[Breitbart] NEW YORK ‐ House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) revealed that during his closed session interview with the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, former FBI official Peter Strzok refused to answer multiple questions, including whether he communicated with the author of the discredited anti-Trump dossier or with the firm paid by Hillary Clinton’s campaign to produce the infamous dossier.
Goodlatte made those revelations during the televised portion of Wednesday’s hearing.
At that section of the hearing, Goodlatte stated (emphasis added):
We went through a lot of questions about a lot of things for which we got answers, but we were also stymied time and time and time again because the FBI counsel instructed him not to answer because it was, as she called it, an ongoing investigation. Now we have an ongoing investigation here as well.
Mr. Strzok was expected to answer questions regarding his involvement in both of these investigations. Not from this standpoint of the substance of the investigation but from the standpoint of what his role was in a contemporaneous time with some of the most unbelievably, outrageously biased, vulgar texts that he was exchanging at the same time that he was being introduced into this investigation.
So questions regarding has he ever communicated with Mr. Steele, or Glenn Simpson, who is a journalist, or other matters like this to find out what his role was in the start of that investigation is critical to our investigation. And we need the answers to those questions. And we are now being blocked again from the FBI.
Simpson, a former journalist with the Wall Street Journal, is the co-founder of Fusion GPS, the controversial firm that hired former British spy Christopher Steele to produce the dossier. Simpson’s Fusion GPS was paid for its anti-Trump work by Trump’s primary political opponents, namely Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) via the Perkins Coie law firm.
After the hearing, Goodlatte appeared on Fox News to further comment on the FBI counsel’s refusal to allow Strzok to answer certain questions. The Congressman said that some of Strzok’s testimony was "not believable" when it came to the "hateful nature" of his anti-Trump text messages.
[Real Clear Investigations] The FBI had little problem leaking "unverified" dirt from Russian sources on Donald Trump and his campaign aides ‐ and even basing FISA wiretaps on it. But according to the Justice Department’s inspector general, the bureau is refusing to allow even members of Congress with top security clearance to see intercepted material alleging political interference by President Obama’s attorney general, Loretta Lynch.
That material ‐ which has been outlined in press reports ‐ consists of unverified accounts intercepted from putative Russian sources in which the head of the Democratic National Committee allegedly implicates the Hillary Clinton campaign and Lynch in a secret deal to fix the Clinton email investigation.
"It is remarkable how this Justice Department is protecting the corruption of the Obama Justice Department," said Tom Fitton, president of Washington-based watchdog Judicial Watch, which is suing for the material.
Lynch and Clinton officials as well as the DNC chairman at the time, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, have denied the allegations and characterized them as Russian disinformation.
#1
"It is remarkable how this Justice Department is protecting the corruption of the Obama Justice Department,"
"Remarkable" to some possibly.
Worst case, Lynch was collaborating with one former president and one outgoing president, all three possessing a desire to see presidential candidate Donald Trump soundly defeated.
#6
Call a bunch of the head guys in to the hearing at once. Ask from the bottom on up who ordered them not to release the documents. If anyone says they never got orders give them 24 hours to provide everything or go to prison. If they pass the buck go up the chain until the top and grill/imprison the one responsible.
Also they should pay for a plaque of shame to go at the entrance hall of FBI headquarters listing the names of folks that went political and possibly destroyed the institution.
#7
And while they are in the hearing send in the Federal Marshals to their offices to siege everything - claim it all related to a payoff to Stormy Danials - Mueller style.
These kind of people love to record everything - add to the fact that they never expected to be investigated after Hillary won.
Nazi Germany had the same problem I believe.
#9
I cannot help wondering where the Lynch trail would lead, and how many of Champ's senior staff would be snared, and eventually Champ himself, and face the probability of massive civil unrest if justice were truly served. I don't like the probable cost of cleaning the Augean Stables in this day and age. The country is too fractured and fragile for what come to pass? Just wondering aloud if that is the fundamental thing no one who actually knows wants to face.....
#10
If we (the unenlightened) can piece the dots together, stop for just a moment and think of what the beltway insiders must know. This is all such a kabuki dance. I am growing very weary of the study.
[FOX] A student pilot seated in the front of a doomed flight -- that was also carrying an Instagram model and social media stars -- had cocaine in his system when the plane crashed on an Arizona golf course in April, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.
