Iranian Economy On Verge Of Collapse, Says Israel -- The Guardian
Sanctions creating great economic difficulties, says finance minister in a further indication that military action may be on hold.
Sanctions against the Iranian regime are pushing the Islamic Republic's economy into deep crisis, according to key Israeli officials in comments seen as a further indication unilateral military action may have been put on hold.
The Iranian rial fell 5% to an all-time low against the US dollar on Saturday, according to financial websites. The value of the rial has fallen by almost 57% since June last year, leading to big price increases for imported goods.
Hundreds Of Thousands Of War Vets Still Waiting For Health Benefits -- CNN Phoenix
(CNN) -- Mike Rioux can't go to the grocery store without making a list, even for a single item. He can't drive without gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn white. And he can't stand any longer than 30 minutes because of severe back pain. This is Rioux's life after Afghanistan, where firefights and a roadside bomb blast left him with a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Perry, right, and U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Darryl Honick work together to control coordination efforts with a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet crew during Operation Spartan Shield in Southwest Asia, Sept. 11, 2012. Perry, a radio operator maintainer and driver, is assigned to the 82nd Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron. Honick, a joint fire observer, is assigned to 3rd Battalion, 159th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder
My Comment: Bret Baier reports on the timeline and the changing administrations narrative on the U.S. consulate attack in Libya. This is a devastating piece of journalism.
Names Floated For Top Defense Jobs Under Romney -- Defense News
With the U.S. presidential election just over a month away, the campaign of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is quietly accumulating the names of potential candidates who could fill out Defense Department leadership roles — including current and former defense executives.
Names circulating among Romney aides include former SAIC CEO Walt Havenstein, CACI Chairman Jack London, EADS North America CEO Sean O’Keefe and Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Robert Stevens. Senior Romney defense advisers John Lehman, a former Navy secretary; former Rep. Vin Weber, R-Minn.; and former Pentagon comptroller Dov Zakheim also are frontrunners for top defense posts if Romney wins. Read more ....
My Comment: If this list is accurate .... and if Romney wins .... he is going to focus on appointing business managers with experience from defense related industries to run the Pentagon.
'Francois Hollande proposes nothing credible to restore France’s viability within EMU, or to stop public debt spiralling beyond 90pc of GDP.' Photo: Reuters
Another Domino Falls As Hollande Pushes France Into Depression -- The Telegraph
If French President François Hollande thinks he can assuage the bond markets by dishing out tax-heavy austerity instead of genuine reform, he has been given very bad advice.
His tragically-misguided budget offers no strategic plan to reverse -- or even to stop -- thirty years of slow national decline. He offers no worthwhile measures to slim the Leviathan state, now a Nordic-sized 55pc of GDP, without Nordic labour flexibility or Nordic free markets.
He does not tell us how he will stem the slide in France’s share of eurozone exports over the last decade, down from 17pc to 13pc, or what he will do about the disastrous swing in France’s trade balance from a surplus of 2.5pc of GDP to a deficit of 2.4pc since 1999. Read more ....
My Comment: Higher debts, more taxes, more spending with borrowed money, more government coupled with policies that will essentially kill-off the entrepreneur and small business class in France .... Socialist policies from a Socialist President who believes that his policies will revive the French economy even though they have never worked in any other country in the history of mankind. What can I say .... the French voted for suicide when they elected Francois Hollande .... so why should they be surprised.
Case For Pakistan Aid Gets More Complicated After Zardari's Remarks -- The Hill
Even lawmakers who support engaging with Pakistan were left shaking their heads this week after that country’s leader demanded that the United Nations make blasphemy illegal.
The disconnect between how the U.S. and Pakistan view the world won on full display in speeches by the two countries leaders, and it wasn’t lost on U.S. lawmakers who have long called for defunding aid to Pakistan.
As a result, it could become tougher for the administration to justify support for the strategically vital country. Read more ....
