Halliburton, as I write this and since the explosion is mitigating their own liability. All Halliburton has to do is dodge the homicide charges.

Halliburton was on the Deepwater Horizon within 24 hours of the explosion.  Literally, their negligentful practices in their work and safety standards have lead to their ability to earn millions, hence, profiting from the work that contributed to the rupture and eleven deaths of employees of Transocean and profiting from the clean up work facilitated while contibuting to the disaster.

Halliburton should have been out of business a long time ago.  Cheney kept it afloat during his Vice Presidency to prevent liability from cooking the books that was assigned to Cheney when he was CEO.  Halliburton overcharged the USA for the work it did in Iraq.  Halliburton has caused injuries and deaths of USA miltary because of shodding work.  Halliburton was called in to do 'oil well field' rehabilitation within the first week of the Iraq invasion.  Halliburton's work in Iraq has been so poor it has caused problems with citizens of that country as well.

When does this stop?  When does the USA 'get relief' from Wall Street industries that continue to destroy the concept of dignity, honesty and integrity. 

Now, we have to pay a company to be obtained by Halliburton to profit off its own mistakes.  Mistakes that take livelihoods from USA citizens and profoundly hurts the USA economy. 

Enough already.  We don't want them practicing their 'blood money' strategies within the borders of the USA !

...According to a report at the Christian Science Monitor Friday, Boots and Coots (click title to entry - thank you) is now under contract with BP to help with the oil spill. The company "focuses on oil spill prevention and blowout response," CSM reports. Halliburton's purchase is not yet a done deal -- it's still awaiting regulatory approval, though few observers think the purchase won't pass muster.

"[Mergers and acquisitions] in the industrial and oil services sectors is totally normal," writes David Anderson at The Inspired Economist, "but the timing in this case, is not. Boots & Coots sure seems like the perfect company to own if it would soon become necessary to get more involved with some oil disaster....

Halliburton ducks oil well disasters with new company purchase. Where are the regulations for this?

Tim Probert (r.) of Halliburton is sworn in along with officials from BP and Transocean before May 11 Senate hearings on the Gulf oil spill. (click title to entry - thank you)
Tim Sloan/AFP/Newsroom




The USA is OUTSOURCING all the oil industry jobs.  Get over it.  We don't need this mess causing problems within the borders of the USA. 

The Petroleum Industry has now decided it is OKAY to be negligent in their practices since it will never touch their bottom line.

These small companies are 'service companies' no different than AIG was to the investment banks.  They are insurance to the recklessness of the petroleum industry.

Halliburton, quite literally, has openly stated they don't know what they are doing.  To solidify that understanding is now a company that will follow in behind Halliburton's work to 'clean up' their disasters.  Halliburton is an example of some of the most hositle business practices within Wall Street. 

If Halliburton has a clean up company then why not keep them profitable as well?  Halliburton and the petroleum industry will attempt to find ways of 'sheltering' their stocks by putting companies in the way to liability.

There are companies in the Gulf that 'service' the rigs and the industry and are whining about the slow down to their businesses because of the moritorium.  Too bad.  They need to think outside the box if they don't want a law suit with BP.  They can 'follow the rigs' and go where they go.  Sort of like gypsies or carpetbaggers.  The real dangers to the USA and its economy by the Petroleum Industry can't be ignored and the corruption of their business practices are getting worse instead of better.

We don't need it.  Canada and Mexico can supply whatever oil the USA needs.  Our fisheries and tourism vacation spots are important, MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OIL.

The leases to 3% of the world's oil belongs to future generations of Americans when the CO2 levels have returned to normal and the USA has 'state of the art' alternatives in energy and transportation.

ENOUGH !!!!!!

...The firm, Boots and Coots, focuses on oil spill prevention and blowout response. Now, it is assisting with the relief well work – under contract to BP – to help stop the Gulf oil spill.



What appears to conspiracy theorists as more than a coincidence is nothing out of the ordinary, say oil-industry experts. Increasingly, oil-industry titans are buying up smaller companies that provide all manner of services.


But this trend is worrying in itself, the experts say. As companies grow and work both to drill wells and potentially clean up their own mistakes, the result can be unintentional but riskier decisionmaking over time due to a lack of focus – particularly in an industry that is poorly regulated.


Moreover, there is concern that – as the Gulf oil spill shows – big bureaucracies are not nimble enough in an emergency....

The Federal Employees working for the vital Census Count doesn't seem to diminish the increases in the Private Sector at all. Gee, I guess when poeple have money to spend it makes a difference, huh?

Previous to the BP Oil and Gas Rupture Baton Rouge was ranked among the 21st strongest citiy economies in the nation.  It was NOT all about oil, either. (click title to entry - thnak you)

 
It is time to stop Offshore Drilling, we don't need it, we need our local economies FIRST.

