Afghanistan: Kill The Bastards

"Not surprisingly, much of the IED building in Afghanistan is being done by foreigners, especially Iraqi Sunnis who got out when their movement collapsed in 2008. It's easier to find these foreigners. Afghans have a thing about foreigners, especially Arabs (who tend to be particularly disdainful of these 'Afghan hillbillies.') The Taliban leadership is almost all Afghan, and those running the IED operation (which involves thousands of people) have to communicate and move around to instruct, discipline and encourage the troops. This makes them easier to track and catch. This tactic of going after the bomb builder techs and their leaders was pioneered a decade ago, when the Palestinians began their latest terror campaign against Israel. Within a few years, the Israelis had perfected their techniques, and crippled the Palestinian terror efforts. The U.S. adopted these tactics in Iraq shortly thereafter, and it played a large role in reducing the terrorist violence 90 percent by 2008. Now the tactic is arriving in Afghanistan, and having the same impact it did in Israel and Iraq."

Information Warfare: Sticking By The Official Lie

"Recently, an article appeared in a Chinese magazine describing the beginning of the Korean war, sixty years earlier. What was unusual about the article, in a government approved publication, was the frank admission that North Korea had started it all, by invading South Korea. But once news of the article spread, and was posted on Internet sites, the Chinese government ordered the article withdrawn, and denounced it as untrue. The unofficial reason was that China wished to avoid angering North Korea. This, despite the fact that Chinese participation in the war killed or wounded over half a million Chinese. Even Chinese leader Mao Tedong lost a son in Korea.
Since 1950, it had been the official Chinese position that the war started with a South Korean invasion of the north, to which the north responded by moving into South Korea. For decades, all communist nations accepted this version, even though all evidence pointed towards the north invading first. Then, in the 1990s, the Russian government released telegrams sent before 1960, by Russian and North Korean leaders, making it clear that Russia wanted the invasion, and that North Korea duly carried it out."

Winning: Afghanistan And The Culture Of Defeat

"The recent announcement that a new, high tech, survey of Afghanistan revealed over a trillion dollars of extractable minerals, was not a big surprise to mining companies. Less sophisticated surveys over the last half century, and increased knowledge of how geography works (when it comes to predicting mineral deposits), indicated that there was great wealth there. But, in order to build needed (to move the minerals out) railroads, or simply hard surface truck routes, you first had to pacify the place. Not all the Pushtuns consider every outsider an enemy (or robbery victim), but enough of them do to make all of Pushtunstan (on both sides of the border) a no-man's-land for large commercial enterprises. No one is going to invest a billion bucks on a major mining operation, when the surrounding areas are a perpetual combat zone, and the local government largely consists of people trying to shake you down.
This is why Afghan experts laugh at those who demand a 'timetable' for the pacification of Afghanistan. But sometimes you can't laugh in their face, because many outsiders simply don't want to believe how difficult the problem is. But for the more insightful and patient, the solution is pretty obvious. Build roads and schools, keep them all open, and do as much as you can to reduce lawlessness and encourage economic activity. Most Afghans just want a better life. But Afghanistan has a larger proportion of the population that favors force, extortion and theft, and that cannot be changed quickly."

Democrats add teacher money to war funding bill - Yahoo! News

"The difficulty in passing the bill in the House is magnified by disagreement between Republicans supportive of the war — who insist the measure be 'clean' of unrelated spending — and Democrats who want funding for the unpopular war to carry unrelated party priorities. Republicans are threatening to withhold support for the overall package if Democratic add-ons are included."

Venezuela govt to nationalize 11 US-owned oil rigs

"Venezuela's legislature has voted to nationalize 11 oil rigs owned by the US firm Helmerich & Payne.
The rigs, located in Monagas, Anzoategui and Zulia states, will be taken over by state oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the official news agency AVN said.
PDVSA had asked the legislature controlled by supporters of leftist President Hugo Chavez to take over the rigs after the US firm declined to negotiate a new service contract, unlike 32 other foreign firms.
The oil giant is South America's top oil producer."

Morphing cars and planes closer as Pentagon develops shape-shifting robot - Telegraph

"At the moment the tiny robot - a sheet just half a millimetre thick, scarcely thicker than a piece of paper - only folds itself into a boat, like a child's toy, or a 'paper glider' plane shape. But it is anticipated that in future it will be used to create full-sized cars and aircraft that morph as they move, or robots that can 'flow' like mercury into small openings, or multipurpose military uniforms that can adapt to different environments"

Dallas Cowboys may change uniforms for the new HD age | Dallas Cowboys News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

"The pants are a color Tex Schramm created that looked blue-gray-silver on TV. But with today's improvements in video, they just look green.
'Nothing's set in stone,' Priakos says. 'But we want the pants to look silver, to be consistent to every fan no matter if they're at the game or watching on TV, whether we're home or on the road. Of course, we'll never change the home white jerseys or the helmets, but we're experimenting with some different shades in the pants.'"

Reaction: Change the pants? Fine. Never noticed the color. But you're right--mess with the jerseys and helmets at your peril.

Iran Offers to Rescue Obama from Oil Spill Mess - Politics & Gov't - Israel News - Israel National News

"However, Iran is ready to rescue President Obama if he requests help, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported Tuesday. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast underlined Tehran's technical capability to help the United States control the oil spill and the resulting slick, which he said is a 'humanitarian issue.'
One day earlier, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, otherwise known as the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), offered to provide experts to help the Americans. 'The experience of Iranians' presence in curbing oil spills in a number of neighboring states in the Persian Gulf, such as Kuwait, demonstrates Iranian capabilities and skills, and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps is ready to help curb the oil spill,” Commander of the IRGC's Khatam ol-Anbia Headquarters General Rostam Qassemi stated.
“If Americans and Britons and also the Western companies find themselves incapable of capping the oil spill, [they can] ask Iran, [we] will study the case, and send… IRGC experts to the region to help prevent the continuation of this serious crisis,” Qasemi added."

Judge block Gulf offshore drilling moratorium

"Feldman says in his ruling that the Interior Department failed to provide adequate reasoning for the moratorium. He says it seems to assume that because one rig failed, all companies and rigs doing deepwater drilling pose an imminent danger."

UPDATE:  White House to Appeal
""The president strongly believes... that continuing to drill at these depths without knowing what happened does not make any sense, and puts the safety of those involved...and the environment in the Gulf at a danger that the president does not believe we can afford right now," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said."

