The US Position.

Yesterday (24/8/15) I went through a series of incidents that occurred in response to a Turkish air-strike against the Dohuk region of northern Iraq which Turkey claimed was targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). I touched on the US' contribution to this discussion but said that it needed to be covered in more detail.

On Monday (24/8/15) local time - Sunday (23/8/15) US time - there was an explosion at a US military base in Tokyo, Japan. This was reminiscent of the very large explosion that occurred in Tianjin, China on August 12th (12/8/15). Although it covered a range of issues the Tianjin explosion was primarily a reference to the inquiry that is being set up by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) into chemical weapon use in Syria - specifically the question of whether that inquiry will be allowed to consider the use of chemical weapons by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria and Iraq.

On Friday (21/8/15) the US confirmed what Germany amongst others had already established - ISIL had used Sulphur Mustard Gas against Kurdish positions in northern Iraq on August 11th (11/8/15). That same day ISIL again used Sulphur Mustard Gas against Kurdish positions.

On Saturday (21/8/15) there was another much smaller explosion at a chemical plant in Shangdong, China. Essentially this was China - as a permanent member of the UNSC - posing the question of if they tabled a resolution condemning ISIL's chemical weapons use would the US veto it?

In the immediate aftermath of the explosion in Tokyo there were rumours that nuclear material was being stored on the site prompting worries of a radiation leak. This seemed to be the US indicating that they view ISIL's use of chemical weapons as being a radioactive issue that they're in no rush to go anywhere near.

This suggests that much like the recent resolution on Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 the US views the purpose of the UN inquiry as being a way to condemn the Syrian government rather then establish facts.

This is quite troubling because there are really three types of chemical weapons. In the top tier there are nerve agents such as Sarin and VX gas which attack the brain and nervous system. A very small amount of this type of weapon can very quickly kill a large number of people. The unwritten convention is that if a nerve agent is used then nuclear weapons will be used in response.

In the next tier there are blister agents such as Sulphur Mustard Gas and Nitrogen Mustard Gas. These attack the soft tissue in the skin, eyes and lungs stopping them from working properly. If you are exposed to large amounts of a blister agent you'll go blind or start bleeding into your lungs preventing you from breathing. This is extremely unpleasant but it requires a high concentration of the gas to cause any major health problems.

In the third tier there are pulmonary agents such as Chlorine gas and CS (tear) gas. These irritate the eyes and lungs in the same way that pollen does to hay-fever sufferers. Unless you have pre-existing condition such as asthma these are generally harmless. However if the gas is used in such high concentrations that it completely fills your lungs cutting off the supply of oxygen you can suffocate. However that is true of any gas, even inert ones.

Although the first task of the inquiry would be to look for evidence the Syrian government have only ever been accused of using Chlorine gas as a weapon. If the US is outraged by that but not by the use of a much more serious chemical weapon by ISIL then it is obvious that there is a clear double standard at work, in ISIL's favour.

Obviously the rumour of a radiation leak fed into the ongoing discussion within Japan over the use of nuclear power. Following the March 11th 2011 (11/3/11) earthquake and tsunami the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant went into meltdown forcing an 20km (12 mile) exclusion zone to be set up due to the risk of a large scale radiation leak.

In response the Japanese government ordered all of the countries 18 nuclear power plants to be shut down causing electricity shortages across the country. On August 11th (11/8/15) Japan re-opened the Sendai nuclear power plant for the first time amid protests and continuing safety concerns by a large section of the Japanese public.

The fact the explosion occurred at a US military base brought up everything that has ever been said about US military bases in Japan. Basically since the end of the second world war the US has maintained large military bases on Japan officially to protect Japanese who as punishment for the second world war aren't allowed a military of their own.

However due to the tendency for US military aircraft to crash along with the disruption caused by large numbers service personnel these military bases cause a lot of tension with the Japanese public. The Okinawa base has been a particularly long running area of dispute.

However as with the nuclear power issue this was more camouflage rather then an issue that was being seriously addressed.

The nuclear fears also touched on the current tensions between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK/North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (ROK/South Korea). Every year since the 1960's the US and South Korea hold joint military drills to deter an attack by North Korea. Every year this escalates tension which normally involves North Korea shooting something into the sea and then either the US or South Korea making some sort of concession - normally food aid - to North Korea.

As part of it's "Pivot Towards the Pacific" policy over the past few years the US has been encouraging North Korea to become more reckless and aggressive so the US can use it as a sort of bogeyman that everyone else in the region will look to the US to protect them from. As part of this in January 2014 North Korean President Kim Jong Un had his uncle Jang Song-thaek executed and purged his allies from government. Jang was really the main go-between with China helping the Chinese to moderate North Korea's behaviour.

As part of North Korea's more reckless and aggressive stance in July they started planting landmines in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) on the border between North and South Korea. On August 3rd (3/8/15) one these mines exploded seriously injuring two South Korean soldiers. In response South Korea set up giant banks of loudspeakers to broadcast propaganda messages across the border. This enraged North Korea making for a particularly tense exercise season.

On August 20th (20/8/15) North Korea fired into South Korea in an attempt to destroy one of these banks of loudspeakers. South Korea obviously returned fire. This prompted North Korea to put it's entire military on a war footing which included sending 50 of it's 70 submarines to sea and assembling landing craft on the maritime border. With North Korea possessing nuclear weapons this was a particularly alarming move.

