Editor's Note

Stuck with household chores .... again. The joy of having a small hobby farm and getting ready for winter. Blogging will return tomorrow morning.Update Sunday 10:00 EST: Still stuck on the farm. It is taking a bit longer than what I had thought .... much longer. Blogging will return late tonig...

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Editor's Note

Stuck with household chores .... again. The joy of having a small hobby farm and getting ready for winter. Blogging will return tomorrow morni...

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Al-Shabab Headquarters 'Attacked' By Western Forces On Coast Of Somalia

Al-Shabab Militant Base 'Attacked' On Coast Of Somalia -- BBCIslamist fighters in southern Somalia say Western forces have launched a night-time raid on one of their bases.The militant group al-Shebab told the BBC "white soldiers" had arrived by boat at the port of Barawe and rebels had repulsed them, losing a fighter.No-one has admitted the attack. US and French special forces have carried out raids in Somalia in recent years.It is not clear whether...

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Iran's Supreme Leader Criticizes President Hassan Rouhani’s Overtures To The U.S.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the ultimate word on political and religious affairs under Iran's clerically dominated system. Radio Free EuropeAyatollah Questions Aspects of Rouhani’s Trip -- New York TimesTEHRAN — Iran’s supreme leader expressed support on Saturday for Iran’s diplomatic outreach at the United Nations but criticized some of President Hassan Rouhani’s moves as “inappropriate.” Analysts had been waiting for the supreme leader, Ayatollah...

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Veterans Push Back Against Washington

Veterans tour the World War Two Memorial in Washington October 1, 2013. (Reuters / Kevin Lamarque)Veterans Don’t Want To Be ‘Pawns’ In Shutdown Fight -- McClatchy NewsWASHINGTON — As the impact on veterans becomes part of the contentious debate over the government shutdown, the commander of one of the nation’s leading veterans organizations said Friday that they should not become a political “pawn” for warring lawmakers.In a press conference in front...

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Who Are The Craziest Rulers In The World

Who Are The World's Craziest Rulers? -- Robert Colvile, The TelegraphWith the deaths of Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkemenistan – a maniac so megalo- that he renamed the days of the week after himself and his family – and of Kim Jong-un – a golfer so talented that he shot 38 under par on his first ever round, including five holes-in-one – some feared that the golden age of the crazed dictator had gone for good.But Yahya Jammeh's decision to leave the...

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More Cuts Planned For The British Military

Armed Forces To 'Axe 3,000 More Jobs Next Year In Further Cost-Cutting Drive' -- Daily Mail* Soldiers, RAF staff and Navy medical personnel 'in line for redundancy'* Sources say David Cameron keen to avoid bad publicity of job losses* Military chiefs reportedly want to choose how many redundancies to make* Downing Street set to prefer troop numbers to fall through retirement* In 2010 plans announced to cut Army size by 20,000 to 82,000 by 2020Thousands...

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No One In The West Is Listening To Netanyahu's Worries On Iran

Netanyahu and Obama shake hands Photo: REUTERSAnalysis: Netanyahu's Sense Of Urgency On Iran Fails To Impress War-Weary West -- Jerusalem PostOne Western diplomat involved in Iranian nuclear diplomacy described Netanyahu as "out of step" with the mood of detente that has emerged recently.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that Iran's new president was a "wolf in sheep's clothing", but he himself looked increasingly like a lone wolf...

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The Real Crisis In America Is It's Uncontrollable Debt

The Shutdown Is A Sideshow. Debt Is The Threat -- Niall Ferguson, Wall Street JournalAn entitlement-driven disaster looms for America, yet Washington persists with its game of Russian roulette.In the words of a veteran investor, watching the U.S. bond market today is like sitting in a packed theater and smelling smoke. You look around for signs of other nervous sniffers. But everyone else seems oblivious.Yes, the federal government shut down this...

