Petraeus On Leadership
Transcript: Gen. Petraeus on his leadership role models -- Washington Post
Transcript: Gen. Petraeus on staying strong through 'horrific news'. -- Washington Post
Hat Tip: Small Wars Journal.
New US Cybersecurity Laws Will Give The President Emergency Powers
Cybersecurity Bill To Give President New Emergency Powers -- The HillThe president would have the power to safeguard essential federal and private Web resources under draft Senate cybersecurity legislation.
According to an aide familiar with the proposal, the bill includes a mandate for federal agencies to prepare emergency response plans in the event of a massive, nationwide cyberattack.
The president would then have the ability to initiate those network contingency plans to ensure key federal or private services did not go offline during a cyberattack of unprecedented scope, the aide said.
Read more ....
My Comment: Do they know something that they are not telling us?
President Obama Signs An Extension To The Patriot Act For One More Year
Obama Signs One-Year Extension Of Patriot Act -- AJCWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed a one-year extension of several provisions in the nation's main counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act.
Provisions in the measure would have expired on Sunday without Obama's signature Saturday.
The act, which was adopted in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, expands the government's ability to monitor Americans in the name of national security.
Three sections of the Patriot Act that stay in force will:
Read more ....
My Comment: An important topic of discussion that was completely absent from the Sunday morning news/political talk shows.
Technology Has Made It Impossible To Conduct Assassinations In The Shadows
Some of the identity photographs of suspects in the killing of Mahmoud al Mabhouh released by the Dubai police on Wednesday. Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesA Perfectly Framed Assassination -- Wall Street Journal
Stepped-up surveillance technology may be tipping the scales in the cat-and-mouse game between spies and their targets. Robert Baer on the current state of spycraft.
It was a little after 9 p.m. when a Palestine Liberation Organization official stepped out of the elevator into the lobby of Paris's Le Meridien Montparnasse, a modern luxury hotel that caters to businessmen and well-heeled tourists. The PLO official was going to dinner with a friend, who was waiting by the front desk. As they pushed out the Meridien's front door, they both noticed a man on a divan looking intently at them. It was odd enough that at dinner they called a contact in the French police. The policeman advised the PLO official to go directly back to the hotel after dinner and stay put. The police would look into it in the morning.
Read more ....
My Comment: I am sure that many intelligence agencies will be spending a lot of time in understanding what went right ... and what went wrong .... in this assassination hit. Robert Baer gives some insight on what they are up against.
New Think And Old Weapons -- A Commentary
From The New York Times:Every four years the White House issues a “nuclear posture review.” That may sound like an anachronism. It isn’t. In a world where the United States and Russia still have more than 20,000 nuclear weapons — and Iran, North Korea and others have seemingly unquenchable nuclear appetites — what the United States says about its arsenal matters enormously.
President Obama’s review was due to Congress in December. That has been delayed, in part because of administration infighting. The president needs to get this right. It is his chance to finally jettison cold war doctrine and bolster America’s credibility as it presses to rein in Iran, North Korea and other proliferators.
Read more ....
My Comment: An interesting set of ideas .... but the Russians (so far) have shown zero interest in pursuing any of them. Their focus is to go step by step .... and they do not want surprises like missile defense thrown into the mix. But in the meantime they are modernizing their nuclear stockpiles, and keeping their options open.
The U.S. should do the same.
Zimbabwe Slides Back Into Economic Crisis
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe attends the swearing-in ceremony of his Mozambican counterpart Armando Guebuza for a second term in office in the capital Maputo, January 14, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Grant Lee NeuenburgMugabe Forces Handover Of White-Owned Companies To Black Zimbabweans -- Times Online
A law to force white-owned companies to surrender 51 per cent of their shareholdings to black Zimbabweans comes into effect today, amid panic in the country’s business sector and fears of a catastrophic slide back into economic chaos.
Six weeks from now all companies with a relatively modest asset value of at least US$500,000 (£325,000) will have to submit official forms detailing the race of each of their shareholders. If whites are in the majority they will have to submit their “indigenisation plans”, which have to be carried out within five years.
Read more ....
More News On Zimbabwe
Mugabe defends sale of foreign firms to locals -- AFP
ZANU-PF Politburo Endorses Controversial Zimbabwe Indigenization Regulations -- Voice of America
Zimbabwe presses on with local ownership law: minister -- Washington Post/Reuters
We're taking white-owned companies! -- Al Jazeera
Zimbabwe's Mugabe, 86, to party amid distress -- Reuters
African leaders show there are many countries for old men -- The Guardian
Zimbabwean President Mugabe Says Government Too Broke To Raise Wages -- Voice of America
Mugabe to celebrate 86th birthday with televised £325,000 lobster feast -- The Telegraph
Violent Islamic Groups Within Pakistan Are Now Targeting Their Own Country
Frustrated Strivers In Pakistan Turn To Jihad -- New York TimesLAHORE, Pakistan — Umar Kundi was his parents’ pride, an ambitious young man from a small town who made it to medical school in the big city. It seemed like a story of working-class success, living proof in this unequal society that a telephone operator’s son could become a doctor.
