We Must Be Winning the War – Part 2

More promotions. Help me congratulate these officers for doing such a great job winning the war!

Flag Officer Assignments

                Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced today the following assignment:

                Capt. John C. Aquilino, who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, strategy and analysis, J5, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.  Aquilino is currently serving as the executive assistant to the commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.

                Capt. Thomas H. Bond Jr., who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, CJ6, U.S. Forces – Iraq.  Bond is currently serving on the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group, Newport, R.I.

                Rear Adm. (lower half) Terry B. Kraft will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Twelve, Norfolk, Va.  Kraft was previously announced as commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Va.  Kraft is currently serving as director, ISR Capabilities, N2/N6F2, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

                Capt. Brian L. Laroche, who has been selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy commander, Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C.  Laroche is currently serving as commanding officer, Navy Reserve U.S. European Command Detachment 0193, Fort Dix, N.J. 

They Made The Ultimate Sacrifice – August 31, 2010 (7)

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DOD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

                 Staff Sgt. James R. Ide, 32, of Festus, Mo., died Aug. 29 at Hyderabad, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 230th Military Police Company, 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Sembach, Germany.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

 

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

                Spc. James C. Robinson, 27, of Lebanon, Ohio, died Aug. 28 at Paktika, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

DOD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device Aug. 27 in Paktiya, Afghanistan. 

                 Killed were:

                 Pfc. Chad D. Coleman, 20, of Moreland, Ga.

                 Pvt. Adam J. Novak, 20, of Prairie du Sac, Wis.

                 They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

DOD Identifies Army Casualties

 

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

                 They died Aug. 29 at Nangahar, Afghanistan, of wound sustained when their military vehicle was struck by rocket propelled grenade on Aug. 28 at Nangahar, Afghanistan. 

                 Killed were:

                 Capt. Ellery R. Wallace, 33, of Utah. 

                 Pfc. Bryn T. Raver, 20, of Harrison, Ark.

                 Wallace was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

                 Raver was assigned to 1st Brigade Special Troop Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

 

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

                 Gunnery Sgt. Floyd E. C. Holley, 36, of Casselberry, Fla., died Aug. 29 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Related Articles

• RIP SPC Sean R Cutsforth (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• Afghan War Casualties: U.S. Military Deaths Hit 1,260 (huffingtonpost.com)
• US military deaths in Afghanistan at 1,260 (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• RIP SSG Sean M Flannery, SPC William K Middleton (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• RIP SPC Justin E Culbreth (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• Insurgents IED Kills Six Soldiers Fighting in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan (gloucestercitynews.net)
• Afghan War Casualties: U.S. Military Deaths Hit 1,260 (capitolhillblue.com)

Thanks from the First Lady (Humor)

Subject: Thanks So Much!!
 For only the second time in my adult life, I am not ashamed of my country. I want to thank the hard working American people for  paying $242 thousand dollars plus additional expenses for my vacation in Spain . My daughter Sasha, several long-time family friends, my personal staff and various guests had a wonderful time. Honestly, you just haven’t lived until you have stayed in a $2,500.00 per night suite at a 5-Star luxury hotel. We only booked 70 rooms for our friends, staff and family. Thank you also for the use of Air Force 2 and the 70 Secret Service personnel who tagged along to be sure we were safe and cared for at all times.
 Air Force 2 only used 47,500 gallons of jet fuel for this trip and carbon emissions were a mere 1,031 tons of CO2. It costs only $11,500 per hour to operate Air Force 2 and each additional plane for the other members of our party group.  These are only rough estimates, but they are close (who’s counting?). That’s quite a carbon footprint as my good friend Al Gore would say, so we must ask the American citizens to drive smaller, more fuel efficient cars and drive less too, so we can lessen our combined carbon footprint.
 I know times are hard and millions of you are struggling to put food on the table and trying to make ends meet. I do appreciate your sacrifice and do hope you find work soon. I was really exhausted after Barack took our family on a luxury vacation in Maine a few weeks ago. I just had to get away for a few days. Will write more from Martha’s Vineyard where we will spend our sixth vacation this year with more of our family and friends.

Cordially,
 
M. Obama

Fallen But Not Forgotten – Master Sgt. Daniel L. Fedder, 34, of Pine City, Minn., died Aug. 27 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan

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Did you know Daniel? Please tell us something about him. Our prayers go out to his family and those who loved him. We mourn your loss.

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

                 The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

                Master Sgt. Daniel L. Fedder, 34, of Pine City, Minn., died Aug. 27 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Related Articles

• Marine from Camp Pendleton killed in Afghanistan (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• RIP SSgt Justin E. Schmalstieg (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• RIP LCpl Kenneth A. Corzine (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• RIP SSgt Jordan B. Emrick (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• Two more Marines from Camp Pendleton killed in Afghanistan (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• Marines Taking Heavy Casualties in Helmand Province, Afghanistan (gloucestercitynews.net)
• RIP LCpl Harry Lew (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• 1st Lt William J. Donnelly Memorial Service-Friday-April 8, Mariner’s Chapel, US Merchant Marine Academy (pgrnyvrp.wordpress.com)
• SECURITY ALERT CAMP PENDLETON: DRY RUN? 3 Middle Eastern men try to enter Marine base after making terror threats (barenakedislam.wordpress.com)
• US military deaths in Afghanistan at 1,408 (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Alert Issued After Security Incident On Camp Pendleton (tancredoradio.wordpress.com)

The Internet’s Secret Back Door

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The Internet‘s Secret Back Door Web users in the United Arab Emirates have more to worry about than having just their BlackBerries cracked. By Danny O’Brien Posted Friday, Aug. 27, 2010, at 2:56 PM ET

