Air Transportation: C-17 Died For Our Sins

 

After 17 years of service, the American C-17 transport has spent over two million hours in the air. This equals over two billion kilometers travelled. There are 226 American and foreign C-17s in service. The C-17 fleet passed a million hours only five years ago, when there were 152 in service. Despite the heavy use, the C-17 has been very reliable, with a current readiness rate of 85 percent. The 290 ton C-17 can carry up to 100 tons (including one M-1 tank) anywhere in the world because of in-air refueling. The C-17, costs about $250 million each. Britain is the largest foreign user of the C-17. Australia and Canada each got four. The U.S. Air Force operates 173.

But in the meantime, C-17s are being worked to death. The problem is that the C-17 is more in demand during the war on terror than are air force combat aircraft. Only the two dozen AC-130 gunships, and a hundred or so A-10 ground attack aircraft and F-16 fighter-bombers are getting steady work these days. But their workload is nothing compared to the C-17s, which are in constant demand to deliver personnel and material to American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other places where the war on terror is being fought.

Air Transportation: C-17 Died For Our Sins

Balkans: For A Few Kidneys More

 

It has become a Balkan policy with a different wrinkle. Israel is continuing to develop stronger military and political ties with Balkan nations. The Israeli policy definitely irks Turkey, which is the point of it. Turkey and Israel were close allies but Turkey's moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) has broadened its relations with other Muslim countries at Israel's expense. Now Israel is conducting small-scale military training exercises with Greece. It is also working with Bulgaria and Romania. The Israelis once used Turkish air space to train its air force. Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece have air space that Israel now uses for training. Israel is also talking with the Greek Cypriot government on Cyprus.

Balkans: For A Few Kidneys More

Medicare Bound to Bust as First Boomers Hit 65 - CBS Evening News - CBS News

 

On New Year's Day, the first baby boomers will celebrate the big 6-5, and they're not just getting older. They're getting more costly.
"Boomers" are the 77 million Americans born from 1946 through '64. Beginning Jan. 1, 10,000 a day will turn 65. That will continue for the next 19 years.
"The retirement of the baby boom generation will bring a tsunami of spending that will cause a severe problem for the federal government's budget over time," said David Walker, former U.S. comptroller general and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative.
Take Medicare, health care for the elderly and disabled:
• The number of people eligible will nearly double from 46 million to 80 million by the time all the boomers reach 65.
• It's estimated the cost will grow from $500 billion a year today to $929 billion by 2020.
• The number of workers supporting each senior will fall.
"Ultimately we're going to have to make tough choices about how much health care can we afford and sustain and how are we going to change our payment systems to make sure that it doesn't bankrupt the country," said Walker. "Because if there's one thing that could bankrupt the United States, it's out-of-control health care costs."

Medicare Bound to Bust as First Boomers Hit 65 - CBS Evening News - CBS News

Juicebox Mafioso Ezra Klein: ‘Eww, it’s like too old. ICKY!!’ [Darleen Click]

One of the things I like about the Constitution is that you won’t understand it properly if you approach it lazily.  You have to understand the history and the language usage of the time, because that original meaning is the fixed point on the journey.  It takes some effort.  And so, Klein will, doubtless, remain stymied.

KLEIN: Yes, it’s a gimmick. [Laughs] I mean, you can say two things about it. One, is that it has no binding power on anything. And two, the issue of the Constitution is not that people don’t read the text and think they’re following. The issue of the Constitution is that the text is confusing because it was written more than 100 years ago and what people believe it says differs from person to person and differs depending on what they want to get done. So, I wouldn’t expect to much coming out of this.*

Juicebox Mafioso Ezra Klein: ‘Eww, it’s like too old. ICKY!!’ [Darleen Click]

Well of course it’s difficult to understand, when you come at it from a “living document” point of view whereby it can mean one thing today and something else entirely tomorrow (the bankrupt interpretive philosophy that allows the deviation in meaning from person to person that Klein cites—fine strategy, create the confusion then complain that it’s confusing).  Much like a compass or map, you’ll never be able to use them without at least one fixed point.

$5 Gas Predicted Under Obama -- What, No Pitchforks? - Larry Elder - Townhall Conservative

 

During President George W. Bush's administration, we constantly heard demands to hold the President accountable for "Big Oil's price gouging." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., just two years ago, knew exactly whom to blame for "skyrocketing" oil prices: "The price of oil is at the doorstep; $4-plus per gallon for oil is attributed to two oilmen in the White House and their protectors in the United States Senate."

In 2007, when the average national price ranged from $2.17 to $3.22, then-Sen. Barack Obama demanded that the Federal Trade Commission investigate Big Oil for "price manipulation." In 2008, presidential candidate Obama urged the Justice Department "to open an investigation into whether energy traders have been engaged in illegal activities that have helped drive up the price of oil and food."

Obama also called for "a windfall profits penalty on oil selling at or over $80 per barrel." As of Christmas 2010, a barrel of oil sold at slightly above $90. What happened to the windfall profits tax?

$5 Gas Predicted Under Obama -- What, No Pitchforks? - Larry Elder - Townhall Conservative

Afghanistan: Behaving Badly And Getting Caught

 

Eastern Afghanistan is alive with the sound of the Pakistani Taliban dying. Several Islamic terrorist groups across the border in Waziristan are trying to escape the Pakistani Army, CIA missiles and fed-up tribesmen, by fleeing across the border. But these heavily armed refugees find more armed and angry tribesmen, plus Afghan and NATO troops. For an Afghan, this is no way to spend the Winter. It's too cold to be chased through the snow filled mountain passes. Actually, it's been a little warmer latterly, staying above freezing. But that's still cold enough for the heat sensors in NATO aircraft and UAVs to find small groups of men crossing the border. The Pakistani Taliban are moving into an area where the local (Afghan) Taliban are under heavy attack as well. The Winter is the prime hunting season for NATO, which has aircraft, warmer clothing and secure bases to operate from. Lots of Taliban are being arrested, and interrogated. The prisoners tend to speak freely, especially the young guys who are out for the adventure, loot and escape from boredom back at their village. Talking to these foreigners, or the Afghan policeman who doesn't bother to use violence, is kind of nice too. The information obtained is leading to the death or capture of more of the Taliban leadership. This is costing the Taliban a lot of money, because this border area is supposed to be kept clear of Afghan and foreign troops, so that the drug gangs (who the Taliban work for) can export their heroin. Most of these drugs move through Pakistan, and eastern Afghanistan is the quickest way to Karachi, and the world. The Taliban are supposed to keep the security forces out with roadside bombs and suicide attacks. But that isn't working, and the bases from which these attacks are made are being found and attacked.

Afghanistan: Behaving Badly And Getting Caught

Forecasters keep eye on looming 'Solar Max'

But two centuries of observing sunspots -- dark, relatively cool marks on the solar face linked to mighty magnetic forces -- have revealed that our star follows a roughly 11-year cycle of behaviour.

The latest cycle began in 1996 and for reasons which are unclear has taken longer than expected to end.

Now, though, there are more and more signs that the Sun is shaking off its torpor and building towards "Solar Max," or the cycle's climax, say experts.

"The latest prediction looks at around midway 2013 as being the maximum phase of the solar cycle," said Joe Kunches of NASA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

But there is a prolonged period of high activity, "more like a season, lasting about two and a half years," either side of the peak, he cautioned.

At its angriest, the Sun can vomit forth tides of electromagnetic radiation and charged matter known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs.

This shock wave may take several days to reach Earth. When it arrives, it compresses the planet's protective magnetic field, releasing energy visible in high latitudes as shimmering auroras -- the famous Northern Lights and Southern Lights.

But CMEs are not just pretty events.

They can unleash static discharges and geomagnetic storms that can disrupt or even knock out the electronics on which our urbanised, Internet-obsessed, data-saturated society depends.

Less feared, but also a problem, are solar flares, or eruptions of super-charged protons that can reach Earth in just minutes.

In the front line are telecommunications satellites in geostationary orbit, at an altitude of 36,000 kilometres (22,500 miles) and Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites, on which modern airliners and ships depend for navigation, which orbit at 20,000 kms (12,000 miles).

In January 1994, discharges of static electricity inflicted a five-month, 50-million-dollar outage of a Canadian telecoms satellite, Anik-E2.

In April 2010, Intelsat lost Galaxy 15, providing communications over North America, after the link to ground control was knocked out apparently by solar activity.

"These are the two outright breakdowns that we all think about," said Philippe Calvel, an engineer with the French firm Thales. "Both were caused by CMEs."

In 2005, X-rays from a solar storm disrupted satellite-to-ground communications and GPS signals for about 10 minutes.

To cope with solar fury, satellite designers opt for robust, tried-and-tested components and shielding, even if this makes the equipment heavier and bulkier and thus costlier to launch, said Thierry Duhamel of satellite maker Astrium.