James Pedroza, 28, was one of the six people killed in the April 9 wreck. The Piper PA-24 Comanche crashed shortly after takeoff on the Champions Course located north of the Scottsdale Airport, AZ Central reported. The National Transportation Safety Board said the plane had six seats.
[DailyMail]A covered bridge in Illinois was severely damaged by a box truck just sixteen days after being designated a federal historic landmark.
Witnesses said careless driver Eriberto Orozco plowed over the picturesque landmark in Long Grove on Wednesday despite signs prohibiting trucks and buses from crossing. The IL Office of Hispanic/Latino Affairs (OHLA) apparently forgot to post a "No camiones ni autobuses permitidos." sign.
The 30-year-old's vehicle struck the top of the bridge just before 4pm, causing serious damage. He was cited for ignoring a stop sign and traffic control device.
Orozco's truck weighed 15,000 pounds, more than twice the 6,000 pound limit.
The bridge, which was built in the early 1900s, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 11 after a campaign by locals. Doing the jobs Americans don't want to do.
Had to look it up but - been by there a few times. That whole area is extremely high traffic with (ONCE but not NOW) lots of restaurants just around the corner. I wonder what enticed the guy to turn there? Its not a path worth traveling as it leads to a nasty intersection. - look it up in your favorite map program: 454 Robert Parker Coffin Rd, Long Grove, IL 60047
#8
My bet is that he was overloaded and was looking for a way to dodge the scales. Then Alexa gave him the GPS routing coordinates... Reminds me of Rock (or Tree) Gnomes -- the mythological beasties that add or hide terrain features on your obviously perfect GPS Computer Map.
#9
I live 2 miles away and use it regularly to get to Rt 53 which takes me south and to ORD. It is a regular "short cut" that trades off some stop signs for some major traffic lights. It is clearly a STOP on each side of the bridge as only one vehicle can pass at a time. The village itself can be a nice place to spent a couple hours, but has struggled with vacancies since 2007 and to a lesser extent earlier.
#10
The "coincidence" here is that bridge is maybe a mile away from Kemper Lakes which is hosting the KPMG Womens PGA Championship. On Wednesday, a womens conference was being hosted at the event with national speakers like Condi Rice, couple Olympians and a number of female CEO's on the schedule- and LEO's from many agencies were parked all over the place and by every intersection. I'm not implying any conspiracy theories here as the cost of aluminum for my tin foil hat has risen due to new aluminum tarrifs :-) But I will wager the law enforcement communications board lit up like a Christmas tree and cops were on scene in seconds. We have hosted events here before, but I have never seen the traffic controls in place like this one.
[RedState] ...today I tell you the story of Elon Musk’s epic battle against a farting unicorn.
Yes, the tech tycoon behind Tesla and SpaceX is in a bizarre feud with an artist over an image of a unicorn with a flatulence problem. It all started with a tweet in 2017. Musk tweeted an image of a bug bearing the image by artist Tom Edwards, which also contained the phrase "Electric cars are good for the environment because electricity comes from magic." Pics at the link
Musk used the image without paying the artist - but I love the mug. I want it!
#1
Politely pressuring the deep pockets is probably the perspicacious play, but how on earth can this guy resist 1) making another mug with farting Elon Musk in lieu of unicorn, 2) wrapping a Tesla in the new design, and 3) giving it to those fifteen minutes good and proper?
[AFRICANEWS] Gents, this is your big chance! If you do own a cow and you don't own a nubile young African girl, deals are just waiting to be worked.
Child marriage is increasing in parts of war-torn South Sudan and drought-hit Kenya as parents swap their daughters for cows and goats to survive, campaigners said on Wednesday. "Okay, Ndebbi! This is our big chance! Get yerself scantily clad! You get a 72-year-old husband and we get a cow!"
"A cow! Oh, mummy, help me get undressed! Do you think these coconut shells..."
"Forget the coconut shells. Leave 'em as hanging fruit!"
Africa accounts for nine out of the 10 countries with the highest rates of underage unions globally, advocacy group Girls Not Brides said, with girls marrying due to tradition, family ties, the stigma of pregnancy out of wedlock and poverty. "Mom, me and Mbuddi wanta get married."
"Mbuddi? But yer only fourteen!"
"And knocked up."
But long-running wars and climate change are now leading factors too, activists said, highlighting a rise in marriage among girls under the age of 18 in South Sudan to 52 percent from 40 percent in 2010, according to United Nations data. See, if you taught 'em sex education in the schools like they do in the U.S. that wouldn't happen. Would it?"