The United Arab Emirates continues to wrestle with Research in Motion over government access to BlackBerry messages, threatening to ban the company’s services if it doesn’t severely weaken the anti-snooping protections on its smartphones. But years before the RIM battle boiled over, other Western companies handed the country a far greater power: the capability to infiltrate the secure system used by most banking, mail, and financing sites, making the most protected data on the Web available to the prying eyes of the emirates’ government-connected telecommunications giant. To understand how this happened, you need to understand the way much of the Web’s private traffic stays private. Whenever you’re sending sensitive information online—say, your credit card number to Amazon or a message over Gmail—the content is encrypted before being sent and then decrypted by the Web site you sent it to. (Sites using this secure mode have URLs that start with “https,” and browsers add a padlock icon as well to demonstrate you’re communicating securely.) Every vendor has its own rules for how to scramble information so that only it, the intended recipient, can decode it. If anyone intercepts the message along the way, it will appear to be a meaningless digital jumble. PRINT DISCUSS E-MAIL RSS RECOMMEND… SINGLE PAGE Yahoo! Buzz Facebook Digg RedditStumbleUponCLOSECryptographers are reasonably confident that the mathematics behind this method of encryption makes it unassailable by direct assault, even by the most well-funded intelligence agencies. But they have also long been aware of a potential weakness in its design: There’s no way for your computer to know if the recipient is who they say they are.. Because of this, cyber-criminals (or curious governments) can trick you by staging a “man in the middle attack,” where the snoop acts as an uninvited mediator between you and the intended recipient. Your computer thinks it’s contacting your bank when in fact it’s contacting the snoop, using his own rules for encrypting information. He decodes it, copies your sensitive data, then re-encodes it according to the bank’s rules and sends it along. He does the same thing for traffic coming from the bank to you. Both your bank and you would believe you were talking directly to each other with no one else listening. To overcome this deficiency, the Web’s security relies on the idea of “certificate authorities”: organizations that independently verify the identity of the Web site you’re communicating with and provide a digital confirmation that it’s authentic. A certificate authority’s digital endorsement decides whether your browser believes a site when it claims to be GMail, Microsoft, or even the New York Times, which has a secure version. Middle men can’t fake this authentication without getting a similar endorsement. These certificate authorities are supposed to conduct due diligence in ensuring that only the real Web site gets their stamps of approval. Advertisement Who are these certificate authorities? At the beginning of Web history, there were only a handful of companies, like Verisign, Equifax, and Thawte, that made near-monopoly profits from being the only providers trusted by Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. But over time, browsers have trusted more and more organizations to verify Web sites. Safari and Firefox now trust more than 60 separate certificate authorities by default. Microsoft’s software trusts more than 100 private and government institutions. Disturbingly, some of these trusted certificate authorities have decided to delegate their powers to yet more organizations, which aren’t tracked or audited by browser companies. By scouring the Net for certificates, security researchers have uncovered more than 600 groups who, through such delegation, are now also automatically trusted by most browsers, including the Department of Homeland Security, Google, and Ford Motors—and a UAE mobile phone company called Etisalat. In 2005, a company called CyberTrust—which has since been purchased by Verizon— gave Etisalat, the government-connected mobile company in the UAE, the right to verify that a site is valid. Here’s why this is trouble: Since browsers now automatically trust Etisalat to confirm a site’s identity, the company has the potential ability to fake a secure connection to any site Etisalat subscribers might visit using a man-in-the-middle scheme. Etisalat doesn’t exactly have a clean record when it comes to privacy. Tech watchdogs have already caught it deliberately attempting to invade the privacy of its own users. In July 2009, Etisalat abruptly announced a software update on all its BlackBerry customers. Described as a “network upgrade,” the application in fact copied all messages written on the device to two private Etisalat e-mail addresses. Research in Motion distanced itself from this clumsy attempt at government spyware, clarifying that it was “not a RIM-authorized software upgrade” and providing a counter-app to remove the program. To date, no one has observed Etisalat fake a Web site to spy on an individual’s encrypted traffic. But because of the proliferation and delegation of certificate authorities, Etisalat and hundreds of other groups have that capability. The good news about misusing the power of certificate authorities is that, like the BlackBerry upgrade, such attacks can quickly be uncovered and publicized, given enough vigilance and the right tools. A better solution is to clean up the certificate authority lists and revoke the rights of organizations who could abuse it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, where I used to work, recently published an open letter to Verizon asking them to consider publicly revoking the certificate authority that the company granted Etisalat. But that still leaves the hundreds of other certificate authorities that could turn rogue and start spying on the Web’s secure systems. Ironically, RIM’s enterprise BlackBerry encryption is one of the few secure Internet communication channels that doesn’t depend on certificate authorities, which could be one of the reasons the UAE is so obsessed with cracking it. RIM’s defense against the UAE’s demands is that corporations and individuals expect the same level of privacy in their BlackBerry communications as they get from any other Internet service. “Everything on the Internet is encrypted,” CEO Michael Lazaridis told the Wall Street Journal, slightly inaccurately. “This is not a BlackBerry-only issue. If they can’t deal with the Internet, they should shut it off.” What’s worrying is that the UAE may indeed have already “dealt with” the rest of the Internet—just not in the way that most of us would like.

