More from Washington Post....

I personally despise the RINOs who run the Republican establishment, the ones who gave us certain defeat by nominating MItt Romney, John McCain and yes, Bob Dole. They would rather lose than actually do something. That being said, if you are being praised by the likes of another dispickable human like E.J. Dionne, you know you're not the solution, you are the problem

Persoannly I don't like the snake in the grass. Dionne hates Republicans in gerneal and conservagives in particual. But this is over the top even for him.

Soul-searching begins for Republican Party
E.J. Dionne Jr. says unfortunately, Michele Bachmann’s political tactics of accusations and paranoia likely won’t leave the stage with her.

Paranoia? Yo E.J., did she ever blame her problems on a vast left wing conspiracy? Accusations? Has Sarah Palin been accused of the Kennedy assignation? That's about all that's left.

Maybe Bob Dole has more clout in the Republican Party than we think. He suggested on Sunday that the party put up a “closed for repairs” sign for the rest of the year. Then along comes Michele Bachmann declaring on Wednesday that she won’t seek re-election.

On the surface, Republicans will be happy that they won’t have to answer for her exquisitely inflammatory statements anymore. Democrats will be disappointed to lose a face that launched thousands of contributions their way. You might say her departure is a small repair for the GOP’s image...

Yea E.J., just having one of the greatest RINO losers ever nominated by the Republican establishment blame conservatives for the last two presendial election losses pushed her over the edge. Man, you do belong on the WP editoral page.

...“I fully anticipate the mainstream liberal media to put a detrimental spin on my decision not to seek a fifth term,” she said in her eight-minute, 40-second video announcing her decision not to run. She practically invited reporters to do just that by insisting her decision did not stem from the danger she might lose re-election or because of an investigation into the finances of her 2012 presidential campaign. Is citing her denials a form of “detrimental spin?”

Her video provided choice examples of the Bachmann method and the extent to which it is now being emulated by others. She denounced “this administration’s outrageous lack of action in Benghazi, Libya, and the subsequent political cover-up, which resulted in the deaths of four honorable, dedicated public servants.”

Note the clever construction of that sentence. It implies that it’s the administration’s “political cover-up” that led to the killings in Benghazi. It’s hard not to conclude that she’s saying those deaths were all about President Obama’s political needs.

E.J. you need some remedial English there old boy. Notice the word "...and the subsequent political cover up...". She mentioned what he did and what the man-child had done since then to cover his ass. You should know about that. You've been working to cover his ass since 2007.

“I’ve also called out this administration and the Treasury Department,” she added, “for allowing and perhaps even for encouraging partisan, selective enforcement against American citizens based upon their political beliefs that aren’t in line with those of the administration.”

At best, in the Bachmann formulation, Team Obama was “allowing” this political persecution to go on, which implies that the White House was fully informed of what was happening in that Cincinnati IRS office, for which there is no evidence. But she didn’t stop there. Again, with no evidence, she just alleges that the administration might be guilty of “perhaps even ... encouraging” the harassment of its opponents.

Unsupported allegations? Have you heard of Harry Reid? You know, the Senate Majority Leader who accused Mitt Rhomney of not paying his taxes but refused to put up any evidence? And maybe you should ask why the former IRS Commissioner got more visits with the president than anyone else? He would not get more face time than the Secretary of State, Defense, Homeland Security and the Attorney General combined! In my business, that'a clue. Maybe you should be a bit more suspicious as opposed to a staffer for his ministry of propaganda.

...Bob Dole, one of those sound conservatives and a revered party warhorse, wanted his party to shut down for a while so it could “spend that time going over ideas and positive agendas.” Bach-mannism substitutes accusations for ideas and paranoia for an agenda. Alas, there’s little reason to think it will leave the stage with her.

Yo, E.J., one of the reasons you love Dole is because he is no conservative. He's a establishment RINO who likes to make a deal. In other words the party, and more importantly the country loses. Dole has a legit point in that the party is not putting out good alternatives. Then again, it's Dole's establishment that is running the party. Rand Paul (except for his cutting his own throat with amnesty), Mike Lee, Paul Ryan and Tex Cruz are actually putting out ideas to help this country. Then again, you're not interested in that.

What a waste of oxygen this man is.

This is not your usual DWI

I've done more than my share of DWIs in my time on the street, but this is a bit out of the ordinary.

APD: DWI crash driver having sex

BRIONES: Was found hiding in a cactus...not the brightest bulb on the tree

A 25-year-old man is facing multiple charges after police said he was drunkenly having sex with a woman while driving, crashed his car and then ran from police.

Luis Briones was found with one shoe on and his shorts on inside-out Monday night, hiding in a cactus, after he crashed his Ford Explorer in the 2600 block of Pennsylvania NE on Monday night.

Briones’ female passenger was found naked outside the vehicle after being ejected. She had deep cuts to her face and head, but was in stable condition when she was sent to the hospital, police said.

Police said Briones was heading north on Pennsylvania when he ran a red light and struck a car heading westbound on Menaul NE.

“Mr. Briones was observed to be having sexual intercourse with the passenger and sped off… at a high rate of speed,” the Albuquerque police officer wrote in a criminal complaint. “Their activities presented a danger to others in the roadway as exhibited by the accident.”

