A retired U.S. Navy commander disagrees with the recent decision by the Obama administration to relocate terrorist suspects from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to a facility in Illinois. The Obama administration plans to transfer some of the Gitmo detainees to an under-used state detention center in Thomson, Illinois, just 150 miles from Obama's hometown of Chicago. Those who support the move say it will be an economic boon for the local economy. Cdr. Kirk Lippold (USN-Ret.), who commanded the USS Cole when it was hit by terrorists, is now the senior military fellow at Military Families United. He charges the administration with ignoring the problem related to the detainees and merely treating a symptom. "If the source of jihad recruitment is Guantanamo Bay, because of what we do down there, [then] moving the facility and creating a 'Guantanamo Bay North' in and amongst our fellow Americans doesn't solve the problem -- it only solves the symptom," he argues. "And the reality of it is, Gitmo should stay open." The retired naval officer also is criticizing the White House for dangling the jobs issue like bait before the public. "[For] the administration to hold that out...especially coming into the Christmas season, is an unacceptable manipulation of people that I just find appalling," he says. Lippold still insists that the best place for the detainees is right where they are -- and that the president should abandon the idea of closing Gitmo.
Eurostat published Wednesday data on the GDP of 27 EU member-states, three EFTA countries (Norway, Switzerland and Iceland), candidate countries (Macedonia, Croatia and Turkey) and four Western Balkan states (Bosnia&Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania). Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per inhabitant in Macedonia, expressed in purchasing power standards, was 33 percent of the EU average in 2008. Bosnia&Herzegovina (31%) and Albania (26%) are the countries with lower indicators than Macedonia. Serbian GDP per inhabitant was 36 percent the EU average, whereas Montenegro (43%) is better than the last of the EU member-states, Bulgaria with 41 percent. Pertaining to the EU candidate-countries, Croatia's GDP amounts to 63 percent, whereas Turkey's 46 percent the EU average. Luxembourg heads the list with more than two and a half times the EU27 average (276%), while Ireland (135%) and the Netherlands (134%) recorded levels about one third above average. Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium were between 15% and 25% above the EU average. France, Spain and Italy registered GDP per inhabitant between 0% and 10% above the EU average, while Cyprus, Greece and Slovenia were between 0% and 10% below the average. The Czech Republic, Malta, Portugal, and Slovakia were between 20% and 30% lower than the EU average. Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland were between 30% and 50% lower, while Romania and Bulgaria were between 50% and 60% below the EU average. Luxembourg $113,044; Norway $95,062; Switzerland $67,385; Denmark $62,626; Ireland $61,810; Iceland $55,462; Sweden $52,790; Netherlands $52,019; Finland $51,989; Austria $50,098; Belgium $47,108; France $46,016; Germany $44,660; UK $43,785; Italy $38,996; Spain $35,332; Cyprus $32,772; Greece $32,005; Slovenia $27,149; Portugal $22,997; Czech Rep. $21,028; Malta $20,202; Slovak Rep. $17,630; Estonia $17,299; Croatia $15,628; Hungary $15,542; Latvia $14,997; Lithuania $14,086; Poland $13,799; Russia $11,807; Turkey $10,472; Romania $9,292; Bulgaria $6,857; Serbia $6,782; Belarus $6,234; Macedonia $4,657; Bosnia $4,625; Albania $4,074; Ukraine $3,920; Montenegro $3,800; Moldova $1,809. The GDP has traditionally been the benchmark for determining the health of an economy and every country strives to achieve higher growth rates. However the GDP overlooks one major fact which is how much are the benefits of the economic growth percolating to the weakest sections of society.
'Tis the season of giving, so it should come as no surprise that at this time Sudden Debt invokes Troy's Laocoon in Virgil's Aeneid: "Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes" (beware of Greeks bearing gifts). Why? Because as crafty inventors of the Trojan Horse Greeks may once again become infamous for yet another inside job: the euro's downfall - or, at least, it's fall from grace. f you have been following European financial matters at all, you know by now that Greece is in dire straits. It is beset by that trio of trouble that gives finance ministers white hairs by the hundreds: huge public debt (~120% of GDP), huge budget deficit (~13% of GDP for 2009), huge current account deficit (~10% of GDP for 2009). Oh, and its private sector debt went from 38% of GDP to 100% in less than a decade, mostly because households jumped on the debt wagon: their debt went from 15% to 50% of GDP in the same period, mostly on mortgage borrowing and higher housing prices. Does the pattern sound familiar? Of course it does... this model of "economic growth", which substituted increased borrowing for earned income, was repeated all over the western world. The immediate result is that rating agencies have now cut their marks for Greek government debt to BBB+, the lowest in the eurozone (S&P and Fitch. Moody's is still A1 but will soon downgrade) and borrowing costs have soared. Greek government 10-year bonds are currently yielding 5.74%, 271 basis points (2.71%) over the equivalent German bonds. In the years of the credit boom, of easy money and bubbly assets, this spread was a mere 20-30 b.p. Likewise, credit default swaps (CDS) for Greek sovereign debt have now soared to 270-275 points, up from 10-15. All this trouble brewing in eurozone's weakest link is causing reasonable questions for the euro's viability as a global reserve currency. After all, claim the euro-naysayers, what is the EU if not a mere free trade zone with a common currency attached? In other words, Greece may be the euro's Trojan Horse... or at least, a damn good excuse for selling euros.
