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unhappycamper
unhappycamper's Journal
unhappycamper's Journal
May 23, 2013
The five-sided Puzzle Palace
Did the Pentagon cry wolf over sequestration?
By James Rosen | McClatchy Washington Bureau
Posted on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
WASHINGTON — A funny thing happened on the way to a predicted disaster: The Pentagon is learning to live with the automatic budget cuts its leaders had warned would threaten national security if they took effect.
The change from near-hysteria to sober assessment starts at the top with new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, a former maverick Republican senator from Nebraska who’s long pushed for serious restructuring of military spending. He replaced Leon Panetta in February.
Defense analysts say the forced spending reductions – called a sequester on Capitol Hill – and the arrival of a new Pentagon chief are compelling military leaders to focus on core national security needs and to operate more efficiently after the expenditure of what will reach $5 trillion on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and a near doubling of the overall defense budget from 2001 to 2011.
“Things have settled down since the sequester started,” retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, an analyst with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies in Washington who speaks regularly with top military officers and civilian Pentagon leaders, told McClatchy.
unhappycamper comment: The answer to the question is YES.
Did the Pentagon cry wolf over sequestration?
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/05/22/191952/did-the-pentagon-cry-wolf-over.htmlThe five-sided Puzzle Palace
Did the Pentagon cry wolf over sequestration?
By James Rosen | McClatchy Washington Bureau
Posted on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
WASHINGTON — A funny thing happened on the way to a predicted disaster: The Pentagon is learning to live with the automatic budget cuts its leaders had warned would threaten national security if they took effect.
The change from near-hysteria to sober assessment starts at the top with new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, a former maverick Republican senator from Nebraska who’s long pushed for serious restructuring of military spending. He replaced Leon Panetta in February.
Defense analysts say the forced spending reductions – called a sequester on Capitol Hill – and the arrival of a new Pentagon chief are compelling military leaders to focus on core national security needs and to operate more efficiently after the expenditure of what will reach $5 trillion on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and a near doubling of the overall defense budget from 2001 to 2011.
“Things have settled down since the sequester started,” retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, an analyst with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies in Washington who speaks regularly with top military officers and civilian Pentagon leaders, told McClatchy.
unhappycamper comment: The answer to the question is YES.
May 23, 2013
West Point sergeant accused of secretly filming female cadets
By David Ferguson
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 15:38 EDT
A sergeant first class and officer in charge of the “health, welfare and discipline” of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point has been accused of videotaping female cadets without their consent, including when the women were showering or otherwise unclothed. According to the New York Times, Sgt. First Class Michael McClendon is being charged under four articles of the Uniform Code for Military Justice, including indecent acts, dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, and actions prejudicial to good order and discipline.
The Army is notifying a dozen women that their privacy may have been violated. While some details about the case are still sketchy, McClendon allegedly shot photos of female cadets in the shower, while other images appear to have been taken through windows. Some appear to have been take consensually, while others do not.
The Army has made no formal announcement about the case, but spokesperson George Wright answered questions from the Times. The Times was alerted to the situation when “current and former members of the West Point community” contacted the newspaper saying they were alarmed by the accusations and wanted to know what would be done.
~snip~
McClendon served as a “tactical noncommissioned officer” at West Point in charge of cadet welfare. Each of these officers is in charge of 125 West Point cadets and is under order to “assist each cadet in balancing and integrating the requirements of physical, military, academic and moral-ethical programs.”
West Point sergeant accused of secretly filming female cadets
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/22/west-point-sergeant-accused-of-secretly-filming-female-cadets/West Point sergeant accused of secretly filming female cadets
By David Ferguson
Wednesday, May 22, 2013 15:38 EDT
A sergeant first class and officer in charge of the “health, welfare and discipline” of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point has been accused of videotaping female cadets without their consent, including when the women were showering or otherwise unclothed. According to the New York Times, Sgt. First Class Michael McClendon is being charged under four articles of the Uniform Code for Military Justice, including indecent acts, dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, and actions prejudicial to good order and discipline.
The Army is notifying a dozen women that their privacy may have been violated. While some details about the case are still sketchy, McClendon allegedly shot photos of female cadets in the shower, while other images appear to have been taken through windows. Some appear to have been take consensually, while others do not.