But things went wrong along the way. On campus Mr. Kundi fell in with a hard-line Islamic group. His degree did not get him a job, and he drifted in the urban crush of young people looking for work. His early radicalization helped channel his ambitions in a grander, more sinister way.
Read more ....
My Comment: The New York Times uses the example of a medical student and his road to jihad as an illustration of what ails Pakistan, but this example is just the tip of the iceberg. All of Pakistan's Islamic base insurgencies can be traced to the explosive growth and the Islamic radicalization of madrases in Pakistan's educational system. Instead of teaching science, engineering, practical skills and knowledge for the future .... millions are instead taught about Islam, intolerance, jihad, and hatred towards "non-believers" .... all educational skills that have zero value in the real world. With no prospects or future ahead of them .... jihad then becomes the career choice for many of Pakistan's young.
Iran Rebel Group Jundallah Announces A New Leader
Jundallah say Abdolmalek Rigi's confession of US links was extracted under torture [AFP]Iranian Rebels Pick New Leader -- Al Jazeera
Iran's most prominent rebel Sunni movement, Jundullah, has named a new leader to replace Abdolmalek Rigi, following his capture by security forces earlier this week.
According to the SITE monitoring agency on Sunday,
Muhammad Dhahir Baluch was appointed to head "the People's Resistance Movement in Iran".
Rigi, Iran's most wanted fugitive, was seized on Tuesday after Iranian warplanes reportedly forced a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan to land in Iran.
Read more ....
More News On The Jundullah Rebel Movement In Iran
Iranian insurgent group chooses new leader -- AP
Iran rebel group Jundallah announces new leader -- Christian Science Monitor
IRAN: In televised appearance, rebel leader confirms Tehran hardliners' narrative of U.S. support for opposition -- L.A. Times
Iran Sunni rebel says U.S. offered him military aid: report -- Reuters
Rebel leader capture delights Iranian press -- BBC
Pentagon denies links with Jundallah terrorists -- Press TV (Iran)
Downsizing The US Coast Guard
Budget Cuts Proposed for Coast Guard -- First Coast NewsJACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The U.S. Coast Guard is facing $155 million in cuts to its capital spending budget, according to federal documents.
The cuts, described in documents from U.S. Rep. John Mica's office, came as a shock to Mica of Florida.
"We were stunned - both Republicans and Democrats - that the administration would propose dramatic cuts in the Coast Guard which is our first line of national security and domestic defense and safety," said Mica in a phone conversation Friday.
Mica said the proposed federal budget for 2011 would:
Read more ....
More News on the US Coast Guard
Coast Guard pick wants to refine homeland mission -- AP
Senators Oppose Coast Guard Budget Cut -- Global Security Newswire
Increasing Opposition to Coast Guard Budget Cuts -- HS Today
Obama's coast guard cuts: a recipe for disaster (Rep. John Mica) -- The Hill
Obama Coast Guard Budget Courts Disaster -- Cape May Herald County
Putting the Coast Guard Out to Sea -- New York Times
Is The Locker Bomber Beating Cancer?
Home comforts: Al-Megrahi with his family at their villa last yearafter he was freed on compassionate grounds
Lockerbie Bomber May Beat Cancer (But Wasn't He Sent Back To Libya To Die? -- The Daily Mail
Freed from his life sentence, the Lockerbie bomber was sent home by the Scots on compassionate grounds because he had 'just three months' to live.
But six months later, Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed al-Megrahi is still living - and doing it in the lap of luxury.
Yesterday, his elderly father even held out the prospect of him beating the prostate cancer that doctors said would kill him by last Christmas.
Read more ....
My Comment: Everyday that this convicted mass murderer lives, everyday it makes a mockery of British/Scottish justice and any "moral" position that it believes it holds.
Is There A Morale Crisis In The British Army?
Photo: Sir David Richards has said cuts are damaging soldiers' morale. Photo from Press Association.Top General Says Afghanistan Army In Morale Crisis -- Times Online
THE head of the army has warned that British troops are facing a crisis of deteriorating morale on the home front that risks undermining the war in Afghanistan.
In a confidential draft memo prepared for ministers, General Sir David Richards, chief of the general staff (CGS), said that recent cuts to the defence budget are having a “cumulative and corrosive effect on our soldiers and their families”.
Cuts to housing, shortages of training equipment and even the cancellation of sports events between soldiers’ tours of duty were making them and their families feel “undervalued”, the army chief wrote.
Read more ...
