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 tonight.

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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 morning.

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

Al-Shabab Militant Base 'Attacked' On Coast Of Somalia -- BBC

Islamist 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 it is linked to last month's attack in neighbouring Kenya, which al-Shebab has claimed.

At least 67 people were killed after militants stormed the Westgate shopping centre in the capital, Nairobi, on 21 September.

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More News On Reports That Al-Shabab Headquarters Was 'Attacked' By Western Forces

Somali militants say 'Western' forces attack coastal base from beach -- Reuters
'Western special forces' raid al-Shabaab stronghold in Somalia -- The Telegraph
Foreign military raid al-Shabaab headquarters in Somalia, reports say -- The Guardian
Military strike reported in southern Somali town -- USA Today/AP
Somalia's Al-Shabab Says Special Forces Attack One Of Its Bases -- Radio Free Europe
Unidentified Military Strike Targets Somali Town -- Voice of America
Somali group says 'Westerners' attacked base -- Al Jazeera
Somalia’s al-Shabaab claims ‘Westerners’ attacked base -- Al Arabiya

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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 Europe

Ayatollah Questions Aspects of Rouhani’s Trip -- New York Times

TEHRAN — 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 Ali Khamenei, to take a position on the trip after powerful commanders of the Revolutionary Guards criticized the historic phone call between President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and President Obama. Critics said that Mr. Rouhani should not have taken the call from Mr. Obama.

Speaking to students of an military aeronautical university in Tehran, Mr. Khamenei said he supported the government’s diplomatic efforts during Mr. Rouhani’s trip to New York but said that “some of the events” had been “inappropriate.” Mr. Khamenei’s comments were published on his Web site.

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More News On Iran's Supreme Leader Criticizing President Hassan Rouhani’s Overtures To The U.S.

Iran's Khamenei says part of diplomatic opening in New York 'not proper' -- Reuters
Hassan Rouhani's New York diplomacy 'not proper' says Iran's Supreme Leader -- The Telegraph
Iran's Khamenei: Part of Diplomatic Push in New York 'Not Proper' -- Voice of America
Iran's Khamenei criticises 'some' of Rouhani's UN trip -- AFP
Iran's Khamenei Says U.S. Cannot Be Trusted -- Radio Free Europe
Iran's supreme leader criticizes president over New York trip -- Deutsche Welle
Khamenei criticizes ‘some’ of Rowhani’s diplomatic efforts at U.N. -- Al Arabiya

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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 News

WASHINGTON — 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 of the barricaded World War II Memorial, American Legion Commander Daniel Dellinger said that the veterans are concerned about the shutdown’s impact on their benefits and services, which he said “transcend politics.”

“You cannot use American veterans or servicemen and -women as pawns in this issue,” Dellinger said. “Veterans earn their benefits through their honorable service, many of them seriously disabled as a result of that service. To threaten suspension of their benefits is not only absurd, it’s cruel.”

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My Comment: Many of these veterans .... if not all of them .... are deeply worried that because of the debt crisis some of their benefits may eventually be cut. This growing realization has resulted in everyone .... veterans included .... in trying their best to position themselves to not be impacted. Sadly .... the money is not there to sustain this entitlement society .... and in the end everyone is going to be impacted .... veterans and visiting their memorials included.

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Who Are The Craziest Rulers In The World

Who Are The World's Craziest Rulers? -- Robert Colvile, The Telegraph

With 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 Commonwealth, and subsequent outlining of his more unpleasant characteristics, has reminded us that there are still some old-fashioned brutes plugging away out there – and, more soberingly, that there are millions of people around the world who have to bear the consequences of their capricious decisions. Here are the leaders most likely to send you scurrying to the emigration queue:

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My Comment: I would add Islam Karimov from Uzbekistan, the Castro brothers, Kirchner from Argentina, and about a dozen other leaders. Putin is not crazy .... I would put him in the category of being ruthless.

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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 2020

Thousands of soldiers could lose their jobs in a new wave of redundancies set to embarrass the Prime Minister, it has been reported.

An announcement is expected to be made next January with the final number of those losing their jobs confirmed in May.

The final figure due to be made redundant could reach 3,000. Under plans set out in 2010 the size of the Army will be cut by 20,000 to 82,000 by 2020.

