Hatoyama, key ministers split on Futenma

Japan’s defense and foreign ministers seemingly are in agreement that Futenma Marine Corps Air Station—or its replacement to the north—should remain on Okinawa, while the Prime Minister continues to signal there’s no rush on deciding what to do about the controversial air station.

http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=9897

Comment: With a mayoral election looming in Nago City, where the replacement field is proposed to be built, they’re now resorting to making it look as though Governor Nakaima is waffling on the issue. It’s a political maneuver to make him look weak and nothing could be further from the truth! I agree with Mr. Okada that certain fixed wing operations could be shifted to Kadena and a smaller facility could be built to facilitate helicopter operations at Camp Schwab. Even then, this would be a short term solution and not the one size fits all that he apparently envisions.

I seriously doubt that the citizens who live in and around Kadena Air base could ever be convinced to go along with this plan. Short term in this situation would likely mean several decades! Eventually a larger, more significant, portion of U.S. military forces could be moved out of Okinawa to Guam, the Northern Marianas and even to Iwo Jima. The latter was recently thrown in as a last minute proposal. But even if such a grand long term plan were to be implemented, don’t think that all U.S. military operations will be moved completely out of Okinawa.

For the life of me, I can’t ever see Kadena Air Base closed, at least not in my lifetime, nor can I foresee training facilities like Camp’s Hansen and Schwab closed either. In regards to the latter, they would make excellent joint training facilities for U.S. and Japanese forces as well as a place to preposition material for contingency operations in the Far East theatre. As such, I can’t ever see them being closed down either.

 

Okada claims air base merger plan was his idea

Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Thursday that the plan to integrate the functions of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station with U.S. Kadena Air Base was his idea.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20091030TDY01301.htm

Comment: And AlGore invented the internet! I could just have easily said that he stole my idea. I’ve written on this very subject extensively in previous posts. But for me to do so would be a lie, just as it is for Mr. Okada. I don’t know who it was who proposed this idea first but it happened many years ago. Both the U.S. Air Force and the people of Kadena town answered with an emphatic NO! Don’t expect any changes just because of Mr. Okada’s overinflated ego makes him think that because the “good-guys” like him are now in charge that he can win them over on the strength of his personality. What vanity!

Kadena plan a no-go: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The United States said Thursday it can't support the idea of transferring U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa to nearby U.S. Kadena Air Base due to operational difficulties.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20091031a3.html

Comment: The real reason is the Air Force doesn’t like it is because the Marine Corps will steal their girlfriends away from them! Though not ideal, the move could work as a temporary solution till either the Nago replacement facility is built or a suitable replacement facility is found outside of Okinawa. The Marines can’t perform their mission on Okinawa without helicopter capabilities in Okinawa. Guess that means they’re either moving the air base to Nago or the Marines are leaving Okinawa. Who wants to take a bet on which way that will go?

How’s that “Hope and Change” working for you Okinawa? A lot of people here thought that an Obama presidency meant the U.S. military was soon to leave Okinawa altogether. Guess again! Mr. Obama railed against the Bush Administration for a host of different reasons, but once in power, they decided to stick with many of the very policies they so vehemently opposed. More than likely, in addition to all of this talk being just that, talk! This whole thing is just about making noise to appease the locals. My bet is after all the “smoke and mirrors,” a synonym for “Hope and Change” clears, the replacement facility will be built in Nago as planned!

Japan wants a SOFA change; right to keep criminal suspects

Japan and the United States may be gearing up for another bruising battle involving changes to the Status of Forces Agreement, as the new Prime Minister thinks his government should have the right to arbitrarily demand U.S. military personnel suspected of committing crimes in local communities be handed over to Japanese police.

http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=9891

Comment: The argument can be made that this certainly would go a long way in reducing the number of crimes committed by U.S. personnel stationed in Japan. Being non-SOFA myself and as such not afforded its extraterritorial protection, all I can say is abide by the law of the land that you’re in and more than likely you’ll have no trouble what-so-ever. That is especially true in a country like Japan that adheres to the rule of law. Lately it would seem that they adhere to it more than the U.S. does.

