Our Dangerous World . . .

Just a few stories this week from a world grown increasingly terrifying . . .

Liberia has closed its border, quarantined many communities, and has seen even top experts stricken with the dreaded Ebola virus.  Sick officials made it onto international flights despite stringent precautions by the Liberian government.  West Africa has seen the most serious outbreak of the extremely contagious disease yet.  No end in sight.

Libya faces its worst violence since 2011, causing several nations to shut down their embassies there. The country's "fragile government and fledgling army" currently struggle to keep control of the capital's international airport.

War continues in Gaza.  Secretary of State John Kerry continues to undermine the cease fire agreement supported by Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority in an effort to kowtow to Hamas extremists.

Boko Haram crossed the Nigerian border, raiding Cameroon.  The terror group best known for kidnapping hundreds of young girls seized the wife of Cameroon's vice prime minister.  Cameroon has suffered three attacks from the terrorist group.

European Jews, particularly in France, are fearful of a continent wide spike in active anti-Semitism.  Could this produce an exodus from Europe to Israel and the United States?  An ambassador appointed by Hungary to represent that nation in Italy resigned after criticism of his "raging" anti-Semitism.

US intelligence officials released images that seem to show Russian artillery firing into Ukraine in support of separatists there.  This threatens to escalate the conflict into a full scale war between two of the European continent's largest nations. With Ukraine the home of some of Europe's most productive farmland, a full scale war could disrupt food supplies for millions.

While the female mutilation edict attributed to ISIS may be fake, Christians have fled areas under its control by the thousands. Islamicist officials have imposed prejudicial sanctions on Christians which have not existed in Iraq in generations.  Islamic State officials also ordered the destruction of the tombs of Jonah and Daniel, figures holy to the Jewish, Christian, and other faiths.

Meanwhile China, which has threatened the neighboring countries of Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines in recent years, has accelerated its naval program. Iran also continues its quest for more effective weapons capable of hitting Europe and North America.

Unleashing the Dogs of War . . . Or At Least A Limited Strike

The worst kept secret on the planet right now is that the United States, and perhaps other allies as well, will launch some sort of attack on Syria in the near future.

Last summer, Obama declared that one of his "red lines" was the use of weapons of mass destruction.  Last week, someone in the Assad "administration" apparently used them to kill, among others, many hundreds of civilians.

US intelligence sources cite a strange intercepted phone call within the Syrian government camp as proof.  A Syrian defense official demanded an explanation for why chemical weapons were launched.  If one was forthcoming, the rationale has not yet been released.

This raises questions about the Syrian government.  Was the attack the work of a rogue officer?  Was it a direct order from the highest levels of government?  Is the Syrian government even a cohesive unit anymore?
In any event, Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron seem to agree that a response must occur.

Cameron plans to consult with Parliament.  At this time, however, Obama seems to have no plans to request authorization from Congress.  Although some congressional Republicans have offered muted support, Senator Rand Paul (Ky.) claimed that Syrian events had "no clear national security connection" to the United States.  Paul did not rule out action, but asked that Obama consult with Congress meaningfully before acting.

In this case, rushing to action within a few days does not seem absolutely necessary.  The repulsiveness of the attack is not likely to wear out.  Indeed the United Nations investigators will undoubtedly either uncover more evidence and details that maintain world disgust, or Syrian officials will block them entirely.  The UN has requested four days, which does not seem unreasonable.  President George W. Bush gave them much longer before launching war against Iraq.

Syria presents US policy makers considerable trouble.  The rebel targets of government chemical weapons have shown themselves no less murderous than Assad's thugs.  Islamicist rebels have slaughtered Roman Catholic clergy among many other innocents during their own reign of terror.

President Bush had some "good guys" to work with when he overturned Saddam Hussein's thugocracy.  Syria seems to have few or no credible leaders who could make a peaceful republic work.

This limits Obama's options.  Any Iraq style invasion would require a much more powerful force prepared to stay in place for much longer.  Nation building would by necessity look more like colonization.

Any boots on the ground would likely end badly for the United States.  In the mid 1980s, President Reagan deployed Marines to serve as part of a peacekeeping unit to try and bring stability to Lebanon.  Terrorists killed over 200.  After a few good-bye blasts from the USS New Jersey, American forces skedaddled.

The various Lebanese factions had no desire to play nice just because American and European soldiers showed up.  They continued killing each other and blowing up heaps of rubble until they exhausted their will to fight.  Lebanon has remained relatively peaceable ever since.

So ground based combat forces will not work.

That leaves air strikes and/or covert operations.  The CIA does need to infiltrate Syria.  To make reasonable decisions, American leaders need to have knowledge of what is going on and who makes it happen.  It needs to monitor individuals and groups as they refine terror techniques.  Covert teams can also find locations of important sites in case stronger military action is required.

