From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Revise drug laws
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Dear Editor,
In the traditional matrix where tiny Jamaica must endure the overwhelming power and hubris of the mighty USA, we need to adopt smart strategies. If we don't, the US State Department will continue to use the drug problem as the big stick to keep us and other Third-World countries in distress ("we have the dirt on you" !), while many US states turn a blind eye to drug growing and trading. For example, some counties in California report that more than 60 per cent of local trade comprises marijuana.
Read the whole letter here.
____
Bert Ramsay
florissano1@live.com
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
S&S - GIs retrain Congo troops known for being violent
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
GIs retrain Congo troops known for being violent
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, May 2, 2010
STUTTGART, Germany — At a remote military base in the jungle city of Kisangani, an elite team of U.S. troops is attempting to retrain a battalion of Congolese infantrymen to serve as a model for an unruly force that has a reputation for using rape as a weapon of war.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"In a region where intimidation is used by soldiers and the rebels they fight, the U.S. Special Operations Command Africa troops offer plenty of traditional soldiering instruction. For now, the team of about 25 Americans is focused on small-unit tactics, medical care, logistics support and communications. Soon they also will enlist alternative methods to reform a military in disarray.
U.S. Africa Command is drafting curriculum for dealing with the sexual violence issues that plague the Congolese military and will incorporate those findings into training this summer."
&
"AFRICOM has deployed an expert in sexual violence to the Congo to conduct interviews and help develop the sexual violence program for military leaders who are untrained in this area, according to Special Operations Command Africa.
AFRICOM, along with contractors hired by the U.S. State Department, began working with the Congolese battalion in March as part of an evolving six-month program. The hope is to field more than 700 Congolese troops capable of deploying as part of a quick-reaction force to protect the country’s borders and the people who call those volatile regions home."
Stars and Stripes
GIs retrain Congo troops known for being violent
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, May 2, 2010
STUTTGART, Germany — At a remote military base in the jungle city of Kisangani, an elite team of U.S. troops is attempting to retrain a battalion of Congolese infantrymen to serve as a model for an unruly force that has a reputation for using rape as a weapon of war.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"In a region where intimidation is used by soldiers and the rebels they fight, the U.S. Special Operations Command Africa troops offer plenty of traditional soldiering instruction. For now, the team of about 25 Americans is focused on small-unit tactics, medical care, logistics support and communications. Soon they also will enlist alternative methods to reform a military in disarray.
U.S. Africa Command is drafting curriculum for dealing with the sexual violence issues that plague the Congolese military and will incorporate those findings into training this summer."
&
"AFRICOM has deployed an expert in sexual violence to the Congo to conduct interviews and help develop the sexual violence program for military leaders who are untrained in this area, according to Special Operations Command Africa.
AFRICOM, along with contractors hired by the U.S. State Department, began working with the Congolese battalion in March as part of an evolving six-month program. The hope is to field more than 700 Congolese troops capable of deploying as part of a quick-reaction force to protect the country’s borders and the people who call those volatile regions home."
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
re: "Obama Administration: No Response to a Nuclear Iran"
DRJ guest-posting at Patterico's Pontifications ("Harangues that Just Make Sense") commented on the Gates memorandum.
Money quote(s):
"Republican Presidents have enough to worry about without being responsible for their Democratic successor’s foul-ups."
Money quote(s):
"Republican Presidents have enough to worry about without being responsible for their Democratic successor’s foul-ups."
JG - EDITORIAL Defending that which is wrong
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
EDITORIAL Defending that which is wrong
Published: Saturday May 1, 2010
Hardly a day goes by without citizens of Jamaica taking to the streets to express outrage over one issue or the other. This week, two such demonstrations caught our attention: one was staged by persons involved in the scrap-metal trade and the other was by citizens who sided with a businessman whose poorly constructed house tumbled down, killing a worker. We feel that these two incidents bring into question the overall moral condition of our society.
Read the whole editorial here.
Snippet(s):
"Scrap-metal thieves have created a major headache for utility companies, farmers and householders. They have removed protective rails, dismantled irrigation equipment, stolen traffic signs and, despite various warnings from the authorities, they have continued these activities with impunity. The demonstration was in reaction to a decision to staunch metal theft by closing down the industry. Anyone expecting to hear condemnation of the indiscriminate theft of metal would have been disappointed. The demonstrators seemed only concerned with making a livelihood."
&
"The sobering truth is that these groups are attempting to convey, without shame, the idea that life is hard, and that cheating, theft, thuggery and flagrant flouting of the law are acceptable in the name of survival.
Some months back, there was another demonstration staged in west Kingston in support of Christopher Coke, whose extradition is being sought by the American government. The largely female group spoke of how he had assisted them financially in getting their children to school and putting food in their bellies. They were railing against the requests for his extradition.
Here is a society enmeshed in bloody violence and hair-raising crime that gets more bizarre by the day, yet we find persons willing to take an a priori defensive position when allegations of criminality arise. We can understand why the beneficiaries of Mr Coke's largesse are standing by his side; however, we find it more difficult to countenance the Government, particularly Prime Minister Golding, rising in such stout defence of Mr Coke to the extent of rigging the extradition argument with specious claims about the method used to gather evidence."
_____
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
Jamaica Gleaner
EDITORIAL Defending that which is wrong
Published: Saturday May 1, 2010
Hardly a day goes by without citizens of Jamaica taking to the streets to express outrage over one issue or the other. This week, two such demonstrations caught our attention: one was staged by persons involved in the scrap-metal trade and the other was by citizens who sided with a businessman whose poorly constructed house tumbled down, killing a worker. We feel that these two incidents bring into question the overall moral condition of our society.
Read the whole editorial here.
Snippet(s):
"Scrap-metal thieves have created a major headache for utility companies, farmers and householders. They have removed protective rails, dismantled irrigation equipment, stolen traffic signs and, despite various warnings from the authorities, they have continued these activities with impunity. The demonstration was in reaction to a decision to staunch metal theft by closing down the industry. Anyone expecting to hear condemnation of the indiscriminate theft of metal would have been disappointed. The demonstrators seemed only concerned with making a livelihood."
&
"The sobering truth is that these groups are attempting to convey, without shame, the idea that life is hard, and that cheating, theft, thuggery and flagrant flouting of the law are acceptable in the name of survival.
Some months back, there was another demonstration staged in west Kingston in support of Christopher Coke, whose extradition is being sought by the American government. The largely female group spoke of how he had assisted them financially in getting their children to school and putting food in their bellies. They were railing against the requests for his extradition.
Here is a society enmeshed in bloody violence and hair-raising crime that gets more bizarre by the day, yet we find persons willing to take an a priori defensive position when allegations of criminality arise. We can understand why the beneficiaries of Mr Coke's largesse are standing by his side; however, we find it more difficult to countenance the Government, particularly Prime Minister Golding, rising in such stout defence of Mr Coke to the extent of rigging the extradition argument with specious claims about the method used to gather evidence."
_____
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.
S&S - Afghan militants increase attacks on contractors
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Afghan militants increase attacks on contractors
By Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post
Online Edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The Taliban has begun regularly targeting U.S. government contractors in southern Afghanistan, stepping up use of a tactic that is rattling participating firms and could undermine development projects intended to stem the insurgency, according to U.S. officials.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Within the past month, there have been at least five attacks in Helmand and Kandahar provinces against employees of U.S. Agency for International Development contract companies who run agricultural projects, build roads, maintain power plants and work with local officials.