More News On The "Morale Crisis" In The British Army
Troops in Afghanistan face defeat at home -- Times Online (opinion)
British troop morale at home risk to Afghan effort - Army chief -- Reuters
Cuts 'damaging morale of soldiers' -- Press Association
Leaked Memo: Troops' Morale Hurt By Cuts -- SKY News
My Comment: It is not only the budget cuts that is undermining morale, it is the lack of leadership and willingness to sacrifice from the PM on down .... that is hurting morale. Couple that with funding being freely administered to Al Qaeda preachers and supporters while British soldiers have problems obtaining financial support for their injuries and disabilities .... one should not be surprised that morale is in the gutter. Hell .... I am depressed just writing about this.
ETA Chief Arrested In France
Photo: Gogeascoechea (left) with the two other ETA suspectscaptured by Spanish police. Photo from CNN
ETA Leader Arrested In France -- The Telegraph
French and Spanish security forces dealt a big blow to ETA on Sunday with the arrest in north-west France of the alleged leader of the Basque separatist movement.
Ibon Gogeascoetxea Arronategi was arrested with two of his alleged top lieutenants at a country house in the tiny village of Cahan in Normandy – 400 miles north of the Spanish frontier.
The predawn raid on Cahan, which has a population 300 and is south of Caen, was the climax of a joint operation by the intelligence branches of the Police Judiciare – the French detective force – and Spain's paramilitary Civil Guard. It netted three of ETA's most wanted men.
Read more ....
More News On The Arrest Of The ETA's Leader
Spain says ETA chief arrested in France -- AP
Suspected Eta leader arrested in France, Spanish officials say -- The Guardian
Spain: Basque ETA chief arrested -- CNN
Spain says top ETA rebel leader captured in France -- Deutsche Welle
Spain says ETA rebels' top leader caught in France -- Reuters'
Suspected ETA leader arrested in France -- UPI
How To Win The Cyber-War We're Losing
Photo: Mike McConnellFrom The Washington Post:
The United States is fighting a cyber-war today, and we are losing. It's that simple. As the most wired nation on Earth, we offer the most targets of significance, yet our cyber-defenses are woefully lacking.
The problem is not one of resources; even in our current fiscal straits, we can afford to upgrade our defenses. The problem is that we lack a cohesive strategy to meet this challenge.
The stakes are enormous. To the extent that the sprawling U.S. economy inhabits a common physical space, it is in our communications networks. If an enemy disrupted our financial and accounting transactions, our equities and bond markets or our retail commerce -- or created confusion about the legitimacy of those transactions -- chaos would result. Our power grids, air and ground transportation, telecommunications, and water-filtration systems are in jeopardy as well.
Read more ....
My Comment: Another call from a former Washington Intelligence official who is deeply concerned about the trends towards cyber "insecurity" and international threats.
A Changing Of The Guard In Colombia's Presidential Politics
Colombian President Alvaro UribeColombia Election Race Starts, Santos Favored -- Reuters
BOGOTA (Reuters) - The race for Colombia's presidency began Saturday, with former defense minister Juan Manuel Santos the favorite after the South American nation's popular incumbent was blocked from running for a third term.
The Constitutional Court's decision to bar a referendum on re-election heralds an end to President Alvaro Uribe's eight-year rule, during which the U.S. ally beat back left-wing guerrillas, stabilized the economy and drew investors.
With Colombian politics fixated for more than a year on the re-election issue, and polls showing Uribe would have won easily if allowed to run, Friday's ruling represented a starting gun for other presidential aspirants.
"The campaign kicks off," leading daily El Tiempo said.
Read more ....
More News On Colombia's Presidential Election
Colombian Court Blocks President’s Bid for a Third Term -- New York Times
Colombia court rules out any Uribe bid for third term -- L.A. Times
Uribe's Bid to Seek Third Term Is Rejected -- Wall Street Journal
Colombian president can't run for third term, high court rules -- CNN
Colombia’s Uribe to Retire, Opening Path for Santos -- Business Week/Bloomberg
After eight years, Uribe a fighter until the end -- Reuters
Colombia's president: Third time, unlucky -- The Economist
The Growing Importance Of Drone Operators
Combat Generation: Drone Operators Climb On Winds Of Change In The Air Force - -Washington Post
The question, scrawled on a Pentagon whiteboard last fall, captured the strange and difficult moment facing the Air Force.
"Why does the country need an independent Air Force?" the senior civilian assistant to Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, the service's chief of staff, had written. For the first time in the 62-year history of the Air Force, the answer isn't entirely clear.
The Air Force's identity crisis is one of many ways that a decade of intense and unrelenting combat is reshaping the U.S. military and redefining the American way of war. The battle against insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq has created an insatiable demand for the once-lowly drone, elevating the importance of the officers who fly them.
Read more ....
My Comment: They play an important role today .... one can only imagine the role that they will play 10 years from now .... 20 years .... etc.