“The conflicts just worsened the situation,” Dorcas Acen, a gender protection expert at the charity CARE International in South Sudan told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Where do you go to get a Gender Protection Expert's license?
“Majority of the parents wish to give up their girls and marry them off because of the economic hardship. They are looking at how to reduce the number of mouths they need to feed.” And increase the number of mouths somebody else has to feed. That makes sense. Of a sort.
Despite a global decline in child marriages, there are still some 12 million underage girls married every year, often with devastating consequences for their health and education. Ah, the joys of the age of exploration! When hormones were rampant and self control wasn't!
South Sudan has been gripped by civil war since 2013, pitting forces loyal to President Salva Kiir against rebels linked to former vice president Riek Machar, and millions are going hungry amind rampant inflation and declining oil output. The animists and Christians of South Sudan traded the oppression of Khartoum for oppression of their own.
As the conflict drags on and hard currency loses it lustre, parents can now receive up to 300 cows in bride price, or dowry, when their a young girl weds, up from about 30 cows during peacetime, Acen said. Whoa! 300 cows? A whole herd for one girl? She must have one hell of a body!
“When there is a girl within the family ready to get married, people will come and present the number of cows,” she said on the sidelines of a global conference on child marriage in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. "Back off! You think you own me!"
"Got my receipt right here."
"Oh. Okay then."
“Basically it’s just bidding – whoever bids with the highest number of cows will take the girl,” she said. The homely ones bring the fewest cows. One girl was so bad she went for a chicken. Mom and Pop thought about her every time they ate an egg.
Across the border in Kenya, many semi-nomadic Maasai and Samburu herders exchanged their daughters for livestock during a severe drought last year that killed large numbers of animals, said Millicent Ondigo of Amref Health Africa. "Is that a goat?"
"Yeah."
"Trade you my beautiful daughter for it!"
“Since the number of goats has decreased, parents rather sell their daughter for four (or) five goats for marriage,” said Ondigo, a project officer for the Nairobi-based health charity. "Say! She ain't all that beautiful!"
"That ain't the best lookin' goat I've ever seen either!"
"Throw in a jacknife and you got a deal!"
"Daddy!"
"Bye, Punkin! Write to let us know how you're doin'!"
Families often marry girls off at earlier ages during drought as this earns them dowry and increases the girls’ chances of being fed by wealthier husbands, experts say. "Say! You sure this girl's been weaned?"
Ondigo is working to convince parents that sending girls to school would bring them longer-term economic benefits. Makes sense on the surface. But if you have an empty stomach and a taste for cabrito today, the thought of sending the child to school for ten or twelve years, paying for her meals, paying for shoes and school clothes, an instrument for band, the class trip to Nairobi, maybe paying tuition and for school uniforms, just doesn't look cost effective.
“(We told parents) when she is done with schooling, she will get a job and she will be able to buy you more than those four goats,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "Of course, you'll have starved to death by then."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[AFRICANEWS] Police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at protesters in eSwatini on Friday as they marched against poor service delivery, alleged misuse of state pension funds and a proposed law to charge citizens who marry foreigners.
At least one person was taken to hospital with injuries after police fired on the crowd of more than 2,000 placard-waving demonstrators walking towards government headquarters in the capital Mbabane, a Reuters witness said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
They're lucky there was no mine nearby, they could have all been shot and killed. NO disrupting our (game farms, gold, diamonds, coal, and precious minerals) gov't income streams please.
Marikana Mine: On 16 August 2012, the South African Police Service (SAPS) opened fire on a crowd of striking mineworkers at Marikana, in the North West Province. The police killed 34 mineworkers, and left 78 seriously injured. Following the open fire assault - 250 of the miners were arrested.
This event culminated after an intense week-long protest in which the miners were demanding a wage increase at the Lonmin platinum mine in a wildcat strike. A wildcat strike, or 'unofficial industrial action', is strike action undertaken by unionised workers without the union-leadership's authorisation, support, or approval. On 9 August about three thousand miners went on strike to demand a living wage. On 10 August, a large group of the striking miners approached the National Union for Miners (NUM) local office in order to demand support from their union, and were instead met with the firing of live ammunition, fatally wounding two miners.
That’s one way to move the economy away from oil...
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] With the decree which went into effect on June 24 allowing women to drive in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , car dealers in the Kingdom are witnessing a huge turnout of women buyers.