Related Articles

• RIM Parlays Near BlackBerry Ban Into UAE Government Partnership (fastcompany.com)
• RIM boss sees vast potential in U.A.E. market (cbc.ca)
• RIM ‘excited’ about UAE market after averting BlackBerry ban (calgaryherald.com)
• Best BlackBerry Monitoring Software (brighthub.com)
• BlackBerry chief sees vast horizons in UAE market (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• UAE’s Etisalat to cut 3 pct of staff (reuters.com)
• Can Dubai Business Survive Without the BlackBerry? (time.com)
• BlackBerry wins U.S. government security approval (news.cnet.com)
• BlackBerry wins U.S. government security approval (news.cnet.com)
• Govt asks Google for Gmail Encryption (globalthoughtz.com)

He Made the Ultimate Sacrifice – August 29, 2010

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DOD Identifies Navy Casualty

 

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Petty Officer 3rd Class James M. Swink, 20, of Yucca Valley, Calif., died Aug. 27 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  Swink was a hospital corpsman assigned to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Forces.

Related Articles

• RIP Sgt Garrett A. Misener (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• RIP LCpl William H Crouse IV (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• RIP LCpl Kenneth A. Corzine (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• RIP Cpl Sean A. Osterman (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• RIP LCpl Jose A Hernandez (waronterrornews.typepad.com)

Interview with Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan 8/21/10

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August 21, 2010
ABC – THIS WEEK
Christiane Amanpour interview President Hamid Karzai

AMANPOUR:

 

  Joining me now from Kabul is the president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.

Mr. President, thank you for joining us THIS WEEK.
KARZAI:  Happy to be with you.         

AMANPOUR:  Mr. President, what is the roadmap for your peace talks with the Taliban and how confident are you that you can have some kind of settlement, political settlement with them?

KARZAI:  The roadmap is clear.  The indications for peace would be that Afghanistan will be ready to talk to those Taliban powers who belong to Afghanistan and are not part of al Qaeda, who are not part of any other terrorist network, who accept the Afghanistan Constitution and the progress that we have achieved in the past so many years and who are willing to return to a normal civilian life and who are not connected to any foreign body outside of Afghanistan. 

AMANPOUR:  How advanced are you in trying to get the Taliban to these talks?

KARZAI:  Of course, there are individual contacts with some Taliban elements; that’s not yet a formal process.
AMANPOUR:  Can I ask you about some of the concerns that people have?  For instance, women’s groups are very concerned.  They say that promises by you to be properly and adequately represented at any peace jirga are faltering and they are very concerned that any deal with the Taliban leads to their rights, those that they’ve gained, being — being eradicated.

KARZAI:  They will be part of the High Council For Peace as well, their representation will be solid and meaningful, substantive. 

And of course, this is upon us as the right of the Afghan people to make sure that the gains that we have made, especially the gains that our women have made in political, social and economic walks of life, not only are kept but are promoted and advanced further.

AMANPOUR:  Well, given that pledge you are now making, how concerned are you by, for instance, the stoning of that couple, that young couple in Afghanistan over the last week, the first public stoning since the fall of the Taliban after 9/11? 

KARZAI:  I was shocked when I heard that.  That’s a terrible sign.  That’s — that’s indeed part of our failure, the Afghan government and the international community as well, to give protection to the Afghan people. 
We are investigating it, but it came to me as a deep, deep shock.

AMANPOUR:  Well, let me ask you this, the president of Pakistan recently said that the battle for hearts and minds in Afghanistan is already lost.  Do you agree with him, and do you believe that the war in Afghanistan is winnable?

KARZAI:  I believe the campaign against terrorism is absolutely winnable.  We have to win, but we — in order for us to do that, we must end the business as usual and we must begin to reexamine whether we are doing everything correctly, whether we are doing the right things and whether we are having the support of the Afghan people or whether that support is declining, and if it is declining, then there are reasons for it and we must correct those reasons.
AMANPOUR:  Specifically, those reasons are what?

KARZAI:  Those reasons are that we must provide protection to the Afghan people rather than causing civilian casualties, we must end corruption and corrupt practices in Afghanistan, done by the international community by the way contracts are given, we must end parallel structures to the afghan government, we must end the security firms who are spending billions of dollars in the presence of whom Afghanistan would never developed a police force. 

AMANPOUR:  Well, let me take a few of those things you’ve just mentioned.
The private contractors, you have called and your office has called for them to be disbanded by the end of this year, in the next four months.  That’s something like 30,000 private contractors who are providing security.  Are you standing by that declaration you want them out by the end of this year?
KARZAI:  Definitely, ma’am.  This is a topic that I’ve been engaging with, with our allies for the last at least four years very intensively.  Finally, I began to conclude after a lot of consideration and on a good ground of solid information that the more we wait, the more we lose.   

Therefore, we have decided in the Afghan government to bring an end to the presence of these security companies who are running a parallel security structure to the Afghan government, who are not only causing corruption in this country, but who are looting and stealing from the Afghan people, who are causing a lot of harassment to our civilians who we don’t know if they are security companies at daytime and then some of them turn into terroristic groups at nighttime. 
They are wasting billions of dollars of resources and they are definitely an obstruction, an impediment in a most serious matter to the growth of Afghanistan’s security institutions, the police and the army.

AMANPOUR:  Do you mean all of them?  Do you mean even the ones who protect you, who protect military bases, who protect diplomats as well and aid convoys?

KARZAI:  Well, we will — we will provide a basis for those security companies who are providing protection to embassies and to aid organizations within their compounds and who escort diplomats or representatives of foreign governments in Afghanistan from place to place. 

But we will definitely not allow them to be on the roads, in the bazaars, in the streets, on the highways, and we will not allow them to provide protection to supply lines that is the job of the Afghan government and the Afghan police. 
  
AMANPOUR:
Mr. President, the U.S. says the Afghan army and police are nowhere near ready to take over these duties and that an end of the year deadline is way too ambitious.  Why are you doing it so soon?
  
