Saturday, February 10, 2007

The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 10 Feb.

The Decline and Fall of Western Civ.: Barbarians have Crashed the Gate
The proof is in the Putin.

Kick the tires and light the fires...

Editor's note: Many thanks to the folks at Sphere and Real Clear Politics for linking to the blog over the past two days. I'd also like to ask anyone visiting the blog through the mysterious and exclusive aSmallWorld.net what's so engaging that you would spend over ten of the past 24 hours reading my posts?

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin, in one of his harshest attacks on the United States in seven years in power, accused Washington on Saturday of attempting to force its will on the world, according to Reuters.

    In a speech in Germany, Putin accused the United States of making the world a more dangerous place by pursuing policies aimed at making it "one single master".

    "People are always teaching us democracy but the people who teach us democracy don't want to learn it themselves."
    The Associated Press continues the story, reporting that Putin accused the U.S. of sparking an arms race.

    "Unilateral, illegitimate actions have not solved a single problem, they have become a hotbed of further conflicts," Putin said at a security forum attracting senior officials from around the world.

    "One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way."
    Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was also attending the conference, described Putin's remarks as "the most aggressive speech from a Russian leader since the end of the Cold War."

  • Associated Press reporter Nedra Pickler didn't stop at Obama-Kennedy comparisons in a fawning story about the senator's official campaign launch. Pickler pulled out all the stops and said Obama is "a black man evoking Abraham Lincoln's ability to unite a nation and a Democrat portraying himself as a fresh face capable of leading a new generation."

    It's a widely held notion among conservatives that Democrats won their slim leadership margin in the `06 election because rookie Democrat candidates out-Republicaned the Republicans. However, it's a totally different thing altogether to liken the politics of a Democrat, any Democrat, to the party of Lincoln. Furthermore, the comparison is downright surreal.

    Senators usually lose presidential elections because, in the end, they have to run against their record. Obama really doesn't have that problem. But don't take my word for it, Obama said it himself:

    "I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change," Obama said to some of the loudest applause of his 20-minute speech.
    Actions talk and slogans walk.

  • Speaking of actions, The New York Times reports the most lethal weapon directed against American troops in Iraq is an explosive-packed cylinder that United States intelligence asserts is being supplied by Iran.

    The focus of American concern is known as an “explosively formed penetrator,” a particularly deadly type of roadside bomb being used by Shiite groups in attacks on American troops in Iraq. Attacks using the device have doubled in the past year, and have prompted increasing concern among military officers. In the last three months of 2006, attacks using the weapons accounted for a significant portion of Americans killed and wounded in Iraq, though less than a quarter of the total, military officials say.

  • The Bush administration is set to assert that Iran is providing lethal help to Iraqi fighters, reports AP.

    After weeks of preparation and revisions, U.S. officials are preparing to detail evidence supporting administration's claims of Iran's meddlesome and deadly activities. A briefing was scheduled Sunday in Baghdad.

    AP also reports serial numbers and other markings on bombs suggest that Iranians are linked to deadly explosives used by Iraqi militants, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday in some of the administration's first public assertions on evidence the military has collected.

  • Telegraph reports a "world lottery draw" with a possible £250 million (an amount larger than some county's annual GDP) jackpot could be available within five years.

  • With more than 8 feet of snow already coating the ground in Parrish, New York, AP reports it wasn't good news for this winter-weary region when the blue sky turned gray Saturday, signaling another intense snow squall was about to dump some more.

    "This is bad," said 67-year-old Dave DeGrau, who has operated an auto repair shop on Main Street for 45 years. "We had a very easy winter until now. Last fall during hunting season it rained every time I went out. I kept saying 'I'm glad this isn't snow.' Now, it's snow."
    Now that's an inconvenient truth for ya'.

  • Here's a story about something we were predicting ten years ago when I worked for AOL. The growth in video downloads could create an Internet traffic jam that threatens the net's development, according to Google. Services such as YouTube, which is owned by the Californian giant, are proving tricky for Internet providers to deal with and new developments could create even more problems, the Guardian reports senior Internet executives were told yesterday.