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said that it is logical and good for Serbia to join the European Union. Moratinos was in Brussels presenting the priorities of the Spanish EU presidency, which begins on January 1. He said that he talked about Serbia’s EU integration recently during a trip to Belgrade. Moratinos said that it is up to the Serbian government to decide when it will submit the application for EU candidacy, and said that no one can deny Serbia’s will, and the will of the Serbian people and society, to join the EU. Asked what the policy for Kosovo will be during Spain’s presidency, considering that the country has not recognize Kosovo's independence, Moratinos said that Spain’s presidency will be absolutely neutral in relations to Kosovo, taking into consideration that 22 EU member-states have recognized Kosovo and five have not. Moratinos added that Spain intends on organizing a high level meeting on the 10-year anniversary of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Zagreb, adding that the Kosovo government will be invited to participate, “but only in accordance with international conditions and under the UN mission."
Russia and the US have made excellent progress on the new strategic arms treaty and an agreement is near, the Russian and US presidents told the press after their Friday meeting in Copenhagen. However, both leaders did not give any precise date for the signing, saying only that the treaty will be signed at an appropriate time. Further, the US president thanked his Russian counterpart for being an effective partner at the talks. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told reporters that as the Friday meeting took place during the Copenhagen summit, the two presidents concentrated on climate issues in their talks. An aide to the Russian president, Sergei Prikhodko, told the press on Friday that the new strategic arms treaty would not be signed before the end of this year. He added that the treaty only needed coordination of technical issues and said the exact date of the signing had not been not revealed on purpose so that no additional pressure is applied on the delegations. The Russian official added that the work on the document would continue in January and that no further issues were preventing the treaty from being signed.
The Iraqi army has been put on alert because of threats against the country's Christian minority over the coming Christmas holidays, the defence ministry spokesman said on Friday. "We have put our forces on alert in Baghdad, the provinces of Kirkuk and Nineveh, including its capital Mosul, where our Christian brothers will be celebrating their holidays, because we have intelligence indicating they could be attacked during this period," General Mohammed al-Askari told AFP. Askari said the latest attacks on churches "carry the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda, and we are going to take serious measures to assure the security of churches and avoid terrorist attacks." Hundreds of Christians have been murdered since the US-led invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003, and tens of thousands have fled the country. The community has dwindled from 800,000 to around 550,000 now. On Thursday, Christian Zeid Majid Yussef, 30, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in the main northern city of Mosul. Two days earlier, bombers struck two churches in Mosul, killing a baby and wounding at least 40 people, among them schoolchildren, police and medics said. One bomb struck the Syrian Catholic Church of the Annunciation. The second, a car bomb, struck the Syrian Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary and an adjacent Christian school in the city centre, police said. And on November 26, bombs hit a church and a convent in Mosul, causing severe damage but no casualties. Last year, thousands of Christians fled Mosul in the face of violence that claimed the lives of 40 members of the community.
Albuquerque police are on the lookout for a book of gospels and a sacred cloth stolen sometime Monday from St. George Greek Orthodox church in Albuquerque. The two items appear to be the only items that were taken, according to Father Paul A. Patitsas of St. George. However, the two items are the most sacred items in the church. "It's very precious to us, though, because it represents to us Christ," Patitsas told News 13. "We use it in every worship and every service." The "Holy Gospel Book" was given to the church three years ago. It contains scripture readings both in Greek and English. For now, the church on High Street SE at Coal Avenue is using a back-up book written only in Greek. The sacred cloth, called an Antimension, is a silk rectangular piece of cloth decorated with representations of Christ from the cross. Patitsas said Albuquerque Police Department officers are now checking local pawn shops to see if the book of gospels turns up. The book has a street value of a couple of thousand dollars, he said. "Hopefully, whoever has it will be returning it," Patitsas said. "If they hope to sell it, we hope that whoever they offer it too would understand that has something in value and price only to the orthodox." Anyone has any information on the stolen items can contact Albuquerque Crime Stoppers at 843-STOP (843-7867)and could earn a reward of up to $1,000.