Jobs Growth Continues in May, as Unemployment Rate Falls

By PATRICK MCGEEHAN

New York City’s unemployment rate fell again in May, remaining below the national unemployment rate for the second month in a row, according to data released on Thursday by the State Labor Department.
The city’s unemployment rate, which has declined every month this year, dropped to 9.6 percent from 9.8 percent in April, the figures show. It had reached 10.5 percent at the end of 2009 and was higher than the national rate through the fall and winter. The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in May, down from 9.9 percent in April.
The city added almost 15,000 private-sector jobs in May — close to the norm for the month — with hiring picking up at employment agencies, doctors’ offices, museums and restaurants, the numbers show. Public-sector job figures were helped by the federal government’s temporary hiring of census takers.


http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/jobs-growth-continues-in-may-as-unemployment-rate-falls/



Tenn. jobless rate declines to 10.4 percent in May

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Tennessee's unemployment rate for May was 10.4 percent, down 0.1 percentage point from the previous month.
Tennessee Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development James Neeley said Thursday that "gains from the census jobs aside, the modest employment growth in Tennessee continues to be positive."
The federal government increased by 10,100 due to the hiring of temporary census workers.
Neeley said the state is experiencing slightly higher monthly job growth than the national average. The national unemployment rate in May was 9.7 percent.


The state's biggest job gains were in the fields of leisure and hospitality and professional and business services.


http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9GD79SO4.htm
 


06.17.2010 2:17 pm

Illinois job rate dip largest in 27 years

By Steve Giegerich

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Digg Yahoo! Del.icio.us Facebook Reddit Drudge Google Fark Stumble It! Illinois, where joblessness has topped 11 percent since the end of 2009, experienced the steepest one month drop in 27 years in May as the unemployment rate dipped to 10.8 percent.
Illinois registered an 11.2 percent unemployment rate in April.
The Department of Employment Security delivered the Illinois numbers Thursday with the same caveat attached to the releases of unemployment figures for the nation (9.7 percent) and Missouri (9.3 percent).

“….Much of the growth is attributed to Census 2010,” the agency acknowledged.


The IDES nonetheless saw some signs of encouragement in a jobless rate that has declined steadily for five consecutive months, citing gains in manufacturing jobs (+2,400), education and health services (+1,900 and professional and business services, which added 1,300 jobs last month and 18,700 positions – more than any other sector – since the start of the year.
To date, Illinois employers have put 70,000 new workers on the payroll in 2010....

http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/stl-jobwatch/unemployment/2010/06/illinois-job-rate-dip-largest-in-27-years/


We don't need the oil, besides the majority of the imported USA oil and gas comes from CANADA and  MEXICO!  Get over it, we don't need the domestic supply from Louisiana.


It’s time to end our dependence on oil
Posted: Thursday, June 17, 2010 9:32 am

Updated: 9:34 am, Wed Jun 16, 2010.
By Michael Brune
...Now, thousands in the Gulf are looking at an even more uncertain future as BP's massive oil slick wipes out fishing and tourism livelihoods.
According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, more than 12,000 Louisiana residents have filed unemployment claims since the blowout - and most of the filings are from folks displaced by the spreading oil.
Fishing and shrimping boats are now all either docked or in service to BP to clean up its mess.
The disaster has affected an estimated 13,000 commercial licensed fishermen in Louisiana, not including deck hands and crew, according to the Louisiana State Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Roughly 46 percent of the Gulf economy, or over $100 billion a year, comes from tourism dollars.
The Louisiana Tourism and Cultural Department is reporting that the stalling of the fishing industry is affecting the $1.36 billion in tourism dollars that the state's nine coastal parishes provide.
Those nine parishes also have 15,000 tourism-related jobs with a $238 million payroll. And this is just in Louisiana.
How many more jobs should we let Big Oil destroy?
Workers who depend on the Gulf have seen their livelihood disappear. How many more catastrophes will it take to convince us to stand up to Big Oil and support industries that will employ people without destroying the economy and the environment?...


http://www.tristate-media.com/warrick/opinion/editorials/article_368a25ca-7954-11df-89ec-001cc4c03286.html

Spoken like a true Republican. Please, please Wall Street we didn't elect all these Democrats. Don't leave us. Everyone will be fine. I mean really now, when are the citizens simply going to shut up and leave BP alone.

It is called PANDERING to Big Oil.  For absolutely no reason at all. 

They are our leases, NOT, theirs. 

The loop above was two days ago, trying to convenice the public they actually need the oil that is offshore.  But, as soon as Barton had to face BP execs he collapsed into a pleading of forgiveness to Wall Street. 

That was absolutely amazing. 

Republicans don't have backbones, they sit on wallets that hold them upright. 

Barton is at least honest.  Only a few days ago, the third term Republican Mayor of New York City was pandering to BP as well.  They don't care about the abuse the American taxpayer has to take for including Wall Street as a partner to the USA economy, just so it doesn't effect their dividends. 

It is a real eye-opener to realize how corrupt Republicans SINCERELY are.

The Republicans that criticized Barton only did so for 'political' reasons.  Apologizing to BP is political harry carry.  They don't want to appear WEAK on pursuing BP and being appalled at the lack of safety or even the concern for safety in this industry.

Perhaps Barton should send an apology to the families of the eleven dead employees that BP didn't care about either.  Just the price employees have to pay for pumping oil 42 miles offshore of Louisiana.

HUMAN RESOURCES is the proper title for citizens working as employees to Wall Street.  Human, oil, gas it is all the same thing, right?  Whatever happened to PERSONNEL and the BENEFITS that supported employees?  Tell me that? 