Realising that they could no longer rely on China to help talk North Korea down the US promptly went into a panic temporarily suspending the military drills in what seemed to be a signal to South Korea that the US would be prepared to make any concession just to calm the situation down.

Fortunately having played this game numerous times before North and South Korea met up for marathon negotiations which saw South Korea agree to stop the broadcasts but keep the loudspeakers in place while North Korea expressed regret over the injuries to the South Korea soldiers. As a result North Korea has today begun to remove it's military from a war footing and South Korea is doing likewise.

What I found amusing was that shortly after the explosion at the US military base in Tokyo there was another explosion - this time at a steelworks near Tokyo's Haneda Airport. This seemed to be Japan indicating that although there are tensions with their neighbour they'd like to speak to China themselves rather then having the US speak on their behalf.

At around 17:55 on 25/8/15 (UK date) I haven't even got onto the tour bus crash in New York, US yesterday but being a Tuesday I think I'm done for the day.

Edited at around 19:10 on 25/8/15 (UK date) to add;

As I mentioned yesterday shortly after the explosion at the US military facility in Tokyo there was a security alert at San Francisco airport, US that was caused by a toy hand-grenade. This was obviously an attempt to mock the issues raised by the UK in the Shoreham air crash. After all who's afraid of a children's toy.

The US continued with the insults on Monday (24/8/15) with the crash of a tour bus into a building in the Queen's district of New York City. "Queen" is a slang term for a certain type of extremely camp and extremely bitchy gay man. For example you have a "Drag Queen." This stereotype of a gay man is so widely known that it is sometimes used as a homophobic insult - particularly when it is used against someone who is not gay.

The timing of that insult against the UK's position was particularly unfortunate because earlier in the day the UNSC held it's first ever session on gay rights. This focused particularly on ISIL's routine murder of people they suspect of being homosexual. This is of course an important issue alongside ISIL's routine murder of pretty much everyone else.

However it struck me as every accusation of homophobia that the US hurled at Russia during the 2014 Olympics in order to punish them for their opposition to ISIL being gathered up by the international community and thrown straight back in the US' face.

The UK is obviously ruled by an actual Queen so the US saying that the "Queen's House" has been destroyed is quite a strong statement.

The fact the incident involved a tour bus seems to be a reference to Rihanna's 2013 Diamond's World Tour. This was intended to remind the UK that it had no moral qualms being involved in that operation. It was also an opportunity for the US to further accuse me of wrecking the operation. I will happily wear that accusation with pride but I should point out that a plan that centred on a popstar being able to befuddle the nations that compete in the Eurovision Song Contest every year probably wasn't a great plan to begin with.

This specific tour bus was being operated by the "Resorts World Casino." This was a reference to the great casino of global stock markets and capitalism. I hope this wasn't the US indicating that it is prepared to overlook ISIL's crimes in order to preserve the US economy because part of the Tianjin explosion was China - as the US' main economic rival - pointing out that Obama's making a right mess of that too.

I've been spending most of the day trying to come up with an apt gambling metaphor for how badly Obama is doing but the best I've come up with is; "It's like he's playing roulette and always betting on blue."

Despite initial reports that is was a house that had been destroyed it was actually a mixed use building. On the top floors there were residential apartments whilst on the ground floor there was a small law firm. This invocation of the law could well have been a reference to the differing legal positions regarding ISIL.

People such as myself view UNSC resolution 2170 (2014) as prohibiting any nation *coughs* Turkey from providing any form of support to either ISIL or the Al Qaeda led Army of Conquest/Jaish al-Fatah (JAF) coalition. I also see Article 2(4) of the UN Charter as prohibiting any nation *coughs* Turkey from using force to bring about regime change in Syria, Iraq or any other nation.

Obama clearly disagrees with me but if you look at the nonsense of his Black Lives Matter mob it's clear that for a law professor he has an extremely poor grasp on even the basic principles.

This reference to this type of small, likely family owned law practice could also be a reference to the lawyer who drew up the powers of attorney for my grandmother and in doing so possibly committed the crime against humanity of cruel and inhumane treatment by way of unlawful medical experimentation. I hope that wasn't the case though because if the people who are prepared to do that have looked at ISIL and gone; "They're taking things to far" whilst I - as the aggrieved party - am prepared to enter into a temporary and uneasy alliance with them against ISIL then surely it is sign that Obama is clearly on the wrong side of this argument.

In response to America's sulkies today in the UK there was a Chlorine gas leak at a swimming pool in Saint Andrews. Apparently this is a place in Scotland rather then my local Catholic Church. However 19 people were treated by paramedics after being exposed to the gas before being sent home.

After all the correct medical procedure for someone who has been exposed to Chlorine gas is to hook them up to a fancy machine that goes beep and shine a torch in their eyes a couple of times to convince them you're doing something medical before sending them home because there is absolutely nothing wrong with them.

Also in the UK a car crashed into a building on Poppyfields Way in Doncaster. In the UK the Poppy is used as a symbol to remember our war dead. That is because during the First World War 800,000 young British men were sent to die by their country with little choice in the matter. From the fields in which they fell thousands of blood red Poppies spontaneously grew once the guns fell silent. In the Second World War 450,000 were taken because simply it needed to be done.

Judging by the way he ran away from Iraq and tried to run away from the Poppy fields of Afghanistan Obama clearly doesn't have the courage for this type of fight. Therefore he should step aside and make room for someone who has.

20:15 on 25/8/15 (UK date).