The Army has made no formal announcement about the case, but spokesperson George Wright answered questions from the Times. The Times was alerted to the situation when “current and former members of the West Point community” contacted the newspaper saying they were alarmed by the accusations and wanted to know what would be done.
~snip~
McClendon served as a “tactical noncommissioned officer” at West Point in charge of cadet welfare. Each of these officers is in charge of 125 West Point cadets and is under order to “assist each cadet in balancing and integrating the requirements of physical, military, academic and moral-ethical programs.”
May 22, 2013
Pentagon wants $450M for Guantanamo prison
New details on the administration's budget request emerged on Tuesday and underscored the contradiction of the president waging a political fight to shutter the facility while the military calculates the financial requirements to keep the installation operating.
The budget request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 calls for $79 million for detention operations, the same as the current year, and $20.5 million for the office of military commissions, an increase over the current amount of $12.6 million. The request also includes $40 million for a fiber optic cable and $99 million for operation and maintenance.
The Pentagon also wants $200 million for military construction to upgrade temporary facilities. That work could take eight to 10 years as the military has to transport workers to the island, rely on limited housing and fly in building material.
The facility at the U.S. naval base in Cuba currently holds 166 prisoners, and hunger strikes by 100 of them over their indefinite detention and prison conditions prompted Obama to renew his effort to close Guantanamo. The president is expected to discuss the future of the facility in a speech on counterterrorism on Thursday.
Pentagon wants $450M for Guantanamo prison
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/pentagon-450m-guantanamo-prison-19228553Pentagon wants $450M for Guantanamo prison
New details on the administration's budget request emerged on Tuesday and underscored the contradiction of the president waging a political fight to shutter the facility while the military calculates the financial requirements to keep the installation operating.
The budget request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 calls for $79 million for detention operations, the same as the current year, and $20.5 million for the office of military commissions, an increase over the current amount of $12.6 million. The request also includes $40 million for a fiber optic cable and $99 million for operation and maintenance.
The Pentagon also wants $200 million for military construction to upgrade temporary facilities. That work could take eight to 10 years as the military has to transport workers to the island, rely on limited housing and fly in building material.
The facility at the U.S. naval base in Cuba currently holds 166 prisoners, and hunger strikes by 100 of them over their indefinite detention and prison conditions prompted Obama to renew his effort to close Guantanamo. The president is expected to discuss the future of the facility in a speech on counterterrorism on Thursday.
May 22, 2013
Animal bones recovered from the ancient ruins on the Aynak mine site have been dyed green by copper leaching into them from the surrounding soil and rock. The Afghan copper mine is one of the richest in the world.
Delay in mine project shadows hopes for Afghan economy
By Jay Price | McClatchy Foreign Staff
Posted on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan — The giant copper mine that the Afghan government has made the centerpiece of its plans for building an economy nearly from scratch is at least five years behind schedule and the state-owned Chinese company that won the bidding has missed key deadlines in its still-secret contract with the Afghan government and is trying to renegotiate the deal, according to several officials and observers inside and outside the Mining Ministry.
The Mes Aynak mine in Logar province, about 25 miles south of Kabul, was celebrated as the biggest investment in Afghan history when it was announced in 2007. China Metallurgical Group Corp., a Beijing-based conglomerate, signed a deal valued at about $3 billion for 30-year rights to mine the site, which is thought to contain the second-richest unexploited copper deposit in the world, an amount equal to more than one-third of the copper reserves in all of China.
China Metallurgical Group was supposed to begin mining this year, but it’s done hardly any of the preliminary work required, including basic planning and a major feasibility study that’s now overdue, said several people familiar with the contract, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because of the delicate politics surrounding the mine.
With the construction of required infrastructure awaiting the approval of those studies and other paperwork, mining is at least five years in the future, and probably much farther off, mining experts say.
Delay in mine project shadows hopes for Afghan economy
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/05/21/191854/delay-in-mine-project-shadows.htmlAnimal bones recovered from the ancient ruins on the Aynak mine site have been dyed green by copper leaching into them from the surrounding soil and rock. The Afghan copper mine is one of the richest in the world.