KARZAI:  Exactly the right question.  One of the reasons that I want them disbanded and removed by four months from now is exactly because that their presence is preventing the growth and the development of the Afghan Security Forces, especially the police force because 40-50,000 people are given more salaries than the Afghan police. 

Why would an Afghan young man come to the police if he can get a job in a security firm, have a lot of leeway and without any discipline.  So naturally, our security forces will find it difficult to grow.  In order for security forces to grow, these groups must be disbanded.
And here, ma’am, through you I am appealing to the U.S. taxpayer not allow their hard-earned money to be wasted on groups that are not only providing lots of inconveniences to the Afghan people, but actually are god knows in contact with Mafia-like groups and perhaps also funding militants and insurgents and terrorists through those firms.

AMANPOUR:  Are you not concerned that those who you disband, most of them are Afghans after all, will go and join terrorist insurgents or rival warlords?
KARZAI:  No.  No, that’s not a concern.  If these groups are so bad that if disbanded will become members of the Taliban or insurgents, then they should be disbanded tomorrow.

AMANPOUR:  Mr. President, let me talk about corruption, which you, yourself, brought up.

 There is still so much corruption, so many allegations of corruption.  I want to ask you specifically about two U.S.-backed and mentored task forces, anticorruption task forces that you bitterly criticized not so long ago.

Are you still critical or will you allow them to operate to combat corruption in Afghanistan?
KARZAI:  The bodies will stay — the bodies will stay to work, but they should be within the confines of the Afghan law, within the confines of the Afghan penal code and within respect of human rights and should be sovereign Afghan bodies not run or paid by any outside entities.

AMANPOUR:  Well, let me ask you about a specific case that caused a lot of anxiety, certainly with you.  And that is the case of Zia Salehi, who is one of your close aides in the National Security Council.  He was, in fact, arrested under a warrant signed by your own attorney general and he was subsequently released the very same day, they are saying, because you personally called and asked for him to be released, and they did release him.

Is that true?  Did you intervene?
KARZAI:  Yes, absolutely, I intervened.  Not only I intervened, but I intervened very, very strongly.
 This man was taken out of his house in the middle of the night by 30 kalashnikov toting masked men in the name of Afghan law enforcement.  This is exactly reminiscent of the days of the Soviet Union where people were taken away from their homes by armed people in the name of the state and thrown into obscure prisons in some sort of Kangaroo courts.  It reminds the Afghan people of those days with immense fear.
So I have intervened.  As I am the president of this country, I must uphold the constitution and do things legally from now onwards.  Tomorrow, I’ll be giving a new instruction to bring these two bodies in accordance with Afghan laws and within the sovereignty of the Afghan state.
AMANPOUR: Will the case against Mr. Salehi be allowed to proceed?  And will you allow the arrest and investigation of anybody who is accused of corruption — he was accused of soliciting a bribe — even if they’re –
KARZAI:  Absolutely.

AMANPOUR:  — your friends and allies?

  KARZAI:  Absolutely.  Absolutely, ma’am.  That case is already under investigation, questions are continuing to be asked, the investigation is underway.  Corruption should be handled most effectively and delegatedly and with a lot of pressure, but it has to be across the board and apolitical and without vested foreign interests.
AMANPOUR:  Mr. President, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

KARZAI:  Good to talk to you

Related Articles

• Afghanistan government disbands Several security firms (thehimalayantimes.com)
• Afghan president still against NATO night raids (dailycaller.com)
• Hamid Karzai Tells Washington Post: US Must Reduce Military Operations in Afghanistan (mediaite.com)
• Suicide Bombing Kills 3 in Afghanistan (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• Karzai maintains his opposition to NATO night raids (ctv.ca)
• Afghan president still against NATO night raids (foxnews.com)
• Afghan guards killed in NATO raid, government says (reuters.com)
• Afghan president still against NATO night raids (sfgate.com)
• Afghan Government Disbands Dozens of Private Security Firms (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
• Afghan government disbands private security firms (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act

DOD Announces Military and Overseas Voting Waivers The Department of Defense announced today that Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia were denied waivers which would have temporarily exempted them from complying with the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act. Delaware, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Washington were approved for waivers, relieving those states from the 45-day ballot transmission requirement. “The states granted waivers presented thorough and comprehensive plans to protect the voting opportunities for military and overseas voters,” said Bob Carey, director, Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). “In each case, we determined that the combination of measures presented provide military and overseas voters sufficient time to receive, mark and return their ballots so they can be counted, and thus met the requirement for receiving a waiver under the MOVE Act.” In 2008, a delegation of state secretaries of state reported after visiting military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Germany that, everyone the secretaries visited stated a preference for greater e-mail and Internet access to voting. Those same troops stated that email access extended even to remote areas of the theater. Many of the states’ waiver application comprehensive plans provide such expanded email and internet access. The MOVE Act requires states to send absentee ballots to military and overseas voters covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act not later than 45-days before an election for federal office, beginning with the Nov. 2, 2010 election. In accordance with the MOVE Act, states are allowed to apply for a waiver from the 45-day ballot requirement. Twelve states submitted waivers, and one state (Maryland) subsequently withdrew its waiver application. In addition to the programs presented by the states in their waiver applications, DoD has been working with states to improve timeliness and opportunities for military and overseas voters to receive their ballot and submit their votes in adequate time to be counted in the election. This year, FVAP launched new online products that make completing voting forms easier by developing electronic alternatives for voters to request, receive or return their ballots. “DoD is working hard to make the absentee voting process seamless, easy, intuitive, and quick for military and overseas voters,” said Carey. Military members can now fill out their registration to vote and absentee ballot applications using FVAP’s online tool, and if they do not receive their ballot in time, they may use the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot (FWAB), for which a full online tool is available. These tools, along with the latest voting information by state, may be found at http://www.FVAP.gov. In addition, FVAP has launched a 24/7 call center for military and overseas voters, voting assistance officers, and election officials to get help with voting. Individuals can e-mail in their questions or use the online chat capability. For more information about state waiver applications, visit http://www.FVAP.gov .