UPDATE 2:  Interior Secy. Salazar to Reimpose Offshore Drilling Ban
"Salazar said in a statement Tuesday evening that the new order will contain additional information making clear why the six-month drilling pause was necessary in the wake of the Gulf oil spill. The judge in New Orleans who struck down the moratorium earlier in the day complained there wasn't enough justification for it.


Salazar pointed to indications of inadequate safety precautions by industry on deepwater wells. He said he would issue a new order in the coming days showing that a moratorium is needed."

US economy still in 'difficult period': Geithner

I guess he missed the "Recovery Summer" memo: "'Millions of Americans are still looking for work and are suffering from the damage of a deep recession. The impact of this crisis will be lasting,' he said in prepared testimony to Congress.
While heralding progress in unwinding government stimulus spending, Geithner stressed the United States was still not out of the woods."

Amid crises, Obama declares war -- on Arizona | Washington Examiner

"The Justice Department is preparing to sue Arizona over its new immigration law. The president has stiffed Gov. Jan Brewer's call for meaningful assistance in efforts to secure the border. And the White House has accused Arizona's junior senator, Republican Jon Kyl, of lying about an Oval Office discussion with the president over comprehensive immigration reform. Put them all together, and you have an ugly state of affairs that's getting uglier by the day.
First, the lawsuit. Last week, Brewer was appalled to learn the Justice Department's intentions not from the Justice Department but from an interview done by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with an Ecuadorian TV outlet. 'It would seem to me that if they were going to file suit against us,' Brewer told Fox News' Greta van Susteren last week, 'they definitely would have contacted us first and informed us before they informed citizens ... of another nation.'
But they didn't."

Cancelled: There Will Be No Congressional Budget This Year

"In light of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-MD) announcement this morning that House Democrats will not pass a budget this year – failing to fulfill what he has called “the most basic responsibility” of governing – the following important fiscal health warning has been issued:
THE BUDGET HAS BEEN CANCELLED

WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT

THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET

PLANNED FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011 HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WASHINGTON DEMOCRATS’ OUT-OF-CONTROL SPENDING SPREE.

AN APOLOGY FOR THIS BETRAYAL OF AMERICAN TAXPAYERS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE FORTHCOMING AT THIS TIME."

Winning: Don't Let the Bodies Hit The Floor

"Many Afghans are not happy with this policy, with foreign troops increasingly encountering angry Afghan civilians, who demand that NATO act more decisively in pursuing and killing Taliban gunman. Even if it puts Afghan civilians at risk. This is an unexpected side effect to the change in NATO rules of engagement (ROE) in Afghanistan. The ROE change was partly in response to popular (or at least media) anger at civilians killed by American smart bombs. As a result of the new ROE, it became much more difficult to get permission drop a smart bomb when there might be civilians nearby. Now American commanders have to decide who they shall respond too; Afghan civilians asking for relief from Taliban oppression, or Taliban influenced media condemning the U.S. for any Afghan civilians killed, or thought to be killed, by American firepower. What to do? So far, the decision often favors the survival of the Taliban."

Counter-Terrorism: Justice

"Pakistani intelligence reported that a recent American UAV missile attack in North Waziristan had killed Mohammed Ali Hamadi, and fifteen other Islamic terrorists. Hamadi, who had been freed from a German prison five years ago (apparently to obtain the freedom of a German archeologist, who refused German and American government advice to get out of Iraq). Letting Hamadi go caused a big stink in the U.S. Special Operations community. That's because Hamadi was one of three Hezbollah terrorists who hijacked an American airliner in 1985. When they found a U.S. Navy SEAL was on board, they tortured and killed him. The hijacked aircraft, and the remaining 150 passengers and crew, were eventually freed, in return for the release of over 700 Lebanese prisoners held in Israel. Hamadi was arrested two years later, while trying to smuggle explosives into Germany. He was convicted, in 1987, of hijacking and the murder of the U.S. SEAL, and sentenced to life in prison. In Germany, 'life' means you are eligible for parole after 15 years. But Hamadi's crime was considered so atrocious that the court recommended that he not be eligible for parole until he had been in prison for about twenty years."

Morale: Toilet Humor

Beats being at the range?: "One of the items being cut, is some of the cleaning staff for office type buildings. The troops who work there are now in charge of the cleaning, and that is having some interesting side effects. Most of the troops don't like the new chores. For the last two decades, the military has been hiring more and more civilians to do routine maintenance. This enabled the troops to spend more time on purely military things, like training. It had gotten to the point where the troops got lots of practice cleaning toilets and barracks in basic training, but after that, there was less and less of it. Often none at all.
The new policy is seen by most NCOs (who came up in the old days, when the troops did a lot more cleaning, all the time) as a good thing. That's because cleaning duties give the troops an opportunity to work together in a less tense environment than they encounter during training. Training was often for life-or-death situations. Cleaning is a much less stressful undertaking. The younger troops see this as more of that cruel NCO humor they have to endure. Then they notice that, while cleaning, you can laugh a bit and clown around. As long as you get the job done. It's dumb work, that doesn't require much mental activity. Sure beats being at the rifle range or doing combat drills."

Electronic Weapons: Long Eyes On Your Back

"There are a growing number of lightweight electronics items being developed for the troops, and one of the latest a backpack size radar unit. The European (Thales) Lynx is a 25 kg (55 pound) system. Half that weight is the radar sensor itself, which measures 53x35x13 cm (21x13.8x5 inches). The radar can detect a walking man at six kilometers, a SUV or light truck at 12 kilometers and a low (under 330 meters) flying helicopter at 11 kilometers. The manufacturer expects to see most to police and security firms, but Special Forces teams staking out a remote mountain pass somewhere would also find it useful."

Information Warfare: Payback Is A Bitch

"Crime, and warfare, over the Internet is getting more dangerous for the attackers. Internet security experts are now doing to hackers what hackers have been doing for years; finding flaws in their software and exploiting it. This makes it possible to counterattack and, more importantly, identify, locate and arrest criminal hackers. For military ones, you could obtain GPS coordinates, enabling you to send a 'cease and desist' message in the form of smart bombs. Or simply apply some more effective diplomatic pressure.
For years, security experts have been taking apart the hacker software secretly placed on PCs. Often, this is sloppy code, and over the past few years, the 'white hat' (security company hackers) have been developing ways to exploit those flaws to more quickly shut down the bad guys, or even find them."

