My guess is that nuking Yemen would not be a tactical mistake if some country decided to nuke that country in response the recent drone attacks on Saudi Oil Fields. Houthi forces, established and working out of Yemen, have claimed responsibility for the attacks which have resulted in Saudi Arabia shutting down 1/2 of its oil production! More at the source.
Losing 1/2 of the oil produced by Saudi Arabia is going to have widely resounding consequences around the world, especially if it lasts any prolonged amount of time. Being that the Iranian backed Houthis have promised more attacks, my guess is the results will be long lasting. One way to put an end to it all would be a swift and devastating attack on the Houthi strongholds within Yemen - maybe with tactical nuclear weapons. Not many would mourn the loss of the Houthis and any collateral damage will only make for political ammo because in truth there are not many in the world who even have a clue where Yemen is located let alone give a damn about its people. All that is even more likely true especially when the world's oil supply is at risk.
Mind you, lesser things have started world wars. I do not mean a nuclear attack on Yemen when I say that. I do mean a shortage of resources such as is going to be caused by the loss of oil in what would otherwise have been available had the Iranian backed Houthis not attacked the Saudi oil fields. It may also cause a worldwide economic collapses which almost certainly would have the planet on the brink of another world war.
My guess is that a country thinking strategically, tactically and diplomatically could come to an agreement with other nations around the world that would result in a unanimous decision to destroy the Houthis with overwhelming force. Truthfully, I believe almost no one would give a damn about the destruction of this terrorist group once and for all other than to ultimately agree it was the right decision (expected oil prices of as high as $100 per barrel and the resultant price increases in everything from butter to arse wipes, if this goes long term, will help that decision to look very good). My guess also is also that Iran will have learned a valuable lesson. If not they could be targeted next and that is exactly why I'd be willing to bet they would learn the intended lesson. They almost certainly would, as a result of such an attack, drastically better their behavior on the world stage.
Iran claims they were not behind this attack (source) but that claim is extremely doubtful as the Houthis long have been supported by Iran regarding their terrorist activities. Regardless, the Houthis have already claimed responsibility and maybe they well deserve whatever comes there way - be it the wrath of God in the form of plague and pestilence or the wrath of Man in the form of utter nuclear destruction.
All the best,
Glenn B
The way things have been going for the last few years, it should be obvious to anyone who looks back though the pages of history with an eye for comparison to today, that we in the world today are due for a major conflict between nations. I remember not too long ago a prominent US politician in essence said that small nations were not the ones we need to worry about, but large nations are the ones we need to fear such as how we feared the Soviet union. He is, in my humble opinion, dead wrong. If you look around the world today, you will note a militaristic strengthening in many of the world's small nations. In fact, many more of them are building up their military power than those that did so before the last two world wars. For example, prior to WWII, only three nations of the then son to be formed Axis Powers, were building up militarily. They were:
1) Germany, a nation devastated by WWI, by the Great Depression, and by foolish borrowing that placed them as the most heavily indebted nation in the world at that time. Yet they had a leader with vision, albeit twisted vision, of world conquest and domination. Yet he was a leader who brought them up to becoming a world power in only a few years despite sanctions imposed on them by other nations; and despite their small size they almost conquered the world.
2) Italy, a nation that was floundering in financial and social ruin. It had turned to Colonial Africa in the hopes of replenishing resources, but could not go it alone. Just another small nation, almost insignificant in the world picture, but that had a leader who got the trains running on time, and who motivated its people with visions of grandeur.
3) Japan - Another small, rather insignificant country who until just recently (as history goes) at that time had depended upon Samurai warriors for an army. They were small but had ambitions of expanding their world holdings. They were led by a fanatic whom the people believed was a god.
WWII began in 1939, and it rapidly progressed with victory after victory for the Axis Powers, these three nations and a few other small nations that joined them. Hitler and the Third Reich was steamrolling over Europe. One country after another had fallen. Poland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Great Britain was on the brink of collapse. I have heard it hypothesized that had Hitler kept up the bombing raids over England for a few weeks more, they would have fallen. Had the Germans invaded England, it would have likely been over in days. Yes the Brits were tough, but they were failing miserably if slowly.
In the east, one Pacific island nation after another fell to Japan. The United States was brutally attacked at Pearl Harbor. China was under siege and millions were killed. Burma fell. Australia was threatened as was New Zealand.