Sure there are concerns over questioning methods and protecting the rights of the accused. But that just strengthens my point! Don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time. If more of these individuals who presently think that the SOFA agreement is a get-out-of-jail-free card had the fear of incarceration and jail time placed in the back of their heads that might deter some of the crime that takes place. Go ahead and put in a few safeguards for the rights of the accused, then turn the criminals over to the Japanese authorities expeditiously and watch the crime rate drop!

Quote of the Day:

“If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without blood shed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”—Sir Winston Churchill

 

Leveling Limbaugh

The NFL punts to left-wing political intimidation.

The National Football League, in which each Sunday men weighing 365 pounds slam headlong into men weighing 245 pounds, has decided it can't handle Rush Limbaugh, talk-show host, age 58. C'mon guys, show some guts.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704322004574475681181683914.html

Limbaugh Targeted By Obama Official

The plot thickens on the media’s character-lynching of Rush Limbaugh. Of the four stories run on ESPN.com about Limbaugh’s bid for the Rams (October 6, October 12, October 15, and another October 15) none of them mention that NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith served as counsel to Attorney General Eric Holder and was a member of Barack Obama’s transition team.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/10/limbaugh_targeted_by_obama_off.html

Comment: Regardless of what you may think of Mr. Limbaugh, the last paragraph in the second story above is very telling and the story within a story. Particularly this one line: “never in American history has someone had so much power to pummel his political opponents as President Obama.” This is the very essence of Fascism; the goal is not leveling the playing field but clearing the opposition from it!

As long as they aren’t a convicted criminal, it certainly shouldn’t matter to anyone who wants to buy a sports franchise. The key thing shouldn’t be who they are but whether they have the financial means and are committed to make the club a success. What you don’t want happening to your favorite sports franchise is to have them bought one day by an individual or group and sold the next like a stock or commodity.

Another untold story behind the story is that one of the chief complainants in this little episode is none other than Mr. DeMaurice Smith whose involvement is also documented in the story above. As the NFL Players Association Executive Director, he will be instrumental in negotiating the next player’s contract with the Owner’s Association. Not having an influential personality with an anti-union stance like Mr. Limbaugh in the way should make negotiations a little easier, don’t you think?!

The NFL already has some colorful owners, Dallas and Oakland comes readily to mind. The list of celebu-tards who own a piece of the Miami franchise grows almost daily but they haven’t been put to such scrutiny. In fact, their participation is celebrated. What is in my opinion damning for the NFL and more importantly for the media in this instance is the case made against Mr. Limbaugh where the scrutiny placed upon him is based on hearsay and innuendo. The media didn’t do their duty to check the facts.

 

Note: This is a news and opinion blog on the happenings in Okinawa Japan and the Far East. The opinions expressed here are my own. I don’t comment on every article linked here but, ask that for the sake of context please read the articles, in there entirety, first.

Okinawa in the News:

Okada acknowledges U.S. ties, but cites need for talks

TOKYO — Japan’s new foreign minister on Wednesday again stressed the need for renewed talks about a long-term plan to realign troops on Okinawa.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=65252

Urasoe City anxious over Camp Kinser’s 2014 return

Camp Kinser’s a quiet, idyllic logistics base in Urasoe City, and it’s on the list of six bases the U.S. military would like to return to land owners in 2014.

http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=9840

Senior citizens getting more adept at stealing

The number of senior citizens arrested and prosecuted for stealing is up more than 10% over a year ago.

http://www.japanupdate.com/?id=9846

Comment: I would think given the economic downturn that the number of seniors doing this because they’re hungry is higher than the 17% number given. I would venture to say that a good portion of the 70% when asked were just too proud to say they were starving! Unfortunately this is an indication of shifting values in Okinawa and not for the better. This is a culture that has always prided itself on taking care of the elderly.