CIA making secret payments to members of Karzai administration

The payments are long-standing in many cases and designed to help the agency maintain a deep roster of allies within the presidential palace. Some aides function as CIA informants, but others collect stipends under more informal arrangements meant to ensure their accessibility, a U.S. official said. The CIA has continued the payments despite concerns that it is backing corrupt officials and undermining efforts to wean Afghans’ dependence on secret sources of income and graft. The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a significant number of officials in Karzai’s administration are on the payroll. Paul Gimigliano, a CIA spokesman, disputed that characterization, saying, “This anonymous source appears driven by ignorance, malice or both.” A former agency official said the payments were necessary because “the head of state is not going to tell you everything” and because Karzai often seems unaware of moves that members of his own government make. The disclosure comes as a corruption investigation into one of Karzai’s senior national security advisers – and an alleged agency informant – puts new strain on the already fraying relationship between Washington and Kabul. Top American officials including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) have expressed concern about Karzai’s efforts to rein in anti-corruption teams, as well as intervention in the case against the security adviser. The aide, Mohammad Zia Salehi, is accused of accepting a $10,000 car as a bribe in exchange for his assistance in quashing a wide-ranging corruption probe. The issue carries enormous stakes for the Obama administration. Concerns that the Afghan government is hopelessly corrupt have prompted a congressional panel to withhold billions of dollars in aid, and threaten to erode American support for the war. But Karzai supporters accuse their U.S. counterparts of exploiting the issue, and the Salehi arrest in particular, to humiliate the Afghan leader while ignoring more pressing priorities. In the latest sign of his vexation, Karzai said Thursday that President Obama’s timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops “has given courage to the enemies of Afghanistan,” and complained that the United States wasn’t doing enough to force Pakistan to stop supporting the Taliban. “We haven’t progressed in the war against terrorism,” Karzai said in a statement. The CIA has maintained relationships with Afghan government officials for years. But the disclosure that multiple members of Karzai’s government are on the CIA’s payroll underscores the complex nature of the American role in Afghanistan. Even as agency dollars flow in, U.S.-backed investigative units are targeting prominent Afghans in the government and trying to stem an exodus of more than $1 billion in cash annually from the country.

Ever wonder why the DOD Budgets are SO High?

CONTRACTS ANNOUNCED AUGUST 25, 2010 (MINIMUM $5 MILLION)

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

                Aqua Chem, Inc.*, Knoxville, Tenn., is being awarded a maximum $386,000,000 fixed-price with economic price adjustment, total set-aside contract for water purification systems parts.  There are no other locations of performance.  Using services are Army and Marine Corps.  There were originally 27 proposals solicited with two responses.  The date of performance completion is Aug. 24, 2013.  The Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (SPM7MX-10-D-9007).

                Petroleum Traders Corp.*, Fort Wayne, Ind., is being awarded a maximum $145,122,449 fixed-price with economic price adjustment, partial set-aside contract for fuel.  Other locations of performance are Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.  Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and federal civilian agencies.  The original proposal was solicited on the Federal Business Opportunities website with 52 responses.  The date of performance completion is July 31, 2013.  The Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-10-D-4025).

                Graybar Electric, St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a maximum $40,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for maintenance, repair, and operations supplies contract.  There are no other locations of performance.  Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies.  The original proposal was Web-solicited with six responses.  The date of performance completion is Aug. 30, 2011.  The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM500-04-D-BP25).

                LA3P-LLC, Dayton, Ohio, is being awarded a maximum $23,127,287 firm-fixed-price contract for distribution, storage, warehousing, and inventory management services of apparel distribution.  Other location of performance is Georgia.  Using service is Army.  The original proposal was Web-solicited with 10 responses.  The date of performance completion is Aug. 25, 2012.  The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM1C1-10-C-0021).

U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

                L-3 Global Communications Solutions, Inc., Victor, N.Y., was awarded a five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92222-10-D-1006) with a ceiling of $170,000,000.  This effort is for the integration, configuration, test and sustainment of the Special Operations Forces Deployable Node-Lite (SDN-L) in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Research, Development and Acquisition Center.  The SDN-L will provide the tactical communicator an enhanced operational capability; an increase in bandwidth/data throughput; enhanced security capability; and an overall size and weight reduction as compared to existing legacy systems.  The work will be performed in Victor, N.Y.  The ordering period will be completed August 2015.  USSOCOM is the contracting activity.

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

                Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors (LM MS2), Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a sole-source cost-plus-fixed-fee letter contract (HQ0276-10-C-0003).  LM MS2 will serve as the Aegis Ashore Engineering Agent providing the engineering and necessary material to support the design of the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense Test Complex; the deployment sites; the integration of the Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (AAMDS) into the removable deckhouse; the installation, test and checkout of the AAMDS at these sites; and initial site maintenance and logistics support during site transfer to the lead service.  This undefinitized contract action will allow LM MS2 to assist in the development of the AA Combat System (AACS) requirements, to include supporting program planning, element capability specification, and concept of operations development.  LM MS2 will begin the AACS adaptation, design efforts associated with the configuration of the AAMDS in the removable structure and designing the enclosures for transport.  LM MS2 will begin those activities associated with validation and verification of the deckhouse requirements and will facilitate system requirements review in September 2010 and system design review in January 2011 in accordance with the AA Program of Record while the remaining CLINs are evaluated, negotiated, and awarded for the first two years of performance.  Contract definitization is expected to be completed by Nov. 19, 2010.  The work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J.  The performance period for the letter contract is from August 2010 through April 2011.  The not-to-exceed value of this action is $69,803,250.  Fiscal 2010 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds will be utilized to obligate $10,056,426 for this effort.  The Missile Defense Agency is the contracting activity.

                Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Woburn, Mass., is being awarded a sole-source modification for $42,977,351 under contract HQ0006-03-C-0047.  The modification includes both fixed-price and cost-plus-award-fee line items.  Under this cost-plus-award-fee contract modification, Raytheon will continue software maintenance in support of the AN/TYP-2 X-Band Radar.  The work will be performed in Woburn, Mass.  The performance period is through March 2011.  Fiscal year 2010 and 2011 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds will be utilized for this effort.  The Missile Defense Agency is the contracting activity.

AIR FORCE

                National NICC, JV, LLC, Falls Church, Va., was awarded a maximum $45,000,000 contract for the simplified acquisition of base engineering requirements VIII at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.  At this time, $3,000 has been obligated.  4 CONS/CC, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., is the contracting activity (FA4809-10-D-C003).

                Boeing Co., Derivative Airplanes Program, Seattle, Wash., was awarded $26,000,000 contract modification which will provide one Boeing 737 – C40C leased aircraft.  At this time, $26,000,000 has been obligated.  ASC/WLVK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-10-C-6599).

                Pratt and Whitney Military Aftermarket Services, San Antonio, Texas, was awarded a $22,312,435 contract modification to provide the overhaul of core module with a quantity of 12 to support the F100-229, F-15 and F-16 aircraft.  At this time, $22,312,435 has been obligated.  448 SCMG/PKBCB, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8121-10-C-0019-P00001).

                Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Clearfield, Utah, was awarded a $17,032,118 contract modification for the Electrical-Electronic Equipment Test Station.  At this time, $3,781,981 has been obligated.  AFNWC/PKME, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting agency (F42610-98-C-0001; modification number not yet assigned).

                Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., Herndon, Va., was awarded a $9,919,890 contract for the Space Protection Program survivability and vulnerability analysis.  At this time, $24,802 has been obligated. 5 5 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380) .

                Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., McLean, Va., was awarded an $8,994,657 contract to provide funding for the situational awareness in space, air, land and sea program.  At this time, $591,814 has been obligated.  Air Force Research Laboratory/RIKE, Rome, N.Y., is the contracting agency (FA8750-10-C-0158).

                General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., Poway, Calif., was awarded a $7,848,501 contract modification for the MQ-9 System Development and Demonstration Increment I program, incorporating:  a credit for stopped work; an overrun for on-going activities; and additional scope for high capacity starter/generator and AWM-103 for Hellfire development effort.  At this time, $3,595,959 has been obligated.  ASC/WIIK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-02-G-4035, 0023 36).

                Rycars Construction, LLC, Kenner, La., was awarded a $9,488,821.53 contract to provide for Project #900064, Building 169 renovation at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.  At this time, $9,448,222 has been obligated.  WR-ALC/PKOC, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8501-08-D-0009-0008).

Former RNC chairman Ken Mehlman: I’m gay

Credit: Getty Images

By Felicia Sonmez

Ken Mehlman, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the former campaign manager for George W. Bush‘s 2004 re-election bid, has told his family and colleagues that he is gay, according to The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder.

From Ambinder’s report:

“It’s taken me 43 years to get comfortable with this part of my life,” Mehlman said. “Everybody has their own path to travel, their own journey, and for me, over the past few months, I’ve told my family, friends, former colleagues, and current colleagues, and they’ve been wonderful and supportive. The process has been something that’s made me a happier and better person. It’s something I wish I had done years ago.”

Mehlman, who headed the RNC from 2005 to 2007, becomes the highest-profile national Republican figure to come out as gay.

In the interview, Mehlman said that he reached the decision to come out in part because he would like to play a greater role as an advocate for same-sex marriage.

He added that earlier this year, he participated in a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, an organization that has fought the Proposition 8 ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in California. An appeals court ruled earlier this month that the ban will stay in place until December, overruling a federal judge’s decision that the ban was unconstitutional.

Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, a prominent Republican lawyer, has been leading the legal fight against Proposition 8.

Mehlman acknowledged to Ambinder that had he been open about his sexuality earlier, he might have tried to push back against parts of the national Republican agenda, including efforts by former Bush adviser Karl Rove in 2004 and 2006 to put same-sex marriage initiatives on the ballot in states across the country:

“It’s a legitimate question and one I understand,” Mehlman said. “I can’t change the fact that I wasn’t in this place personally when I was in politics, and I genuinely regret that. It was very hard, personally.” He asks of those who doubt his sincerity: “If they can’t offer support, at least offer understanding.”

Michael Steele, current chairman of the Republican National Committee, issued a statement of support for Mehlman. “I am happy for Ken,” Steele said. “His announcement, often a very difficult decision which is only compounded when done on the public stage, reaffirms for me why we are friends and why I respect him personally and professionally.”

Clarke Cooper, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, which is suing the federal government to block the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, said that the organization welcomed Mehlman’s decision.

“Log Cabin Republicans is very supportive and appreciative of Ken’s coming out,” Cooper said. “Being gay and being conservative are not mutually exclusive. As a fellow Bush alumnus, I also look forward to Ken helping me and our colleagues build a stronger more inclusive Republican Party.”

Ed O’Keefe contributed to this report.