Another precaution is redundancy -- to have backup systems in case one malfunctions.

On Earth, power lines, data connections and even oil and gas pipelines are potentially vulnerable.

An early warning of the risk came in 1859, when the biggest CME ever observed unleashed red, purple and green auroras even in tropical latitudes.

The new-fangled technology of the telegraph went crazy. Geomagnetically-induced currents in the wires shocked telegraph operators and even set the telegraph paper on fire.

In 1989, a far smaller flare knocked out power from Canada's Hydro Quebec generator, inflicting a nine-hour blackout for six million people.

A workshop in 2008 by US space weather experts, hosted by the National Academy of Sciences, heard that a major geomagnetic storm would dwarf the 2005 Hurricane Katrina for costs.

Recurrence of a 1921 event today would fry 350 major transformers, leaving more than 130 million people without power, it heard. A bigger storm could cost between a trillion and two trillion dollars in the first year, and full recovery could take between four and 10 years.

"I think there is some hyperbole about the draconian effects," said Kunches.

"On the other hand, there's a lot we don't know about the Sun. Even in the supposedly declining, or quiet phase, you can have magnetic fields on the Sun that get very concentrated and energised for a time, and you can get, out of the blue, eruptive activity that is atypical. In short, we have a variable star."

Forecasters keep eye on looming 'Solar Max'

Maliki: No US Troops in Iraq Beyond 2011

 

In a 2-hour interview published Tuesday, his first after a new government was formed following nine months of political stalemate, Maliki said Iraq would assume the responsibility for security and will not form closer ties with Iran.

The Journal said some U.S. and Iraqi officials believed the U.S. troop presence would be extended beyond 2011, but Maliki said that was not true. "The last American Soldier will leave Iraq" as agreed with the Obama administration, he said. "This agreement is not subject to extension, not subject to alteration. It is sealed."

Maliki: No US Troops in Iraq Beyond 2011

N.Korean troops' new uniform alarms S.Korea

 

Some North Korean troops stationed along the border have donned a camouflage uniform similar to that worn by South Koreans, apparently to practise intrusion drills, a defence ministry official said Tuesday.

The move prompted the South to advance the supply of new uniforms for its own troops to avoid confusion, the official told journalists in a background briefing.

"It's been confirmed some North Korean frontline troops are wearing uniforms with woodland camouflage pattern which is similar to those of South Korean uniforms," the official said.

"Our judgment is that the North's special forces stationed there are staging intrusion drills wearing the uniforms."

The South's military has begun supplying new "digital camouflage" uniforms and is considering speeding up the distribution following the North's move.

The North is believed to have some 200,000 special forces and to have deployed some 50,000 of them along the border with the South, the ministry said.

N.Korean troops' new uniform alarms S.Korea

U.S. changes how it measures long-term unemployment - USATODAY.com

 

So many Americans have been jobless for so long that the government is changing how it records long-term unemployment.

Citing what it calls "an unprecedented rise" in long-term unemployment, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), beginning Saturday, will raise from two years to five years the upper limit on how long someone can be listed as having been jobless.

The move could help economists better measure the severity of the nation's prolonged economic downturn.

The change is a sign that bureau officials "are afraid that a cap of two years may be 'understating the true average duration' — but they won't know by how much until they raise the upper limit," says Linda Barrington, an economist who directs the Institute for Compensation Studies at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

U.S. changes how it measures long-term unemployment - USATODAY.com

111th Congress Added More Debt Than First 100 Congresses Combined: $10,429 Per Person in U.S. | CNSnews.com

 

The federal government has accumulated more new debt--$3.22 trillion ($3,220,103,625,307.29)—during the tenure of the 111th Congress than it did during the first 100 Congresses combined, according to official debt figures published by the U.S. Treasury.

That equals $10,429.64 in new debt for each and every one of the 308,745,538 people counted in the United States by the 2010 Census.

The total national debt of $13,858,529,371,601.09 (or $13.859 trillion), as recorded by the U.S. Treasury at the close of business on Dec. 22, now equals $44,886.57 for every man, woman and child in the United States.

In fact, the 111th Congress not only has set the record as the most debt-accumulating Congress in U.S. history, but also has out-stripped its nearest competitor, the 110th, by an astounding $1.262 trillion in new debt.

111th Congress Added More Debt Than First 100 Congresses Combined: $10,429 Per Person in U.S. | CNSnews.com

Ceiling lights in Minn. send coded Internet data - Yahoo! News

 

Flickering ceiling lights are usually a nuisance, but in city offices in St. Cloud, they will actually be a pathway to the Internet.

The lights will transmit data to specially equipped computers on desks below by flickering faster than the eye can see. Ultimately, the technique could ease wireless congestion by opening up new expressways for short-range communications.

The first few light fixtures built by LVX System, a local startup, will be installed Wednesday in six municipal buildings in this city of 66,000 in the snowy farm fields of central Minnesota.

The LVX system puts clusters of its light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, in a standard-sized light fixture. The LEDs transmit coded messages — as a series of 1s and 0s in computer speak — to special modems attached to computers.

A light on the modem talks back to the fixture overhead, where there is sensor to receive the return signal and transmit the data over the Internet. Those computers on the desks aren't connected to the Internet, except through these light signals, much as Wi-Fi allows people to connect wirelessly.

LVX takes its name from the Latin word for light, but the underlying concept is older than Rome; the ancient Greeks signaled each other over long distances using flashes of sunlight off mirrors and polished shields. The Navy uses a Morse-coded version with lamps.

The first generation of the LVX system will transmit data at speeds of about 3 megabits per second, roughly as fast as a residential DSL line.

Ceiling lights in Minn. send coded Internet data - Yahoo! News

Korea: The Return Fire Next Time

 

While North Korea has made many overt attacks on the south in the last half century, there has never been a retaliatory attack on the north by South Korea. But now South Korea has openly pledged to strike back if the north attacks again. For the first time since the 1950s, the public mood in the south supports shooting back. Since the south is a democracy, politicians are under a lot of pressure to do what they say. The north is a police state, and could just ignore a southern artillery barrage or air strike. But the north is not the police state is once was. News gets around up there now, and the government would be humiliated if they tried to suppress news of South Korean warplanes dropping smart bombs on northern troops. While North Korea is a dictatorship, the rulers pay a lot of attention to public opinion, particularly in light of the poverty and unhappiness they preside over. There's only enough money up north to keep a few percent of the population living well (and remaining loyal to the state). The rest have to be controlled with guns, fear and propaganda. If the south appears to be attacking, the northern leaders are not sure they can depend on their own soldiers to defend the government that has provided only hunger and fear. In an attempt to improve morale among the common folk, North Korean TV featured some of the soldiers involved in last month's artillery attack on a South Korean island. The soldiers boasted of their heroic feat and there were smiles all around. Except among many of the viewers, who huddled around the TV, one of the few sources of heat. There is only electricity a few hours a day in most parts of North Korea, and important TV shows are scheduled for times when the most uneasy areas have juice for the tube. The capital, home to about 12 percent of the population (you need a special permit to live there) gets more electricity, and more of everything. But in the rest of the country, it's mostly dark and cold.

Korea: The Return Fire Next Time

Israel: Mossad Hires Sharks To Attack Egypt

 

Hamas says the truce is still in effect, although in the last ten days about 30 rockets and mortar shells have been fired into Israel from Gaza. Hamas says it can't control extremist groups that don't observe the ceasefire. But some Islamic terrorist groups (like al Qaeda) in Gaza openly complain of favoritism. Hamas tries much harder to prevent some groups from attacking Israel, while allowing others to pretty much fire at will. Hamas denies this, but does say that, while it will never recognize Israel's right to exist, it is interested in a long-term ceasefire. Hamas believes that it can eventually build up its military strength and, in cooperation with other Arab nations and terrorist groups, destroy Israel. In response to that, Israel says it will reoccupy Gaza if Hamas fires long range rockets at Israeli cities.

Israel: Mossad Hires Sharks To Attack Egypt

Intelligence: The Afghan Beat

 

The U.S. Army is spending $157 million to hire retired detectives and other police professionals to serve with brigades and battalion in Afghanistan for the next year. This contract covers the services of retired police already in Afghanistan, and more to be hired through next December. The retired police investigators will assist combat troops and intelligence specialists to detect and identify terrorist gangs that specialize in building and placing roadside bombs and mines.

American troops operating in Afghanistan, who have served in Iraq, are not surprised to find retired policemen and detectives serving with them as civilian advisors. Hiring retired cops is somewhat new, but in Iraq, reservists who were police back home, proved to have very useful skills for ferreting out terrorists. The cops had street smarts, the ability to tell, despite the cultural differences, who was likely to be the bad guys, and how to find them.