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Update: Army faces losing another 3,000 soldiers in January as No 10 and military chiefs clash over redundancies -- The Independent

My Comment: Morale in the British armed forces must be rock bottom.

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

Netanyahu and Obama shake hands Photo: REUTERS

Analysis: Netanyahu's Sense Of Urgency On Iran Fails To Impress War-Weary West -- Jerusalem Post

One 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 as his allies seek to bring Tehran into the fold.

After years of worrying about Iran's disputed nuclear ambitions, Netanyahu took to the stage at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday and made his most explicit threat yet to attack the Islamic republic unless it ends its atomic program.

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My Comment: They are only not listening to him .... but they are also making fun of him.

Update: Netanyahu struggles to set the terms in Iranian dispute -- Reuters

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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 Journal

An 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 week. Yes, we are just two weeks away from the point when the Treasury secretary says he will run out of cash if the debt ceiling isn't raised. Yes, bond king Bill Gross has been on TV warning that a default by the government would be "catastrophic." Yet the yield on a 10-year Treasury note has fallen slightly over the past month (though short-term T-bill rates ticked up this week).

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My Comment: The key sentence in this commentary is the following ....

.... As anyone can see who reads the most recent long-term budget outlook—published last month by the Congressional Budget Office, and almost entirely ignored by the media—the question is not if the United States will default but when and on which of its rapidly spiraling liabilities.

Niall Ferguson's analysis is correct .... but for the moment .... no one cares.

Update: Correction .... there are some who do care .... and they are now deeply worried.

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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. © Tumblr

US Gov’t Shutdown Becomes an Internet Joke -- RIA Novosti

Washington, 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 doubt.

But often in times of crisis, humor becomes a way for people to cope with circumstances that are seemingly out of their control. Enter memes—which have produced some of the funniest online jokes about the shutdown. Here are 15 government shutdown memes.

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My Comment: I like the one with the Queen.

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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 Company. DOD photo by Ed Drohan

Ending The War In Afghanistan -- Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs

How to Avoid Failure on the Installment Plan

International forces in Afghanistan are preparing to hand over responsibility for security to Afghan soldiers and police by the end of 2014. U.S. President Barack Obama has argued that battlefield successes since 2009 have enabled this transition and that with it, “this long war will come to a responsible end.” But the war will not end in 2014. The U.S. role may end, in whole or in part, but the war will continue -- and its ultimate outcome is very much in doubt.

Should current trends continue, U.S. combat troops are likely to leave behind a grinding stalemate between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The Afghan National Security Forces can probably sustain this deadlock, but only as long as the U.S. Congress pays the multibillion-dollar annual bills needed to keep them fighting. The war will thus become a contest in stamina between Congress and the Taliban. Unless Congress proves more patient than the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, funding for the ANSF will eventually shrink until Afghan forces can no longer hold their ground, and at that point, the country could easily descend into chaos.

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My Comment: A sobering analysis .... and one that is probably correct. Read it all.

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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 agreement

Taliban 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 due to end in 2014 and troops will pull out by end of year

A Taliban chief has told a British newspaper that the fundamentalist group is preparing to run Afghanistan when Nato forces leave.

The militant, using the pseudonym Qari Nasrullah, said most of the country is now under Taliban control.

The Nato mission is due to end in 2014, with U.S. and British troops pulling out by the end of the year.

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My Comment: I suspect that these Taliban boasts have a grain of truth to it. Bottom line .... there is nothing positive coming out of Afghanistan right now. The drug trade continues to boom .... corruption is widespread .... and the international community is throwing in the towel and looking for the exits.

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Barricades At The WWII Memorial Have Been Reinforced

Wired Shut: Barricade at WWII Memorial Reinforced -- Weekly Standard

On 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 Republican members of Congress, the fences blocking the memorial were easily moved away, allowing the veterans to enter.

But the barriers are still at the memorial, and they've been reinforced. This morning, I walked by the memorial and noticed that wires had been used to tie the fences together:

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My Comment: My suggestion .... bring the wire cutters.

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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 Coverage To Troops Overseas -- Washington Examiner

President Obama has visited the Navy-run presidential retreat Camp David in central Maryland only 32 times, but it is being kept open during the government shutdown for his entertainment and security at the same time the Pentagon is cutting sports coverage to hundreds of thousands of troops around the world.

