News Roundup for September 5, 2014

Happy Friday. It's a great (Amazon humidity level) day in South Carolina.

In looking around the internet, I see that George Will has an interesting piece on why Putin and his ambitions to expand Russia are a greater problem than ISIS. 

In other news: This is why we should have the death penalty. I can't even tell you how much this upsets me.

To end on a lighter note, we here in South Carolina officially have the best State flag.

Y'all be good out there.

Hey guys? I think Russia and Ukraine are at war.

I was going to try and make a joke, but there's not really anything funny about this.

Ukraine said its artillery partly destroyed a Russian armoured column that entered its territory overnight and said its forces came under shellfire from Russia on Friday in what appeared to be a major military escalation between the ex-Soviet states.

Yeah...armored columns going "poof" tend to indicate something more than a minor disagreement. I wonder what Fred Thompson's character in The Hunt for Red October would say about this.

Commercial Airliner Shot Down In Ukraine

BREAKING: Adviser to Ukraine's Interior Minister says passenger plane carrying 295 shot down.
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 17, 2014

Not good. It sounds like people are pointing fingers at Ukrainian separatists (the pro-Russian folks) within Ukraine. However, there's going to be some finger-pointing for a little while.

However, I expect Putin to come out and say that he's now compelled to go into Ukraine and stop all of this, since Kiev clearly cannot control their own people.

I just hope there wasn't an Austrian Archduke on that airplane.

“So far, Russia has failed to take any of the steps that I have mentioned. In fact, Russia’s support for the separatists and violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty has continued.”

So, President Obama is gonna up the sanctions. Get real tough, so to speak. I guess a few travel restrictions didn't really get their attention, huh? I'm sure that this new sanction will be super-duper, tough.

NEW SANCTION: "The new measures will severely restrict access to American debt markets for the targeted companies."

Ooooooh, snap! We won't loan some Russian companies some money.

That's the kind of tough sanction that's sure to cripple the Russian Bear, because nothing says you're serious like refusing to finance your adversary. Hey, you! Quit beating up on that small kid, or I'll...I'll refuse to loan you money.

Yup. I'm sure that this set of sanctions will work. Seriously, you guys.

Poland Has Lost That Lovin' Feeling

Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski says the country's strong alliance with the U.S. "isn't worth anything" and is "even harmful because it creates a false sense of security."

Didn't the Polish used to be some of our stanchest allies? Apparently, they've lost that lovin' feeling.

I'm pretty sure that President Obama promised to "restore out standing in the world" or something like that. So what's up with getting dissed by the Polish Foreign Minister? I guess stiffing them on the ABM deal and botching the Ukraine thing hasn't helped.

Does this mean the Polish tell jokes about us now? Because that's not acceptable.

Eastern Europe Is Begging for Help

The Eastern European countries are begging for help from the USA.

European officials who want to reduce their dependency on Russian gas also have seized on the situation to mount a major lobbying campaign in Washington for new legislation to ease regulations on American LNG exports. Some of these countries, including Bulgaria, Sweden and the Baltic states, rely on Russia for 100 percent of their gas supplies, and Moscow has shown repeatedly it is willing to crimp supplies for leverage in political disputes.

We have the ability to help Eastern Europe be less dependent on Russia. This is what the USA is good at. We could out produce them, sell Eastern Europe all the fuel they could pay for. It would increase our exports, help our allies, and diminish Russia's influence. Will we do so?

Given the track record of our current President, it seems unlikely we will make this move.

What Are You Prepared to Do About it?

Russia has occupied the Crimea, and it is looking towards the rest of Ukraine. The West hasn't responded yet, and the longer the West waits, the weaker it looks. The weaker it looks, the more likely it is that Russia will take more.

The question to the West is: What are you prepared to do? I'm not sure any of our current leaders are prepared to do much.

My Thoughts on Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

I am not a fan of President Obama, but it gives me no pleasure to see him embarrassed on the international stage. He represents me. He represents the entire country.

Russia has invaded Ukraine. That's a fact. Does Putin give a rip about the speeches given in the West? No. He's going to respond with a version of Stalin's line of "How many divisions do you have"? 

Russian leaders, through time immemorial, respect strength and exploit weakness.

Does this bode well for the American hegemony that has dominated the globe for the last 70 years? No. Does this help the people of Taiwan, Tel Aviv, and Poland sleep better at night? No.

You don't think China is watching? Maduro in Venezuela? Khamenei in Iran? Even if you don't care much about the Crimea, it is much bigger than that. Our President says that he isn't looking at the world like a Cold War chessboard. I would say that this is chess and he's not seeing the whole board.

Deterrence works only on a track record. Every time you don't act, you invite the next, bigger crisis. Sitting idle and grumbling (as you say) is a mistake. It would constitute a signal to Putin that he would welcome. Even if you do not agree that free nations must defend other nations as a moral obligation, it is a practical one. Dictators always expand. This is a strongman claiming to "protect" those in another country with a similar culture. I think I've seen this movie before.

So let's say you don't want to go military, Fine. What could we do? Russia's economy depends on high natural gas prices. Economics works here. Europe should start fracking, and US should increase natural gas exports. Price falls. Also, all of Russia's natural gas pipelines go through Ukraine. Anyone ever seen Lawrence of Arabia? BOOM. Russia has less money for foreign adventures.

