Dec 7, 2010 - An 18 percent drop in the number of homeless veterans over about two years gives hope to the secretary of Veterans Affairs that he’ll be able to keep a pledge made last year to end homelessness among veterans within five years.
Speaking at a national symposium on homelessness, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said the current estimate of homeless veterans is down from about 250,000 a decade ago, a sign that this “national shame” can be solved through coordinating government programs.
His remarks came Tuesday at the National Forum on Homelessness Among Veterans, where he and other Obama administration officials spoke with people who run homeless programs about interagency cooperation.
But seeing progress is not the same as declaring victory. “We need to do more together, and we need to do things faster, better and smarter,” he said. “We are in a tough fight. I know it, you know it.”
VA spent $3.5 billion on homeless programs in 2010 and is asking for $4.2 billion for 2011, with 85 percent of the money earmarked for health care, Shinseki said. {read rest}
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Number of homeless veterans drops 18 percent
US Attempts to Influence World Climate Body
The US was concerned that an Iranian scientist would be elected as co-chair of one of the working groups, an eventuality which would have paired him with a US scientist. That, Rice wrote in a dispatch, would be "problematic and potentially at odds with overall US policy towards Iran."
12/07/2010 - If you don't play, we won't pay. That seems to be the US message to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change when it comes to key personnel decisions, according to one of the newly leaked dispatches. The State Department, the document seems to indicate, leaned on a financial lever to get its way.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a unique construct. It is made up of scientists who are tasked with monitoring the global climate. Exactly who those scientists are, however, is often a political question.
There are 3,000 of them in the IPCC, a group which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. Every five years, the IPCC publishes an assessment report, a document which examines the health of the world's climate -- and one which goes a long way toward determining international climate policy. But just how much influence do politicians have on the group?
A cable sent from the US State Department on Sept. 2, 2008, and written by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, hints at the answer. The subject was the make-up of one of the three main working groups responsible for the report. Members were to be elected in a secret vote by the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva a short time later.
Serious Strike Against Him {read rest}
Iraqs Women and Their Children
Ahhh, that 'bringing freedom and democracy' at the point of bombs and guns just works so great for those at the receiving end, Not!!!!
IRAQ: Displaced women still struggle for survival
Photo: jamesdale10/Flickr: Life is tough for female IDPs who have returned to their homes (file photo)
7 December 2010 - Displaced Iraqi female-headed families who have returned home are still experiencing major livelihood challenges, says the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
An IOM survey of 1,355 female-headed displaced families who have returned to their places of origin found that 74 percent are struggling to secure adequate nutrition for their families.
Delays in receiving subsidized government food rations or lack of some food items in the rations force women to buy food with whatever money they have, adding to their struggle, the report, issued on 3 December, states.
The survey also found that health problems and social norms had prevented nearly 40 percent of them from finding jobs. Of those who are able to work, 71 percent are unemployed.
About 40 percent of those surveyed said they depended on relatives, neighbours, NGOs and religious groups to meet their needs. And more than 25 percent had a family member with chronic disease while one in four lacked access to healthcare.
"These women have to support their children and elderly family members. Without a steady income, they become reliant on support from whoever can give it but it is not systematic," said Antonio Salanga, IOM's head of the Baghdad regional hub. {read rest}
Deadline Extended Again for Stop Loss Pay!!
Wow, hadn't heard a thing about this and thought it had lapsed on schedule as to last extension so wasn't looking for any updated news. This is great news for the Stop Loss Soldiers and their Beneficiaries if killed in theater during their being Stop Loss tour. If you know of or suspect someone might fall under this Please contact them and let them know, especially out in the rural area's of the country or those who have found themselves homeless, across the country. It's a shorter extension but it might catch many who hadn't yet signed on.
Deadline for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay Extended
December 06, 2010 - The Department of Defense announced today that the deadline for eligible service members, veterans and their beneficiaries to apply for Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay (RSLSP) has been extended to Dec. 18. The last deadline was Dec. 3.
To apply, or for more information on RSLSP, including submission requirements and service-specific links, go to Retroactive Stop Loss Special Pay .
The deadline extension is included in the continuing resolution signed by President Obama on Dec. 4, providing funding for federal government operations through Dec. 18.
RSLSP was established to compensate military members whose service was involuntarily extended under Stop Loss between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009. Eligible members or their beneficiaries are required to submit a claim to their respective military service in order to receive the benefit of $500 for each full or partial month served in a Stop Loss status.