Air strikes would have to be very precise and specific.  Former Representative and anti-war crusader Dennis Kucinich noted that air strikes by American planes would make them Al Qaeda's air force.  Indiscriminate targeting of Syrian government military forces would help clear the road for an even worse regime.  Conversely, firing a couple of Tomahawk missiles in the general direction of Assad makes American power look downright petty and even silly.

Take the time to identify chemical weapons facilities.  Only target them.  Use weapons capable of doing the job, like daisy cutters.  Cruise missiles may not deliver enough punch.  This will achieve a limited goal and curb WMD attacks in the future without overly involving the US or using military action as a public relations stunt.

Obama must also prepare to stand by Israel.  Attacks on Syria may provoke a response against Israel.  Specific tactical actions may be necessary against any force deployed to strike Israel.  On the other hand, it is difficult to see how effectively Syria could strike Israel while struggling in its own civil war.

Obama must make wise decisions here, stick by them, and articulate explanations.  He must have the specific goal of curbing WMD usage while rebuilding respect for American power.  If he covers his bases with Congress and the United Nations, this could help reconstruct respect for US foreign policy that has fallen greatly since Bush left office.

Many unmarked cliffs and chasms loom in the road ahead.  Obama will have to tread carefully as he acts.

Obama's Neville Chamberlain Moment

Supporters of Barack Obama cannot be enjoying the two-step they have to perform to stay with their guy.

Not that long ago, their champion soared in the polls (well, maybe not soared) after the killing of Bin Laden. Most Americans cheered the kill and gave the president at least partial credit for the decision to kill and not capture. Now, Obama wants our most important Middle East ally to hand over their fortified frontiers to an enemy that has vowed to destroy them.

In some ways, this looks like the Munich Conference of 1938. Neville Chamberlain eagerly signed over to Hitler the fortified boundary lines between Czechoslovakia and Germany. He called the policy appeasement and promised that it brought "peace in our time." All it brought was an accelerated timetable to start World War II because Europe's biggest terrorist sensed weakness in the Western Democracies.

Many Palestinians want peace, but much of their leadership remains bent upon the destruction of Israel. At least Chamberlain had the excuse of believing (falsely as it turns out) that Hitler had superior strength and would have declared war to get what he wanted. Obama has nothing to fear from Palestinian rock throwers, but he might sense that the Moslem vote will put him over the top in Michigan and that Jewish voters will overlook his abandonment of them.

This is a pattern though. Obama dislikes our allies and embraces our enemies, even if they are terrorists or dictators. It is amazing that he made such a major foreign policy speech without any consultation with Israel. It simply shows that our nation, yet again, has no direction or cohesion in foreign policy. And that Obama is bound and determined to leave us friendless when he exits office in 2013.

While Obama Is Obsessed With Jews Building Houses in Israel, Iran Is Ready to Build a Bomb

The CIA, according to the Washington Times, has concluded that Iran is now fully capable of building a nuclear device.

It expanded uranium production last year and had to fight through numerous problems with faulty centrifuges, but is now ready to construct a weapon.

What does this mean for moderate Moslem states now confronted with Islamic revolutionaries armed with even more weapons of mass destruction? What does it mean for Iraq's fledgling democracy? What does it mean for US and other western nations' influence? Only time will tell.

Iran joining the nuclear club is one of the worst setbacks for Western Middle East policy in decades, perhaps since the fall of the Shah. It does prove that apologies and attempts at understanding resonate little with regimes such as Iran.

Israel now has serious problems. Obama is a disaster to them. He is liked by less than 10% of their country and seems prepared to bargain away their control of East Jerusalem to appease terrorists. However, only they have the will to act against Iran at this point.

Iran is not a rationalist state, but it has a will to power and nuclear capability. They also have weapons that can reach Western Europe. NATO should be prepared to act, but may have to wait until a post Obama America is ready to step up to the challenge.

White House Wrong to Slam Israel

Last week Israel announced that 1,600 new housing units would be constructed for Jewish residents in Arab dominated East Jerusalem. Obama and Biden claimed that this derailed the fragile peace process.

What peace process? When has there been one, apart from Obama apologizing on behalf of Western Civilization for all the wrongs it has ever committed, some real, mostly imagined.

Criticizing Israel's decision to construct the units reflects something basic and wrongheaded about Obama's approach. He seems to see East Jerusalem as negotiable. Israel made a strong and necessary concession to peace when they agreed in principle to allow the Palestinians to control Gaza and the West Bank. Those people have the basis to create not just a state, but a prosperous territory based upon the Christian tourist trade, if they would ever just act right and abandon their claims to the rest of Israel. Palestinian leaders refuse to give up the concept of "right of return." This is the idea that they should be allowed to migrate back to homes in Israel, homes they were forced out of three generations ago. If allowed to return, they would soon outnumber Jews and be able to vote the state out of existence.

