Quote of the Day

"The investigation is… too late, and will actually tell us what we already know: CW was used."

Susan Rice, National Security Advisor, dismissing the need for a United Nations investigation on if chemical weapons were used in Syria.

I have no doubt that President Bashar al-Assad is capable of using chemical weapons on his own people. After the Iraq war, we don't need another National Security Advisor making claims on weapons without first making a strong case to the American people and the international community. Rice isn't doing much to assure Americans that the case for war against Syria will be transparent.

Patrick Stewart Wants Violence Against Women to End

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart spoke at the Diplomatic Ballroom at the United Nations. Stewart wants one million men to promise to end violence against women.

"Every nine seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten in the United States," Stewart said.

Stewart drove the point home by counting to nine. Stewart knows firsthand about assault on women. At the age of 6, Stewart witnessed his father assaulting his mother.

"I became an expert on when to open the door and throw myself between my father's fist and my mother's body," Stewart said.

He said his father "was unable to control his emotions—and his hands."

"My mother did not do anything to provoke my father," Stewart said. "But even if she did, violence is not the answer."

Stewart is asking men to pledge to not commit violence against women. I hereby vow not to commit acts of violence against women.

If you are a woman in Tampa experiencing domestic violence, you can seek help at the Spring.

Pakistan United Nations Building Attacked

Terroists are pushing to deteriorate stability in Pakistan. The Pakistani military have launched a brutal counter insurgency operation against the Taliban. Terrorist retaliation attacks have gotten more fierce. suicide bomber struck the United Nations food agency.

The United Nations announced it was temporarily closing all its offices in Pakistan after the noontime bombing, which blew out windows and left victims lying in pools of blood in the lobby of the three-story World Food Program compound.

"This is a heinous crime committed against those who have been working tirelessly to assist the poor and vulnerable on the front lines of hunger and other human suffering in Pakistan," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in Geneva.

Since the counter-insurgency, the New York Times report scivilian casualities have decreased in Pakistan. The Taliban was killing civilians at will in the Swat Valley. Pressure needs to be kept on the Taliban and al-Qaeda elements in Pakistan. al-Qaeda operations chief Ilyas Kashmiri and hundreds of fighters have been killed by drone attacks. The decision on the Afghanistan policy will greatly decide the ability , of the United States, to strike terrorists in Pakistan.

Obama's Climate Change Speech at United Nations

Obama doesn't specifically outline policy in his United Nations speech. Obama states he will work with G20 nations to limit greenhouse emissions. Obama mentions the cap and trade bill that is moving at a snail's pace in the Senate. A better alternative to cap and trade is greater regulation on companies that cause excessive greenhouse emissions. The current cap and trade bill will not cut greenhouse gases enough.

Economist Martin Feldstein explains it would be cheaper for corporations to buy permits than to switch over the greener technology. Corporations that go over approved CO2 levels would pass on the cost to cumsumers. Current power generators create CO2 at record levels. Harsher laws, fines and regulation are needed to make corporations greener. The pro-business Obama is unlikely to back such a bill. The Waxman/Markey bill American Clean Energy and Security Act will hurt consumers and do little to curb CO2 emissions.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen's bill the Cap and Dividend Act of 2009 directly addresses the cost of cap and trade. The bill will require the Treasury Department to create the Healthy Climate Trust Fund. The fund will handle fines and expenses. The program will have a website and the Treasury Secretary must report to Congress on it's progress. There is oversight and a mechanism to handle cap and trade finances. Van Hollen's bill needs to be part of the discussion.

Transcript of Obama's speech.

Honduras Crisis

Litbrit has a lengthy post on the Honduras coup. The current situation in Honduras is of personal interest to Litbrit. She spent time in Tegucigalpa during her youth.

The United States is taking a cautious tone. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern over the removal of President Manuel Zelaya. Clinton would go as far as label the crisis a coup. The first reason is pragmatism. The White House is waiting the see how the situation plays out. The second reason is the Obama administration has tense relations with Zelaya. The Honduran president is a close ally with Hugo Chavez. That doesn't win points with the White House.