GOP leaders forced Rep. Barton to retract apology to BP  (click title to entry - thank you)

By Aaron Blake and Paul Kane



Thursday, June 17, 2010; 5:11 PM
Under pressure from Republican leaders who threatened to remove him from a ranking committee position, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) late Thursday retracted his apology to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the way his company has been treated by the U.S. government -- a comment that had drawn heavy criticism from both parties.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/17/AR2010061703756.html?hpid=topnews

Carl-Henric Svanberg became Chairman of BP about two weeks before the Gulf rupture.

Carl-Henric Svanberg, the former CEO of Ericsson. Photo taken during the Volvo Ocean Race 2009

Svanberg served as CEO of telecom company Ericsson from April 8, 2003 to December 31, 2009. Following his resignation as CEO, he remained on the board of Ericsson and holds 3,234,441 shares in the company.

It is unfortunate he has to be placed in such a difficult place internationally after only being on the job for such a short period of time.  However, it is obvious he is a decent man looking to return the Gulf to the best condition possible after the explosion that killed eleven people and crippled an entire coast of the USA.

BP Plc Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg agreed to provide $20 billion to pay “all proper claims” from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill after what he called a constructive meeting with President Barack Obama.
“He’s frustrated, because he cares about the small people, and we care about the small people,” Svanberg said today after the White House meeting. “I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies that don’t care. That is not the case in BP. We care about the small people.”
Svanberg spoke after meeting Obama and his senior advisers to hammer out the plan for compensating Gulf Coast residents and businesses affect by the oil spill from a damage BP well. The chairman apologized for the oil spill, which he called an accident that shouldn’t have happened....

Mr. Savnberg seems to know who his customers are, 'the small people.'  The people that have small gas tanks requiring fuel.  I am sure he hasn't forgotten where his loyalty should lie.

I find it more than amusing to hear politicians, especially Republicans, state that we have to return to 'Drill here, drill now,' as otherwise we will be faced with receiving oil tankers all over again.

To begin, oil tankers have never stopped coming to the USA ports AND it would be easier, far easier to clean up an OIL SPILL rather than stop an OIL RUPTURE.

Hello?

What would be better yet is to not have to clean up oil at all, but, simply cleaning up after 'corn stover' and 'algae spills' from trucks on their way to an ethanol plant.  Pew, stinky stuff. 

Some are saying, the clean up efforts are proving to be chaotic. 

It was late May...Two fleets of fishing boats were supposed to be laying out boom...But the boats were gathered on the inland side of the bay — the wrong side — anchored idly as the oil oozed in from the Gulf of Mexico. BP officials said they had no way of contacting the workers on the boats, Mr. Bonano recalled....

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100615/ZNYT02/6153004/2055/NEWS


...In addition to communicating via phone, we wanted to make sure there were personnel on the ground to help coordinate with our state and local partners. By May 5, intergovernmental affairs personnel were deployed to each of the command posts and the federal government had deployed subject matter experts to each of the state emergency operations centers....

...Although these structures have proven useful in many ways, it soon became apparent that state and local officials required even closer coordination to handle urgent issues even more quickly than such a structured daily process could allow. As a result, DHS established a liaison program in which dedicated Coast Guard and BP personnel with decision-making authority have been assigned to parish presidents and governors specifically to handle emergent needs. The ultimate aim of this program is to move resources and solve problems in the most efficient and at the most localized level possible. To ensure the highest level of coordination, on May 27 Deputy NIC Admiral Peter Neffenger and I visited four parish presidents in Louisiana with their assigned liaison officer to discuss immediate and long-term needs. In addition, my office continues to communicate with all of the parish liaison officers daily to guarantee that the liaison officers are getting the resources necessary to carry out their missions. Since the program began, we are already seeing the results of more efficient and effective coordination to address any issues immediately as they arise. For instance, one parish president recognized that boom was sitting on a dock waiting to be deployed. The parish president immediately called their respective Coast Guard liaison and the boom was deployed within the hour....

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/testimony/testimony_1276179816542.shtm

With all this support and PERSONAL liasons between Admiral Thad Allen and Governors and local authorities, what seems to be the problem?  They don't know how to communicate in English or what?  Because PERSONAL LIASONS are NO JOKE.  They are sincere efforts to CLOSE THE GAP to provide effective measures to stop the damage to the coast.  So, like, what is the issue already?  Perhaps there just isn't enough FREE political television coverage?  Is that it? 

The USA needs to take on new forms of energy and transportation. The President will be back in front of the camera in less than two months when BP isn't able to reach 90% containment,

The Moral Imperative of the BP Oil Spill: Drive 20 Percent Less
by Jason Henderson on June 14, 2010

The Moratorium

After almost two months of failed attempts at "topkills," "tophats," "junkshots," "cofferdams," and "caps-on-the-diamond-cut-riser" it is evident that the BP wellhead spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico has unleashed an unprecedented catastrophe. We made a mistake in wishing away the risks of deepwater drilling. Despite protests from the oil industry, the six-month moratorium proposed by the Obama administration is clearly needed in order for the nation to have a pointed and deliberate reflection about its priorities.