My Comment: How the U.S. State department can continue to make the case that we should provide aid to Pakistan while at the same time Pakistan is demanding that the U.S. adopt blasphemy laws is completely beyond me.
New Year Lay-Offs: Army To Fire 8,000 Soldiers In 'Fast-Track' Redundancies And Sackings Of Over-45s -- Daily Mail
* The cut will reduce the Army to 86,000 - its smallest since the 1700s * A further 4,000 soldiers will go by 2020 in the huge cutbacks * Every regiment of the Regular Army will be hit with only the Special Forces protected from lay-offs * Under a controversial new proposal, British Army officers will be forced to retire at 45 – ten years earlier than at present
Eight thousand British soldiers – many serving on the front line in Afghanistan – will be told days after Christmas that they are to lose their jobs.
Redundancy notices will be sent to servicemen and women telling them their careers are over as part of sudden speeded-up cutbacks by the Ministry of Defence.
The Army has already been shaken by the announcement of a swathe of cuts, which included the loss of historic regiments and the prospect of a gradual reduction in personnel over the next eight years.
Cyber Weapons: Are They The Deadliest Means Of Modern Warfare? – Analysis -- Eurasia Review
Amid the Senkaku/ Diaoyu islet chain disputes and violent demonstrations in China against Japan, a series of cyber attacks hit the websites of the Japan’s Defense Ministry, Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, and the Supreme Court including Japan’s Statistics Bureau and Banking networks. Referring to various Japanese and U.S. sources, a recent news story by Bill Gertz in Washington Free Beacon on September 25, has claimed that these attacks were originated in China and worked as a preview of China’s military behavior during the opening phase of a military campaign.
According to Gertz an official has revealed that this was the beginning stages of a future conflict “expected to begin with crippling cyber attacks against information systems that control large segments of the U.S. system, including power generation, transportation, financial, and other key infrastructure”.
My Comment: As I had mentioned in a post a few days ago, the U.S. digital economy is worth $2 trillion, an amount and scope that our enemies have noticed and have decided to wage a form of cyber warfare against. For the U.S. military .... it's communication and computer networks have become just as valuable, and a prime target for our adversaries who appreciate how deadly and important they have become in America's strike capabilities. If any of these infrastructures become incapacitated because of a cyber attack .... there will be hell to pay for it later on ... and yes .... in the modern era these cyber weapons can inflict enormous economic costs as well as being very deadly to our troops who are dependent on these networks.
Chinese hackers break in to White House military office network in charge of the president’s nuclear football.
Hackers linked to China’s government broke into one of the U.S. government’s most sensitive computer networks, breaching a system used by the White House Military Office for nuclear commands, according to defense and intelligence officials familiar with the incident.
One official said the cyber breach was one of Beijing’s most brazen cyber attacks against the United States and highlights a failure of the Obama administration to press China on its persistent cyber attacks.
My Comment: This news is startling .... for it goes to the heart of U.S. nuclear defense. But we should not be surprised by these developments .... the U.S. Cyber Command's top intelligence officer has been accusing China for the past few weeks that they have expanded their efforts to penetrate U.S. military networks and data banks .... hmmm .... it looks like they have been more successful than what we have beentold. My prediction .... if these Chinese cyber attacks continue .... and the Australians are leading the way on this matter .... Chinese telecom companies will be banned from selling their equipment.
Japan could win a war for the Senkaku islands, but it wouldn't be easy. And certainly not without U.S. help.
In recent weeks, Japan and China have squared off over who owns a minor group of islands in the East China Sea. The unthinkable -- a perilous maritime war for seemingly trivial stakes -- no longer appears unthinkable. So how do you defend a group of uninhabited rocks and islets like the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands?
Mainly by positioning yourself to win the air and sea battle around the disputed archipelago. The obvious way to ward off attack -- stationing garrisons and artillery on the tiny, resource-poor islands -- should be a secondary measure. And it would likely prove a losing one, absent superiority in nearby seas and skies. Forces left ashore without external support would find themselves stranded and outgunned, not to mention hungry and thirsty.