Intelligence: The Afghan Beat

India-Pakistan: Taliban Offer To Be Annoying, Not Intimidating.

 

Years of escalating threats, bribes and diplomatic pressure have forced Pakistan to peel away the protections the Taliban, and other Islamic radicals, enjoyed in the tribal territories. Growing popular anger against the Taliban (who seem to go out of their way to offend, kill or annoy the maximum number of people) has made it easier for the Pakistani government (despite the large number of Islamic radicals, or fans, in the bureaucracy) to make it so. This has made Islamic radicals anxious, and fearful that they are losing power. They are.

Pakistan revealed that it had, in the last week, arrested Nasiruddin Haqqani, a senior header of the Haqqani Network (a long time ally of al Qaeda and the Taliban) and its chief fundraiser. The arrest was made in North Waziristan, where the Pakistani police normally leave Islamic radical leaders alone. The Pakistanis admit they were acting in response to growing American pressure.

India-Pakistan: Taliban Offer To Be Annoying, Not Intimidating.

Naval Air: The Electromagnetic Marvel Actually Works

 

U.S. Navy plans to equip future aircraft carriers with electromagnetic catapults took a big step forward on December 18th when, for the first time, an electromagnetic catapult launched an F-18E (from a land base equipped with the test version of the catapult). Earlier this year, tests had been put on hold for a bit, while software problems were fixed. The mechanical aspects of the electromagnetic catapult were pretty much solved, but the test model the navy was 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.

Naval Air: The Electromagnetic Marvel Actually Works

 

South Texian: A North American Afghanistan?

 

Not the most pleasant thought to be reading this Christmas Eve, but a couple of recent news items have reminded me of how the U.S.-Mexico border continues its descent into anarchy, courtesy not only of Mexican narcotraficantes, but also of the incompetent, self-serving, corrupt behemoth that is official Washington.

South Texian: A North American Afghanistan?

YouTube - Gene Simmons Military Tribute

 

YouTube - Gene Simmons Military Tribute

Indefinite detention possible for suspects at Guantanamo Bay

 

The Obama administration is preparing an executive order that would formalize indefinite detention without trial for some detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but allow those detainees and their lawyers to challenge the basis for continued incarceration, U.S. officials said.

The administration has long signaled that the use of what the administration calls prolonged detention, preferably at a facility in the United States, was one element of its plan to close Guantanamo. An interagency task force found that 48 of the 174 detainees remaining at the facility would have to be held in such conditions.

Indefinite detention possible for suspects at Guantanamo Bay

New tax law packed with obscure business tax cuts - Yahoo! News

 

Among the provisions in the new law:

_A tax break that allows profitable companies to write off large capital expenditures immediately — rather than over time — giving some companies huge tax shelters.

The tax break, known as bonus depreciation, benefits automakers, utilities, heavy equipment makers like Caterpillar Inc., and John Deere, air freight companies like Fedex Corp., and wireless companies like Verizon and AT&T, said Anne Mathias, director of research for the Washington Research Group, which provides research to institutional and corporate investors. It will save companies nearly $21 billion over the next decade.

"It helps companies that use expensive capital equipment, that spend a lot of money," Mathias said. "It also helps places where the economy is growing, like wireless infrastructure, because there is a pretty big wireless build out right now."

The tax break is also available to people who buy race horses and farmers who buy cattle for breeding or dairy, according to a depreciation list produced by the Internal Revenue Service.

_An exemption that allows banks, insurance companies and other financial firms to shield foreign profits from being taxed by the U.S. through 2011. Cost: $9.2 billion.

The tax break is important to major multinational banks and financial firms, such as Citigroup, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, and to the financing operations of other international companies, Mathias said.

_A tax credit for research and development, benefiting a wide range of industries, including pharmaceutical and high tech companies. The law extends the tax credit through 2011, at a cost of $13.3 billion.

"The House and the Senate are in the holiday spirit and giving US companies a present of $13 billion in potential R&D Tax Credits!" says a press release by Braithwaite Global Inc., a firm that advises companies on applying for research tax credits.

_Increased tax rebates to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands from a tax on rum imported into the United States. The U.S. imposes a $13.50 per proof-gallon tax on imported rum, and sends most of the proceeds to the two U.S. territories.

Previously, the rebate was $10.50 a gallon. The new law extends a more generous rebate of $13.25 a gallon through 2011. Cost: $262 million.

_Extends a grant program for the production of wind, solar and other renewable energy through 2011. Cost: $3 billion.

"This is a great holiday present for the 85,000 American workers in the wind energy industry, tens of thousands of whom will now be able to get back to work in a sector that has been a bright spot in the recession so far," Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, said in a statement.

_Extends a 50 percent tax credit for expenses related to railroad track maintenance through 2011. Cost $331 million.

_Enhanced deductions for companies that donate food to the needy, books to public schools or computers to public libraries, through 2011. Cost: $537 million.

_A tax break that allows TV and movie productions to more quickly write off expenses, extended through 2011. Sexually explicit productions are ineligible. Cost: $101 million.

New tax law packed with obscure business tax cuts - Yahoo! News

Attrition: Suicides Sliding Back To Peacetime Levels

 

After four years of increasing suicide rates, the U.S. Army finally brought the rate down. In 2009 the rate was 28 per 100,000 troops, versus 25 for the past year. The actual number of deaths was 140 last year, 162 in 2009, 140 in 2008, 115 in 2007 and 102 in 2006. Things like suicide rates are measured in how many people per 100,000 population are affected. The active duty strength of the army is over half a million troops (including a fluctuating number of activated reservists). Thus the suicide rate in 2008 was 20 per 100,000 troops . In 2007 it was 19. The rate in 2006 was 12.8, and for the last decade, had fluctuated between 10-13 per 100,000. The suicide rate for troops in Iraq has been about 40-50 percent higher than for soldiers stationed elsewhere. The suicide rate for the entire U.S. population is about 11 per 100,000. The U.S. Army notes that the suicide rate has been declining since last year, indicating that all the treatment efforts are paying off.

Attrition: Suicides Sliding Back To Peacetime Levels

Delta Bravo Sierra - There's STRANGE… and then there's ARMY STRANGE

Delta Bravo Sierra - There's STRANGE… and then there's ARMY STRANGE

“Don’t feel bad, it takes years to learn how to think like a proper feminist.” [Darleen Click]

 

Heh.

“Don’t feel bad, it takes years to learn how to think like a proper feminist.” [Darleen Click]

LEMV Surveillance Airship Taking Shape

 

Six months after contract award, elements of Northrop Grumman's long-endurance multi-intelligence vehicle (LEMV) hybrid airship are coming together.

The persistent-surveillance LEMV is designed to have an endurance when operating unmanned for 21 days at 20,000 ft. carrying a 2,500-lb. payload of sensors and communications equipment.

The critical design review was completed at the end of November, final assembly is to begin in February and first flight is planned for the end of July 2011.

"It's a fast-moving train," says Alan Metzger, LEMV program manager. Northrop won the $517 million U.S. Army demonstration contract in July. The first airship should be ready for deployment to Afghanistan at the end of 2011 for a military assessment.

LEMV Surveillance Airship Taking Shape

Fresh humiliation for euro zone as China says it will bail out debt-ridden nations | Mail Online

 

China has said it is willing to bail out debt-ridden countries in the euro zone using its $2.7trillion overseas investment fund.

In a fresh humiliation for Europe, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jiang Yu said it was one of the most important areas for China's foreign exchange investments.

The country has already approached struggling European countries with financial aid, including offering to buy Greece's debt in October and promising to buy $4billion of Portuguese government debt.

Fresh humiliation for euro zone as China says it will bail out debt-ridden nations | Mail Online

School sends home permission slips for Pledge of Allegiance

 

A Brookline school is now saying permission slips won’t be necessary for students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Edward Devotion School, which has not recited the Pledge of Allegiance in seven years, will say the Pledge over the school's intercom once a week beginning next month.

Gerardo Martinez, the school's principal, initially said the permission slips were sent to encourage parents to have a discussion with their kids about the Pledge.

The principal also says he sent this note out to parents just to let them know it was okay if they do not want their kids to participate.

Unfortunately for the principal, the thought of a permission slip to recite the Pledge set off a fire storm. Eventually the principal sent out a second note to parents explaining that it was not mandatory to sign the permission slips

It is state law for teachers to lead their classes in daily pledges at the start of school. Under Brookline school policy, the recitation may take place weekly, according to Martinez.

School sends home permission slips for Pledge of Allegiance

Missoula District Court: Jury pool in marijuana case stages ‘mutiny’

 

A funny thing happened on the way to a trial in Missoula County District Court last week.

Jurors – well, potential jurors – staged a revolt.