As a Louisiana native I am sensitive to the disruption this moratorium might cause for the 150,000 people employed in offshore drilling and corollary services. Yet take one look at the destruction of a truly renewable and sustainable industry -- fisheries -- and think it through. The offshore oil industry just killed the commercial and recreational fishing industry, it may destroy tourism, and will kill more if we do not get drilling and environmental protection right. How many jobs will be lost because of this ecological catastrophe? And what future start-up companies or footloose firms want to move to a region that is mired in a toxic cesspool of oil? Who would want to invest in property or raise families in a region that has not carefully protected its environment and regulated polluting industries? In the long run, the moratorium gives us time to work this out, and is better for the Gulf Coast economy. It's also best for the nation....

http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/06/14/the-moral-imperative-of-the-bp-oil-spill-drive-20-percent-less/comment-page-1/

The reason the 'emoting thing' became an issue at all is because Jindal has been running around emoting.

Emoting is a good tool for covering up incompetency.  It is bonding with the agrieved, so while the Tweets kept coming in for ideas on how to handle the mess, emoting filled in the gap.

Then emoting was a good way to tell people the Governor cared so he could continue ot pander to the petroleum industry.

It would be interesting to find out if emoting actually brings in donations to an election fund.  Positive reinforcement for emoting.

It is unfortunate the USA citizens are not used to leadership that actually knows what its doing.

The Lousiana seafood really isn't marketable.  It is just a fact of life.  People won't buy it.  All that should have been considered before the explosion of an unregulated rig 42 miiles from the Louisiana coastline.

Jindal requests $457 million for seafood safety program (click title to entry - thank you)

Written by Colleen Rush
Tuesday, 15 June 2010 11:01 New Orleans Food
...The amount of money Jindal is requesting is a drop in the bucket compared to the seafood industry’s estimated $2.3 billion impact on the state’s economy. It only takes a short trip South to get a sense of the massive, unaccounted for economic impact the still-going gusher will have on peripheral businesses once BP pulls out after the cleanup....

It is amazing to realize that seafood is $2.3 billion to the Louisiana economy and yet this disaster means absolutely nothing to Jindal and those elected, except, to ask for money to supplement their lack of insight and protection of their own citizens.

The President's reponse to this Louisiana disaster, that has caused the entire Gulf Coast and International waters into the Atlantic damage, has been nothing short of incredible and 'right on point.'  Hind sight has never served this President.  Except, for the 'emoting' issue there has been little to no back tracking to 'get it right.'

Governor Jindal sends group to argue moratorium
Gannett Capital Bureau • June 15, 2010
...Scott Angelle, who until his appointment as temporary lieutenant governor headed the state Department of Natural Resources, will lead the group in meeting with Salazar on Wednesday to discuss how the jobs of thousands of Louisiana residents are threatened but the halt in drilling...

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20100615/UPDATES01/100615014


Temporary Lieutenant Governor? 

Where was that legislated? 

A Lieutenant Governor is supposed to be part of the State Constitution.  There is a provision for this or not? 

Because it seems to me that Jindal is increasing the size and the cost of his government to head a lobbying effort for the Petroleum Industry.

Not only that, but, an appointment to the powers equivalent to the Governor is nearly a perfect stranger to the Louisiana electorate. 

A Lt. Governor has a lot of power within that state infrastructure and this is an appointment?  For a person that is lobbying for the petroleum industry?

...In the face of the worst environmental disaster in American history lapping at Louisiana's fragile coastline, Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration has been working feverishly — trying to hire expensive, out-of-state lawyers to represent the state against BP in court.
Sources familiar with the administration's efforts say that Team Jindal at one point proposed hiring a pair of non-Louisiana law firms, one of which typically represents large corporate clients, to sue BP on behalf of the state. That, even though many of the nation's top environmental plaintiff lawyers live right here in Louisiana....

http://www.wwltv.com/news/DuBos-Jindal-looks-to-out-of-state-lawyers-to-fight-BP-96379134.html


This is for real?  Jindal is spending Louisiana tax dollars to out of state attorneys for suing BP?  Like what?  And Jindal is screaming about money?  Really?


What ever happened to "Buddy" the Louisiana Attorney General?  Not able to carry out the priorities of the state?


Gov. Bobby Jindal on Gulf of Mexico oil spill: 'We are not winning this war'



Published: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 4:59 PM Updated: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 5:23 PM

Gwen Filosa, The Times-Picayune
...Nonetheless, during a news conference in Grand Isle Jindal detailed the area's oil-fighting - vacuum-topped barges, booms, oil skimmers, rock jetties, sandbags - and said, "Failure is not an option.''...

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/jindal_on_keeping_oil_off_mars.html


The fisheries and wetlands in Louisiana are virtually destroyed, Jindals states the efforts to curtail the damage are failing and yet he demands 'Drill here, drill now."  THAT is a sane response?  No.

The President has brought the best minds in the country to bring insight to policy and I really to beieve Jindal is seeking monies for his election strategies.  He isn't accomplishing anything and those are his own words.

BP has been deceptive in their dealings to control their fines. There was no way for the US Government to properly determine the oil discharge until now.

I still don't believe BP, Transocean and Halliburton have come forward wtih transparency.