  • On that note, I'd usually post some foolishness from ROO TV. But alas, for once I will try do my part to save the endangered bandwidth.
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Vietnam Hero to be Awarded Medal of Honor

Click to view whole image.
Major Bruce P. Crandall

Vietnam Hero to be Awarded Medal of Honor
By Donna Miles
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2007 (AFPS) -- More than 40 years after demonstrating the heroism immortalized in the bestselling book and movie, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” retired Army Lt. Col. Bruce P. Crandall will receive the Medal of Honor, the White House announced yesterday.

Crandall will receive the nation’s highest military award for actions during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in November 1965. The battle, at Landing Zone X-Ray near the Ia Drang River, was the first major ground battle of the war. Read it.

MULTIMEDIA

Web special report: Major Bruce P. Crandall, Medal of Honor

RELATED

Congressional Medal of Honor Society

Army Aviator to be Awarded Medal of Honor

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Combat Camera: Essex Amphibious Ready Group

Pacific Ocean (Feb. 9, 2007) - A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) prepares to enter the well deck of dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) after an offload of Marine equipment in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan. Tortuga and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting Blue-Green workups as the first phase of their spring patrol. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED) Pacific Ocean (Feb. 9, 2007) - A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) prepares to enter the well deck of dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) after an offload of Marine equipment in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan. Tortuga and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting Blue-Green workups as the first phase of their spring patrol. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED)

Pacific Ocean (Feb. 9, 2007) - A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) prepares to enter the well deck of dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) after an offload of Marine equipment in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan. Tortuga and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting Blue-Green workups as the first phase of their spring patrol. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED) Pacific Ocean (Feb. 9, 2007) - A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) prepares to enter the well deck of dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) after an offload of Marine equipment in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan. Tortuga and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting Blue-Green workups as the first phase of their spring patrol. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED)

Pacific Ocean (Feb. 9, 2007) - Four AV-8B Harriers prepare for flight operations aboard amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during spring patrol off the coast of Okinawa, Japan. Essex is the flagship for the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) operating from Sasebo, Japan. U.S. Navy Photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Ty Swartz (RELEASED)Pacific Ocean (Feb. 9, 2007) - Four AV-8B Harriers prepare for flight operations aboard amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) during spring patrol off the coast of Okinawa, Japan. Essex is the flagship for the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) operating from Sasebo, Japan. U.S. Navy Photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Ty Swartz (RELEASED)

Sasebo, Japan (Feb. 5, 2007) - USS Essex (LHD 2) conducts flight quarters while Utility Landing Craft 1651 exits the well deck. Essex is the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship and is the flagship for the Sasebo, Japan-based Essex Expeditionary Strike Group. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Corey Truax (RELEASED) Sasebo, Japan (Feb. 5, 2007) - USS Essex (LHD 2) conducts flight quarters while Utility Landing Craft 1651 exits the well deck. Essex is the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship and is the flagship for the Sasebo, Japan-based Essex Expeditionary Strike Group. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Corey Truax (RELEASED)

Sasebo, Japan (Feb. 5, 2007) - An AV-8B Harrier conducts a vertical landing aboard amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Essex is the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship and is the flagship for the Sasebo, Japan-based Essex Expeditionary Strike Group. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Corey Truax (RELEASED)` Sasebo, Japan (Feb. 5, 2007) - An AV-8B Harrier conducts a vertical landing aboard amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Essex is the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious assault ship and is the flagship for the Sasebo, Japan-based Essex Expeditionary Strike Group. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Corey Truax (RELEASED)`

Pacific Ocean (Feb 8, 2007) - Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) John D. Strickland directs the movement of Marine Corps helicopters during a maintenance day aboard amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Essex is the Navy's only forward deployed multi-purpose amphibious assault ship and is the flagship for the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeremy L. Wood (RELEASED) Pacific Ocean (Feb 8, 2007) - Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) John D. Strickland directs the movement of Marine Corps helicopters during a maintenance day aboard amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). Essex is the Navy's only forward deployed multi-purpose amphibious assault ship and is the flagship for the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeremy L. Wood (RELEASED)