My Comment: China will probably win a military confrontation (if the U.S. does not get involved), but the repercussions would be a disaster for not only China's economy, but for it's soon to be new leadership who are trying their best to signal to the rest of the world that China has "come of age" in international relations.
British Security Firm Facing Questions Over Role In Benghazi Attack -- The Telegraph
A British private security firm is facing questions over its role in the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi after it emerged that it was responsible for hiring local guards to protect the diplomatic site.
Blue Mountain, a Wales-based firm staffed by former special forces operatives, was hired by the US government to provide security at the consulate before it was overrun in an assault that killed the ambassador and three other Americans.
The company was paid only $387,413 (£239,683) by the US State Department for the year-long contract, less than the cost of deploying a single American soldier.
In return, Blue Mountain assembled a force of local guards who were unable to protect Ambassador Chris Stevens or repel the coordinated attack on September 11.
Jordanian protesters calling themselves the Youth of March 24 Movement demonstrate for political reform and clash against government supporters in Amman. (March, 2011. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters)
Disquiet On The Jordanian Front -- Carnegie Endowment
September has witnessed a massive—and potentially irreversible—shift in strategy among segments of Jordan’s opposition movement: a number of political activists are now openly and repeatedly calling for a limitation of the monarchy's powers—with a small (though extremely vocal) minority even explicitly calling for the abdication of King Abdullah II. In a strikingly blunt statement by the organizers of the 8 September protest in East Amman's Haya al-Tafileh neighborhood—who gathered in response to arrest of a number of fellow activists a day prior and later reorganized on September 11 and 13 at Amman’s Interior Ministry Circle and Second Circle—accusations struck at the king's carefully curated international image as a modern, democracy-building reformer. Their Facebook statement reads, in part: "You are disguised in the costume of freedom and democracy, while hiding inside of you is absolute fascism and control over the destiny of this country and the livelihood of its people. We can no longer be patient with this repression of our arrested sons, with no guilt other than demanding freedom and social justice for all Jordanians, and fighting corruption that is royally sponsored." [Full Arabic original and English translation available here]
Read more .... My Comment: With a full blown civil war in it's neighbor Syria .... the Arab Spring will probably be taking a back seat in Jordan. But the civil war in Syria will end one day, and Jordan (along with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf sheikdoms) are probably next for the Arab Spring to 'visit'..
North Korea's Most Notorious Secret Prison Reportedly Shut Down -- Business Insider
North Korea is thought to have as many as 200,000 prisoners in a secret political prison network, according to international experts, and the prisoners are said to be kept in brutal conditions.
However, there's some good news — NK News reports that one of the most largest and most notorious camps in that system has been shut down. A source told the website:
“Camp 22 in Hoiryeong was totally shut down in June. It was decided that it should be closed down after the warden who ran it and another officer ran away to China.”
Read more .... My Comment: As long as the system remains there will be other Camp 22s .... albeit with a different name. For more info on North Korea's gulags, go here.
An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft takes off from Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Photo: USAF
Not Even the White House Knows the Drones’ Body Count -- The Danger Room
Government officials claim they’re ultra-precise killing machines that never, ever miss their targets. Outside groups say they’re covered in children’s blood. The fact is no one has a clue exactly how many militants and how many innocents have been slain in the U.S. drone war that spans from Pakistan to Somalia. Remember that before you start your next Twitter feud about the drone war.
Neither the American government nor the independent agencies have the consistent presence on the ground needed to put together true assessments of the damage drone strikes do. Most of the evidence is third-hand, whispered from a local soldier to a far-off reporter. The death toll claims, which vary wildly, are all educated guesswork. Read more ....
My Comment: We will never know the true number .... hence the reason why we call it "the fog of war".
Syria Despatch: Meeting Assad's Snipers As They Fight Rebels In Homs -- The Telegraph
In an exclusive report, Bill Neely gains rare access to the Syrian government fighters waging war in the frontline city of Homs.
