Happy Fourth of July to ALL our Allies

[TVVELVEMO$]

America celebrates its 235th birthday. Just to add more flavor to AE's vivid 4th of July portrayal; many folks head to the beaches, some get out their red, white & blues to show love for their homeland. Citizen soldiers of old wars muster for parades around thousands of small American towns. There are log rolling contests and barbeque cook outs. As mentioned, many gravitate to water as on lakes, rivers and ponds ( suggested viewing "On the Golden Pond"). Unlike Pakistanis who enjoy buttermilk aka Lassi; many Americans enjoy beer or two while riding around in power boats. Ofcourse some quietly slip into a medium sized fishing boat and go bass fishing (but enough about me). Many Americans attend readings and re-enactments from Independence. At the end of long hot summer day, many gather in parks and other designated places to witness and revel in the fire works.

If Pakistanis do not currently wish to be called allies, that is fine. There are likes of Richard Haas who echo your(PP) sentiments in reverse. I say let's call it a partnership of friends (at least some Pakistanis want to be friends if not mastered ones). A cooling off is over due.

And to the Kashmir sidebar I will only say these:
-If 4th of July inspires Kashmiris to be free of what they see as an occupying army; then more power to them.
-Unelected Pakistanis leaders have done grave harm to their nationhood in the past. I hope Pakistanis will not allow that to happen again.
Grandpa Bhutto + old Generals did many pointless things. BUT I do not think Pakistan involved China to spite India. At that point India had refused all suggestions by Admiral Nimitz to move forward with the Kashmiri self-determination; primarily suggesting that because of US - Pak treaty (which enabled AE to be in Karachi in the first place), US was no longer a trustworthy mediator. US then decided not to put its considerable muscle/heft behind this effort. Ironically now that US is pursuing a strategic partnership with India the shoe is on the other foot, Huh!
Had US used its enormous resources/diplomatic gravitas then, it most probably would have reaped many benefits in the present scenario. Except Nehru most Indians had no emotional ties to kashmir or its people, they would have gotten over it as against Pakistanis who it seems will never get over it (full analysis for another day). US may have prevented more wars in Southern Asia, nuclearization of Pakistan and its embrace of Red China. Yes my long winded point is that Pakistan dragged the Dragon into South Asia to spite US- an ally grown weary of helping Pakistan gain that one thing it always wanted.
-Whatever happened in the past is a lesson to all. When Obama dangles Kashmir in front of Pakistanis and dextrously backtracks, he is doing no favors to anyone. The great Holbroke saw a continuum of crises from Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran & Gulf, Kurdistan, Turkey and balkans. America needs more Nimitz less Obama.

If there is a 51st state, it will be Puerto Rico.

Happy fourth to all.

 

[American Eagle]

A very adroit analysis!

The needs of the masses both in Pakistan and India require the resources of both great nations be on their own nation building, which is and will continue ad infinatum a huge long term expense.

The fact that Pakistan was founded by a huge Muslim exodus from old India still left very many millions of Muslims who chose to stay and help build what is now the greatest democracy in SW and the edge of SE Asia, the modern day nation of India.

So I am clear that many, many Muslims are factually very good and loyal citizens of the nations wherein they reside. This is true both of India and of Paksitan, and for that matter, it is a growing truth in the USA, despite radicals inroads with mislead ex patriot Paksitanis in my part of the SE USA, who in small, not large numbers, have shamed their families by going overseas to be radicals and to kill other Muslims in nations where they have no business being to begin with.

Again thank your for your history pointers and your goodwill here.