed down from announced intentions to escort the Iranian ships with “volunteer marines” from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

The Iranian news site Hamsayeh.net reported, “The move might be in connection to U.S. self-inflicted embargo against Iran aimed at inspecting Iran bound ships for suspected goods related to the country’s nuclear program.”

Another battle on the high seas may involve one, and possibly two, Lebanese vessels that are aimed at challenging Israel’s sovereignty over the Gaza coastal waters. Hizbullah, gearing up for a reaction to a possible clash between the Israeli Navy (pictured) and the Lebanese boats, has deployed rocket units near Lebanese ports, according to unofficial military sources.

Israel has warned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Israel will use force, if necessary, to stop the boats, one of which is carrying approximately 70 women passengers and crew organized by Hizbullah supporter Samar al-Hajj. Her husband is one of several jailed suspects involved in the assassination of former Lebanese anti-Syrian Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hizbullah has denied it is connected with the Lebanese flotilla, but it has been reported that Al Hajj met with Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah last month.

I’m not sure what constitutes an “armada.” Eleven ships is about the size of a Carrier Battle Group. It’s obviously a show of force. Whether Iran and Hezbollah heed the warning is another issue. Past actions have shown that militant Islamics are not sane using the definition of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different result.

Iran thinks that developing nuclear weapons will make them the leader of the Islamic world. More likely, if Iran uses or threatens to use those weapons, Iran will become a radioactive wasteland along with other locales in the mid-east.

It’s not hard to foresee the coming conflict with Israel remembering the holocaust of WW2 and the Islamics who think they are impervious. Whatever happens, we will be dragged into the conflict whether we wish it or not.

Coming Conflicts

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If you read history, you’ll discover that national and international conflicts appear to be cyclic. Take a look at the 20th Century. The Spanish-American War ended just before the start of the 20th Century. The Boxer Rebellion in China climaxed in June, 1900.

In June 1900 Boxer fighters, lightly armed or unarmed, gathered in Beijing to besiege the foreign embassies. On 21 June the conservative faction of the Imperial Court induced the Empress Dowager Cixi, who ruled in the emperor’s name, to declare war on the foreign powers that had diplomatic representation in Beijing. Diplomats, foreign civilians, soldiers and some Chinese Christians retreated to the Legation Quarter where they stayed for 55 days until the Eight-Nation Alliance brought 20,000 armed troops, to take out the Boxers. — Wikepedia

World War I started with the assassination of ArchDuke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on June 28, 1914. World War II started twenty-five years later. The Korean War started on June 25th, 1950 and the 60th Anniversary of that war will occur on Friday of this week.

Korea was followed by other conflicts around the globe. For the US, there was the intervention in the Dominican Republic in 1965 and the gradual buildup in Southeast Asia. History documents the War in Southeast Asia covers the period from 1955 with the French through 1975 with the fall of Saigon.

The next military operation was the invasion of Grenada in 1983 follow by the invasion of Panama at the end of that decade in 1989. Panama was quickly followed by Gulf War I with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

The point of all this is that there were few periods in the last 100 years when the United States was not in some military activity. Even the period between WW1 and WW2 was not totally peaceful. The US Marines were involved in suppressing “bandits” in Nicaragua in the 1920s.

The United States military faced armed opponents in every decade of the 20th Century. And, looking at the beginning of the 21st Century, that trend appears to be continuing.

As I stated above, the 60th Anniversary will occur this coming Friday, June 25, 2010. It is prudent to remember that conflict is NOT over. We have been in a period of armistice since the cease-fire in1953. Recent actions by North Korea, such as the torpedoing of the South Korean Patrol Boat Cheonan by the North Koreans indicates that conflict may resume. The South Korean Navy has retrieved fragments of a older Soviet designed torpedo that sank the ship. Those torpedoes are only used by North Korea.

As a blatant warning to the North, South Korea with the US, will conduct a reenactment commemorating the 60th anniversary this coming Friday.

South Korea brings out big guns for battle re-enactment

Seoul – The Korean War is now referred to as the ‘The Forgotten War’ 60 years after it began, but some South Koreans are hoping to change that as they prepare to re-enact one of its early battles this week.

