What's going on in the World Today 101115

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USA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT


EUROPE
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT


ASIA
China's Diesel Shortage STRATFOR


Agenda: With Rodger Baker STRATFOR
Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Rodger Baker examines how Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea and Russia’s renewed interest in the Asia-Pacific region has Japan and Southeast Asia concerned.


Thailand: PM Proposes Yuan As Regional Trade Currency November 12, 2010


Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva proposed using the Chinese yuan as a major trading currency in the region to lessen the impact of currency volatility caused by the weakening U.S. dollar, the Bangkok Post reported Nov. 12. Abhisit proposed the idea to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and said the issue must be discussed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting Nov. 13-14 because no progress was made at the G-20 summit. ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda and Abhisit met earlier to discuss the proposal and the upcoming meeting of finance ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China, Japan and South Korea. ASEAN could create an office to handle currency issues and cooperate with the ADB to advance the regional trade currency proposal, Abhisit said.




RUSSIA
NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT


IRAN
Dispatch: Nigeria Taking Iran to the U.N. Security Council? | STRATFOR


Iran: Air Defense Exercises Planned November 14, 2010


Iran plans to conduct air defense drills for five days during the week of Nov. 14, AP reported, citing Iranian state television. During the exercises, Iran plans to unveil a domestically produced radar system with a range of 2,900 kilometers (about 1,800 miles), state-run Mehr news agency reported. Iran has already conducted tactical defense drills at its nuclear plants in Fordo, Tehran, Natanz, Bushehr and Esfahan, air force chief Gen. Ahmad Mighani said Nov. 14, but did not say when the exercises at the nuclear plants had occurred.


Iran: Seized Arms Intended For West Africa - FM November 15, 2010


An arms shipment from Iran, seized in Nigeria’s port of Lagos, was destined for a West African country, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Nov. 15, AFP reported. A private company that sells conventional weapons was transferring the arms to the unnamed West African state via Nigeria, which raised concerns from Nigerian officials, Mottaki said.


Nigeria's Seizure of an Iranian Arms Shipment | STRATFOR


http://www.blogger.com/%3CA%20href= Progress in Iraq and Sunni Threats  STRATFOR
ISRAEL
U.S.: Israeli-Palestinian Resolution Deadline May Be Missed November 15, 2010
A U.S. deadline to resolve all major conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians by August 2011 may be missed, a U.S. State Department spokesman said Nov. 15, Reuters reported. The conflict regarding settlements could delay resolution, the spokesman said, adding that forward progress can be made once negotiations restart.


AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: U.S. Taskforce Recommends Downsize November 12, 2010
The 25- member taskforce led by former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and former national security advisor Samuel Berger said it saw “hopeful signs” in Afghanistan such as training of security forces but stated the costs of the U.S. military presence and current strategy cannot be justified unless there are signs of greater progress, Reuters reported Nov. 12. The taskforce, sponsored by the Council on Foreign relations think tank was comprised of former government officials, military leaders, academics and journalists and produced the December 2010 review of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan that recommends a shift to a more limited mission with far fewer military personnel.
U.S.: New Plan Ends Afghan Combat Mission By 2014 November 15, 2010
The U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan will end by 2014, according to a phased four-year plan which begins transferirng security duties in select areas of Afghanistan to Afghan forces over the next 18 to 24 months, The New York Times reported Nov. 14, citing officials from the office of U.S. President Barack Obama. Details of the plan will be presented at the NATO summit meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. According to one U.S. official, the American troop withdrawal from Iraq will be the blueprint for the Afghan transition with emphasis placed on constructing a capable Afghan security force to take the lead.
 
MIDDLE EAST
Lebanon: Hezbollah Could Seize Power - IDF Chief November 15, 2010
The findings of the U.N. Special Tribunal for Lebanon could lead Shiite militant group Hezbollah to violently seize control in Lebanon, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Nov. 15, the Jerusalem Post reported. The U.N. tribunal, which is investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, could implicate senior Hezbollah operatives, Ashkenazi said during talks with his Canadian counterpart. Radicals are growing stronger in Lebanon, Ashkenazi said, and although the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon is disrupting Hezbollah’s activities in the country’s south, it has failed to prevent the group from building up its military capabilities.


SOUTH OF THE BORDER


Mexico Security Memo: Nov. 15, 2010 | STRATFOR


Chavez Shores up His Military Support STRATFOR


MISC
The G-20, the United States, China and Currency Devaluation STRATFOR


Nigeria: Gunman Attack Exxon Offshore Facility November 15, 2010


Gunmen attacked a deep offshore facility operated by U.S. energy firm Exxon Mobil located off the southern coast of Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom state late Nov. 14, Reuters reported Nov. 15, citing an unnamed security source. It is not known whether any injuries or damages were sustained.

Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com

The boy flying the American flag.

My friend Darren at RotLC posted on this young man....and it's great to see my fellow two wheelers are supporting this kid!



Thank you Chris W for this YouTube Link...

Here is an updated report.

Many Rally To Support Boy's Flag Display - Local News - Monterey, CA - msnbc.com

The Council of Colonels

The 377th Theater Sustainment Command Council of Colonels...even though many of us don't weat the bird.

Over the past weekend Beth and I attended the second annual meeting the Council of Colonels.  I have the tendency of referring them to the College of Colonels like the College of Cardinals, but I would never see addressing any one of these men as Holiness.

As many people know I recently retired from the Army Reserve as a Major last May.  Don’t worry…the Council of Colonels contains Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels, Sergeants Major…basically anyone who endured time in the 377^th from New Orleans.

I entered the 377^th Theater Army Area Command (TAACOM) in February 1992 as a Lieutenant just off active duty, flat broke and no job.  One of the full timers put me on full time and I was in.  Over the next 19 years I served in the 377^th TAACOM, 377^th Support Command, 377^th Theater Support Command and as of recent 377^th Theater Sustainment Command.  Basically the same name, evolving missions, and the names/faces have been changed to protect the guilty.

Something I told by an old Calvary man when I was a Lieutenant at Fort Huachuca AZ about Army logistics (supply, transportation, water, etc).  “This is not stuff that’s fancy or sexy…it’s just critical”.  I’ve read that General Patton said “I will take any G1 (Personnel Officer) or G3 (Operations and Training officer) you give me…I will hand pick my G2 (Intelligence officer) and G4 (Logistics officer).”  He knew how significant both were.

The men in these pictures (there are many women in the 377^th…it’s just the ones who are in the group couldn’t make it) come from all over…the host is an oil company engineer in Houston….I’m a cop in the Houston area…one is a retired nurse from San Antonio….another a retired cop from south Louisiana....one is a former sheriff’s and businessman from Florida…one ran businesses in New Orleans and Alabama….one lives in Mississippi and the others live all over the country.  I was astonished in this unit that you find men and women from all over the country…while there I’ve served with people from Virginia, California, the Mid-West, Texas, Hawaii….  But there is something about the Reserves and National Guard.  The higher in rank you go, the harder it is to find a job…you just don’t have colonels in the every reserve unit down the street and you go where the positions are.   And they do the stuff that the Army needs done…it’s not sexy but it’s critical.  And every time this country called, these men and women answered.  Desert Shield/Storm.  The former Yugoslavia.  Afghanistan and Iraq.  And most recently Haiti. 