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The Internet Is The Forum For The World To Laugh At The U.S. Government Shutdown

One of hundreds of memes on Tumblr, which makes fun of the US government shutdown. © TumblrUS Gov’t Shutdown Becomes an Internet Joke -- RIA NovostiWashington, October 4 (Suleiman Wali for RIA Novosti) – The US government shutdown, now in its fourth day, has hurt hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are not getting paid as Congress and President Barack Obama try to figure out how to strike a deal on the national budget.A serious issue, no...

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We Should Cut A Taliban Deal Or Get Out Of Afghanistan

U.S. Army Spcs. Christopher McLaughlin, left, and Zachary Dechant, center, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. William Voorhies place munitions on a pile to prepare for a controlled detonation operation on a range near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 30, 2013. Voorhies will attend disposal training at the end of his deployment. McLaughlin and Dechant are explosive ordnance disposal technicians with Combined Joint Task Force Paladin-East's 663rd Ordnance...

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Taliban Chief: Most Of Afghanistan Is Now Under Taliban Control

An Afghan policeman stands at the site of a Taliban suicide attack. The militant hinted that there could be talks with the Afghanistan government about entering a power-sharing agreementTaliban Chief Vows To 'Unite All Afghans' And Take Over The Whole Country When Nato Troops Pull Out -- Daily Mail* Taliban chief said most of Afghanistan was now under their control* Hinted at talks with Afghan government over power-sharing agreement* Nato mission...

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Barricades At The WWII Memorial Have Been Reinforced

Wired Shut: Barricade at WWII Memorial Reinforced -- Weekly StandardOn Tuesday morning, seven National Park Service employees were seen erecting and tending to a barricade around the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. One NPS employee was operating a forklift. There usually aren't any NPS employees working at the World War II memorial.A couple hours later, when an Honor Flight of World War II veterans arrived, accompanied by Democratic and...

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Pentagon Halts NFL And Baseball Coverage To Troops Overseas

U.S. soldiers, assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Task Force 3/101, celebrate a play made by their team during the Veterans Day NFL game, Houston Texans at Chicago Bears, on Forward Operating Base Salerno, Khost province, Afghanistan, Nov. 12, 2012. Live video of the soldiers was broadcasted during game breaks. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kimberly Trumbull/Released)Military Keeps Camp David Open, Cuts NFL, Baseball...

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Sam's Club Waives Membership Fees For U.S. Military Personnel During The Government Shutdown

Sam's Club Waives Membership Fees For Military Personnel During Shutdown -- Baltimore SunSam's Club is waiving membership requirements for military personnel and retirees and their families during the government shutdown.The retailer said Thursday it decided to waive the fees after dozens of commissaries on military bases were closed by the shutdown."Military personnel, retirees and their families heavily depend on commissaries for low-cost groceries...

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List Of U.S. Companies Affected By Government Shutdown

Photo: WikipediaFACTBOX - U.S. Companies Affected By Government Shutdown -- ReutersOct 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. government shutdown, which entered its third day on Thursday, is beginning to hit the factory floor as concerns grow about the economic consequences of a prolonged stalemate in Congress.The standoff, prompted by Republicans' determination to halt President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms, could affect U.S. companies that rely on federal...

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Legendary Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap Dead At 102

Vo Nguyen Giap, Red Napolean Who Drove France And US Out Of Vietnam, Dies -- The AustralianVO Nguyen Giap, the brilliant and ruthless self-taught general who drove the French out of Vietnam to free it from colonial rule and later forced the Americans to abandon their gruelling effort to save the country from communism, has died. At age 102, he was the last of Vietnam's old-guard revolutionaries.Giap died last night in a military hospital in the capital of Hanoi where he had spent close to four years growing weaker and suffering from long illnesses,...

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Photos Of The Vietnam War Taken By AP Photographers To Be Released In A New Book Entitled 'Vietnam: The Real War'

Vietnam: The Real War is being published on Oct. 1 by Abrams Books in the U.S. and Canada, and by Abrams & Chronicle Books in the UKThe Real Vietnam: Spectacular Images Taken By Courageous AP War Photographers Released To Remember 50 Years Since Conflict Began -- Daily MailThe Vietnam War left a deep and lasting impression on not just the soldiers who fought but the whole of America.And the superb photojournalism by the Associated Press' Saigon...