US, Israel Warships in Suez May Be Prelude to Faceoff with Iran - Defense/Middle East - Israel News - Israel National News

"Egypt allowed at least one Israeli and 11 American warships to pass through the Suez Canal as an Iranian flotilla approaches Gaza. Egypt closed the canal to protect the ships with thousands of soldiers, according to the British-based Arabic language newspaper Al Quds al-Arabi.
One day prior to the report on Saturday, Voice of Israel government radio reported that the Egyptian government denied an Israeli request not to allow the Iranian flotilla to use the Suez Canal to reach Gaza, in violation of the Israeli sea embargo on the Hamas-controlled area."

Good thing Barton apologized for his apology remarks

"Here’s an idea, Team R: if you want to turn the 2010 election into “a referendum on President Obama, the Pelosi-led Congress and their culture of incompetence that has resulted in the mismanagement of the federal bureaucracy, the economy, and the ballooning deficit,” it helps if you don’t run away from statements by one of your own that highlight the lawlessness and hubris of the man in charge of steering the Democrat clown car.
Had the GOP stood by Barton and allowed him to clarify his remarks — which were truthful and pointed — we could today be having a useful discussion about how the President sees fit to shake down industry (even when the company in question was one of his biggest campaign supporters) while he simultaneously uses things like the Jones Act to protect his union buddies at the expense of environmental expedience. Such a discussion might even highlight important differences between a free market system and one being used to protect labor and hamstring growth and economic recovery."

Space: Small, Quick And Combat Ready

"Usually, the U.S. has four KH-11s and four Lacrosse radar satellites in orbit, plus several smaller, and more secret birds. Often, these satellites last longer than their design life of eight years (some have gone on for 10-15 years). Eventually they all wear out. The KH-11 and Lacrosse satellites weigh 14-16 tons. In a future war, existing recon and communication satellites will be attacked. Replacements will be needed, fast. The air force isn't releasing many details of this program, as that would simply make it easier for a potential foe to take down the replacements. But stockpiling small replacement satellites, and having rockets ready to get them in orbit, is now considered an imperitive.
The quickest way to launch replacements is to use solid fuel ICBMs or SLBMs (Sea Launched, from a sub, Ballistic Missiles). Most of these missiles cannot lift more than a ton, which is one reason American little birds top out at that weight. Both the air force and navy have worked out what would be required to quickly convert ICBMs and SLBMs to satellite launcher use. The navy has even proposed that one or two silos on each SSBN (ballistic missile carrying sub) be dedicated to emergency replacement satellite delivery."

My Way News - Obama says GOP making life harder for the jobless

"'Americans want us to show we're serious about lowering the debt, so the president and his allies in Congress have a choice to make: they can either vote to reduce the deficit, or they can lock arms and dig an even deeper hole of debt,' said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky."

“It is a terrible price society will pay for all the entitlement we have given over to people.” [Darleen Click]

"And in the last 30 seconds Prager gives a great rule of thumb on how to assess any public policy."

Bank failure is 83rd in '10; pace more than double last year's - USATODAY.com

"The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over Nevada Security Bank, based in Reno, with $480.3 million in assets and $479.8 million in deposits. Umpqua Bank, based in Roseburg, Ore., agreed to assume the assets and deposits of the failed bank.
The failure of Nevada Security Bank is expected to cost the deposit insurance fund $80.9 million.
...
As losses have mounted on loans made for commercial property and development, the growing bank failures have sapped billions of dollars out of the deposit insurance fund. It fell into the red last year, and its deficit stood at $20.7 billion as of March 31."

U.S. military criticized for purchase of Russian copters for Afghan air corps

And it's Congress being critical. Congress needs to butt out: "The U.S. government is snapping up Russian-made helicopters to form the core of Afghanistan's fledgling air force, a strategy that is drawing flak from members of Congress who want to force the Afghans to fly American choppers instead.
In a turnabout from the Cold War, when the CIA gave Stinger missiles to Afghan rebels to shoot down Soviet helicopters, the Pentagon has spent $648 million to buy or refurbish 31 Russian Mi-17 transport helicopters for the Afghan National Army Air Corps. The Defense Department is seeking to buy 10 more of the Mi-17s next year, and had planned to buy dozens more over the next decade.
The spectacle of using U.S. taxpayer dollars to buy Russian military products is proving a difficult sell in Congress.
...
"If people come and fly in Afghanistan with the Mi-17, they will understand why that aircraft is so important to the future for Afghanistan," said Brig. Gen. Michael R. Boera, the U.S. Air Force general in charge of rebuilding the Afghan air corps. "We've got to get beyond the fact that it's Russian. . . . It works well in Afghanistan."
U.S. military officials have estimated that the Afghan air force won't be able to operate independently until 2016, five years after President Obama has said he intends to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan. But Boera said that date could slip by at least two years if Congress forces the Afghans to fly U.S. choppers . "Is that what we really want to do?" he asked."

Infantry: Speech As A Weapon

"The army has developed Dari and Pushto training courses that enable troops, after a few weeks, or four months, of training, to master either basic battlefield phrases, to (with the longer course) carry on simple conversations. The more time the troops spend out among Afghans, the more bi-lingual they become.
Many troops, after a four month course, and a year in Afghanistan, are pretty adept (although not fluent) in Dari. This makes a big difference. While using Afghans as translators, or even Afghan-American contractors, is useful, it makes a big difference is the troops can do the talking on the spot. There are never enough translators to go around, and time is often critical in combat situations."

This is getting free play on HuffPo?

Leadership: Reorganizing NATO In Afghanistan

"In order to make it easier for NATO commanders to control troops in the battle for these provinces, the former NATO Regional Command South, which controlled forces in six provinces, now only has to deal with four (Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, and Daykundi). A new command, Regional Command Southwest, will handle Helmand and Nimroz (on the Iranian border), plus parts of some provinces to the north.
There are now six NATO commands; Regional Command Capital (Kabul, with 8,000 troops), Regional Command North (9,000), Regional Command West (7,000), Regional Command South (30,000), Regional Command East (33,000) and the new Regional Command Southwest (27,000)."