A phone call to the retreat found it open, confirming a TMZ report.

Camp David is one of the most highly secure areas in the nation and provides the president with a safe haven. The president has been known to shoot skeet at Camp David, which he most recently used for his 52nd birthday, according to CBS White House Correspondent Mark Knoller.

Obama has spent just 78 days at the retreat, choosing instead to spend his weekends in Washington and hitting military golf courses, which are also being kept open during the government shutdown.

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My Comment: Here is my next scary prediction .... the next thing that they are going to cut for those who are serving overseas is the internet for personal use.

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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 Sun

Sam'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 and everyday needs," Sam's Club's announcement said.

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Update #1: Sam's Club Offers Free Passes to Military during Shutdown -- Wall Street Journal
Update #2: Free Military Sam’s Club Membership Until Shutdown Ends -- Spouse Buzz/Military.com

My Comment: Closing the base commissaries was (and is) a mistake. Many of them make a profit .... so closing them will actually cost money. I cannot help but feel that this is just a political tactic to cause and spread "pain".

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List Of U.S. Companies Affected By Government Shutdown

Photo: Wikipedia

FACTBOX - U.S. Companies Affected By Government Shutdown -- Reuters

Oct 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 employees and funding.

Following is a list of companies and financial institutions that have warned of project delays, employee furloughs and other consequences of a prolonged budget impasse:

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My Comment: I think we should be more worried about Main Street .... not Wall Street.

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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 Australian

VO 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, a government official and a source close to General Giap said.

General Giap was a national hero whose legacy was second only to that of his mentor, founding president Ho Chi Minh, who led the country to independence.

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More News On The Death Of Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap

Legendary Vietnam Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap dies -- USA Today/AP
Vietnam independence hero General Giap dead at 102 -- AFP
Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, Who Ousted U.S. From Vietnam, Is Dead -- New York Times
Vo Nguyen Giap, Vietnamese General Who Beat French, Dies at 102 -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Vietnam's military mastermind Vo Nguyen Giap dies -- Reuters
Legendary Vietnamese General Dead at 102 -- Voice of America
Vietnam's General Vo Nguyen Giap dies -- BBC
Vo Nguyen Giap, renowned Vietnamese general, dies in Hanoi -- Washington Post
Legendary Vietnamese Gen. Giap Dies -- Wall Street Journal
Vietnamese general behind victories over French and US dies aged 102 -- The Guardian

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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 UK

The Real Vietnam: Spectacular Images Taken By Courageous AP War Photographers Released To Remember 50 Years Since Conflict Began -- Daily Mail

The 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 bureau was largely responsible for sharing the bravery and drama of the conflict with those at home.

Half a century on from the beginning of the war, a new book entitled 'Vietnam: The Real War' showcases some 300 of the most historic AP images - from Malcolm Browne's image of the burning monk to Nick Ut's photograph of a 9-year-old running from a napalm attack to Eddie Adams' picture of the execution of a Viet Cong prisoner - that serve as a photographic record of the combat.

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Update #1: Slaughter of the innocents: The Vietnam war as never seen before -- The Independent
Update #2: 'Vietnam: The Real War': Iconic images mark conflict's 50th anniversary -- New York Daily News

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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 enemy territory
* The 2001 film Black Hawk Down was based on the event

Yesterday marked the 20 year anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu. Two decades later, never-before-seen footage has been released of the operation that was depicted in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down.

The footage was obtained by CBS' 60 Minutes and will air this Sunday as part of a special segment on the mission that went awry in the capital of Somalia.

From 1993 to 1995, the United Nations had an operation in Somalia to create enough peace to continue humanitarian operations for civilians.

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WNU Editor: The CBS report is here. The fill 60 Minutes report will be broadcast on October 6.

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The Global War On Christians

The War On Christians -- John L. Allen Jr., The Spectator

The 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 the proper context to understand the news. Yet that’s routinely what media outlets do when it comes to outbreaks of anti-Christian persecution around the world, which is why the global war on Christians remains the greatest story never told of the early 21st century.

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My Comment: I have more than once pointed out in this blog that the global persecution against Christians is one of the most under-reported stories of our time .... John Allen's above post provides the details.

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