When RSLSP began on Oct. 21, 2009, the services estimated 145,000 service members, veterans and beneficiaries were eligible. Because the majority of those eligible had separated from the military, the services have engaged in extensive and persistent outreach efforts throughout the year. Efforts including direct mail, engaging military and veteran service organizations, social networks and media outlets, will continue throughout the period of eligibility.
Monday, December 06, 2010
'Invisible wounds'
Rena Curtiss, left, holds a photo of her brother, the late Sgt. Anthony Burch, as Burch's mother, Linda Evans, stands beside her in their Howell home. Burch, a Purple Heart recipient, committed suicide in January after almost losing his life in Iraq, becoming addicted to prescription pain medications and conducting a nine-hour-plus armed standoff with police last year. Evans' brother, a Vietnam War veteran, also committed suicide after returning home from service. She believes his suicide, like her son's, also was spurred by war-related trauma. (Photo by ALAN WARD/DAILY PRESS & ARGUS)
December 6, 2010 - Linda Evans looks at a photo of her son in Iraq, then another photo of him from last year and swears it's not the same person.
U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Burch, 34, ultimately committed suicide after almost losing his life in Iraq, becoming addicted to prescription pain medications and conducting a nine-hour-plus armed standoff with police.
"They're not the same people to me. They don't even look the same," Evans said, comparing photos.
Burch suffered from what have become known as "invisible wounds," or combat-related traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress.
By nature, "invisible wounds" aren't seen, and going back decades have rarely been recognized or treated, said Rick Briggs, a retired U.S. Air Force major and head of the Veteran's Program at the Brighton-based Brain Injury Association of Michigan.
Burch — a Purple Heart recipient — was deployed to Iraq with the Michigan Army National Guard starting in 2004 during the early stages of the conflict. During his tour, a vehicle he was in was struck by a roadside bomb, throwing him from the vehicle.
His gun struck him in the face on impact, causing severe facial injuries. His right hand was also severely injured, and his right pinky finger later had to be removed.
Upon returning home, Burch became addicted to OxyContin and Vicodin to treat his pain.
In July 2009, he had an armed, nine-hour-plus standoff with police that led to the evacuation of about 20 homes in the Hometown Estates mobile home park in Howell. {read rest}
Wars/Occupations! Veterans Of! Tax Cuts! Sacrifice???
For us Veterans, who've been Advocates for our Brothers and Sisters for years, fighting the Citizens of this Country, when one hears 'tax cuts', especially for the extremely wealthy of the past decade, one is shown Exactly how hollow those words "Support the Troops!" are! Especially after this past decade of those reaping their wealth from two wars of choice, and still doing so, as their reps press for continued 'Non-Sacrifice!' and not only the wealthy!!!!
Even the 'magnetic ribbons' are gone from the 'purple heart bandages' crowds vehicles!!
Obama, tax cuts, and the rich
Even the 'magnetic ribbons' are gone from the 'purple heart bandages' crowds vehicles!!
Dec 06, 2010 - For Republicans, it's about keeping the same tax rates that have been in place for nearly a decade.
For Democrats, it's about tax cuts for the rich.
Those differing views dominate discussion of a possible deal over the George W. Bush tax cuts that expire at the end of the year.
Obama and the Democrats are, reluctantly, discussing an extension of all the Bush tax cuts, even those for the wealthy, but only a temporary one. {read rest}
Alternate to UNFCCC
December 06, 2010 - While climate negotiators, NGOs and delegates gather at the walled-off U.N. Climate Change Conference at the plush Moon Palace Hotel in Cancún, Mexico, those who were not invited have organized their own meetings. {read rest w/transcript}
The war may be over but the grudge ain`t
December 4, 2010 - What you see is not always what you get…
As the American troops are gradually pulling out of Iraq, the Americans find relief in the news that the war in Iraq has ended and the boys are finally coming home to America.
But is it all that simple?
snip
Even more important could Americans forget all about those bloody and ruthless seven years and only think of them as history now.
If the Americans managed to erase the memory of those agonizing years, I doubt the Iraqis and a lot of Arab peoples will ever do.
Some wounds never heal {read rest}
War out of Mind? Think of the Kids of the Military and Veterans!