The USAID implementing partners, as the contract companies are known, employ mainly Afghans, who are overseen by foreigners. The their role is becoming increasingly important as more aid money floods into southern Afghanistan as part of a dual effort to generate goodwill and bolster the Kabul government.
A suicide car bomb that exploded Thursday evening outside a compound used by Western contractors in Kandahar was the latest and deadliest attack. The Associated Press reported that the blast killed at least six people wounded 16 other people, including at least two Americans, along with South African and Nepalese employees."
"At least one company working in Kandahar, Bethesda, Md.-based DAI, evacuated some employees to Kabul after the attack, the officials said."
&
"Thursday’s attack came two days after Hosiy Sahibzada, 24, an Afghan who worked for DAI, was gunned down in Kandahar City. On Tuesday, an Afghan employee of Arlington-based International Relief & Development, was shot and killed in Helmand province’s Garmsir area.
The U.S. official in Kandahar said it would be foolish to think that the attacks were independent of one another. “This can’t be coincidental,” he said. “This is what they’re doing now.”"
Stars and Stripes
Afghan militants increase attacks on contractors
By Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post
Online Edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — The Taliban has begun regularly targeting U.S. government contractors in southern Afghanistan, stepping up use of a tactic that is rattling participating firms and could undermine development projects intended to stem the insurgency, according to U.S. officials.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Within the past month, there have been at least five attacks in Helmand and Kandahar provinces against employees of U.S. Agency for International Development contract companies who run agricultural projects, build roads, maintain power plants and work with local officials.
The USAID implementing partners, as the contract companies are known, employ mainly Afghans, who are overseen by foreigners. The their role is becoming increasingly important as more aid money floods into southern Afghanistan as part of a dual effort to generate goodwill and bolster the Kabul government.
A suicide car bomb that exploded Thursday evening outside a compound used by Western contractors in Kandahar was the latest and deadliest attack. The Associated Press reported that the blast killed at least six people wounded 16 other people, including at least two Americans, along with South African and Nepalese employees."
"At least one company working in Kandahar, Bethesda, Md.-based DAI, evacuated some employees to Kabul after the attack, the officials said."
&
"Thursday’s attack came two days after Hosiy Sahibzada, 24, an Afghan who worked for DAI, was gunned down in Kandahar City. On Tuesday, an Afghan employee of Arlington-based International Relief & Development, was shot and killed in Helmand province’s Garmsir area.
The U.S. official in Kandahar said it would be foolish to think that the attacks were independent of one another. “This can’t be coincidental,” he said. “This is what they’re doing now.”"
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
CN - Commentary: The Obama Administration should challenge Arizona's discriminatory law against Hispanics
From my archive of press clippings:
Caribbean Netnews.Com
Commentary: The Obama Administration should challenge Arizona's discriminatory law against Hispanics
Published on Saturday, May 1, 2010
By Wellington C Ramos
Recently, the Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer signed a law that will give law enforcement authorities in the state of Arizona the authority to stop any person and ask them for their identification and, if they are suspected to be in the country illegally, be detained, apprehended and brought into custody then be deported back to their country. The Governor and her Republican Party in the United States have consistently opposed any federal legislation to reform immigration in the United States which has about twenty million illegal aliens living in this country for years, faith in limbo while pending their documentation.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"They claim that the reason for this law is because the federal government has failed in stopping illegal aliens from crossing the border between Mexico and the United States from coming into the United States."
Well, it doesn't seem to me that the problem Arizona faces is an influx of boat people, after all.
"This action on their part is in violation of Article-14 of the United States Constitution, the Equal Protection Clause, which states that all American citizens should be treated equally despite their race, color, creed or religion.
This State Law could also be deemed in violation of the Supremacy Clause, which states that States can make no laws that are contrary to the laws passed by the US Congress."
And yet the Arizona immigration law only makes illegal under state law what is already illegal under federal law. Curious.
"I am appealing to the President to instruct his Attorney General William Holder to file a suit against the State of Arizona in the United States Supreme Court to challenge this law. Under the US Constitution, immigration is not a function of the states prescribed in Article-X for them to be engaged in but rather for the Federal Government."
The U.S. Constitution only has seven articles. Count them yourself. I did. There is a Section 10 in Art. I, which deals with the powers reserved to the states rather than Congress, but there's no mention of immigration.
The Tenth Amendment, on the other hand, seems to argue the other way than Prof. Ramos intends:
"In the US Constitution, the role of the judiciary is to interpret the laws of the land. In the past, the court has interpreted the laws unfavorably to the citizens of the country."
Prof. Ramos follows this statement with the example of Plessy v. Ferguson. Personally, I think he could have found a lot more recent examples, but they wouldn't have tended to buttress his argument.
&
"I have faith, trust and confidence in this President that he will act quickly to void this law."
Since this is a state law, not one which crosses his desk in the Oval Office and is thus subject to presidential veto, this will not be a simple thing for the president to accomplish by himself.
_____
Born in Dangriga Town, the cultural capital of Belize, Wellington Ramos has BAs in Political Science and History from Hunter College, NY, and an MA in Urban Studies from Long Island University. He is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science and History
Caribbean Netnews.Com
Commentary: The Obama Administration should challenge Arizona's discriminatory law against Hispanics
Published on Saturday, May 1, 2010
By Wellington C Ramos
Recently, the Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer signed a law that will give law enforcement authorities in the state of Arizona the authority to stop any person and ask them for their identification and, if they are suspected to be in the country illegally, be detained, apprehended and brought into custody then be deported back to their country. The Governor and her Republican Party in the United States have consistently opposed any federal legislation to reform immigration in the United States which has about twenty million illegal aliens living in this country for years, faith in limbo while pending their documentation.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"They claim that the reason for this law is because the federal government has failed in stopping illegal aliens from crossing the border between Mexico and the United States from coming into the United States."
Well, it doesn't seem to me that the problem Arizona faces is an influx of boat people, after all.
"This action on their part is in violation of Article-14 of the United States Constitution, the Equal Protection Clause, which states that all American citizens should be treated equally despite their race, color, creed or religion.
This State Law could also be deemed in violation of the Supremacy Clause, which states that States can make no laws that are contrary to the laws passed by the US Congress."
And yet the Arizona immigration law only makes illegal under state law what is already illegal under federal law. Curious.
"I am appealing to the President to instruct his Attorney General William Holder to file a suit against the State of Arizona in the United States Supreme Court to challenge this law. Under the US Constitution, immigration is not a function of the states prescribed in Article-X for them to be engaged in but rather for the Federal Government."
The U.S. Constitution only has seven articles. Count them yourself. I did. There is a Section 10 in Art. I, which deals with the powers reserved to the states rather than Congress, but there's no mention of immigration.
The Tenth Amendment, on the other hand, seems to argue the other way than Prof. Ramos intends:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
Prof. Ramos follows this statement with the example of Plessy v. Ferguson. Personally, I think he could have found a lot more recent examples, but they wouldn't have tended to buttress his argument.
&
"I have faith, trust and confidence in this President that he will act quickly to void this law."
Since this is a state law, not one which crosses his desk in the Oval Office and is thus subject to presidential veto, this will not be a simple thing for the president to accomplish by himself.