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Newly-Released Footage From The Battle Of Mogadishu 20 Years Ago (Black Hawk Down)

Black Hawk Down! Newly-Released Footage From The Battle Of Mogadishu Shows The Moment Helicopter Was Shot Down Stranding US Troops In Enemy Territory -- Daily Mail* Twenty years after the Battle of Mogadishu, new footage sheds light on how a mission to kidnap two Somali lieutenants went awry* The mission was 'flawless' until the men were ready to be airlifted out of the Somali capital* That's the moment when two black hawk helicopters were shot down, stranding soldiers in the city hours* Nineteen U.S. servicemen died in the overnight battle in...

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The Global War On Christians

The War On Christians -- John L. Allen Jr., The SpectatorThe global persecution of Christians is the unreported catastrophe of our time.Imagine if correspondents in late 1944 had reported the Battle of the Bulge, but without explaining that it was a turning point in the second world war. Or what if finance reporters had told the story of the AIG meltdown in 2008 without adding that it raised questions about derivatives and sub-prime mortgages that could augur a vast financial implosion?Most people would say that journalists had failed to provide...

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The Reason Why The NSA And GCHQ Regard The Tor Network As A Threat

NSA And GCHQ Target Tor Network That Protects Anonymity Of Web Users -- The Guardian• Top-secret documents detail repeated efforts to crack Tor• US-funded tool relied upon by dissidents and activists• Core security of network remains intact but NSA has some success attacking users' computers• Bruce Schneier: the NSA's attacks must be made public• Attacking Tor: the technical details• 'Peeling back the layers with Egotistical Giraffe' – document•...

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Family Members Of Greenpeace Activists Imprisoned in Russia Are Worried About Their Fate

Capt. Peter Willcox, 60, is a longtime Greenpeace activist now charged with piracy in Russia. © Peter Willcox/FacebookUS Greenpeace Captain’s Wife ‘Terrified’ by Russian Piracy Charges -- RIA NovostiWASHINGTON, October 3 (By Maria Young for RIA Novosti) – The wife of a Greenpeace ship captain charged with piracy in Russia on Thursday said she is “terrified” of a possible 15-year prison sentence such a charge could carry.“That’s incredibly frightening,”...

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The Battle Of The Videos: Navy Vs Air Force

Naval Academy Spirit Video Absolutely Demoralizes The Air Force -- Business InsiderThe Air Force Academy launched a truly abysmal attempt at co-opting Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky' to respond to the Naval Academy's recent trash talking music video.The two are due to meet on the college gridiron this weekend (shutdown pending) for their annual football game, and this month students of both schools filmed 'spirit videos' in anticipation of the clash.The Naval Academy is hands down the winner here (if not yet on the football field).Read more ....My Comment:...

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Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Scores Another Direct Hit

Aegis BMD Passes Key Test; Multiple Launches At Multiple Targets Next -- Breaking DefenseAt 1:30 am this morning – 7:30 pm yesterday Hawaiian time — the Navy’s newest missile defense system marked its second successful shootdown in a month. Under what Lockheed Martin called an “operationally realistic scenario” – more on that in a moment – the USS Lake Erie picked up the target with its Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense “version 4.0.2” fire control system and launched a Raytheon Standard Missile-3 Block IB to blow it out of the Pacific sky.Code-named...

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- October 4, 2013

Government Shutdown: Do National Parks Really Need To Be Barricaded? -- Patrik Jonsoon, Christian Science MonitorSome Americans see the closure of national parks as politically motivated, but others say keeping the areas open during the government shutdown invites liability problems. For many, the parks strike a chord.As the last campers were being ushered out of Yosemite National Park on Thursday, some Americans were protesting what they see as the unnecessary barricading of the public’s wild lands because of the government shutdown.That shutdown,...

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World News Briefs -- October 4, 2013 (Evening Edition)

House Republicans Say US Government Shutdown Likely To Drag On -- CNNWashington (CNN) -- Many House Republicans concede the government shutdown likely won't be resolved until the next major congressional deadline in mid-October when Congress needs to raise the nation's debt ceiling."I don't see anything happening with the shutdown until we get to some kind of a plan for a bigger agreement," Louisiana Rep. Charles Boustany told reporters after House Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders huddled with House Republicans on Friday.Read more ....MIDDLE...