They took the law into their own hands, as it were, and made it clear they weren’t about to convict anybody for having a couple of buds of marijuana. Never mind that the defendant in question also faced a felony charge of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.

The tiny amount of marijuana police found while searching Touray Cornell’s home on April 23 became a huge issue for some members of the jury panel.

No, they said, one after the other. No way would they convict somebody for having a 16th of an ounce.

In fact, one juror wondered why the county was wasting time and money prosecuting the case at all, said a flummoxed Deputy Missoula County Attorney Andrew Paul.

District Judge Dusty Deschamps took a quick poll as to who might agree. Of the 27 potential jurors before him, maybe five raised their hands. A couple of others had already been excused because of their philosophical objections.

“I thought, ‘Geez, I don’t know if we can seat a jury,’ ” said Deschamps, who called a recess.

And he didn’t.

During the recess, Paul and defense attorney Martin Elison worked out a plea agreement. That was on Thursday.

On Friday, Cornell entered an Alford plea, in which he didn’t admit guilt. He briefly held his infant daughter in his manacled hands, and walked smiling out of the courtroom.

Missoula District Court: Jury pool in marijuana case stages ‘mutiny’

Armor: Blast Absorption Panels For Stryker

 

American MRAPS and Stryker wheeled armored vehicles are having blast absorption (Skydex) panels to their floors. Each 762x281x25mm panel (30x15x1 inches) weighs about one kilogram (2.3 pounds). The Skydex is actually a multilayer shock absorber that limits most of the blast shock from a bomb. Thus there are fewer casualties inside the vehicle, and troops are more quickly able to respond to the attack. The panels result in fewer casualties overall, and fewer severe injuries.

Armor: Blast Absorption Panels For Stryker

Census: Fast growth in states with no income tax | Washington Examiner

 

First, the great engine of growth in America is not the Northeast Megalopolis, which was growing faster than average in the mid-20th century, or California, which grew lustily in the succeeding half-century. It is Texas.

Its population grew 21 percent in the past decade, from nearly 21 million to more than 25 million. That was more rapid growth than in any states except for four much smaller ones (Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Idaho).

Texas' diversified economy, business-friendly regulations and low taxes have attracted not only immigrants but substantial inflow from the other 49 states. As a result, the 2010 reapportionment gives Texas four additional House seats. In contrast, California gets no new House seats, for the first time since it was admitted to the Union in 1850.

Census: Fast growth in states with no income tax | Washington Examiner

No Congress Since '60s Makes as Much Law Affecting Most Americans as 111th - Bloomberg

Your Liberty is never more in danger than when Congress is in session:

However history judges the 535 men and women in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate the past two years, one thing is certain: The 111th Congress made more law affecting more Americans since the “Great Society” legislation of the 1960s.

No Congress Since '60s Makes as Much Law Affecting Most Americans as 111th - Bloomberg

Counter-Terrorism: A Frustrating Shortage

 

Two things happened after 2001 to disrupt the terrorist strategy. First, there was the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which forced Islamic terrorists to fight on their own ground. This led to Moslems fighting Moslems, as other Moslems had always been the most numerous victims of the terrorist attacks. The main reason for turning their attention to the West was the inability to make much progress against the rulers of Moslem states. The Islamic terrorists considered these leaders corrupt and tyrannical. They were correct in that assessment, but these despots were also very good at suppressing any dissent, and Islamic radical organizations had suffered several major defeats in the 1990s (mainly Algeria and Egypt). The West was considered more vulnerable, and operations in the 1990s seemed to confirm this.

But Western counter-terror specialists had an ally that had developed an effective strategy for disrupting Islamic terror attacks. Israel, under attack by Palestinian terrorists since 2000, had found a vulnerability. Islamic terrorists who know how to build bombs are relatively rare, as are several other kinds of specialists. Far more people are willing to plant the bomb, or set them off, tasks which require little skill. The Israelis quickly figured out that, if you want to stop terrorist bombers, concentrate on the bomb builders and other skilled people. The Palestinians didn't have too many of these specialists to begin with, and they were often highly educated, or simply bright, individuals who applied their skills to the dangerous task of building bombs and getting them to targets.

Counter-Terrorism: A Frustrating Shortage

Totalitarianism rising

 

Controlling the outcome of the speech act is controlling its meaning — which is why it is so vital that we insist meaning remain with the person who authored the speech act, not with those who decide that, for whatever their purposes, it is they who can assert authority over that meaning simply by being on the receiving end.

How we get there matters.

Totalitarianism rising

And speaking of bureaucratic power grabs—proteinwisdom.com

 

Increases in the cost of energy don’t only yield higher electric bills. They yield increases in the cost of food, clothing, and any items that are produced, transported, or stored using energy. That is, everything.

Obama’s front-line efforts to get a Soviet style industrially-regulated society died with the most recent elections. Cap-and-trade as a matter of Congressional legislative mandate is dead.

But as we knew he would, Obama is using his regulatory agencies — peopled by unelected bureaucrats, and run by through a labyrinthian set of rules and regulations — to effectively impose on us the mechanisms for our own economic destruction (all while seizing control over a heretofore unregulated communications conduit).

And speaking of bureaucratic power grabs

Young Justice to Premiere January 7 | Superhero Hype

 

Cartoon Network has announced that it's upcoming "Young Justice" series will have its series premiere on January 7th at 7pm (ET/PT). Based on both the "Young Justice" series that ran in the late 90's and the modern "Teen Titans" team, "Young Justice" was previewed in an hourlong special that aired on November 26th.

Young Justice to Premiere January 7 | Superhero Hype

Manisha Sinha: South Carolina's Secession at 150

From the article:

Long before Tea Party activists and other sundry conservatives detected the ghost of socialism in health care reform and financial regulation legislation, proslavery theorists argued that abolition was akin to socialism. Even though the Lincoln administration would preside over the largest uncompensated confiscation of property in American history, four million slaves valued at around three billion dollars, the Republican party of the Civil War era was as far from socialism as the Obama administration is today.

From a follow up comment by Ms. Sinha

…nearly all the so-called "economic reasons" were connected with preserving slavery permanentl­y. Slavery dominated and defined southern politics and the economy.(B­y the way the south was never punished economical­ly by the north, in fact slave grown cotton dominated the nation's trade before the Civil War.)
Moreover, Jefferson and Madison's use of states rights in defense of civil liberties (not state sovereignt­y) and the abolitioni­st evocation of states rights in the 1850s have not rescued that constituti­onal tradition from its complicity in upholding slavery and segregatio­n.

Manisha Sinha: South Carolina's Secession at 150

First, no one in the 1860’s equated abolition with socialism. Were that a supportable assertion, Ms. Sinha would undoubtedly have provided a quote or two to support it.  That itself, is not the point though.  The bald assertion simply plays to the usual PC ploy.

The ploy is the usual leftist tactic of calling those who oppose them racists.  What we have in this article is simply an adaptation of that tactic in order to “show” that those who believe in state’s rights (actually state sovereignty—states can’t have rights, only people), dual federalism and ordered liberty, are simply speaking in the usual Conservative code, meaning that we are racists.

Ms. Sinha goes yet farther in her comment with the new, similarly bald, assertion, that state sovereignty somehow requires rescue, because once upon a time, it was used to justify slavery.  Another blow from the left’s handy cudgel.

This, of course, is done because we have historically, upon being hit with the label, backed off.  It’s just a way to get us to shut up, or at least to stop defending our views.

This is not necessary though because the truth is on our side here.  The truth is that those who advocate state sovereignty are the true champions of civil, and more importantly natural, rights.  The truth is that the Democrats were the party of slavery and secession in the 1860’s and the party of segregation and statism since.  And statism is just a new, albeit color-blind and maternalistic form of slavery as the ever expanding central government grows in power and further dictates to us the details of our daily lives.

Solar Tents Charging into the Army | Kit Up!

 

This is something the Marine Corps announced with great fanfare late last summer, saying they planned to deploy the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines to Afghanistan with portable solar panels, photovoltaic panels for tents and backpackable sun chargers for individual leathernecks.

Well it now seems the Army has jumped on the bandwagon with a variety of solar power options for tents and other shelters.

The U.S. Army is evaluating a host of flexible, portable, lightweight solar-powered shades and tent-like technologies.

The products are designed to allow expeditionary units to deploy with transferrable, exportable electrical power that can charge batteries, computers and other essential gear without needing fuel or a generator, service officials said.

Using a fast-evolving technology known as Flexible Photovoltaics (PV), the solar-powered tent structures convert light energy into electricity, thus removing the need to haul generators and large amounts fuel.

“They are ideal for charging up batteries, making sure your (communications), night vision goggles and computers are powered up. You don’t want a generator on top of a mountain, and you don’t want to have to bring fuel to a generator or haul batteries,” said Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment.

Solar Tents Charging into the Army | Kit Up!