Asked whether it was a U.S. priority to see Zelaya reinstalled, Clinton said: "We haven't laid out any demands that we're insisting on, because we're working with others on behalf of our ultimate objectives."

Zelaya has been threatened with arrest, if he returns to the country. Zelaya intends to enter Honduras with U.N. General Assembly and Organization of American States. Attorney General Luis Alberto Rubi has threatened Zelaya with 20 years in prison.


Zelaya placed a referendum, on the ballot, that would ask if the Honduran Congress should rewrite the Constitution to allow the President to serve more than one term. Rubi and the Supreme Court ruled the ballot illegal. Zelaya kept the referendum on the ballot. The military refused to distribute ballots. Zelaya overstepped his autority by going against the Supreme Court. The military and opposition members overstepped by launching a coup. Democracies do not throw out their leaders by gun point.

Residents in Tegucigalpa sensed trouble before Zelaya was ousted.

Some businesses in the capital, Tegucigalpa, closed earlier this week amid the rising tension.

"A lot of people are worried there will be a coup," said Julio Godoy, a 66-year-old retiree who supplements his pension driving a taxi through Tegucigalpa's hilly streets. "You have businesses closing, stores, even banks. That only causes more fear, even after they open again."

Godoy said he would not vote Sunday because he thinks Zelaya only wants to hold on to power. "This is why presidents are only allowed four years," Godoy said.

Supporters of Zelaya have taken to the streets in protest.

Clinton Becomes U.N. Special Envoy

Former President Bill Clinton has been named a United Nations special envoy to Haiti. Clinton has raised $324 million for Haiti rebuilding efforts.

''It is an honor to accept the secretary general's invitation to become special envoy to Haiti,'' former President Clinton said in a statement to The Miami Herald. 'Last year's natural disasters took a great toll, but Haiti's government and people have the determination and ability to `build back better,' not just to repair the damage done but to lay the foundations for the long-term sustainable development that has eluded them for so long.''

An special envoy, Clinton will use the Clinton Global Initiative to coordinate world and business leaders to work together to help Haiti.

The United Nations will officially announce Clinton's appointment tomorrow.

Taliban Cease-Fire In Swat

The Wall Street Journal reports the Taliban agreed to a ten day cease-fire with the Pakistani government. The catch is the government will impose Islamic law in the Swat Valley. This will allow the Taliban to continue to violate the the civil rights of women. 162 girl schools were destroyed by Maulana Fazalullah and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

It is unlikely the Taliban will honor the cease-fire. In 2007, 72 police officers in Swat were murdered. The Taliban are beheading those that oppose them. The Taliban control the majority of Swat and are using the valley as a staging ground for attacks in Afghanistan. President Asif Ali Zardari admits his government has been in a state of denial about the Taliban threat.

“It’s been happening over time and it’s happened out of denial,” Zardari told CBS, when asked how militants had secured a foothold in the Swat Valley, only 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Islamabad.

“Everyone was in denial that they’re weak and they won’t be able to take over, they won’t be able to give us a challenge,” Zardari said, in excerpts from the interview aired on the broadcaster’s Web site yesterday. “Our forces weren’t increased and therefore we have weaknesses, and they are taking advantage of that weakness.”

The cease-fire is another form of denial. The Taliban look at the Pakistani government as pro-America. The Taliban will not tolerate anything they deem as a Western influence.

The humanitarian crisis has grown grave. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates 900,000 Swat residents are affected by the war. Many will be forced to flee their homes. The refugee camps have become unmanageable.

Pakistan is a country with nuclear technology and fighting religious extremists. Relations with India are hostile. Neighboring Afghanistan is unstable. U.S. policymakers need to quickly decide what to do about Pakistan. The matter is too urgent for partisan bickering.