Great moments in Publik Edumacation: Banning “best friends” [Darleen Click]

"This is appalling to a degree almost beyond words. Childhood is a time of learning the tools and skills that will carry the individual into adulthood. Stunting a child’s ability to form an intimate, emotional relationship with a best friend … even to learning how to deal with the aftermath of the breakup of such a friendship … is going to create crippled adults who will only be able to relate to others, including potential mates, in the most shallow of ways."

$7-a-gallon gas? - NYPOST.com

"President Obama has a solution to the Gulf oil spill: $7-a-gallon gas.
That's a Harvard University study's estimate of the per-gallon price of the president's global-warming agenda. And Obama made clear this week that this agenda is a part of his plan for addressing the Gulf mess.
So what does global-warming legislation have to do with the oil spill?
Good question, because such measures wouldn't do a thing to clean up the oil or fix the problems that led to the leak."

The Associated Press: Toy soldiers run afoul of school's weapons ban

Zero Tollerance = Zero Thinking: "Christan Morales says her son just wanted to honor American troops when he made a hat decorated with an American flag and small plastic Army figures.
But the hat ran afoul of the district's no-weapons policy because the toy soldiers were carrying tiny weapons.
'His teacher called and said it wasn't appropriate because it had guns,' Morales said."

Iran to retaliate if planes, ships inspected: speaker

Go for it, bubba: "'I am warning the U.S. and certain adventurous countries that in case they plan to inspect the cargo of Iranian ships and planes, they should rest assured that we will do the same in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman (with their ships),' Larijani was quoted as saying."

BP Oil Spill: Against Gov. Bobby Jindal's Wishes, Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard - ABC News

"But the Coast Guard ordered the stoppage because of reasons that Jindal found frustrating. The Coast Guard needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges.

The governor said he didn't have the authority to overrule the Coast Guard's decision, though he said he tried to reach the White House to raise his concerns.

"They promised us they were going to get it done as quickly as possible," he said. But "every time you talk to someone different at the Coast Guard, you get a different answer."

After Jindal strenuously made his case, the barges finally got the go-ahead today to return to the Gulf and get back to work, after more than 24 hours of sitting idle."

Winning: The Thieves Of Afghanistan

"Moreover, the billions of dollars generated each year by the drug gangs has proved vulnerable to detection and seizure. The U.S. has sent more banking and money laundering experts to Afghanistan to work with intelligence forces to find drug cash, and seize it. This has made it more difficult for the drug gangs to move money, and use it. There have also been increasing arrests of local banking officials because of the American Treasury Department investigators. When cash flow started drying up, corrupt Taliban officials took care of themselves first. That was made worse by the skyrocketing cash needs of the Taliban in Pakistan, where the army has been invading Taliban held territory, destroying bases and forcing Taliban leaders to seek new hideouts. That costs a lot of money."

Language guru: Obama speech too 'professorial' for his target audience - CNN.com

CNN: American's Too Dumb to Appreciate President's Speech: "President Obama's speech on the gulf oil disaster may have gone over the heads of many in his audience, according to an analysis of the 18-minute talk released Wednesday."

Afghanistan: Can't Win, Won't Go

Why the Taliban will lose:

"The U.S. has responded in the last year by tripling the number of Special
Forces troops in Afghanistan. This has resulted in 121 Taliban leaders being
killed or captured. The Taliban see these Special Forces troops, and the UAVs
and intelligence forces that support them, as their most formidable foe. While
the Taliban have some popular support, it's ambitious and dedicated leaders that
keep the operation going. As the leadership declines, or disappears, so does
organized Taliban activity."

The SF guys and all the support guys are indeed formidable. But the Taliban misplace their foes' center of gravity, which is odd, and yet the classic misapprehension of terrorists, since it's the actual locus of all terrorist effort, which is the Afghan people. By continually thwarting what the people want they ensure that the fight continues. This is a "last man standing" fight unless one side or the other modifies their position.

Counter-Terrorism: Burning Down The Taliban Playbook

"Both the Taliban and the foreign (mainly American) troops have learned a lot about each other in the last few years. The foreign troops know that their bases mere existence is an insult to the Taliban (and local tribesmen in general). The Taliban have taken advantage of this antipathy to recruit many young tribesmen to fight for nothing. But numbers alone will not do it. The Taliban leadership have been furiously trying to develop new tactics to hurt the foreign troops, and force them out, without unacceptable losses to the tribal warriors. If the Taliban cannot do this, they will lose the respect, and support, of the tribes. At that point, which could be as early as next year, there will be fewer recruits, and more Pushtuns willing to cooperate with the government and the foreign troops."

CNSNews.com - U.S. Finds Mineral Riches in Afghanistan

"Americans discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, including iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium, according to the report. The Times quoted a Pentagon memo as saying Afghanistan could become the 'Saudi Arabia of lithium,' a key raw material in the manufacture of batteries for laptops and cell phones."

Army probe finds 211 graves at Arlington Cemetery mishandled - CNN.com

"Hundreds of American veterans and their family members who were laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery were misidentified or mislocated, according to an Army investigation."

"Army officials said that two of the 211 mismarked graves were of troops buried in the section reserved for those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Secretary of the Army John McHugh said during a Pentagon press briefing that the superintendent of the cemetery, John C. Metzler, is receiving a letter of reprimand for his poor management of the facility, while his deputy, Thurman Higginbotham, has been put on administrative leave pending further examination into his actions."

Metzler is retiring, too. Betting Higgenbotham won't be retained as the new superintendant.

"The historic cemetery has been home to U.S. military veterans since 1864."

Taliban hang 7-year-old boy accused of being a spy, suicide bomber kills 40 at Afghanistan wedding

"A 7-year-old boy accused of being a spy was hanged by Taliban militants, according to published reports Thursday.
The child was allegedly put on trial by the militant group and later found guilty of working for Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's government, reports the Daily Mail.
Karzai called the act a 'crime against humanity.'
'I don't think there's a crime bigger than that that even the most inhuman forces on earth can commit,' Karzai said.
The child was publicly hanged in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand province, a local official told The Associated Press."

Rosamund Pike Up for Emma Frost?

"Rosamund Pike, the British actress who appeared most recently in Surrogates, may be playing Emma Frost, aka the White Queen in next summer's X-Men: First Class, according to a story at Forces of Geek.

According to the site, Pike has been spotted in the offices of X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn's casting director and also seen carrying Emma Frost comic books.