The thing that amazes me most when I look back is how blind the world seemed to remain to the growing threat caused by the countries that would unite as the Axis Powers. Japan had rattled sabers for years before. Their emperor promised great expansion. They were building up a military force made from metal purchased from the USA and others. It was no secret that they were seeking to expand militarily; yet no one paid them any mind. Italy was likewise, but probably did not look to be as much of a threat, and anyway they seemed interested in Africa. Who cared about Africa back then, very few unless they had colonial holdings therein. Germany was the most boisterous of the three major Axis Powers. They not only rattled sabers, they but and air force. That was strictly forbidden under the Treaty Of Versailles. They did not stop at an air force, they also built and army and a navy. Besides that they built roads, roads that would lead to other European Nations and would act as highways for tanks, armored cavalry, and infantry. In addition Hitler boasted that the Third Reich would conquer the world, that the final solution would exterminate the mentally handicapped, the gypsies, the and the Jews among others. That Germany would conquer Russia.
None of this was really done in secret, especially in Germany. They openly defied the treaty of Versailles, openly spouted talk of war, and openly made preparation for it as the world watched in mute unconcern. The result was the bloodiest war the world had yet seen. Tens of millions died as a result. It is estimated that over 72,000,000 people lost their lives in WWII. Read that again - over SEVENTY TWO MILLION - all because a few small countries got together and tried to conquer the world.
So what does that have to do with today. Why do I predict doom and gloom? Well I believe we are only years away from, maybe even only months away from, WWIII. Why - well because the signs are there, and this time the smaller countries are preparing better than they did before both of the last two world wars. They are preparing in many ways. The first and most obvious is that they are gearing up militarily. Just look to Iran, Venezuela, North Korea (yes they have agreed to stop production of nuclear material, now that we believe they have the bomb already), Syria, and Russia (not such a small country but one that would surely become much stronger with an alliance of small countries). Look to also to Pakistan, and India. Look to Japan which is for the first time in over 60 years gearing up for war. Loo to to a really big country - Red China. They are building up one of the largest navies ever to exist. Why do they need a large navy except for an invasion fleet. Think about it. Now you can say, as did people like Neville Chamberlain before WWII that these buildups mean little to nothing; you could be right, but other things say not.
Look at the messages coming out of countries like Iran and North Korea and Venezuela and Russia. They are all spouting off against a perceived enemy, the United States of America. They are all countries that seem bent on expansion or possible world domination. Look too to the Islamo Fascists. it does not matter from which country they hail, there politics is there religion and they spout off conquest of the world. They also preach the destruction of Israel and of the USA. North Korea constantly harangues us as evil, and so too does Iran and Venezuela. The pot is more than stirred, it is at a boil and ready to overflow in violence.
At the same time, the USA is at one of the weakest points in the last 30 or so years. It has not been this weak militarily since carter, and not as oil depleted since Nixon. We are much as were the Soviets when they collapsed. The thing is though, despite what the Soviets said we wanted when they painted us as evil, we really did not want to conquer the Soviet Union. We wanted the world to be at peace. We wanted to spread democracy and freedom. We were ready for war if need be, but it did not come to that. These other nations today, many of the ones I have mentioned are hate mongers. They do not want to spread freedom, they want to expand and conquer, they want to rule more and more people, they want to in essence conquer the world, and the USA is the prime target.
All they need to accomplish are a few strategic strikes on US soil. A few well orchestrated attacks in the Gulf of Mexico and in Texas would wipe out many of our oil wells, and our oil refineries. A few more well planned attack in Alaska would destroy our other main source of domestic oil. We would be helpless. You look and say - hey that is impossible. Yeah right, just as France said that the Maginot Line was unbreakable. maybe it was, so the Germans went around it because of pompous blind fools in the french government, France fell quickly. How could we be attacked like that. Well for starters our military is strung thinly in Iraq and Afghanistan among other places. Our resources to build up our military are being depleted on a daily basis by terrorists, yet we probably fund those same terrorists by sending money for oil to Islamic countries - countries such as Saudi Arabia that is a known terrorist hot bed. Our economy is folding, we are in debt more than ever before, and the time is simply ripe for a few small countries to do their damnedest to do their worst to us. If they succeed, even with a few small non-military attacks carried out by terrorists, I suspect that other nations will quickly lend them support. What nations, well Russia and China to name two of them. These two countries, either singularly or together, already militarily support North Korea, Iran and Venezuela. You can bet Saudi Arabia and many other Arabic countries would also support them in such a cause, and so too would Islamo Fascists. In addition to all of that, our current involvement in two wars is not doing a lot of good for us in any of this regard, that is unless we take quick and decisive action to win those wars; and then to claim the spoils of those wars. Why on earth Iraq is not paying us back for our expenditures over there is beyond me. They are oil rich and could easily pay us in that manner, yet we allow them to suck us dry. Same for Afghanistan, they must have something of value with which they could make reparations to us for our assistance in freeing their nation from the Taliban. We are, in effect, helping pave the way for the war machines of other nations to ride roughshod over us.Of course a secondary target in all of this will be Israel, and the rest of the free nations of the world. Israel may well be attacked first; yet somehow I think it will be the USA to weather the first attacks of the next WW. I think these little piss ant nations have already caught us acting fat, dumb and happy, just look at oil prices; and that soon they will catch us with our mouths agape as the bombs start going off on our home soil. Israel will be attacked immediately after that, and will be nuked off the face of the earth if my suspicions hold true. All the more reason to suppor them with all we can, allies are a good thing of which one never wants to run short.Yes the time is ripe for another world war, and this time we here in the USA are the primary target of much of the rest of the world. Sure we have allies, but which would stick with us. I suspect and hope that Australia, Canada, Japan, Great Britain and Italy would all be by our side. But what about France, what about Argentina, what about Mexico (heck they are already invading us). If a world war does break out, we are in for some bad times so it is about time we start acting like the possibility of a third world war really exists. Wiser words were never spoken than these: "They who long for peace must prepare for war".
