[April 01 2008] Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: We're STILL Picking Fights - Putting U.S. Missle Bases In Ukraine & Georgia Ticks Off The Russians.

[April 01 2008] Travus T. Hipp Morning News & Commentary: We're STILL Picking Fights - Putting U.S. Missle Bases In Ukraine & Georgia Ticks Off The Russians.
In The News: Good news/bad news - George Bush is out of country visiting Georgia and Ukraine on a NATO-related mission (missile basing) while Dick Cheney is in the drivers seat in Washington.

They LIKE to call it 'windfall' - Representative Markey of Massachusetts is holding global warming hearings with petroleum industry execs today and he's going after them over profit gouging.

Independent truckers are pulling together a 3 day strike over fuel prices. It's gotten to the point where they can no longer afford to drive with diesel fuel pushing $4.00/gallon. Will the fleet drivers show solidarity and shut it ALL down?

Argentina is in the middle of recovering from an economic meltdown... and the 'farmers' are now on strike. But are they farmers, or Agribusiness interests?

Summary... The small farmers union supports the export tax, and are calling the demonstrations false-flag ops. (leftist source)
Confederación General del Trabajo de la República Argentina

Buenos Aires, 25 March 2008

Julio Piumato Secretary of Human Rights

Hugo Moyano Secretary General

"Nevertheless, when this government, in an orderly and sensible fashion, employs the mechanism of export taxes to progressively regulate a still regressive tax system, guaranteeing the supply of the domestic market abandoned by the egoistic greed of the oligarchy, in order to use those surpluses for fair social distribution and harmonious development of neglected areas, the financial and pro-imperialist oligarchic entente, devoid of a political leadership that guarantees accumulation of power, launches this wild protest, supported by the same media that favored the coup-plotters' strike in February 1976. We are talking about biased media coverage clearly intended to destabilize the government." Source
There's a punchline to this joke... Archaeologists are going to carbon date Stonehenge to determine it's date.

Courtesy of Juan Cole's Informed Comment, al-Jazzera provides a video of the aftermath of Iraq/US raids on Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq... It's below the fold in the 'Notes'.

...and in keeping with the commentary topic, Da' Buffalo presents:

How to Start Your Own Country in Four Easy Steps - Foreign Policy Magazine
"The United States has no official policy on what is required for recognition, according to its State Department. Instead, the decision to recognize a state is made by the president. Then the president decides whether to establish diplomatic relations with the state based on U.S. national interests. There’s no cookie-cutter approach, so when you ask for recognition, be sure to explain how your independence will be good for America. In the old days, proving your anti-communist cred was usually good enough. Today, U.S. strategic priorities are a bit more complex, though as Kosovo proves, ticking off the Russians still helps." More @ Razed By Wolves