Meredith Whitney's new target: The states - Fortune Finance

 

Bigger economies, lower ratings

In the report, Whitney rates the fifteen states on four criteria, their economy, fiscal health, housing, and taxes. For each category, she assigns a rating of one, two or three for best, neutral or negative. Only two states get positive overall ratings: Texas and Virginia. Eight are either negative, or rated neutral, with a negative bias. The rub is that those are typically the states with the biggest economies: California, Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, and Illinois (all negative) and Florida, Georgia, and New York (neutral, negative bias).

The full rankings:

Worst states

1. California

2. New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio (tie)

3. Michigan

4. Georgia

5. New York

6. Florida

Best states

1. Texas

2. Virginia

3. Washington

4. North Carolina

Neutral states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts

Meredith Whitney's new target: The states - Fortune Finance

protein wisdom

 

Now that progressive morality is the State’s highest evident calling — you know, regulating or planning to regulate much of the human experience within our narrow-minded borders until we resemble the idealized, broad-minded world citizens yet to appear outside our borders –  the least you Outlaws™ could do would be to consider yourselves some of that fine morality.

Because you believe so thoroughly in private impetus, you could send your “liberal” pals here, for example.  They’ll get it even if you cannot.

protein wisdom

Robert M. McDowell: The FCC's Threat to Internet Freedom - WSJ.com

Enjoy the Internet while it lasts:

Nothing is broken and needs fixing, however. The Internet has been open and freedom-enhancing since it was spun off from a government research project in the early 1990s. Its nature as a diffuse and dynamic global network of networks defies top-down authority. Ample laws to protect consumers already exist. Furthermore, the Obama Justice Department and the European Commission both decided this year that net-neutrality regulation was unnecessary and might deter investment in next-generation Internet technology and infrastructure.

Analysts and broadband companies of all sizes have told the FCC that new rules are likely to have the perverse effect of inhibiting capital investment, deterring innovation, raising operating costs, and ultimately increasing consumer prices. Others maintain that the new rules will kill jobs. By moving forward with Internet rules anyway, the FCC is not living up to its promise of being "data driven" in its pursuit of mandates—i.e., listening to the needs of the market.

It wasn't long ago that bipartisan and international consensus centered on insulating the Internet from regulation. This policy was a bright hallmark of the Clinton administration, which oversaw the Internet's privatization. Over time, however, the call for more Internet regulation became imbedded into a 2008 presidential campaign promise by then-Sen. Barack Obama. So here we are.

Robert M. McDowell: The FCC's Threat to Internet Freedom - WSJ.com

New Tracking System to Debut in 2012

 

Lt. Col. B.J. Stephens, the tracker project manager for Program Executive Office Soldier Command Control Communications Tactical, said the new network will be roughly 10 times faster than the existing one, but it’s hard to compare because the networks are completely different.

The tracking system works like this: Transceivers send information up to a satellite and then down to a ground station, which sends the information to the units in the field. This eliminates a step from the current model, which requires information to reach a Network Operations Center located in the U.S.

The new platform also will allow troops to access information and photos from their vehicles, information that previously was available only at the Tactical Operations Center. This means soldiers can highlight their routes before departing on patrols and also see what happened on that route the last time the tracker was used.

Besides speed, the new tracking system offers other advantages, including the ability to transmit and receive messages at the same time, something the current system doesn’t allow. Users will also be able to transmit imagery, such as pictures of an enemy target.

New Tracking System to Debut in 2012

Biden: US Out of Afghanistan in 2014

No need for flames—just acknowledge that the VP is smoking crack.

In a statement likely to ignite partisan flames, Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday the U.S. will be out of Afghanistan by 2014 "come hell or high water."

In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Biden likened the current U.S. situation in Afghanistan to the war in Iraq where the U.S. spelled out a timetable to withdraw combat forces by summer of 2010.
"We're starting this process [of withdrawal], just like we did in Iraq. We're starting it in July of 2011," Biden told "Meet the Press" host David Gregory. "And we're going to be totally out of there come hell or high water by 2014."

Biden: US Out of Afghanistan in 2014

Herman Cain is ‘definitely’ forming 2012 exploratory committee | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

 

Former Godfathers Pizza chief executive Herman Cain says he’s definitely forming an exploratory committee — likely within the next several weeks — to test the waters for a possible Republican presidential run in 2012.

Cain, a radio talk show host and favorite of the Tea Party movement, confirmed the news in an interview with The Daily Caller. He suggested that a presidential campaign is likely, but said he hasn’t made a final decision.

“Bottom line is, all of the indicators and all of the benchmarks that I had laid out and we had laid out as a team are all moving in the direction of yes,” Cain said. “We haven’t gotten there yet, but we’re moving in that direction.”

Herman Cain is ‘definitely’ forming 2012 exploratory committee | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Chris Evans on Playing Captain America | Superhero Hype

 

"As far as the physicality goes, that comes from the serum, and I think special effects will help me carry the load. As far as who he is as a man, the reason he's chosen for this experiment is because he has a pure heart. It's the morality, the nobility. He's a real redeeming character to play, it's exciting to think of playing him. I actually have a friend of mine who I'm modeling the character after. This guy is actually an Eagle Scout, he's one of those guys who stayed in the Boy Scouts all the way until he was 18. He's just a good human being. He does the right things, he's open, he's honest, he's sincere, he's selfless. It's something that I think everyone aspires to. A lot of time I play characters who don't have any redeeming quality [Laughing]."

Chris Evans on Playing Captain America | Superhero Hype

Are Lame Duck Sessions of Congress Unconstitutional? « Hot Air

 

The need for an amendment curtailing the legislative power of outgoing lawmakers can be traced to 1801. That year, members of the Federalist party used their final days in office to help appoint a number of judges. The same problem reared its ugly head again in 1922, when President Warren Harding and lame duck Republicans attempted to ram through unpopular legislation after having been defeated.

Are Lame Duck Sessions of Congress Unconstitutional? « Hot Air

PFC Manning’s “Shameful” Treatment? « Hot Air

"There are plenty of jails right here in the United States where conditions are tougher than this, and those are for civilians with their full slate of rights. (For those not familiar, when you enlist in the U.S. military you actually surrender a number of your constitutional rights and fall under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If you’re not used to it you might not like it. But that’s the way it is.)"

The U.S.S. Prius - NYTimes.com

Thomas Friedman begins his Op/Ed today with the observation that "there's always someone who doenst' get the word...." Today that someone is Thomas Friedman. His bit here would leave aeveryone thinking that the use of alternative fuels by DoD is a new thing (its been a formal directive since 1992 and been going on longer than that) and that its a Navy/Marine Corps thing.

Then there's just not getting it ideologically:

"...[T]he Navy and Marines are building a strategy for “out-greening” Al Qaeda, “out-greening” the Taliban and “out-greening” the world’s petro-dictators."

Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and petro-dictators are green at all? If it's just about "out-greening" them, that's a walkover.

How about not getting it militarilly?:

"Their efforts are based in part on a recent study from 2007 data that found that the U.S. military loses one person, killed or wounded, for every 24 fuel convoys it runs in Afghanistan. Today, there are hundreds and hundreds of these convoys needed to truck fuel — to run air-conditioners and power diesel generators — to remote bases all over Afghanistan.
Mabus’s argument is that if the U.S. Navy and Marines could replace those generators with renewable power and more energy efficient buildings, and run its ships on nuclear energy,
biofuels and hybrid engines, and fly its jets with bio-fuels, then it could out-green the Taliban — the best way to avoid a roadside bomb is to not have vehicles on the roads...."

If we don't have vehicles on the roads, the only thing we accomplish is ceeding the territory of the roads to the bad guys. We'll have no way to judge what routes are safe or where efforts need to be scaled up or down.

Am I anti-alternative fuels? Nope. The DoD has been an important leader in finding alternatives. One example from my own experience; we use a lot of rechargable batteries and solar chargers are mandated where they are practical. I've even seen base station radios on dedicated solar power. There are portions of every fleet that run on a variety of fuels as test beds for government usage and for private industry, and all of that's good.

Memo to Friedman: None of it's new though.

My Way News - New population count may complicate Obama 2012 bid

Translation up front--"We'll be filing LOTS of lawsuits.": "Democratic Party spokesman Brad Woodhouse said his colleagues are aware of the challenges they face, 'but we are putting a plan in place to maximize our opportunities, minimize potential setbacks and ensure that the process in each state is fair and done in accordance with the law.'"

So Long to ya 2010

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Attrition: Germany Shrinks To Fight

"Today, a reunited Germany has an army of peacekeepers. Well, only about 15,000 of them are involved in peacekeeping each year (either overseas or preparing to go). The peacekeepers, particularly in Afghanistan, are getting more modern gear, and the expense of this is another reason for shrinking the size of armed forces. The rest of the force is getting modern gear as well, but the troops in Afghanistan have priority. This is the first war German troops have fought in over 60 years. Germany had never gone that long without a war, and most Germans would rather keep the troops at home."