Last year one of our retired colonels got us together for the first meeting of the Council of Colonels at his place in Galveston Texas and we met in many cases for the first time in years.   Unlike last year when the weather was more accommodating but this weekend we were stunk inside a lot.  Over delicious steaks, shrimp, BBQ and blueberry pancakes we watched excellent college football games and talked about ….us.  Besides the usual family and friends stuff, what we did over the years, especially over the time since 911.  There are many in the active components who look down at the Guard and Reserves (“Weekend Warriors” and “Part-timers”) but the wise ones know they cannot do it without us.  Over the years we have set up support bases that rival mid size American cities in the middle of the desert.   It amazing what men and women over the last ten years have done.  Combine the determination of a person in uniform, the experience outside of the service and the ingenuity American’s all have and there is no limit to what we can do.  Or as Sam put it to an Army general, “Sir, we have it set up so it’s safe for the active component to take over.” J

One of my partners in crime and I spoke of something…a bottle of great scotch.  We keep it till the last two members assemble…and they had a few drinks for the rest of the group.  I hoped it was him and I…he’s doesn’t drink and I love scotch.  Damned, I’ve have to drink the whole bottle alone…it would be tough but I would handle that mission! J

Solving the world's problems over Cheap Red Wine and good football

The symbol of a colonel is the American Eagle.  For the most part we’re all retired from the service (still working our week jobs) or have that on the radar.  Our tail feathers may drop, the eyes ain’t as sharp as they used to be and we’re not leading patrols anymore under real enemy fire (the sniping and backstabbing of staff pukes from Army Reserve Command and the 3rd US Army not withstanding).  But we’ve done the critical stuff for this country when called.

OK, I know it's it an American Eagle, but it's the best we saw over this weekend...the weather was awful

Ladies and gentlemen it’s been an honor serving with you...till next year!

Officer Down

Chief Deputy Kevin Roberts
Greene County Georgia Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Sunday, November 14, 2010
Age: 48
Tour of Duty: 30 years
Badge Number: 02

Chief Deputy Kevin Roberts was shot and killed at his home by the target of a narcotics investigation the sheriff's office was undertaking.

The subject had gone to his home and knocked on the door at about 8:30 am on a Sunday morning. When Chief Deputy Roberts answered the door he was fatally shot by the man, who then killed himself.

Chief Deputy Roberts had served with the Greene County Sheriff's Office for 10 years. He had a total of 30 years of law enforcement experience and had previously served with the Union Point Police Department and Greensboro Police Department. He is survived by his wife, two children, and grandchildren.

Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue 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.

Saturday Night Live's press conference with Barack Obama and Hu Jintao

I've written before that Saturday Night Live is one of my guilty pleasures.  Sometimes the opening act is really good!


All great comedy has an element of truth in it..

Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Americans Refudiated Death Panels, Before Paul Krugman Was For Them (Post Title Updated)

Gee, I wonder where are the idiots are who insulted Sarah Palin when she pointed out Death Panels last year...

Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Americans Refudiated Death Panels, Before Paul Krugman Was For Them (Post Title Updated)

Now pure hypocrisy is integral to the left...a few months ago I posted on how the leftist administrator of Medicare/Medicaid was really for a socialist health care program...except for himself and his family.   I wonder if ABC/CBS/NBC/MSNBC/PBS/CNN/NYTIMES/LATIMES/WASHPOST et all will start admitting they should have asked these types of questions about how a bureaucracy will make decisions about life and death compassionately...will they ask the soon to be ex Speaker of the House "Hey Nancy, didn't you say this would not happen?...Now will you put yourself under one of these death panels?"

Again, I won't hold my breath.

Congress gets back to real work

As I sit here, recovering from a weekend of “reverie with comrades” (aka drinking and telling lies about past glories with fellow members of the reserve…more to come) I was going through my Sunday ritual including my headline skimming of New York Pravda, err Puke, err Times. I have to say this did catch my eyes

Come January the Republicans will have the chance to hold oversight hearing into the way things have been run for the last four and especially the last two years. Now if we had a functioning press corps much of this would not be needed. But seeing most Journolists comprise a press corpse, it fall on real reformers to handle this mission. Are the freshman members up to the task? That remains to be scene. But this article has a few good points and what they are planning to look into and I can add a couple myself.

Where Will the G.O.P. Go Digging?


By BRIAN FRIEL


WITH the Republican takeover of the House, Representative Darrell Issa of California will become the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Capitol Hill’s top watchdog panel. As the lead Republican on the panel the last two years, Mr. Issa, a hard-charging, quick-witted former car-alarm company owner, has been the Obama administration’s most aggressive antagonist on spending under the $787 billion economic stimulus package. Starting in January, armed with the power to call hearings and issue subpoenas, he will play lead conductor to the new majority’s other committee chairmen in investigating what he says is a “long list” of oversight targets.…


INVESTIGATIONS WE CAN EXPECT


White House job offers. The question is whether the administration offered plum positions to get two Senate primary challengers — Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania and Andrew Romanoff in Colorado — to drop their bids against Democratic incumbents.…


Friends of Angelo.” Several prominent Democrats, including two senators, Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Chris Dodd of Connecticut…, were found to have received sweetheart mortgage rates from Countrywide Financial and its former chief executive, Angelo Mozilo.


Acorn. The liberal nonprofit group dissolved last year in the glare of conservative scrutiny, but some Republicans want an investigation into Acorn’s federal financing for its housing programs, which amounted to at least $53 million since 1994.


New Black Panthers. Last year the Justice Department convened and then dropped an investigation into whether members of the New Black Panther Party intimidated voters at a polling place in Philadelphia in 2008.


Climate science. Conservatives who question the consensus that climate change is manmade want to use various committees’ oversight powers to challenge its scientific underpinnings, many of which were reached by federally financed researchers. Mr. Issa has focused on the so-called Climategate scandal involving alleged manipulation of data by British scientists: …


BP oil-spill response. Republicans may want to emphasize the White House’s missteps in dealing with the Gulf oil spill in April. In July, Mr. Issa said that the administration’s “preoccupation with public relations” might have hindered local officials’ efforts to deal with the disaster.


Economic stimulus. Representative Issa created a Web site where people can post pictures of road signs touting projects financed by the $787 billion economic stimulus package; he says the signs are little more than expensive propaganda, costing taxpayers $192 million. Mr. Issa will no doubt find additional creative ways to raise doubts about the administration’s response to the Great Recession, which he says has wasted money on swimming pools, zoos and golf courses.

No, that's not wasted money...that is "shovel ready jobs".

White House Political Affairs Office. Mr. Issa has pushed for information about a special counsel investigation into whether the Office of Political Affairs in the Bush and Obama White Houses violated a ban on the use of federal resources for politicking. In particular, he questions whether the Obama administration has sent federal officials on thinly disguised campaign trips to help elect politicians


Czars. Mr. Issa wants to give special scrutiny to unconfirmed presidential advisers including Elizabeth Warren, who is setting up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Carol Browner, who oversees environmental policy. Such czars are a sign of the “arrogance of government,”


INVESTIGATIONS WE COULD REALLY USE


Federal contracts. Agencies paid private contractors at least $539 billion in fiscal 2009, much of it with little or no competition or performance evaluation. An additional $660 billion-plus in grants to states, local governments and nonprofits has undergone no systemic Congressional review.


I would think this is a primary function of the Congress…

The Civil Service. As with contractors, Congress has not systemically reviewed the performance and efficiency of the government’s 1.8 million-member work force.

