Target Centermass

Category: General

  • General Sees Permanent 30,000 Increase in U.S. Army

    I see this as pretty much a done deal.

    With the U.S. military heavily engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior general said on Thursday he expected the Pentagon will make permanent a temporary increase of 30,000 soldiers in the Army.

    The senior Army general, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said, “As far as I can see, it will be hard for us to come off of the 30 (thousand).” Maintaining the additional 30,000 soldiers costs $3 billion annually, he said.

    A permanent increase to 512,000 soldiers in the Army would require congressional approval.

    “There is stress in the force,” the general added. “That’s why we asked for the temporary 30-K increase to relieve some of that pressure. That’s why we instituted stop-loss.”

    The Army has issued so-called stop-loss orders blocking thousands of soldiers from leaving the military if their volunteer service ends while they are in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    A year ago, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized the addition of 30,000 soldiers beyond the Army’s approved limit of 482,000, using emergency powers granted by Congress.

    The move came as the Army was struggling to maintain troop levels for the guerrilla war in Iraq that scuttled earlier plans to draw down forces there.

    Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for a permanent increase in the size of the Army — which provides most of the troops for the two wars. Rumsfeld has resisted, arguing that restructuring the force and making it more efficient could reduce some of the stress.

    The general’s comments followed news of a memo by Lt. Gen. James Helmly, head of the U.S. Army Reserve, in which he said the reserve was “rapidly degenerating into a ‘broken’ force” because of dysfunctional military policies.

    With the regular Army stretched thin and crucial specialists like military police concentrated in reserve units, the Pentagon has tapped heavily into the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard to keep up troop levels in Iraq.

    Reservists make up 40 percent of U.S. troops in Iraq.

    “I would not use the term ‘broke,”‘ the senior general told reporters. “‘Stressed’ is probably a much more accurate term.”

    A draft? No. But I certainly advocate an increase in the size of the all-volunteer military, certainly more than just making permanent the 30K temporary boost in this article. The issue is not if we have enough troops for today but rather if we have enough for tomorrow.

  • Jordan Calls on Iraqis to Go to Polls

    Jordan has backed off delaying the Iraqi vote and now is beginning a Get-out-the-Iraqi-vote drive.

    Jordan urged that Iraqi elections proceed as scheduled and called on all Iraqis to seize a “golden opportunity” and go to the polls Jan. 30 to elect an assembly that will write a constitution.

    Jordan had previously backed postponing the elections, but Jordanian Foreign Minister Hani al-Mulqi opened a meeting Thursday of foreign ministers of Iraq’s neighbors by urging there be no delay in the landmark ballot.

    “From this podium, I call on all factions of the Iraqi people, young and old, men and women, to go to the polls to choose their representatives and draw their own future,” Al-Mulqi said. Failing to do that “will leave the door open for others to choose for them.”

    The vote, he said, is “a golden opportunity for all Iraqi men and women to contribute to putting Iraq on the right track, to build the state of law and return security and stability.”

  • Muslim Link to Anti-Semitism Rise in Europe

    In today’s world, the gist of this story should seem all too obvious, but it is good to hear it blatantly stated by a U.S. State Department source.

    A rise in the number of Muslims in Western Europe has intensified longstanding anti-Jewish sentiment in the region and acts such as desecrating synagogues are likely to increase, the State Department said.

    Since 2000 in Europe, vandalism such as graffiti, fire bombings of Jewish schools and the desecration of cemeteries and synagogues has surged and attacks against Jews “increased markedly,” the department said in a report, which was mandated by Congress.

    “This was a one-time report that calls attention to a new phenomenon. While there is not an explosion of anti-Semitism, it’s a concern that there is a rise of acts by Muslim minorities in Europe,” said a State Department official, who asked not to be named.

    “Unfortunately, the old-fashioned anti-Semitism of skinheads and the like has not gone away and people are also using Israeli and U.S. policies as an excuse to promote their anti-Semitism,” he added.

    Other causes contributing to the rise in anti-Semitism include Israel’s policy toward Palestinians and the invasion of Iraq, led by the Jewish state’s benefactor, the United States.

    Coming just after the State Department official’s quote about Israeli and U.S. policies, Reuters demonstrates confusion between the terms causes and excuses.

    Most European governments regard anti-Semitism as a serious problem and have taken measures, such as introducing legislation and bolstering law enforcement, to combat the trend, the report said.