Hatoyama Cabinet confirms U.S. base relocation accord must be reviewed

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's coalition government said Friday it will stick to its initial pledge to review plans to relocate U.S. forces within Okinawa, backtracking on earlier comments.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20091010a5.html

Comment: It’s looking more and more like Japan got “Hope and Change,” the sequel! Just like all of Obama’s statements have an expiration date, so too it would seem does any statement coming from the Hatoyama cabinet.

DPJ's budget-waste watchdog: ¥3 trillion in fat just a start

The Democratic Party of Japan will pare wherever possible wasteful government spending and also attempt to enhance the quality of the annual budget, state minister Yoshito Sengoku said Friday in an interview.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20091010a2.html

Comment: This is one of the areas in which I agree with the DPJ. There is far too much government waste. I further agree with the policy to end “amakudari.” But it’s probably pretty safe for me to say that every politician and party at every election since the dawn of democracy has vowed to end such practices. When parties in charge change, as we saw in the last election, history has shown us that what we usually end up with is a new fox running the hen house.

The DPJ is also using words like “transparency” to describe how they will govern. My sincere hope is they actually practice it. Transparency is precisely what the new American administration promised but they surely haven’t delivered on it. Nor, for that matter, have they delivered on any of the other promises they made. A recent Saturday Night Live skit addressed this rather appropriately. Is this what we have to look forward to here in Japan?

http://mashable.com/2009/10/06/snl-obama-accomplishments/

If Japan is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 as targeted by the government, it would have to build one nuclear power plant every year, International Energy Agency Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said Friday.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nb20091010a6.html

Comment: This is a good example of the law of unintended consequences in action. People seem to forget that all actions/decisions have consequences. Going green means going nuclear if you want to maintain your present level of comfort and lifestyle. If you forget all about the problem of what to do with nuclear waste, it’s the cleanest and most reliable source of energy anywhere. If that gives you the willies, there is always option “B” which is akin to living in third world squalor.

This whole “going green” and Japan “nuking up” issue reminded me of a man off the street interview I saw recently where some housewife up in mainland Japan said she thought that we should all switch to all electric cars because they don’t pollute! That’s the problem with the whole “Going Green” scam. It’s the old shell game. You know the one where the huckster has three shells and you have to guess which one has the pea under it. By the time most people figure out there is no pea under any of them, it’s too late.

The problem with “all electric” or even hybrid cars for that matter that people can’t see is they do pollute and in some cases, much more! First of all, the electricity from which they derive their power has to be generated at a power plant. That means coal, gas, or nuclear fuel is burned to make the electricity that is put into the car batteries. That means that electric cars are not “carbon neutral!” The second thing is the toxic chemicals that are in those car batteries are not easily disposed of after they are fully spent and can no longer maintain a proper charge.

In addition to the heavy metals and toxic materials in those batteries, let’s not forget all those lightweight composite and synthetic materials that are used to make the car lighter and more efficient. Don’t forget all of that electronic stuff like your car navigator and the onboard computers. That is made with heavy metals too. These materials are extremely difficult to dispose of and in many cases, they are likewise extremely toxic. So you just can’t bury them in the ground or burn them. Leaving them in a junkyard could result in those metals leaching into the ground and poisoning the groundwater.  

Lastly, even with an “all electric” car, you just can’t get away from petroleum products. There are plastics used throughout the vehicle for a wide variety of different parts and just in case you didn’t know, plastics are made from petroleum. You’ll also need petroleum products for the different fluids to lubricate the moving parts of your “all electric” car. Then there is the synthetic materials that make your tires last longer and don’t forget that asphalt to pave the roads and your driveway are all made from petroleum derivatives.

Thank you “Greenies,” in addition to all of the other stuff that we already had, your zealous adherence to your faith in Gaia has given us a host of new and potentially more toxic poisons to worry about! Who’s going to save us from them?