_____
Born in Dangriga Town, the cultural capital of Belize, Wellington Ramos has BAs in Political Science and History from Hunter College, NY, and an MA in Urban Studies from Long Island University. He is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science and History
JO - Air J cleared for take-off
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Air J cleared for take-off
Saturday, April 17, 2010
THE Air Jamaica deal with Caribbean Airlines seems set to take off again with the granting of a 60-day waiver by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) allowing the Lovebird to fly to that country when the Transitional Services Agreement (TSA) between both carriers comes into effect on April 30.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"On March 24, Air Jamaica wrote to the DOT asking for permission to continue to operate on the terms of its existing authority during the six- to 12-month transition period expected under the divestment agreement with Caribbean Airlines.
Failing that permission, the airline asked the Americans for an urgent waiver of the DOT’s standard ownership and control policy, in order for it to maintain services for the one-year period under its TSA with the Trinidad-operated Caribbean Airlines.
In a statement issued yesterday, Henry explained that the waiver, which comes into effect on April 15, will allow for the Air Jamaica/Caribbean Airlines operation to be able to fly in and out of the US."
Jamaica Observer
Air J cleared for take-off
Saturday, April 17, 2010
THE Air Jamaica deal with Caribbean Airlines seems set to take off again with the granting of a 60-day waiver by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) allowing the Lovebird to fly to that country when the Transitional Services Agreement (TSA) between both carriers comes into effect on April 30.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"On March 24, Air Jamaica wrote to the DOT asking for permission to continue to operate on the terms of its existing authority during the six- to 12-month transition period expected under the divestment agreement with Caribbean Airlines.
Failing that permission, the airline asked the Americans for an urgent waiver of the DOT’s standard ownership and control policy, in order for it to maintain services for the one-year period under its TSA with the Trinidad-operated Caribbean Airlines.
In a statement issued yesterday, Henry explained that the waiver, which comes into effect on April 15, will allow for the Air Jamaica/Caribbean Airlines operation to be able to fly in and out of the US."
Monday, May 3, 2010
re: "Criminal ideologies"
Col. B. Bunny at Eternity Road ("Freedom Commandos -- and there is no finer species") discussed some of America's existential threats.
Money quote(s):
"We didn’t ban the Communist party, but we should have. Freedom of Religion is absolute, but it does exist on the assumption that the religion in question is not a criminal ideology dedicated to the destruction of the United States. And that is exactly what Islam, like Nazism or Communism is.
Freedom of Religion was meant to protect religious freedom, not protect religious terrorism."
"The solicitude of the Soviet Union for greater voter registration and equality of educational opportunity here apparently motivated it to expend large sums of money inside our borders. To downplay their altruism, those crazy guys used Armand “the Bag Man” Hammer to transfer those sums secretly to the Communist Party of the US.A. (Note that this is a fact one mentioned publicly at great personal peril when Mr. Hammer was still alive.) Too, that they were a bunch of murderous thugs hostile to all that America stands for was something that they thought Americans in their parochial view of things would not appreciate."
"The idea that domestic communists weren’t committed to the overthrow of the U.S. is ridiculous now and was then. To call yourself a communist at any time is to associate yourself with an ideology of dictatorship, subjugation, summary execution, and judicial murder—the reality of every communist regime that ever was. No amount of naivete or willful blindness can excuse that association. To pretend that communism was something benign and “progressive” was an exercise in protective coloration."
&
"Think death for apostasy, shariah supplanting the Constitution, rule by ignorant priests, male supremacy, subjugation of women, implacable hostility to rational thought, war against and subjugation of infidels everywhere, destruction of Christian churches and the Christian religion itself, and execution of infidels unwilling to live as dhimmis in their own land, just to name a few things off the top of my head.
So, yes. Criminal ideologies.
Best obliterated, expelled, or quarantined."
Money quote(s):
"We didn’t ban the Communist party, but we should have. Freedom of Religion is absolute, but it does exist on the assumption that the religion in question is not a criminal ideology dedicated to the destruction of the United States. And that is exactly what Islam, like Nazism or Communism is.
Freedom of Religion was meant to protect religious freedom, not protect religious terrorism."
"The solicitude of the Soviet Union for greater voter registration and equality of educational opportunity here apparently motivated it to expend large sums of money inside our borders. To downplay their altruism, those crazy guys used Armand “the Bag Man” Hammer to transfer those sums secretly to the Communist Party of the US.A. (Note that this is a fact one mentioned publicly at great personal peril when Mr. Hammer was still alive.) Too, that they were a bunch of murderous thugs hostile to all that America stands for was something that they thought Americans in their parochial view of things would not appreciate."
"The idea that domestic communists weren’t committed to the overthrow of the U.S. is ridiculous now and was then. To call yourself a communist at any time is to associate yourself with an ideology of dictatorship, subjugation, summary execution, and judicial murder—the reality of every communist regime that ever was. No amount of naivete or willful blindness can excuse that association. To pretend that communism was something benign and “progressive” was an exercise in protective coloration."
&
"Think death for apostasy, shariah supplanting the Constitution, rule by ignorant priests, male supremacy, subjugation of women, implacable hostility to rational thought, war against and subjugation of infidels everywhere, destruction of Christian churches and the Christian religion itself, and execution of infidels unwilling to live as dhimmis in their own land, just to name a few things off the top of my head.
So, yes. Criminal ideologies.
Best obliterated, expelled, or quarantined."
re: "Obama to lock up Army doctor rather than produce birth certificate"
Chris Carter at Unto The Breach ("Covering matters of American liberty and security.") had an update on LTC Lakin's court martial.
Money quote(s):
"I know that if Obama is found to be a usurper, the country will likely experience unrest. I also know that we would be left with Nancy Pelosi as VP and Joe Biden as President, which in itself is almost enough to deter any steps to restore a legitimate government. But the fact remains that the Constitution says that our president must be “natural born.” And when the president is willing to throw a decorated Lieutenant Colonel into prison rather than produce his birth certificate, that path is the darker of the two."
Personally, I very much doubt Pres. Obama will ever be proven not to have been born in Hawaii. And much of the blog-noise about Indonesian step-fathers, losing his citizenship, &tc., is ignorant jaw-jawing about irrelevancies.
And as for the president being "willing" about anything in this case pre-supposes the notion that it's even on his radar screen. He's in office and he's got bigger fish to fry.
Money quote(s):
"I know that if Obama is found to be a usurper, the country will likely experience unrest. I also know that we would be left with Nancy Pelosi as VP and Joe Biden as President, which in itself is almost enough to deter any steps to restore a legitimate government. But the fact remains that the Constitution says that our president must be “natural born.” And when the president is willing to throw a decorated Lieutenant Colonel into prison rather than produce his birth certificate, that path is the darker of the two."
Personally, I very much doubt Pres. Obama will ever be proven not to have been born in Hawaii. And much of the blog-noise about Indonesian step-fathers, losing his citizenship, &tc., is ignorant jaw-jawing about irrelevancies.
And as for the president being "willing" about anything in this case pre-supposes the notion that it's even on his radar screen. He's in office and he's got bigger fish to fry.
JG - Money-mad metal thieves
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
Money-mad metal thieves
Published: Saturday May 1, 2010 Comments 0
The Editor, Sir:
Having first-hand experience of the foibles of the scrap metal industry, I can totally agree with the Governments indefinitely halting all export of this so-called 'commodity'.
Read the whole letter here.
Snippet(s):
"The extremes that the thieves are willing to go to have reached a new level. I see where the sugar industry is losing millions in irrigation investment, gas stations have had theirs signs sawn down, and community projects have been stalled due to the thievery of these money-mad misanthropes.