Most of the car agencies have set up advisory councils and survey units to benefit from this vital and strategic move, in order to collect information and build up plans to deal with this qualitative shift in Saudi society, accompanied by a state of economic recovery in many related sectors such as insurance, maintenance and car accessories.
In this regard, some car dealers opened special car showrooms for women , recruiting female staff to attend to customer enquiries regarding the car’s features and safety aspects.
Even some car sales agents offered car testing for any potential woman client, providing her with a special driving session to excel and be more confident on the roads, according to a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report .
Information and studies conducted by car dealers in the Kingdom indicate the factors that govern the purchase of cars by women, including age group, social status and purchasing power.
The majority of women were careful when choosing the type of vehicle, preferring high safety features such as airbags, vehicle with specific height, in addition to a fuel efficiency .
Sales manager Ghaythan al-Shamrani said that car agencies in the kingdom have been working in upgrading their services since the decree was issued in order to provide the best services for potential women clients.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A Saudi boy committed suicide on Thursday due to the ‘Blue Whale’ game, the latest victim in the Arab world after a series of similar suicides took place in different Arab countries recently.
Abdullah bin Fahid said to Al Arabiya English that his uncle's son who is under 12 years of age got carried away by the ‘Blue Whale’ game and strangled himself, leading to his immediate death.
He said some friends revealed that the boy was involved in a competition and that security officials were investigating.
The deadly game requires players to go through 50 challenges over 50 days. The challenges begin with self-harm, leading up to the final challenge, which is suicide by hanging or jumping off a high building. So if you win, you don't get thousands of dollars worth of fabulous prizes? All you get is a cut-rate funeral and the snickers of the other players, who "lost?"
Abdullah bin Fahid’s tweet on the incident went viral on social media, calling on the concerned authorities to raise awareness and counsel children on the dangers of the game.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2018 00:00 ||
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#2
Be soft. This stuff freaks them out. This is a world few know of in Saudi Arabia. Shame to see what happens when they learn about call of duty II game.
[Daily Caller] According to a recent report, Chinese investment in Africa could create national economies entirely dependent on China.
Although infrastructure projects can create jobs, provide an opportunity for skills development and the transfer of new technologies, Chinese loans amounting to more than $86 billion bring dangerously high levels of debt that can prove unsustainable for vulnerable African nations.
The lure of short-term benefits for developing or troubled economies while masking long-term burdens is exactly the scenario now playing out in Pakistan, which is becoming progressively subjugated by Chinese loan-based investment.
In an analysis by the European Foundation for South Asian Studies, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the lynchpin of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia, is described thusly:
"The Chinese master plan conceives a picture where the majority of Pakistani socio-economic sectors are deeply penetrated by Chinese companies and Chinese culture; thus, Islamabad puts itself at risk of facing its finances and societal structure experiencing a colossal wreck. The combination of high upfront tariffs, interest rates and surcharges will complicate Pakistan’s efforts to repay its loans, forcing the State to increase its domestic and export prices, making it difficult to compete with neighbouring and other countries which maintain lower prices."
Similar to the devastating consequences experienced by the United States, the Free Trade Agreement between China and Pakistan has resulted in a net outflow of jobs from Pakistan and a net influx of Chinese products, tripling Pakistan’s trade deficit with China in less than five years.
#5
This is hardly new, but then to journalist yesterday's is old news. For centuries the Chinese have been bribing barbarian rulers, giving costly Chinese goods (the Pusher gives one free dose), turning the officials into clients, and then the hammer falls when they are foreign vassals to be exploited. They have this down to a Science, with shelves of an Idiots Guide To Governing Barbarians™ manuals.
[KCNAWATCH.CO] The DPRK-U.S. summit meeting and talks were a clear demonstration of the high international prestige and outstanding leadership of the respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, who is paving a path ahead of the Korean nation and the times with his far-sighted acumen and superb political ability.
The Supreme Leader provided a fundamental guarantee for securing global peace and security, not to mention the ones of the Korean Peninsula, with his matchless pluck and resourceful diplomacy.
The DPRK-U.S. summit meeting and talks were a historic and epoch-making event that brought about a radical turn in achieving the regional and global peace and stability by putting an end to decades-long extremely hostile relations between the DPRK and the U.S. and establishing a permanent and durable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula where the sharpest and tensest situation had prevailed.
The Supreme Leader provided the DPRK-U.S. summit meeting and talks to achieve a signal success. This eye-opening reality is attributable to his noble and patriotic statesmanship and steadfast will to usher in a fresh era of reunification for our compatriots and gain global peace and stability.