Especially at this time of year. Seems very few, and I mean Very Few even mention the Wars of Choice and most certainly aren't demanding 'sacrifice' from those that cheered them on, the greater majority, out of site, few media reports, out of mind! Even the ones that brought them on and rubber stamped the credit cards of costs are instead demanding 'No Sacrifice' in the form of continued tax cuts!
Marine veteran's son needs a bed and a new furry friend
Larry Kolvoord/AMERICAN-STATESMAN: Stacey Kennedy's son Richmond loves animals and dreams of one day being a veterinarian. He volunteers with a dog rescue group.
Dec. 6, 2010 - Richmond Kennedy, a 10-year-old boy who makes good grades, is already thinking about Harvard. "Or Yale. I want to be a veterinarian," he said.
In school, he likes language arts and science. In a dream world that is fueled by the Animal Planet TV channel, he loves tortoises, boa constrictors, scorpions, hamsters and guinea pigs.
His guinea pig, Richmond Jr., died recently, and he wants another. But Richmond's mother, Stacey Kennedy has other priorities. The single mom works but has no car. She loves to cook but doesn't have all the right pots and pans and kitchen appliances to make everything she likes.
"I can bake a mean apple pie," said Kennedy, 47, a Marine veteran who received an honorable discharge after a back injury.
The Kennedys are part of the Austin American-Statesman's annual Season for Caring campaign, which helps 12 featured families and hundreds of others served by area nonprofit agencies.
Despite struggling to make ends meet, Kennedy provides her son opportunities to grow. On the third Saturday of every month, he volunteers with a cocker spaniel rescue group that shows dogs available for adoption at the Petco store in the Arboretum. {read rest}
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Mirror Wikileaks!!
4 December 2010 - Wikileaks is currently under heavy attack.
In order to make it impossible to ever fully remove Wikileaks from the Internet, we need your help.
if you have a unix-based server which is hosting a website on the Internet and you want to give wikileaks some of your hosting resources, you can help!
Please follow the following instructions:
* Setup an account where we can upload files using RSYNC+SSH (preferred) or FTP
* Put our SSH key in this server or create an FTP account
* Create a virtual host in your web server, which, for example, can be wikileaks.yourdomain.com
* send the IP address of your server to us, and the path where we should upload the content. (just fill the form below) {read rest and sign on if able}
Veterans Administration Still Going Greener
System at North Hills center, costing $21 million, is one of 18.
12/03/2010 - The Sepulveda VA will install a $21 million solar-energy system as part of the Veterans Administration's effort to "green" its facilities nationwide, officials said Friday.
The solar project is one of 18 being installed at medical centers operated by the VA, which plans to spend about $200 million in federal stimulus money to create renewable- and efficient-energy systems at its facilities nationwide. Another $200 million is being invested in clean-energy generation and energy conservation.
In addition to the VA's Ambulatory Care Center in North Hills, the West Los Angeles Medical Center on Wilshire Boulevard will get a $16.4 million solar-energy system.
"We're very happy to have this project in the Valley," said Ross Manoukian, energy manager for the VA's health care system in Los Angeles. "Some veterans called me up and asked for solar technology. They are enthusiastic about the technology."
San Jose-based SunPower Corp. is slated to start installing the system next year at the 150-acre Sepulveda VA. Plans call for installing a 3.965 megawatt photovoltaic system that will generate 7.3 kilowatt hours of solar energy - enough to power about 2,900 homes a year. Solar panels will be installed on rooftops, over parking areas and on a 10-acre ground site, officials said.
The West Los Angeles facility will get a 2.875 megawatt plant with the same three components. {read rest}
First Steps in Suppression of Information
Suppressing the masses to what is done and said "In Their Names!", answers the 9/11 question, "Why do they hate us so much?"!
Fed workers told: Stay away from those leaked cables
Directive notes the content 'remains classified'; Columbia U. also warns future diplomats
12/4/2010 - With tens of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables still to be disclosed by WikiLeaks, the Obama administration has warned federal government employees, and even some future diplomats, that they must refrain from downloading or even linking to any.
"Classified information, whether or not already posted on public websites or disclosed to the media, remains classified, and must be treated as such by federal employees and contractors," the Office of Management and Budget said in a notice sent out Friday. {read rest}
Refugee Camps in Far Off Countries
Teenage refugees, who have sought asylum in Norway, are suffering from poor psychological and physical living conditions, a report says.
