Good night for now.
Monday, November 24, 2014
It doesn't fit. The police actions don't fit the crime or the demographics.
Ferguson has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
Ferguson has a lot of people who ride the bus to and from work. In fact, for its size, Ferguson has quite a high level of public transit users. Ferguson’s need for inexpensive transportation options for its citizens is quite high.
Ferguson has a lot of people who ride the bus to and from work. In fact, for its size, Ferguson has quite a high level of public transit users. Ferguson’s need for inexpensive transportation options for its citizens is quite high.
The citizens of Ferguson are slightly better educated than the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns, with 22.81% of adults in Ferguson having a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.
The per capita income in Ferguson in 2010 was $20,617, which is upper middle income relative to Missouri, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $82,468 for a family of four. However, Ferguson contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Ferguson is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ferguson home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ferguson residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Ferguson include German, Irish, English, Italian and African.
The most common language spoken in Ferguson is English.
The per capita income may be skewed because the incomes in Ferguson range from very wealthy to very poor. If the very wealthy are in six figure categories the averages for Ferguson would provide a different picture than actually exists.
August 14, 2014
By Howard Koplowitz
...About 14,000 blacks live in Ferguson, (click here) compared with more than 6,500 whites, according to U.S. Census data for the Missouri city. From January to April of this year, there were 27 whites arrested in the city compared with 217 blacks, or about 8.1 times as many black arrests as white arrests.
The Missouri Uniform Crime Reporting Program lists 36 offenses in its data, including murder and runaways under 18 years old. Most black people were arrested under a category called "all other offenses." In all, that represented 79 of the 217 arrests involving black people. At least 65 black suspects were arrested for larceny, the second largest category. In contrast, 13 whites were arrested for the same crime, meaning five times as many blacks were arrested for larceny as whites. Seventeen blacks were arrested on marijuana possession charges, the third-highest arrest total among African-Americans; only two whites were arrested on that offense....
The census data (click here) reflects more of a lower middle class city in comparison to all of Missouri.
The city obviously has no sense of community between it's city and county administration and the people. All that needs to change. These folks should be doing better than they are today and they should be living in fear of being killed either.
The percentages of income beginning with $75,000 per household per year falls off from that of Missouri.
For households earning less than $10,000 per year (which I can't imagine) the percentage is 11.6 for Ferguson as opposed to 7.8 for Missouri.
The city government and the police force doesn't reflect the community. There is no sincere understanding of each other.
$50 thousand to $74,999 household percentages is the only category where Ferguson is in the same proportion to Missouri. This city is primarily lower middle class.
A fifth of the population of Ferguson doesn't have health coverage compared to 10% of Missouri. That is nearly the same percentage reported to be below poverty level.
Some of the ratings for crime in Ferguson are higher than average. But, if Michael Brown, Jr. is any indication to the types of crimes in Ferguson, there is a lot wrong even in the statistics.
I want to put the blame on the City Council and it's inability or unwillingness to be a part of the community and to work to improve the quality of life of citizens of Ferguson, but there is THAT racial barrier. It is a profound barrier between city government and the people.
The largest percentage of people are 18-54, single women with children. Single women with children comprise 2/3 of the population.
Michael Brown, Jr. was reflective of the average teenager in Ferguson on his way to college to prepare for life. If he is the average in demeanor and activities there is a complete breakdown in city govern and the needs of the community.
Michael's problems were not that big. Arresting everyone that commits petty crimes is not the answer to improving the quality of life of these people and drives the crime rate up when it shouldn't be that high. There is a complete breakdown of government in relation to the population, to say it is adversarial is an understatement. The relationship of the people to the city and county government was problematic and needs to be changed in a very big way. Taking Cigarellos is a hideous reason for a dead teenager. And to think the police had dispatched two cars to the store and then two responded to Michael's sighting is ridiculous. The cops don't have anything else to do, except, chase down petty criminals?
THE REACTION by police is completely out of balance to the crime. The idea the county prosecutor doesn't see it, is even more troubling.