Delay in mine project shadows hopes for Afghan economy
By Jay Price | McClatchy Foreign Staff
Posted on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan — The giant copper mine that the Afghan government has made the centerpiece of its plans for building an economy nearly from scratch is at least five years behind schedule and the state-owned Chinese company that won the bidding has missed key deadlines in its still-secret contract with the Afghan government and is trying to renegotiate the deal, according to several officials and observers inside and outside the Mining Ministry.
The Mes Aynak mine in Logar province, about 25 miles south of Kabul, was celebrated as the biggest investment in Afghan history when it was announced in 2007. China Metallurgical Group Corp., a Beijing-based conglomerate, signed a deal valued at about $3 billion for 30-year rights to mine the site, which is thought to contain the second-richest unexploited copper deposit in the world, an amount equal to more than one-third of the copper reserves in all of China.
China Metallurgical Group was supposed to begin mining this year, but it’s done hardly any of the preliminary work required, including basic planning and a major feasibility study that’s now overdue, said several people familiar with the contract, who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because of the delicate politics surrounding the mine.
With the construction of required infrastructure awaiting the approval of those studies and other paperwork, mining is at least five years in the future, and probably much farther off, mining experts say.
May 22, 2013
US Army general facing sex charges back in court
Updated: Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 3:25 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 3:25 AM EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — Prosecutors have agreed to drop an alcohol-related charge against a U.S. Army general accused of sexual misconduct.
The alcohol possession charge against Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair was dropped during a hearing before a military judge on Tuesday. Sinclair and other staff had received bottles of scotch as gifts for Thanksgiving, and the charge stemmed from the unopened bottle of liquor found in his private quarters.
Defense attorneys also are trying to have a charge of pornography possession dismissed. They say others had access to the computer where the pornography was found, and that the charge violates Sinclair's First Amendment rights.
A court martial for Sinclair is scheduled to begin June 25 on charges that include forcible sodomy, indecent acts, violating orders and adultery. The married father of two faces life in prison. He has thus far deferred entering a plea
US Army general facing (Jeffery Sinclair) sex charges back in court
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/north_carolina/ap_north_carolina/US-Army-general-facing-sex-charges-back-in-court_83712175US Army general facing sex charges back in court
Updated: Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 3:25 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 3:25 AM EDT
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — Prosecutors have agreed to drop an alcohol-related charge against a U.S. Army general accused of sexual misconduct.
The alcohol possession charge against Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair was dropped during a hearing before a military judge on Tuesday. Sinclair and other staff had received bottles of scotch as gifts for Thanksgiving, and the charge stemmed from the unopened bottle of liquor found in his private quarters.
Defense attorneys also are trying to have a charge of pornography possession dismissed. They say others had access to the computer where the pornography was found, and that the charge violates Sinclair's First Amendment rights.
A court martial for Sinclair is scheduled to begin June 25 on charges that include forcible sodomy, indecent acts, violating orders and adultery. The married father of two faces life in prison. He has thus far deferred entering a plea
May 22, 2013
Army General Suspended of Command for Adultery Investigation
Luis Martinez
May 21, 2013 7:01pm
WASHINGTON — The Army has suspended the one-star commanding general at Fort Jackson, S.C., for alleged misconduct involving adultery and an unspecified physical altercation.
~snip~
Another Army one-star general is currently on trial for adultery at Fort Bragg, N.C. Last year Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair was serving in Afghanistan as a deputy commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division when he was accused of engaging in adultery and sexual assault. Sinclair faces life in prison if convicted on the sexual assault charge.
Over the past two weeks, sexual assault in the military became a hot-button issue in Washington after two sexual assault prevention officers found themselves involved in incidents of sexual assault.
Two weeks ago the Air Force lieutenant colonel who ran the Air Force’s office of sexual assault and prevention was arrested for allegedly groping a woman, and last week an Army sergeant who served as a sexual assault prevention coordinator at Fort Hood, Texas, was removed from his post while he was investigated for alleged sexual assault.