Earthquake In Chile -- News Updates February 28, 2010
Chile Counts Cost Of Earthquake As Tsunami Fears Ease -- BBC
Chile has begun to count the cost of its deadly 8.8 magnitude earthquake as nations around the Pacific eased their fears of a devastating tsunami.
The quake, on Saturday morning, killed at least 300 people - 90% of them in their homes. It is feared the damage may cost tens of billions of dollars.
One major rescue effort is in the city of Concepcion, where dozens are feared trapped in a collapsed apartment block.
Read more ....
More News On Chile's EarthquakeRescuers struggle to save lives after Chile quake -- Yahoo News/AP
Chile Earthquake Leaves Millions Homeless, Grazes Hawaii -- ABC News
Pfficials Breathe Sigh of Relief as Tsunami Passes -- New York Times
Major earthquake strikes Chile; Hawaii, Japan escape without tsunami damage -- Washington Post
Rescuers Dig for Chile Quake Survivors as Looting Erupts -- New York Times/Reuters
Death Toll Rises from Chilean Quake, Resulting Tsunami Appears Mild -- Voice of America
Chile earthquake: millions affected as toll rises to 300 -- Times Online
Chile earthquake: nation in shock as death toll climbs">Chile earthquake: nation in shock as death toll climbs -- The Telegraph
Afraid of Aftershocks, Chileans Sleep Outdoors -- Voice of America
Chile earthquake update: At least 2 million affected, president says -- CNN
1.5 Million Displaced After Chile Quake -- New York Times
Chile reels from 8.8 earthquake -- L.A. Times
Chile assesses damage after quake -- Financial Times
Chile earthquake: Photos -- CNN
Massive earthquake strikes Chile (Pictures) -- Yahoo News
Why is ATF Seizing 'Toy Guns'?
When this story first came to my attention, I thought it must be a satire piece from The Onion and all the news agencies had fallen for it. [More]Today's Gun Rights Examiner column is not a joke. Or it would be if it didn't have such serious consequences.
The high point for me was watching the video where the BATFU "expert" tries to insert a magazine backwards.
These are the people who define what they'll "allow" us to possess?
Pass this link along?
------------
GRE Round Up
It's Sunday. I'm done posting, but I did want to give you the latest from my fellow GREs, along with my standard request to share their links:
John Longenecker/Los Angeles:
Safer Streets 2010: Starbucks supports armed customers.
Kurt Hofmann/St. Louis:
Self-defense tools that Kansas City, MO police have 'approved' for women?
This Day in History: February 28
The Cattle that you collect, should cross the Delaware at Coryell's Ferry and then keep higher up the Country before they strike across. They should fall in with Schuylkill, at Potts Grove and cross the River there. A considerable escort should attend them. We lost a fine drove of 130 Head that were coming from New England, a few days ago. Some of the disaffected in Bucks County, gave information of them and a party of light Horse pushed up twenty miles and carried them off. When you come over with your detachment, you should keep a good look out between you and Philadelphia, for you may depend that they will have information of you, thro' the means of their friends with which the Country abounds. [More]
Afghanistan War News Updates -- February 28, 2010
Afghan Mission 'Gone Well' But Real Battle To Come -- BBC
On a visit to Helmand, the head of the armed forces has said that British troops have performed superbly in Operation Moshtarak, and that the initial phase has gone well.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup was speaking as he flew in to Showal, formerly the heartland of the Taliban's shadow government.
He said there were still pockets of resistance further south in Marjah, where the Americans have been fighting, and some resistance in Nad Ali, but that levels had eased considerably over the last few days.
Security was tight for Sir Jock's visit.
Read more ....
More News On Afghanistan
Expect major offensive in Kandahar: U.S official -- Globe And Mail
In Afghanistan, U.S. Plans Next Major Offensive Into Kandahar -- Huffington Post
Troops clear last of Marja -- Toronto Star
Normalcy takes root in Marja after allied offensive -- L.A. Times
Foreign soldier killed in Afghanistan: NATO -- Yahoo News/AFP
Blast kills 11 civilians in southern Afghanistan -- Yahoo News/AP
UK troops in Afghanistan 'for five years' -- Times Online
An Attack in Kabul Targeted Indian Citizens -- The Atlantic
In Afghanistan, U.S. seeks to fix a tattered system of justice -- Washington Post
Russia blames Nato for heroin surge from Afghanistan -- BBC
Taking It to the Taliban -- Time Magazine
World News Briefs -- February 28, 2010
Major Earthquake Strikes Chile; Hawaii, Japan Escape Without Tsunami Damage -- Washington Post
SANTIAGO, CHILE -- One of the most powerful earthquakes on record jolted central Chile on Saturday, smashing homes and bridges and unleashing tsunami waves that coursed across the Pacific, prompting alerts in Hawaii and dozens of countries. More than 300 people have died in the coastal South American nation.