If they whittled down the number of police officers in town, the people would be safer and the crime statistics better. There is a lot wrong here and no one is addressing the real issue and now a young black man is dead for a lousy $12. I am confident his parents would have paid for the product and taken it up with him at home.
I read an article about a career criminal that was sent back to prison for stealing $12 worth of Cigarellos. No lie. He had served his time, was out and he stole $12 worth of cigars. He was returned to prison with a lengthy sentence. Yes, he was black.
I don't believe Ferguson is unusual in the USA. I don't know why this is happening to black men and especially young black men, but, if Ferguson's prosecutor is a reflection of THE SYSTEM it is profoundly broken. No one cares about THE PERSON, THE HUMAN BEING and the magnitude of the law to result in adverse outcomes.
This wasn't about a young man with a gun that killed a store owner while taking $12 worth of cigars. The store owner wasn't even the person that called the police. Ferguson's police are unnecessary in a city of 21 thousand people of which the households are 2/3 single females with children. The police aren't that necessary, BUT, because they have a high crime rate they get plenty of money from the federal government. The federal programs are missing the mark. They are missing the mark and causing deaths. THE CRIME RATE is the goal to receive money, not the level of improved quality of life by city government.
The little town of Ferguson is estimated to have a crime rate with only 6% of ALL OTHER AMERICAN cities worse. That is not reflective of the city I am witnessing. The Ferguson police are chasing every little crime and turning into a capital crime. The crime rate statistics needs to be investigated in Ferguson. They may or may not be accurate, but, they are elevated because the policing is completely wrong. There was only one murder that I saw in those statistics. That is not a high crime city but according to the STATS it is.
It's the money. And it's killing people. There needs to be new government for Ferguson and it needs to reflect the racial balance of the city. Things will change then.
Total court revenues are expected to reach $2,029,000 in FY 2013-2014. (click here) In the fall of 2011, the City implemented camera enforcement in three high traffic accident incidence intersections. Fines resulting from this implementation represent a portion of the increased revenues over the period, however, it should be noted that additional manned traffic enforcement also contributed to the increase.
The city has cameras in their streets. The camera from the shop where the cigars were stolen was all the police needed. The pursuit of a young black man to the NTH degree is gross malpractice and over policing.
The city is anticipating a deficit of more than $7 million.
The City’s Police Department provides police protection throughout the corporate limits of the City. Services are provided by 52 full-time officers including the Chief. The Police Department sponsors several community service programs including: Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E), Directed Bike Patrol (which provides vacation checks, patrol of closed or under construction streets and various activities inside parks), Operation Ident (to identify stolen property), School Resource Officers (who coordinate activities in one secondary and five elementary schools), Neighborhood Watch (a citizen involvement and crime prevention program), and Business Liaison Program (outreach police program to the business community).
I was working in New Jersey one summer in conservation. The initiative was to return native species to the forests of interest. They had been over grazed by deer. It became obvious the only way to end the over grazing was to cull the deer herd. The deer would end up dying because of lack of nutrition eventually anyway. A citizen of the town involved heard the report there are eight police officers currently that could be marshaled to cull the herd if the city didn't want to hire qualified people to do it. All of a sudden out of the middle of the fairly occupied room comes this shout, "How the heck did we get eight police officers for this town?"
The growth of law enforcement happens. Why? Because the city council believes adding one more will bring about a better outcome to the city. Adding police can be such a good political issue.
I really do believe Ferguson is over policed and policed incorrectly. There is one police officer for about every 400 residents, including children. It needs a change in government. It needs it desperately. Michael Brown, Jr. should be alive today and he isn't. There was no valid reason for his death.
There should have never been a police chase at all. The store's video and the videos around the city would have provided all the information the police needed. The parents could have been approached about the incident, shown the evidence and ask to pay the store owner and/or have their son pay the store owner. A fine for the MISDEMEANOR could have been imposed to make the city feel as though their treasury was rightly served.
There is no excuse for that young man's death and the county prosecutor is as incompetent as any I've ever witnessed.
Why it isn't completely obvious to the police, city council and county government that there is a wrongful death in this case is beyond anything I can imagine. This was NOT a policing issue, it was a parent conference issue.