    But the Bush administration, which has been criticized particularly among Arabs for favoring Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians, predicted new, disaffected Muslim immigrants to Europe will direct their anger against Jews.

    “In Western Europe, traditional far-right groups still account for a significant proportion of the attacks against Jews and Jewish properties (but) disadvantaged and disaffected Muslim youths increasingly were responsible for most of the other incidents,” the report said.

    “The trend appears likely to persist as the number of Muslims in Europe continues to grow while their level of education and economic prospects remain limited,” it added.

    The stories of the problems Europe is facing from its growing Muslim populations are become more and more disturbing. Here and here are looks at difficulties in Sweden.

    Sweden is one of the worst hit countries in Europe of Muslim immigration and Political Correctness. Now, the police themselves have publicly admitted that they no longer control one of Sweden’s major cities. I have made some exclusive translations from Swedish media. They show the future of Eurabia unless Europeans wake up.

    I’ve seen the future of Eurabia, and it’s called ‘Sweden.’ Malmø is Sweden’s third largest city, after Stockholm and Gothenburg. Once-peaceful Sweden, home of ABBA, IKEA and the Nobel Prize, is increasingly looking like the Middle East on a bad day.

    Here is a lengthy look today at several places in Europe, including Germany, Britain, France and the Netherlands.

    The Netherlands, like much of Europe, has made the mistake of long ignoring parallel societies growing in the poor, immigrant neighborhoods. “When you’re not integrated, don’t speak the language, don’t have a job, are living in half ruins–we must not overlook that there is a breeding ground for real violence,” says von der Fuhr. It all leaves young Muslims, even those born in Europe, vulnerable to what he calls “garbage can” Islam.

    We are certainly in a global war for the future direction of civilization, and Europe is shaping up to be one of the battlefields of the future if decisive steps are not soon initiated.

  • Personal Finance D’Oh!

    Bonehead financial move by yours truly.

    I got a call last week from Carmax, the people who have my car loan. Seems I was late on the loan payment. I couldn’t figure how that could be, as I’ve been paying ahead and paying on the same date as another bill. Go back through my online banking records and, apparently, I had indeed missed a payment in October to Carmax but not the other bill.

    I was perplexed.

    Until tonight, when I discovered I have a credit balance from October on my previously zero-balance Capital One (emergencies only) credit card. Damned online-banking drop-down menu. Cap … Car … d’oh!

  • Accused Deserter a No-show after Leave

    On this blog, I respectfully treated the case of Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun in what I felt was a balanced, fair manner.

    Now it looks like he is quite probably a deserter … twice over.

    A U.S. Marine corporal already charged with desertion in his disappearance from Iraq last year has failed to return from leave and may have fled to Lebanon, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.

    Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun was required to report back to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, by noon Tuesday, and was declared a deserter Wednesday afternoon after failing to do so, according to a statement from the Marine Corps.

    His commanders have authorized civil authorities to apprehend him, according to a statement from Camp Lejeune.

    Investigators have found evidence that Hassoun has fled the United States for Lebanon, where he turned up in July after his disappearance from an American base in western Iraq, Pentagon officials told CNN.

    Hassoun’s family told military officials that he had left Utah, where he was on leave, four days before he was to return to Camp Lejeune.

    But Hassoun is now believed to have taken money out of the bank and changed his flight destination from North Carolina to Canada, where he booked a flight to Lebanon, where he was born and has relatives, Marine Corps officials said.

    In December, the Marines charged Hassoun, who served as a truck driver and Arabic translator, with desertion and theft. He has denied deserting and was not held in confinement after being charged.

    Marine officials said Wednesday that he was not believed to be a flight risk because he had turned himself in after initially disappearing from Iraq. In addition, the Marines had let him go on leave to Utah two times before he was charged, and he had shown no sign that he would try to flee.

    His latest disappearance is another twist in an already convoluted story, with many details still unclear.

    In June, Hassoun disappeared from a Marine camp outside the Iraqi city of Falluja. Originally listed as a deserter, his status was changed to “captured” after the release of a videotape showing him blindfolded, with a sword above his head.

    Islamist Web sites reported that he had been executed by an Iraqi militant group, but Hassoun turned up with relatives in Lebanon in July and was returned to the United States.

    Military investigators charged him with desertion and theft of government property — a military vehicle and his service weapons — after U.S. troops found his civilian passport, military ID card and uniform during the siege of Falluja in November.