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The Full Story Of The Westgate Mall Attack That Devastated Kenya

Abdul Hajji rescues a youg girl, later paying tribute to her bravery. Photograph: Goran Tomasevic/ReutersTerror In Westgate Mall: The Full Story Of The Attacks That Devastated Kenya -- The GuardianIt is two weeks since al-Shabaab militants brought mayhem to an upmarket shopping centre in Nairobi, executing unarmed men, women and children as they tried to hide or flee. At least 67 people were killed. Now, a detailed investigation based on interviews...

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Poll: Two Thirds Of Israeli Jews Back A Unilateral Military Strike Against Iran's Nuclear Facilities

Israelis say that if necessary their country should launch its own strike on Iran. Israel HayomMost Israelis Would Support Striking Iran Alone -- USA TodayA whopping 84% of the 500 Hebrew-speaking Israelis polled said they do not believe diplomacy will deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons.JERUSALEM — Two-thirds of Israelis would support a unilateral Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear targets if they believed their country was in real danger...

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No U.S. Drone War In Iraq

DODU.S. Rules Out A New Drone War In Iraq -- John Hudson, The Cable/Foreign PolicyFor weeks, Iraqi officials have been publicly floating the idea of using American drones to hit the increasingly lethal al-Qaeda-affiliated militants on their soil. But the ordinarily drone-friendly Obama administration is apparently in no mood to open up a new front in global campaign of unmanned attacks. An administration official tells The Cable that American drone...

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Violent Protests Return To Egypt

Supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood clash with anti-Morsi protesters during a march in Shubra street in Cairo, Oct. 4, 2013. Thousands Of Muslim Brotherhood Protesters March In Cairo -- Voice Of America/ReutersCAIRO — Defying a crackdown, thousands of supporters of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood marched through a Cairo suburb on Friday toward the site of their former protest camp that was crushed by security forces...

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President Obama Cancels His Asian Trip Because Of The Partial U.S. Government Shutdown

Shutdown Prompts Obama To Skip Asia Trip -- Voice Of AmericaPresident Obama has canceled an upcoming trip to Asia because of the partial U.S. government shutdown, which entered its fourth day on Friday.The White House announced late on Thursday that the president made his decision to cancel visits to Indonesia and Brunei based on the difficulty in moving forward with foreign travel in the face of the shutdown and his plans to continue pressuring Republicans to allow a vote to reopen the government.The White House said Secretary of State John Kerry...

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War Of Words Intensify Between Syria And Turkey

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) speaks during an interview with Italian television station RaiNews24 in Damascus in this handout photograph distributed by Syria's national news agency SANA on September 29, 2013. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via ReutersAssad: Turkey Will Pay for Supporting 'Terrorists' -- Voice of AmericaSyrian President Bashar al-Assad is warning neighboring Turkey will pay a "heavy price" for supporting what he referred to as "terrorists"...

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World News Briefs -- October 4, 2013

Obama To Miss APEC Summit Due To Shutdown -- Voice of AmericaPresident Obama has canceled an upcoming trip to Asia because of the partial U.S. government shutdown, which entered its fourth day on Friday.The White House announced late on Thursday that the president made his decision to cancel visits to Indonesia and Brunei based on the difficulty in moving forward with foreign travel in the face of the shutdown and his plans to continue pressuring Republicans to allow a vote to reopen the government.Read more ....MIDDLE EASTAssad: Turkey will pay...

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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- October 4, 2013

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks with troops aboard the USS Stethem at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan in Tokyo, Oct. 4, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-CuomoPentagon Waits Out Shutdown While Sequestration Looms -- Defense OneDefense Secretary Chuck Hagel is traveling in Asia, far from the dysfunction of Washington where Congress has once again hijacked his ability to plan his budget. First there was sequestration, now there’s a government shutdown...

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