Waves generated by the 8.8-magnitude quake started to smack Hawaiian beaches about noon local time, but they were smaller than the six-foot monsters scientists had feared. The water surged more than three feet in Kahului Bay in Maui. But there were no reports of flooding or damage, and the tsunami warning was canceled in the early afternoon, officials said.
Read more ....
MIDDLE EAST
Israel police storm holy site to quell protest.
Iranian rebel 'admits US links'. Iranian insurgent group chooses new leader.
Dubai: Hamas operative drugged, suffocated.
W. Bank sealed off for Purim.
Yemen arrests 21 separatists in south as tensions rise.
ASIA
US, Afghan forces clear last parts of Taliban area.
Suicide car bomber kills four in NW Pakistan.
Thai PM orders more security after bank blasts. Thailand’s Ex-Premier vows to keep up fight.
AFRICA
Robert Mugabe annexes white-owned firms.
Nigeria's Presidential spokesman denies leadership rift.
EUROPE
Germany's frugality bemoaned for inhibiting euro zone growth.
Eta 'leader' Ibon Gogeascoetxea arrested in France.
Violent storms kill at least 15 in France.
Renewed tension looms in Turkey after military arrests.
AMERICAS
Rescuers struggle to save lives after Chile quake. Navy pulls ships from Pearl Harbor ahead of tsunami.
Haiti plans to shrink capital, shift settlements.
Colombian election race starts, Santos favored. Colombia's Uribe blocked from re - election.
Olympic Wire...
TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR
WTC firm says terror attack cost it $1 billion.
Taliban and Al Qaeda financiers are tied at the hip!!
New Obama interrogation unit not deployed to question captured Taliban chief.
ECONOMY/FINANCE
Man who broke the Bank of England, George Soros, 'at centre of hedge funds plot to cash in on fall of the euro'.
US Economy likely expanding at half of 5.9% government estimated for last quarter.
Germany, France mull 30 billion-euro aid for Greece, WSJ says.
Editor's Note
Traveling at the moment. Blogging will return 20:00 EST.
Update February 27, 23;30 EST: We got home before midnight. Very tired. Regular blogging will return when I wake up tomorrow morning.
Update February 27, 23;30 EST: We got home before midnight. Very tired. Regular blogging will return when I wake up tomorrow morning.
Can Brazil Become A Failed State
Youths flaunt guns on the streets of Rio de Janeiro. (Pablo Jacob/Extra/O globo)The Gun-Toting Boys From Brazil Who Rule Rio’s ‘Corner Of Fear’ -- Times Online
A boy steps boldly into the night traffic and waves a gun to bring the cars to a halt, clearing a path for a motorcycle which screeches into the intersection. Riding pillion is another boy, brandishing a machinegun.
Later two teenagers, also riding pillion on motorbikes, flash their guns at other motorists; nearby, a boy can be seen taking aim with a rifle equipped with a telescopic sight. Other youths wander the street smoking crack.
Read more ....
My Comment: This is Brazil's lost generation. But while the focus is on Brazil, we can easily look at ourselves. Every major US city has a problem with youth gangs, drugs, and the violent culture that it produces. While we may lament on what is happening in North Rio de Janeiro, the sad fact is that every major US city has the same problem.
GRE Round Up for Feb. 27
There's some good stuff being turned out. I hope you're availing yourself of it, and importantly, sharing these links via emails, on blogs and forums, with your local newspaper editor, etc.
A common complaint is media bias and absence of representation for "our side."
These people work hard to change that and ask for nothing from those of us their labors serve other than to help spread the word. I hope no one thinks that's too much to ask.
Here are their latest offerings:
Mike Stollenwerk/DC:
Radical anti-gun candidate flying under radar in Virginia special election
Steve D. Jones/Fort Smith:
State of emergency gun control
Liston Matthews/Knoxville:
UT Knoxville's 2nd Amendment policy criticized by NRA
John Pierce/Minneapolis:
The great registration myth
Dave Workman/Seattle:
Slaying of Tacoma teacher brings out best, worst in people and proves gun laws don’t work
Kurt Hofmann/St. Louis:
Kansas City, Missouri residents arming in response to serial rapist
Go. Read. And please share the links.
A common complaint is media bias and absence of representation for "our side."
These people work hard to change that and ask for nothing from those of us their labors serve other than to help spread the word. I hope no one thinks that's too much to ask.
Here are their latest offerings:
Mike Stollenwerk/DC:
Radical anti-gun candidate flying under radar in Virginia special election
Steve D. Jones/Fort Smith:
State of emergency gun control
Liston Matthews/Knoxville:
UT Knoxville's 2nd Amendment policy criticized by NRA
John Pierce/Minneapolis:
The great registration myth
Dave Workman/Seattle:
Slaying of Tacoma teacher brings out best, worst in people and proves gun laws don’t work
Kurt Hofmann/St. Louis:
Kansas City, Missouri residents arming in response to serial rapist
Go. Read. And please share the links.