At Congressional Hearing, Oil C.E.O.’s Throw B.P. Under the Bus, or Rig, or Whatever  (click title to entry - thank you)
by Juli Weiner June 15, 2010, 1:45 PM

...Rex W. Tillerson, the impossibly named chairman of Exxon Mobil, and John S. Watson, the Sherlock Holmes character who moonlights as Chevron’s chief executive, both implied that the Gulf oil spill could have been prevented had B.P. taken proper precautions. It’s a departure from commonplace evil-executive Congressional hearing behavior: even those fellows from Goldman Sachs would barely admit that anyone at any time should have done anything differently....

The initial estimate from BP was 1000 barrels a day.  That all changed when the underwater films started to emerge.  Now, the solutions that 'CEOs' and their BEST efforts were suppose to stop the rupture has turned into a nightmare of insurmountable odds.  There is no way BP will ever collect even half of the rupture discharge.  Who are they kidding?

This disaster is DIRECTLY related to 'deregulation' and 'indulgence' of Wall Street as if they really know what they are doing.  What else is new in a Republican 'scheme' for the USA?

Republicans.  They don't care about this country and never have.

I look forward to the President's speech to clearly understand how lousy this mess really is.

Don't forget to evaluate the 'emoting meter' RIGHT  UP  TO the point where the President actually emotes and then sharply criticize him for emoting.  Jerks.

I beieve General McCrystal can now insist on removing the Poppy Culture from Afghanistan.

A bleak Ghazni Province seems to offer little, but a Pentagon study says it may have among the world’s largest deposits of lithium.

It is time for Afghanistan to grow up and become a real country rather than one laced with corruption.  With this discovery, the national wealth Afghanistan increased immeasurably. 

The country can afford to build schools, housing and COMMUNITIES with water supplies and sanitation. 

It is time for Afghanistan to 'get real' about itself. 

I sincerely hope NATO and the USA is also taking this seriously enough to PREVENT any exploitation of those NATURAL RESOURCES.  It all belongs to the people of Afghanistan and NOT Wall Street. 

So, before 'wealth merchants' rob the people of Afghansitan blind while Karzai and his brother deal under the table some serious negotiations have to take place to make sure the monies received from these resources are going to benefit the citizens of that country.

If these resources exist in Afghanistan, they more than likely exist in Pakistan as well.

Thank you, President Obama for placing 'citizen anxiety' at the top of your list. From the pictures it is obvious people wanted to see you today.

President Barack Obama greets visitors in Mississippi during his fourth trip to the Gulf Coast since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in April / AP Source: AP

"In the same way that our view of our vulnerabilities and our foreign policy was shaped profoundly by 9/11, I think this disaster is going to shape how we think about the environment and energy for many years to come," Mr Obama told Politico.com.  (click title to entry - thank you)

I have no douibt the way we see the environment and our stewardship of it will take a sharper forcus.  Whatever happened to the Hydrogen Car, anyway?

"Morning Papers" - Its Origins (click here - thank you)

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

I am going to 'end it' there for tonight. 

I'll return to the rest of the cabinet and the 'circumstances' of the Obama Presidency again next Saturday.

Good night.

General Stanley McCrystal, the man who destroyed Al Qaeda in Iraq. Basically.

President Obama and Gen. McCrystal discuss U.S. policy in Afghanistan on Air Force One Oct. 2.  Photo: beagleone, Free Republic

...Adm. Mike Mullen, (click title to entry - thank you) chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he found it particularly encouraging that gains against al-Qaida have been made in operations carried out jointly by U.S. and Iraqi military forces. That makes it more likely, Mullen said, that after U.S. troops leave in 2011 the Iraqi government will be able to handle what remains of al-Qaida's capability to launch terror strikes....

I am not going soft on war.  Of course, Al Qaeda in Iraq didn't exist before the Bush invasion into Iraq, but, that is besides the point.  The USA invaded, the Zarqari terrorist 'unit' was destroyed and that was much to the credit of General Stanley McCrystal. 

There is no man in the USA miltiary more dedicated to the best outcome for the USA than General McCrystal.  His startling assessments of Afghanistan are frustrating to say the least, but, to put things into perspective, this is the war we were suppose to fight and didn't.

Afghanistan was left to NATO and we all know what happened there.  This is a very difficult assignment because during the time the USA was diverted to Iraq, Afghanistan was sinking into corruption while becoming a 'protectorate' to the Taliban. 

Initial Assessment of Afghanistan

http://www.scribd.com/doc/19995042/Commander-Initial-Assessment-McCrystal

One of the opening statements in General McCrystal's assessment is 'the circumstances in Afghanistan is serious.'

It gets ones attention.  After all, how can a war abandoned for a romp into WMD exploration be so much trouble so many years after September 11, 2001?  But.  Here we are, the USA with a General stating the circumstances in Afghanistan are serious. 

This man not only stated it was serious, but, in the same breath he stated he wished the Officers Club was a firing range.  He isn't the kind of fellow one can easily dismiss as political or ambitious.  General McCrystal was and has been seriously annoyed by the command he accepted in Afghanistan and the complacency of its leadership.  Somehow, along the way, the USA and NATO simply found it easier to accept the 'status quo' of corruption without the needed military manpower to actually fight a war. 