For years, a hydroelectric turbine rested in my garage, awaiting the favour of the many, but sadly, priority-skewed, aid and grant funding agencies. This shining example of engineering, wrought in stainless steel and bronze, was to be used (if the funds ever became available), to power a yet, unnamed community, probably in the eastern heights of the island. As with a lot of things on this heartbreak island, the main parts of this machine were ripped from my grasp of both and the future beneficiaries by thieves who knew the lay of my property."
_____
I am, etc.,
TONY GOFFE
tony@peeniwalli.com
Mandeville
Jamaica Gleaner
Money-mad metal thieves
Published: Saturday May 1, 2010 Comments 0
The Editor, Sir:
Having first-hand experience of the foibles of the scrap metal industry, I can totally agree with the Governments indefinitely halting all export of this so-called 'commodity'.
Read the whole letter here.
Snippet(s):
"The extremes that the thieves are willing to go to have reached a new level. I see where the sugar industry is losing millions in irrigation investment, gas stations have had theirs signs sawn down, and community projects have been stalled due to the thievery of these money-mad misanthropes.
For years, a hydroelectric turbine rested in my garage, awaiting the favour of the many, but sadly, priority-skewed, aid and grant funding agencies. This shining example of engineering, wrought in stainless steel and bronze, was to be used (if the funds ever became available), to power a yet, unnamed community, probably in the eastern heights of the island. As with a lot of things on this heartbreak island, the main parts of this machine were ripped from my grasp of both and the future beneficiaries by thieves who knew the lay of my property."
_____
I am, etc.,
TONY GOFFE
tony@peeniwalli.com
Mandeville
S&S - Ex-Blackwater employees indicted for violating federal firearms laws
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Ex-Blackwater employees indicted for violating federal firearms laws
By Joseph Neff and Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers
Stars and Stripes online edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. — Five former employees of the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater violated a series of federal firearms laws to give the company a leg up in the military contracting and training business, a federal indictment charged Friday.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Blackwater officials falsified federal paperwork to conceal a gift of firearms to Jordan's King Abdullah II, whom Blackwater was courting as a client, the indictment charges.
Former company president Gary Jackson used the tiny Camden County, N.C., sheriff's office as a front to buy AK-47 automatic rifles that Blackwater wanted for its training facility in Moyock, N.C., and the company illegally possessed short-barreled rifles that Blackwater officials thought were useful for winning security contracts."
"Friday's indictment is the latest bad news for Blackwater, which changed its name to Xe in 2009. The company burst into the spotlight in 2004 when four of its contractors were massacred in Fallujah, Iraq, which triggered two attacks on Fallujah by U.S. Marines.
The indictment highlights how Blackwater marketed its personal protection and military training services to countries worldwide, and investigators examined numerous allegations — not all of which are covered in the indictment — that the company exported firearms and other weapons without a license.
King Abdullah visited Blackwater's headquarters in March 2005 along with his two sons, according to government investigators. To curry favor with the king, Blackwater made a gift of five weapons etched with the Blackwater logo — three Glock pistols, an M4 Bushmaster rifle and a Remington shotgun.
Afterward, Blackwater employees realized that they couldn't account for the weapons, and falsely completed federal forms stating that Jackson and a second person had purchased the weapons, the indictment said."
"In February 2006, the company sought a State Department license to export more than $30,000 worth of weapons, including Bushmaster rifles, to Abdullah's private security detail. The State Department approved that export, but denied the company's bid to sell silencers for the weapons."
&
"Friday's charges stem from a wide-ranging federal investigation of Blackwater's weapons dealings that began in February 2006, according to officials and documents. The investigation involved agents from the Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Department of Homeland Security's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement bureau; the Commerce Department; the State Department inspector general's office; and other agencies. At times, the team had up to 20 federal agents."
_____
Strobel reported from Washington. McClatchy Newspapers correspondent Jonathan S. Landay in Washington contributed to this report.
Stars and Stripes
Ex-Blackwater employees indicted for violating federal firearms laws
By Joseph Neff and Warren P. Strobel, McClatchy Newspapers
Stars and Stripes online edition, Saturday, April 17, 2010
RALEIGH, N.C. — Five former employees of the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater violated a series of federal firearms laws to give the company a leg up in the military contracting and training business, a federal indictment charged Friday.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Blackwater officials falsified federal paperwork to conceal a gift of firearms to Jordan's King Abdullah II, whom Blackwater was courting as a client, the indictment charges.
Former company president Gary Jackson used the tiny Camden County, N.C., sheriff's office as a front to buy AK-47 automatic rifles that Blackwater wanted for its training facility in Moyock, N.C., and the company illegally possessed short-barreled rifles that Blackwater officials thought were useful for winning security contracts."
"Friday's indictment is the latest bad news for Blackwater, which changed its name to Xe in 2009. The company burst into the spotlight in 2004 when four of its contractors were massacred in Fallujah, Iraq, which triggered two attacks on Fallujah by U.S. Marines.
The indictment highlights how Blackwater marketed its personal protection and military training services to countries worldwide, and investigators examined numerous allegations — not all of which are covered in the indictment — that the company exported firearms and other weapons without a license.
King Abdullah visited Blackwater's headquarters in March 2005 along with his two sons, according to government investigators. To curry favor with the king, Blackwater made a gift of five weapons etched with the Blackwater logo — three Glock pistols, an M4 Bushmaster rifle and a Remington shotgun.
Afterward, Blackwater employees realized that they couldn't account for the weapons, and falsely completed federal forms stating that Jackson and a second person had purchased the weapons, the indictment said."
"In February 2006, the company sought a State Department license to export more than $30,000 worth of weapons, including Bushmaster rifles, to Abdullah's private security detail. The State Department approved that export, but denied the company's bid to sell silencers for the weapons."
&
"Friday's charges stem from a wide-ranging federal investigation of Blackwater's weapons dealings that began in February 2006, according to officials and documents. The investigation involved agents from the Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the Department of Homeland Security's Immigrations and Customs Enforcement bureau; the Commerce Department; the State Department inspector general's office; and other agencies. At times, the team had up to 20 federal agents."
_____
Strobel reported from Washington. McClatchy Newspapers correspondent Jonathan S. Landay in Washington contributed to this report.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
re: "Bridge for sale: Iranian supremo says Islam precludes use of nuclear weapons"
Robert at Jihad Watch ("dedicated to bringing public attention to the role that jihad theology and ideology plays in the modern world, and to correcting popular misconceptions about the role of jihad and religion in modern-day conflicts") explained what should be obvious.
Money quote(s):
"But what he is really trying to do is get his enemies to disarm."
Money quote(s):
"But what he is really trying to do is get his enemies to disarm."
S&S - Military to adopt broad policy on privately-owned guns
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Military to adopt broad policy on privately-owned guns
By Anne Gearan, The Associated Press
Stars and Stripes online edition, Friday, April 16, 2010
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military will adopt a broad policy governing how privately owned guns can be carried or stored at military installations after the shooting deaths of 13 people last year at Fort Hood, Texas.
Stars and Stripes
Military to adopt broad policy on privately-owned guns
By Anne Gearan, The Associated Press
Stars and Stripes online edition, Friday, April 16, 2010
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military will adopt a broad policy governing how privately owned guns can be carried or stored at military installations after the shooting deaths of 13 people last year at Fort Hood, Texas.
Read the whole article here.