The Muppets: Ringing of the Bells

CENTCOM | Commander describes nature of eastern Afghanistan fight

"Because the terrain is much harsher in the east, than in the south and southwest regions, the general said, helicopters are a must for mobility. The high mountains and deep valleys complicate the situation. Weather can curb flying operations, and unmanned aircraft cannot see as much or as far in the constricted valleys, he explained.


The enemy in the east also is different, Campbell said.

“In the south, they are fighting mostly Taliban,” he said. Forces in Regional Command East also are fighting the Taliban, but they also must contend with enemy fighters from the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba and even al-Qaida, he said."

The Associated Press: 13M get unexpected tax bill from Obama tax credit

Well DUH! It was never a tax creit--just a break on withholding.: "About 13.4 million taxpayers may be getting unexpected tax bills because they were awarded too much money under President Barack Obama's Making Work Pay tax credit, a government audit said Thursday.
The tax credit, which expires Jan. 1, was designed to increase take-home pay by about $8 a week through new tax withholding tables. The credit was capped at $400 for individuals and $800 for married couples filing jointly.
However, the credit put millions of taxpayers at risk for not having enough taxes withheld from their paychecks, resulting in a tax bill when they file their returns, said the audit by J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration."

Solstice-eclipse overlap first in 456 years

"This year's winter solstice — an event that will occur next Tuesday — will coincide with a full lunar eclipse in a union that hasn't been seen in 456 years."

Regulators close banks in Ga., Fla., Ark., Minn. - Yahoo! Finance

"The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over the three Georgia banks: Appalachian Community Bank of McCaysville, with $68.2 million in assets; Chestatee State Bank, based in Dawsonville, with $244.4 million in assets; and Atlanta-based United Americas Bank, with $242.3 million in assets.
The FDIC also seized Bank of Miami, based in Coral Gables, Fla., with $448.2 million in assets; First Southern Bank of Batesville, Ark., with $191.8 million in assets; and Community National Bank of Lino Lakes, Minn., with $31.6 million in assets."

Naked cynicism - NYPOST.com

"When Obama is making the political case for the law, and resisting suggestions that he is raising taxes for households making less than $250,000, the penalty is a penalty. When his administration needs a legal argument to defend the individual mandate's constitutionality, and wants to justify it under the federal government's broad powers to tax, the penalty is a tax. It is a 'penalty/tax,' poised like Schrodinger's cat, between two states of being."

What if they put on a government and nobody came? [updated]

"If the Democrats threaten to shut down the government, please, let them. The electorate won’t care — and in fact, the part of the electorate that just ushered in strong conservative candidates would consider it a victory.
And the pragmatists don’t have to worry about how a shut down will make us look — at least, not for another two years, when they can push the next batch of Mike Castles and Lisa Murkowskis on us.
So win-win!"

Lessons in looting: Matt Yglesias says ‘F**k YEAH!’ [Darleen Click]

"Now I have the gumption to declare any person who believes, like Matt, that people don’t have the right to their own earnings, income, property and wealth is a person of very low moral character. Matt is the kind of person I would never trust to be in my home for any length of time, least he see something he likes and decide to “redistribute” it."

The politics of covetousness: Tim Rutten sez ‘Eat the rich’ [Darleen Click]

"Approximately 80% of America’s millionaires – those affluent people who are getting “unnecessary and unfair” tax rates – are first generation affluent. Not to mention “about two-thirds of American millionaires are self-employed” and these businesses — from welding to farming — aren’t the stuff of proggie-stereotypes, ie Wall Streeters lighting up cigars with $100 bills."

House votes again to end 'don't ask, don't tell'

I'll say it again--I don't oppose repeal of DADT. But Rep, Steny Hoyer (D-MD), is still a liar.: "'It's time to end a policy of official discrimination that has cost America the service of some 13,500 men and women who wore our uniform with honor,' Hoyer said Wednesday. 'It's time to stop throwing away their service - their willingness to die for our country - because of who they are.'"

DADT represented an end to discrimination. In practice, it's not equitable, and that's reason enough to change it, but the change also has to be smart and comprehensive, or this will be a train wreck.

Chavez seeks power to rule by decree for 1 year - Yahoo! News

"Gesetz zur,"... er, um... "La Ley a la Eliminación de la Necesidad de Personas y Nación.": "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday asked congress to grant him special powers to enact laws by decree for one year, just before a new legislature takes office with a larger contingent of opposition lawmakers."

Mexico: Sending In The Marines

"Mexico-U.S. cooperation in running counter-drug operations has increased over the last 18 months. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has been providing intelligence to Mexican police and other security forces, including the Mexican Navy's elite marine commandos. The Mexican marines have carried out several very high profile (and successful raids), beginning in 2009. The strikes often target drug cartel leaders and senior drug cartel enforcers (hit men). Critics are arguing that the DEA is going around Mexican police because the U.S. is concerned about corruption in the police forces. That is very true, but the conspiracy theorists seem to ignore the fact that just about every other day the Mexican government points out that it is concerned about police corruption."

Santelli: Clarity from Fed? No. Inflation? Yes. - CNBC

"How can a program that was designed to drive rates lower be deemed a success if rates are now sharply higher? Why is there so little clarity from an entity that is now among the largest holders of Treasury securities?
My conclusion is that the goal of Chairman Bernanke and the Federal Open Market Committee was to monetize the growing U.S. debt and generate future inflation. On the last score….generating inflation….I think time will prove the Fed highly successful."

Tea Party ramps up efforts against tax deal - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

"'The idea that this massive tax and spend bill has not yet even been written but may be voted on by the Senate this weekend is appalling, and has rightfully drawn the anger of the TeaPartyPatriots.org and other Tea Party activists, an anger that will not diminish,' said a petition crafted by the Tea Party Patriots.

The pressure comes before a vote in the Senate expected Monday afternoon on the fate of the tax deal the president struck with Republicans."

Judge rejects key part of Obama healthcare law | Reuters

"U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson, appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2002, backed the state of Virginia's argument that Congress exceeded its authority by requiring Americans to start buying health insurance in 2014 or face a fine.
'This dispute is not simply about regulating the business of insurance -- or crafting a scheme of universal health insurance coverage -- it's about an individual's right to choose to participate,' Hudson wrote, adding the provision invites an 'unbridled exercise of federal police powers.'"

India-Pakistan: The ISI Versus The World

"Al Qaeda has let it be known that it is fed up with the increasingly numerous and effective American UAV missile attacks in the tribal territories. The terrorists have told the government that either support is withdrawn for these CIA run operations (which fly from Pakistani air bases), or terror attacks against senior government officials will be made. Threats, and attacks, like this have been made before, but without much success, at least against the targeted officials. There have been lots of dead civilians, police and soldiers."

Modified Golf Cart: Afghan Ambulance?

"'The doctor, who had been in Afghanistan, said a lot of the [troops] were 'getting their bell rung' but didn't necessarily need to be shipped all the way to the States for medical attention,' Ball said. 'He said they were struggling at the moment with an issue of how to get them to the hospitals for follow-up or treatment.'
Tee it up for the Troops, founded in 2005, has raised about $2 million for veterans and their families, largely through golf tournaments and events held in 30 states. Finding a military use for golf equipment is a new twist.
Ball, who runs a Burnsville, Minn., financial services company, said it took a lot of calls to cut through the red tape, but ultimately the military bought into the idea that a modified golf cart could be a possible answer to the transportation problem."

Bases Going to the Dogs – and Cats

"While no one will say so officially, it appears commanders recognize the value that pet dogs and cats bring to the morale of a base, so they look the other way as long as the animals do not interfere with the mission or present health concerns.
You might call it a policy of don’t bark, don’t smell."

DoD Buzz | CR Would Leave DoD Short $19B

"If the House Continuing Resolution makes it to President Obama’s desk, the Pentagon will be left $19 billion short of its 2011 budget request.
This appears to be why the House appropriators, not known for their excessive kindness to the Pentagon, granted the military permission — subject to congressional approval — to move money around."

U.S. Posts $150.4 Billion November Budget Deficit - WSJ.com

"The U.S. government ran its 26th straight monthly budget deficit in November amid wrangling over a package that would extend big tax cuts to Americans trying to recover from recession.
The Treasury Department, in its regular budget monthly statement, said the government spent $150.4 billion than it collected in the second month of fiscal 2011.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a shortfall of $126.5 billion. November is traditionally a month for deficits.
The Treasury report, detailing the government's spending programs, prompted an economic research firm, Macroeconomic Advisers, to lift its forecast for economic growth from October through December by four-tenths of a percentage point, to 2.7%."