He provided the special event to be recorded in the history of our nation and the world forever and committed himself to the gigantic cause for global peace. He is, indeed, the peerless hero and guardian of justice who put the nation's dignity and prestige on the highest level, and the brilliant sun of the 21st century that ensures the eternal prosperity of the nation and fresh hope for the future of humankind.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
Sea of Fire / Juche Guy's now retired / shot with anti-aircraft guns? Where am I gonna get my 'capitalist running-dog lackeys' shtick now?
[KCNAWATCH.CO] Recently Japanese Prime Minister Abe appearing on TV chat spouted piffle that "Japan has a willingness to bear the expenses for the denuclearization of Korea".
The pressing task facing Japan is to make unconditional and full apology and reparation for the past crimes committed against the Korean people.
But Japan refuses to admit any of numerous crimes and has no idea of reparation.
If the Japanese politicians have an iota of reason, they should come to their senses and do what they are obliged to do, though belatedly.
It is the unavoidable historical responsibility and duty of Japan and the solemn requirements of the times to make an honest apology and reparation for the past crimes.
The Japanese politicians are advised again to stop playing a trick to meddle in the issue of the Korean peninsula, showing off a purse.
If they are interested in peace of the Korean peninsula and the region, they should honestly settle the past, to begin with.
If Japan keeps on evading the settlement of the past as before, it will entail adverse consequences.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/30/2018 00:00 ||
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[BusinessInsider] Trump was reportedly surprised by the number of US troops stationed in Germany and expressed interest in pulling some of them out!
The US Defense Department is reportedly analyzing the cost-to-benefit ratio of a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of US troops in Germany.Trump, who has had a tenuous relationship with the German chancellor Angela Merkel, was said to have been surprised by the number of US troops stationed there.
Some US officials were said to have tried to dissuade Trump from taking action.
European officials were reportedly alarmed at the possibility of US troop movements — some of whom wondered whether Trump might use it as a negotiation tactic.
The National Security Council has downplayed the report.
The US Defense Department is reportedly analyzing whether or not it is feasible to conduct a large-scale withdrawal or transfer of US troops in Germany, according to a Washington Post report published on Friday.
President Donald Trump reportedly mulled the option after meeting with military aides earlier this year, US officials said in the report. Trump, who has had a tenuous relationship with the German chancellor Angela Merkel, was said to have been surprised by the number of US troops stationed in the region.
Some US officials were said to have tried to dissuade Trump from taking action.
Around 35,000 active-duty troops were stationed in Germany last year. US troop levels peaked at 274,119 in 1962, 17 years after World War II.
In addition to the US presence in Germany, Trump was reportedly vexed by his belief that other NATO countries were not contributing enough to the organization. Trump has frequently vented his frustration and criticized NATO members for failing to abide by the 2%-of-GDP defense-spending level that members agreed to during the alliance's inception.
"My statement on NATO being obsolete and disproportionately too expensive (and unfair) for the U.S. are now, finally, receiving plaudits," Trumps said during his 2016 presidential campaign on Twitter.
Trump has similarly suggested pulling US troops out of South Korea. Citing several people familiar with the discussions, The New York Times reported in May that he had ordered the Pentagon to prepare options for a drawdown.
"We lose money on trade, and we lose money on the military," Trump said in a speech March. "We have right now 32,000 soldiers on the border between North and South Korea," Trump added. "Let's see what happens."
#2
"My statement on NATO being obsolete and disproportionately too expensive (and unfair) for the U.S. are now, finally, receiving plaudits," Trumps said during his 2016 presidential campaign on Twitter.
Yep - major force reduction coming. How you like them apples, Angela?
#3
The Hospital at Landstuhl near Ramstein AFB was the premier medical and surgical center for our forces during the Iraq war. The folks there did their work admirably. Repaired our family Marine's serious skull injury (plus a couple other pieces dislodged by a 500-lb IED). He said the care there was first-rate and he was back on duty within three weeks.
The Hospital could indeed move, though. Might take a bit of time for all the facilities.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
06/30/2018 7:11 Comments ||
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#4
...would have been closer to fly him to say Tel Aviv, less flight time, fewer international overflight requests.
#6
*Laughter* I remember Gulf War 1 and seeing the local National Guard/Army Reserve vehicle park empty of "Camo Green" and then refill with "Desert Tan". My thought was that all of those units stationed in West Germany had left and were never going to return...