This is over policing at it's worse and if this is what is going on in other cities and towns in the USA it has to end!
The city obviously has no sense of community between it's city and county administration and the people. All that needs to change. These folks should be doing better than they are today and they should be living in fear of being killed either.
The percentages of income beginning with $75,000 per household per year falls off from that of Missouri.
For households earning less than $10,000 per year (which I can't imagine) the percentage is 11.6 for Ferguson as opposed to 7.8 for Missouri.
The city government and the police force doesn't reflect the community. There is no sincere understanding of each other.
$50 thousand to $74,999 household percentages is the only category where Ferguson is in the same proportion to Missouri. This city is primarily lower middle class.
A fifth of the population of Ferguson doesn't have health coverage compared to 10% of Missouri. That is nearly the same percentage reported to be below poverty level.
Some of the ratings for crime in Ferguson are higher than average. But, if Michael Brown, Jr. is any indication to the types of crimes in Ferguson, there is a lot wrong even in the statistics.
I want to put the blame on the City Council and it's inability or unwillingness to be a part of the community and to work to improve the quality of life of citizens of Ferguson, but there is THAT racial barrier. It is a profound barrier between city government and the people.
The largest percentage of people are 18-54, single women with children. Single women with children comprise 2/3 of the population.
Michael Brown, Jr. was reflective of the average teenager in Ferguson on his way to college to prepare for life. If he is the average in demeanor and activities there is a complete breakdown in city govern and the needs of the community.
Michael's problems were not that big. Arresting everyone that commits petty crimes is not the answer to improving the quality of life of these people and drives the crime rate up when it shouldn't be that high. There is a complete breakdown of government in relation to the population, to say it is adversarial is an understatement. The relationship of the people to the city and county government was problematic and needs to be changed in a very big way. Taking Cigarellos is a hideous reason for a dead teenager. And to think the police had dispatched two cars to the store and then two responded to Michael's sighting is ridiculous. The cops don't have anything else to do, except, chase down petty criminals?
THE REACTION by police is completely out of balance to the crime. The idea the county prosecutor doesn't see it, is even more troubling.
If they whittled down the number of police officers in town, the people would be safer and the crime statistics better. There is a lot wrong here and no one is addressing the real issue and now a young black man is dead for a lousy $12. I am confident his parents would have paid for the product and taken it up with him at home.
I read an article about a career criminal that was sent back to prison for stealing $12 worth of Cigarellos. No lie. He had served his time, was out and he stole $12 worth of cigars. He was returned to prison with a lengthy sentence. Yes, he was black.
I don't believe Ferguson is unusual in the USA. I don't know why this is happening to black men and especially young black men, but, if Ferguson's prosecutor is a reflection of THE SYSTEM it is profoundly broken. No one cares about THE PERSON, THE HUMAN BEING and the magnitude of the law to result in adverse outcomes.
This wasn't about a young man with a gun that killed a store owner while taking $12 worth of cigars. The store owner wasn't even the person that called the police. Ferguson's police are unnecessary in a city of 21 thousand people of which the households are 2/3 single females with children. The police aren't that necessary, BUT, because they have a high crime rate they get plenty of money from the federal government. The federal programs are missing the mark. They are missing the mark and causing deaths. THE CRIME RATE is the goal to receive money, not the level of improved quality of life by city government.
The little town of Ferguson is estimated to have a crime rate with only 6% of ALL OTHER AMERICAN cities worse. That is not reflective of the city I am witnessing. The Ferguson police are chasing every little crime and turning into a capital crime. The crime rate statistics needs to be investigated in Ferguson. They may or may not be accurate, but, they are elevated because the policing is completely wrong. There was only one murder that I saw in those statistics. That is not a high crime city but according to the STATS it is.
It's the money. And it's killing people. There needs to be new government for Ferguson and it needs to reflect the racial balance of the city. Things will change then.