JO - Retired politicians don't always make good envoys
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Retired politicians don't always make good envoys
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
A certain prime minister of Jamaica, who shall be nameless, is reported to have said that it is not important who is appointed ambassador because he had a telephone.
Read the whole editorial here.
Snippet(s):
"Although this is patently absurd, it has become an axiom of an approach to foreign policy by succeeding governments since the 1970s. Most unfortunately, it has been practised with disastrous results in the capitals of some of the countries that are most important to Jamaica, namely Washington, DC; London; and Ottawa."
"This dumping policy is not received well in foreign capitals because the "host" country knows what is being passed off and is insulted. The fog that engulfed United States-Jamaica relations has not yet cleared in Washington, DC.
Ambassadorial postings cannot be a pension plan for retirees or for politicians with other infirmities such as health problems. Even undistinguished backbenchers have become ambassadors if they are willing to accept less attractive postings. We have seen some who acceded to the diplomatic life without any aptitude, and even when they do not perform they are retained or offered another prestigious posting.
Some of these appointees regard their positions as a reward for work already done and do not exert themselves, to the detriment of Jamaica. Their verbal incontinence is an embarrassment to their country and their sartorial eccentricities a source of derision among their countrymen in the Diaspora. These retirees have not even been aware of their shortcomings while "enjoying" the privileges. They conflate the ceremonial with the cerebral and confuse the deference given to the office with respect for their person.
They are disparaged in dispatches to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by their own staff who file demeaning reports critiquing their conduct and work ethic, disregard for proper procedure and an ignorance of protocol."
&
"We are looking to Prime Minister Bruce Golding to put a stop to these types of appointments and to refrain from rewarding or condoning failure with inappropriate appointments. One bad term does not deserve another. There must be some other form of pension or local sinecure for retired politicians. Jamaica will not be taken seriously or get on any country's foreign policy agenda if we do not have effective representations.
The persons appointed as ambassadors/high commissioners, especially in Washington, DC; London; Ottawa; and at the United Nations, must be suitably qualified persons who could include competent politicians but not those in need of a pension."
Jamaica Observer
Retired politicians don't always make good envoys
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
A certain prime minister of Jamaica, who shall be nameless, is reported to have said that it is not important who is appointed ambassador because he had a telephone.
Read the whole editorial here.
Snippet(s):
"Although this is patently absurd, it has become an axiom of an approach to foreign policy by succeeding governments since the 1970s. Most unfortunately, it has been practised with disastrous results in the capitals of some of the countries that are most important to Jamaica, namely Washington, DC; London; and Ottawa."
"This dumping policy is not received well in foreign capitals because the "host" country knows what is being passed off and is insulted. The fog that engulfed United States-Jamaica relations has not yet cleared in Washington, DC.
Ambassadorial postings cannot be a pension plan for retirees or for politicians with other infirmities such as health problems. Even undistinguished backbenchers have become ambassadors if they are willing to accept less attractive postings. We have seen some who acceded to the diplomatic life without any aptitude, and even when they do not perform they are retained or offered another prestigious posting.
Some of these appointees regard their positions as a reward for work already done and do not exert themselves, to the detriment of Jamaica. Their verbal incontinence is an embarrassment to their country and their sartorial eccentricities a source of derision among their countrymen in the Diaspora. These retirees have not even been aware of their shortcomings while "enjoying" the privileges. They conflate the ceremonial with the cerebral and confuse the deference given to the office with respect for their person.
They are disparaged in dispatches to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by their own staff who file demeaning reports critiquing their conduct and work ethic, disregard for proper procedure and an ignorance of protocol."
&
"We are looking to Prime Minister Bruce Golding to put a stop to these types of appointments and to refrain from rewarding or condoning failure with inappropriate appointments. One bad term does not deserve another. There must be some other form of pension or local sinecure for retired politicians. Jamaica will not be taken seriously or get on any country's foreign policy agenda if we do not have effective representations.
The persons appointed as ambassadors/high commissioners, especially in Washington, DC; London; Ottawa; and at the United Nations, must be suitably qualified persons who could include competent politicians but not those in need of a pension."
Saturday, May 1, 2010
S&S - Stop-loss pay problems persist
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
Stop-loss pay problems persist
Posted April 16th, 2010 by Jeff Schogol
in
Stripes Central
It’s been six months since the Army started accepting retroactive stop-loss pay claims, and despite addressing much of the initial confusion with the program people are still having lingering problems getting their money.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"In most cases, the application process takes less than eight weights, but the pay office gives people a “conservative estimate” of how long the process will take to “set expectations.”"
Stars and Stripes
Stop-loss pay problems persist
Posted April 16th, 2010 by Jeff Schogol
in
Stripes Central
It’s been six months since the Army started accepting retroactive stop-loss pay claims, and despite addressing much of the initial confusion with the program people are still having lingering problems getting their money.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"In most cases, the application process takes less than eight weights, but the pay office gives people a “conservative estimate” of how long the process will take to “set expectations.”"
Friday, April 30, 2010
7NB - Bus Passengers Kill Grenade Bandit
From my archive of press clippings:
7 News Belize
Bus Passengers Kill Grenade Bandit
posted (April 12, 2010)
Snippet(s):
"..... news of a frightening grenade attack onboard a passenger bus. It happened around 7 last night onboard a D&E bus bound for Benque Viejo Town. There were two bandits both believed to be Guatemalan. One was armed with a gun and the other with a hand grenade. In a stunning move, passengers kicked the grenade man out of the bus and ended up killing the other assailant."
Read the whole article here.
7 News Belize
Bus Passengers Kill Grenade Bandit
posted (April 12, 2010)
Snippet(s):
"..... news of a frightening grenade attack onboard a passenger bus. It happened around 7 last night onboard a D&E bus bound for Benque Viejo Town. There were two bandits both believed to be Guatemalan. One was armed with a gun and the other with a hand grenade. In a stunning move, passengers kicked the grenade man out of the bus and ended up killing the other assailant."
Read the whole article here.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
re: "Asymmetric Advancement"
Lex at Neptunus Lex ("The unbearable lightness of Lex. Enjoy!") offered some historical perspective on counter-piracy operations.
Money quote(s):
"Some policy makers argue that we should “follow the money,” since the poor, benighted beggars chasing merchant ships around armed with AK-47s and RPGs are not reaping the windfall from their actions, but merely serving wealthy “businessmen” who make expensive real estate acquisitions in Kenya and Ethiopia with the proceeds. Others might would argue that the presumption that actions against armed pirates must be “nonlethal” is in itself a part of the problem: Replacing skiffs and even motherships is cheap, but pirates who feed fishes offend no further."
&
"This is not to suggest that we ought to hang impoverished African teenagers as we sweep them up, nor that we ought to use more than the minimal force required to defeat the imminent danger. To do so would be to become what we had beheld. But it does force us to acknowledge certain civilizational asymmetries: We’ve got a long way to go before we can integrate gap state Somalia into the “functioning core” of civilization, to use TPM Barnett’s formulation.
That which cannot be integrated must be isolated.
Hey, if this stuff were easy, the Air Force could do it."
Money quote(s):
"Some policy makers argue that we should “follow the money,” since the poor, benighted beggars chasing merchant ships around armed with AK-47s and RPGs are not reaping the windfall from their actions, but merely serving wealthy “businessmen” who make expensive real estate acquisitions in Kenya and Ethiopia with the proceeds. Others might would argue that the presumption that actions against armed pirates must be “nonlethal” is in itself a part of the problem: Replacing skiffs and even motherships is cheap, but pirates who feed fishes offend no further."