First thing…end government unions.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. At $136 billion so far, the federal takeover of the quasi-private housing corporations is the most expensive component of the government’s response to the economic crisis.


Defense spending. Congress has been loath to dig too deeply into waste in the Pentagon budget, in part because every state and Congressional district benefits from the spending. …


Food safety. A series of recalls… has highlighted the strains on the Food and Drug Administration. Congress should investigate whether it needs to be reformed or its duties taken up by other agencies.

If FDA cannot do this function and it has to be handed over to another agency, I think the FDA needs to be deleted…

Transparency. The government keeps too much information secret, operating a costly system of classification. Much of the information it does make public is impossible for most citizens to comprehend. Republicans could push agencies to declassify more information more quickly and draft legislation to compel the bureaucracy to release data in more usable formats.

As a retired 23 year intelligence officer all I can say is “Allah Be Praised!” However, I won’t hold my breath.

Veterans health. Since the exposure of terrible conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2007, Congress has dumped billions into the veterans health system. But there has been little follow-up to examine the quality of care and the cost-effectiveness of efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies.


Loan guarantees. Congress has backed more than $100 billion in loans in energy-related private projects. Because the guarantees don’t cost much up front, they tend to get little scrutiny.

Real easy…stop the loan guarantees. If solar/wind or other “alternative energies” can be marketable they can get financing from other sources…they don’t need taxpayer money.

Agency performance. Do taxpayers get what they pay for? …

Short answer, no.

Congress itself. Committees in general do little sustained oversight, instead chasing headlines. And they operate with significant overlap — more than 100 committees and subcommittees oversee the Homeland Security Department, for example. The committees offer few channels for public input and participation. As one expert says, “I’d like to see Congress take a hard look at how it does oversight before it does any more of it.”

Personally I would rather Congress spend more time repealing parts of the federal code (first among them Obamacare but that’s a different point for a different post). Now here are some things I would like to see the subject of Congressional review:

1. Ms Pelosi, you really enjoyed flying around in that taxpayer provided 747 for four years. We hear your family did too…even if you were not on the bird. We need to know if you were not flying on those flights and if so…I don’t think the taxpayers should pay the 12000 dollars a flight hour this cost.

2. White House energy adviser Carol Browner: When the White House was appealing a federal court order overturning the offshore oil drilling ban, you and your “czardome” sent a report saying seven leading scientists were supporting this…when they were not. In other words you lied to a federal judge. Should this be presented to the court and/or justice department for further action…and should you get your own lawyer?

Any other things that should be looked into?

Wildlife Conservation Officer David Grove

Pennsylvania Game Commission
End of Watch: Thursday, November 11, 2010
Age: 31
Tour of Duty: 9 years

Wildlife Conservation Officer David Grove was shot and killed on Schriver Road, near Red Rocks Road, in Freedom Township, Adams County, at approximately 10:45 pm.

Officer Grove was in the area to investigate reports of ongoing night-time shooting and poaching. It is believed that he was making a traffic stop just south of Gettysburg National Military Park when he was fatally shot in the head. The suspect was captured the following morning.

The officer had served as a full time WCO with the Pennsylvania Game Commission for three years and had previously served as a part-time officer with the agency for six years

Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue 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.

I wonder how Vince Lombardi would react to this....

OK, now I've seen it all.  A football league of babes playing tackle football in bras, panties and garters.  This is a  new one on me. 

With names like Dallas Desires and Philadelphia Passion, it's not exactly what I think of when I think football...their championship is the Lingerie Bowl in Las Vegas.  Kinda makes since...can you image playing in Green Bay or Minnesota in February in this uniform.  And the NFL has the Lombardi trophy...what does this championship get you? 

I only know of this group because Oklahoma City's Mayor won't let them play in his city...hey, send them south...Houston Heathers anyone?

Gotta say, I will check this out..

What's going on in the World Today 101111

As we pay tribute to the men and women who have served this great country, I cannot think of more appropriate words than these...the greatest speech ever on American soil.
To all who have worn the uniform and answered the call

"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."


Abraham Lincoln, 1863

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USA


NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT


EUROPE


Germany's Geopolitical Opening


France Seeks a Military Leadership Role in Europe STRATFOR


ASIA


Russia, South Korea: Rocket Launch Planned November 10, 2010


Russia and South Korea have agreed to carry out the third launch of the Korean KSLV-1 rocket equipped with a Russian first-stage engine, Interfax reported, citing a joint statement issued Nov. 10 at the end of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s visit to South Korea.


RUSSIA


Russia: Gunmen Kill 7 Police Officers In Dagestan November 11, 2010




Gunmen killed at least seven Russian police officers Nov. 11 in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan, AFP reported, citing  RIA Novosti. The attackers stole a car in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, before carrying out shootings at two locations in the city center, killing six police officers on the spot; a seventh later died of his wounds. At least three civilians were also injured in the shootout. Police chased the shooters and blocked their vehicle, which caught fire and exploded in the ensuing shootout. Four gunmen were killed.


Russia: Collaborator In Spy-Ring Bust Named November 11, 2010


A Russian intelligence colonel identified as Shcherbakov aided in the breakup of a Russian spy ring by the United States in  the summer, AFP reported Nov. 11, citing Kommersant daily. The agent’s daughter reportedly lives in the United States, and he fled to the United States three days before Russian President Dmitri Medvedev visited Washington in June. Also, according to the paper, the agent’s son left his post with the Russian drug control agency and fled for the United States shortly before
the spy ring was revealed. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in the summer, according to Kommersant, that the then-unnamed collaborator’s life would end in “boozing or drugs.”


IRAN
Singapore: Iran Having Difficulty Finding Storage For Oil November 11, 2010


Iran is trying to store at least 2 million barrels of crude oil in Southeast Asia for at least six months, but is having difficulties finding hosts because of international sanctions, Reuters reported Nov. 11, citing unnamed industry sources familiar with the negotiations. A JTC Corporation spokeswoman said Iran was among many industry “players” recently meeting
about Singapore’s Jurong Rock Caverns. A senior industry official said that while the Iranian proposal was “interesting,” that is not the kind of business currently being engaged in. The source said geopolitics and pressure from the United States and the European Union complicate the issue.


Iran: Imam Ali Military Drills Begin November 9, 2010


Iranian Basij paramilitary forces have begun the Imam Ali military drills in Amol, Iran, Mehr news agency reported Nov. 9, citing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Crops in Amol leader Col. Ebrahim Mohseni-Moqqadam. The tactical exercises, which began Nov. 9 and involve the participation of five battalions of the Ashura Corps, will last until Nov. 11. The main objective of the drills is to enhance the participants’ abilities to confront crises, Mohseni-Moqqadam said.


IRAQ


Iraq: Al-Iraqiya List Withdraws From Political Process November 11, 2010


Iraqi political party al-Iraqiya List refuses to participate in a government that lacks trust between the parties, and it has withdrawn from the political process, party spokesman Haider Mulla said Nov. 11, Al Sumaria News reported. During a news conference after al-Iraqiya lawmakers walked out of the parliament, Mulla said the party cannot reach a deal with a government that found political agreement via coup.