Total court revenues are expected to reach $2,029,000 in FY 2013-2014. (click here) In the fall of 2011, the City implemented camera enforcement in three high traffic accident incidence intersections. Fines resulting from this implementation represent a portion of the increased revenues over the period, however, it should be noted that additional manned traffic enforcement also contributed to the increase.
The city has cameras in their streets. The camera from the shop where the cigars were stolen was all the police needed. The pursuit of a young black man to the NTH degree is gross malpractice and over policing.
The city is anticipating a deficit of more than $7 million.
The City’s Police Department provides police protection throughout the corporate limits of the City. Services are provided by 52 full-time officers including the Chief. The Police Department sponsors several community service programs including: Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E), Directed Bike Patrol (which provides vacation checks, patrol of closed or under construction streets and various activities inside parks), Operation Ident (to identify stolen property), School Resource Officers (who coordinate activities in one secondary and five elementary schools), Neighborhood Watch (a citizen involvement and crime prevention program), and Business Liaison Program (outreach police program to the business community).
I was working in New Jersey one summer in conservation. The initiative was to return native species to the forests of interest. They had been over grazed by deer. It became obvious the only way to end the over grazing was to cull the deer herd. The deer would end up dying because of lack of nutrition eventually anyway. A citizen of the town involved heard the report there are eight police officers currently that could be marshaled to cull the herd if the city didn't want to hire qualified people to do it. All of a sudden out of the middle of the fairly occupied room comes this shout, "How the heck did we get eight police officers for this town?"
The growth of law enforcement happens. Why? Because the city council believes adding one more will bring about a better outcome to the city. Adding police can be such a good political issue.
I really do believe Ferguson is over policed and policed incorrectly. There is one police officer for about every 400 residents, including children. It needs a change in government. It needs it desperately. Michael Brown, Jr. should be alive today and he isn't. There was no valid reason for his death.
There should have never been a police chase at all. The store's video and the videos around the city would have provided all the information the police needed. The parents could have been approached about the incident, shown the evidence and ask to pay the store owner and/or have their son pay the store owner. A fine for the MISDEMEANOR could have been imposed to make the city feel as though their treasury was rightly served.
There is no excuse for that young man's death and the county prosecutor is as incompetent as any I've ever witnessed.
Why it isn't completely obvious to the police, city council and county government that there is a wrongful death in this case is beyond anything I can imagine. This was NOT a policing issue, it was a parent conference issue.
This is over policing at it's worse and if this is what is going on in other cities and towns in the USA it has to end!
Take the guns away from the cops and clean house in Ferguson.
Cigarillos cost about $6.00 per box. Two boxes are worth about $12.00. And a young man is dead over this?!?!? And the county prosecutor can't find probable cause for police use of overwhelming force? Excuse me?
The prosecutor NEVER said they even found the items on the body of dead young man. This is ridiculous and if the USA calls this good police work there is a lot more wrong with the USA than I ever estimated.
Petty Larceny used in many states for theft of a small amount of money or objects of little value (such as less than $500). It is distinguished fromgrand larceny which is theft of property of greater worth, which is a felonypunishable by a term in state prison. Petty larceny is a misdemeanor punishable atmaximum with a term in the county jail. States which only use the term "larceny,"often treat theft of a smaller amounts as a misdemeanor in sentencing.
Four and one half minutes of silence in respect of Michael Brown, Jr.
Jaywalking isn't a death sentence. (click here). There is no dispute over what happened to prompt a police officer to stop this young man in the street. It was jaywalking. There was no reason to arrest him or escalate the circumstances. All he needed was a warning and a reminder those laws are in place to save lives.
The US Justice Department will be examining the evidence for civil rights violations. There is a reason for civil lawsuits. There is no reason for violence. This is a police scene because an office of the law believed in violence over community.
Ferguson has about 21 thousand people. It is a complete quandary to me how a local police officer in a city of 21 thousand people could react to a jaywalking incident with an 18 year old young man and have it end in the young man's death. It doesn't make sense to me. It is an outrageous set of circumstances that didn't develop one summer day in August.
I still can't believe that young man is dead. This seems so heinous to me. I don't expect a good return by the grand jury. I want the system to work. The US Justice Department has to find a way. This is an incredible death. This is not my America.
