Nothing to worry about here, says Timmy, while Lassie seems to be speculating a bit…
It’s a big game of chicken among the PIIGS, Brussels, and the Chicago Merc, currently hosting the biggest bet (nearly $8 billion) against the Euro.
Gorilla says: “We’ll know at the EU summit on Thursday who’ll be ponying up, but it won’t be pretty!”
In Sri Lanka, the wheels are turning again…
Last week’s opposition Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, who had never previously voted in an election and lost overwhelmingly to the sitting President, is now under arrest, apparently on fraud charges connected with his days as Army Chief.
Gorilla asks: “Meg Whitman, Colombo calling, is your past prologue?”
Rep. John Murtha dead, ironically after gall bladder surgery!
A true dinosaur, beloved pork snacker, corrupt as could be, he won’t be missed!
Gorilla says: “He died in the trough!”
Iran’s back with mixed messages today:
1) They’d be willing to have their nuclear fuel processed abroad if it was 20% enriched.
2) They’re planning to go to 20% enriched on their nuclear fuel and build 10 more plants (seen as a farce, since Iran can’t keep their current plant going at all times).
The UN’s export deal is for 3.5% uranium, which the Iranians claim isn’t enough for the medical isotopes they want to produce.
The West sees 20% enrichment as a step on the way to nuclear weapons development, which requires 90% enrichment.
Sooner or later, there’s going to have to be a deal. The sanctions aren’t working very well, and there’s no support for further sanctions from China.
But it’s an election year in the US and UK, and politicians don’t want to be seen as “soft” on state sponsors of terrorism.
Gorilla thinks: “Give it a year and we’ll be in Tehran doing a deal!”
Another day, another summit on an issue that no one wants to lead on!
Over the weekend, the G-7 boys and girls tried to reassure each other that the PIIGS of Europe aren’t going to be a problem.
Today, it’s President Obama, calling on Republican leaders to join him for yet another pointless summit on health care reform.
The facts are these:
1) Republicans will not vote for any Administration proposal on health care reform, or any other major issue, in 2010.
2) Democrats have not yet decided whether they will abandon health care reform, thus guaranteeing they will lose big time in 2010.
So, the President could say to House Democrats: Vote for the Senate bill and we’ll fix it later using reconciliation.
Or he could engage in a time wasting exercise in hopes that Americans will blame a minority opposition party for the failures of this President and his party to tackle major issues.
Gorilla says: “Good luck with that!”
In Ukraine, the former and current Russian puppet Viktor Yanukovich appears to have won the runoff election.
And the Orange Revolution leaders Viktor Yushenko and Yulia Tymoshenko, having split politically, managed to split more than 50% of the vote.
Yushenko’s call for Ukrainians to vote “against all” provided Yanukovich’s margin of victory.
The difficulty in Ukraine is that the Orange Revolution didn’t bring anything tangible to improve people’s lives. It’s doubtful Yanukovich will do any better, but he’ll be more popular with Moscow and that counts for something.
Ukraine remains very dependent on Russia for energy resources, and there’s a steep divide between western Ukrainians and Russian speaking Ukrainians.
Gorilla says: “Freedom ain’t easy, sustainability is harder!”