Witnesses told police Briones was clearly drunk when he got out of his car, and officers found a partially full bottle of vodka in the vehicle.

When Briones tried to drive away from the scene, leaving his passenger behind, a witness grabbed his keys from the ignition.

That’s when Briones tried to take cover in a cactus, where he later refused police demands and became hostile with paramedics and others, police said.

When Briones was in the police car, he refused to keep his pants on, police said.

Briones was booked into Metropolitan Detention Center early Tuesday morning on a no-bond hold. He’s facing charges including aggravated DWI, reckless driving and evading police.

What I would give for the scene video! You know this will end up on YouTube sometime!

We've been defamed by Amnesty International again!

Amnesty International in such a worthless group it make the ACLU look mainstream. But every year we get rated by this group and again, this year, we got called bad names. Really cool.

I won't go through the whole thing. If drugs ain't helping you sleep, this will. Here are some highlights and commentary:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Head of state and government: Barack H. Obama

Forty-three men were executed during the year, and concerns about cruel prison conditions continued. Scores of detainees remained in indefinite military detention at Guantánamo. Pre-trial proceedings continued in six cases in which the administration was intending to seek the death penalty following trials by military commission. Use of lethal force in the counter-terrorism context continued to raise
serious concerns, as did continuing reports of the use of excessive force in domestic law enforcement.

Well we tried to change the head of state and government but that didn't work out. Oh well. And I'm proud to say my state, Texas, was again number on in executions in both total and per capital basis.

Counter-terror and security

Detentions at Guantánamo

At the end of 2012, nearly three years after President Obama’s deadline for closure of the Guantánamo detention facility, 166 men were still held at the base,the vast majority without charge or criminal trial....

And you believed him. You're dumber than you look!

Use of lethal force

...At least 42 people across 20 states died after being struck by police Tasers, bringing the total number of such deaths since 2001 to 540. Tasers have been listed as a cause or contributory factor in more than 60 deaths. Most of those who died after being struck with a Taser were not armed and did not appear to pose a serious threat when the Taser was deployed.

In May the American Heart Association published a report which presented the first scientific, peer reviewed evidence concluding that Tasers can cause cardiac arrest and death. The study analyzed information including autopsy reports, medical records and police data from eight cases in which individuals had lost consciousness after being shocked with a Taser X26 weapon.

On 20 June, 39-year-old Macadam Mason died outside his home in Thetford, Vermont, after being struck with a Taser deployed by a state trooper. In September the New Hampshire Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that Macadam Mason had suffered “sudden cardiac arrest due to the conducted electricalweapon discharge”.

In October, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General reported that it was reviewing US Border Patrol policies on the use of lethal force. The review, which remained ongoing at the end of the year, followed a series of deadly shootings by Border Patrol agents along the US border with Mexico. In October, 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez died of gunshot wounds. The US authorities said that a Border Patrol agent from Nogales, Arizona, had opened fire after two individuals suspected of drug smuggling had fled across the border and begun throwing rocks. The case was under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Mexican officials at the end of the year...

The propaganda is slanted to make one believe a Taser is a use of deadly force. No, it's intermediate force. But like other intermediate weapons it can lead to more serious injuries. Pepper spray is designed to disable someone but it can, in limited cases, cause serious breathing cases or death. An officer using a baton my be striking at the thigh but hit the knee or head (suspect lunches forward). That's legitimate use of intermediate force, but more serious injuries or death can occur. If you don't like it, I have a suggestion. Don't break the law!

Prison conditions

Incarceration rates remained at historically high levels.

Thousands of prisoners across the USA remained in isolation in “super-maximum security” prisons. They were confined to cells for 22-24 hours a day, without adequate access to natural light, exercise or rehabilitation programmes. Conditions in such facilities violated international standards and in some cases amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment...

You know, the people they murdered, injured or raped may not think of three hots and a cot for the rest of their lives at no cost is not cruel, inhuman or degrading. The purpose of incarceration is to separate theses animals from the general public, the prison staff and the other prisoners. Again, don't like it, don't break the law.

Right to health

In June, the US Supreme Court upheld The Affordable Health Care Act, passed in 2010, which would expand health care coverage by 2014 to more
than 30 million people in the USA who lack medical insurance...

I don't know what is more pathetic. They actually believe in a right to health care or that Obamacare will actually expand health care to millions. Enough said.

Death penalty

Forty-three prisoners – all of them men – were executed in the USA during the year, all by lethal injection. Fifteen of the executions were carried out in Texas. By the end of 2012, Texas accounted for 492 of the 1,320 executions in the USA since 1976, when the US Supreme Court approved new capital laws. In April, Connecticut became the 17th abolitionist state in the USA. In November, the California electorate, by a vote of about 53% to 47%, rejected “Proposition 34”, an initiative that would have abolished the state’s death penalty and commuted over 700 death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Again, Texas is number one. We permanently rehabilitate more waste of sperm than any state. And 53% of the electorate give me hope for the People's Republic of California.

All in all a waste of electrons but it's good to know we can annoy the right people. Amnesty International, if you want to impress me, go and say this crap to the Mullahs' in Tehran or the big boys of China.

Good news from Colorado

Governments at many levels are governing against the will of the people. These professional politicians, mostly Democrats but also many Republicans, need to be reminded there only serve at the pleasure of the electorate.