A Possible Step Forward in Iraq STRATFOR
Iraq: U.S. Open To Extending Troop Presence - Gates November 9, 2010


The United States is open to keeping troops in Iraq beyond the 2011 deadline for withdrawal if Baghdad requests it, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Nov. 9, AP reported. Gates called on Iraqi political leaders to reconcile and said an extension of the U.S. military presence in the country would require an amendment to the current agreement, which
necessitates a functioning central government. U.S. troops must leave Iraq by the end of 2011 under the current deal. The United States hopes Iraq can form a government representative of all the major elements of Iraqi society in a nonsectarian manner, Gates added.


ISRAEL


NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT


AFGHANISTAN


Canada: Contingent May Remain To Train Afghans - PM November 11, 2010


Some Canadian troops may remain in Afghanistan to help train local forces after the country’s military mission ends in 2011 as planned, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Nov. 11, Reuters reported. Such a force, which would be on a non-combat mission, would stay in Afghanistan from 2011-2014, he told CTV television in Seoul. He noted that he wants to see Canadian troops home, but Afghan forces need more training.


Afghanistan: NATO Transit Through Russia To Be Discussed November 10, 2010


A decision about NATO transit through Russia to Afghanistan will be made at the Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon on Nov. 20, the Russian permanent representative at NATO, Dmitri Rogozin, said, Interfax reported Nov. 10. He said measures will be taken to expand transit capabilities, adding that the goods to be discussed are not military cargo and that military cargo would not be shipped by rail. He said pacts are in place with Germany, France and the United States, with pending agreements with Italy and Spain. A commercial venture, it is profitable for Russia, he said.


A Week in the War: Afghanistan, Nov. 3-9, 2010 STRATFOR


MIDDLE EAST


NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT


SOUTH OF THE BORDER


Somalia: Panama-flagged Ship Seized By Pirates November 11, 2010


Pirates have seized a Panama-flagged 31-crewmember chemical tanker off the coast of Somalia, according to a Nov. 11 statement from the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) for Somalia, Reuters reported. The EU Navfor anti-piracy taskforce said the 24,145-tonne MV Hannibal II was overrun while sailing to Suez from Malaysia. The master of the vessel reported the ship as being under attack by pirates some 860 nautical miles east of the Horn of Africa — much closer to India than to Somalia — EU Navfor said. The ship was ferrying vegetable oil, and its crew consisted of 23 Tunisians, one Croatian, one Georgian, one Russian, one Moroccan and 4 individuals from the Philippines.Mexico: Drug Cartel May Have Killed Mayor November 9, 2010 Veracruz state mayor-elect Gregorio Barradas Miravete could have been killed by members of a drug trafficking cartel, according to a printed message left at the scene, the Veracruz attorney general’s office said, El Universal reported Nov. 9.


Barradas Miravete was found dead in an abandoned car along with former local legislator Omar Manzur Assad and driver Angel Landa in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca state.


Mexico: Schools Suspend Classes Amid Bomb Threats November 8, 2010


Approximately 400 public and private schools in the Mexican city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas state, suspended classes due to bomb threats made by unidentified criminal organizations against at least two schools, Milenio reported Nov. 8.


Mexico Security Memo: Nov. 8, 2010 STRATFOR
Makled's Threat to the Venezuelan Regime STRATFOR


MISC
Somalia: Panama-flagged Ship Seized By Pirates November 11, 2010


Pirates have seized a Panama-flagged 31-crewmember chemical tanker off the coast of Somalia, according to a Nov. 11 statement from the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) for Somalia, Reuters reported. The EU Navfor anti-piracy taskforce said the 24,145-tonne MV Hannibal II was overrun while sailing to Suez from Malaysia. The master of the vessel reported the ship as being under attack by pirates some 860 nautical miles east of the Horn of Africa — much closer to India than to Somalia — EU Navfor said. The ship was ferrying vegetable oil, and its crew consisted of 23 Tunisians, one Croatian, one Georgian, one Russian, one Moroccan and 4 individuals from the Philippines.


Above the Tearline: Presidential Security Abroad STRATFOR

Security Weekly- .Al Qaeda Unlucky Again in Cargo Bombing Attempt November 2, 2010

By Scott Stewart

The Oct. 29 discovery of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) inside two packages shipped from Yemen launched a widespread search for other devices, and more than two dozen suspect packages have been tracked down so far. Some have been trailed in dramatic fashion, as when two U.S. F-15 fighter aircraft escorted an Emirates Air passenger jet Oct. 29 as it approached and landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. To date, however, no other parcels have been found to contain explosive devices.

The two parcels that did contain IEDs were found in East Midlands, England, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and both appear to have been sent by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), al Qaeda’s jihadist franchise in Yemen. As we’ve long discussed, AQAP has demonstrated a degree of creativity in planning its attacks and an intent to attack the United States. It has also demonstrated the intent to attack aircraft, as evidenced by the failed Christmas Day bombing in 2009 involving Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to detonate an explosive device concealed in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.

A tactical analysis of the latest attempt suggests that the operation was not quite as creative as past attempts, though it did come very close to achieving its primary objective, which in this case (apparently) was to destroy aircraft. It does not appear that the devices ultimately were intended to be part of an attack against the Jewish institutions in the United States to which the parcels were addressed. Although the operation failed in its primary mission (taking down aircraft) it was successful in its secondary mission, which was to generate worldwide media coverage and sow fear and disruption in the West.

Tactical Details

The details that we have been able to collect so far concerning the configuration of the devices is that both were camouflaged in parcels and both contained a main charge of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) that was to be detonated by a primary explosive charge of lead azide. PETN is a military-grade explosive commonly found in detonating cord and some plastic explosives. PETN was also the primary explosive in the underwear bomb used in AQAP’s failed Christmas Day attack as well as its attempted assassination of Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef using an IED concealed inside the attacker’s body. Lead azide is a common primary explosive used in detonators, and it can also be used to effectively detonate an explosive such as PETN. According to media reports, the two devices contained 10.58 ounces and 15.11 ounces of PETN, both of which are larger charges than the 2.8 ounces contained in the Christmas Day device and more than the amount believed to have been used in the attack on Prince Mohammed bin Nayef.

The device discovered in East Midlands appears to have been hidden inside an ink toner cartridge hidden inside a computer printer, and from photographs it appears to have been designed to be detonated by a cell-phone motherboard altered to serve as an initiator. Taking the cell-phone motherboard out of its case and affixing it to the body of the printer made it appear to be part of the printer itself if the device was scanned. The addition of the cell-phone motherboard indicates the device was likely intended to be detonated when a call or message was received by the phone. We are unsure if the phone was utilizing the GPS feature some phones have to track the location of the device, but it is a possibility.

Photos of the Dubai device suggest that, while it was also camouflaged inside the toner cartridge of a computer printer, it may have had a different design. It also appears to have included an appliance timer. (We have been unable to determine if there was a similar timer in the East Midlands device.) If both a cell phone and a timer were involved in the Dubai device (and possibly the East Midlands device), it is possible that the timer was intended to provide a secondary fail-safe firing chain to detonate the device in case the cell phone failed, or that it was added to provide a minimum arming time before the device could be detonated using the cell phone. A minimum arming time would prevent the device from detonating prematurely.