Casting rumors for the film are pouring in with, just earlier today, Michael Fassbender rumored to be in the running for the part of Magneto. With shooting set to begin in just a few months, it shouldn't be long before Fox offers official confirmation."

“Conservatives v. Libertarians: The debate over judicial activism divides former allies”

"You’ve heard me mention, from time to time, that my criticism of legal conservatism, broadly speaking, is that the conservative component of the libertarian-conservative alliance that makes up legal conservatism is too often reliant on stare decisis — and so too deferential to precedent — to beat back bad law that has become entrenched. Libertarians, on the other hand, are more amenable to so-called “judicial activism” — if in fact that activism is deployed in the service of a fidelity to the Constitution that prior rulings conveniently bracketed."

“Durbin’s Outrageous Bailout for BP”

"Instead, we should be turning our attention to the kind of government that promotes such cozy cronyism. And we have that kind of government right now: a “progressive,” expansive federal government looking to solidify its ever-capacious reach into the private sector.
Again, Edward Bellamy’s Marxist “Nationalist” utopia, Looking Backward, predicted just this kind of arrangement: corporatism, of liberal fascism, is the step immediately preceding the eventual government takeover of all major industry."

Afghan War Is Now Longest War in U.S. History - ABC News

Ignorant Assertions: "And today 'The Other War' has gained a fresh and dubious distinction: it is the longest war in our nation's history, surpassing the conflict in Vietnam. 103 months passed between passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the withdrawal of the last American combat forces from Vietnam. As of today, the Afghanistan war is 104 months old."

There is no "Other War." There is only one war and it has lots of campaigns, of which Afghanistan is but one.
The Vietnam conflict can be measured from the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, but that would be arbitrary and fallacious. US military advisors were first sent in 1950. The French pulled out in 1954 and the US Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) took over training of the ARVN from the French in 1956. The first Americans to die in combat in Vietnam, Major Dale R. Buis and Master Sargeant Chester M. Ovnand, were killed in 1959 at Bienhoa. The Air Force began spraying Agent Orange in 1962 and Diem was assassinated, with tacit approval of the LBJ Whitehouse in 1963. All of this before the Tonkin Resolution in 1964 and any of which could be a credible "start date."

Soldier arrested in WikiLeaks classified Iraq video case - CSMonitor.com

"The US Army has arrested Specialist Bradley Manning, a soldier deployed in Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division, on charges that he allegedly released classified information. The military is looking at a possible connection between Spc. Manning and WikiLeaks, an online whistleblower organization which in April published a graphic video of an Apache gunship mistakenly shooting civilians, according to Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman."

Entrepreneurs Enter the Commercial Space Race - NYTimes.com

"“Every astronaut we have come in here just says, ‘Wow,’ ” said Robert T. Bigelow, the company founder. “They can’t believe the size of this thing.”
Four years from now, the company plans for real modules to be launched and assembled into the solar system’s first private space station. Paying customers — primarily nations that do not have the money or expertise to build a space program from scratch — would arrive a year later.
In 2016, a second, larger station would follow. The two Bigelow stations would then be home to 36 people at a time — six times as many as currently live on the International Space Station."

Procurement: Loot And Liability

"The Taliban in Afghanistan obtained some valuable military equipment last month. This occurred when a Norwegian unit in the north was ambushed. Nine of the twenty troops, in four, six wheel armored vehicles, were wounded before air power could drive away the attackers. A medical helicopters and quick reaction force showed up and evacuated the Norwegians. But their four vehicles were damaged and left behind. These vehicles, with their four machine-guns and two 12.7mm sniper rifles (plus night sights and other night vision gear), were to be destroyed from the air. But nearby civilians rushed in to loot the vehicles, and the aircraft were ordered to abort their destruction mission. It was decided that the bad publicity from the dead civilian looters was more damaging than the Taliban getting their hands on this gear (including encryption equipped radios, which lacked code books). Senior commanders believed that another force could be sent into the area to bid against the Taliban for the looted items"

Electronic Weapons: The Blinking Green Bewilderness

"The U.S. Army is testing a green laser “dazzler” device in Afghanistan. The laser is mounted in the CROWS (remotely controlled gun turret) found in many hummers and most armored vehicles. The main function of the dazzler is to get vehicles approaching check points at high speed to stop. Troops don’t know if the approaching vehicle, especially at night, is a suicide bomber or a driver simply seeking to buzz past the check point. Without the dazzler, the only option is to open fire. This often gets civilians killed. Most Afghans don’t appreciate the security aspect, and believe a driver has the right to try and zip past a checkpoint. The dazzler can also be used on hostile gunmen, to ruin their aim. These new American lasers are called GLEF (Green Laser Escalation of Force)."

Naval Air: Taming Electromagnetism

"The U.S. Navy plans, to equip future aircraft carriers with electromagnetic catapults, have been put on hold for a bit, while the software is perfected. The mechanical aspects of the electromagnetic catapult are pretty much solved, but the test model the navy is working with has been having some serious problems with the control software. The plan to put electromagnetic catapults into the next carrier (CVN 78, USS Ford) cannot be dropped, because the Ford is under construction, and a massive (and expensive) redesign would be needed to make room for the bulkier steam catapult. So the electromagnetic catapult will be made to work, or else (the navy will suffer an epic fail).
The electromagnetic catapult is preferred because it puts less stress on launched aircraft (it moves the aircraft forward more gradually), requires fewer people to operate, and is easier to maintain (not much plumbing, fewer mechanical parts and lots of sturdy electronics). The gentler treatment of launched aircraft now means that smaller aircraft can use the catapult."

Iraq: Crime And Punishment

"Islamic terrorists in Iraq are increasingly surviving by using many of the same techniques employed by organized crime. More effort is going into major crimes (grabbing millions of dollars worth of cash or valuables at once), and intimidating the police, politicians and religious leaders (via targeted assassinations.) As the Iraqi police became more effective over the last four years, police commanders leaders became more of a target for Islamic terrorists and criminal gangs as well. This tactic takes advantage of the culture of corruption so endemic in the region, and particularly Iraq. Police commanders (and other leaders) often have the option of taking payments, or playing it straights and dodging assassins.
For organized crime, terrorism is just another tool. For example, terrorism is regularly practiced by organized criminal groups. That's how the famous ones, like the mafia, or the Russian or Colombian gangs, make money and maintain discipline. Not just to get corruption, but to sustain the popular extortions technique, where victims pay 'taxes' to prevent attacks from local criminals."