As the country commemorates the 60th anniversary of the June 25, 1950, start of the war, which ravaged the Korean Peninsula, the government, military and civilians are working together to re-enact the conflict’s first naval engagement in the port city of Pusan, about 450 kilometres south-east of Seoul.

‘This is the very first victory that South Korea achieved in the war, so we want to shed light on what happened in the past,’ said Park June Su, head of public affairs at the Pusan office of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

Called the Korea Strait victory celebration, the event commemorates South Korea’s sinking of an armed North Korean steamer carrying 600 Korean People’s Army troops about 29 kilometers off Pusan’s coast, Park said.

But Korea is not the only hotspot. Israel has intercepted smugglers attempting to breach the quarantine of Gaza. Hezbollah has been attempting to bring in additional arms and rockets to the militants controlling Gaza in the guise of humanitarian aid. The initial incident used Turkish ships. The militants hoped that using ships from a NATO member would cause Israel to allow them to proceed.

That didn’t happen. Of the six ships, five allowed peaceful boarding and inspection. The sixth, however, attacked the Israelis. That ship was the one containing contraband. Ten of the militants were killed when they attacked the Israeli boarding party.

Anger over Ship from Turkey which carried contraband

It appears the International humanitarian aid ship stopped by the Israeli Navy had contraband used to build rockets and harden bunkers.

The Islamic militants used this event as propaganda fuel. Iran was the hidden sponsor and revealed itself by proclaiming they were provide a military escort for the next smuggling attempt. A futile boast since Iran has almost no Navy and of those, most of the vessels are made up of coastal patrol boats.

However, Iran’s boasting is not being taken likely. Drudge contained this headline over the weekend printed in red.

US, Israel Warships in Suez May Be Prelude to Faceoff with Iran

Tammuz 8, 5770, 20 June 10 06:08

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

(Israelnationalnews.com) Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza. Egypt closed the canal to protect the ships with thousands of soldiers, according to the British-based Arabic language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.

One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area.

International agreements require Egypt to keep the Suez open even for warships, but the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.

Despite Egypt’s reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza.

The warships may exercise the right to inspect the Iranian boat for the illegal transport or weapons. Newsweek reported that Egyptian authorities could stop the ship for weeks, using technicalities such as requiring that any official documents be translated from Farsi into Arabic.

The magazine’s website also reported that the Iranian navy is the weakest part of its armed forces. Tehran has already backed down from announced intentions to escort the Iranian ships with “volunteer marines” from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

The Iranian news site Hamsayeh.net reported, “The move might be in connection to U.S. self-inflicted embargo against Iran aimed at inspecting Iran bound ships for suspected goods related to the country’s nuclear program.”

Another battle on the high seas may involve one, and possibly two, Lebanese vessels that are aimed at challenging Israel’s sovereignty over the Gaza coastal waters. Hizbullah, gearing up for a reaction to a possible clash between the Israeli Navy (pictured) and the Lebanese boats, has deployed rocket units near Lebanese ports, according to unofficial military sources.

Israel has warned U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that Israel will use force, if necessary, to stop the boats, one of which is carrying approximately 70 women passengers and crew organized by Hizbullah supporter Samar al-Hajj. Her husband is one of several jailed suspects involved in the assassination of former Lebanese anti-Syrian Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hizbullah has denied it is connected with the Lebanese flotilla, but it has been reported that Al Hajj met with Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah last month.

I’m not sure what constitutes an “armada.” Eleven ships is about the size of a Carrier Battle Group. It’s obviously a show of force. Whether Iran and Hezbollah heed the warning is another issue. Past actions have shown that militant Islamics are not sane using the definition of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different result.

Iran thinks that developing nuclear weapons will make them the leader of the Islamic world. More likely, if Iran uses or threatens to use those weapons, Iran will become a radioactive wasteland along with other locales in the mid-east.

It’s not hard to foresee the coming conflict with Israel remembering the holocaust of WW2 and the Islamics who think they are impervious. Whatever happens, we will be dragged into the conflict whether we wish it or not.

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