Either way, based upon this construction, the devices do not appear to have been intended to explode when the parcels they were contained in were being opened, like most parcel and letter bombs. This means that the two Chicago-area Jewish congregations the parcels were addressed to were not the true intended targets of the devices and that, in all likelihood, the devices were intended to target aircraft and not Jewish institutions. The devices were likely addressed to Jewish institutions because the bomb-makers needed some target inside the United States, and listing Jewish institutions would be sure to create panic and fear should the devices fail to function as designed or be discovered during a security check. The attackers probably intended to destroy the aircraft carrying the packages out over the Atlantic Ocean or perhaps over the U.S. coastline as the aircraft came into cell-phone range.

As would be expected, the two packages appear to have been shipped using a fraudulent identity. The person whose name was used, Hanan al-Samawi, a 22-year-old computer engineering student at Sana’a University, was arrested by Yemeni authorities Oct. 30 and released the next day after the shipping agent told authorities that she was not the woman who signed the shipping manifest.

Consistent Themes

As we’ve noted before, some jihadist groups have a fixation on attacking aviation targets. In response to this persistent threat, aviation security has changed dramatically in the post-9/11 era, and great effort has been made at considerable expense to increase the difficulty of attacking passenger aircraft. Changes made in the wake of the Christmas Day attempt in 2009 have made it even more difficult for AQAP to get a suicide operative on board an aircraft. The pressure the group is under in Yemen is also likely making it harder for it to interact directly with potential suicide bomber recruits who are able to travel, like Abdulmutallab. Indeed, AQAP has been telling aspiring jihadist operatives from the West not to try to travel to Yemen but to conduct simple attacks at home.

There has long been an evolving competition between airline security policies and terrorist tactics as both are adapted in response to the other. Because of recent developments in aviation security, AQAP apparently has tried again to re-shape the paradigm by moving away from suicide-bomber attacks against aircraft and back to a very old modus operandi — hiding explosive devices in packages and electronic devices.

Explosive devices concealed in electronic items designed to be loaded or carried aboard aircraft go back to Palestinian groups in the 1980s such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command and, of course, to the Libyan operatives behind the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. With measures to track luggage with passengers instituted in the wake of Pan Am Flight 103, terrorist planners changed their tactics and began utilizing modular IED designs that could be carried on board aircraft and left behind or initiated by suicide operatives. They also began to explore the use of cargo carried on board passenger airplanes as an alternative.

After the original Operation Bojinka was derailed by an apartment fire in Manila that exposed the plan and caused operational planner Abdel Basit to flee the country, Basit (commonly known as Ramzi Yousef) returned to Pakistan and began plotting again. Since word of his modular baby-doll devices had leaked out to airline security personnel, he decided instead to use air cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft as a way to destroy them.

As in the attack against Philippines Airlines Flight 434 in December 1994, Basit wanted to conduct a test run of his parcel-bomb plot. He constructed a parcel-bomb package that contained cutlery as well as liquid explosives in order to confuse X-ray screeners. He also instructed one of his followers, Istaique Parker, to ship the package from Bangkok aboard an American airliner to the United States. Basit’s plan failed when Parker got cold feet. Instead of carrying out the assignment, he gave Basit a bogus excuse about needing an exporter’s license that would require a photograph and fingerprints to ship items to the United States. Basit and Parker returned to Pakistan where, motivated by greed, Parker turned Basit in for the reward money, and U.S. agents then moved in for the arrest. Had Basit not been arrested, there is very little question that he eventually would have tried to set his parcel-bomb plan in motion. At the time of his arrest he had several wristwatches in his possession that had been altered to function as IED timers.

All of which is to say that, even though this latest parcel-bomb plot was foiled, militants will continue to seek alternate ways to smuggle IEDs and IED components aboard aircraft. AQAP in particular has demonstrated that its operational planners carefully study security measures and then plan the type of IED to employ in an attack based upon those measures.

In an article posted in February in the group’s online magazine Sada al-Malahim, titled “Secrets of the Innovative Bomb,” the AQAP author noted that the group pays attention to X-ray machines, metal detectors and detection equipment intended to pick up explosive residue and odors and then seeks vulnerabilities in the system that it can exploit. Camouflaging an IED inside a computer printer was apparently successful in bypassing screening measures, though it is interesting that nobody seems to have asked why such an item was being shipped from Yemen to the United States instead of the other way around, or why someone in Yemen was shipping such items to Jewish institutions in the United States. It appears that even after the initial alert went out, authorities in the United Kingdom missed the device the first time they inspected the parcel, highlighting the effectiveness of the AQAP camouflage job.

Like the Bojinka plot, the latest AQAP parcel-bomb operation may have included a proof-of-mission trial run. There was a crash of a UPS flight in Dubai on Sept. 3 that stands out as suspicious, given the circumstances surrounding the crash and in light of these recently recovered IEDs. UAE authorities said Nov. 1 that there was no sign of an explosion in that accident, although the damage done as a result of the crash and subsequent fire may have made it difficult to uncover such evidence. Undoubtedly, U.S. and UAE authorities will be taking another careful look at the incident in light of the Oct. 29 case. Other recent cargo-aircraft accidents in the region will likely be re-examined as well.

Also like the 1995 Bangkok plot, this recent attempt may have been thwarted by an insider. There have been several recent defections of AQAP personnel to law enforcement authorities, such as Jabir Jubran al-Fayfi, who recently turned himself in to Saudi authorities (although AQAP claims he was arrested in Yemen). If al-Fayfi did indeed surrender, he might be cooperating with the Saudis and may have been able to provide the actionable intelligence authorities used to identify and thwart this plot, though it is unlikely that he provided the exact tracking numbers, as noted in some media reports, since the packages were shipped after he surrendered. If the Saudis did indeed provide the exact tracking numbers to their American counterparts, the intelligence had to have come from another source.

In the end, this AQAP attack failed to achieve its immediate objective of destroying aircraft. The planners of the attack probably hoped that the parcels would be shipped on passenger aircraft, and it appears that they were aboard passenger aircraft for at least some of their journey. However, like the failed assassination of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and the Christmas Day attack, this attempt was successful only in its secondary objective, which was to generate global media coverage and sow fear in the West. Given the low cost and low risk associated with such an attack, this is quite an accomplishment — although the failed attack will certainly cause the U.S. government to turn up the heat on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to do something about AQAP. Saleh has long played a delicate balancing act of using the jihadists as allies against his enemies in the country’s north and south and has resisted launching an all-out offensive against AQAP. The U.S. government may also expand its unilateral operations against the group.

As long as AQAP’s operational leaders and its bombmakers — like Ibrahim Hassan Tali al Asiri, brother of the suicide bomber in the Prince Mohammed bin Nayef attack — remain free, they will continue trying to exploit security vulnerabilities and attack U.S. and Saudi targets. So far, the group has come close to pulling off several spectacular attacks but has suffered unlucky breaks that have caused each attack to fail. However, to paraphrase an old Irish Republican Army taunt, they only have to get lucky once.

Al Qaeda Unlucky Again in Cargo Bombing Attempt is republished with permission of STRATFOR.

Security Weekly- Tajikistan Security Sweeps and the Possible Return of the IMU November 11, 2010

By Eugene Chausovsky


Tajikistan’s military continues to conduct security sweeps in the Rasht Valley in the eastern part of the country to catch roughly two dozen high-profile Islamist militants who escaped from a Dushanbe prison in August. The chairman of Tajikistan’s State National Security Committee announced Nov. 9 that these special operations have been successful and would soon be completed. However, the Tajik military has announced it will retain its presence there, and the Defense Ministry is setting up special training centers from which to base operations into the mountainous region surrounding the Rasht Valley.