Pacific Ocean (Feb. 6, 2007) - A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) prepares to transit Marines and equipment off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, back to dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). Tortuga and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting operations during Blue-Green workups in the vicinity of Okinawa. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED) Pacific Ocean (Feb. 6, 2007) - A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) prepares to transit Marines and equipment off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, back to dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). Tortuga and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting operations during Blue-Green workups in the vicinity of Okinawa. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED)

Pacific Ocean (Feb. 6, 2007) - A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) prepares to transit Marines and equipment off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, back to dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). Tortuga and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting operations during Blue-Green workups in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED) Pacific Ocean (Feb. 6, 2007) - A Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) prepares to transit Marines and equipment off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, back to dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). Tortuga and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting operations during Blue-Green workups in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED)

Pacific Ocean (Feb. 6, 2007) - Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit exit a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) onto the shores of Okinawa, Japan, for training. Dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting operations during Blue-Green workups in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED) Pacific Ocean (Feb. 6, 2007) - Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit exit a Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) onto the shores of Okinawa, Japan, for training. Dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG) are currently conducting operations during Blue-Green workups in the vicinity of Okinawa, Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brandon Myrick (RELEASED)

Sasebo, Japan (Dec. 1, 2006) - USS Essex (LHD 2) is pushed by tugs into her berth. The return of Essex, the flagship of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG), caps a two-month fall patrol in which she and ARG ships dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) and amphibious transport dock USS Juneau (LPD 10) increased bilateral partnerships within Southeast Asia. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam R. Cole (RELEASED) Sasebo, Japan (Dec. 1, 2006) - USS Essex (LHD 2) is pushed by tugs into her berth. The return of Essex, the flagship of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ESXARG), caps a two-month fall patrol in which she and ARG ships dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) and amphibious transport dock USS Juneau (LPD 10) increased bilateral partnerships within Southeast Asia. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam R. Cole (RELEASED)

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Friday, February 9, 2007

The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 9 Feb.

The Decline and Fall of Western Civ.: Barbarians have Crashed the Gate
It's the end of the world as we know it...

  • A top Iranian cleric said on Friday the United States was within Iran's "firing range," a day after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to hit back at US interests worldwide if attacked, reports News24.com.

    "Americans have surrounded us but it works to our advantage. They are within our firing range in the east, west and elsewhere," Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati said in his Friday prayer sermon carried live on state radio.

    "In the worst situations we are able to turn the region into burning hell and take the possibility of using the Persian Gulf away from them forever," Rear Admiral Mohammad Ebrahim Dehghani said, quoted by semi-official Mehr news agency.

  • Serial numbers and other markings on bombs suggest that Iranians are linked to deadly explosives used by Iraqi militants, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday in some of the administration's first public assertions on evidence the military has collected, according to AP.

  • Reuters reports a senior U.S. official said on Friday that Iran is "digging a hole deeper and deeper for itself" in the international dispute over its atomic energy program.

    "Iran seems to be determined to further its isolation internationally on this issue of nuclear weapons," Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, told reporters in Buenos Aires.

  • Pentagon officials undercut the intelligence community in the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq by insisting in briefings to the White House that there was a clear relationship between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, the Defense Department's inspector general said Friday, reports AP.

    Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman denied that the office was producing its own intelligence products, saying they were challenging what was coming in from intelligence-gathering professionals, "looking at it with a critical eye."

    "The policy office has been smeared for years by allegations that its pre-Iraq-war work was somehow 'unlawful' or 'unauthorized' and that some information it gave to congressional committees was deceptive or misleading," said Feith, who left his Pentagon post in August 2005.

  • An al-Qaeda-backed group on Friday released an Internet video of what it said was the shooting down of a U.S. helicopter in Iraq this week, which killed seven military personnel, reports Reuters.

  • With Iran now threatening America with new missiles and the United States hunting down agents of the mullahs in Iraq, the conflict in the Middle East is again threatening to escalate. Nobel laureate and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, warns in a SPIEGEL ONLINE interview: "The Middle East is in the worst condition I have ever seen."