Happy Labor Day: News Roundup and Links

As you may have noticed, I've been on vacation the last few days. Here are some headlines from around the weekend:

Lindsey Graham to meet with Obama on Syria. Graham actually wants more of a heavy-handed intervention in Syria, so this should be an interesting meeting. My prediction is the Congressional resolution in the Congress is going to make for some strange bedfellows among the anti-war liberals and the Rand Paul libertarians. This vote is going to be close. Personally, I would vote "no". I still don't know what our compelling interest is.

The UGA Offensive Line Gets Ready for the Gamecocks and Clowney. They better do something different that what they did in Clemson. Georgia didn't look like world-beaters last week. And after all the criticism of being "winded" and "out of shape" you better believe that #7 will be motivated in Athens.

The EU wants to put "speed limiters" on all cars, holding them to 70MPH. Obviously, because Europe's biggest problem right now is cars going too fast. 

Here's some good bowties if you like dressing up for tailgates. And here's a Yeti cooler that's perfect for those of you who struggle to keep your keg of beer cold at your tailgate. Maybe drink the beer more quickly, y'all?

That's all I've got. Enjoy the last day of wearing white shoes, ladies. Tick, tock...

If You Like Motor Racing, Today Is Your Day

If you like racing, today is your day. The morning started with the Monaco Grand Prix, which might be Europe's most famous F-1 location. The race takes place along the streets of Monaco, and the turns are tight, and the elevation changes dramatically in places. It's also set in the glamorous setting along the seaside. It's a very European vibe:

How Europeans watch racing.

Later in the afternoon, the Indy 500 gets rolling down in the Midwest of the United States. It's probably the most prestigious race in the world, but it has a more workmanlike feel to it. There's no French models lounging on rooftops in Indy. The track is nicknamed the "Brickyard" due to the fact that it was initially paved with bricks. Even though it now has a more modern surface, there is still a section of the track that contains the original bricks. It's the gold standard for car races, and it's classically American.

If that doesn't satisfy all of your racing needs, NASCAR runs the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte at 6:00PM. If you still need more racing after that, go run around outside.

Cyprus Banks to Stay Shut Until Thursday

The EU just decided to take money from everyone who had a savings account in Cyprus. Oh, you want to get your money out of the bank? Too bad, the banks will be closed until Thursday.

This is not going to end well. There are going to be some nervous folks in Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and Portugal right now. Would you keep your money in a bank in one of those countries?

Archduke Franz-Ferdinand could not be reached for comment.

McDonalds in Prague

It looks like it was outfitted by Ikea.

Sweden Requires Men to Pee Sitting Down?

Occasionally, you'll hear someone claiming how great life is in Scandinavia. They have great health care, great schools, and it's full of blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauties. Sounds great right?

However, they seem to be quite interested in telling you what you can and can't do. I always have an aversion to anyone telling me what to do, especially when it's "for my own good". However, this government edict in Sweden, goes too far:

The Left Party in Sörmland is taking a stand to ensure men take a seat when emptying their bladders in the county council's own toilets.

According to the party, there are two very important reasons for the proposal encouraging men to sit instead of stand when they urinate.

That's right. They want men to sit down when they pee.

According to the folks pushing this law, there are two "very important" for making the men in Sweden do something extremely emasculating, unnecessary, and personal. Even though this should be dismissed out of hand, let's at least hear the sissies out. Are you ready? Here is reason number one:

One reason has to do with hygiene and a desire to ensure that no one who uses the toilets at the county council's offices will be required to walk through puddles or residue left by stray urine which happens to splash out of the bowl and onto the floor when male employees pee standing up.

Whoa! This  is a little gross, but we're going to have  serious discussion. First of all, where are the janitors? Being a janitor is a specific job here in America. You know, janitors: the cleaning crew that comes through buildings to clean the restrooms? They mob the floor, they refill the little towels, fill up the soap, and generally...clean the restrooms. Does this job not exist in Sweden? Also, where are the urinals? A urinal pretty much makes it impossible to leave a "puddle" and solves your problem right there. Also, maybe this could be accomplished with a little personal responsibility. You make a mess, you clean it up. It's not complicated.

We here at Permanent Press are all for bathroom cleanliness, and as a spokesmen for all men out there, I'm sure that we could all do a better job of bathroom hygiene. I freely admit that. However, a law, an actual law, with the coercive power of the government behind it, that requires men to sit down while peeing is beyond absurd.

Ok, so I think we can all agree that reason number one is not so great. Maybe reason number two is a humdinger. I really doubt it though, because if reason number two was so much better than reason number one, then reason number two would probably have moved into the position of reason number one. Everyone still with me? Anyway, let's have a look:

The Left Party also cites medical research it claims shows that men empty their bladders more efficiently when they are seated.

Umm...really? I don't really want to speak for all men everywhere, but I'm pretty sure that after I finish, I'm empty. That's the point. It's also pretty efficient in any position. Someone let me know if they have a different experience. Maybe if you've got a medical problem it's a different deal, but that's not something that requires a law for all men to take a seat.

If the men of Sweden go along with this, they are doomed. Where's the Viking spirit that made Sweden great? They are descendents of men who pillaged all along the European coast and were feared and respected. This is the land of Beowulf. The were men.

I'm pretty sure that these guys didn't pee sitting down.

And it's come to this? If the men of Sweden go along with this, I hope their Viking ancestors come back to haunt them. Some busybody regulator is taking away their personal bathroom freedoms: they have to fight this.

On the list of emasculating things, being forced to sit down while peeing is got to be in the top five. I can't come up with a comprehensive list, but it's got to be up there. Any women out there want to date a guy who pees sitting down? I don't think so.

Men of Sweden: Don't take this sitting down. Better to die on your feet than live on a seat.

[H/T: @Maetenloch]