Lawmakers facing recall bids over strict gun laws in Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A Democratic campaign office here usually would be quiet this time of year, a few weeks after the state's legislature wrapped up work and lawmakers headed off to summer vacations.

But even though it's not an election year, the office is in full campaign mode, with volunteers working the phones and reviewing maps in anticipation of a new front of modern campaigning -- the recall phase.

A handful of Democratic state lawmakers in Colorado face recall petition efforts in what looks to be the first wave of fallout over legislative votes to limit gun rights. In an era in which recall efforts are booming, from governor's offices down to town councils and school boards, the Colorado efforts will serve as the first test of gun-rights groups' ability to punish elected officials who expanded gun control laws after last year's Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., shooting massacres.

In Colorado, gun-rights activists wasted no time seeking recalls to oust state Senate President John Morse and three other Democratic lawmakers. The targeted lawmakers weren't necessarily the main advocates for ratcheting back gun rights, but all come from districts with enough Republicans to give opponents hope they can boot out the Democrats and replace them with lawmakers friendlier to guns. Colorado is the only state outside the East Coast to have adopted significant statewide gun controls this year.

"Colorado seems to be the testing ground for some of the gun measures, so this has national implications," said Victor Head, a plumber from Pueblo who is organizing a recall attempt against a Democratic senator.

Two of four recall efforts in Colorado already have evaporated from lack of support. But in Colorado Springs, Morse opponents are piling up signatures in gun shops and outside libraries and grocery stores. The National Rifle Association sent a political mailer saying it was coordinating the recall effort with local groups, though the local recall petitioners have denied that. The NRA did not return calls for comment on their involvement in the Colorado Springs effort...

Good article all in all. It would be beautiful if they knocked off the Senate President. Don't worry, he'll get employment at a nonprofit like the Brady Coalition or some other anti-gun propaganda group.

Democracy in action. I like it. Now if we can get the general public enraged more during the federal cycle and knock out some of the other waste in the Congress.

What's going on in the World Today 130527

Something to motivate you on this short week...

Moff Jerjerrod: Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. We are honored by your presence -

Darth Vader: You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I'm here to put you back on schedule.

Moff Jerjerrod: I assure you, Lord Vader. My men are working as fast as they can.

Darth Vader: Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them.

Moff Jerjerrod: I tell you, this station will be operational as planned.

Darth Vader: The emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation.

Moff Jerjerrod: But, he asks the impossible. I need more men!

Darth Vader: Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives.

Moff Jerjerrod: The Emperor's coming here?

Darth Vader: That is correct, Commander. And, he is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress.

Moff Jerjerrod: We shall double our efforts!

Darth Vader: I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is not as forgiving as I am.

America's oldest veteran...

And he's telling the Surgeon General to kiss his ass!

Richard Arvine Overton, who is 107-years-old and believed to be the oldest living American veteran, plans to spend his Memorial Day as he always does: smoking cigars on his front porch (!) and drinking a little bit of whiskey

Awesome: Meet America’s Oldest War Veteran

Overton, who is believed to be the nation’s oldest veteran, told FoxNews.com he’ll likely spend the day on the porch of his East Austin home with a cigar nestled in his right hand, perhaps with a cup of whiskey-stiffened coffee nearby.

“I don’t know, some people might do something for me, but I’ll be glad just to sit down and rest,” the Army veteran said during a phone interview. “I’m no young man no more.”

Overton, who was born on May, 11, 1906, in Texas’ Bastrop County, has gotten used to being the center of attention of late. In addition to being formally recognized by Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell on May 9, Overton traveled to Washington, D.C., on May 17 as part of Honor Flight, a nonprofit group that transports veterans free of charge to memorials dedicated to their service. Despite serving in the South Pacific from 1942 through 1945, including stops in Hawaii, Guam, Palau and Iwo Jima to name a few, it was Overton’s first time in the nation’s capital.

Archie still has it right and there is a reason she's the Dingbat!

Officer Down

Special Agent Christopher Lorek
United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation
End of Watch: Friday, May 17, 2013
Age: 41
Tour: 17 years
Location: Virginia

Special Agent Stephen Shaw
United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation
End of Watch: Friday, May 17, 2013
Age: 40
Tour: 8 years

Special Agent Christopher Lorek and Special Agent Stephen Shaw were killed in a training accident 12 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Both agents were participating in a maritime counterterrorism exercise involving fast-roping from a helicopter onto a ship. The helicopter encountered difficulties during the maneuver, causing both agents to fall a significant distance into the ocean.

They were recovered from the water and flown to Norfolk General Hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Special Agent Lorek had served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 17 years and was assigned to the Hostage Rescue Team, based out of Quantico, Virginia. He is survived by his wife and two young daughters.

Rest in Peace…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Beth would have lost her coffee

But it was still brewing!


What's really bad is the fact Weiner is the only real choice as of right now. The other leading Democratic in the race is a really radical councilwoman who makes little Weiner look like a Southern Democrat.

What has become of a once great city

Officer Down

Deputy Sheriff Tim Causey
Horry County South Carolina Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Sunday, May 19, 2013
Tour: 25 years

Deputy Sheriff Tim Causey died as the result of smoke inhalation he suffered on March 16th, 2013, after responding to a massive fire in the Windsor Green area.