We're the Only Ones...
... Going to the Dogs Enough
A police officer trying to make an arrest at a Minneapolis home shot the neighbor's dog....Relieved Enough
Cop Accused of Urinating in Front of Woman Resigns...Tipping Generously Enough
The U.S. attorney's office and the FBI say Lairy and others would make up tips to report to the crime-fighting group, and a coconspirator would receive a code from Lairy to claim money for the fake information. The fund lost more than $29,000....Protective Enough
Court documents allege, the 3 took more than $12,000 from a local nightclub owner in exchange for protection and information about upcoming police operations....Spinning Around Enough
Argo contends that Brockmann was chasing another motorist on Aug. 14, 2008, when Frashour performed what police call a PIT maneuver, or Pursuit Intervention Technique, on what he thought was the suspect vehicle. In this case, Argo argues that Frashour struck the wrong car......Initiating Enough
[I]nvestigation showed that Swanson was never shot at, the couple were unarmed and no weapon was found in or near the vehicle....Failing the Test Enough
A former Chicago police officer convicted of a bar beating seen around the world violated his probation by failing a drug test last month, Cook County prosecutors alleged today....Familiar Enough
Investigators say they believe the incident is “isolated” and that there was only one victim, who was not a stranger....Hearing It Through the Grapevine Enough
Investigators also said the victim was 8 when the assaults began a year ago.
Police privacy bill based on rumors...Gender-Bending Enough
A San Antonio Police officer was arrested and is accused of sexually assaulting a transgender man....Still in Love Enough
The suspended cop pleaded guilty Friday in Schenectady County Court to two counts of misdemeanor criminal contempt for disobeying a court order that he refrain from contacting his former girlfriend.[Via FFFW]
Another Profile in Apathy?
I reminded readers here of another option that was not included in WorldNetDaily's recent poll on the Arizona Senate race.
Correspondent Straightarrow sent them this letter to the editor under his real name. They opted not to post it,so I will post it here:
We have a situation in Arizona where this is not happening. And turning that around could not be simpler.
Last September I told you about Jim Deakin, who is challenging John McCain for the Senate. Take a look at the answers Jim gave to my gun rights questionnaire.
Go ahead. Read them and come back--I'll wait.
Now watch this:
What this means is gun owners aren't getting involved and telling their friends.
This isn't the first time I've tried to help spread the word. I've included periodic updates as supplements to my main column on a few other occasions.
I asked gun owners to send him "a measly buck" here.
I relayed how he needed support here.
And I asked if anyone wanted to help beat McCain here.
I'll bet I could sit down and think of dozens of excuses not to get involved, to ignore this and to go about my business. What I couldn't do is convince myself doing nothing is the right choice.
I sure hope it's not too much to ask for you to share a link or two, maybe the one to the questionnaire and the link to the Jim Deakin United States Senate website...?
Or else explain why it is a candidate should go out of his way to give unequivocal answers to questions his political enemies will use against him? Why lead if you turn around and everybody s just milling around behind not even getting involved?
Correspondent Straightarrow sent them this letter to the editor under his real name. They opted not to post it,so I will post it here:
I looked at your poll today. But I did not participate. The reason for my not participating is because the poll only offers a choice without a difference.As I noted last Tuesday and on other occasions, one of the simplest and easiest things gun owners can do is spread the word--share links with fellow gun owners via emails, on blogs, on forums...
I propose you do a profile and perhaps an interview with Jim Deakin who is challenging McCain for the Senate seat. As we know McCain is a Republican in name only and a conservative by no stretch of the imagination. The man does not even believe in the Constitution.
Contrarily, Deakin appears to understand the Constitution and to believe in it. I draw your attention to David Codrea and his Gun Rights Examiner column on the internet and Mr. Deakin's answers to a questionnaire that has been used more and more often by citizens trying to plumb the depths of candidates' commitment to liberty for the average citizen. Mr. Deakin acquits himself well.
Please check out Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea and the appropriate column. I think you will find that Mr. Deakin deserves some exposure. As it now stands, I would bet that more people throughout the nation know Mr. Deakin is a candidate in the race from reading that column than Arizonans who have never heard of him because no one mentions his candidacy or his views. Silence is our enemy. It is your enemy. You know enough history to know that. Please correct this oversight.
We have a situation in Arizona where this is not happening. And turning that around could not be simpler.
Last September I told you about Jim Deakin, who is challenging John McCain for the Senate. Take a look at the answers Jim gave to my gun rights questionnaire.
Go ahead. Read them and come back--I'll wait.
Now watch this:
What this means is gun owners aren't getting involved and telling their friends.
