Qassim al-Rimi, head of Yemen’s al Qaeda affiliate, insulted Trump after the deadly raid.
hmmm
Category: Military,
US Army Corps Told to Clear Way for Dakota Access Construction
The acting secretary of the U.S. Army told federal officials to issue the easement needed to complete the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline.
US Army Corps Told to Clear Way for Dakota Access Construction | News | teleSUR English
hmmm
Chelsea Manning to Be Released Early as Obama Commutes Sentence
Chelsea Manning to Be Released Early as Obama Commutes Sentence
Hmmmm, one is almost tempted to wonder if Obama’s view of this in hindsight highlight the wrongheaded approach his administration took with this issue.
Almost.
Either way….
Hmmmm
Japan PM Shinzo Abe in Hawaii for landmark Pearl Harbor visit
Mr Abe will be accompanied by US President Barack Obama, making the visit the first by the leaders of both countries since the attack.
Mr Abe will pray for the dead but will not issue an apology.
The attack on Pearl Harbour killed 2,300 US servicemen and propelled the US into World War Two.
Japan PM Shinzo Abe in Hawaii for landmark Pearl Harbor visit – BBC News
hmmm
Veterans arriving to support Dakota pipeline protesters
Throngs of veterans from the group “Veterans Stand for Standing Rock” were arriving at the freezing Dakota Access Pipeline protest site on Sunday — one day before authorities are expected to remove protesters.
With a Monday showdown looming, the veterans will add a new dimension to the protest, which up to now has pitted members of the Sioux tribe and their supporters against local law enforcement officers.
The veterans Facebook page also said US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, will arrive to show support.
Veterans arriving to support Dakota pipeline protesters – CNN.com
Yay, Veterans!
Yay, first peoples!
Yay!
Stnading Rock: AG Lynch: Department will still monitor protest
The Latest on the Dakota Access pipeline protest (all times local):
The Latest: AG Lynch: Department will still monitor protest – The Washington Post
Go, go gadget veterans.
Standing Rock
Iraq vets join Standing Rock standoff; sheriff’s department turns down offer of supplies from Native protesters
Standing Rock peace offering: Guards reject olive branch from Native protesters – Salon.com
hmmm
Feds deny permit for Dakota Access pipeline
“Although we have had continuing discussion and exchanges of new information with the Standing Rock Sioux and Dakota Access, it’s clear that there’s more work to do,” Army Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy said in a statement. “The best way to complete that work responsibly and expeditiously is to explore alternate routes for the pipeline crossing.”
Feds deny permit for Dakota Access pipeline | TheHill
Whoa!
In Mosul campaign, reported civilian deaths in U.S. strikes climb
Watchdog group says at least 84 civilians may have died in U.S. and allied air and artillery attacks.
In Mosul campaign, reported civilian deaths in U.S. strikes climb – The Washington Post
Sigh….
A brief history of war and drugs: From Vikings to Nazis
From World War II to Vietnam and Syria, drugs are often as much a part of conflict as bombs and bullets.
A brief history of war and drugs: From Vikings to Nazis – News from Al Jazeera
hmmm
Veterans stand for Standing Rock
The event, Veterans Stand for Standing Rock, is a call for veterans to “assemble as a peaceful, unarmed militia” to “defend the water protectors from assault and intimidation at the hands of the militarized police force and DAPL security.”
Source: Veterans stand for Standing Rock – CNN.com
Well, good on you, Wes Clark. Nicely done.
How the Photography of Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams Told the Story of Japanese American Internment
After photographing families and other residents being led into “assembly centers” in the central and coastal cities of California and the county seats of Salinas, Stockton, Turlock, and San Bruno, photographer Dorothea Lange turned her camera to southern California, towards the first concentration camp to open for residents of Japanese descent.
How the Photography of Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams Told the Story of Japanese American Internment
hmmmm
Pentagon and intelligence community chiefs have urged Obama to remove the head of the NSA
Adm. Michael S. Rogers is a contender for the job of director of national intelligence in the incoming Trump administration.
Oy….
Two U.S. Troops and at Least 30 Afghans Are Killed in Battle With Taliban
Taliban insurgents killed two U.S. Special Operations forces during a firefight Thursday in northern Afghan, and U.S. airstrikes in support of the troops killed a number of civilians, officials said.
…The operation in the village of Buzi Kandahari came after the provincial capital was briefly overrun by the insurgents last month. The Afghan and U.S. forces were ambushed and encircled by militants and snipers with heavy weaponry and called for air support after several troops were killed and injured, a senior Afghan military official said.
The U.S. military then struck the densely populated area, said Mahmood Danish, a spokesman for the Kunduz governor. Many of the casualties were women and children, he said.
…A witness said he saw at least 15 bodies piled into trucks after families tried to parade them through the city to protest against the killings but were obstructed by police. Health officials said at least another four bodies were at the hospital. At least 30 other patients were being treated for injuries, 12 of them children and many in critical condition, they said. Military and government officials couldn’t immediately confirm the death toll.