What a mess.  I actually believe the only way the USA will ever make serious gains in defeating such terrorist networks will be through the dedication of Stanley McCrystal.  He just has a keen sense of purpose of miltiary presence that 'means business' rather than surrender.

General McCrystal is a bit of an oxymoron.  On one hand he is demanding better outcomes for the USA from his command, but, at the same time there is this complacency to the opium culture. 

The USA military is a strange animal at times.  I don't accept the fact the opium is necessary to win in Afghanistan.  I do however believe the real war, while clearly being fought somewhat effectively in Afghanistan; sincerely lies in Pakistan.  The Pakistani authority is making more progress than ever under the Bush Administration. 

While, the current assessment, by McCrystal is that Aghanistan is a 'draw,' it is still difficult to believe that.  There is ever increasing conflict with a sincere 'core' of terrorists in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  That to me states someone is doing something right.  But.  Then there is Karzai.

It is paramount for Afghanis to take up the protection of their own country, no different than the Iraqis are doing in Iraq. 

However. 

It is also paramount 'the ability' for al Qaeda to ever recommit to continue to reek havoc and death on the civilized world be extinguished. 


...Since Afghan President Hamid Karzai's much anticipated peace assembly earlier this month, the Taliban has launched a series of high profile attacks. Meanwhile, the top U.S. commander in the country, General Stanley McChrystal says the fight against the Taliban will take longer than anticipated in the south.
Analysts say several high profile attacks this week show the Taliban will not back down as coalition and Afghan forces prepare for a major offensive to drive them from their southern stronghold in Kandahar province....


http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Violence-Political-Uncertainty-Plague-Post-Jirga-Afghanistan--96100429.html
 
 
The war in Afghanistan and Pakistan is tedious, but, it is necessary and my inital reaction is that it is best to undermine the Poppy Culture than fight a war with these folks.  The issues are nearly insurmountable, including the vast corruption of the Pakistani ISI.
 
June 14, 2010


Pakistan’s ISI military intelligence accused of directly funding Taleban
 
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7149515.ece
 
But, at the same time there are landmarks of achievement to an end of the corruption if not just a 'light at the end of a long tunnel.'  Knowing the 'disease' of the ISI in Pakistan and now Afghanistan by osmosis, I can't help but believe the war has done more good than harm.
 
Bring the troops home.

I take it General Petraeus doesn't shoot hoops.

General David H. Petraeus is the Commander at United States Central Command. 

He is a 'sly sort,' isn't he?

He was the man tapped to lead the charge into Yemen after the Fort Hood masacre.  One would think he took it personally.

US Central Command, AKA "CENTCOM."

http://www.centcom.mil/

What is US CENTCOM?  It is the primary headquarters to intelligence and strategy for the Middle East.  It could be argued where there is a 'purpose' there will always be war.  US CENTCOM answers directly to the Secretary of Defense. 

Is it important?  Should the USA consider reducing its focus and need?  Good set of questions if one is seeking peace and wishing 'the purpose' for war would end.  The real question is does violence in the Middle East exist because of the focus of The West or is the focus of the West in existence because of the violence in the Middle East?

US CENTCOM was begun in 1983, two years after President Regan took office.  That is all just food for thought.  I doubt seriously US CENTCOM will be decommissioned anytime soon, but, it is interesting to realize how a focus to USA policy starts and continues.

Petraeus on torture :

..."I have always been on the record, in fact, since 2003, with the concept of living our values. And I think that whenever we've perhaps taken expedient measures, they've turned around and bitten us in the backside. We decided early on, in the 101st airborne division, we just said, we decided to obey the Geneva Conventions....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/21/petraeus-takes-on-cheneyi_n_470608.html



Petraeus on Petraeus :

...“Gen. Petraeus has not met with former VP Cheney to discuss a possible 2012 presidential nomination. Nor has he exchanged anything other than pleasantries with the former VP in their one or two chance encounters since VP Cheney left office,” Col. Erik O. Gunhus, Petraeus’ spokesman, wrote in an e-mail to POLITICO. “Gen. Petraeus has stated on the record numerous times that he has no interest in, nor intention of, running for political office.”...


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37698.html


Petraeus on spying :
 
...Gen. David Petraeus signed an order in September authorizing Special Operations forces to deploy to allied and hostile nations in the Mideast, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa to conduct surveillance missions and work with local forces, two officials said on condition of anonymity because the document is classified....
 
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ilAE1hsUQCIouAwfNxYVEh5AcdzAD9FU1NB80
 
 
 
FORT HOOD — Defense attorneys for Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood psychiatrist charged in a deadly shooting spree here last fall, won a four-month delay Tuesday in a hearing that could lead to his court-martial.
Army Col. James Pohl ruled in favor of the defense, which said it had not received the documents it needed. Witnesses will be called starting Oct. 4.
“We got what we wanted,” retired Army Col. John P. Galligan, lead attorney for Hasan, said after the session.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7032094.html




...The Special Operations capabilities requested by the White House go beyond unilateral strikes and include the training of local counterterrorism forces and joint operations with them. In Yemen, for example, "we are doing all three," the official said. Officials who spoke about the increased operations were not authorized to discuss them on the record....
 