Obama is unrealistic to think that East Jerusalem will ever return to Arab rule. Jewish people see Jerusalem as their historic capital, as the City of David. Despite that king's personal foibles, he is seen as their greatest king and an important symbol. Israel will never give up any part of Jerusalem unless you pry it from their cold, dead hands.

Again the world sees Obama out of his element. Foreign policy matters overwhelm this administration because they fail to understand what makes diplomacy work. Also, most other countries do not believe that their policies are the root of international violence. It's tough to convince them to take a submissive and apologetic stance as Obama has done for the United States.

He needs to stop trying to organize the world's community and deal with realities.

Gary Howell to guest on Joe Danger's Show (to be reschudeled)

Gary Howell will be a guest on Joe Danger's, Talk of the Town on WDNE to be rescheduled. The topic will be Israel, the United States and Iran's nuclear program.

Words Fail Us

Words failed us.

Not four months after Obama took office, his diplomacy of apologies starts to bear fruit. He and his secretary of state felt compelled to apologize for the United States so bluntly and brutally enforcing international law and ruffling the feathers of Europeans that traded with murderous monsters such as Saddam Hussein.

Now Iran has weapons grade materials. North Korea has exploded nuclear devices and launched more test missiles.

These developments drastically increase the chance that terrorists will get a device to explode in Tel Aviv, Madrid, or New York City. They also heighten the possibility that Iran or North Korea will try to bully their neighbors or even launch against the United States.

Obama will talk and try to get at the real problem through negotiation. I remember that Bush talked too. Then he acted. Bush's actions convinced Libya to abandon their nuclear program and join the community of peaceful nations. We didn't even threaten them. Bush leaves office and now the kiddies can come out and play with reckless abandon. Of course also on Obama's watch a known nuclear power is falling dangerously close to collapsing in the face of the Taliban.

The issue is bigger than just nukes. If Pakistan goes Taliban, India will be frightened and may take action. We can rest assured that Israel will act against Iran. North Korean belligerence scares Japan. If Japan rearms that provokes China, which could cause a chain reaction of fear and arming throughout Asia. American power and firm resolve have kept a lid on all of this for some time. Now that we have a president who does not even have the resolve to fill the jobs in the Executive Branch, the world is in a little more peril.

Pirates Take on Capitalism and Lose While Democrats Admit That Cap and Trade Is Really a Substantial New Tax

Pirates attempted to attack an Italian cruise liner named Melody and came away singing some sour notes.

Far be it for BBC or other news networks to report this, but the attack was thwarted by an Israeli security team hired to protect the liner and passengers. It shows that what is actually a low grade threat perpetrated by low rent thugs can be handled in a sophisticated and effective manner by trained private sector professionals.

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Meanwhile even Democrats from states with manufacturing and mining interests continue to criticize the Obama Administration's continued push towards cap and trade regulations. They could not get it past Congress, so they had the EPA declare that climate change was a threat to the nation so the executive branch could enact it anyway.

Congress must step up to prevent the administration from rendering them powerless on an issue that will damage the economy and destroy jobs. Especially as global warming advocates have been disappearing fairly quickly as of late.

Representative John Dingell, Democrat from Michigan, fired away at Obama's enviromunists by saying "Nobody in this country realizes that cap and trade is a tax - and it's a great big one."

Where will our congressmen and women stand on this? We know that Capito and Byrd have stood up for their West Virginia constituents on this issue. How about the rest of them?

The Greatest Nation In History

Presidents come and go. Economic prosperity rises and fades. Our nation fights and wins wars. And it remains.

How many of you right now understand that you live in the greatest nation in the history of mankind? There is more opportunity for more people here and now than ever before, anywhere. All you have to do is . . . work.

Being a Judeo-Christian nation, we should understand that. We are spiritually descended from the Israelites, the name of whose country meant "struggle with God." Each human being must struggle with something because it is the essence of existence. Good living means facing and overcoming struggles. Only through overcoming adversity can people really achieve happiness and confidence.

The Founding Fathers understood this as well. We have the right to pursue property, as George Mason explained. We do not have the right to a share, as Vladimir Lenin taught. Only through learning the values of hard work has this nation succeeded.

I have seen in my own experience this at work. I had parents who started in the housing projects of Charleston and ended up executives. They worked hard, made sound decisions, and sacrificed to get to where they are. It was a little over a decade ago when my family all had to sleep in the same room because the old house we rented had no insulation and only one heated area. Others have risen as well. Look at Henry Louis Gates who started off life poor in Piedmont and is now one of the most prestigious scholars in his field. None of these people have had to fear that the fruits of their sacrifices, hard work, and risk will ever be stolen from them by a government more interested in sharing wealth than protecting property.

That is America at work. Each person, no matter where they start, can pursue their opportunities and dreams. And hard work combined with sound decisions pays off.

Rome could not offer that. Neither could Communist Russia. Only in America. And we can always be proud of that!