Syria U.S. withdrawal. and THE PG&E "Apocalypse"

It's time to get out of Syria , sorry all ye
war mongers . 

Finally Trump has ordered the Troops out of  Syria . The sudden U.S. turnabout was announced late Sunday after a phone call between  (1)>>Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As criticism rolled in Monday morning, Trump defended his decision in a series of tweets, saying the U.S. had achieved its goal of defeating ISIS.   I agree , so what is all the hype that even Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) lashed out out at Trump.But that does not mean clearing a path for Turkey to attack the Syrian Kurds. The United States does not owe the Kurds indefinite protection, but they do deserve fair warning of U.S. withdrawal. right now so long story short besides the military-industrial complex obviously having their vice grip on our government and our media we[ THE UNITED STATES ] are illegal occupiers in Syria right now we have no permission to be there it is someone else's country we need to leave point-blank we need to leave . OK ,  say yeah but do we need to leave this abruptly no we don't but guess what this wasn't abrupt this is the time to leave because the announcement was actually made in December and I find it very interesting that the same very media outlets who were right now screaming saying wow this was abrupt and sudden and unexpected are the exact same media entities that reported back in December when Trump announced that we are going to be withdrawing all the 2000 troops from Syria , they all freaked out back in December and then Trump said okay I'll give it four months we'll do a slower withdrawal well it's been ten months so over the course of these ten months , the vary same media outlets have also been have been pushing for war in Syria , playing it both ways , praising Trump when he launched missiles to hit Syria. Now when he wants to send the troops out , challenges the "endless wars" that cost tax payer money, but he is attacked . Regardless, Perhaps most important, though little discussed in

 (2)>>Washington, is that occupying Syria militarily, for whatever purpose, is a violation of international and U.S. law. The land is indisputably Syria’s and the Constitution requires Congress to authorize war. This War was "undeclared " by the US Congress from the start At the direction of U.S. President Barack Obama, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was put in charge the operations worth about $1 billion annually to arm anti-government forces in Syria, Despite pressure to actively intervene against Assad, the Obama administration focused on aiding supposedly moderate insurgents, with little success. One program spent a half billion dollars to train fewer than threescore fighters. Radicals hid their views in order to receive arms from America; supposedly democratic forces fought with and sometimes surrendered to Islamists, along with their equipment.Indeed, Obama, entering office after Bush’s ruinous adventurism, made the avoidance of another quagmire his primary goal. Encouraged by national security aides who hailed from the realm of domestic politics,  (3)>>Obama let the fear of crossing antiwar opinion dictate his path. Yet in treading lightly, Obama misplaced his big stick using the Arab Spring as a avenue for regime change, Assad became an American target . But Obama faced a dilemma. The decision he was about to announce would come to be seen as a defining moment for his presidency. It also marked a tipping point for the international strategic balance of power. It was a moment that would transform the civil war in Syria into the epic failure of our age.  But even Mr. Trump’s biggest critics, the Democrats, will have a hard time going after him on this decision. So what is the problem with the Democrats ???Mr. Trump’s view that American forces cannot alter the strategic balance in the Middle East, and should not be there, was fundamentally shared by his immediate predecessor, Barack Obama. It was Mr. Obama who, at almost the exact same moment in his presidency, announced the removal of America’s last troops in Iraq — fulfilling a campaign promise. Which he was attacked by the pro-war elements in Congress . The foreign policy establishment is having a meltdown — and if you know anything about the last 20 years of U.S. history, then you know that means something good is happening.