  • Examiner reports in a bizarre attack, a well-known author and Holocaust scholar was dragged out of a San Francisco hotel elevator by an apparent Holocaust denier who reportedly had been trailing him for weeks.

  • Speaking of Holocaust deniers, writing in the Boston Globe, Ellen Goodman makes this somewhat foolish, if not totally insipid statement:

    "I would like to say we're at a point where global warming is impossible to deny. Let's just say that global warming deniers are now on a par with Holocaust deniers, though one denies the past and the other denies the present and future."
    For the sake of debate, Goodman is one of those unfortunate global warming alarmists who fall victim to Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies and invalidate their own illogical arguments with an appeal to the emotions right from the start.

  • While some folks are downright paranoid about the impending heat wave of climate change, other are just trying to stay warm. NBC News reports with some areas of upstate New York already topping 100 inches of snow since last Sunday, forecasters on Friday told the region to expect more -- up to four feet more -- as well as a longer blast lasting into next week.

    Forecasters are predicting up to four more feet snow for the area.

    More than a week of bitter cold and slippery roads have contributed to at least 20 deaths across the northern quarter of the nation -- five in Ohio, four in Illinois, four in Indiana, two in Kentucky, two in Michigan, and one each in Wisconsin, New York and Maryland, authorities said.

    AP reports before weekend squalls add to the 8 feet of snow already on the ground, the communities along eastern Lake Ontario needed the dry respite they got Friday.

    Talk about a climate change emergency . . . brrrrrr.

  • A paraplegic man wearing a soiled hospital gown and a broken colostomy bag was found crawling in a gutter in skid row in Los Angeles on Thursday after allegedly being dumped in the street by a Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center van, police said, reports latimes.com.

    "I can't think of anything colder than that," said LAPD Det. Russ Long, who called the case the most egregious of its kind that he has seen in his career. "There was no mission around, no services. It's the worst area of skid row."

  • CNet reports in Florida, teenagers caught taking risque photos of themselves are prosecuted for violating child pornography laws.

  • Also from CNet, Turner Broadcasting has confirmed that Cartoon Network head Jim Samples resigned on Friday. The Cartoon Network is the television network owned by Turner Broadcasting responsible for the blunder in which devices for a guerrilla marketing campaign for the Adult Swim cartoon show Aqua Teen Hunger Force were mistaken by Boston authorities for bombs.

  • Last and truly least, ROO TV presentes News for Blondes video.
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Combat Camera: Defend America for 9 Feb. 2007

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day, from the 1st Combat Camera Squadron, rides in the back seat of an F-16D Fighting Falcon aircraft from the 77th Fighter Squadron over Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Feb. 7, 2007, during exercise Iron Thunder. Day is providing aerial imagery during the multi-service, multi-national large force exercise which has more than 100 aircraft participating. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day, U.S. Air Force. (Released) U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day, from the 1st Combat Camera Squadron, rides in the back seat of an F-16D Fighting Falcon aircraft from the 77th Fighter Squadron over Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., Feb. 7, 2007, during exercise Iron Thunder. Day is providing aerial imagery during the multi-service, multi-national large force exercise which has more than 100 aircraft participating. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Snow covers the hull of the fast attack submarine USS Virginia (SSN 774) as it sits moored to the pier at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., on Feb. 2, 2007.   DoD photo by John Narewski, U.S. Navy. (Released)Snow covers the hull of the fast attack submarine USS Virginia (SSN 774) as it sits moored to the pier at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., on Feb. 2, 2007. DoD photo by John Narewski, U.S. Navy. (Released)

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Gibson directs a convoy of M1A2 Abrams tanks down a road in Kahn Bani Sahd, Iraq, on Feb. 5, 2007. Gibson is assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Cavalry Division, 12th Infantry Regiment. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, U.S. Air Force. (Released) U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Gibson directs a convoy of M1A2 Abrams tanks down a road in Kahn Bani Sahd, Iraq, on Feb. 5, 2007. Gibson is assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Cavalry Division, 12th Infantry Regiment. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Army Sgt. Victor Salazar keeps an eye on the street outside while his squad searches a shop in Hateen, Iraq, on Jan. 29, 2007. Salazar is assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Martin K. Newton, U.S. Army. (Released)   U.S. Army Sgt. Victor Salazar keeps an eye on the street outside while his squad searches a shop in Hateen, Iraq, on Jan. 29, 2007. Salazar is assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Martin K. Newton, U.S. Army. (Released)