Dec 4, 2010 - According to the Norwegian daily Dagbladet, teenagers from different countries such as Ethiopia, Somalia, Morocco, Russia and Palestine, face an uncertain future while waiting to be granted asylum to Norway.
The asylum-seeking teenagers living in a refugee camp in the city of Bodo in Norway's Nordland County were initially refused asylum by the Nordic country and are suffering from psychological problems.
snip
Many of Norway's new citizens came as refugees initially from Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan. About 1,215 were from Iraq, with the next-largest concentrations coming from Somalia, Afghanistan, Russia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. {read rest}
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Target, War-Hero Dog, Honored
Dec. 3, 2010 - CASA GRANDE - Candlelight vigils are pretty common. But for a dog?
It happened Friday night in Casa Grande for a female shepherd mix mistakenly euthanized last month by a Pinal County animal control employee.
The dog named Target saved soldiers in Afghanistan and lived through explosions in the war-torn country. It was brought to the Phoenix area in August by Army Sgt. Terry Young after his tour of duty. {read rest}
FINALLY: VooDoo Economics!!
It's about Damn Time somebody not only talks about but uses the labels of the failure of this so called capitalist system that did what it was long forecast it would, "Collapse"!!!!!
One of the many reasons it lasted this long, up till the beginning of the new century {I was in construction, now forced into retirement} and those like myself who were paying attention saw the collapse coming, it was getting harder for developers to find the cash for projects long before the residential collapse, was the easy credit schemes cooked up by the banks and others.
GOP tax bonus for rich ignores failure of Reaganomics
This is what this Administration and the Democratic Congresses should have been hammering home since day one! Why didn't they, because they and others before them even if not believing in the policies, in the past some thirty years, or those around them, especially contributors and lobbyist, media talking heads etc., greatly prospered from the false capitalism policy and now want to hang on for their survival and the survival of that failure that spread worldwide!
This was on just before Rachel's pointed report:
Republicans hold the nation hostage
And this followup especially the beginning:
Tax wars at home, problems overseas
Taxes benefit everyone but especially the business communities, private investment on wall street is a crap shoot where the money isn't used for the supposed purpose but only to make money, who want to expand, start new companies etc., and need state or federal help in doing so. Instead they've been getting extreme tax relief while the states and feds are still giving that extra capital needed for their wants, extra or enhanced infrastructure, tax breaks covering years, repairing that infrastructure when needed but not with any contributions from the companies nor the executives suites.
The burdens have been on the masses for far to long, I've watched the change from my first thirty years, almost half of that in the industry as a multi tradesman, and the rapid change the past thirty years. As wages stagnated, trades were totally lost, mental and physical expertise, as they were transferred overseas to others, security for the worker has dropped and only some of those, for the most part, who paid dearly for that higher education industry piece of paper and networking were considered professionals, even that has collapsed. Here's another report from last night pointing to just that:
AIR DATE: Dec. 3, 2010
Dog-Walkers to Dominatrices: Many College Grads Face 'Malemployment'
Frankly All the taxes cuts should be allowed to end, not just the wealthy, if for no other reason then the totally forgotten wars of choice that Nobody but those sent and their families have been forced to 'Sacrifice' for! Who now will be battling on the homefront the same battles those of us before them are still fighting as the country puts them out of sight out of mind!! But also because no one is investing into economic growth but the federal government, Us, that tries and is condemned for doing, especially by those who are proponents of the 'voodoo economics'!
One of the many reasons it lasted this long, up till the beginning of the new century {I was in construction, now forced into retirement} and those like myself who were paying attention saw the collapse coming, it was getting harder for developers to find the cash for projects long before the residential collapse, was the easy credit schemes cooked up by the banks and others.
Dec. 3: Rachel Maddow looks back at the consequences of Ronald Reagan's trickle-down voodoo economic policy that left the rich richer, the poor poorer and the national debt exploded.
This is what this Administration and the Democratic Congresses should have been hammering home since day one! Why didn't they, because they and others before them even if not believing in the policies, in the past some thirty years, or those around them, especially contributors and lobbyist, media talking heads etc., greatly prospered from the false capitalism policy and now want to hang on for their survival and the survival of that failure that spread worldwide!
This was on just before Rachel's pointed report:
Dec. 3: Former Reagan Budget Director David Stockman talks about the disadvantages of tax cuts for the rich.