This isn't the first time I've tried to help spread the word. I've included periodic updates as supplements to my main column on a few other occasions.
I asked gun owners to send him "a measly buck" here.
I relayed how he needed support here.
And I asked if anyone wanted to help beat McCain here.
I'll bet I could sit down and think of dozens of excuses not to get involved, to ignore this and to go about my business. What I couldn't do is convince myself doing nothing is the right choice.
I sure hope it's not too much to ask for you to share a link or two, maybe the one to the questionnaire and the link to the Jim Deakin United States Senate website...?
Or else explain why it is a candidate should go out of his way to give unequivocal answers to questions his political enemies will use against him? Why lead if you turn around and everybody s just milling around behind not even getting involved?
When It Comes To Nuclear Enrichment, What Are The Iranians Thinking?
Another Puzzle in Iran After Nuclear Fuel Is Moved -- New York TimesWASHINGTON — When Iran was caught last September building a secret, underground nuclear enrichment plant at a military base near the city of Qum, the country’s leaders insisted they had no other choice. With its nuclear facilities under constant threat of attack, they said, only a fool would leave them out in the open.
So imagine the surprise of international inspectors almost two weeks ago when they watched as Iran moved nearly its entire stockpile of low-enriched nuclear fuel to an above-ground plant. It was as if, one official noted, a bull’s-eye had been painted on it.
Why take such a huge risk?
Read more ....
My Comment: When it comes to Iran there is one simple rule that everyone should follow .... do not trust them. Iran has a terrible history in the international arena of diplomacy and respecting the sovereignty of other countries and negotiated agreements. Death to America and threatening the annihilation of Israel in every speech and demonstration tends to get dry after a while ... but they are listed as a state sponsor of terror for a reason and every threat and comment made by the regime in Tehran must be taken seriously. So .... moving their nuclear fuel may be a puzzle to the New York Times .... but trust me .... there is a very blunt reason on why they are doing this ..... it is just that we have not figured it out yet.
Isn't It Time We Banned Deadly Assault Hands?
A new law went into effect last year making it a felony to strangle someone during a domestic dispute. [More]So it was legal before?
And what if the dispute isn't domestic?
[Via Mama Liberty]
We're the Only Ones "Stand and Deliver!" Enough
The indictment of a former police officer on charges he stole cash from people he pulled over follows a city probe that led to his firing. [More]Aren't you supposed to be able to shoot highwaymen?
If a non-"Only One" did this, would armed robbery/use/presence of a firearm in the commission of a crime charges not apply?
And why can't I get the damned Dennis Moore song out of my head?
[Via Ed M]
Getting Rights Right
Will the justices get the history right, or will they be swayed by a potent gun-rights mythology that has distorted the history of Reconstruction and effectively erased the memory and sacrifices of men such as Williams? [More]See, according to Saul Cornell, the way we honor the memory of armed blacks who fought for freedom is by embracing disarmament edicts and the rulings that supported them.
There's no question that much precedent had been established by the late Nineteenth Century to reflect deviation from the concept of unalienable rights that shall not be infringed.
That does not give it moral legitimacy.
It's appropriate to question why we should give Cornell's opinion more credence than, say William Rawle's:
“No clause in the Constitution could by any rule of construction be conceived to give the Congress a power to disarm the people. Such a flagitious attempt could only be made under a general pretence by a state legislature. But if in any pursuit of an inordinate power either should attempt it, this amendment may be appealed to as a restraint on both.”And then there's one other fundamental reality: We will not disarm.
But What If They Take It Away From You?
Shouldn't you just give him what he wants? [Read]
Besides, the cops will give your home a free safety inspection...
In all seriousness:
The weapon is important.
The training is important.
But ain't no substitute for the will.
[Via The Bitter Clinger]
Besides, the cops will give your home a free safety inspection...
In all seriousness:
The weapon is important.
The training is important.
But ain't no substitute for the will.
[Via The Bitter Clinger]
What Didn't Stop a Killer and What Did
The only thing that stopped the killer was another person with a gun. [More]Today's Gun Rights Examiner column looks at the obvious. Why some deny it is for them to answer.
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This Day in History: February 27
The fact that carelessness continued in making reports concerning illness led to the issuance of the following sharp order from headquarters: February 27, 1778. "Colonel Stewart has been much surprised to find so little attention paid to the orders issued by Gen. Weedon, respecting the sick of the brigade. The colonel now positively orders the captain whose duty it is to visit the sick of the brigade to deliver in his report by 9 o'clock the foloowing morning to which he was appointed to the above duty, otherwise they may depend upon being called to a severe account as it is a duty the utmost importance in the army." [More]
Massive Earth Quake In Chile -- Massive Destruction And Casualties Expected
8.8-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Central Chile -- Yahoo News/APSANTIAGO, Chile – A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile early Saturday, killing at least 78 people, collapsing buildings and setting off a tsunami.