Well that is it for me spouting off gloom and doom. I have gotten it off of my chest for now; but I am sure to remember it come November when I vote for president. Hoping for peace through superior firepower,Glenn B
I mean, just two or three days ago, Iheard that the price of crude had gone down by just over $9.00 per barrel. When the friggin price of a barrel went up, even by just a quarter or half buck, the price at the pumps went up the next day; but when the price fals by over $9.00 per barrel - well there has not even been one friggin red cent take off the price at the pumps near me! If the info about the drop in crude prices was right, well then it is just gosh darned greed that is all that is keeping the prices as high as they are; greed and an absolute lack of respect for any of us consumers.All the best,Glenn B
I was a bit hasty in my recent write-up about oiling firearms, and I neglected to mention a very important point. Oil is a liquid and therefore is subject to the laws of nature that effect liquids. While it is a great lubricant and protectant you have to bear in mind a few things about it. With repeated use it will wear off (common sense but funny but some people do not realize that). Less common sense, I guess because of how oil seems to cling to things, but still common sense, is that oil like other liquids can be absorbed into some things into which it comes in contact. So putting a gun that has a fine coating of oil on it into a holster results in some of the oil transferring into the holster, likewise a gun bag or whatever else is absorbent. Oil is, like other liquids, subject to the pull of gravity. This is not very noticeable when there is a fine sheen of oil on a firearms, but gravity is at work all of the time and it will cause the oil to run down sooner or later. Finally oil can and does evaporate, albeit it does take a while longer than let's say water for it to do so.So what is the point of me telling you all of this. Well, even if you clean, then oil a firearm, and do not shoot it but instead store it in a gun case or sock, or put it in a holster and wear it everyday without shooting it, or put it in a nightstand, or put it in a gun locker - the oil will eventually either run or completely disappear. So I find it best to inspect my firearms at least quarterly, and to clean and oil them as necessary, or just reapply a bit of oil that often. This will help protect the finish of your gun, and help assure that it will operate like a well oiled machine when you need it. Also, remember that long term storage of a firearm is best accomplished not by coating it with a firearms' oil, but rather with a long term protectant made for firearms storage (but that is another story yet to come).All the best,Glenn B
Yes a little oil goes along way, really it does. It goes a long way to assure that your firearm functions properly under most conditions, that it operates smoothly, and that it stays in fine condition both inside and out. For example I went fishing yesterday. A day or so before I went on my fishing trip I had cleaned my sidearm, and put a light coat of oil on its exterior. I also had lightly oiled some of the moving parts that the manufacturer recommends oiling. When I got to the fishing boat yesterday, I thought to myself why on earth did I bring along a pistol. I guess it was force of habit, I work while armed, travel armed, and when I am off duty from my job I am armed 99% of the time; nothing wrong with that, and nothing wrong having the pistol along with me yesterday on the fishing boat. I was thinking of taking it off, but there really was no place for me to have secured it, so in the holster, on my belt it stayed. As the few fish came over the rail it stayed there as they flopped and got water everywhere. As the fishing line went out of the guy's reel next to me the salty water again sprayed everywhere. Not lots of it but I felt it each time. As the mates sprayed salt water on the fish cleaning table and into fish buckets I again got wet. I did not give my pistol a thought for the whole trip. When I got home at the end of my fishing trip, I saw that my gun had obviously gotten wet with salt water. A tell tale dry salt stain was on my holster, and on the gun itself. I took it out of the holster, wiped it down, and guess what - Look Ma, No Rust! Nope it is not a stainless steel pistol, nope it does not have any sort of rust proof finish, heck the finish it has left is pretty worn off in many places. What it did have was a light coat of oil. It got another cleaning and light coat of oil after the trip. I looked at it this morning, still no corrosion. Now if you doubt a gun can corrode that quickly from just a little salt water, well try an experiment someday with one of your guns without any protecting oil on it. Just let it get damp with salt water, and leave it for several hours. I was on the boat for about 7 hours of actual fishing. I have had guns before this one get rusty from less exposure than that. Besides preventing rust from forming on a firearm, a light coating of oil on some of the moving