Is our military simply a branch of the US Empire WC 85 10th November 2019

Major Danny Sjursen is a U.S. Army strategist and former history instructor at West Point. He served tours with reconnaissance units in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has written a memoir and critical analysis of the Iraq War, Ghostriders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.  He lives with his wife and four sons near Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

This confession of an West Point Major who taught hundreds of future US army Officer Cadets makes for difficult reading.
But we need to understand just what never ending wars has done to the US because, in many respects we [NZ and Australia] are heading down the same track.

The long term effects of constantly taking part in the various wars since 9/11. The US is an empire hell bent on supporting its out of control world wide ambition to sell weapons and arms to various dictatorships around the world at large. In fact these sales are vital to its economy. Saudies and Isreali's are too clear examples of US dependency on the arms industry.

This attitude has resulted in the soon to be impeached US President to state "that the US will defend its OIL in Syria" even though it actually has no real or legal claim over another countries oil supply. I've been expecting the US to claim ownership over New Zealand's oil supplies. Can you imagine a US military base set up in NZ to protect its interests. Norman Kirk and other progressive leaders must be turning in their graves at the progressive and massive increase in US empire building.  

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/11/07/watching-my-students-turn-soldiers-empire?cd-origin=rss&utm_term=AO&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_content=email&utm_source=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_medium=Email

Caring citizens protest outside of Horizens HQ in PN [2018]

On the local scene, It was great to see that Horizons is showing some guts in charging a elected member of Horizons Council with failing to comply with the rules.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/117225632/horizons-lays-charges-against-new-councillor-john-turkington-and-his-company.

This shows clearly for all see that Horizons has been gentle in the past to farming wards of the regional Council.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, Turkington said he and his company John Turkington Ltd had been charged by Horizons with breaching the Resource Management Act.

According to court documents filed in the Whanganui District Court, he and the company face three charges each.

Horizons took a step in the direction of recognition of the urgency to recognise the need to protect the enviroment, when it dumped its Chairperson Bruce Gordon and replaced him with progressive re-elected Rachel Keedwell just a couple of weeks ago.

Ex Horizons chair Bruce GordonAdd caption

Horizons Regional Council struck its rates at a full council meeting at the last meeting before the election, with rates going up 4.88 per cent on average in the rural wards.

The rise was set to be 5.05 per cent, but a late weird move by chairman Bruce Gordon brought them down. Horizons rates in Palmerston North are set to rise more steeply – about 14 per cent. I suppose we could be forgiven for thinking that this was Bruce Gordon's last gift to the [his] dairy farmers.
During the debate on the level of rates Cr. Rachel Keedwell stated "

  That she wanted the $75,000 allocation because the community wanted more done to improve streams and rivers. She said:

"The programme was using up its reserves, so not putting in extra money meant less work would be done in the future, she said. She went on to say:

It was good and well to talk about financial responsibility, but "environmental stewardship" was important", But her logical request fell on the deaf ears of Bruce Gordon...so the city ward Palmerston North has ended up with a massive increase of 14% so you will notice that the imbalance between city and rural wards [increase in rates] was huge. So it could be said that city folk are paying to cover Bruce Gordon's dairy farm mates, continuing the pollution of the regions waterways. 

New Chairperson Rachel Keedwell.

We can only hope that under the more responsible leadership of Cr. Rachel Keedwell as Chairperson will lead to a better and fairer balance of corrective controling of our regions waterways and lakes, especially in Levin [lake Horowhenua] etc. They may even enforce the rules regarding the behaviour of Horowhenua District Council. Now that would be a great step forward.

Good leadership acts in a balanced way, with great respect for the concerns of the day: And the environment is the most important issue in this day and age.

Horizons may well now be on the right track to actually carry out its role in the larger scheme of things.

I can oly hope that the staff of Horizon's enforce the regulation across the whole region. The younger generation are seeking better and more proactive handling of the key environmental factors that are confronting communities both rural and city.

NZ / Eng 20/20 series won by England in a nail biter. photo: Photosport

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/402961/england-win-t20-series-in-super-over-against-black-caps

I had a event to attend on Sunday at 6pm so when I left home the extra over was still to be bowled...I got home about 9pm...and learned that we lost the series in the extra over, Go to the reference above to find out just how close it was...