And this followup especially the beginning:
Dec. 3: As Congress battles over taxes, President Barack Obama makes a surprise trip to Afghanistan. The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson discusses where Obama stands on the issues.
Taxes benefit everyone but especially the business communities, private investment on wall street is a crap shoot where the money isn't used for the supposed purpose but only to make money, who want to expand, start new companies etc., and need state or federal help in doing so. Instead they've been getting extreme tax relief while the states and feds are still giving that extra capital needed for their wants, extra or enhanced infrastructure, tax breaks covering years, repairing that infrastructure when needed but not with any contributions from the companies nor the executives suites.
The burdens have been on the masses for far to long, I've watched the change from my first thirty years, almost half of that in the industry as a multi tradesman, and the rapid change the past thirty years. As wages stagnated, trades were totally lost, mental and physical expertise, as they were transferred overseas to others, security for the worker has dropped and only some of those, for the most part, who paid dearly for that higher education industry piece of paper and networking were considered professionals, even that has collapsed. Here's another report from last night pointing to just that:
Dog-Walkers to Dominatrices: Many College Grads Face 'Malemployment'
SUMMARY
Conventional wisdom held that a college degree was a gateway to a better -- and better-paying -- career and lifestyle. But are those student loans worth it? Paul Solman looks at how a group of recent college graduates is faring in the dismal job market and how many are forced into "malemployment" jobs to make ends meet. Transcript
Frankly All the taxes cuts should be allowed to end, not just the wealthy, if for no other reason then the totally forgotten wars of choice that Nobody but those sent and their families have been forced to 'Sacrifice' for! Who now will be battling on the homefront the same battles those of us before them are still fighting as the country puts them out of sight out of mind!! But also because no one is investing into economic growth but the federal government, Us, that tries and is condemned for doing, especially by those who are proponents of the 'voodoo economics'!
‘Torture Is Forbidden’
And how is the now not secret use of by the U.S. and other countries, especially those during the past decade and the CIA rendition program, any different then the charges pointed at Iran or any country we and others condemn! And how are the so called leaders of Nations who ordered the policies and than walk around freely bragging about the use of any less guilty then those other so called leaders widely condemned for doing same though not bragging about!
Iran is routinely lambasted for its use of torture, summary executions, and midnight raids to quell the political opposition. One of the regime’s stalwart defenders is Mohammad Javad Larijani, head of the judiciary’s human-rights council. He is part of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s inner circle and one third of Iran’s most powerful family: his brothers run the judiciary and legislature. He spoke with NEWSWEEK’s Jerry Guo in New York about why Iran is misunderstood. Excerpts: {read rest}
Friday, December 03, 2010
After the Spill: Few Signs of Life on Gulf Ocean Floor
Though Region is Healing, Damage From BP Spill Persists on Ocean Floor, Scientists Say
Dec. 3, 2010 - A mile below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico, there is little sign of life.
"It looks like everything's dead," University of Georgia professor Samantha Joye said.
In an exclusive trip aboard the U.S. Navy's deep-ocean research submersible Alvin, ABC News was given the chance to observe the impact of this summer's massive oil spill that most will never see.
The ocean floor appears to be littered with twigs, but Joye points out that they are actually dead worms and that Alvin is sitting on top of what is considered an 80-square mile kill zone.
Having taken nearly two dozen dives in the Gulf inside the tiny sub that helped discover the Titanic, Joye is leading a team of scientists who are investigating how much oily material is left on the sea floor. {read rest}
Part of N.C. coast could be gone in this century
2 December 2010 - Many coastal wetlands worldwide - including several on the U.S. Atlantic coast - may be more sensitive than previously thought to climate change and sea-level rise projections for the 21st century.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists made this conclusion from an international research modelling effort published today in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, a publication of the American Geophysical Union. Scientists identified conditions under which coastal wetlands could survive rising sea level.
Using a rapid sea-level rise scenario, most coastal wetlands worldwide will disappear near the end of the 21st century. In contrast, under the slow sea-level rise projection, wetlands with low sediment availability and low tidal ranges are vulnerable and may drown. However, in the slow sea-level rise projection, wetlands with higher sediment availability would be more likely to survive.