These security sweeps began just over two months ago, and there are conflicting accounts of how successful they have been in rounding up the militants. Tajik military and government spokesmen have said that most of the escapees have been either captured or killed and that roughly 80 Tajik soldiers have been killed hunting them down. However, Tajik media have given higher estimates of the number of military casualties, and STRATFOR sources in Central Asia have said the number of deaths and injuries in various firefights might actually be closer to a few hundred. The region’s remoteness and the sensitive nature of the security operations have made such reports difficult to verify.


The very purpose of these security operations has also been called into question within the country and the wider region. The official reason for the sweeps is to round up the escaped militants, but according to STRATFOR sources, preparations for these special operations in the Rasht Valley were being made long before the jailbreak. There are also unconfirmed reports that none of the escapees were from the Rasht Valley, and while the valley’s mountainous terrain does make it a good location to seek refuge, it does not guarantee that locals there would willingly harbor the fugitives. The security forces’ ultimate goal could center on growing concerns that remnants of a previously key regional militant group — the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) — could be regaining strength in the country.


The IMU’s Revival and Concerns Beyond Tajikistan


The IMU is a radical Islamist militant group that formed shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the populous and strategic region of the Fergana Valley in Central Asia. This area, which is split among Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, proved to be a strategic battleground for the IMU, which sought to overthrow Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s government and replace it with an ultraconservative Islamic state based on Shariah. Ultimately, the IMU sought to create an Islamist polity centered in the Fergana Valley that would stretch across Central Asia. Karimov clamped down on the IMU within Uzbekistan, but the chaos in neighboring Tajikistan during the country’s civil war from 1992 to 1997 created suitable conditions for the IMU to seek shelter, organize and conduct attacks. Subsequently, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the group was active throughout the Fergana Valley, carrying out attacks such as bombings in southern Kyrgyzstan and an assassination attempt on Karimov in 1999.

However, after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, Central Asian governments — with U.S. assistance — cracked down on the IMU harshly, due to the group’s association with the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. The IMU mostly was driven out of Central Asia into Afghanistan, where in late 2001 the group lost its founder and then-leader Juma Namangani in a U.S. airstrike. The leftover elements of the IMU then moved into Pakistan and have spent the last several years in the area along the Afghan-Pakistani border, where they sought sanctuary (although IMU members were also targeted in U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle strikes that killed several IMU fighters, including former IMU chief Tahir Yuldashev, who had taken over after Namangani’s death). In these Pakistani borderlands, the Uzbek-dominated IMU faced friction with the Pashtuns, and were also the target of Pakistani security operations in South Waziristan agency. Potential upcoming operations in North Waziristan make this area less attractive than in recent years, providing a reason for the IMU to leave Pakistan. At the same time, talk about an IMU revival in Central Asia has intensified recently, particularly since several of the escapees from the August jailbreak reportedly were IMU members.


There is speculation in Tajikistan that the recent security operations have actually been a search for Mullah Abdullah, an opposition commander during Tajikistan’s civil war who fled to Afghanistan. Abdullah is a key member of the IMU and reportedly has returned in recent years to the Rasht Valley to organize new operations, including the attack on a Tajik police station in 2009 that led to the imprisonment of several IMU members — the same prisoners who escaped in August.


Since the jailbreak, there have been several attacks in Tajikistan, including the shooting down of a Tajik military helicopter and the ambush of Tajik security forces in the Rasht Valley. In the latter attack — the deadliest in Tajikistan in more than 10 years — at least 25 servicemen were killed. The IMU claimed responsibility for the attack, and while that claim has been disputed, it has also prompted fears that the militant group has returned to Tajikistan in the form of a new generation of battle-hardened fighters, educated and trained by the old generation in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The IMU also reportedly has a new leader, Usmon Odil, former IMU chief Yuldashev’s son-in-law. According to STRATFOR sources, Odil was trained and directed to attack targets in the Fergana Valley, which is particularly worrisome to the Tajik, Uzbek and Kyrgyz governments. But the group’s opaque nature and loose structure (much like al Qaeda’s) precludes any definitive affirmation of its current status, and it remains unclear what the group is capable of or whether its methods have changed over the past decade.


Testing the IMU’s Strength


In the months since the prison break, all militant activity in the region has been focused on Tajikistan, primarily the Rasht Valley. Whether the IMU will be able to operate outside of this specific arena and move into the broader Fergana Valley will be a true test of the militant movement’s strength. There is a big difference between militants taking an opportunistic potshot at a military convoy in the Rasht Valley and coordinating a more ambitious attack beyond Tajikistan’s borders. So far, there have been only limited attacks outside the Rasht Valley since the jailbreak, such as a car bombing in the northern city of Khujand claimed by Jamaat Ansarullah, a new group that allegedly has ties to the IMU (these ties have been disputed). Immediately following the attack, Tajik authorities claimed that the bombing was the result of a local dispute and was not militant in nature.


The strength of the governments and their security forces is one of the key factors that will determine how successful the IMU — or any other militant outfits that have fragmented and realigned since the IMU moved into Southwest Asia — will be in regrouping and conducting attacks in the region. The Uzbek government has maintained a security clampdown on its portion of the Fergana Valley and has been able to handle any security issues by itself, but Tajik security forces are not quite as strong (as the recent attacks have shown) and may have to rely on help from Russia. Kyrgyzstan is especially vulnerable after experiencing a revolution and ethnic violence that Kyrgyz security forces have been unable to contain, and the Rasht Valley is uncomfortably close to the Kyrgyz border. Meanwhile, Russia is sending troops into both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.


But troop strength alone does not guarantee that militants will not be able to carry out further attacks; the attitude of the population toward the insurgents and the intelligence capabilities of the national governments are also significant factors. The United States will also affect security in the region when it starts withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan. This will result in greater instability on the already porous Tajik-Afghan border and could lead to more substantial militant traffic throughout the region.

However, there are several obstacles to the IMU’s return to the region as a fully fledged militant group. First, given the region’s mountainous terrain and complex geography, it would be a perilous trek to the Fergana Valley from the Afghan-Pakistani tribal belt. The IMU has been wandering around looking for a safe-haven in which to regroup, but up to this point, militaries and security forces throughout the region have kept the group from taking root anywhere. It is unclear whether the group has returned to the Fergana Valley or, if it has, to what degree.


It is also unclear whether the IMU’s current structure and goals are even the same as in the past. When militant groups are forced to relocate, and when they lose leaders, they tend to fragment. The post-9/11 environment has contributed greatly to this phenomenon. Some militants remain true to the original cause, while some join new causes like al Qaeda’s global jihadist effort. Others focus on more local issues, like fighting in Afghanistan. A great many militants in the Pakistani tribal belt are also part of the Taliban’s war against the Pakistani state. There is also the issue of ethnic tensions between Central Asian Turkic militants and the Arab-dominated al Qaeda milieu, as well as ideological disagreements within and between these groups.


Since it has been a decade since the group has staged any real uprising, the IMU’s support network in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has been severely weakened. This capability will take time to rebuild (though militants have continued smuggling drugs into Russia through Central Asia, which gives them contacts and a financial base). The IMU has long since strayed from its original mission of overthrowing the Uzbek government and has absorbed members of different nationalities and ethnicities from several other militant groups to the point where it is not really clear what the group’s primary purpose is (regional, global or otherwise). In addition, the populations in nearly all of Uzbekistan and most of Tajikistan do not welcome the return of militant groups or their organizing efforts in Central Asia. However, while the Uzbek government has been handling the situation in a low-key manner, the Tajik government has been stoking the fire of anti-government sentiment with its moves against conservative Islamic religious practices, such as banning religious dress, closing mosques and repressing media. Dushanbe’s actions have created controversy among the public and could work in favor of a group like the IMU.