&
"This is not to suggest that we ought to hang impoverished African teenagers as we sweep them up, nor that we ought to use more than the minimal force required to defeat the imminent danger. To do so would be to become what we had beheld. But it does force us to acknowledge certain civilizational asymmetries: We’ve got a long way to go before we can integrate gap state Somalia into the “functioning core” of civilization, to use TPM Barnett’s formulation.
That which cannot be integrated must be isolated.
Hey, if this stuff were easy, the Air Force could do it."
JO - Support Obama: It's in our interest
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Support Obama: It's in our interest
Ronald Sanders
Sunday, April 11, 2010
US President Barack Obama is showing that he is worthy of the Nobel Prize for Peace that he received late last year amid criticism that he had done nothing to deserve it.
Read the whole column here.
_____
Responses and previous commentaries at: www.sirronaldsanders.com
Sir Ronald Sanders is a consultant and former Caribbean diplomat.
Jamaica Observer
Support Obama: It's in our interest
Ronald Sanders
Sunday, April 11, 2010
US President Barack Obama is showing that he is worthy of the Nobel Prize for Peace that he received late last year amid criticism that he had done nothing to deserve it.
Read the whole column here.
_____
Responses and previous commentaries at: www.sirronaldsanders.com
Sir Ronald Sanders is a consultant and former Caribbean diplomat.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
JO - The plot thickens...
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
The plot thickens...
Sunday, April 11, 2010
As we suspected, last week's announcement by Prime Minister Bruce Golding of his intention to approach the local courts for a ruling concerning the handling of the US' extradition request for Mr Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, the strongman of his West Kingston constituency, has not brought a scintilla of clarity to the issue.
Instead, we are even more baffled than we were prior to the announcement, which itself was a creature of confusion. No nearer are we to knowing what the ultimate objectives of the proposed court action are, what precise format said action will take, or who will represent whom.
Read the whole editorial here.
Snippet(s):
"For it seems clear that the current information machinery has broken down, leaving us with the following plot summary:
* A strong man of the prime minister's constituency wanted -- since last August, at least -- by the US to answer charges of drug- and gun-running...
* A staunch refusal by the Government to let the request run its course through the courts, coupled with an unseemly vow by the prime minister to pay the political price.
* Information suggesting that the Government engaged a US law firm to give advice on said strongman's behalf.
* Desperate and, to date, futile attempts to have the information retracted by the law firm and the local lawyer who supposedly took it upon himself to hire and -- we can only suppose -- pay thousands of US dollars to said firm.
* Prolific US visa cancellation upon prolific US visa cancellation."
Jamaica Observer
The plot thickens...
Sunday, April 11, 2010
As we suspected, last week's announcement by Prime Minister Bruce Golding of his intention to approach the local courts for a ruling concerning the handling of the US' extradition request for Mr Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, the strongman of his West Kingston constituency, has not brought a scintilla of clarity to the issue.
Instead, we are even more baffled than we were prior to the announcement, which itself was a creature of confusion. No nearer are we to knowing what the ultimate objectives of the proposed court action are, what precise format said action will take, or who will represent whom.
Read the whole editorial here.
Snippet(s):
"For it seems clear that the current information machinery has broken down, leaving us with the following plot summary:
* A strong man of the prime minister's constituency wanted -- since last August, at least -- by the US to answer charges of drug- and gun-running...
* A staunch refusal by the Government to let the request run its course through the courts, coupled with an unseemly vow by the prime minister to pay the political price.
* Information suggesting that the Government engaged a US law firm to give advice on said strongman's behalf.
* Desperate and, to date, futile attempts to have the information retracted by the law firm and the local lawyer who supposedly took it upon himself to hire and -- we can only suppose -- pay thousands of US dollars to said firm.
* Prolific US visa cancellation upon prolific US visa cancellation."
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
JO - US agents stream into Jamaica, Move seen as effort to push 'Dudus' extradition.
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
US agents stream into Jamaica
Move seen as effort to push 'Dudus' extradition
Sunday, April 11, 2010
AGENTS from two American intelligence-gathering organisations have descended on Jamaica in unusual numbers over the last six months in what political watchers believe is a move by the United States to add more muscle to its request for Jamaica to extradite Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"A highly placed source told the Sunday Observer that some of the agents have been given strict instructions to pay close attention to three Government ministers, several members of the security forces, and two major downtown business operators."
"Yesterday, one source with knowledge of the country's security operations said that a significant number of foreigners, believed to be US agents, arrived in the island last Wednesday at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston."
"According to our sources, this is the latest tactic being used by the USA to have Jamaica extradite Coke, who a New York grand jury indicted last year on drug- and arms-trafficking charges."
"During the 1970s when the People's National Party administration, headed by Michael Manley, declared itself a democratic socialist government and damaged Jamaica's relations with America, CIA agents were active in Jamaica, fuelling many political fires. Some, operating as journalists, deliberately fed erroneous information to overseas media."
&
"When contacted, a spokeswoman in the DEA Office of Public Affairs in Washington said no one was available to provide information on the number of agents operating in Jamaica."
Jamaica Observer
US agents stream into Jamaica
Move seen as effort to push 'Dudus' extradition
Sunday, April 11, 2010
AGENTS from two American intelligence-gathering organisations have descended on Jamaica in unusual numbers over the last six months in what political watchers believe is a move by the United States to add more muscle to its request for Jamaica to extradite Christopher 'Dudus' Coke.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"A highly placed source told the Sunday Observer that some of the agents have been given strict instructions to pay close attention to three Government ministers, several members of the security forces, and two major downtown business operators."
"Yesterday, one source with knowledge of the country's security operations said that a significant number of foreigners, believed to be US agents, arrived in the island last Wednesday at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston."
"According to our sources, this is the latest tactic being used by the USA to have Jamaica extradite Coke, who a New York grand jury indicted last year on drug- and arms-trafficking charges."
"During the 1970s when the People's National Party administration, headed by Michael Manley, declared itself a democratic socialist government and damaged Jamaica's relations with America, CIA agents were active in Jamaica, fuelling many political fires. Some, operating as journalists, deliberately fed erroneous information to overseas media."
&
"When contacted, a spokeswoman in the DEA Office of Public Affairs in Washington said no one was available to provide information on the number of agents operating in Jamaica."
Monday, April 26, 2010
re: "MEPs again flex muscles in diplomatic service debate"
Honor Mahoney at EUObserver.Com ("to support the debate on - and development of European affairs") has news of the upcoming EU diplomatic service.
Money quote(s):
"New agreements on setting up a budget line for the External Action Service (EAS) as well as hiring national diplomats to kit out the service share the power of decision-making between member states and parliament - a situation that has forced national governments to make some concessions on the diplomatic service."
&
"Their main objections are that service is not politically accountable to the parliament; that its decision-making in key areas such as in development aid (an area with an annual budget running to billions of euros) is convoluted; and that the civilian mission part of the service is too entangled in the military structures of the service. "
Money quote(s):
"New agreements on setting up a budget line for the External Action Service (EAS) as well as hiring national diplomats to kit out the service share the power of decision-making between member states and parliament - a situation that has forced national governments to make some concessions on the diplomatic service."