 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/04/politics/washingtonpost/main6547543.shtml
 
 

I realize he is not a Cabinet level authority, but, the military is more than just the Secretary of Defense. Admiral Mike Mullen, one asks, how much fun is he having?

Admiral Mullen has emerged as the face of the military in many ways.  He has his own Facebook page and he is using it wisely.  Many people respond to his regular entries.

He is currently the 17th Chair of the Joint Chiefs. 

He is a Harvard man.

He is standing with his Commander and Chief and with his Secretary of Defense in bringing change to the 'underbelly' of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."  Did we ever think we would see the day?

He has a USA footprint in many areas around the globe including a very sensitive circumstances with North Korea and its nuclear capacity.  I can't help believe his motto is anything short of, "Steady as she goes."

His comments regarding China are complimentary to his Secretary's.  I find it interesting.  While Secretary Gates points dramatically to the movement by Taiwan and China in honoring the One China Policy, Admiral Mullen points to the fact, China's response is disproportionate.

...China’s amassing of “expeditionary maritime and air capabilities,” he said, “seems oddly out of step with their stated goal of territorial defense.”


“Every nation has a right to defend itself, and to spend as it sees fit for that purpose,” Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Wednesday. “But a gap as wide as what seems to be forming between China’s stated intent and its military programs leaves me more than curious about the end result....

http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/mullen-china-buildup-out-of-step-with-territorial-defense-1.106589

It is a worry.  I have a suggestion.  For many years, if not decades, China has been held at arms length diplomatically   If I am not mistaken, a Chinese delegation, while visiting the USA under Bush's Administration, was brushed off as unimportant.  It just may be, through all the investment by China and the huge decline in confidence of the USA financial institutions, the current President needs to extend an open hand to the President of China and hold a formal White House Dinner to open 'again' better relations between the two nations. 

China has not been an enemy, so much as a curious and willing partner.  The USA has been a good partner in developing the Chinese economy and opening up space exploration.  Perhaps it is time to bring old 'paradigms' of mistrust to an end between the USA and China.

...The president's 52-page US National Security Strategy (NSS) issued in early May, for example, was an engagement-centric, restrained and diplomatic overview. The NSS spoke of US relations with China using carefully crafted words such as "we will encourage China to make choices that contribute to peace, stability and prosperity as its influence rises". The NSS did not rock the boat and was really not a formal strategy, unless repeating the word "engagement' more than three dozen times is acceptable as such....

 http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LF12Ad02.html

China has three to four times the people within its borders than the USA.  It should not be surprising to the USA, China also has many more problems to iron out, including, efficient use of energy and natural resources.  It is time to 'cut China a break.'  China has not been disloyal to nuclear non-proliferation with North Korea and that is a 'big one.'  Let's not let North Korea and its containment feel like a threat to China any longer.

Secretary Gates is not a popular figure abroad. Somehow that seems right to me.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates attends graduation ceremonies at the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 23, 2009 in West Point, New York. Secretary of Defense Gates gave the commencement speech to the 970 graduates at the elite military academy.  Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Secretary Gates, as his biography states, is the 22nd Secretary of Defense and the ONLY one to remain with a change of administration.  That is fairly amazing.  It is even more amazing to realize he likes serving under the new President.  He has been pivotal in turning the 'ship on a dime' to reduce the American footprint in Iraq while reengaging a very unsteady and deteriorating Afghanistan. 

He has averted uncertainty in facing the incideous 'terrorist' that likes to strike when a new USA administration still hasn't gotten its feet planted firmly in the job.  I thanked him for the dedication he showed to this new President and staying in the position of Secretary of Defense for that purpose.  I have my irritations with him, but, to be completely honest, whom among us would like to walk in his shoes?

He is doing a remarkable job and is open to change within the paradigm of the new Commander and Chief.  For a while, I was worried the citizen of the USA was simply a hostage to the military infrastructure, but, Secretary Gates has shown reaction to demands by the public to be flexible on such issues as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," under great pressure to 'remain the same.'  We are seeing a new face to the military in many ways that was cajoled by their new Commander and Chief and backed fully by our Defense Secretary.

I believe he is capable of achieving peace in ways we never thought existed.  Example:  Tiawan and a peaceful Pacific.  There are no truer words spoken. 

...“The United States and China clearly disagree on this matter,” Mr. Gates said in a speech on Saturday at an Asian security conference here. “Yet Taiwan arms sales over the decades have not impeded closer political and economic ties, nor closer ties in other security arenas of mutual interest.”...


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/world/asia/05gates.html

 A strong Taiwan is a strong partner to China.  I find his insight incredibly wonderful when one reflects on The One China Policy and its certain achievement under the steady hand of democratic principles.  The more I get to know the steadfastness of Secretary Gates, the more I admire him.

He is the man for the job and he is a willing and able partner to his President.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki. I bet the last place he thought he'd find himself is heading a cabinet post to protect his former personnel.

On June 11, 2010, Secretary Shinseki will met with several members of Student Veterans of America (SVA). They reviewed SVA’s latest successes, what they are working on, and how they can help the Secretary accomplish his mission. Student Veterans of America is a coalition of student Veterans groups from college campuses across the United States that works to develop new student groups, coordinate between existing student groups, and advocate on behalf of student Veterans at the local, state, and national level. They provide peer-to-peer networks for Veterans who are attending school, coordinate activities, provide pre-professional networking, and generally provide a touchstone for student Veterans in higher education.