The fire destroyed 26 different condominium buildings. Deputy Causey responded to assist with securing the scene the night of the fire and for several days following the fire. After becoming ill in the following days, he was diagnosed with smoke inhalation and acute respiratory failure. He was subsequently flown to the Medical University of South Carolina where he remained until passing away on May 19th, 2013.

Deputy Causey had served with the Horry County Sheriff's Office for 25 years. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Not the brightest bulbs on the tree

Or whatever clique you want to use.

I've often said on the streets "Don't know stupid people, they are job security." Beautiful examples on why I'll always have a job! :<)

Police: California burglary suspects accidentally dial 911 before breaking into car 

FRESNO, Calif. — Two California men were in custody on Monday after accidentally dialing 911 on a cellphone before breaking into a car, authorities said. 

After the mistaken “pocket” call, a police dispatcher was able to hear a rambling 35-minute conversation that went from trying to find a way to get drugs to breaking into a car.    

“Get the bolt and give me the hammer just in case,” one man said, as the dispatcher heard the apparent smashing of a car window to get at drugs inside the vehicle, 

“They’re norcos! Yeee-ahh!” one man said. 

Fresno police arrested Nathan Teklemariam and Carson Rinehart, both 20, on May 9 for investigation of burglary, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of stolen property, Sgt. Jaime Rios said... 

...After the break-in, the dispatcher picked up clues about the destination of the men heard on the call and notified officers on duty. Within seconds, a squad car was on their trail. 

“He’s right (expletive) behind me, dude!” one man said. “Oh, he’s following me, dawg! He’s following the (expletive) out of me, bro. Wow, what did I do?” 

The recording continued after the officer pulled them over. “Evening,” the officer said. 

“Good evening. What did I do?” one of the men asked. 

“I’d like to have you step out of the vehicle for me, OK?” the officer replied. “Anything in your vehicle that shouldn’t be in your vehicle?” 

A man replied, “Not at all. I’m just driving my friend home.” 

Police found stolen items and placed the men under arrest. At the end of the call, the men discovered how they were caught. 

“We really called 911?” one said. “Damn!”

Yes, I'll always have a job!

Officer Down

Police Officer Daryl Raetz
Phoenix Arizona Police Department
End of Watch: Sunday, May 19, 2013
Age: 29
Tour: 6 years
Badge # 8899

Police Officer Daryl Raetz was struck and killed by an SUV while making an arrest for DUI near the intersection of 51st Avenue and Cambridge Drive.

At approximately 3:30 am Officer Raetz, along with several other officers, was processing a DUI suspect on the side of road when a passing SUV struck Officer Raetz. He was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital where he died.

The driver of the SUV fled the scene. He was arrested the following day after another officer spotted his vehicle and recognized it as matching the description of the vehicle that struck Officer Raetz. The subject is an illegal alien and was charged with drug possession. Charges are pending in connection with Officer Raetz's death.

Officer Raetz was a veteran of the Iraq war and had served with the Phoenix Police Department for six years. He is survived by his wife and child.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Another reason I despise John McCain

I have had a low opinion of the senior Senator from Arizona since the 1990s. He's such a political opportunist he embarrasses men with more character like Arlan Specter. He will stab America in the back with one abuse of the Constitution after another (e.g. McCain-Feingold) and of course the Republican leadership makes him the nominee in 2008. But this is beyond stupid.

McCain: ‘Why the hell’ do iPhone apps need updating? – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

(CNN) - After questioning Apple CEO Tim Cook in a congressional hearing Tuesday, Sen. John McCain ran out of time and didn't get to ask one pressing question on his mind.

"What I really wanted to ask is why the hell I have to keep updating the apps on my iPhone all the time and why you don't fix that," McCain, an active Tweeter, said–prompting some laughs in the room.

"Sir, we're trying to make them better all the time," Cook responded in kind.

Lawmakers grilled Apple executives over their company's tax strategy, examining why Apple shifts income to an Irish subsidiary to avoid paying U.S. taxes....

I'll ignore Apple's tax policy for my comments. A simple question, is this all McCain has to add to the debate?

A decade ago the then head of the Senate Commerce Committee, John McCain, hosted hearings on steroid use in baseball. In the middle of two wars, deficits coming up, the expansion of more government into local education and a massive expansion of Medicaid with prescription drug coverage, the only thing this genius thinks needs to be covered is "Did Roger Clemens get steroids shot up his ass?" What a waste. McCain probably doesn't know what an ass he was shown to be when the jury acquitted Clemens of perjury.

I've often said we need term limits to protect us from power hungry mini dictators like McCain. I'll give this to Specter, he was honest about wanting power above all and there was nothing beneath him in achieving that goal. McCain is beneath contempt. Hell, he was openly listed as a possible VP for the Kerry campaign in 2004. McCain, just do us all a favor and switch parties. You're with them more than you are with America. But that would require the integrity of a Specter and you can't reach that level.

A real Mega Watt

I'm more of a Saints fan but I would applaude a Falcon player who did this.  JJ, you are a real class act!

JJ Watt makes surprise visit to young cancer patient in Splendora 

 HOUSTON—When we first told you about a 12-year-old in Splendora who was fighting leukemia by using a robot named “Watt” that goes to elementary school for him, someone named “Watt” was watching that story too and decided he needed to pay a surprise visit. Cristian Beasley is one of 34 students across the country using the VGo telepresence system. From a home computer they can control a small robot, drive from class to class, and take part in classroom lectures and discussions. 