As the IMU has shown elsewhere in the region over the past decade, it will certainly be able to use its tradecraft to kill locals and government security forces from time to time. But the IMU has a poor track record of establishing itself in any single area for more than a couple of years. If the IMU is limited in its operations to the Rasht Valley and Tajikistan, then it would not appear to be regaining the momentum it lost in the early 2000s. If the IMU begins regrouping and striking into the Fergana Valley, in areas like Uzbekistan and southern Kyrgyzstan, then that would show a stronger capability and present more of a threat to governments in Central Asia. Ultimately, it will be the IMU’s ability to be active and build a network outside of the Rasht Valley that will show whether the militant group can be as effective across a broad area as it was a decade ago.

This report is republished with permission of STRATFOR

Sometimes our furry friends can say it better than us

This says it all...this is especially applicable to my leftist friends!

Thanks COL W. for the pic

I think she never got over losing Michael Douglas

A great look at Maureen Dowd and the idiots she inspires

The American Spectator : It's Maureen in America Again

Especially after bad days, liberals like to go to columnists like Maureen Dowd at the New York Times for some reassurance that everything's fine with liberalism and it's just the rest of us who are a bad mix of weird, greedy, ethnocentric, dumb and scary.


Like a lighthouse in a storm, Dowd unfailingly guides lost-at-sea liberals back to the safe port of bigger government, political sneering, higher taxation, centralized planning and economic envy.


Here was Ms. Dowd's instant analysis on the morning after the nation's voters delivered a stunning and nationwide defeat to Democrats: "Even though it was predicted, it was still a shock to see voters humiliate a brilliant and spellbinding young president, who'd had such a Kennedy-like beginning."

..."Republicans," she asserted, "outcommunicated a silver-tongued president who was supposed to be Ronald Reagan's heir in the communication department."...

...Barack Obama, similarly, when asked while attending a European summit in 2009 if he believed in American exceptionalism, replied, "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that Brits believe in British exceptionalism and Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." As Michael Barone put it, "In other words, not at all."

One, Reagan never communicated apoligies for the nation he loved. Two B Hussein Obama delights at the preceived end of American exceptionalism. And Reagan didn't need a teleprompter to address second graders. Take BO from the idiot boards and he is completely clueless.

...Ms. Dowd's description on the morning after of the previous night's political winners? Simply "a lot of conservative nuts." Quite a catty, bitter and erroneous depiction of events by a top columnist at the so-called "paper-of-record."...

A good way to describe that waste of trees...
No Maureen, it's more like they looked at the home values, loss of jobs, inflation and nationalizaton of large chuncks of the society and they say "Not no but hell no!" But from the New York Pravda, the little people are ignorant and Maureen and others must enlighten them like muchrooms.

Taming The Last Lion

A few years ago I finally read the first volume of Manchester’s epic, “The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill Visions of Glory”. For anyone who wants a superb biography this is it. One of the things I truly enjoyed was Manchester spent almost the first two hundred pages not on the subject of the book but on the world he was born into. You get a taste of how the British Empire dominated the globe unlike anything since Rome and before the American empire. It covers things such as why we have Greenwich Village as the separating line of the world…because it could be nowhere else but England. Britain was the center of the globe is so many ways, economically, militarily, politically. At the time of his birth, almost one fifth of the population of England worked as some form of domestic servant to the upper class (butler, maid, etc). And you begin to get a taste of the world Churchill was born into and the world Churchill would defend to his end.

I finished the second volume “Alone” which ends as Churchill has succeeded Chamberlain as the Prime Minister and the Battle of Britain was just beginning. In this you get a look at a man never afraid of moving forward despite his advance being tempted by failure, failure that would have broken lesser men. Now I’ve often said “Damn you Manchester, you died before you finished volume three and now I don’t know how the story ends!”…until now.

Taming 'The Last Lion' - CharlotteObserver.com

Paul Reid of Tryon, who has been working on the Churchill book since 2004, gets inquiries from all over the world about when it'll be done. Reid plans to turn in the final pages by month's end.


...Paul Reid is a former Florida newspaper reporter who moved to the N.C. mountains a few years
ago. He's also the most highly anticipated author you've never heard of.


Since 2004, Reid has been writing the third and final volume of "The Last Lion," the late William Manchester's majestic biography of British statesman Winston Churchill


For legions of Churchill devotees and Manchester fans, the book can't be published soon enough. Readers regularly contact Reid, some from as far away as England and Pakistan, to ask about his progress.


Now he can give them good news. He's nearly finished. Most of the manuscript is in the hands of his editor at Little, Brown and Co. Reid plans to turn in the final pages by month's end.


There's no publication date yet. But typically, once the author delivers the book, it takes about a year to publication

I would say I have my Christmas present for 2011...but I will be one of the fools at Barnes and Noble at 700am in the cold for this book.

Reid took on the book at Manchester's request as his health was failing. He died in 2004 at age 82, just months after they decided to collaborate.


"I told Bill, and I meant it ... that I wouldn't let him down," Reid says. "If he wanted me to do this, I would do it. And it would be done well."


…Reid lacked Churchillian credentials, but Manchester, a former newspaperman himself, wanted a writer with a reporting background. And he trusted Reid.


…Reid never sought the job. In fact, in one newspaper story he wrote, he quoted Manchester saying he could never turn over the book to another writer.


"It's like a mother giving away her child to be raised by another," Manchester told him.


But gradually, he changed his mind. In fall 2003, the two had just watched the Red Sox lose a playoff game.


Manchester was confined to bed, so they had watched the game in the bedroom of the author's Connecticut home. The two were lamenting their team's fortunes, Reid recalls, when Manchester asked him to retrieve a large plaid suitcase from the next room.


The suitcase contained hundreds of pages of Manchester's research and several reference books.


Manchester told his friend to take the research and write 25 pages on the Blitz, the Nazi bombing of Britain.


"I said, 'Why?'"


"He said, 'I want you to finish the book.'"

Kinda get the literary version of Moses charging Joshuah to lead the Tribes of Israel...or FDR picking Ike to lead the invasion of Normandy...

Reid wrote the chapter, keeping in mind Manchester's advice to "think of it as one feature story after another."


Manchester liked it. So did his agent.


…When he died, Manchester had written the first few chapters of the third volume. He had also chosen a subtitle: "Defender of the Realm."


…...Reid has written almost 400,000 words, telling Churchill's story from the beginning of the Blitz in September 1940 until Churchill is voted out of the office in July 1945, after the war's end. He has also begun his next project: a book about his friendship with Manchester and how he came to finish "The Last Lion."

Hope the does another one...the years following the war until his passing in 1965. On that subject, he was the last non royal to get a state funeral but England is planning on one in the foreseeable future (Yes D, she's still around!): Margaret Thatcher.