An F-22 Raptor flies off after being refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker during the Red Flag exercise Feb 7 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The two KC-135 Stratotankers from the 319th Air Refueling Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., make up the lead tanker unit during the exercise. Red Flag is an exercise designed to hone the warfighting skills of Air Force pilots for conflicts. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Randi Norton)  An F-22 Raptor flies off after being refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker during the Red Flag exercise Feb 7 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The two KC-135 Stratotankers from the 319th Air Refueling Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., make up the lead tanker unit during the exercise. Red Flag is an exercise designed to hone the warfighting skills of Air Force pilots for conflicts. (U.S. Air Force photo/1st Lt. Randi Norton)

Arabian Sea (Feb. 6, 2007) - Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) conducts a replenishment at sea with Military Sealift Command (MSC) fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8). Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) are on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Travis Alston (RELEASED) Arabian Sea (Feb. 6, 2007) - Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) conducts a replenishment at sea with Military Sealift Command (MSC) fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8). Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) are on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Travis Alston (RELEASED)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Allan Brown, a supply sergeant assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, Reconnaissance, Fort Bragg, N.C., mans the Mark-19 of his truck while conducting ground clearance in Imam Monsiur, south of Balad Ruz, Iraq, Feb. 8, 2007. U.S. soldiers of the 5-73rd participated in a massive insurgent-hunting operation.   U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Armando Monroig   U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Allan Brown, a supply sergeant assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, Reconnaissance, Fort Bragg, N.C., mans the Mark-19 of his truck while conducting ground clearance in Imam Monsiur, south of Balad Ruz, Iraq, Feb. 8, 2007. U.S. soldiers of the 5-73rd participated in a massive insurgent-hunting operation. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Armando Monroig

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Bell negotiates a water obstacle during the French Foreign Legion Commando course at Arta Beach in Djibouti, Jan. 28, 2007. Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa is a unit of United States Central Command.   U.S. Army photo  A U.S. Navy Petty Officer negotiates a water obstacle during the French Foreign Legion Commando course at Arta Beach in Djibouti, Jan. 28, 2007. Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa is a unit of United States Central Command. U.S. Army photo

U.S. Army Spc. Matthew McClaine participates in a game of soccer with students from a school in Djibouti City, Djibouti, after handing out school supplies collected by Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, Feb. 7, 2007.   U.S. Army photo by Chief Petty Officer Eric A. Clement   U.S. Army Spc. Matthew McClaine participates in a game of soccer with students from a school in Djibouti City, Djibouti, after handing out school supplies collected by Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, Feb. 7, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Chief Petty Officer Eric A. Clement

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Trouscher mans her jet blast deflector operator post during training flight operations Feb. 1, 2007, aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.   U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr.U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Amanda Trouscher mans her jet blast deflector operator post during training flight operations Feb. 1, 2007, aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Kevin T. Murray Jr.

COMBAT CAMERA More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

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Thursday, February 8, 2007

Combat Camera: U.S. Troops Patrol Kirkuk, Iraq

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Spinks, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, looks over the area of a vehicle born improvised explosive device that went off without hitting its target in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy DunawayU.S. Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Spinks, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, looks over the area of a vehicle born improvised explosive device that went off without hitting its target in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway

U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Munds, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, looks over a map of the city to get to the next location in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy DunawayU.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy Munds, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, looks over a map of the city to get to the next location in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway

U.S. Army Pfc. Nicholas Gray, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, scans the area while moving to the next location in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy DunawayU.S. Army Pfc. Nicholas Gray, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, scans the area while moving to the next location in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway

U.S. Army 1st. Lt. John Ortegon, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, talks with Iraqi police while on a patrol in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy DunawayU.S. Army 1st. Lt. John Ortegon, from the 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, talks with Iraqi police while on a patrol in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway

U.S. Army Sgt. Drudge inspects his troop's dog tags, ID cards, weapons and equipment during a pre-combat check at Forward Operating Base Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. Drudge is assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. BareU.S. Army Sgt. Drudge inspects his troop's dog tags, ID cards, weapons and equipment during a pre-combat check at Forward Operating Base Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. Drudge is assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare

An Iraqi woman sells bread to motorists in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. BareAn Iraqi woman sells bread to motorists in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare

U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, deliver fortification materials to an Iraqi police check point in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. BareU.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, deliver fortification materials to an Iraqi police check point in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare

An Iraqi army Humvee patrols the streets of Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. BareAn Iraqi army Humvee patrols the streets of Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare

Iraqi children wave to a passing Iraqi and U.S. Army mounted patrol in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. BareIraqi children wave to a passing Iraqi and U.S. Army mounted patrol in Kirkuk, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Maria J. Bare

COMBAT CAMERA More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

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Update 4: Pentagon Restricts Pelosi Jet Requests

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Open thread:

Editor's note: Please read down for aircraft details.

  • Update: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she may decline the use of Air Force planes to travel from Washington to her San Francisco district because the Pentagon won't guarantee her an aircraft that can make the trip non-stop, reports Bloomberg.com.

    "I have said that I am happy to ride commercial if the plane they have doesn't go coast to coast," Pelosi said today.
    The Associated Press reports Pelosi received some rare help Thursday from the White House against a barrage of Republican criticism over how the new House speaker intends to get back home.

    Presidential spokesman Tony Snow said, "This is a silly story and I think it's been unfair to the speaker."
    Others, however, took a different view:

    "The jet that Pelosi has produces 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide an hour, far more than the previous speaker used," said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.

  • The Department of Defense Tuesday sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that puts limits on the size of the plane she may use to travel across the country and restricts the guests she can bring, The Washington Times has learned.

    A congressional source who read the letter signed by Assistant Secretary of Defense Robert Wilkie said it essentially limits her to the commuter plane used by former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, which requires refueling to travel from Washington to Mrs. Pelosi's San Francisco district. A second source, in the Bush administration, confirmed the contents of the letter.

    Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., the Pelosi ally who chairs the House military appropriations subcommittee, said he has spoken to Pentagon officials about the need to provide Pelosi with a bigger plane that can fly passengers coast to coast in comfort, reports SFGate.com.

    Murtha said he is convinced the Pentagon has been leaking information about the possibility that Pelosi would use large military planes to make her look bad. But he said, "They're making a mistake when they leak it because she decides on allocations for them," referring to the Pentagon budget.

    Earlier, Mrs. Pelosi did not comment on the matter but yesterday began accusing the Bush administration of twisting the story.

    Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, chairman of the House Republican Conference said Pelosi's bid for a bigger plane, which he dubbed "Air Force Three," shows "an arrogance of office that just defies common sense."

    The Pentagon's letter leaves open the possibility that Mrs. Pelosi may get a larger plane that does not require refueling if one happens to be available in the 89th Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base. But, generally, the larger military passenger jets are in high demand, especially due to the Iraq war.

    The Washington Times reported earlier this week that the Pentagon denied a request by Mrs. Pelosi to fly on a military aircraft to last weekend's Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, a two-hour drive from Washington.

    "Non-governmental personnel, i.e. political supporters and contributors, may not fly," the congressional source said yesterday, paraphrasing the letter sent to Mrs. Pelosi. "The plane may not ferry her to any political events and other members may only accompany her after approval by the House ethics committee, which means Republicans would have to OK it."

  • Republicans on Wednesday assailed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's request for access to a large Air Force transport plane as an extravagance, reminding that former Speaker Dennis Hastert flew in a small military commuter jet, reports AP.

    Republicans are taking issue with the size of the plane Pelosi has requested. Pelosi had asked for access to an Air Force C-32 aircraft (45 passengers, 16 crew), a military version of the Boeing 757-200 (up to 239 passengers, 2 flightcrew). Air Force Two is a C-32 primarily used by the vice president.