    If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison for desertion and up to 10 years for each theft.

    I now believe this man will never be found again on American soil. He may, however, be stupid enough to make his way onto a battlefield. If so and he’s captured, I have one question: do we still hang traitors?

  • Condom Testing Reveals Best Brands

    Want to know what rubber to put on that chubber? CNN is there for you.

    The consumers group best known for rating cars and washing machines has turned its testing prowess to condoms to find out which ones measure up best and how other birth control methods compare.

    The nonprofit Consumers Union says in a new guide to contraception that the seven top types of condom they studied did not burst despite vigorous testing, and all models met international standards.

    But results showed that the top brand, able to take the most punishment, was the Durex Extra Sensitive Lubricated Latex, according to the report.

    Other top-performers include the Durex Performax Lubricated, Lifestyles Classic Collection Ultra Sensitive Lubricated and TheyFit Lubricated.

    A melon-colored model distributed by Planned Parenthood performed the worst, bursting during a test in which the latex condoms were filled with air.

    The article goes on to briefly look at other contraceptive methods. For those who realize nothing is so good it lasts eternally, even condom protection, the article does throw out this bone … err … nevermind.

    While abstinence has a 0 percent failure rate, doing nothing to prevent pregnancy has an 85 percent failure rate, the group found.

    Target Centermass will add nothing to this except a snicker at the whole thing.

    Snicker.

  • Kuwait Charges Troops With Plotting Attack

    Talk about ingratitude.

    Kuwait has arrested up to four members of its armed forces who are suspected of plotting to attack allied troops, a Kuwaiti military spokesman said.

    Kuwait has witnessed several small-scale attacks on U.S. troops and civilians in the past three years. But this is the first time in many years that serving members of the armed forces have been detained on such charges.

    “The security apparatus in Military Intelligence is investigating some officers following information that they intended to work against friendly troops,” Brig. Youssef al-Mullah said Monday.

    “They are fewer than five,” al-Mullah said, adding they were arrested late last week. “A number have been released after investigation.”

    He would not say how many remained in custody. Nor would he identify the troops they were suspected of plotting against. But the targeted troops are believed to be American.

    The United States stations several thousand troops in Kuwait and used the oil-rich country to launch its March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Kuwait continues to serve as a staging ground for U.S. troops and equipment going into Iraq.

    “It is just an investigation,” al-Mullah said. “The military judicial proceedings will take their course.”

    Al-Mullah gave no further details.

    The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait warned American citizens Dec. 15 that it had “credible information that terrorist groups are developing near-term plans for attacks against unspecified targets in Kuwait.” The embassy urged nationals to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity.

    Kuwait has stepped up its internal security in recent days, stationing armed military and police vehicles at street junctions, hotels and embassies.

    Seriously, the world of Islam is a festering sore right now.

    That is not a condemnation of the religion, but rather a statement on the Arab world that has been built in its name. Radicalism went too long unchecked, generations were raised on poisonous words, blame for self-inflicted suffering was always scapegoated outward.

    That an ally would have such snakes in their midst is no surprise and is only more evidence why the Mideast needs an opportunity to embrace democracy, freedom and civilization.

    Or die before it can savage all of humanity.

  • U.S. Limiting Prisoner Numbers in Afghanistan after Complaints

    The fallout of the overblown prisoner abuse scandals continues.

    The U.S. military is taking as few prisoners as possible in its campaign against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan, partly to prevent more complaints about its conduct after at least eight prisoners died in custody, an American commander said Monday.

    ….

    Col. Gary Cheek, the U.S. commander for eastern Afghanistan, said the troops under his command would be “relentless” in their pursuit of insurgents, including about 20 unidentified top leaders, through the bitter Afghan winter.

    But following a review of the military’s policy on detentions last summer, the soldiers were taking as few prisoners as possible as they try to win stronger support from the local population.

    The U.S. military, which still commands 18,000 troops here, has taken thousands of prisoners in Afghanistan since Operation Enduring Freedom, Washington’s anti-terrorism drive, began after the Sept. 11 attacks.

    Those not released quickly are transferred to larger jails at U.S. bases in Bagram and Kandahar, and many have been sent from there to the U.S. prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

    However, allegations of mistreatment – dating to before the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq – have hurt efforts to win over ordinary Afghans.