// By Felicia Sonmez  |  August 25, 2010; 6:49 PM ET
Categories:  44 The Obama Presidency

Related Articles

• Ken Mehlman to Party with Log Cabin Republicans (observer.com)
• Ken Mehlman, Ex-RNC Chair and Bush Campaign Chief, Says He’s Gay (politicsdaily.com)
• MEHLMAN COMES OUT: He’s backing same-sex marriage (politico.com)
• Watch: Ken Mehlman Tells GOP to Embrace Marriage Equality (towleroad.com)
• Should You Hate On Ken Mehlman For Being An Anti-Gay Prick? Or For Being A Rich Self-Serving Prick? (queerty.com)
• Former RNC Chairman: Why GOP Should Support Gay Marriage (huffingtonpost.com)
• Why Gay Republicans Need To Come Out (gayrights.change.org)
• Ken Mehlman: Republicans Should Support Gay Marriage (bigthink.com)
• Mehlman reveals he’s gay (politico.com)
• Michael Steele Missing In Action At Debate Between Candidates Who Want To Replace Him At RNC (huffingtonpost.com)

They Made the Ultimate Sacrifice – August 25, 2010 (3)

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

 

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Lance Cpl. Robert J. Newton, 21, of Creve Coeur, Ill., died Aug. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

 

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. Ronald A. Rodriguez, 26, of Falls Church, Va., died Aug. 23 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

 

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Pfc. Justin B. Shoecraft, 28, of Elkhart, Ind., died Aug. 24 at Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device at Kakarak, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

CDC Study Finds Annual Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes Exceeds $99 Billion

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Press Release

For Immediate Release: August 25, 2010
Contact: CDC Division of Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

CDC Study Finds Annual Cost of Motor Vehicle Crashes Exceeds $99 Billion

Cost amounts to nearly $500 for each U.S. licensed driver in one year

In a one-year period, the cost of medical care and productivity losses associated with injuries from motor vehicle crashes exceeded $99 billion – with the cost of direct medical care accounting for $17 billion, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The total annual cost amounts to nearly $500 for each licensed driver in the United States, said the study in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

The one-year costs of fatal and non-fatal crash-related injuries totaled $70 billion (71 percent of total costs) for people riding in motor vehicles, such as cars and light trucks, $12 billion for motorcyclists, $10 billion for pedestrians, and $5 billion for bicyclists, the study said.

CDC researchers used 2005 data because, at the study time, it provided the most current source of national fatal and non-fatal injury and cost data from multiple sources.

“Every 10 seconds, someone in the United States is treated in an emergency department for crash-related injuries, and nearly 40,000 people die from these injuries each year. This study highlights the magnitude of the problem of crash-related injuries from a cost perspective, and the numbers are staggering,” said Dr. Grant Baldwin, director of CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

The study also found:

• Costs related to fatal motor vehicle-related injuries totaled $58 billion. The cost of non-fatal injuries resulting in hospitalization amounted to $28 billion, and the cost of injuries to people treated in emergency departments and released was $14 billion.
• More men were killed (70 percent) and injured (52 percent) in motor vehicle crashes than women. Injuries and deaths among men represented 74 percent ($74 billion) of all costs.
• Teens and young adults made up 28 percent of all fatal and nonfatal motor vehicle injuries and 31 percent of the costs ($31 billion). These young people represented only 14 percent of the U.S. population.
• Motorcyclists made up 6 percent of all fatalities and injuries but 12 percent of the costs, likely due to the severity of their injuries. Pedestrians, who have no protection when they are hit by vehicles and are also often severely injured, made up 5 percent of all injuries but 10 percent of total costs.

Motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths and the associated costs are preventable. CDC’s Injury Center supports proven, effective strategies for prevention such as:

• Graduated driver licensing (GDL) policies: these laws allow new teen drivers to get experience on the road in lower-risk situations as they gain experience over time and are proven to reduce teen crashes. Strong GDL laws have been associated with up to 40 percent decreases in crashes among 16-year-old drivers.
• Child safety seat distribution and education programs: increased use of correctly installed and fitted child safety seats could help reduce the $3.6 billion annual bill for injuries to children, the cost number found in this study.
• Primary seat belt laws: these laws allow motorists to be stopped and cited for not wearing seat belts. Seat belts reduce the risk of death to those riding in the front seat by about half.
• Enhanced seat belt enforcement programs: Enhanced enforcement programs in which law enforcement officers focus on getting people to buckle up (e.g.: Click It or Ticket), are effective at increasing safety belt use and reducing deaths and injuries.”
• Motorcycle and bicycle helmet laws: helmets can reduce the risk of death in a motorcycle crash by more than one-third and reduce the risk of brain injury by 69 percent.
• Sobriety checkpoints: these checkpoints, where drivers are stopped to assess their level of alcohol impairment, can reduce alcohol-related crash deaths by more than 20 percent.

For details on state-specific policies and a state-by-state policy comparison, visit http://www.iihs.org/laws/.

CDC has also released a one-page fact sheet to help communities play an important role in reducing the human and economic toll of motor vehicle-related injuries by supporting prevention policies that have been shown to save lives and reduce costs. It provides information about cost-effective policies to:

• Improve child passenger safety.
• Improve teen driver safety.
• Reduce alcohol-impaired driving.
• Increase safety belt use.

CDC’s Injury Center works to protect the safety of everyone on the roads, every day. For a complete copy of the study, please visit http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/section?content=a926084087&fulltext=713240928.

For more information about CDC’s work in motor vehicle safety, please visit www.cdc.gov/injury.