THE PG&E  "Apocalypse" 

Almost 20 years ago PG&E was fighting against Illegal power diversion. costs PG&E more than $100 million annually, the company estimates. Every legitimate customer's utility bill is inflated $25 to $40 a year to pay for what unscrupulous ones steal. Things have changed now PG&E is pretty much doing illegal power diversion on its own. And rates will continue to go up. Just being a bit sarcastic. California is the only place that (4)>>I know of though that has planned outages for other than changing out equipment. We rely on electricity for uninterrupted service that it is easy to forget we need some kind of plan for its failure. I never lived any place where there were not multiple days without power. Hearken back to ENRON in 2003 which manipulated the energy market that caused a crisis in California , the blackouts forced a Governor out of office back then . (4.1)>>Similarly   It TURNS OUT that PG&E might have screwed themselves while trying a public safety stunt. NO BODY  completely trusts PG&E’s stated reasons for shutting off the electricity, hinting it might have something to due with the financial losses it’s incurred due to fires and litigation.   The apocalyptic power shutoff across California is a response to National Weather Service forecasts of gusty winds that could reach up to 70 mph in some areas by Thursday. High winds coupled with dry conditions and PG&E’s track record of downed power lines is a recipe for fire that the now bankrupt energy provider is trying to avoid. The shutoff is expected to impact as many as 800,000 customers across the state for up to five days. What gets me here is how the state of California kissed ass to the utility company allowing them to do the radom shutdowns , creating a "state of emergency" all in the name of being safe than sorry . It is FAR FROM A

PG&E held  California hostage .

JOKE with PG&E that this next year they are also asking the PUC for an additional increase in rates. AS far as the California governor goes his harsh words were weak  , plus this gave me the feeling that when the news briefings, updates by PG&E really showed the public how a (5)>>utility company is able to hold hostage the entire state  at the grip of fear.  BUT the shutdowns  brought out  more serious concerns about basics like food storage and traffic safety [Power outages have led to multiple car accidents in the North Bay at intersections without traffic signals. ]   as refrigerators and signals cease to do their jobs. Cities and counties are frantically establishing community resources to help the most vulnerable populations, like small children and elderly residents.  Things quickly began going wrong. PG&E’s communications and computer systems faltered, and its website went down as customers tried to find out whether they would be cut off or spared. As the company struggled to tell people what areas would be affected and when, chaos and confusion unspooled outside. Roads and businesses went dark without warning, nursing homes and other critical services scrambled to find backup power and even government agencies calling the company were put on hold for hours. The PG&E "Apocalypse" was like a zombie attack [ Night of the Living Dead] scenario. California is facing the bankruptcy of one of its vital electric companies. Since the wine country fires, PG&E’s stock has crashed by two-thirds. It faces tens of billions of dollars in liabilities. The company suspended its dividend at the end of 2017, leaving retirees and many thousands of others high and dry.Even more concerning: The world-beating electronics industry that drives much of California’s economy will suffer if electricity becomes less reliable, or unavailable.  (6)>>BLAME CLIMATE CHANGE  says PG&E . Critics of PG&E, including some state lawmakers, have said that the company may have blacked out more customers than necessary to reduce the risk of wildfires. State Senator Jerry Hill, a Democrat from the Bay Area, sent a letter venting his frustration to the California Public Utilities Commission, which will review PG&E’s actions. While outrage was understandable; the lack of preparedness was not. PG&E had been warning for months that it might shut off power whenever high winds threatened to create extreme fire risks. So you might say it, that PG&E's  "Apocalypse" could be the new state NORMAL.







NOTES AND COMMENTS:


syria notes (1)>>Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While Europe has scant influence over what happens next, the US has plenty – but seems determined to throw it away. Despite denials, it is clear from the White House statement issued on 6 October that Donald Trump rashly agreed to Erdoğan’s invasion, without consulting his allies, and facilitated it by withdrawing ground forces. It might be thought the Russians would be happy. After all, pushing the US out of Syria (and the wider Middle East) is their long-held aim. Yet Moscow’s reaction to the invasion has been largely negative, as was the case after Turkey intervened in Syria’s Idlib province last year.When Vladimir Putin sent forces to Syria in 2015, he put his money on Assad to win, but victory has proved elusive, while costs – political and financial – have mounted. Erdoğan’s move further complicates matters by obstructing the peace settlement Russia, Iran (and Turkey) have been pursuing via the so-called Astana process.That’s why Russia is urging the Kurds, now the US has abandoned them, to agree a mutual defence pact or some kind of federal arrangement with Assad. And that’s why regime forces and pro-Iran militia are edging towards Kurdish-held areas from the south. Assad sees a chance to recapture lost territory. Erdoğan’s fatuous “safe zone” wheeze has no appeal for him. (2)>>Washington, is that occupying Syria militarily. According to Robert Ford, the last U.S. ambassador to serve in Syria, these critics fail to recognize the limits of American influence over developments inside Syria. Further, he advised that changing the facts on the ground would require a military and diplomatic investment that most Americans are not likely willing to make."I think the president is correct in saying that, in the end, the countries there in the Middle East—Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iran—they're the ones that are going to have to devise and negotiate a sustainable solution to the crisis in Syria, including eastern Syria," said Ford, who is currently a fellow at the Middle East Institute and Yale University."The idea that Americans are going to achieve that is not realistic," he explained. "Because the Americans don't even speak to two of the central protagonists, the Syrian government and the Iranian government, and the size of our military deployment is far too small to provide much diplomatic leverage."(3)>>Obama let the fear of crossing antiwar opinion dictate his path. To recap, the U.S. military first intervened in the Syrian conflict in 2014. Our goal was to destroy the Islamic State Caliphate, as the terrorist group had built up territorial control of much of the conflict-ridden region. Mission accomplished. The crisis has produced another cautionary lesson: that American alliances cannot be trusted. The Kurds already knew this. They were betrayed in Iraq in 1991, when the US left Saddam Hussein in power at the end of the first Gulf war. How ironic if Trump’s Syrian cop-out – providing a reality check about the limits of American power – led indirectly to peace in the Gulf, an end to the Iran-Saudi proxy war in Yemen, and spiked the guns of US and Israeli hawks who have pushed so hard for war with Tehran.


pg&e 

(4)>>I know of though that has planned outages for other than changing out equipment.Power outages are inconvenient at best and can be dangerous at worst, especially for people who rely on electricity to power medical equipment. The state told PG&E this week they need to better educate and notify the public, particularly vulnerable electric customers with disabilities, with language barriers, and who live in poorer, more remote areas with limited transportation or communication.Shutoffs can also be expensive, if a fridge full of food goes bad or if a PG&E customer now faces having to go out and buy a generator.(4.1)>>Similarly   It TURNS OUT that PG&E might have screwed themselves while trying a public safety stunt. The outside watchdogs have always been complaining about the poor safety practices of PG&E and that California is not being allowed to clean out dead brush and trees in its forests because the environmentalists will not allow it. According to a number of prominent safety experts and auditors, this calamity was bound to happen since the entity has not been managed well but the real issue is land mismanagement in California which has nothing to do with PG&E. PG&E has serious problems but California is the entity that has the most issues. Blaming things on some company when dead brush all over the state is not allowed to be burned or carried away is asinine. The actual fires may be out in California but this state is still burning away.(5)>>utility company is able to hold hostage the entire state .What PG&E has done to Northern California’s economy via endless construction work delays is worthy of pulling the plug and breaking the company up by itself, let alone the wanton destruction of property and lives.The construction charges are completely different than the rate cases. As such you’d think PG&E would staff accordingly given the fact the work is being paid for by those who need it done. The slick part is PG&E pockets whatever isn’t needed for taxes instead of refunding it to the developer. And in a number of years where PG&E has taken advantage of tax credits they successfully lobbied to attain for the expressed purpose of investing in infrastructure upgrades which they apparently weren’t doing on the scale they led people — including regulators — to believe, they pocketed the surcharge that can run as high as 33 percent that the California Public Utilities Commission allows them to collect to cover their tax bill. (6)>>BLAME CLIMATE CHANGE  says PG&E .  This is the result of 40 years of incompetent forest management. Fire the eco-hippies and get real foresters again. So once again "climate change" gets the blame, at least partially. PG&E has had years to plan out these outages. Turning off the juice for a large number of urban areas under the pretext that "wildfires" will be prevented is silly. Time to spilit grids up into likely danger zones. Perhaps it is PG&E petulance, "See, you sue us and you will sit in the dark." This time many people treated this as a one time virtuous community party event. "I made vegan entil soup, come one over and bring your candle." After a few more...