WAR IN TRANSCAUCASIA, AND MORE

The following EXCELLENT, superb digest is the focal point of this blog. Study it carefully. "Possible War in Transcaucasia and Central Asia,"www.regnum.ru/english/1014455.html Thanks, Regnum. Meanwhile, in the US, the "N" word came up, again,this time, from an unlikely source. In a live, press conference with 4 US House of Rep Democrats responding to Bush's proposed offshore oil drilling, in the followup question and answer period, House Representative Maurice Hinchey from NY responded to a reporter by suggesting nationalization of US oil refineries! Now, before everyone jumps up and down, gets excited and brings out the champagne to celebrate, it should be realized these are not official Democratic Party policy pronouncements. These were offhand, off the cuff remarks to questions in a live press conference. Second, this is an election year, so, more likely than not, it is part of partisan posturing, i.e, rhetoric. Third, refineries are the least profitable part of the oil business and companies do not like to invest in them. Consequently, they MIGHT be more than happy to have the government help finance refineries. And, last but most important, nothing was said about nationalizing the oil industry, itself, which is THE profitable part, nor its distribution system. NONETHELESS, IN PRINCIPLE, nationalization, anywhere, is a step forward and should be supported. Extending it further is what is necessary. The fact that the word came up at all is meaningful. If you want to hear this section of the press conference, again, go to the c-span website, look for the heading/box towards the bottom of their homepage, "Recent Programs," scroll down it until you see "House Democrats Respond to President Bush on Offshore Drilling," dated June 18, 2008, and around minute 22, approximately, you will hear Maurice Hinchey reply on this subject. http://www.c-span.org/ In direct contradiction to the "N" word uttered spontaneously by a few lowly House Democrats, above, former Secy of State under Clinton, Madeline Albright, now amongst a long laundry list of previous Clinton advisers to Democratic Presidential Candidate Obama, and Albright's partner, Hernando DeSoto have concocted the following proposal and commission for the UN, "The Commission on Legal Empowerment of Poor" expanding and elaborating on PRIVATE, personal property rights for the poor! www.undp.org/legalempowerment I would hardly know where to begin commenting on this macabre oxymoron. I will simply let the absurdity speak for itself and leave others to ponder and dissect it. One irresistible personal comment, however. I once heard Mr. DeSoto testify before Congress on similar subjects. This was a few years back. It was quite amusing. His testimony was comparable to what I would call basic "Marxism 101" in terms of enlightening the obviously ignorant Congressional members about the most fundamental, simplistic concepts elaborated by Marx, something one would think everybody knows. DeSoto did a good job, except, he never once mentioned from whence these concepts originated. I guess Congress thought it sprung out of DeSoto's mind, wholecloth. Anyway, returning to the subject matter at hand. People may recall from previous blogs I did I linked to the newly minted Morgan Stanley Persia Fund, and, of course, Iran's privatization, and, further, I pitted the interests and influence of Morgan Stanley and THEIR international friends and associates against Ahmadimidget and his millionaire Iranian Mullahs and their sectarian militias regarding Iran's regional direction, influence, overall congruency, bankrupt sectarian policies and regime change. Well, alittle note on the well-placed, well-connected ever ubiquitous, overlapping, interlocking Morgan Stanley, and, I might add, Citigroup, directorates, "Morgan Stanley Expands Asset Management Presence in Middle East," www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20080618094436/lok094400080618 Of course, Morgan Stanley is hardly alone. But, they are integral, at the nexus. And the irrepressible, indomitable resistance against Turkey's "Islamic," privatizing, AKP continues to escalate its opposition, one of the major factors necessitating a revised regional policy by the US, alluded to by the Regnum piece, above. The fortunes of Turkey's "Islamic," privatizing, AKP, in turn, associated with Iran's "Islamic" regime. A little reminder on that point, www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=107578 To paraphrase the song, "The hip bone is connected to the thigh bone..." And, they all come tumbling down.