The children are encouraged to give their robots a nickname.  Cristian named his after Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. “’Cause I love J.J. Watt,” he said. 

The Texans star saw the story and decided Cristian was someone he had to meet. In a ruse orchestrated by the Houston Texans, NFL Films, Cristian’s family and school, and the Education Service Center Region 6 that coordinates the VGo program, Watt arrived unannounced at the home where Cristian operates the robot.  He quietly snuck up behind him and gave the boy the best surprise of his young life. 

“What are you working on,” Watt whispered as Cristian turned around. 

“Oh my God,” said the 6th grader dressed for school in his J.J. Watt jersey and a Houston Texans knit cap. “What’s up buddy,” said Watt.  “I’m J.J., nice to meet you man.” “Oh my God,” is all Cristian could mutter again. 

The Texans defensive star spent more than two hours at the Splendora home.  He gave Cristian signed shoes, gloves, and more including a signed J.J. Watt jersey which he autographed with the words “stay strong” on the back. They played hacky sack and football in the backyard, mugged for photographs together, and posed for photographs with a large contingent of Cristian’s equally star-struck family....

Thanks JJ.  You are the best there is!

Officer Down

Officer Tim Huffman
Arizona Department of Public Safety
End of Watch: Monday, May 6, 2013
Age: 47
Tour: 14 years
Badge # 5430

Officer Tim Huffman was killed when his patrol car was struck by a tractor-trailer on I-8 near Dateland, Arizona, at approximately 5:00 pm.

He and other officers were attempting to shutdown a lane of traffic while investigating an earlier accident. Officer Huffman was sitting in his patrol car writing a report as another officer attempted to shut down a lane of traffic to clear a lane for fire department vehicles. The tractor trailer failed to yield the officer who was waving traffic over and struck the back of Officer Huffman's patrol car at full speed, pushing it into two other patrol cars, a fire department vehicle and a civilian vehicle.

Officer Huffman succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The driver was charged with second degree murder.

Officer Huffman was a member of the Arizona Army National Guard and had served with the Arizona Department of Public Safety for 14 years.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

What's going on in the World Today 130520

HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:

USA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

EUROPE

Regional Implications of Moldova&#039;s Political Deadlock

Germany Tries to Mend Relations With France

Migration and Remittances in the Eurozone Periphery

Amid the Crisis, the EU Adds Another Member

ASIA

U.S. Directly Blames China’s Military for Cyberattacks
Chinese Hackers Resume Attacks on U.S. Targets


WASHINGTON — Three months after hackers working for a cyberunit of China’s People’s Liberation Army went silent amid evidence that they had stolen data from scores of American companies and government agencies, they appear to have resumed their attacks using different techniques, according to computer industry security experts and American officials.

The Obama administration had bet that “naming and shaming” the groups, first in industry reports and then in the Pentagon’s own detailed survey of Chinese military capabilities, might prompt China’s new leadership to crack down on the military’s highly organized team of hackers — or at least urge them to become more subtle.

But Unit 61398, whose well-guarded 12-story white headquarters on the edges of Shanghai became the symbol of Chinese cyberpower, is back in business, according to American officials and security companies....

The hackers were behind scores of thefts of intellectual property and government documents over the past five years, according to a report by Mandiant in February that was confirmed by American officials. They have stolen product blueprints, manufacturing plans, clinical trial results, pricing documents, negotiation strategies and other proprietary information from more than 100 of Mandiant’s clients, predominantly in the United States...

...But in the weeks that followed, the group picked up where it had left off. From its Shanghai headquarters, the unit’s hackers set up new beachheads from compromised computers all over the world, many of them small Internet service providers and mom-and-pop shops whose owners do not realize that by failing to rigorously apply software patches for known threats, they are enabling state-sponsored espionage.

“They dialed it back for a little while, though other groups that also wear uniforms didn’t even bother to do that,” Kevin Mandia, the chief executive of Mandiant, said in an interview on Friday. “I think you have to view this as the new normal.”

The hackers now use the same malicious software they used to break into the same organizations in the past, only with minor modifications to the code.

While American officials and corporate executives say they are trying to persuade President Xi Jinping’s government that a pattern of theft by the P.L.A. will damage China’s growth prospects — and the willingness of companies to invest in China — their longer-term concern is that China may be trying to establish a new set of rules for Internet commerce, with more censorship and fewer penalties for the theft of intellectual property....

The Trust Deficit How the U.S. 'pivot' to Asia looks from Beijing.

North Korea: 3 Short-Range Missiles Fired May 18, 2013

North Korea fired three short-range missiles May 18 off its east coast, the South Korean Defense Ministry said, Reuters reported. The purpose of the launch is unknown, though short-range missile launches are not uncommon for North Korea. A Japanese government source said none of the missiles landed in Japanese territorial waters. In the past few months, North Korea had been threatening nuclear war with South Korea and the United States.

South Korea: Dozens Of Missiles Deployed To Border Islands May 19, 2013

South Korea has deployed dozens of Israeli-designed Spike missiles and their launchers to the Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong islands, a South Korean military spokesman said May 19, The Australian reported. According to the spokesman, the missiles are capable of destroying North Korea's underground facilities and moving targets. North Korea launched a short-range missile earlier in the day, and three short-range missiles on May 18.