The Democratic Party of Japan has finally revamped its internal leadership framework after arduous negotiations following its resounding victory in the Aug. 30 House of Representatives election.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20091010TDY03105.htm

Comment: I wonder what Mr. Hatoyama will think when he finds out that he’s really not running the show? I find it funny that in eight years of George W. Bush, the press made fun about what a dolt he was and how Vice President Cheney was the power behind the throne. Here we actually see it happening in Japan (and most likely in the U.S. too) and nary a peep out of the press about it. At least nothing in a negative sense!

Japan, China, S Korea discuss North Korea's nukes

Leaders of China, Japan and South Korea began talks Saturday in Beijing amid signs that pressure on North Korea to rejoin nuclear disarmament negotiations may be yielding results.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/japan-china-s-korea-discuss-north-korea-nukes

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The leaders of South Korea and Japan stood united Friday in saying North Korea should not be offered aid until the communist regime takes concrete steps to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20091009p2g00m0dm003000c.html

Scientist: Carbon Dioxide Doesn't Cause Global Warming

A noted geologist who coauthored the New York Times bestseller Sugar Busters has turned his attention to convincing Congress that carbon dioxide emissions are good for the Earth and don't cause global warming.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2009/10/07/scientist-carbon-dioxide-doesnt-cause-global-warming.html

Comment: Well Duh!

YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) Police have turned a case over to prosecutors on an Ehime Prefecture man who allegedly threatened to shoot Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa for setting Japan's first local ordinance that bans smoking inside public facilities.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20091012b4.html

Comment: The above story is just a sign that things are getting stoopid on this side of the big pond too! The anti-Smoking Nazi’s have gone global and good intentioned though some of them may be, they are reaching farther and intruding more and more into people’s private lives. What should it matter to them if someone wants to smoke or not? In reality the only one being hurt is the smoker and it’s their choice as well as their responsibility for what happens to them as a result of their behavior.

I will readily admit that threatening bodily harm to anyone, regardless of whether that person is a public official or not, is something that the authorities should take seriously. Clearly the manner in which this man expressed his displeasure was over the line. Even if he isn’t prosecuted, this is Japan and he’ll likely lose his present job as well as his ability to find a new one as a result of this. There is an old Buddhist proverb that says “the nail that sticks up will be hammered down!”

Unfortunately that principle is not always practiced in equal measure across the board. When someone on the left makes idle threats against someone from the right side of the political isle, like making a movie about the assassination of a sitting President of the United States or wishing that the wife of a Supreme Court Justice would deliberately feed high fat food to give them a heart attack, this is too often excused by the press as a bad joke regardless if the person who said it was joking or not. But when the tables are turned, they don’t seem to be able to laugh quite so hard.

“Usually this prize is given to someone after a lifetime of achievement or at least after having some tangible achievements to their name. To give some idea, Theodore Roosevelt won it for having negotiated the end to the Russo-Japanese War. I have no doubt that there are worthy individuals and organizations who have toiled for much longer and achieved much more than Obama has been able to do in the past nine months. They have rewarded words over deeds and this is a bad precedent to set.”

~~~~~ Mr. Rick Blaine – Commenting to a blog thread in our Joke of the Week below.

“DingleBarry was given the Nobel prize for his excellence in handling the Skip Gates affair. Getting the professor and the cop together for a beer was pure genius and defused a potentially explosive situation. The prize money can be used to buy more beer to settle disputes in the future. All he is saying…… is give peace a chance.”

~~~~~ Mitch - Whose comment is immediately below Mr. Blaine’s in the afore mentioned thread.

“Shaken up the lines of cleavage”?? And this is worth the Nobel Prize? Did Regan and Thatcher get it for winning the cold war and liberating most of Eastern Europe??”