Several coastal marshes along the east coast of the United States, for example, have limited sediment supplies and are likely to disappear this century. Vulnerable east coast marshes include the Plum Island Estuary (the largest estuary in New England) and coastal wetlands in North Carolina's Albemarle-Pamlico Sound (the second-largest estuary in the United States). {read rest}
Sea Level Could Rise in South, Fall in North
DER SPIEGEL Graphic: Average change in sea level from 1995 until 2005
12/02/2010 - Climate change is expected to cause sea levels to rise -- at least in some parts of the world. Elsewhere, the level of the ocean will actually fall. Scientists are trying to get a better picture of the complex phenomenon, which also depends on a host of natural factors.
When presented as a globe, the Earth looks as round and smooth as a billiard ball. To anyone standing on a beach, the ocean looks as flat as a pancake.
But perception is deceptive. "In reality, the water in the oceans wobbles all over the place," says oceanographer Detlef Stammer. He isn't talking about waves, but large-scale bulges and bumps in the sea level.
Stammer, who is the director of the Center for Marine and Climate Research at the University of Hamburg, is familiar with the incorrect notions that lay people have, which is why he likes to present them with two numbers to shatter their illusions. "In the Indian Ocean, the sea level is about 100 meters (330 feet) below the average, while the waters around Iceland are 60 meters above the average." {read rest}
Green Roofs Growing in U.S.
Long a proven technology in Europe, green roofs are becoming increasingly common in U.S. cities, with major initiatives in Chicago, Portland, and Washington, D.C. While initially more expensive than standard coverings, green roofs offer some major environmental — and economic — benefits.
Photo by Sigal Ben-Shmuel/EKLA
The 2.5-acre park on the Morgan Processing and Distribution facility is the biggest green roof in New York.
02 Dec 2010 - The low scrubland of densely packed succulents is in full fall color, a carpet of green fading brilliantly to red and gold. This 2.5-acre oasis, located among a barrens of blacktop roofs that stretches east to Broadway and west to the Hudson River, would be an impressive sight even if it wasn’t sitting atop the U.S. Postal Service’s 1933 landmark Morgan Processing and Distribution facility in midtown Manhattan.
The biggest green roof in New York City and one of the largest in the country, the Morgan facility’s verdant covering was completed in December 2008 and has thrived since. As the inscription above the landmark James Farley Post Office might have it, the roof has been affected by “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night,” and has flourished through freezes and thaws, through summer rooftop temperatures that reach 150 degrees, and through weeks of drought and torrential summer storms, despite never being watered, weeded, or fertilized. {read rest}
Torture: Past Time to Clean House
As Wikileaks reveals how the US has covered the CIA's dirty tracks, the Obama administration must hold officials to account
Former department of justice official John Yoo testifying before the House judiciary committee during a hearing on the Bush administration's interrogation policy in 2008 in Washington, DC. Yoo cited attorney-client privilege in avoiding answering specific questions about his involvement in drafting the controversial 2002 'Bybee memo' on interrogation techniques. Photograph: Melissa Golden/Getty Images
3 December 2010 - In the already sordid annals of US torture in the name of countering terrorism, November proved to be an unusually embarrassing month – not just for the Bush administration, which sanctioned the abuses, but also for the Obama administration, which has failed to hold its predecessors accountable.
First, former President George W Bush boasted in his new memoir and on talkshows how he had authorised waterboarding, a form of torture. Then, a US special prosecutor announced that he will not pursue criminal charges against CIA officers for intentional destruction of videotapes that reportedly show two terrorism suspects being waterboarded in one of its secret prisons in Thailand in 2002. Now, classified diplomatic cables newly released by WikiLeaks confirm that both the Obama and Bush administrations sought to quash criminal investigations in Europe into illegal counterterrorism activities such as kidnapping and torture by Bush-era officials.
In Spain, US diplomats in April 2009 joined with a pair of Republican members of the US Congress to urge a Spanish prosecutor, as well as officials with Spain's justice ministry and foreign affairs ministry, to drop a potentially landmark investigation against six top Bush administration officials, the cables show. The Spanish probe sought to indict former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and five other Bush administration officials for creating the legal framework to justify the use of torture and other coercive interrogation techniques {read rest}
Thursday, December 02, 2010
GitMo: "Pharmacologic Waterboarding"
01 December 2010 - The Defense Department forced all "war on terror" detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison to take a high dosage of a controversial antimalarial drug, mefloquine, an act that an Army public health physician called "pharmacologic waterboarding."
