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

If you believe what you see and hear in the mainstream media, the election in the U.S. is over and the junior senator from Illinois has won it. From what I’ve seen on television, the press in Japan is pretty much excited about the prospect. After all, this will mark the moment when the sea levels begin to fall and the planet will miraculously start to heal.

In Okinawa, home to a major contingent of U.S. military personnel and a large number of U.S. bases, the interest is also quite high. Many who I’ve engaged with on the internet forums pertaining to the subject are convinced that this means the end of the “alleged” new bases, soon the U.S. military will leave their island paradise and all lands that have been appropriated for U.S. military use will be returned.

Before anyone gets too excited, let me remind you that the world’s economy has been brought to the brink by social engineering in the U.S. Congress. By creating policies and laws that made it virtually unlawful not to loan monies to people who otherwise couldn’t qualify, the Congress of the United States along with the Carter and Clinton Administrations have brought the Capitalist system to the brink of collapse. The recent bailout attempts, in countries around the world (not just in the U.S.) have compounded the problem by putting the very foxes who threatened the chickens in charge of the coop.

Furthermore, Obama and his minions intend to raise taxes in order to pay for more social engineering, not just in America but around the world. Common sense tells you that when people have less of their own money to spend, they will do their best to hold on to what little they’ve got. This means less money circulating in the economy purchasing goods and services. This means lower profits to businesses both large and small and at a minimum, means slower if not a complete halt in job growth.

The socialist solution will be to create make work projects to expand infrastructure. Just like the “New Deal” under FDR, in the “Raw Deal” of an Obama Administration, we’ll see the economy driven more by the government instead of the free market. But government has to have money in order to create such projects. In an economic down turn such as we are on the verge of, that probably means borrowing more money. If so, where will they borrow it from?

If the government prints more, that means inflation, if they borrow more, that means more debt (either foreign, national or both) or they can tax the people even more which means even less money in the domestic economy chasing goods and services than before. If the Obama team chooses the latter, and it’s a very good bet that this option is high on their list since that is what they say they will do, the economy will be further stifled. Can you say Jimmy Carter II? Is there anyone else out there as old as me who can remember the “misery index?” Heaven help us all!

So now you’re probably asking me, what the hell does all this have to do with the situation here on Okinawa? Lots! First of all, Okinawa isn’t even on the presidential radar screen. It’s a speck on the map that is only valuable to world security as a result of its strategic location. From this location, America can quickly respond to regional threats. For the Japanese, it serves as a buffer zone to protect the nation’s southern flank. Sadly, Okinawa is for the most part an afterthought to both the American’s and the Japanese!

So when it comes to changes on Okinawa as a result of an Obama victory, here’s my predictions of the probable outcomes.

-Regarding the reduction of U.S. troops here, no change.

-Regarding the proposed closure of the Marine Air Base at Futenma and the construction of the “alleged” new base at Camp Schwab, no change.

-Any other miscellaneous issue you can think of regarding the presence of U.S. forces in Japan, no change.

In short, for the people of Okinawa, don’t get your hopes up that an Obama presidency means the answer to your prayers. Senator Obama probably doesn’t even know where Okinawa is let alone the problems you face. He will be saddled with a lagging economy caused by the very policies he and his party espouse. With a great deal of luck, he may avoid turning a major market correction from a potential recession into a major economic depression. If you were betting on an Obama presidency as being your hope for salvation, you bet on the wrong horse and you made the mistake of listening to the talking heads in the media.

There’s still hope. The division in the electorate is a whole lot closer than the Democratic Party Propaganda Ministry officials, aka the mainstream media are telling you! The heavily skewed polls being released now are beginning to tighten just as they always do. Both Gore and Kerry were up at this point in past contests.
Even with all he has going for him in this election, the Junior Senator from Illinois hasn’t closed the deal. He fizzled toward the end of the primaries against Hillary and he’s showing signs of fizzling now. This election is going to be a lot closer than the media is telling us.

Lastly, should the undesirable thing happen and enough fraudulent ACORN generated votes put him over the top. We still have the teachings of great economic scholars like Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell to learn from and take that into the 2012 elections. Remember that it took a Carter to give us a Reagan.

Speaking for myself alone, I’m going to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Admittedly, McCain was not my choice for the party nomination. But like many of you, I’m going to hold my nose and mail in my absentee ballot today. An Obama presidency will be an abomination. Not just for the U.S. but for the world.