He sat in near darkness and total silence: a young man, with a hard face and a reputation to live up to.
In a city paralysed by fear, he is among the most feared. He is a Syrian army sniper and I'd come to meet him.
The soldier who'd taken me up the staircase and into the gloom of the house on the front line in Homs wouldn't give the sniper's name for fear that his family would be targeted and killed by rebels bent on revenge.
My Comment: Their names may not be known, but these videos have captured their faces. One day there will be justice, and hell will probably visit these snipers.
Report Says 3 Of 4 US Adults Unqualified For Military -- Stars and Stripes/The (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) Citizens' Voice/MCT
DALLAS - Retired Maj. Gens. Joseph Perugino and Daniel O'Neill, two former commanders of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 28th Infantry Division, are taking an active role promoting early learning programs for 3- and 4-year-olds.
They want to see more money invested in early childhood education, they said, because it is essential to the future of national security and workforce development. Not having enough money for early learning programs has the potential to be a threat to national security in the future, Perugino said.
The Untold Story Behind The "Fast And Furious" Scandal -- ABC News
Who are the human faces of the U.S. government's botched "Fast and Furious" gun-walking operation?
Often lost amid the rancor in Washington are the stories of dozens of people killed by guns that flowed south as part of the undercover operation, and later slipped out of view from U.S. officials. Univision's Investigative Unit (Univision Investiga) has identified massacres committed using guns from the ATF operation, including the killing of 16 young people attending a party in a residential area of Ciudad Juárez in January of 2010.
My Comment: This explains why Univison was hard hitting in its answer and question interview with President Obama. Makes you wonder why Eric Holder is still the Attorney General.
In Syria Fighting, Aleppo World Heritage Site Burns -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Syrian troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad fought with rebels in the commercial hub of Aleppo in a deadly battle that set fire to an ancient marketplace that was once a tourist attraction.
Fighting in the country’s largest city continued for the third day in what insurgents said would be a “decisive battle” to control Aleppo. Rebels captured four neighborhoods, Al Jazeera reported, citing an interview with a local activist. Syrian government troops killed 126 people yesterday across the country, including 64 in or around the capital Damascus, the opposition Local Coordination Committees said in an e-mailed statement.
Venezuela's Marathon Man Looks To Run Down Chavez -- New York Times
Henrique Capriles, an opposition leader who runs marathons in his spare time, hopes to give Hugo Chavez a close race in elections next weekend, reports Philip Sherwell.
Soaked by rain and perspiration, Henrique Capriles retreated reluctantly inside his campaign bus as the horn-blowing, flag-waving convoy crept through the pot-holed streets of the slums of Maracaibo, Venezuela's second city.
A late evening tropical thunderstorm had finally forced him from his place atop a pick-up truck after a typical 12-hour day of rapturous rallies and rock-star receptions for the dashing 40-year-old opposition leader.
My Comment: Chavez controls the government, media, and most likely the tools that will run next weeks election. I will be surprised if Henrique Capriles will be able to garner enough votes to challenge the uncumbant.
String Of Iraq Car Bomb Blasts Kill At Least 32 -- Reuters
(Reuters) - Bombings and shootings killed more than 32 people across Iraq on Sunday, underscoring the government's struggle with a stubborn insurgency more than nine months after the last U.S. troops withdrew.
In Taji, 20 km (12 miles) north of the capital Baghdad, bombs in three parked cars went off separately, killing 11 people and wounding 24, including several policemen.
Reuters footage of the scene of one of the explosions showed the remains of an exploded car surrounded by several completely and partially destroyed houses and cars.
Taji has one of Iraq's largest military airbases but the bombing hit a civilian neighborhood.