Now for Act 2... Warsaw Pact isn't there any more and priorities change.
#7
I like the idea of overseas force reductions in general. Not playing the role of hostages any more either. Bring them home, maybe the border cab use them.
Mullah Richard, good to hear about the family Marine.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
06/30/2018 9:45 Comments ||
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#8
Yeah, if you don't like ICE, wait to you see takes over their ancient duties on the border.
#9
Perhaps Poland or one of the Warsaw pact countries that has been loyal would like a US military base/hospital?
Long ago we should have gotten the ex-Warsaw pact together into an alliance separate from NATO or the EU. Sort of a neutral buffer between the Russians and Germans.
#10
The article fails to consider how much money those 35,000 troops spend in Germany, which could otherwise be spent along our southern border.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/30/2018 11:51 Comments ||
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#11
Long ago we should have gotten the ex-Warsaw pact together into an alliance separate from NATO or the EU. Sort of a neutral buffer between the Russians and Germans.
#12
We could try the Amazon headquarters model and see which country is willing to pay the most to the US treasury to have a major US base in its country.
Posted by: Matt ||
06/30/2018 13:07 Comments ||
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#13
It's cheaper and more convenient for the U.S. to keep the troops in Germany. A withdrawal of say 10,000 would affect some local businesses, but that's about it.
U.S. troops are no longer in Germany to defend Germany. Russian forces are more than 800 miles away from the German frontier and would now have to cross countries which are NATO members and would give invading Russian troops a hard time. Also there have not been any U.S. heavy armored forces in Germany.
Many of the facilities in Germany would require extensive remediation before they were returned to Germany. Consider the costs.
Germany has the best infrastructure and the best strategic location.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 13:35 Comments ||
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#14
Many of the facilities in Germany would require extensive remediation before they were returned to Germany.
How much did the Soviets/Russians pay to remediate facilities abandoned in old East Germany?
#15
Soviets were broke and would simply not have left
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 14:12 Comments ||
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#16
U.S. troops are no longer in Germany to defend Germany.
So they are there because...?
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/30/2018 14:23 Comments ||
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#17
Strategic reason and location (think Middle East operations). Excellent facilities for training which have been built up for decades. Friendly environment and support. Best infrastructure. Excellent hospitals.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 14:27 Comments ||
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#18
Landstuhl near Ramstein is home to the largest US military hospital outside America. Here wounded soldiers are cared for by the best doctors on foreign missions.
In Stuttgart is Africom's headquarters, which specializes in crisis management in the countries of Africa.
Ramstein also plays an important role in the U.S. drone war against targets in Africa, Yemen and Pakistan.
In the past, Ramstein also served as a transhipment point for weapons supplied to Syrian rebels.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 14:38 Comments ||
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#19
We service Africa from there too and we have 60 years of sunk costs. I think this is just tweaking the Merkel a bit pre NATO summit.
#22
When your partner is a bit demanding, ungrateful, mouthy, and petulant, you can start the divorce or just remind them that it's an option on the table.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/30/2018 16:21 Comments ||
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#23
Germany's contributions are estimated at 150-200 million euros per year.
One example is the new military hospital in Weilerbach, which the Americans intend to build by 2018 to replace the largest US military hospital in Landstuhl to date. According to the federal government, the troops will pay about 43 million euros for construction and planning costs. However, this does not match the real costs, which amount to 170 million euros. The federal government will pay 127 million euros for the new American military hospital in the coming years.
Try this in Poland
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 16:42 Comments ||
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#25
It's just so much more unnecessary welfare spending. Just because it's not as visible as Tyrone playing scratchoffs in his $350 underarmor outfit in the middle of the day while I'm just trying to buy gas doesn't mean I like it any more.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/30/2018 17:24 Comments ||
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#26
Can we see your PhD in Economics diploma, Eurine Preservative?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/30/2018 17:26 Comments ||
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#27
Right after your PhD in Orthography
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 19:04 Comments ||
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#28
I spent ten years in Germany, mostly in the same unit. My tenure was between 1971 and 1991, in Wiesbaden. USAFE headquarters moved from Lindsey AS to Ramstein, the flying unit I was involved with also moved from Wiesbaden AB to Ramstein, and a number of support units also left. The Army moved in, took over the Airbase and local housing, and returned one housing area to the Germans. The high school didn't change, and it remained the site for boarded students.