    Hastert, an Illinois Republican, flew in a small commuter-sized C-20 jet. Pelosi and her aides say that because her congressional district is in California, her security would require a larger plane that can fly coast to coast without refueling.

    Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, the No. 3 Republican leader, said he supported the tradition of House speakers having access to secure airplanes with secure communications in the post-9/11 era, because of their spot in the presidential line of succession.

    But he called Pelosi's desire for a large transport "an extravagance of power that the taxpayers won't swallow."

C-32 Air Force Two. A C-32, a specially configured version of the Boeing 757-200 commercial intercontinental airliner, takes off. (U.S. Air Force photo) Are we soon to see an Air Force Three?

C-20 The C-20A/B, military versions of the Gulfstream III, were chosen in June 1983 as the replacement aircraft for the C-140B Jetstar. In 1992, Gulfstream delivered their latest model, the C-20H (Gulfstream IV) to Andrews AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo)
  • The Bush administration has agreed to provide House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with regular access to an Air Force passenger jet, but the two sides are negotiating whether she will get the big aircraft she wants and who she may take as passengers, according to congressional and administration sources, reports The Washington Times.

    A congressional source said that Rep. John P. Murtha, chairman of House Appropriations subcommittee on defense, which controls the Pentagon's spending, has telephoned administration officials to urge them to give the speaker what she wants.

    Mrs. Pelosi wants a larger aircraft that can fly to her home district of San Francisco nonstop. She also wants to be able to ferry other members of the congressional delegation, family members and her staff.

    "She's effectively taking a bird out of the fleet," said a defense source. "It will most directly impact the House, because they're the heavy users of the large aircraft. Congress looks at that Andrews fleet as their Hertz rent-a-car."
    The congressional source said the speaker's office requested an Air Force plane to take her to a weekend Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, but the Pentagon declined.

    The defense source, who asked not to be named, termed her request "carte blanche," saying she wanted a plane that could carry an entourage just like President Bush, who flies on Air Force One, and Vice President Dick Cheney, who also always flies on military planes.

  • The Washington Times reports the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pressing the Bush administration for routine access to military aircraft for domestic flights, such as trips back to her San Francisco district, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

    The sources, who include those in Congress and in the administration, said the Democrat is seeking regular military flights not only for herself and her staff, but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation. A knowledgeable source called the request "carte blanche for an aircraft any time."

    "They are pressing the point of her succession and that the [Department of Defense] needs to play ball with the speaker's needs," one source said. The request originally went to the Pentagon, which then asked the White House to weigh in.

Keep in mind that Nancy Pelosi represents a district that includes San Fransisco, a city that recently decided to remove ROTC from school campuses because of the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay service members.

Thanks to Joe Paine for the Times-Picayune cartoon.

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Update: The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 8 Feb.

The Decline and Fall of Western Civ.: Barbarians have Crashed the Gate
Here are some late braking stories to add to today's DFWC.
  • A team of world-leading neuroscientists has developed a powerful technique that allows them to look deep inside a person's brain and read their intentions before they act, according to The Guardian.

    "Using the scanner, we could look around the brain for this information and read out something that from the outside there's no way you could possibly tell is in there. It's like shining a torch around, looking for writing on a wall," said John-Dylan Haynes at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany, who led the study with colleagues at University College London and Oxford University.

  • In more global warming news, AP reports while the northern Plains and Northeast shiver in dangerously cold temperatures, the folks in upstate New York are keeping warm shoveling snow -- lots of snow.

    Since Sunday, the small towns of Parish and Mexico have recorded more than 6 feet of snow, and forecasters with the National Weather Service say it isn't over yet.

    "We're just trying to keep up. It's almost an unreal amount," said Mayor Randy Bateman of Oswego, where 70 inches of snow had fallen by Thursday morning. "We catch up when it stops, but then it just comes again, even heavier."

  • AFP reports the Democrat-led US Congress signalled it would take a cue from the landmark UN report on global warming and draft legislation aimed at fighting climate change.

    While seeming to turn a blind eye on the reality of confirmed threats against Western society, the narrow Democrat majority in congress would rather invest in a popularity contest pitting one theoretical prediction against another.