Army General Suspended of Command for Adultery Investigation
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/army-general-suspended-of-command-for-adultery-investigation/Army General Suspended of Command for Adultery Investigation
Luis Martinez
May 21, 2013 7:01pm
WASHINGTON — The Army has suspended the one-star commanding general at Fort Jackson, S.C., for alleged misconduct involving adultery and an unspecified physical altercation.
~snip~
Another Army one-star general is currently on trial for adultery at Fort Bragg, N.C. Last year Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair was serving in Afghanistan as a deputy commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division when he was accused of engaging in adultery and sexual assault. Sinclair faces life in prison if convicted on the sexual assault charge.
Over the past two weeks, sexual assault in the military became a hot-button issue in Washington after two sexual assault prevention officers found themselves involved in incidents of sexual assault.
Two weeks ago the Air Force lieutenant colonel who ran the Air Force’s office of sexual assault and prevention was arrested for allegedly groping a woman, and last week an Army sergeant who served as a sexual assault prevention coordinator at Fort Hood, Texas, was removed from his post while he was investigated for alleged sexual assault.
May 22, 2013
http://www.juancole.com/2013/05/scandal-brothers-exposed.html
Robert Greenwald's "Koch Brothers Exposed" (Full)
http://www.juancole.com/2013/05/scandal-brothers-exposed.html
May 21, 2013
The company has yet to release results of a sophisticated test of the 65-year-old pipeline's interior, conducted in February.
Exxon: No Plans Yet To Reopen Ruptured Pipeline, and No Answers Why
By David Hasemyer
May 20, 2013
Almost two months after a ruptured pipeline sent at least 210,000 gallons of oil flowing through a neighborhood in Mayflower, Ark., the line's owner—oil giant ExxonMobil—remains largely silent on the future of its failed pipeline.
Most of the visible oil has been removed from the neighborhood and the ruptured section of pipe has been replaced and reburied. Yet Exxon hasn't asked the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for permission to restart the 850-mile Pegasus line, which runs across four states from Patoka, Ill. to Nederland, Texas.
~snip~
"This pipeline will not be restarted until we are convinced it is safe to do so," said Aaron Stryk. "We need to identify the cause of the incident and the mitigation steps necessary to prevent an incident like this from occurring again."
Some industry analysts say there could also be other reasons for the delay. The 65-year-old Pegasus line could be riddled with defects and require extensive repairs. Or perhaps Exxon is considering other alternatives, including replacing the Pegasus with a larger line.
Exxon: No Plans Yet To Reopen (Mayflower) Ruptured Pipeline, and No Answers Why
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130520/exxon-no-plans-yet-reopen-ruptured-pipeline-and-no-answers-whyThe company has yet to release results of a sophisticated test of the 65-year-old pipeline's interior, conducted in February.
Exxon: No Plans Yet To Reopen Ruptured Pipeline, and No Answers Why
By David Hasemyer
May 20, 2013
Almost two months after a ruptured pipeline sent at least 210,000 gallons of oil flowing through a neighborhood in Mayflower, Ark., the line's owner—oil giant ExxonMobil—remains largely silent on the future of its failed pipeline.
Most of the visible oil has been removed from the neighborhood and the ruptured section of pipe has been replaced and reburied. Yet Exxon hasn't asked the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for permission to restart the 850-mile Pegasus line, which runs across four states from Patoka, Ill. to Nederland, Texas.
~snip~
"This pipeline will not be restarted until we are convinced it is safe to do so," said Aaron Stryk. "We need to identify the cause of the incident and the mitigation steps necessary to prevent an incident like this from occurring again."
Some industry analysts say there could also be other reasons for the delay. The 65-year-old Pegasus line could be riddled with defects and require extensive repairs. Or perhaps Exxon is considering other alternatives, including replacing the Pegasus with a larger line.
May 21, 2013
Pentagon to take over some CIA drone operations : sources
By Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON | Mon May 20, 2013 9:35pm EDT
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration has decided to give the Pentagon control of some drone operations against terrorism suspects overseas that are currently run by the CIA, several U.S. government sources said on Monday.
Obama has pledged more transparency on controversial counterterrorism programs, and giving the Pentagon the responsibility for part of the drone program could open it to greater congressional oversight.