China&#039;s Opportunities in Taiwanese-Philippine Tensions

Taiwan&#039;s Balancing Act in the South and East China Seas

AFRICA

BP Puts Pressure on Algeria&#039;s Energy Industry

Nigeria Deploys Troops Against Islamist Militants

Mali Receives Foreign Funds for Use in Its Unstable North


South Africa: Work Stops At Platinum Mine May 14, 2013

Operations at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine in South Africa have stopped after workers refused to go underground, Bloomberg reported May 14. Unrest at the mine in North West province began after a union said a local organizer was shot dead near the mine on May 11.

RUSSIA

U.S.-Russian Relations and the Syrian Crisis

IRAN

Iran: Registration Opened For Presidential Candidates May 7, 2013

Iranian authorities on May 7 opened up registration for candidates in the June 14 presidential election, AP reported. A number of candidates considered loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are likely to run. Frontrunners will probably include Khamenei adviser Ali Akbar Velayati, Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and former nuclear negotiator Hasan Rowhani

Iran: Nuclear Inspectors Allowed If Protocol Is Signed May 18, 2013

Iran will allow international inspectors to visit its Parchin nuclear facilities if the International Atomic Energy Agency agrees to sign a protocol with Tehran, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Reza Sajjadi said May 18, Xinhua reported. The protocol would "explain all the so-called suspicion" about Iran's nuclear program and close the case on Iranian nuclear aims in the U.N. Security Council. International observers grew suspicious of Iran's nuclear program again after Iranian Atomic Energy Organization head Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani on April 16 said Tehran may need to enrich uranium beyond the current 20 percent level.

IRAQ

Turkey: First PKK Contingent Withdraws To Iraq May 14, 2013

The first group of fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, to withdraw from Turkey under the tenets of a peace process arrived in northern Iraq on May 14, Al Jazeera reported. Thirteen men and women arrived in the vicinity of Heror on the Turkish-Iraqi border. It is too soon to tell whether Ankara's latest cease-fire with the PKK will hold.

ISRAEL

Syria: Surface-To-Surface Missiles Deployed, Prepared To Strike Israel May 19, 2013

Satellite images reportedly show that Syria has deployed surface-to-surface Tishreen missiles in preparation for a strike on Tel Aviv, should Israel launch another attack on Syrian territory, The Sunday Times reported May 19. An Israeli official has said the Syrian regime would face crippling consequences if it strikes Israel. The Israeli airstrikes in Syria, though preventive measures, could have the unintended consequence of turning the Syrian civil war into a wider international conflict.

Israel: Troops Fire Into Syria In Response To Gunfire In Golan Heights May 21, 2013

Israeli troops fired at a target in Syrian territory on May 21 after gunfire hit Israeli forces in the Golan Heights, the Israeli military said, Reuters reported. Incidents involving Syrian gunfire into Israel have recurred in the past months, and Israel's Army Radio said this was the third cross-border shooting in a week.

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan: Obama Decreases Funding Request May 18, 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama decreased his funding request for the war in Afghanistan by 10 percent in a letter to Congress on May 17, Reuters reported May 18. Obama asked for $79.4 billion to fun overseas contingency operations in fiscal year 2014, which begins on Oct. 1. His original request had been $88.5 billion. The move reflects the administration's plans to draw down from Afghanistan. Obama is set to announce in the next few weeks how many combat troops the United States will leave in Afghanistan in 2014, according to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. However, Afghan President Hamid Karzai sees that he must have U.S. security support in order to keep shaping his desired outcome in Afghanistan.

MIDDLE EAST

UK to double aid to Syrian opposition http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/13/uk-aid-syrian-opposition

Barack Obama and David Cameron seek to project united front during joint press conference in Washington


The US is working with Britain to strengthen elements of the Syrian opposition, Barack Obama has told a White House press conference with David Cameron, where the two leaders sought to project a united front in seeking a political solution on Syria.

The British prime minister said in a US radio interview that Britain had not ruled out taking tougher action against Bashar al-Assad's regime, but later told reporters that his government has not made a decision to arm the Syrian opposition....


Why There Is No Military Solution to the Syrian Conflict

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Argentina&#039;s Currency Challenges

Brazil&#039;s Petroleum Sector Resumes Licensing Activities

MISC

The Arctic&#039;s Untapped Energy Resources

The Growing Importance of the Arctic CouncilAmid the Crisis, the EU Adds Another Member

Except where noted courtesy STRATFOR.COM

Officer Down

Patrolman William J. "Jerry" McCarthy, IV
Shenango Township Pennsylvania Police Department
End of Watch: Thursday, May 2, 2013
Age: 60
Tour: 1 year
Badge # 2838

Patrolman Jerry McCarthy was struck and killed while responding to the area of a pursuit in New Castle. The subject vehicle ran a stop sign and crashed into the passenger side of the cruiser, where Officer McCarthy was seated.

Patrolman McCarthy was pronounced dead during transport to Jameson Hospital. The officer driving the cruiser also sustained injuries in the crash.

The subject had been arrested less than one month earlier, by Patrolman McCarthy's partner, for operating without a license. She was apprehended at the scene and faces multiple charges including manslaughter.