Attrition: U.S. Army Cures Ebola Killer Virus

"A U.S. Army research lab has developed a cure for the Ebola virus. This disease, endemic to parts of Central Africa, kills up to 90 percent of those who catch it (because of internal bleeding from infected organs). The new vaccine has one catch, however, the victim must get the injection within 30 minutes of being infected. Despite that limitation, the cure will be produced and stocked to protect people working in labs that contain Ebola virus samples. Research on an Ebola cure is also underway in other nations, and occasionally a lab worker catches Ebola.

In the wild, there is not a lot of Ebola going around, because the virus kills its hosts so quickly. But if something like Ebola got loose in a densely populated urban area, the death toll would be very high. Thus, although the United States shut down all work on biological weapons in 1969, the Department of Defense still maintains research efforts to develop cures for diseases known to be prime candidates for being turned into weapons. At the same time, this research makes it easier to develop cures for these diseases, which often only afflict small populations in remote areas. While the new Ebola virus is limited to lab use, the way it works (messing with the virus's reproductive ability) provides a jumping off point for a more widely useful Ebola cure."

Counter-Terrorism: Involuntary Martyrs Finish Off Al Qaeda In Iraq

"The U.S. recently reported that, in the last few months, American and Iraqi forces had killed or captured 34 of the 42 most senior al Qaeda leaders in Iraq. American intelligence has discovered that this huge loss has paralyzed al Qaeda in Iraq, which is now unable to find volunteers to replace all the lost leaders. The losses have also cut communications with other al Qaeda groups, especially the senior leadership in Pakistan. The large loss of leaders also led to an unprecedented capture of documents and al Qaeda leaders willing to talk. Many family members of these leaders were also willing to discuss their experiences. For example, the widow of slain (in April) al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri revealed that she and her husband (they are both Egyptian) came to Iraq in 2002, having been offered sanctuary by Saddam Hussein. Many other al Qaeda were found to be terrorists hiding out in Iraq, under Saddam's protection, and having nowhere to run after 2003. While many of the terrorist leaders were Iraqis who used to work for Saddam (and also had nowhere to run, given their known crimes), there were hundreds of foreigners. Few of them are left, outside of prison and graveyards."

Electronic Weapons: Petaflops At War

"DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense advanced research organization, has asked computer hardware developers to come up with a very powerful supercomputer (speed of one petaflop, or a million billion floating point operations per second, otherwise known as FLOPS), that is small enough to fit into a cabinet 61x198x102 cm (24x78x40 inches) and require no more than 57 kilowatts to operate (including cooling). This ExtremeScale supercomputer would be flown out to combat zones, run off generator power and perform analysis of images and other data, to determine where the enemy is and what they are up to. This sort of predictive analysis has become a major weapon in the last decade, and it needs more computer power to be even more useful. There are currently portable PC cards that will goose a PC up to 20 teraflops (a thousand billion FLOPS). Currently, the most powerful PC can do 50 gigaflops (billion FLOPS). That, in turn, is faster than the fastest supercomputers of the early 1990s. In this area, progress isn't marching on, it's sprinting.
If the ExtremeScale supercomputer existed right now, only three supercomputers on the planet would be faster. But DARPA does not expect the ExtremeScale supercomputer to be ready for action for eight years. By then, one petaflop would be lucky to be in the top hundred supercomputers."

Leadership: The Lady Is A CAG

"For the first time, a female officer will serve as CAG (commander of the air group on an aircraft carrier.) This is no surprise to those in navy. It's a situation that's been developing for decades. In the mid 1970s, the U.S. Navy began letting women into Annapolis (the Naval Academy) and flight school. Some 35 years later we have women commanding combat aircraft squadrons, cruisers, an amphibious task force (expeditionary strike group) and a strike group (a carrier task force.)
The newly appointed CAG, recently promoted captain Sara Joyner had, two years earlier been F-18 pilot Commander Joyner. At that time, she had just completed a tour as the first female commander of a navy combat squadron (VFA 105). This included a seven month cruise to the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, where her dozen F-18Cs flew about 412 hours each. The squadron had 245 officers and sailors, including pilots and maintenance personnel. The squadron commander flew combat missions, in addition to running the squadron."

Israel: Pride And Reality Don't Get Along

"Within a week, it became clear that the May 30th battle between Islamic terrorists and Israeli commandoes on a Turkish ship trying to reach Gaza, was a set-up. The Islamic charity, IHH, that organized the six ship flotilla, has frequently been identified, over the last two decades, as a supporter of terrorist operations. Messages broadcast, by IHH terrorists on the ships, before May 30th, indicated that the objective was to trigger a lethal battle with the Israelis, and claim an unprovoked Israeli attack on peaceful demonstrators. The IHH operatives were quick to share their anti-Semitic, genocidal and suicidal goals. The mass media took the bait, and the story of Hamas the Police State, and decades of Palestinian propaganda (in Arabic, anyway, they tell you what you want to hear in other languages) calling for the destruction of Israel and expulsion of Jews from the Middle East, got ignored. Also ignored was the abundant Arabic discussion of how important Information War operations like this were, because it has proved impossible to defeat Israel with conventional military operations (major Arab defeats in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973) or terrorism (the Palestinian campaign against Israeli civilians, begun in 2000, but was defeated by 2005, something the Palestinians don't like to discuss.) A clearly stated Hamas objective is to amass a large stock of long range rockets, and other weapons, in Gaza, and use them for another major attack on Israel."

Korea: There Will Be Consequences

"North Korean military officials are enthusiastic about war, having absorbed their own propaganda that the South Korean and American military are ineffective and that a war would bring quick victory for the north. But government officials, especially those running the economy, see war as disastrous, and likely to end communist rule (and any semblance of order) in the north."

Stanley Tucci to Star in Captain America

"Marvel Studios announced today that Oscar-nominated actor Stanley Tucci has been cast to star as Dr. Abraham Erskine in the studio's highly anticipated movie Captain America: The First Avenger opposite Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Hugo Weaving, and Hayley Atwell.

In the early comics, Dr. Erskine was a German scientist behind Project Rebirth, the secret experiment that created the Super Soldier known as Captain America. Joe Johnston will direct the film penned by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely.

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige will produce Captain America: The First Avenger. Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel and Louis D’Esposito will executive produce. The film will be released in the US on July 22, 2011 and distributed by Paramount Pictures."