When the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviets pulled out of East Germany, the mission of more than half the troops in Germany disappeared back across the Moldovan border. We pulled a huge number of troops back, or moved them in support of other operations.
I agree with Trump in that the European members of NATO have not kept up their end of the bargain. Germany, IIRC, contributed about 1% of its GDP to defense, and much of that was NOT in support of its NATO commitment. GB's Labour government scrapped half of its warfighting commitment, especially after the Falklands war.
The Soviets spent billions on propaganda to destroy NATO. They succeeded far more than the Europeans want to admit. We proved repeatedly during REFORGER (REturn of FORces to GERmany) exercises that we could move troops to mate up with equipment stored on site, and rapidly build up forces in central Europe. The biggest problem is that it costs money to store that equipment. It was supposed to be a 50/50 split. We spend about 80% instead.
There are many problems with NATO, and most can be laid at the feet of our "allies".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/30/2018 20:04 Comments ||
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#29
When in Ramstein, visit the Das Landgasthaus Pörrbacher Hof, in the tiny village of Pörrbach. Only a 15 minute drive. Try the rump steak. One of my favorites. <(:-P
#30
Old Patriot, first of all, thank you for your service. I served in the Bundeswehr and my son is an officer in the Bundeswehr. He has done three tours in Afghanistan.
No doubt Germany doesn't spend enough on defense, although numbers are rising (slowly). My son also has a lot to say about the lack of public support. He can only dream about getting the same respect that a member of the U.S. military is getting in the U.S. "Thank you for your service" is something he has only heard in the U.S. The German Left views everyone in uniform as a war criminal.
That said the U.S. has excellent reasons to base the majority of its forces and installations in Germany. And I don't think this will change. The benefits are mutual.
Germany has and will continue to be the preferred posting of U.S. troops. They have always been welcomed by the local population in South West Germany and Bavaria.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 20:32 Comments ||
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#31
Besoeker, I know that place. Excellent. Ochsenfetzen are very good, too.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 20:37 Comments ||
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#32
Ahhh, we are of like mind. And if the sun has not set, a walk through the quiet hills and pastures behind the restaurant, and back again for a glass of wine on the patio. Not many know of this place.
#33
I've been to Ramstein quite a lot and I've taken guests there. They all loved it.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 20:52 Comments ||
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#34
Maybe an opportunity to remember that politics shouldn't divide us. We have had difficult times before.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
06/30/2018 20:53 Comments ||
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#35
My wife and I lived at the Ramsteiner hof for a period of 6 months, 2008 time frame. I was concerned for the wife as she had no automobile. First evening I returned from work she showed me her shopping basket told me about the shop keepers she had met. Within a week she was taking the train to 'K Town.'
[Wired] Widespread internet outages around the United States on Friday afternoon quelled productivity and sent irate customers to Twitter to complain. Comcast and Xfinity suffered the biggest service interruptions across its internet, cable, and landline products. The company, which has more than 29 million business and individual customers, said on Friday that the outages stemmed from fiber optic cables at two internet infrastructure companies that were cut or otherwise disrupted.
Like virtually all internet providers, Comcast relies on a combination of its own fiber optic infrastructure and that of other partner companies to seamlessly route data around the world.
"We identified two, separate and unrelated fiber cuts to our network backbone providers," Comcast said in a statement to WIRED. "Our engineers worked to address the issue immediately and services are now being restored to business and residential internet, video and voice customers."
'We are profoundly and globally dependent on a fundamentally fragile infrastructure.'
Roland Dobbins, Arbor Networks
Comcast says the two internet infrastructure companies involved are Level 3 (now owned by CenturyLink) and Zayo, a fiber company headquartered in Colorado. Throughout the afternoon, the outage-tracking site Down Detector showed service interruptions at CenturyLink, Zayo, and Comcast, but the latter suffered the most severe consequences.
"While the CenturyLink network continues to operate normally, on June 29 we experienced two isolated fiber cuts in North Carolina affecting some customers," CenturyLink said in a statement. "At this time, our technicians are working to restore the services."
CenturyLink noted that its two fiber cuts would not have been enough on their own to cause the outage, indicating that another also occurred, as Comcast said.
"Earlier today, Zayo experienced a fiber cut in the New York area," said a Zayo spokesperson in a statement. "We immediately dispatched our local team who quickly restored the cut. All impacted services in the area have been restored."