Bomber shorts: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wore this underwear outfitted with explosives for three weeks before the failed bomb attempt on Christmas Day 2009
Revealed: How Christmas Day Bomber's Exploding Underwear Failed To detonate... Because He Had Worn Them For THREE WEEKS -- Daily Mail
Agents who investigated Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab said he was forthcoming about his plans Abdulmutallab sentenced to three life terms after pleading guilty earlier this year Infamous al-Qaeda bombmaker Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri is believed to have made the device
The notorious underwear bomber who tried to bring down a jumbo jet on Christmas Day had a dirty little secret - he'd been wearing the explosive skivvies for weeks.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wore them for three weeks to be exact, and it may have been the reason why he was unsuccessful in his 2009 terrorist plans aboard a Detroit-bound airliner.
The new details were revealed by two FBI agents who played a role in securing a confession from Abdulmutallab, shortly after the bungled plot.
U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Frank A. Grippe, command senior enlisted leader for U.S. Central Command, looks on as soldiers conduct atmospherics with Afghans while on a foot patrol in the Panjwai district of southern Afghanistan, Sept. 22, 2012. The soldiers are assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matt Young
US Forces In The Dark About Taliban Infiltration In Afghanistan -- The Hill
U.S. and coalition commanders are no closer to knowing how deep the Taliban has penetrated Afghanistan’s security forces despite increased efforts to flush out infiltrators who are carrying out attacks against Americans.
"As for what percentage of the insider threat is related to infiltration or radicalization, I mean, it's really difficult to determine," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey said Thursday. Read more ....
My Comment: I suspect that the penetration is deep and wide ranging, and senior officers are acting as if this is the case.
U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Frank A. Grippe, command senior enlisted leader for U.S. Central Command, speaks with soldiers on a foot patrol in the Panjwai district of southern Afghanistan, Sept. 22, 2012. Grippe visited the soldiers as part of his visit to Regional Command South. The soldiers are assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division's Company A, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matt Young
US Military Death Toll In Afghanistan Hits 2,000 -- The Guardian
Latest 'insider attack' at checkpoint kills two Americans and two Afghan soldiers, marking 2,000th US troop death of conflict.
An Afghan soldier has killed two Americans and two fellow members of Afghanistan's army at a checkpoint in the east of the country.
The shooting continues the trend of "insider attacks" and marks the 2,000th US troop death in the long-running war, officials said.
The series of insider attacks is one of the greatest threats to Nato's mission in Afghanistan, endangering a partnership key to training Afghan security forces and withdrawing international troops.
Saturday's shooting took place at an Afghan army checkpoint just outside a joint US-Afghan base in Wardak province, said Shahidullah Shahid, a provincial government spokesman. At least two Afghan soldiers also died, he said.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. James Bates pulls security as his team loads a tactical vehicle into the cargo bay of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in the Pur Chaman district in Afghanistan's Farah province, Sept. 26, 2012. The mission marks the first time coalition forces have been to that district in more than a year. Bates is assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah, a unit of soldiers, sailors and airmen working with government and non-government agencies to improve governance and stability in the U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lovelady
5 Dead After Suspected Insider Attack In Afghanistan -- New York Times
KABUL, Afghanistan — Two days after joint operations between American and Afghan forces were said to be returning to normal, a pitched battle broke out between the two allies, killing five people, two Americans and three Afghans, Afghan officials said Sunday.
Details of what happened in the incident Saturday were scarce and contradictory, but both the governor and police chief of Wardak Province, just west of the capital Kabul, described a misunderstanding or argument leading to the incident, which occurred at a checkpoint of the Afghan National Army in the Said Abad district.
The caskets of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, Foreign Service officer Sean Smith, and security officers Tyrone S. Woods and Glen A. Doherty are escorted through an honor cordon on Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sept. 14, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Mother Of Navy SEAL Killed In Libya While Trying To Protect Ambassador Slams Government For 'Unacceptable' Delay In Investigating Deaths -- Daily Mail
* Tyrone Woods died on September 11 while defending Benghazi consulate * FBI agents have not been allowed into 'unsafe' city to investigate attack * SEAL's mother says delay is 'absolutely unacceptable'
The mother of one of the Navy SEALs killed in the raid on a U.S. consulate in Libya has criticised the administration for its slow response to the massacre earlier this month.