Neal McDonough Confirmed for Captain America

"Neal McDonough, who last week was indicated a near-lock by Deadline, confirmed that he will be taking the part of Dum Dum Dugan in Captain America: The First Avenger in an interview with MTV.

Also of interest are McDonough comments about the military unit, The Howling Commando, and the role they play in the film. According to McDonough, the team may undergo a name change before shooting begins.

'It may change,' the actor told MTV, 'I'm reading a few things that it might change. But at this point, it still is [the Howling Commandos].'

Fans may recall that early reports had Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige claiming that The Invaders would fight along Captain America in the film, but it was later revealed that Feige was actually referring to The Howling Commandos.

Reasons for a name change are unknown as are the reasons behind it (be they creative or legal). What does seem certain at this point is that the members of The Howling Commandos will be present and that Neal McDonough will be among them."

Ayers, Dohrn helped organize flotilla group | Washington Examiner

"Former Weather Underground leaders William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, as well as Code Pink founder Jodie Evans, helped organize the Free Gaza Movement, which launched the six-ship flotilla from Turkey to Israel that ended in a violent clash with Israeli Defense Forces, BigGovernment.com reported.
In January, the trio were spotted in Egypt attempting to stir up crowds on the streets with 1,400 other left-wing activists after the Egyptian government refused to allow Free Gaza Movement members to enter the Gaza Strip. About 100 marchers were eventually allowed to cross the border, where they were met by former Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh."

Chrysler won't repay federal bailout 'loans' - May. 5, 2009

"Chrysler LLC will not repay U.S. taxpayers more than $7 billion in bailout money it received earlier this year and as part of its bankruptcy filing.
This revelation was buried within Chrysler's bankruptcy filings last week and confirmed by the Obama administration Tuesday. The filings included a list of business assumptions from one of the company's key financial advisors in the bankruptcy case."

ObamaCare to Doctors: Accept our prices or face jail [Darleen Click]

"So, it’s ok for SEIU or Teacher’s Unions or any other labor entity to strike, threaten to strike, or get the Obama government to do their dirty work (take over GM, toss investors to the curb and hand over an equity share to the Union), but if a doctor says “hey, I’m not going to accept any more Medicare/Workers Comp/Blue Cross patients” that doctor is engaging in criminal behavior and, by golly, Barry will have none of it!
Oh, btw, Obama’s DOJ also says Doctors don’t have Constitution right of Free Speech, either"

Justice Department declares war on doctors - CSMonitor.com

"As I’ve long suspected, “health care reform” has emboldened the Justice Department to take a more active role in enforcing government price controls against physicians. Today the Antitrust Division, joined by Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, forced a a group of Boise orthopedists to accept price controls for worker’s compensation and HMO contracts as part of a settlement accusing the doctors of “price fixing”:"

Kurdish War: The Ceasefire Is Over

"Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel commanders have announced that their ceasefire (announced in April 2009) with the Turkish Army is over. It was never much of a ceasefire, but it served a political and propaganda purpose. The PKK is ending the ceasefire because PKK and Turkish security forces have been fighting one another for the last few months. It also follows rumors that jailed PKK supreme commander Abdullah “Apo” Ocalan has said that he is no longer interested in negotiating with the Turkish government. Interestingly enough it comes at a time that Turkish and Israeli relations are at a low point. The PKK may be seeking Israeli support. The Israelis did provide the Kurds in Iraq with help against the Iraqi Baathist government."

Peacekeeping: Send In The Girls With Guns

"The issue of women in particular is a sensitive subject in Afghan culture. Most coalition troops understand that the Taliban treat women like cattle, but have a hard time grasping how to interact and engage with the local female population in the areas in which they operate. Saying or doing the wrong thing around women in a war zone like Afghanistan can quickly turn potential friends into very real enemies. The Americans and the British are trying to fix this situation with the establishment of Female Engagement Teams (FET). The U.S. Marine Corps just graduated the first British troops from the nine-day course. The course was originally a Marine Corps project, but since the British are also in Afghanistan in a big way, the Marines have accepted two British troops into the program.
The FET is basically an all-female training course that focuses on teaching coalition troops the intricacies of dealing with the female population in Afghanistan."

U.S. 'secret war' expands globally as Special Operations forces take larger role

"Special Operations forces have grown both in number and budget, and are deployed in 75 countries, compared with about 60 at the beginning of last year. In addition to units that have spent years in the Philippines and Colombia, teams are operating in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.
Commanders are developing plans for increasing the use of such forces in Somalia, where a Special Operations raid last year killed the alleged head of al-Qaeda in East Africa. Plans exist for preemptive or retaliatory strikes in numerous places around the world, meant to be put into action when a plot has been identified, or after an attack linked to a specific group."

US Stock Futures Extend Losses After Jobs Report - CNBC

"US employers added 431,000 jobs to nonfarm payrolls in May, but 411,000 of those were temporary census workers. The private sector added just 41,000 jobs: Manufacturing, temporary help and mining added jobs, while construction declined. That number was also well short of the more than 500,000 economists had expected. The unemployment rate, however, fell to 9.7 percent from 9.9 percent in April."

India-Pakistan: Killing The Wrong People Backfires

"The Taliban have had one major success in Pakistan; they have turned most Pakistanis against Islamic radicalism. Politicians in areas where most of the populations lives (Sind and Punjab province) now make a big deal about the danger of Islamic terrorism, and the need to fight back. This has alarmed the many Islamic conservatives, especially those running religious schools. But the schools have an image problem, as a minority of them have long been the source of most new terrorists. The religious schools, and the Pakistani education system in general, is under attack by parents and politicians. Currently, the education system is heavy on religious instruction, and short on teaching things that will help students get a job. Parents want fewer terrorists and religious fanatics and more employable graduates. The politicians have picked up on this, and the religious lobby is trying to keep the education as it is."

Infantry: Up Close And Still Deadly

"Many senior military commanders in Afghanistan, and back home, are urging that troops rely less on smart bombs and missiles, and instead send in the infantry to get the bad guys. This, in theory, causes fewer civilian casualties. The Taliban use civilians as human shields whenever possible, knowing that the NATO ROE (Rules of Engagement) calls for minimizing civilian casualties. But infantry commanders in the field know that sending in the troops, instead of smart bombs, does not usually result in fewer civilian casualties. Clearing rooms and buildings often involves opening fire in dark rooms, or tossing in grenades. And the Taliban have demonstrated a ruthless attitude towards their use of human shields."