&
"Their main objections are that service is not politically accountable to the parliament; that its decision-making in key areas such as in development aid (an area with an annual budget running to billions of euros) is convoluted; and that the civilian mission part of the service is too entangled in the military structures of the service. "
S&S - Germany housing shortage stalls moving plan
A recent press clipping:
Stars and Stripes
Germany housing shortage stalls moving plan
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, April 26, 2010
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Plans to consolidate the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Grafenwöhr, Germany, will stay on hold pending a decision expected late this year on whether to keep four U.S. Army brigade combat teams in Europe.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Housing shortages at Grafenwöhr — home to the 172nd’s headquarters and many of its troops — have forced U.S. Army Europe to postpone the movement of three of the brigade’s battalions from Schweinfurt this summer.
The 172nd and the Baumholder, Germany-based 170th Infantry Brigade were slated to return to the U.S. in 2012. But in February the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review backed retention of the brigades in Europe pending a review of NATO’s Strategic Concept and an accompanying assessment of its European defense posture network."
&
"Other units that were slated to swap places with the 172nd in Schweinfurt — comprising almost 750 soldiers and about 1,120 family members — will stay in Grafenwöhr for now. These include the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 23rd Ordnance Company, 574th Supply Company, 5th Maintenance Company, 1st Cargo Transportation Company, and the 71st Preventive Medicine Detachment, Henderson said.
If the Defense Department decides to retain the four combat brigades, approximately 40,000 soldiers will remain in Europe, facilities in Schweinfurt and Bamberg will stay open, and USAREUR will proceed with the 172nd consolidation at Grafenwöhr, she said.
However, it might take two years to identify developers and build homes for the 172nd soldiers.
That would require 300 more leased housing units and another 100 existing private rentals, Henderson said."
Stars and Stripes
Germany housing shortage stalls moving plan
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Monday, April 26, 2010
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Plans to consolidate the 172nd Infantry Brigade in Grafenwöhr, Germany, will stay on hold pending a decision expected late this year on whether to keep four U.S. Army brigade combat teams in Europe.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Housing shortages at Grafenwöhr — home to the 172nd’s headquarters and many of its troops — have forced U.S. Army Europe to postpone the movement of three of the brigade’s battalions from Schweinfurt this summer.
The 172nd and the Baumholder, Germany-based 170th Infantry Brigade were slated to return to the U.S. in 2012. But in February the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense Review backed retention of the brigades in Europe pending a review of NATO’s Strategic Concept and an accompanying assessment of its European defense posture network."
&
"Other units that were slated to swap places with the 172nd in Schweinfurt — comprising almost 750 soldiers and about 1,120 family members — will stay in Grafenwöhr for now. These include the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 23rd Ordnance Company, 574th Supply Company, 5th Maintenance Company, 1st Cargo Transportation Company, and the 71st Preventive Medicine Detachment, Henderson said.
If the Defense Department decides to retain the four combat brigades, approximately 40,000 soldiers will remain in Europe, facilities in Schweinfurt and Bamberg will stay open, and USAREUR will proceed with the 172nd consolidation at Grafenwöhr, she said.
However, it might take two years to identify developers and build homes for the 172nd soldiers.
That would require 300 more leased housing units and another 100 existing private rentals, Henderson said."
JG - Travellers to United States concerned, not worried
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
Travellers to United States concerned, not worried
Published: Sunday April 11, 2010
United States visa applicants gather in front of the embassy in Liguanea, St Andrew, in this Gleaner file photo. -Norman Grindley / Deputy Chief Photographer
Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
JAMAICANS TRAVELLING to the United States of America (US) are concerned about the recent non-immigrant visa revocations of at least one prominent businessman and five entertainers, but are scared to comment openly about it.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Although the response was unsolicited, at least one Jamaican with a stern face made it known that she would not touch the issue with a 10-foot pole. Others, fearing possible repercussions, were not willing to speak on record.
Visa holders, it is reported, are not aware that their visa has been cancelled until they arrive at the airline check-in desk at the airport. Our news team captured the mood of travellers to the US at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston on Thursday."
"The baptised New Yorker is among a number of Jamaicans who think the revocations are linked to the extradition tussle between the US and Jamaica involving alleged drug kingpin, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke. She is of the view that if the visa revocations are part of a broader punishment package crafted by the US to get Jamaica to extradite the man known in the streets as the 'president', then they are excessive."
&
"She opined that the government of her adopted homeland was being unfair because it is said that the 'president' has never travelled to America. However, under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty that deals with extradition, travelling to the requesting state is not a prerequisite for a prima facie case to be made out against an individual and a subsequent extradition request sent."
Jamaica Gleaner
Travellers to United States concerned, not worried
Published: Sunday April 11, 2010
United States visa applicants gather in front of the embassy in Liguanea, St Andrew, in this Gleaner file photo. -Norman Grindley / Deputy Chief Photographer
Tyrone Reid, Sunday Gleaner Reporter
JAMAICANS TRAVELLING to the United States of America (US) are concerned about the recent non-immigrant visa revocations of at least one prominent businessman and five entertainers, but are scared to comment openly about it.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Although the response was unsolicited, at least one Jamaican with a stern face made it known that she would not touch the issue with a 10-foot pole. Others, fearing possible repercussions, were not willing to speak on record.
Visa holders, it is reported, are not aware that their visa has been cancelled until they arrive at the airline check-in desk at the airport. Our news team captured the mood of travellers to the US at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston on Thursday."
"The baptised New Yorker is among a number of Jamaicans who think the revocations are linked to the extradition tussle between the US and Jamaica involving alleged drug kingpin, Christopher 'Dudus' Coke. She is of the view that if the visa revocations are part of a broader punishment package crafted by the US to get Jamaica to extradite the man known in the streets as the 'president', then they are excessive."
&
"She opined that the government of her adopted homeland was being unfair because it is said that the 'president' has never travelled to America. However, under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty that deals with extradition, travelling to the requesting state is not a prerequisite for a prima facie case to be made out against an individual and a subsequent extradition request sent."
Saturday, April 24, 2010
JG - 30 more Haitians arrive
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
30 more Haitians arrive
Published: Sunday April 11, 2010
Members of the Marine Police yesterday intercepted a boat with 30 Haitians aboard, off the course of Bowden, St Thomas.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"(T)he group includes 14 men, 10 children and six women. These Haitians arrived less than two weeks after the Jamaican Government sent back a group of 62 Haitians, who had landed in east Portland."
Jamaica Gleaner
30 more Haitians arrive
Published: Sunday April 11, 2010
Members of the Marine Police yesterday intercepted a boat with 30 Haitians aboard, off the course of Bowden, St Thomas.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"(T)he group includes 14 men, 10 children and six women. These Haitians arrived less than two weeks after the Jamaican Government sent back a group of 62 Haitians, who had landed in east Portland."
Friday, April 23, 2010
re: "Army to court martial Birther clown"
Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive ("The Paratrooper of Love") explicates an example of how military personnel give up certain rights to ensure that their fellow citizens retain theirs.
Money quote(s):
"Officers in the military do not get to question the credentials of those lawfully appointed over them. That includes, without question, the Commander in Chief. The second that he was inaugurated as President, Barack Obama became the lawful Commander in Chief. If there were questions about where he was birthed they became moot for any serving officer once he was sworn in. Individuals in the military swear to follow the orders of their superiors and if everyone could question the credentials of anyone else, we would have chaos not good order and discipline."