A huge wave reached a populated area in the Robinson Crusoe Islands, 410 miles (660 kilometers) off the Chilean coast, said President Michele Bachelet.
Tsunami warnings were issued over a wide area, including South America, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Russia and many Pacific islands.
Read more ....
More News On Chile's Massive Earthquake
Huge earthquake batters Chile, 78 dead -- Yahoo News/Reuters
At least 78 killed as huge 8.8 quake rocks Chile -- Yahoo News/AFP
Pacific under tsunami threat after massive 8.8 quake strikes Chile -- CNN
Asia braces for tsunami after Chile quake -- Washington Times/AP
Tsunami threatens Hawaiian islands: U.S. agency -- Reuters
Chile earthquake: Easter Island evacuation as tsunami brings disaster to Pacific islands -- The Telegraph
Chile earthquake kills 76 and triggers tsunami -- Times Online
Tsunami warning in effect for New Zealand -- Xinhuanet
Guam Civil Defense Issues Tsunami Warning -- PNC
Chile earthquake: 'Everyone fears aftershocks' -- BBC
Chile well prepared for quakes -- BBC
In pictures: Chile earthquake -- BBC
Afghanistan War News Updates -- February 27, 2010
In Afghanistan, U.S. Plans Major Push Into Kandahar -- Washington Post
Even as Marines in Afghanistan continued to fight for control of the Taliban stronghold of Marja, senior Obama administration officials said Friday that the United States has begun initial planning for a bigger, more complex offensive in Kandahar later this year.
The assault on Marja, the largest U.S.-NATO military operation since 2001, is a "prelude to larger, more comprehensive operations," senior Obama officials said Friday. Administration officials declined to say when the Kandahar offensive will begin, but military officials have said that it probably will kick off in late spring or early summer after additional U.S. forces have moved into the area.
Read more ....
More News On Afghanistan
U.S. Eyes New Target: Heartland of Taliban -- New York Times
UK troops to remain in Afghanistan 'for five years' -- BBC
Suicide squad kill foreigners in onslaught on city hotels -- Times Online
Attack in Kabul points to shifting Taliban tactics -- L.A. Times
Taliban attack in Kabul; insurgents not crippled -- Washington Times
Pakistani Court Blocks Extradition of Top Afghan Taliban Commander -- Voice of America
Training the trainers: Nato shows Afghan security forces the ropes -- Times Online
Fortress Afghanistan -- Strategy Page
Analysts Uncertain on Outcome of NATO's Afghanistan Strategy -- Voice of America
World News Briefs -- February 27, 2010
An image generated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center shows the projected tsunami travel times following a 8.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Chile early February 27, 2010. REUTERS/NOAA/HandoutHuge Earthquake Batters Chile, 78 Dead -- Reuters
SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - A massive magnitude-8.8 earthquake struck south-central Chile early on Saturday, killing at least 78 people, knocking down buildings and triggering a tsunami.
President Michelle Bachelet said there were 78 confirmed deaths and that more were possible. Telephone and power lines were down, making it difficult to make an early assessment of the damage, but serious damage was reported in two southern cities.
"Never in my life have I experienced a quake like this, it's like the end of the world," one man told local television from the city of Temuco, where the quake damaged buildings and forced staff to evacuate the regional hospital.
Read more ....
MIDDLE EAST
High-ranking military arrests stir fresh Turkey concern.
U.N. presses for more investigations into Israel-Gaza war.
A year after Israeli assault, uneasy peace settles over Gaza.
ASIA
Asia braces for tsunami after Chile quake.
US, Afghan forces clear last parts of Taliban area.
Thailand court orders much of Thaksin Shinawatra's assets seized.
Philippines: Suspected militant attack kills 11.
AFRICA
Sudan's SPLM reaches 'breakthrough deal' on poll.
Darfur fighting mars peace pact in Sudan.
Ex-UN nuclear chief: Egypt is desperate for change.
EUROPE
Swiss face 'holy war' with Gadhafi's Libya.
Greek PM to meet Merkel, Obama amid debt crisis.
Danish paper apologises for printing Muhammad cartoon.
AMERICAS
Olympic Wire...
Utility crews struggling to restore power in US NE.
Colombian Govt confirms death of FARC leader 'Edgar Tovar'.
Court blocks Colombia's Uribe from third term.
TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR
Congress extends Patriot Act, no new protections.
Freed French hostage speaks of al-Qaeda ordeal in Mali.
Judge expanded review on terrorism suspect.
Experts: Plenty of proof to convict alleged 9/11 mastermind.
ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS
Head of IMF proposes new reserve currency.
Fannie taps Treasury for $15.3 billion more after a 10th loss.
US senator warns of ‘financial meltdown’ risk.