    Maj. Mark McCann, a military spokesman, said fewer prisoners were now being sent to Guantanamo, reflecting a decline in militant activity in Afghanistan. Also, detainees could be freed this year under a planned amnesty, he said.

    The story doesn’t specify exactly how the number of prisoners taken is being reduced. Perhaps the troops are refusing to take into initial custody those considered the smallest of the small fish. Perhaps they are avoiding surrender opportunities via standoff engagements.

    It really doesn’t matter to me. Dead men don’t wear plaid, and they don’t go whining to the media either.

  • Man Charged Under Patriot Act for Laser

    The first arrest has been made in a recent rash of laser devices dangerously being beamed into cockpits.

    Federal authorities Tuesday used the Patriot Act to charge a man with pointing a laser beam at an airplane overhead and temporarily blinding the pilot and co-pilot.

    The FBI acknowledged the incident had no connection to terrorism but called David Banach’s actions “foolhardy and negligent.”

    Banach, 38, of Parsippany [N.J.] admitted to federal agents that he pointed the light beam at a jet and a helicopter over his home near Teterboro Airport last week, authorities said. Initially, he claimed his daughter aimed the device at the helicopter, they said.

    He is the first person arrested after a recent rash of reports around the nation of laser beams hitting airplanes.

    Banach was charged only in connection with the jet. He was accused of interfering with the operator of a mass transportation vehicle and making false statements to the FBI, and was released on $100,000 bail. He could get up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000.

    Banach’s lawyer, Gina Mendola-Longarzo, said her client was simply using the hand-held device to look at stars with his daughter on the family’s deck. She said Banach bought the device on the Internet for $100 for his job testing fiber-optic cable.

    “He wasn’t trying to harm any person, any aircraft or anything like that,” she said.

    A laser to look at the stars? Does he really think that load of crap will hold up to any sort of scrutiny?

    The jet, a chartered Cessna Citation, was coming in for a landing last Wednesday with six people aboard when a green light beam struck the windshield three times at about 3,000 feet, according to court documents. The flash temporarily blinded both the pilot and co-pilot, but they were later able to land the plane safely, authorities said.

    ….

    Similar incidents have been reported in Colorado Springs, Colo., Cleveland, Washington, Houston and Medford, Ore., raising fears that the light beams could temporarily blind cockpit crews and lead to accidents.

    Last month, the FBI and the Homeland Security Department sent a memo to law enforcement agencies saying there is evidence that terrorists have explored using lasers as weapons. But federal officials have said there is no evidence any the current incidents represent a terrorist plot.

    A prank is throwing rolls of toilet paper into someone’s trees. A prank is filling a co-worker’s umbrella with paper refuse from a three-hole punch (highly recommended for its delayed reward). This is not a prank — it is an attempt to kill.

    A malicious act? We’ll find out soon. A dumbass? We already know.

  • Baghdad Governor Assassinated

    More blood to halt democracy in Iraq.

    Insurgents shot and killed Baghdad’s provincial governor and struck at the headquarters of an elite police unit yesterday in a series of attacks against Iraqi government targets aimed at disrupting the January 30 elections.

    With only four weeks to go, the increase in violence, particularly in the capital, led to renewed calls for the poll to be delayed. Ghazi al-Yawer, interim president, suggested that the United Nations should decide whether elections would be held on time. However, a senior US state department official said that “absolutely” the elections would go ahead as planned. The security situation was not deteriorating and was actually “a little better” than six weeks ago.

    ….

    Iraq’s electoral commission has also insisted that the Transitional Administrative Law governing the elections states they must be held before January 31, with no mechanism for delay.

    The growing insecurity has already diminished participation in the elections. There are virtually no activists out canvassing in the capital and some parties have not even announced a candidate list for fear their members will be targeted.

    The shooting of Ali al-Haidari, provincial governor, was the latest in a string of assassinations of local officials that appears to be deterring influential Iraqis, particularly in the Sunni Arab areas, from seeking high-profile political roles. Witnesses said three cars loaded with gunmen pulled alongside Mr Haidari’s four-car motorcade as he drove through the north-east part of the city and then opened fire.

    Insurgents associated with the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility for the killing, warning that “every traitor and supporter of the Jews and Christians” would suffer the same fate.

    Do. Not. Delay. The. Vote.

    To do so now would trumpet the message that assassination can prevent putting the government into the hands of the Iraqi people.