More than two weeks after the apparent terrorist attack in Benghazi which killed ambassador Chris Stevens along with three other officials, an FBI investigation team has yet to enter the city.
Cheryl Croft Bennett, whose son Tyrone Woods died alongside his comrade Glen Doherty while trying to protect consulate staff, took to Facebook to denounce the lack of progress in uncovering the circumstances behind the raid. Read more .... Update:Murdered ex-SEAL’s mother frustrated by pace of Benghazi investigation -- The Cable/Foreign Policy
My Comment: As I had mentioned a week ago, if Benghazi is too dangerous for the FBI .... why was the Ambassador sent there in the first place? There are too many contradictions and questions that need to be answered .... and it looks like there will now be no investigation. The mother of one of the killed Navy SEALS has just cause to be frustrated.
Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Marines trained for close-quarters combat this week in Virginia. They are a rapid-reaction force capable of quickly protecting an embassy. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times
Training For Consulate Attacks, in Case There’s A Next Time -- New York Times
CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The “riot” erupted suddenly on the Virginia-North Carolina border in a remote pocket of marshland and pine. “Go back to America!” the protesters shouted, hurling rubber rocks at a large plywood structure meant to be a United States consulate. “We don’t want you here! This is our country!”
Two dozen Marines in full riot gear marched out in formation, beat their batons against their shields and otherwise looked menacing. Within minutes they had pushed back the protesters — fellow Marines in jeans and hooded sweatshirts — in a display of crowd control skills. “It can be a long day if you’re a rioter,” said Staff Sgt. William M. Loushin, the instructor who staged the riot. “Once you actually start getting aggressive against a Marine, it never ends well.” Read more ....
My Comment: After what happened at the U.S. consulate in Libya two weeks ago, I assume that there is now a review of all security procedures at U.S. diplomatic missions abroad.
In Statement, U.S. Spy Chief’s Office Defends Evolving Accounts Of Benghazi Attack, Cites Shifting Intelligence -- Washington Post
The office of the nation’s spy chief issued a statement Friday defending the Obama administration’s accounts of the siege on a U.S. mission in Libya, saying it became clear only in the aftermath that it was “a deliberate and organized terrorist attack.”
The statement appeared aimed at quieting criticism, mostly from Republicans, of the administration’s shifting characterizations of a Sept. 11 assault that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans. Officials initially described the attack as spontaneous but in recent days have said it was an act of terrorism with links to al-Qaeda.
The Next Wave In US Robotic War: Drones On Their Own -- Space Daily/AFP
The US military's current fleet of drones will soon be overtaken by a new wave of robots that will be faster, stealthier and smarter -- operating virtually without human intervention, experts say.
The Pentagon is investing heavily in "autonomy" for robotic weapons, with researchers anticipating squadrons of drones in the air, land or sea that would work in tandem with manned machines -- often with a minimum of supervision. Read more ....
Mitt Romney told reporters aboard his campaign plane on Friday that he did not believe military action against Iran would be necessary. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Romney Says Military Action Against Iran May Not Be Necessary -- ABC News
ABOARD THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PLANE — Mitt Romney said today that he does not believe military action will be necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear capability.
Romney added that he still leaves the option of military action “on the table” should it be needed.
Romney’s remarks came as he told reporters Friday afternoon about the phone conversation he had just finished with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. Read more ....
More News On Mitt Romney's Comments That Military Action Against Iran May Not Be Needed
Obama Blocks Chinese Wind Farms Purchase Near Navy Base -- NBC/AP
Unmanned drones and radar-jamming EA-18G 'Growler' jet among weapons tested there.
WASHINGTON — Citing national security risks, President Barack Obama on Friday blocked a Chinese company from owning four wind farm projects in northern Oregon near a Navy base where the U.S. military flies unmanned drones and electronic-warfare planes on training missions.