Obama will make a speech on Thursday at the National Defense University in Washington that will include discussion of the government's use of drones as a counterterrorism tool. It is unclear whether he will announce the drone program shift in that speech or separately.
Four U.S. government sources told Reuters that the decision had been made to shift the CIA's drone operations to the Pentagon, and some of them said it would occur in stages.
Pentagon to take over some CIA drone operations : sources
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-usa-drones-idUSBRE94K03720130521Pentagon to take over some CIA drone operations : sources
By Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON | Mon May 20, 2013 9:35pm EDT
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration has decided to give the Pentagon control of some drone operations against terrorism suspects overseas that are currently run by the CIA, several U.S. government sources said on Monday.
Obama has pledged more transparency on controversial counterterrorism programs, and giving the Pentagon the responsibility for part of the drone program could open it to greater congressional oversight.
Obama will make a speech on Thursday at the National Defense University in Washington that will include discussion of the government's use of drones as a counterterrorism tool. It is unclear whether he will announce the drone program shift in that speech or separately.
Four U.S. government sources told Reuters that the decision had been made to shift the CIA's drone operations to the Pentagon, and some of them said it would occur in stages.
May 21, 2013
An Afghan Army soldier is seen through the wreckage of a destroyed car after a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 16, 2013.
Afghan peace lost in transition worries
By Pamela Constable, Published: May 20
KABUL — Amid the scattered but steadily mounting carnage of the Taliban’s annual spring offensive, including a suicide bombing Monday that killed a provincial council head, hopes of stirring life into peace talks with the Islamist insurgents seem to be dying here with each new suicide attack, kidnapping and roadside bombing.
Even as this fragile nation of about 30 million holds its breath, fearing catastrophe could follow the presidential election and NATO troop pullout next year, both the Afghan government and its armed opponents seem to think that time is on their side. A once-acute feeling of urgency to end the war seems to have been overtaken by uneasy, tenuous maneuvering in a vast political fog.
~snip~
Several other factors have contributed to deepening pessimism about prospects for peace. Most dramatic is a renewed surge in Taliban violence this spring, which has left hundreds of Afghan police officers, soldiers and civilians dead, along with 57 coalition troops, from March to May. The southern-based insurgents have staged small attacks and bombings across hundreds of miles and more than a dozen provinces.
In the latest attack, a suicide bombing killed 14 people Monday, including the provincial council head of Baghlan, a relatively peaceful and secure province in the northeast. The attacker approached the official, a known anti-Taliban figure, as he talked with a group outside his office in the city of Pul-i-Khumri. The Taliban swiftly asserted responsibility for the bombing.
Afghan peace lost in transition worries
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-peace-lost-in-transition-worries/2013/05/20/8af1780c-c09b-11e2-9aa6-fc21ae807a8a_story.htmlAn Afghan Army soldier is seen through the wreckage of a destroyed car after a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 16, 2013.
Afghan peace lost in transition worries
By Pamela Constable, Published: May 20
KABUL — Amid the scattered but steadily mounting carnage of the Taliban’s annual spring offensive, including a suicide bombing Monday that killed a provincial council head, hopes of stirring life into peace talks with the Islamist insurgents seem to be dying here with each new suicide attack, kidnapping and roadside bombing.
Even as this fragile nation of about 30 million holds its breath, fearing catastrophe could follow the presidential election and NATO troop pullout next year, both the Afghan government and its armed opponents seem to think that time is on their side. A once-acute feeling of urgency to end the war seems to have been overtaken by uneasy, tenuous maneuvering in a vast political fog.
~snip~
Several other factors have contributed to deepening pessimism about prospects for peace. Most dramatic is a renewed surge in Taliban violence this spring, which has left hundreds of Afghan police officers, soldiers and civilians dead, along with 57 coalition troops, from March to May. The southern-based insurgents have staged small attacks and bombings across hundreds of miles and more than a dozen provinces.
In the latest attack, a suicide bombing killed 14 people Monday, including the provincial council head of Baghlan, a relatively peaceful and secure province in the northeast. The attacker approached the official, a known anti-Taliban figure, as he talked with a group outside his office in the city of Pul-i-Khumri. The Taliban swiftly asserted responsibility for the bombing.
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