Iran: The Great Tragedy

"In a rare victory of Arabs over Iranians, the half century effort to rename the Persian Gulf as the Arab Gulf made significant progress recently when the U.S. Navy officially backed the switch. From now on, all U.S. Navy communications will refer to the waters between Iran and Arabia as the Arab Gulf. Iran is infuriated. For thousands of years, these waters were known as the Persian Gulf (or similar names). The Turks tried to change the name to Gulf of Basra, for the tiny bit of shoreline they controlled when they ran what is now Iraq from the 16th to early 20th centuries. The Turks still call it the Gulf of Basra, but no one else does. But with many Arabs, and now the U.S. Navy, calling it the Arab Gulf, Iranians are enraged. Web pages are being defaced, press conferences held and tears shed over this great tragedy. For most Iranians, this atrocity reminds everyone what America is truly the 'Great Satan.'"

Afghanistan: The Rules

"Many Taliban groups and drug gangs are giving up, for the moment, and fleeing across the border into Pakistan. More specifically, this is Baluchistan, the restless tribal territory of southwest Pakistan, where the Baluchi tribes are not fighting for independence (they already have lots of autonomy), but for a bigger share of natural gas revenues. The tribes already get a chunk of this, so they are not eager to shut down production on their lands. But the situation is so touchy that Pakistan has put Baluchistan off-limits to American UAV attacks on al Qaeda or Taliban leaders. Baluchistan is the last real sanctuary the Taliban have, and many more Islamic radicals are heading south, at least for a while."

Postwar First: German Troops in France

"For the first time since World War II, German combat troops are being stationed in France.
It's part of a conscientious effort to show the two EU powers have forever buried former hatreds.
A German battalion in a joint military brigade officially takes up arms later Friday at a ceremony in eastern France to be attended by the two countries' defense ministers."

American Thinker: Warren Buffett, Robber Baron?

"Did you know that Warren Buffett owns six life insurance companies? Did you know he supports the estate tax? You do now.

Warren Buffett isn't just noted as an owner of life insurance companies and a supporter of the estate tax. He's also noted as a buyer of family businesses. As Dick Patten shows, these two business strategies support each other."

Ron Paul, Author of `End the Fed,' to Lead Fed Oversight Panel - Bloomberg

Not a Ron Paul fan, but an audit is a good thing, and the Fed must be overseen: "Representative Ron Paul, Texas Republican and author of “End the Fed,” will take control of the House subcommittee that oversees the Federal Reserve.
House Financial Services chairman-elect Spencer Bachus, an Alabama Republican, has chosen Paul to lead the panel’s domestic monetary policy subcommittee when Republicans take the House majority next month, the committee chairman said today.
“This is the leadership team that crafted the first comprehensive financial reform bill to put an end to the bailouts, wind down the taxpayer funding of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and enforce a strong audit of the Federal Reserve,” Bachus said in a statement.
Paul, in an interview last week, said he plans a slate of hearings on U.S. monetary policy and will restart his push for a full audit of the Fed’s functions."

Democrats delay action on young immigrants bill - Yahoo! News

Silliness Continues: "The Senate moved Thursday to delay a politically charged showdown vote on legislation carving out a path to legal status for foreign-born youngsters brought to this country illegally, putting off but probably not preventing the measure's demise.
Facing GOP objections, Democrats put aside the so-called Dream Act and said they'd try again to advance it before year's end. They're short of the 60 votes needed to do so, however, and critics in both parties quickly said they won't change their minds in the waning days of the Democratic-controlled Congress."

House Democrats Reject Tax Plan Unless Changed - ABC News

Good News: "House Democrats voted Thursday to reject President Barack Obama's tax deal with Republicans in its current form, but it was unclear how significantly the package might need to be changed.
By voice vote in a closed caucus meeting, Democrats passed a resolution saying the tax package should not come to the House floor for consideration as written, even though no formal House bill has been drafted. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., introduced the resolution.
Said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas: 'If it's take it or leave it, we'll leave it.'"

Senate convicts La. judge on impeachment charges - Yahoo! News

"The Senate on Wednesday convicted U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous of Louisiana on four articles of impeachment, making him just the eighth federal judge in history to be removed by Congress.
They also approved a motion barring him from holding future federal office.
Porteous, who sat before senators in the well of the chamber as they voted separately on each count, issued a statement after the vote saying he disagreed but 'must now accept that judgment.'"

Despite court order, Aurora refuses to return seized cash - Chicago Breaking News

"Because we can," right?: "Jesus Martinez, 27, was carrying $190,040 when his pickup truck was stopped by an Aurora police officer about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 18 near Indian Trail and Timberlake roads.
The police officer confiscated the cash, and the city has informed Martinez and his brother, Jose, 34, that Aurora will seek to keep it through civil forfeiture, a procedure that allows police agencies to seize property where the legal standard is lower than proof needed in a criminal forfeiture.
The brothers are home remodelers. Neither has been charged with a crime in this case, and neither has a criminal record, according to Kane County court records."

Armor: M-ATV Differentiates

"The U.S. Army has ordered 250 M-ATV (MRAP-All Terrain Vehicle) ambulances, for use in Afghanistan. It will take about 15 months to complete this order, with each vehicle costing about $1.1 million. This is the first time the M-ATV has been built as an ambulance. Another 46 M-ATVs were ordered that are customized for SOCOM (Special Operations Command). These will cost $609,000 each. The Department of Defense plans to obtain 10,000 M-ATVs, and about 80 percent of those have already been ordered. Most of these cost about $587,000 each. Twice as many older design MRAPs were ordered (and largely delivered) for service in Iraq. Many of these older models are now serving in Afghanistan.
The M-ATV is a 15 ton, 4x4 (with independent wheel suspension) armored vehicle. Payload is 1.8 tons, and it can carry five passengers (including a gunner). Top speed is 105 kilometers an hour, and road range on internal fuel is 515 kilometers. The M-ATV is slightly larger than a hummer. An M-ATV costs about a million dollars, including equipment, weapons and transport (it costs about $150,000 each to fly one in)."

Leadership: The Tribes Are Restless And Very Dangerous

"Pakistan recently announced a change in the how they recruited troops for their 480,000 man army. They want more troops that are Baluchi or Sindi, or non-Moslems, to make the army ethnic composition more like that of the population as a whole. But the real reason may be to reduce the number of Pushtuns in the army. The generals have been increasingly concerned about the loyalty of some Pushtun troops, considering the large number of Pushtuns involved with Islamic radicalism (particularly the Taliban, which is almost entirely Pushtun). The current composition of the army is of Punjabis- 55.8 percent, Pushtuns- 15.4 percent, Baluchi- 2.3 percent, Sindis- 15.1% and those from Pakistan controlled Kashmir and the nearby Gilgit-Baltistan region- 8.5 percent. While three percent of Pakistanis are non-Moslem, only 0.43 percent of the army is."

Electronic Weapons: Crossed Signals

"Recently residents of Bremerton, Washington State (northwest U.S.) were warned they may have problems with wireless electronics (especially garage door openers and keyless care remotes) as the U.S. Navy tests electronic systems on the carrier USS Stennis. The ship has undergone some refurbishment recently at a Bremerton shipyard, and the electronic systems need some testing before the ship puts to sea.
This is not a new problem, which is why the navy put out a warning this time. Six months ago, the U.S. held naval exercises off Hawaii. But first, many of the ships involved tested electronics while docked, before going to sea. That’s when all the reports came in about garage door openers in the area not working. It was interference from the military electronics. But no prior warning was put out. Someone should have known better. Even new civilian broadcasting equipment can be a problem. Late last year, U.S. military personnel and their families in Japan were warned not to use a number of American wireless devices (baby monitors, cordless phones and so on), because they use frequencies too close to those allocated to cell phone service in Japan."

Winning: Karzai Blinks

"The Afghan government blinked, and has allowed most private security companies to keep operating. Earlier this year, president Hamid Karzai ordered all private security companies to shut down operations by the end of the year. This order was seen as an effort to keep foreign monitors away from foreign aid sent to Afghanistan, since it was well known that foreigners working on aid projects would be forced to flee the country if they had to depend only on the Afghan Army and police for security. The presidential ban on private security firms only allowed those guarding diplomats and military installations to remain, and then only after an international outcry. For months, donor nations, especially the United States, have pressured Karzai over the issue. What ultimately changed Karzai's mind was a growing number of foreign aid operations threatening to shut down, and take their charity somewhere else, if they could not protect themselves from all the bandits, Taliban violence and government officials looking for a handout."

Intelligence: A Poor Career Choice

"The FBI arrested a 22 year old navy intelligence specialist, who was offering to sell American secrets, long term, to the highest bidder. The young spy was caught by the FBI, who detected his efforts, and approached him in the guise of a foreign government, to do business. The sailor delivered, and was arrested."