Patrolman McCarthy worked part time for the Shenango Township Police Department and at the Lawrence County District Attorney’s office. He had been with the Shenango Township Police for exactly one year. Patrolman McCarthy is survived by his wife, two sons, daughter, step daughter, and step son.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

It's bad enough he lost Joe Scarborough...

This is bad:



But this is worse:


One recalls this Lord Acton's most famous quote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." But I recall the unofficial motto of the KGB, "Even paranoids have enemies."

The title is Robbery gone very wrong...

But I don't see anything wrong with it!

To the driver, glad you're ok.

To the turd bleeding out on the ground, you got what you deserved and you're a waste of sperm not to be missed from the human gene pool.

And to the turd who left his blood brother to bleed out and ran like the coward you are, smart move. He would have done the same to you. Now stop breaking the law and maybe you will live to 30.

Security Weekly: Understanding Pena Nieto's Approach to the Cartels, May 16, 2013

By Scott StewartVice President of AnalysisMexican President Enrique Pena Nieto's approach to combating Mexican drug cartels has been a much-discussed topic since well before he was elected. Indeed, in June 2011 -- more than a year before the July 2012 Mexican presidential election -- I wrote an analysis discussing rumors that, if elected, Pena Nieto was going to attempt to reach some sort of accommodation with Mexico's drug cartels in order to bring down the level of violence.

Such rumors were certainly understandable, given the arrangement that had existed for many years between some senior members of Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party and some powerful cartel figures during the Institutional Revolutionary Party's long reign in Mexico prior to the election of Vicente Fox of the National Action Party in 2000. However, as we argued in 2011 and repeated in March 2013, much has changed in Mexico since 2000, and the new reality in Mexico means that it would be impossible for the Pena Nieto administration to reach any sort of deal with the cartels even if it made an attempt.

But the rumors of the Pena Nieto government reaching an accommodation with some cartel figures such as Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera have persisted, even as the Mexican government arrests key operatives in Guzman's network, such as Ines Coronel Barreras, Guzman's father-in-law, who was arrested May 1 in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Indeed, on April 27, Washington Post reporter Dana Priest published a detailed article outlining how U.S. authorities were fearful that the Mexican government was restructuring its security relationship with the U.S. government so that it could more easily reach an unofficial truce with cartel leaders. Yet four days later, Coronel -- a significant cartel figure -- was arrested in a joint operation between the Mexicans and Americans.

Clearly, there is some confusion on the U.S. side about the approach the Pena Nieto government is taking, but conversations with both U.S. and Mexican officials reveal that these changes in Mexico's approach do not appear to be as drastic as some have feared. There will need to be adjustments on both sides of the border while organizational changes are underway in Mexico, but this does not mean that bilateral U.S.-Mexico cooperation will decline in the long term.

Opportunities and ChallengesDespite the violence that has wracked Mexico over the past decade, the Mexican economy is booming. Arguably, the economy would be doing even better if potential investors were not concerned about cartel violence and street crime -- and if such criminal activity did not have such a significant impact on businesses operating in Mexico.

Because of this, the Pena Nieto administration believes that it is critical to reduce the overall level of violence in the country. Essentially it wants to transform the cartel issue into a law enforcement problem, something handled by the Interior Ministry and the national police, rather than a national security problem handled by the Mexican military and the Center for Research and National Security (Mexico's national-level intelligence agency). In many ways the Pena Nieto administration wants to follow the model of the government of Colombia, which has never been able to stop trafficking in its territory but was able to defeat the powerful Medellin and Cali cartels and relegate their successor organizations to a law enforcement problem.  

The Mexicans also believe that if they can attenuate cartel violence, they will be able to free up law enforcement forces to tackle common crime instead of focusing nearly all their resources on containing the cartel wars.  

Although the cartels have not yet been taken down to the point of being a law enforcement problem, the Pena Nieto administration wants to continue to signal this shift in approach by moving the focus of its efforts against the cartels to the Interior Ministry. Unlike former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who was seen leading the charge against the cartels during his administration, Pena Nieto wants to maintain some distance from the struggle against the cartels (at least publicly). Pena Nieto seeks to portray the cartels as a secondary issue that does not demand his personal leadership and attention. He can then publicly focus his efforts on issues he deems critically important to Mexico's future, like education reform, banking reform, energy reform and fostering the Mexican economy. This is the most significant difference between the Calderon and Pena Nieto administrations.

Of course it is one thing to say that the cartels have become a secondary issue, and it is quite another to make it happen. The Mexican government still faces some real challenges in reducing the threat posed by the cartels. However, it is becoming clear that the Pena Nieto administration seeks to implement a holistic approach in an attempt to address the problems at the root of the violence that in some ways is quite reminiscent of counterinsurgency policy. The Mexicans view these underlying economic, cultural and sociological problems as issues that cannot be solved with force alone.

Mexican officials in the current government say that the approach the Calderon administration took to fighting the cartels was wrong in that it sought to solve the problem of cartel violence by simply killing or arresting cartel figures. They claim that Calderon's approach did nothing to treat the underlying causes of the violence and that the cartels were able to recruit gunmen faster than the government could kill or capture them. (In some ways this is parallel to the U.S. government's approach in Yemen, where increases in missile strikes from unmanned aerial vehicles have increased, rather than reduced, the number of jihadists there.) In Mexico, when the cartels experienced trouble in recruiting enough gunmen, they were able to readily import them from Central America.  