I cannot think of another book I've waited for so much and I think I will be taking a couple of days off at a library...sorry Beth and girls, but there are things a man must do : )

What's going on in the World Today 101108

HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:

USA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

EUROPE

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

ASIA

Japan: Intelligence Documents Leaked November 2, 2010

Intelligence documents from the Japanese Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Security Bureau, National Police Agency and the Aichi prefectural police dating 2004 through 2010 containing information on foreigners who have cooperated with Japanese anti-terrorism efforts were leaked to the internet via file sharing software the Asahi Shimbun reported Nov. 2. Sources said the highly confidential material included names, addresses, phone numbers, and records of suspected terrorists and their acquaintances as well as records of information provided by informants. Other documents include information on bank accounts of individuals connected to foreign embassies and requests by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation for intelligence cooperation. A roster of police officers as well as the names and address of investigators were also leaked.

RUSSIA

U.S.: Russia To Favor Iran – Source November 5, 2010

The Russian return towards Iranian engagement highlighted by President Dmitry Medvedev planned appearance at the inauguration of the Iranian Bushehr reactor comes ahead of doubt surrounding Russian/ U.S. Relations in light of the Democratic defeats in the mid-term elections and the prospects of the Presidential election in 2012, a source told Iranian newspaper Javan Nov. 1, adding the Russians think several obstacles will be created in the approval of the START II agreement with the U.S. Congress being controlled by the Republicans. The Russians hope to retain the Iran card by devising strategies to bypass Resolution 1929 and consider how to reconsider the sale of S-300 to Iran as a bargaining tool with the United States, the source stated.

Russia: NATO Offers Cooperation On Missile Shield November 3, 2010

NATO and Russia could begin cooperation immediately on a missile shield in Europe, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Nov. 3, Xinhua reported. At a meeting in Moscow, Rasmussen said Russia and NATO could set up a joint fund to finance the delivery of Russian helicopters to Afghanistan, and that the invitation is open to Ukraine and Russia to participate in the missile defense system. He added that NATO did not expect a response on the issue at the Nov. 19-20 NATO summit in Lisbon, and that NATO will not change its policy on non-recognition of the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

IRAN

Iran: Jundallah Threatens U.S. Over Terrorism Designation November 4, 2010

Iran’s Jundallah militant group on Nov. 4 condemned the United States for adding the group to its list of international terrorist entities, Al Arabiya reported. In a statement, the group threatened to “cause problems and damages” in the Balochistan region as well as in Afghanistan and criticized U.S. support of what it called “criminals and murderers” in Israel and Iran.

IRAQ

Tactical Breakdown of the Baghdad Church Attack STRATFOR


ISRAEL

Iran: Hezbollah Provided UAVs, Attack Aircraft November 6, 2010

Iran provided Hezbollah with a complete aerial array, including an attack aircraft and at least three different kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles, Haaretz reported Nov. 6 citing Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah. The aircraft can reach long distances and attack specific ground targets, according to sources close to the Hezbollah military leadership. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised “surprises” that his organization would use in any future Israeli conflict, sources said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is reportedly responsible for the transfer of the aircraft and dozens of Iranian experts allegedly arrived in Lebanon to help build the aerial array and train militants.

AFGHANISTAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

MIDDLE EAST

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Mexico Security Memo: Nov. 1, 2010 STRATFOR
Mexico: Drug Cartel Leader Killed November 6, 2010

Mexican Gulf drug cartel leader Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, also known as “Tony Tormenta,” was killed in a shootout between members of the Gulf Cartel, the Zetas and Mexican federal police and military forces in northeastern Mexico, public security spokesman Alejandro Poire stated, AFP reported Nov. 6. A total of 47 people were killed during the Nov. 5 firefight, including three cartel members and two security force staff, in the border city of Matamoros, across from the U.S. city of Brownsville, the Brownsville Herald reported.

Mexico: Suspected Supplier For Drug Cartel Captured November 5, 2010

Mexican police before dawn on Nov. 5 arrested a man believed to be the primary cocaine supplier for the Beltran Leyva drug cartel, Reuters reported. Harold “The Rabbit” Poveda supplied Beltran Leyva with roughly 150 metric tons of cocaine from 1998 to 2008, according to a police statement. Poveda’s business was affected by the weakening of the cartel, causing him to seek other clients.

Mexico: 6 Tons Of Marijuana Seized In Nuevo Laredo November 4, 2010

Mexican soldiers seized approximately six tons of marijuana and three vehicles at a recycling center in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas state, El Universal reported Nov. 4. The soldiers reportedly found the drugs during a routine patrol.

U.S.: Authorities Seize Drugs, Money In Cartel Distribution Investigation November 4, 2010

Federal and local U.S. law enforcement agent have arrested 45 individuals and seized cash, guns and more than two tons of drugs as part of an investigation into the Atlanta, Ga., distribution hub of a major Mexican drug cartel, authorities said Nov. 4, AP reported. Operation Choke Hold began in May 2009, targeting the La Familia Michoacana cartel’s operations in Atlanta. Specifically, authorities seized 1,869 kilograms (4,120 pounds) of marijuana, 46 pounds of methamphetamine, 94 pounds of cocaine, 20 guns, six vehicles and about $2.3 million in cash.

Mexico, U.S.: Drug Smuggling Tunnel Discovered November 3, 2010

U.S. and Mexican authorities have discovered a tunnel used for drug smuggling that stretches from a warehouse in Tijuana to a warehouse in the Otay Mesa region of San Diego, San Diego television station KPBS reported Nov. 3. Twenty tons of marijuana has been found in the warehouse in Otay Mesa, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said. Four and a half tons of marijuana has been found on the Mexican side of the tunnel, Mexican soldiers said. The warehouse in Tijuana is a two-story cement block building, the soldiers said, adding that the tunnel reaches a depth of about 5.5 meters (18 feet) underground.

Venezuela: 15,000 More Troops Deployed To Border With Colombia November 2, 2010

Venezuela will deploy 15,000 soldiers to the border with Colombia to reinforce an existing security initiative dubbed Operation Sentinel, according to armed forces commander Maj. Gen. Henry Rangel Silva, Globovision reported Nov. 2. Under the plan, patrols will be increased at bases along the border to counter drug smuggling, kidnapping and extortion.

MISC

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT



Except where noted courtesy www.stratfor.com

On These Issues

While looking for the Bush book signing schedule I accidentally found Booker Rising,  a site for moderate and conservative blacks.  One of its links was to a political test to find where are you and I had to take it.

I have to say I'm shocked, shocked, that I'm only a moderate conservative...I've always looked at myself as a more libertarian conservative.  Then I retook the test and found I did misunderstand some two of the questions and I am a Libertarian Conservative. 

But these tests are subjective...but they are still interesting to take. 

Officer Down

Police Officer Ryan Bonaminio
Riverside California Police Department
End of Watch: Sunday, November 7, 2010
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: 1529

Officer Ryan Bonaminio was shot and killed while involved in a foot pursuit in Fairmount Park at approximately 9:45 pm.

He had stopped a tractor trailer suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run accident a short time earlier. The driver of the vehicle fled from the vehicle into the park, with Officer Bonaminio in pursuit. A shootout ensued in the park in which Officer Bonaminio was struck at least once. The shooter returned to the truck and fled the scene.

Responding officers heard the shots and located Officer Bonaminio. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds a short time later.

Officer Bonaminio served as a military policeman in the U.S. Army for four years, serving two tours in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He had served with the Riverside Police Department for four years and is survived by his parents, brother, and sister.

Rest in Peace Bro…We’ll Continue 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.