Related Articles

• “Reducing highway deaths: Major factors that continue to drive vehicle fatalities” and related posts (blogs.consumerreports.org)
• Native American Road Safety (nlm.nih.gov)
• Teen Car Crash Deaths Declining (webmd.com)
• Teen Driving and Fatal Crashes (brainposts.blogspot.com)
• Study finds airbags reduce risk of kidney injury in car crashes (eurekalert.org)
• Obesity Increases Risk of Death in Car Crash (livescience.com)
• Obese Drivers at Higher Risk of Death in Car Crashes (nlm.nih.gov)
• South Carolina Attorney Urges Parents To Talk With Teen Drivers About Seat Belt Use (prweb.com)
• Obesity ‘ups death risk in severe vehicle crashes’ (news.bioscholar.com)
• Obesity increases risk of death in severe vehicle crashes, study shows (eurekalert.org)

Fallen But Not Forgotten – August 24, 2010 (5)

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DOD Identifies Army Casualties

             The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            They died Aug. 22 at Paktika, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked their unit with small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire.

            Killed were:

            Sgt. Steven J. Deluzio, 25, of South Glastonbury, Conn.

            Spc. Tristan H. Southworth, 21, of West Danville, Vt.

            They were assigned to the 172nd Infantry, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Jericho, Vt.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

 

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

            Sgt. Brandon E. Maggart, 24, of Kirksville, Mo., died Aug. 22 at Basrah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using indirect fire.  He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

             The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Spc. Pedro A. Millet Meletiche, 20, of Elizabeth, N.J., died Aug. 22 at Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

             The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. Jason D. Calo, 23, of Lexington, Ky., died Aug. 22 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

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• RIP LCpl Kenneth A. Corzine (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
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• Afghan War Casualties: U.S. Military Deaths Hit 1,260 (capitolhillblue.com)
• Afghan War Casualties: U.S. Military Deaths Hit 1,260 (huffingtonpost.com)

Fewer than 50,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq; lowest troop level since 2003, U.S. military says.

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– Fewer than 50,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq; lowest troop level since 2003, U.S. military says.

Related Articles

• US troops in Iraq celebrate Christmas (sfgate.com)
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• Iraq leader: U.S. out by end of 2011 (msnbc.msn.com)
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• Deadline in Iraq – Maliki: Troops out by 2012 (politico.com)
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Recession Blues and Blahs – Post 1

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Note of Introduction from your faithful blogger:

I have had multiple posts on the Recession issue and have done my best to show my disdain for anyone who has the audacity or snootiness to boldly lie to the American people (and those who watch America around the world) when it comes to the status of the Recession. In recent days I have started hearing the term Double Dip. This is horse poop if you understand the Recession never went away. What Double Dip does mean that the Federal Government does not talk about is that Congress, under the Obama Administration voted to allow double dipping by retired Federal Workers so they can take their retirement and go back to work for the Fed at their full salary and a new retirement in addition to the ones they already have. I have some friends who do this…

So, why the impetus to finally create the Recession Blues and Blahs? The following article.

There is one particular word in the article which I am reacting to. I have highlighted it but I think you would have guessed it too.

From The Washington Post.

News Alert: Sales of previously occupied homes drop to lowest level since ’95

10:07 AM EDT Tuesday, August 24, 2010

——————–

 

Sales of previously occupied homes unexpectedly plunged 27 percent in July from a month earlier to 3.83 million — the lowest level since 1995, according to a report released Tuesday morning by the National Association of Realtors.

While mortgage rates are at record lows, consumers have been skittish about making purchases due to concerns about their jobs and the value of homes.

 

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com:

http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/KYNZS9/266KVX/DWOE6J/X48525/QOWT5/50/t

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Fallen But Not Forgotten – August 23, 2010 (3)

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DOD Identifies Army Casualty

             The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Spc. Christopher S. Wright, 23, of Tollesboro, Ky., died Aug. 19 in Pech, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Air Field, Ga.

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

             Lance Cpl. Nathaniel J. A. Schultz, 19, of Safety Harbor, Fla., died Aug. 21 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Pfc. Alexis V. Maldonado, 20, of Wichita Falls, Texas, died Aug. 21 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire in Zhari province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

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• Camp LeJeune Marine killed in Afghanistan (charlotte.news14.com)
• American Heroes: Afghanistan War Claims 4 More Soldiers/Marines (gloucestercitynews.net)

Osama Bin… Who?

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News Alert: Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda become afterthought in Afghan war

09:01 PM EDT Sunday, August 22, 2010 ——————–

Although U.S. officials have often said that al-Qaeda is a marginal player on the Afghan battlefield, an analysis of 76,000 classified U.S. military reports posted by the Web site WikiLeaks underscores the extent to which Osama bin Laden and his network have become invisible figures in the war. For more information, visit washingtonpost.com: http://link.email.washingtonpost.com/r/BZYGW4/YHHZ38/ZGRVJ7/KGS1DR/ENB2Y/OS/t

George took his eye off but at least we knew who he was after, Saddam Hussein.

Barack brought us back to Afghanistan but his eye is on Karzai (his friend), not the enemy that this all started for.

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• Bible Codes Predicts Al-Qaeda Attacks (socyberty.com)
• Osama Bin Laden Returns to His Terror-Plotting Roots [Terrorists] (gawker.com)
• Osama bin Laden Threatens France in New Audio Tape (newsy.com)
• Desperate for a New War: Now NATO Claim Osama Bin Laden is In Pakistan! (nwoandsecretsocieties.wordpress.com)
• Growing Up Bin Laden (socyberty.com)
• Invisible Role of CIA Spies in Afghanistan (socyberty.com)
• Prove that Osama, Mullah Omar are in Pak: Gilani (ibnlive.in.com)