Let's Talk About Bahrain

[evildamsel.livejournal.com]

I admit I have limited time with which to pay attention to the news, as I work a lot of hours, but I do try to listen to NPR and catch the news online as much as I can.

When the Middle East went aflame, it seemed to me that all the countries were getting more or less equal coverage. Then things in Libya got really nasty and then disasters struck Japan and suddenly it seems like what's been happening in Bahrain isn't really in the news anymore.

Meanwhile the Saudis are stomping over Bahrain like it's native territory.

I heard an interview on NPR this week with a doctor at, I believe, Salmaniya hospital, which Saudi troops and Bahrain police were (and probably still are - I can't find any updates past March 17!) holding hostage. No one was allowed in or out. And no food was permitted to through.

A wounded person was denied entry and died as a result.

The doctor was living on biscuits and tea because food was running out even then.

So we're doing air strikes in Libya, sending aid to Japan. What are we doing to help Bahrain except waving a pointed finger at the Saudis?

And I know, I know, Saudis got the oil and we can't piss off the oil and the incident with Japan's reactors has probably taken nuclear development in the US back by like another fifty years (frakking nuclear hysteria!) but even if we support the legitimacy of Bahrain's government, that doesn't mean that we can support starving sick people in hospitals.

I'm not entirely sure actually what the proper course of action is. I don't know that we can afford to threaten the Saudis with cutting off trade relations or anything like that. Not without hastily constructing about a hundred nuclear reactors on US soil and cutting our oil dependence sharply (which I'm honestly all for, cause say what you will, but all that oil will eventually run out since we can't go back in time and make more dinosaur carcasses).

But let's not forget that the Bahrain government is not an innocent party here either. There was a point where this could have been brought to the table before people died. And instead, they sent in the police.

So I guess what I'm stumbling towards is I think that something should be done but I'm not sure what. Thoughts? (And if I got any facts wrong, please enlighten me.)

High speed rail comes to California

[telemann.livejournal.com]

California's high speed rail will start with a spur between Bakersfield and Fresno. The spur has earned some giggles from conservatives, considering how relatively small those two cities are. But this is the start of a high speed rail line that will eventually extend from San Francisco to San Diego. Federal money from the stimulus bill passed in 2010 has jump-started the project, with additional monies from Wisconsin and Ohio (the Republican governors of those states did not accept the Federal grants).


( Map and Very Cool Video! CLICKY here! )

The construction will create 150,000 jobs in California, and some estimates have projected nearly 650,000 permanent jobs will be created along the rail corridor. The project will help reduce overtaxed roads in California, and will remove more than one million vehicles from the state's roads and freeways; and it will also lessen California's dependence on foreign oil by up to 12.7 million barrels per year. Estimates vary from 22 million to up to 96 million riders per year). The final cost of the entire project varies by source, but some estimates have been as high as 81 billion dollars. It's estimated as spurs are completed, profits from those lines would help finance construction costs, making it somewhat cost effective. I think the entire project is a great one, and sure it's going to be very expensive, but then-- most big projects are. The United States has been falling significantly behind on infrastructure investments for some time, we need to do something about it!

Graham says now is time to oust Gaddafi

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

Branding Moammar Gaddafi “an international crook,” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said today that now is America’s best chance to get rid of the Libyan dictator and criticized President Barack Obama for not seizing the opportunity sooner and more forcefully.

“He [Obama] needs to relish leading the free world,” Graham said. “Now it’s almost like leading the free world is an inconvenience.”

While Obama said the goal of military force in Libra is to protect civilians, Graham said the president should also take advantage of his best chance to knock Gaddafi out of power.

“Isolate, strangle and replace this man,” Graham said. “That should be our goal.”

source:
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110320/NEWS03/110320004/Graham-says-now-is-time-to-oust-Gaddafi-
---

At least Lindsey Graham offers a more honest condemnation of Obama's stated objectives in Libya than Gingrich's "Final Four Picks". Graham would like to see a full-fledged invasion of Tripoli to hang Gaddafi's corpse from the nearest tree - contrary to what the UN vote agreed upon. It's more of the "I've got a bigger d*ck than them Europeeans, and I'm ready to wave it" mentality. As usual, it would be with risking the lives of American soldiers - not his own hide. Given the opportunity, Graham would turn "Operation Odyssey Dawn" into "Operation Bottomless Abyss".

This operation has been a success thus far; I hope it continues with NO coalition troops on the ground. Let the Libyans finish it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2HLKemsOP4