It was the first time in 22 years that a U.S. president has blocked such a foreign business deal.
Clearing Syrian WMDs Means 75K Troops And Massive Air Strikes -- USNI
In July, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Mullalem declared that Syria’s stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons would go unused in its civil war – unless a foreign power chose to intervene . The threat constituted a rare confirmation of the regime’s unconventional arsenal . The declaration raised serious concerns about U.S. policies in the event the regime did use its chemical or biological weapons. President Obama stated this would constitute a “red line” with “enormous consequences” that would alter calculations for military actions.
My Comment: There is zero political will in the West to send ground troops coupled with air support against Syria. But if such a military action does get sanctioned, it will be because Syria has decided to use WMDs against us or an ally .... a prospect that I doubt will happen. As to the figure of 75,000 soldiers needed to neutralize Syria's WMDs .... that number is pathetically small.
President Barack Obama walks across the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Calif., June 6, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Taxpayers Spent $1.4 Billion On Obama Family Last Year, Perks Questioned In New Book -- Daily Caller
Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion dollars on everything from staffing, housing, flying and entertaining President Obama and his family last year, according to the author of a new book on taxpayer-funded presidential perks.
In comparison, British taxpayers spent just $57.8 million on the royal family.
Author Robert Keith Gray writes in “Presidential Perks Gone Royal” that Obama isn’t the only president to have taken advantage of the expensive trappings of his office. But the amount of money spent on the first family, he argues, has risen tremendously under the Obama administration and needs to be reined in.
Congress Told IEDs Will Remain ‘Weapon Of Choice’ For Decades -- Defence Talk
Improvised explosive devices and the networks that use these asymmetric weapons, will remain an enduring threat to U.S. forces and the nation for decades to come, the Defense Department’s top counter-IED official told lawmakers, Sept. 20.
“The IED (improvised explosive device) is the weapon of choice for threat networks because they are cheap, made from readily available off-the-shelf components, easy to construct, lethal and accurate,” said Lt. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, Joint IED Defeat Organization, or JIEDDO, director, during testimony to the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on Defense Thursday.
This trend is apparent in Afghanistan, where IED events continue to rise, Barbero said.
China's Dorm Room Discontent Emerges As New Labor Flashpoint -- Reuters
(Reuters) - Twenty-three-year old factory worker Wang spends up to 12 hours a day making iPhone components in China, but his major complaint is not about the monotony of the production line - it is about his degrading worker-bee life inside the dormitory.
Wang, who did not want his full name published, is among thousands of workers housed in a vast complex where tensions aggravated by regimented and cramped living conditions boiled over on Sunday into a violent mass riot.
"The bathrooms are simply disgusting and people are constantly stealing things," Wang said as he stood outside of the factory in the northern city of Taiyuan, owned by Apple Inc's largest contract manufacturer, Taiwan firm Foxconn. Read more ....
My Comment: This story is important to me because it confirms to me that unrest in China is growing .... and the reason why this Reuters story caught my eye was because I saw the same thing happened in the dormitories of Fujian Province when I was living there in 1988. While all of my travels and contacts were restricted (and watched) when I was in China in the 1980s, I did have the opportunity to see and understand China through my interpreters. One such occasion occurred when we visited a university, and a student told me what life was like in these places .... specifically the dormitories. In short .... his only belongings were a few t-shirts, shorts and pants, underwear and socks, and a simple jacket. No electronics. No money. No hope. He was living in a small and dirty room with three other men .... and all of them were frustrated with their lives, no longer caring about China and their role in it but yearning for change .... and there were tens of thousands of these men who felt this way. This was the first sign (for me) that there was growing unrest and frustration in China at the time .... an unrest that grew and grew until it culminated a year later in the Tienanmen massacre.
Is history repeating itself? Will a Chinese Spring burst out in the next year or two? I do not know the answer .... but I do know that when I was in China a few weeks ago .... I sensed growing unrest, and the same issues and grievances that were voiced in 1988 are being voiced today.
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