“Don’t make me laugh. I read that the closing date for nominations was 1 Feb – so go figure what Obama achieved in 11 days.”

~~~~~ Flightpath – Further down the thread.

“Never in the course of human events has one man done so little to have been rewarded so much!”

~~~~~ Me!

As usual, the real  joke of the week isn’t a joke but as always, the joke is on us!

Obama's won the Nobel Peace – WTF?!

Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace prize and I’m still reeling at the shock. Most of us are, I should think.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100013074/obamas-won-the-nobel-peace-wtf/

There was a time when the Nobel Peace Prize meant something. It went to men and women who earned their stature with lives of courage such as Andrei Sakharov who openly opposed the oppression of the former Soviet Union and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who gave his life for the cause of equality in which he believed.

Giving the prize to Barack Hussein Obama has rendered it a joke.

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/15598

Obama wins the Heisman Trophy after watching a college football game!

Japan entered a new political era last week after Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) head Yukio Hatoyama took over as prime minister. The long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is severely and possibly permanently crippled, and facing a leadership crisis.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20090924a3.html

Commentary: Excellent editorial above that takes an honest look at the challenges facing the new Hatoyama government. Mr. Morrison is absolutely correct in that the DPJ is a badly fractured party that was swept in to power by “Hope and Change,” the sequel! Already factions within the party, bolstered by the historic shift in power are flexing their muscles. The danger for them is if they overreach, they could possibly rip themselves apart and give the LDP a chance at being reborn. Look at the uproar with “Hope and Change” in the U.S.

Here on Okinawa the anti-base rhetoric is well on its way toward reaching fever pitch and will probably only grow stronger in the coming months. Within days of the election, victorious members of the DPJ, feeling their oats, practically stormed into the governor’s office and all but demanded that he sign on with them and call for the immediate halt of all U.S. base construction no later than yesterday, sooner if possible.

By that I’m not saying the anti-base movement doesn’t have legitimate beef’s against the U.S. military presence on Okinawa. They do. The problem with them is their approach which is visceral and acerbic. That is a problem with the political left worldwide. They think with their hearts and not their heads. Most are good intentioned people but we all know that the road to hell is paved with the afore mentioned intentions.

Furthermore, unlike the left whose emotionally based theology tells them that they need to destroy the political right and abolish them from the face of the earth, those on the right do not wish to destroy them. My personal thoughts are that there is a place for them in political discourse. Unfortunately that place is not in positions of leadership.

Why do I say that? Because presently their leadership across the globe is imperiling life as we know it. Discourse between the factions is no longer balanced. In the west, in the press has abandoned their constitutional duties and taken sides. As a result, society is step by step becoming less free and open. As of late, that transition has been happening at breakneck speed.

We haven’t quite reached that point in Japan but already signs are showing of a shift in that direction. The press on Okinawa is decidedly one sided when it comes to reporting on the U.S. military in Japan and revelations of Japan’s First Lady being an outright loon didn’t see the light of day until after the election.

My personal thoughts are that political discourse in the houses of government, no matter the particular topic, needs long in debate and to be slow to action. This is how we best assure the greatest good for the most people, protect the rights of the minority and prevent or at least minimize mistakes that cannot be easily undone. More importantly the press must recommit itself to fair and balanced reporting of the day’s events.

What has been happening in the U.S. regarding the speed of legislation is indeed frightening. The checks and balances installed by the founding fathers are gone as a result of the current one party dominance which is further aided by a compliant media. One great danger in democratic societies is single party dominance by those who do not have the rights of the minority in mind and the silencing of dissent. When this happens, Fascism is surely waiting in the wings for its cue to assert itself.

My sincere hope is that this doesn’t take place in Japan but I’m not silly enough to hold my breath on the matter. While they are not quite to where the U.S. and Europe are now, they are moving in that direction and they also have a history of making quantum shifts in ideology very quickly. Just remember that they made the shift from feudalism to a constitutional monarchy to fascism to democracy all within the last 150 years.