However -- and this is very significant -- this holistic approach does not mean that the Pena Nieto administration wants to totally abandon kinetic operations against the cartels. An important pillar of any counterinsurgency campaign is providing security for the population. But rather than provoke random firefights with cartel gunmen by sending military patrols into cartel hot spots, the Pena Nieto team wants to be more targeted and intentional in its application of force. It seeks to take out the networks that hire and supply the gunmen, not just the gunmen themselves, and this will require all the tools in its counternarcotics portfolio -- not only force, but also things like intelligence, financial action (to target cartel finances), public health, institution building and anti-corruption efforts.
The theory is that by providing security, stability and economic opportunity the government can undercut the cartels' ability to recruit youth who currently see little other options in life but to join the cartels.

To truly succeed, especially in the most lawless areas, the Mexican government is going to have to begin to build institutions -- and public trust in those institutions -- from the ground up. The officials we have talked to hold Juarez up as an example they hope to follow in other locations, though they say they learned a lot of lessons in Juarez that will allow them to streamline their efforts elsewhere. Obviously, before they can begin building, they recognize that they will have to seize, consolidate and hold territory, and this is the role they envision for the newly created gendarmerie, or paramilitary police.

The gendarmerie is important to this rebuilding effort because the military is incapable of serving in an investigative law enforcement role. They are deployed to pursue active shooters and target members of the cartels, but much of the crime affecting Mexico's citizens and companies falls outside the military's purview. The military also has a tendency to be heavy-handed, and reports of human rights abuses are quite common. Transforming from a national security to a law enforcement approach requires the formation of an effective police force that is able to conduct community policing while pursuing car thieves, extortionists, kidnappers and street gangs in addition to cartel gunmen.

Certainly the U.S. government was very involved in the Calderon administration's kinetic approach to the cartel problem, as shown by the very heavy collaboration between the two governments. The collaboration was so heavy, in fact, that some incoming Pena Nieto administration figures were shocked by how integrated the Americans had become. The U.S. officials who told Dana Priest they were uncomfortable with the new Mexican government's approach to cartel violence were undoubtedly among those deeply involved in this process -- perhaps so deeply involved that they could not recognize that in the big picture, their approach was failing to reduce the violence in Mexico. Indeed, from the Mexican perspective, the U.S. efforts have been focused on reducing the flow of narcotics into the United States regardless of the impact of those efforts on Mexico's security environment.

However, as seen by the May 1 arrest of Coronel, which a Mexican official described as a classic joint operation involving the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and Mexican Federal Police, the Mexican authorities do intend to continue to work very closely with their American counterparts. But that cooperation must occur within the new framework established for the anti-cartel efforts. That means that plans for cooperation must be presented through the Mexican Interior Ministry so that the efforts can be centrally coordinated. Much of the current peer-to-peer cooperation can continue, but within that structure.

Consolidation and CoordinationAs in the United States, the law enforcement and intelligence agencies in Mexico have terrible problems with coordination and information sharing. The current administration is attempting to correct this by centralizing the anti-cartel efforts at the federal level and by creating coordination centers to oversee operations in the various regions. These regional centers will collect information at the state and regional level and send it up to the national center. However, one huge factor inhibiting information sharing in Mexico -- and between the Americans and Mexicans -- is the longstanding problem of corruption in the Mexican government. In the past, drug czars, senior police officials and very senior politicians have been accused of being on cartel payrolls. This makes trust critical, and lack of trust has caused some Mexican and most American agencies to restrict the sharing of intelligence to only select, trusted contacts. Centralizing coordination will interfere with this selective information flow in the short term, and it is going to take time for this new coordination effort to earn the trust of both Mexican and American agencies. There remains fear that consolidation will also centralize corruption and make it easier for the cartels to gather intelligence.

Another attempt at command control and coordination is in the Pena Nieto administration's current efforts to implement police consolidation at the state level. While corruption has reached into all levels of the Mexican government, it is unquestionably the most pervasive at the municipal level, and in past government operations entire municipal police departments have been fired for corruption. The idea is that if all police were brought under a unified state command, called "Mando Unico" in Spanish, the police would be better screened, trained and paid and therefore the force would be more professional.

This concept of police consolidation at the state level is not a new idea; indeed, Calderon sought to do so under his administration, but it appears that Pena Nieto might have the political capital to make this happen, along with some other changes that Calderon wanted to implement but could not quite pull off. To date, Pena Nieto has had a great deal of success in garnering political support for his proposals, but the establishment of Mando Unico in each of Mexico's 31 states may perhaps be the toughest political struggle he has faced yet. If realized, Mando Unico will be an important step -- but only one step -- in the long process of institution building for the police at the state level.

Aside from the political struggles, the Mexican government still faces very real challenges on the streets as it attempts to quell violence, reassert control over lawless areas and gain the trust of the public. The holistic plan laid out by the Pena Nieto administration sounds good on paper, but it will still require a great deal of leadership by Pena Nieto and his team to bring Mexico through the challenges it faces. They will obviously need to cooperate with the United States to succeed, but it has become clear that this cooperation will need to be on Mexico's terms and in accordance with the administration's new, holistic approach.