Fiber cuts aren't necessarily malicious, and can happen as the result of incidents like severe weather or construction mistakes. They're also not terribly uncommon; when they do happen, the internet infrastructure community works to implement redundancies and traffic rerouting tactics so physical disruptions don't cause digital ones. In this case, the combination of disruptions in New York and North Carolina were enough to turn off the internet for millions of people.
The underlying physical backbone of the internet is surprisingly fragile, and failsafes don't always work. For example, in November, a tiny misconfiguration error at Level 3 caused outages around the US. And a digital attack on the internet infrastructure company Dyn famously caused major outages in 2016 because they were targeted at destabilizing one of the internet's underlying routing protocols.
"We are profoundly and globally dependent on a fundamentally fragile infrastructure," says Roland Dobbins, a principal engineer at the DDoS and network-security firm Arbor Networks, which monitors global internet operations. "Some redundancies exist, but many times they don't."
By Friday evening, Comcast service had come back for many customers. But the underlying message should resonate: The internet can be more frail than you'd think, and sometimes all it takes to shut it down is a couple of cuts.
We need an appropriate internet graphic here, perhaps a series of pipes cobbled together?
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance ||
06/30/2018 07:24 ||
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#1
When SpaceX has their 12,000 sats all talking to each other and the ground - you will have robust.
#2
Shortly after 9/11, a back hoe in new york removing rubble cut a cable that dropped HALF the 800 #s in the country. Including ones used by credit card processors. Luckily the company I worked for deliberately had one line on AT&T and another on a completely separate physical network. For things like this.
JPL is a jewel in the NASA crown, so this was never in doubt (one would assume). However, I've never seen a contract release with this dollar figure before! pic.twitter.com/e8z8nEc8H5
[UPI] The U.S. Air Force has awarded nearly $900 million to two companies for new bunker buster bombs.
The deals, announced Wednesday by the Department of Defense, come under indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts for BLU-137/B penetrator warhead production.
Superior Forge and Steel Corp. of Lima, Ohio, was awarded a $476 million contract and A. Finkl & Sons Co. of Chicago was awarded a $419 million contract for production of the bunker busters during the next five years.
The new 2,000-pound class bombs are built around an improved warhead called the BLU-137/B, which will replace existing weapons that have already been a key element in the fight against ISIS.
The new bunker buster bombs will be less likely to fail to explode than those currently being used in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. Air Force wrote in its 2018 fiscal budget that the BLU-137 will "increase fuze survivability when used against bunkers, aircraft shelters, and reinforced targets" so it will more reliably explode after punching through its target.
#3
Wonder who that contractor was and why a new batch was ordered.
Posted by: Skidmark 2018-06-30 03:54
Skid,
Actually not so much a matter of bad bombs as better tech - remember that a bunker buster has to go through a considerable distance of dirt, concrete, steel, and other impediments before exploding, and it takes a heck of a beating before getting there. A better bunker buster (say that three times quickly) with improved steel and electronics (better to survive that short, exciting trip) is more likely to survive and go off just where and when we want it to, not to mention increasing your options as to what you can hit. The BLU-137 they mention is actually an upgraded version (still uses the same basic shape and explosives filler) of the old BLU-109, which entered service in the mid-80s and has done very, very well for us - but the bad guys' bunker tech has advanced over time, and we're doing the right thing by upping our game as well.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
06/30/2018 5:06 Comments ||
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#4
Keeps Superior Forge and Steel going and also sends a message to the NORKS and Iran. Money well spent.
#8
Seems to me that the answer is not 'bigger' but a series of precisely timed 'shaped charges' where each follows the previous one in the time between excavation of rubble and the falling of that rubble back into the crater. Kind of like pushing a kid on a swing, in small increments, or like constructive interference of waves.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Breitbart] NEW YORK ‐ House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) revealed that during his closed session interview with the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, former FBI official Peter Strzok refused to answer multiple questions, including whether he communicated with the author of the discredited anti-Trump dossier or with the firm paid by Hillary Clinton’s campaign to produce the infamous dossier.
[FOX] A student pilot seated in the front of a doomed flight -- that was also carrying an Instagram model and social media stars -- had cocaine in his system when the plane crashed on an Arizona golf course in April, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.
A covered bridge in Illinois was severely damaged by a box truck just sixteen days after being designated a federal historic landmark. 
[AFRICANEWS] 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A Saudi boy committed suicide on Thursday due to the ‘Blue Whale’ game, the latest victim in the Arab world after a series of similar suicides took place in different Arab countries recently.