Thor Concept Art Surfaces

"Concept art of Chris Evans as Captain America surfaced yesterday (View here) and now similar artwork of Chris Hemsworth in the full Thor costume has come online at Collider.

Of course, this is not the first time we've seen Hemsworth as Thor, but this time you get to see his lower body as well. Though as you can see from the official photo below the concept art, it does look a bit different in the actual movie (the lighting, etc)."

Is this Our First Look at Captain America?

"What is alleged to be the first public look at the costume design for Captain America: The First Avenger has appeared online at Ain't It Cool News.

The costume, which seems to combine the classic Captain America outfit with the 'real world' look of the costume from the 'Ultimates' series, is illustrated with Chris Evans' face as the model."

Surface Forces : The Incredible Shrinking American Fleet

"The U.S. Department of Defense leadership has concluded that the current mix of ships, and naval strategies they support, cannot be sustained. It's not like this sort of thing has not happened before. This would be the third time in a century that the naval world was transformed by new technology. A century ago, the new 'all big gun' battleship design had made all existing fleets obsolete. At the same time these new battleships appeared, so did aircraft. Three decades later, the aircraft carrier made the battleship obsolete. Now cruise missiles , UAVs and all manner of new sensors, software and electronics are threatening the aircraft carrier. If you go back and read the popular and professional media at the time of the last two transformations, you will note a lot of uncertainty about whether it was really a transforming moment. That is the case now, but the issue is heating up because the current carrier-centric navy is simply unaffordable. This includes the large amphibious ships (which carrier helicopters and vertical takeoff aircraft, and look like carriers.)"

Information Warfare: Israel Tells Lebanon How It Will Be Destroyed

"Keep in mind exactly what Hezbollah is. It is a radical Islamic organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel, and the eventual establishment of a world-wide Islamic dictatorship (in cooperation with its patron, Iran). Hezbollah has taken control of about a third of Lebanon, and runs it as a religious dictatorship, a branch office of the similar Iranian tyranny. Hezbollah's power base is the 1.3 million Lebanese who are Shia Moslem (like most Iranians are). The Shia comprise about 35 percent of the Lebanese population, and have long been the least prosperous third of the population."

Artillery: Syrian Secrets Revealed From On High

"In the last few months, Lebanese terror group Hezbollah appears to have received over a hundred M600 ballistic missiles from Syria. Now, after many people scoured Google Earth satellite photos of Syria and Lebanon, looking for the weapons, something particularly interesting was found in northern Syria, outside the town of Masyaf. Google Earth users noted five compounds, that appear to be closed to all but authorized personnel. Inside these compounds there appeared to be entrances to bunkers dug into adjacent hills. In 2003, Syrian sources reported that Iraqi chemical weapons were sent to Syria, and some were storied in bunkers near Masyaf. These bunkers are believed to hold other munitions, including missiles being shipped to Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon. There, hundreds of tunnels and bunkers are used for storing Hezbollah munitions, personnel and vehicles. Satellite and aerial photos have seen weapons being brought in and out of these tunnels. Syria denies providing Hezbollah with any weapons."

Intelligence: Street Smarts Save Lives

Intelligence: Street Smarts Save Lives: "(U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, Martin) Richburg, a reservist and heavy vehicle mechanic, was at the Iraqi base to teach Iraqi troops how to maintain vehicles, and was sitting in the cab of his heavy flatbed truck (used for transporting vehicles that could not be towed). He was waiting near the Internet Café, and talking on his cell phone, when he noticed an Iraqi man (a civilian employee of the camp) acting strangely. The guy was actually a member of a Sunni Arab terrorist cell, which had brought bomb components into the camp one at a time, and assembled a bomb that the man outside the Internet Café was waiting to plant. The bomb was in a package, and its timer was already set. When Ritchburg saw the man place the package on top of an air conditioner hanging out a window of the Internet Café, and start moving quickly away, he deduced that a bomb had just been placed. Richburg jumped out of his truck, pulled out his 9mm pistol, and quickly caught up with and knocked down the fleeing bomber. Richburg called for a nearby Iraqi he knew, and asked him to translate. The bomber knew his nearby bomb was going off soon, so it didn't take too much forceful questioning by Richburg (there was a brief Jack Bauer moment) before the bomber admitted that the bomb was going off in five minutes. Asking the translator to call for more help, and keep the bomber in custody, Richburg ran to the Internet Café and, waving his pistol and shouting 'bomb', and 'get out', quickly cleared all American and Iraqis out of the building. Everyone took cover behind a bomb barrier (a concrete wall), and after 15 minutes, the bomb went off, filling the Internet Café with glass and debris. The windshield on his truck was shattered, and the cab was damaged by debris. But no one was hurt."

Afghanistan: It's Summertime, And The Killing Is Easy

"American intelligence has confirmed that a UAV missile strike in Pakistan last month killed the al Qaeda field commander, Mustafa Abu al Yazid. He occupied the number three position in the al Qaeda hierarchy, and was mainly concerned with coordinating attacks in Afghanistan. This is a dangerous job, requiring constant contact with many subordinates, and detection by American intelligence efforts. As a result, seven men in this position have died since 2001. The constant turnover has produced a rigidity in al Qaeda operations, and difficulty in responding to serious problems (like hostility with some pro-Taliban tribes). Yazid (also known as al Masri) was a founding member of al Qaeda, and was once the organization's treasurer. He arranged the funding for the September 11, 2001 attacks."

Murphy's Law: Those Savages At The CIA

"The Pakistanis also prefer the CIA to control the UAVs, partly because this enables them to tell everyone that there is no American military forces in Pakistan. But mostly, the Pakistanis prefer to keep the American lawyers out of it, and get on with killing the terrorist leaders, and their followers, who are killing so many Pakistanis. War is hell, and bringing lawyers in is a response to political and media, not military, needs."

Wars Update: The Islamic Follies

"Worldwide, violence continues the decline is has exhibited for most of the decade. For example, violence has greatly diminished, or disappeared completely, in places like Iraq, Nepal, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Chechnya, Congo, Indonesia and Burundi. Even Afghanistan, touted as the new war zone, was not nearly as violent this past six months as the headlines would deceive you into believing."