parts will reduce friction, and often will help to prevent malfunctions. I cannot even estimate how many times at the range I have seen someone show up with a dry firearm (dry as in not lubricated at all). Not only are some of the guns I see dry, they are also dirty. When the shooter who has a gun in either condition goes to fire it, that person has a much higher chance of having the gun malfunction. Often the problem will be either it will fail to eject, or will fail to feed. This is, in these cases, almost always due to the side not operating as freely as it should either because of buildup of fouling or because of lack of lubrication, or both. Now oil may be expensive, and getting more so, but it is not too expensive to apply to your firearms to protect them and make sure they work, especially if you apply the right amount. The right amount is usually a light coating. When I apply oil to my firearms I usually do so on the out side with my finger (this may not be the best way for the gun or for my health, but it is a habit I have), with a gun cloth or cleaning patch, and with a cotton swab (being very careful that absolutely no cotton strands remain on the firearm). Once I apply what I believe is a fairly light coating, I wipe down the gun with a cloth to make sure it really is a light coating that remains. I don't wipe off all the oil - just most of it. There are a couple or a few reasons you want a light coat of oil instead of a heavy one. A heavy coat of oil can literally gum up the works. No most modern oils do not get gummy under repeated heavy use (such as the slide going back and forth) or when they heated up, but they ca be gunky if too heavily applied. When dirt is added, and oil is a dust and dirt magnet, it can get sort of gummy. You don't need too much oil attracting and holding a lot of dirt. A fine coating will also hold dirt or dust, but nowhere nearly as much as could a heavier coating. In addition the dirt comes off easier when in a fine coating, so just cycling a weapon will make some of it come off. The fact that the light coat holds less debris also means the firearm while lubricated to reduce friction is less likely to jam because of dirt. Yes a light coat of oil means the gun will attract some dirt, but overall it usually makes the firearm operate with less friction, and protects it from corrosion. That second part, the protection from corrosion is why oil is usually better than a dry lubricant like graphite dust. Graphite and other dry lubricants do have their place. They are used in very dusty environments where oil on a firearm would possibly cause malfunctions because of the dust it would attract. Such places included areas of desert where there is a lot of fine, and I mean very fine sand. I worked in the Border Patrol for 4 years in and around Calexico, California. The area outside of Calexico is about as desert like as you can imagine except for some irrigated areas (even those are dusty when they let them dry up, or when the cattle pens are set up - nasty dust from those cattle for sure). There was a lot of dust in the air that kicked up onto my revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. I always used oil as a lubricant for my firearms while there, and never once had a problem from the dust. Still though, some who lubricate their firearms with oil claim to have major problems with dust in places like Iraq (funny others using the same oil and same firearms don't have a problem at all). Many of them prefer a dry lubricant like graphite or product like Militec-1, or Hoppes Dri-lube. I can tell you, if the soil there was anything like it was around Calexico, just using dry lubricant would make for one heck of a rusted firearm with just the moisture from sweat because of the amount of alkali in it. In a case like that, I would lightly oil the exterior, and use the dry lubricant on the inside, and clean my firearm everyday. Dry lubrication may lubricate well in a dusty area, but it offers no protection from corrosion of which I am aware; although there are claims by manufacturers that dry lubricants protect from corrosion.Of course, before you lubricate with oil or dry lubricant, and before you apply a protective coat of oil, the firearm preferably should be clean. A good cleaning with a powder solvent is recommended after each time a self defense type firearm is fired. Some modern day .22 rimfire recommend cleaning less often; but that is usually the exception not the rule to cleaning firearms in general. I use products like Hoppes No. 9 Powder Solvent, or Hoppes Bench Rest Copper Solvent which removes fouling from copper jackets bullets in addition to being a gunpowder solvent and lead remover. After cleaning I usually (as in virtually always) apply a thin coat of Break-Free CLP. Keeping a firearm clean, lubricated and protected is worth the cost when you consider that said firearm may someday be called upon to protect you and your loved one; and the cost is minimal when compared to what it could be if you don't!All the best,Glenn BI will probably add a cleaning video at a later date.