I sincerely feel I don't need to say much about Secretary Shinseki.  He was the General that gave former Secretary Rumsfeld a view of Iraq and the number of military required to invade that country, he didn't want to hear.

General Shinseki was proved correct over and over again as the invasion into Iraq devolved to chaos and anarchy.  It sparked sectarian violence that is still evident today. 

I don't know of a more insightful person to protect our soldiers as they return to their homes and their private lives.  I have witnessed the ads he has on the television as an outreach to Veteran's lost in their own personal 'fog of war' with PTSD and they are incredible.

The sheer fact Secrtary Shinseki has returned to assist our country once again, druing very trying times, only speaks to the devotion he has always maintained for it and the love he has for his fellow soldier.

Actions speak louder than words.

VA Secretary Shinseki Welcomes Troops Home in Md.



By AP_Exchange


Published: June 12, 2010
BOWIE, Md. (AP) U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki is welcoming home more than 1,000 veterans returning from combat this weekend in Bowie.
The welcome ceremony begins at 8 a.m. Saturday for veterans and their families at the Prince George's Stadium in Bowie.
It will include a barbecue, skydiving demonstrations and performances by the West Point Alumni Glee Club and the 257th Army Band. The events will last until 3 p.m.
The Veterans Affairs Department and Department of Defense will have health and benefit teams on site to provide information to attendees to help with their transition back home.


http://www2.wjtv.com/jtv/ap_exchange/special_-_medical/article/va-secretary-shinseki-welcomes-troops-home-in-md/155898/

President Obama is not afraid of the germs White Folks have. I thought that was reassuring. This, of course, is Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

What a time for HHS.  We are lucky to have a well qualified Secretary with leadership skills to carry out expansive change during trying times for the USA.

Health Care Reform and its many facets is being implimented as I write this to insure a smooth transition for everyone.

Recently, there were one time rebate checks sent to Seniors to help with the donut hole and issues of transition.  Secretary Sebelius has written to Governor Douglas to caution against any misinterpretation of the rebate.  It was issued to individuals and not to States, so the idea that a State can cut back on other programs to assist Seniors isn't accurate.

...Some states, like Vermont, have established state-only programs that provide supplemental pharmaceutical coverage to low-income Medicare beneficiaries who are not eligible for Medicaid assistance. The Administration applauds Vermont’s leadership in this effort. However, we understand that Vermont is considering reducing these state benefits in response to the new Medicare Part D rebate checks. I ask you to reconsider this action....

Link to letter:  http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/current-benefits-vermontrsquos-seniors,1341798.shtml


Unfortunately, through all this wonderful change to our infrastructure the Republican Obstructionists are still at work to try to cause our Seniors HARM by preventing appointees from taking their seats in the administration and decreases in benefits that could be overruled by the legislation.


...The confirmation hearings for Dr. Donald Berwick, the White House's choice to run Medicare, could turn into a proxy war over a debate that, while settled, left many Americans angry and confused.
"I think anyone who is close to this understands this debate is really not about Don Berwick, but the opportunity to re-litigate the underlying health care reforms," said John Rother, executive vice president for policy and strategy at the AARP. "In ordinary times, the nomination of somebody with Don's record and standing in the field would not be controversial."

Link:  http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/13/1677899/bitter-feelings-over-health-bill.html#ixzz0qls9SPX8

 
DANGEROUS AND IRRESPONSIBLE REPUBLICANS have Senior citizens, recipients of Medicare, in their 'election sites' to harm them in order to attempt a deceptive initiative to cast a poor opinion of health care reform.
 
I would think the media would be up in arms over the issue to bring to light THE TRUTH. 
 
Hm?
 
Obama takes aim at Republicans on healthcare
Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON
Sun Jun 13, 2010 1:05am EDT
...The Senate is due to vote within days on whether to follow the House of Representatives and delay a cut in Medicare payments to doctors. Like much else related to healthcare, the vote is becoming a proxy for Republican anger over the sweeping health overhaul passed in March despite their fierce resistance.
"This year, a majority of Congress is willing to prevent a pay cut of 21 percent -- a pay cut that would undoubtedly force some doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients altogether," Obama said in his weekly radio address. Medicare is the government health program for the elderly.
"But this time, some Senate Republicans may even block a vote on this issue. After years of voting to defer these cuts, the other party is now willing to walk away from the needs of our doctors and our seniors," Obama said....

Link:  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6565FV20100613

"Bo" - B(arak) O(bama)

I found it interesting that no one picked up on the 'initials' similar to the President's which comprise the Obama's pet dog, Bo.

Bo is still winning over hearts and minds at the White House.

In the press pool photo (click title to entry - thank you) caption for this picture, it says that U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk first dog Bo to a picnic for members of Congress on the South Lawn of the White House June 8, 2010. It looks to me like Bo is the one taking the First Couple for the walk.


They were on their way to a Congressional picnic where Alaskan salmon smoked on an open pit was served for dinner

It's Sunday Night