Central Asia: Russia Organizes A Posse

"Russia is making a major diplomatic, intelligence and police effort to interrupt the flow of heroin from Afghanistan, via Tajikistan, then via Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, into Russia. This drug killing at least 30,000 Russians a year, and is a major cause of the spread of AIDS there as well. Russia believes that a quarter of Afghan heroin production (90 percent of the world total) is sold in Russia. Thus Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan have formally united to coordinate their anti-drug efforts"

SpecOps Forces Deal Blow to Insurgents’ Ranks

"Approximately 7,100 special operations counterterrorism missions have been conducted between May 30 and Dec. 2 of this year, the International Security Assistance Forces told The Long War Journal. More than 600 insurgent leaders were killed or captured. In addition, more than 2,000 enemy fighters have been killed, and over 4,100 fighters have been captured.
The enemy commanders and fighters killed and captured are from various jihadist groups, battling coalition and Afghan forces, including the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Hizb-i-Islami, al-Qaida and the Islamic Jihad Group."

WWI Soldier's Remains Identified

"Army Private Henry A. Weikel, 28, of Mt. Carmel, Pa., will be buried Dec. 9 in Annville, Pa.
Weikel was part of the 60th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division. On Sept. 16, 1918, his unit encountered heavy enemy artillery barrage and machine-gun fire near Jaulny, France, in a wooded area known as Bois de Bonvaux, officials said.
Weikel was killed during the battle and his remains were buried with two other Soldiers in a wooded area between Bois de Bonvaux and Bois de Grand Fontaine. Attempts to locate his remains by U.S. Army Graves Registration personnel following the war were unsuccessful, the Pentagon said."

Afghan Handover to Start in Few Months

"Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of the International Security Assistance Force's joint command, told reporters that officials are looking at several places to begin the transition, but they probably won't make any final decisions for another three months."

Manning Still Awaits WikiLeaks Donation

Poor Guy: "A support group for the Soldier suspected of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks says it hasn't received the anti-secrecy group's promised contribution to his legal defense fund.
Oakland, Calif.-based Courage to Resist says WikiLeaks agreed in July to cover about half of Pfc. Bradley Manning's defense fees, about $50,000."

DoD Buzz | Coasties May Lose Cutters to OMB

"The Coast Guard, who scrambled to respond to the BP oil well explosion and oil spill, is about to lose an entire class of ships to the masters of federal spending at the Office of Management and Budget.
The Offshore Patrol Cutter, which the Coast Guard is getting ready to begin buying, appears likely to fall to the OMB ax, says one source who closely follows the Coast Guard. Worth somewhere between $300 million and $400 million through the life of the program, the OPC would replace the Famour and Reliance class cutters.
The Offshore Patrol cutter is the successor to the 270′ Famous class and the 210′ Reliance class Medium Endurance Cutters. It would be 300 to 399 feet and possess a range of at least 7,500 nautical miles, depending on which source you talk with."

Infantry: A Chest Computer Brings Bombs Faster

"The U.S. Air Force JTACs (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, who call in air strikes) operate as part of TACPs (Tactical Air Control Party). While JTACs are officers, and the only ones authorized to bring attack aircraft in low, most of the personnel in the TACPs are air force NCOs trained to do just about everything else (especially calling in smart bomb strikes). To help TACPs (as the NCOs are called) do their work better and faster, the air force has developed a one kilogram (two pound) wearable computer, to replace the 3.6 kg (8 pound) laptop currently used. The wearable computer (called SWC, for Small Wearable Computer) fits into a pouch on the front of the protective vest, and folds out when needed, so the TACP can see the small screen, use the small keyboard and simultaneously talk to pilots and ground troops. New software for the SWC gives both pilots and TACPs a common view of where ground and air units are. The SWC can also share video with aircraft overhead. So with the SWC, the TACPs have to haul less, and can do their job more quickly and easily."

Procurement: Germans Successfully Blitz The System

"The German Army maintains a web site where troops overseas, especially in Afghanistan, can request special equipment (or simply something they see some other army using successfully.) In the last six months, about half the 240 requests led to some action, often the purchase of new gear. But almost as frequently, it simply meant send something the army already had to Afghanistan, or sending more (as in more armored vehicles or different types of MRAPS.) Any new item, that the army did not already have, was also closely monitored to see if it should become a permanent part of the army equipment inventory.
While the Americans have done more with this idea lately, it's actually an old German custom that goes back to the 1920s. The Germans set up study groups to examine what worked, and didn't, during World War I, and one of the many things they discovered was the need to pay closer, and more immediate, attention to what the troops thought they needed. This is why allied troops during World War II were often surprised as the wide array of useful gear and weapons the Germans had."

Cyber Leadership Needs to Evolve | Defense Tech

"Our Nation’s Biggest Threat when it comes to cyber space is the closed minded individuals that fall back on old, outdated mental models and force-fit. It has recently become evident that a large percentage of these “influencers” stuck with a cold war mentality and are forcing a square peg into the round hole when it comes to addressing the threat of cyber warfare. One such “influencer” was not interested what so ever in what was contained in the encrypted portion of STUXNET. Think of it this way, the cyber threat environment is moving at 80 miles per hour. The vast majority of those actively involved in cyber defense and intelligence are moving at 78 miles per hour. The influencers described above are moving at 50 miles an hour."

Rangel accused of misusing funds on his defense in previous ethics investigation - NYPOST.com

"The Federal Election Commission is investigating a complaint that Rep. Charles Rangel improperly used his National Leadership PAC to fund his legal defense on ethics charges for which he was censured Thursday, The Post has learned.
The FEC is acting on a complaint by the National Legal and Policy Center filed after The Post reported last month that Rangel paid nearly $400,000 from his PAC.
Lawmakers are only allowed to use money in their individual campaign funds for legal fees, or they can set up legal defense funds for such costs."

Information Warfare: Why Wikileaks Backfired

The rampant technologists are at it again: "But Manning got access to a computer with a writable CD drive, and was able to copy all those classified documents to a CD (marked as containing Lady Gaga tracks) and walk out of his workplace with it. The big error here was having PCs available with writable media (USB ports, diskettes, printers or writable CD drives). You need some PCs with these devices, but they should be few, and carefully monitored. Normally, you would not need to copy anything off SIPRNet. Most of the time, if you want to share something, it's with someone else on SIPRNet, so you can just email it to them, or tell them what it is so they can call it up themselves. A network like SIPRNet usually (in many corporations, and some government agencies) has software that monitors who accesses, and copies, documents, and reports any action that meets certain standards (of possibly being harmful). SIPRNet did not have these controls in place."

A thousand times, "No." If you rely on technology to be the gatkeeper, be prepared to be robbed completely blind. Technology fails. It's part of what it does. That's why human technicians, like me, exist--to stop the meltdowns and repair the damage done. And when technology is used to replace us, the meltdowns will be spectacular!

The correct answer to this situation is in two parts. First, correct acess levels. Just because we have this or that clearance doesn't mean we should have access to everything that is cleared to that level. Most of the data that Manning got ahold of had nothing to do with his job--as such he should never have been able to access it without requesting it. A request to a human being who would evaluate the need and thus been aware of any patter of request that emerged.

Second, is proper document retention. Old stuff should be deleted or archived (moved to an even less accessible part of the system where it takes the same kind of request to get to as if it weren't in your lane to begin with).

The common thread--human intervention--real brating people need to be engaged in these decisions and applying judgement to who can see what, much less copy it to a CD.

Space: Mysterious X-37B Decloaks And Lands

"Little is publicly known about what the X-37B was doing up there. The international collection of amateur sky watchers have proved remarkably adept at spotting orbital objects in the past, including classified ones like the X-37B. But not this time. The air force said this flight was simply to test the aircraft, but would not say what, if anything, was in the cargo bay. No details on what the testing consisted of. The amateur orbital observer community has concluded that one thing the X-37B tested was how well it could constantly switch positions, and stay hidden. In that respect, the X-37B was a resounding success. That's because these amateur observers are generally very good at tracking what's up there."

India-Pakistan: The Big Revelations Are Embarrassing

"Other messages showed that American diplomats believed that it would take up to fifteen years to defeat the Islamic militants, criminal gangs and corrupt officials that make Pakistan such a mess, and ideal terrorist base. Some messages show that the army is still ready to take over the government again, but threats of the U.S. cutting off vital economic and military aid, get in the way now. The army and ISI are not only powerful inside Pakistan, they are corrupt. In fact, the diplomatic messages frequently touch on the pervasive corruption and ineffectiveness of the Pakistani government, and how resistant all those dishonest officials, and their business allies, are to cleaning up the corruption. This situation is very unpopular among the general population, and the main reason why Islamic militants are popular (because of promises to clean it all up.)"