    A series of concerts "bigger than Live Aid" is being planned for July, in a bid to put the subject of climate change before an audience of a global audience of 2bn, reports FT.com.

    Another AFP story reports an Arctic "doomsday vault" aimed at providing mankind with food in case of a global catastrophe will be designed to sustain the effects of climate change, the project's builders said as they unveiled the architectural plans.

    The top-security repository, carved into the permafrost of a mountain in the remote Svalbard archipelago near the North Pole, will preserve some three million batches of seeds from all known varieties of the planet's crops.

    Lets hope the acquire the corn seeds before the price has been made astronomical due to shortages cause by government subsidies and the use of corn-based methanol fuels.

  • Forty years after the Bloods and the Crips put Los Angeles on the map, the number of gangs in Los Angeles County has swelled to about 1,000 and their estimated 88,000 members are drawn from every ethnicity -- Asians, blacks, Latinos, whites, reports Reuters.

    "Los Angeles county and city is, unfortunately, the gang capital of America," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said as police on Thursday announced a crackdown on the city's 11 worst gangs.

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 8 Feb.

The Decline and Fall of Western Civ.: Barbarians have Crashed the Gate
It's the end of the world as we know it...

  • There have been strange reports about flying objects in the skies -- and some people think they're UFOs.

    WXII 12's Nicole Ducouer spoke to a Kernersville man who said he captured an object on his cell phone.

  • Nearly a decade after the highly publicized ‘Phoenix Light Phenomenon’, more strange lights have appeared in the night sky over downtown Phoenix, reports cbs4.com.

    Tuesday night, mysterious lights lit up the western skies over Phoenix and soon after, phones began ringing off the hook at radio, television and police stations from witnesses wondering what the lights were.

  • While record cold temperatures freeze the nation, there seems to be more than enough hot air spewing from global warming alarmists to thaw their arguments.

    Media mogul Ted Turner says global warming is 'single greatest challenge that humanity has ever faced.'

    "What we need is a moratorium on all new coal plants, on all new carbon-producing energy power technologies, and work on replacing them with renewable alternatives," the billionaire founder of CNN said Wednesday.
    Ted couldn't elaborate on working strategies, however.

    On the other hand, Al Gore gave a free pass to pollute saying emerging economies such as China are justified in holding back on fighting greenhouse gas emissions until richer polluters like the United States do more to solve the problem, former Vice President Al Gore said Wednesday, according to AP.

    Ignoring current efforts to curb emissions in the U.S., Chinese officials said they would act after industrial countries such as the United States and others make changes themselves, Gore said, addressing a conference in Madrid on global warming.

  • AP reports things are staring to unravel for Democrat John Edwards, who has made an anti-poverty message the theme of his 2008 presidential campaign. Edwards is taking heat for the lavish home he has constructed in Orange County, N.C.

    AP is also reporting that Edwards apologized Thursday for the provocative messages two of his campaign bloggers wrote criticizing the Catholic church, but stated he's not going to fire them.
The Edwards Estate
The Edwards Estate: Clear-cut like an atomic blast.

  • Visitors to Palm Beach are being advised not to go in the water because of hundreds of shark sightings, reports Local6.com. Perhaps they just knew Rush Limbaugh was on the left coast for the weekend.

  • Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have successfully test-fired a new Russian-made air defence missile system, whose delivery last month sparked bitter US criticism, reports AFP.

    Reuters reports that a commander said the missiles could sink "big warships" in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean, the state broadcaster said.

  • Tour de France winner Floyd Landis will not take part in this year's race so he can concentrate on fighting doping charges on one front rather than two, according to Reuters.

  • And finally, wcbstv.com reports five college students have been stripped of residence hall jobs and are facing campus hearings for making a video that mimics a hostage taking, university officials said Thursday.

    In the video, five figures in ski masks speak in crude Middle Eastern accents as they threaten their captive, a rubber duck that serves as the mascot of a residence hall at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. Newsday reported that the video was posted on the Web sites Google and YouTube, but it has since been removed.
    Newsday reports Muslim leaders have condemned the video.
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