Money quote(s):
"Officers in the military do not get to question the credentials of those lawfully appointed over them. That includes, without question, the Commander in Chief. The second that he was inaugurated as President, Barack Obama became the lawful Commander in Chief. If there were questions about where he was birthed they became moot for any serving officer once he was sworn in. Individuals in the military swear to follow the orders of their superiors and if everyone could question the credentials of anyone else, we would have chaos not good order and discipline."
S&S - MP unit tarnished by Abu Ghraib scandal returning to Iraq
From my archive of press clippings:
Stars and Stripes
MP unit tarnished by Abu Ghraib scandal returning to Iraq
By David Dishneau, The Associated Press
Online Edition, Saturday, April 10, 2010
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Army Reserve unit tarnished by the Abu Ghraib detainee-abuse scandal has been mobilized to return to Iraq in its first deployment since photographs of naked, humiliated prisoners surfaced more than six years ago, the Army said Friday.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The 372nd Military Police Company of Cresaptown will leave April 29 for one to three months of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, followed by a planned deployment to Iraq, said Sgt. Darius Kirkwood, a spokesman for the 200th Military Police Command at Fort Meade. Few members of the unit remain from when the detainee photographs were taken, due to normal turnover, he said."
Stars and Stripes
MP unit tarnished by Abu Ghraib scandal returning to Iraq
By David Dishneau, The Associated Press
Online Edition, Saturday, April 10, 2010
HAGERSTOWN, Md. — The Army Reserve unit tarnished by the Abu Ghraib detainee-abuse scandal has been mobilized to return to Iraq in its first deployment since photographs of naked, humiliated prisoners surfaced more than six years ago, the Army said Friday.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The 372nd Military Police Company of Cresaptown will leave April 29 for one to three months of training at Fort Bliss, Texas, followed by a planned deployment to Iraq, said Sgt. Darius Kirkwood, a spokesman for the 200th Military Police Command at Fort Meade. Few members of the unit remain from when the detainee photographs were taken, due to normal turnover, he said."
Thursday, April 22, 2010
re: "'Full Victory - Nothing Else'"
Crush at Blackfive ("The Paratrooper of Love") explains why mission statements are important.
Money quote(s):
"Gen. Dwight Eisenhower gives the order of the day "Full Victory - Nothing Else" to paratroopers about to board planes for the invasion of Europe. In a matter of months, our military would achieve "Full Victory" over Nazi Germany, while simultaneously engaged with Imperial Japan in another theater.
Today, our leadership (political and military) refuses to even use the word "Victory.""
&
"Our troops are undoubtedly capable of defeating our enemies. They just need leadership (political and military) willing to identify the enemy, state what their intentions are, and then allow the military to defeat said enemy. Our troops are warfighters after all, not diplomats."
""
Money quote(s):
"Gen. Dwight Eisenhower gives the order of the day "Full Victory - Nothing Else" to paratroopers about to board planes for the invasion of Europe. In a matter of months, our military would achieve "Full Victory" over Nazi Germany, while simultaneously engaged with Imperial Japan in another theater.
Today, our leadership (political and military) refuses to even use the word "Victory.""
&
"Our troops are undoubtedly capable of defeating our enemies. They just need leadership (political and military) willing to identify the enemy, state what their intentions are, and then allow the military to defeat said enemy. Our troops are warfighters after all, not diplomats."
""
JG - The PMs' club versus the US
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Gleaner
The PMs' club versus the US
Published: Sunday April 11, 2010
Patterson
Seaga
Manley
Golding
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
JAMAICA IS no stranger to conflicts, disagreements, or diplomatic rows with the mighty United States or powerful US-backed organisations.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Past diplomatic stand-offs between the two countries have created graphic imagery of the oft-recited biblical David and Goliath story.
And as it was with much smaller David, Jamaican leaders have refused to back down claiming nobly that they have principle on their side.
Former prime ministers - Michael Manley, Edward Seaga and P.J. Patterson - have, during their tenures, boldly squared off with the United States or its organisations."
"(T)he Bruce Golding administration faces its own dilemma with the US."
&
"Ironically, as the Bruce Golding administration continues to be enmeshed in the knotty diplomatic row with the United States, over another extradition request, the attorney general and justice minister, Dorothy Lightbourne, is using the 1992 experience to defend the Government's position on the high-profile extradition request for celebrated Tivoli Gardens leader Christopher 'Dudus' Coke."
Jamaica Gleaner
The PMs' club versus the US
Published: Sunday April 11, 2010
Patterson
Seaga
Manley
Golding
Gary Spaulding, Senior Gleaner Writer
JAMAICA IS no stranger to conflicts, disagreements, or diplomatic rows with the mighty United States or powerful US-backed organisations.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Past diplomatic stand-offs between the two countries have created graphic imagery of the oft-recited biblical David and Goliath story.
And as it was with much smaller David, Jamaican leaders have refused to back down claiming nobly that they have principle on their side.
Former prime ministers - Michael Manley, Edward Seaga and P.J. Patterson - have, during their tenures, boldly squared off with the United States or its organisations."
"(T)he Bruce Golding administration faces its own dilemma with the US."
&
"Ironically, as the Bruce Golding administration continues to be enmeshed in the knotty diplomatic row with the United States, over another extradition request, the attorney general and justice minister, Dorothy Lightbourne, is using the 1992 experience to defend the Government's position on the high-profile extradition request for celebrated Tivoli Gardens leader Christopher 'Dudus' Coke."
CNN - What to do if disaster hits your trip
From my archive of press clippings:
CNN
What to do if disaster hits your trip
By Jim Kavanagh, CNN
Hundreds of tourists were stranded for several days in January by flooding and mudslides near Machu Picchu in Peru.
(CNN) -- Earthquakes. Rogue waves. Tsunamis. Flooding. Landslides. From Machu Picchu, Peru, to Madeira, Portugal, travelers have been socked with one natural disaster after another in recent weeks.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The State Department also urges Americans to register their itineraries before leaving. This can be done for free at https://travelregistration.state.gov. It's also a good idea to write down local phone numbers and addresses for U.S. embassies and consulates in the places where you will be traveling."
&
"The U.S. State Department provides assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week to U.S. citizens in crisis abroad. Call 1-888-407-4747 if calling from the United States or Canada, or 00-1-202-501-4444 if calling from overseas."
CNN
What to do if disaster hits your trip
By Jim Kavanagh, CNN
Hundreds of tourists were stranded for several days in January by flooding and mudslides near Machu Picchu in Peru.
(CNN) -- Earthquakes. Rogue waves. Tsunamis. Flooding. Landslides. From Machu Picchu, Peru, to Madeira, Portugal, travelers have been socked with one natural disaster after another in recent weeks.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The State Department also urges Americans to register their itineraries before leaving. This can be done for free at https://travelregistration.state.gov. It's also a good idea to write down local phone numbers and addresses for U.S. embassies and consulates in the places where you will be traveling."
&
"The U.S. State Department provides assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week to U.S. citizens in crisis abroad. Call 1-888-407-4747 if calling from the United States or Canada, or 00-1-202-501-4444 if calling from overseas."
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
re: "Arizona House Mulling Bill to Require That Presidential Candidates Present Qualifications to Be On Ballot"
Gabriel Malor at Ace of Spades HQ has the scoop on some proposed legislation out west.
Money quote(s):
"Seems like an eminently reasonable law to me. And much more constitutional than using the courts to topple a presidency. "
Money quote(s):
"Seems like an eminently reasonable law to me. And much more constitutional than using the courts to topple a presidency. "
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