Two U.S. Troops and at Least 30 Afghans Are Killed in Battle With Taliban – WSJ
Sigh….
Defense Secretary Ash Carter asks Pentagon to suspend Guard bonus collections – CBS News
Efforts to collect the erroneous re-enlistment bonus payments to thousands of soldiers stopped due to “unreasonable burdens on service members”
: Defense Secretary Ash Carter asks Pentagon to suspend Guard bonus collections – CBS News
Not nearly enough. This is total bullshit. All debts of these kinds should 100% forgiven. Any responsibility for paying it back should fall squarely and solely on the backs of those who gave out the money in the first place.
Shaking down veterans… Disgusting and immoral!
10,000 California veterans ordered to pay back enlistment bonuses – NY Daily News
Nearly 10,000 California veterans must pay back hefty reenlistment bonuses they earned a decade ago when they signed up to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon has ordered.
Many of the California National Guard soldiers received more than $15,000 to reenlist in the mid-2000s, when the country was struggling to fill the force as two overseas wars raged on, the Los Angeles Times reported.
But Pentagon investigations determined the California Guard handed out bonuses too liberally, giving them to many soldiers who didn’t qualify, as state officials faced difficulties meeting enlistment quotas.
And instead of forgiving the overpaid soldier, many of whom served multiple tours of duties overseas in exchange for the funds, the California Guard has asked for the cash back.
10,000 California veterans ordered to pay back enlistment bonuses – NY Daily News
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
Thousands of California soldiers forced to repay enlistment bonuses a decade after going to war
Nearly 10,000 soldiers, many of whom served multiple combat tours, have been ordered to repay large enlistment bonuses — and slapped with interest charges, wage garnishments and tax liens if they refuse — after audits revealed widespread overpayments by the California Guard at the height of the wars last decade.
Seriously?!
Abu Ghraib inmates allowed to sue over alleged torture
US court reinstates lawsuit by four ex-prisoners held in Iraq against military contractors after eight years of appeals.
Abu Ghraib inmates allowed to sue over alleged torture – News from Al Jazeera
hmmm
Retired four-star general pleads guilty to leaking classified info to media
The former vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff pled guilty in federal court Monday, admitting he lied to the FBI when questioned about whether he provided two journalists with top secret information in 2012.
Retired four-star general pleads guilty to leaking classified info to media – CNNPolitics.com
hmmm
‘Sodomized’ Guantánamo captive to undergo corrective surgery
An alleged accomplice in the Sept. 11 terror attacks is to undergo surgery this week for decade-old damage from his “sodomy” in CIA custody, his attorney says.
‘Sodomized’ Guantánamo captive to undergo corrective surgery | Miami Herald
Sigh….
Veteran Kills Himself in Parking Lot of V.A. Hospital on Long Island – The New York Times
A hospital worker said that the man, Peter A. Kaisen, of Islip, was denied emergency-room service, a claim the hospital disputes.
Veteran Kills Himself in Parking Lot of V.A. Hospital on Long Island – The New York Times
what the fuck is wrong with people????
U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds
The United States Army’s finances are so jumbled it had to make trillions of dollars of improper accounting adjustments to create an illusion that its books are balanced.
…Disclosure of the Army’s manipulation of numbers is the latest example of the severe accounting problems plaguing the Defense Department for decades.
The report affirms a 2013 Reuters series revealing how the Defense Department falsified accounting on a large scale as it scrambled to close its books. As a result, there has been no way to know how the Defense Department – far and away the biggest chunk of Congress’ annual budget – spends the public’s money.
The new report focused on the Army’s General Fund, the bigger of its two main accounts, with assets of $282.6 billion in 2015. The Army lost or didn’t keep required data, and much of the data it had was inaccurate, the IG said.
“Where is the money going? Nobody knows,” said Franklin Spinney, a retired military analyst for the Pentagon and critic of Defense Department planning.
U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, auditor finds
WTF?!! Sigh….
Court rules Marine’s religious rights not violated – Stripes
The highest U.S. military court has upheld the bad conduct discharge of a Marine whose case had climbed to the top of the legal system over the question of whether her religious freedom had been violated.
In a 4-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces upheld lower court determinations that Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling’s religious rights were not violated when a superior ordered her to take down signs containing a biblical passage that she’d posted around her desk at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The judges upheld lower court conclusions that Sterling’s refusal, in the context of a contentious relationship with her bosses and the combative nature of the passage, was less an exercise of religion than an act of insubordination.
Court rules Marine’s religious rights not violated – Stripes
heh
The Forever War and the Ever-Expanding Military
Is the Pentagon too powerful for its own—and our—good?
Rosa Brooks on her new book, How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything.
Hmmmmm
Comments From The Peanut Gallery 