The US military administered the drug despite Pentagon knowledge that mefloquine caused severe neuropsychiatric side effects, including suicidal thoughts, hallucinations and anxiety. The drug was used on the prisoners whether they had malaria or not.
The revelation, which has not been previously reported, was buried in documents publicly released by the Defense Department (DoD) two years ago as part of the government's investigation into the June 2006 deaths of three Guantanamo detainees. {read rest}
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Prejudice and Bigotry
The Pentagon's report should clear the way for the Senate to reconsider the fiscal year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act, which contains the language needed to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," write Lawrence J. Korb and Laura Conley.
More: The Ball Is in the Senate's Court on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
More: The Ball Is in the Senate's Court on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Americans Urged to Speak Out for Refugees
We've Created enough of them in the past decade, time to do right, Way Pass Time!!
New Blue Key Campaign Addresses Growing World Displacement Crisis
December 1, 2010 - Spearheading a new movement in social activism, the United States Association for UNHCR (USA for UNHCR) today launched the Blue Key Campaign — the first U.S. based initiative to channel the energy of individual citizens to speak out for refugees. The campaign aims to provide a broadened base of support for the leading organization safeguarding the rights and well-being of displaced people around the world – the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Mounted in response to a humanitarian displacement crisis that is unprecedented in size, the Blue Key Campaign introduces a new icon – a key in the UN blue color – to inspire the public to unlock the door to a better future for the more than 43 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Americans who proudly display the new Blue Key will join a community of “Keyholders” working with noted celebrities and political leaders around the country to champion the refugee cause. {read rest}
The Andes: Water Wars
30 November 2010 - In the third of a four-part series on climate change, John Vidal visits Espinar in Peru where, with water in increasingly short supply, farmers are engaging in violent confrontation with government forces {for links to first two reports}
Some Reality of Recovery Act {Stimulus} Funds
11/28/2010 - Federal stimulus dollars funded a major rehabilitation of Danville's mass transit administrative maintenance facility and supplied locals with months of work just as construction contracts became harder to get.
The Danville Transit System received $899,000 in stimulus money from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation earlier this year. More than $650,000 of the money was used to upgrade the transit building and parking lot located off of South Boston Road near the humane society.
"Definitely, there is a direct benefit for the local economy," said Marc Adelman, director of transportation services for Danville. "The majority of funds stayed here in Danville."
About $200,000 of the money bought two new buses. No additional positions were created but bus acquisition and capital improvement projects generated the work equivalent of almost four full-time jobs for a year, Adelman said. {read rest}
11/28/2010 - Trails, campgrounds and forest access have been major stimulus beneficiaries from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Hikers were seeing something as rare as Sasquatch in the backcountry of national forests this summer -- workers. By fall, hunters were finding trails cleared, bridges replaced and campgrounds expanded and repaved in locations scattered throughout the Inland Northwest
Millions of the $275 billion in stimulus funding to create jobs were earmarked for contracts or grants to repair, maintain and improve recreational infrastructure.
Paving and completion of the Fish Lake rail trail out of Spokane was among the first stimulus-boosted projects completed in the northwest because it was "shovel ready" when funds were approved in the spring of 2009. {read rest}
22-NOV-10 - If the stimulus measure is keeping construction workers employed, the months just past represented a new high point--depending on how you add it all up. {This needs subscription to read rest}
DoD: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Report and Related
Quotes
Secretary Robert M. Gates
“While a repeal would require some changes to regulations, the key to success, as with most things military, is training, education, and, above all, strong and principled leadership up and down the chain of command.” As Delivered Remarks
Nov. 30, 2010
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen
“This is without question a complex social and cultural issue. But at the end of the day, whatever the decision of our elected leaders may be, we in uniform have an obligation to follow orders. When those orders involve significant change, such as this would, we need to find ways to lead the way forward.” As Prepared for Delivery
Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Nov. 30, 2010
Visit this Department of Defense site page for the report and related links that I'm sure will be built on as this progresses.
DADT Review Chairmen: Repeal Poses 'Low Risk to Force'
SUMMARY
The Pentagon's long-awaited review of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy banning gays from serving openly in the armed forces revealed that 70 percent of military personnel surveyed said that changing the law would have little or no impact on readiness. Jim Lehrer talks with study chairmen, Jeh Johnson and Gen. Carter Ham. {Transcript}
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