NBC News has a page dedicated to this case (click here).
No regrets by anyone in law enforcement. Wilson's lawyers witnessed his marriage. (click here) That young man's death is like water off a duck's back to these people. There is a lot wrong here.
These are CRAMPONS (as in your leg muscles will cramp when you put them on). They are Black Diamond Crampons (click here). They are pricey. I didn't know Black Diamond even made crampons. They make all kinds of climbing gear, including a sit harness I own, but this is new to me.
In good old days before there was an REI the scientists working in severe conditions make their own campons and they were very heavy, hence the name. I have custom fit crampons for my Merrill boots. Why? Because they don't fall off.
When in any severe ice environment the last thing anyone wants to happen is sliding to the edge of an ice sheet and never being heard from again. That is definitely a buddy system.
No one has to go out and purchase crampons necessarily, but, there are lots of places that sell 'ice adapters' for shoes.
They are not nearly as pricey as the crampons and are very useful. I would carry a pair in my car no different than anyone carries a tire jack in their car.
I especially liked these because of the spikes on PRESSURE POINTS of the foot. The Midheel, the widest part of the foot near the toe area and at the toe edge.
In other words, a person walking in such an apparatus has to cognitively put their foot down and make sure the spikes are holding and continue that pattern. Never take for granted the spikes are in the ground before taking the next step. Be sure each step insures there is traction for the next step.
I think these spiked tire appliance is from Ireland. I have no experience with this product.
I think anyone will get the idea. Tires used to come equipped with spikes embedded in them, but, when there was snow on the ground they would tear up the roads, especially in summer time.Back in the good old days cars would be outfitted with chains in the winter time.
Do not drive if there are perilous conditions on the roads.
The river gauges of Buffalo show minor flooding right now.
NOAA river gauges for Buffalo (click here)
This is trouble with a capital letter T. The melting that exists now will be followed by freezing or near freezing temperatures within 12 to 18 hours in Buffalo.
GET ANY TRACE OF SNOW OFF THE ROADS NOW!!!!!!!!
Start to apply whatever melting agent being used these days at the first hint of colder weather. Salt is only good to about -10 to -15 below. So, removing as much snow as possible will result in far less to worry about after the freezing enters the weather picture.
I don't envy those in government in these states. This is ridiculous. But, this is our reality. There is no wishing and hoping it will be different. This is the beginning of a very volatile Calender Winter. December 21st isn't a month away and that is only the beginning of winter.
Please make very long term plans and decide how best to approach this. If people are at risk, then the idea they need to relocate might be a better plan than staying and hoping for the best. If homes are destroyed there is insurance. They can begin again, but, if they want to begin again in the same place may prove foolish unless the home is equipped with a design that insults against cold and proves to have strong roof supports. The best example of what works in construction is the very northern reaches of the USA.
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These events are no longer isolated to an unfortunate tragedy. These are going to repeat themselves over and over in the years ahead.
This home is for sale in upstate New York. (click here)THIS HOME IS ALSO ON A HILLTOP.
Look at the pitch of the roof. It is very steep. The steepness isn't guaranteed to be the advantage the house needs IF there are going to be four or more feet dropping in an hour. It will help BUT the snow as it falls from the roof will add to the snow on the ground. That means the snow on the ground has to be removed before the accumulation starts.
Follow this now, please.
If I were owning this home and the accumulations of snow were getting greater and greater I would be planning for the snow that will slide off the roof. I would be using a snow blower DURING THE STORM to blow the snow away from the bottom of the house.
It is going to be frigid cold, so anyone willing to go outside during the storm as to be equipped for frigid temperatures and high winds. GO TO OUTFITTERS that know what they are doing.
I USE REI (click here). Their staff is usually well informed to the latest gear available for those severe frigid conditions. I trust REI. They have good equipment. This is not cheap, HOWEVER, get their customer program to accumulate points and get free gear. It's great.
Now, please pay attention. THIS IS NOT SAFE. THIS WEATHER IS NOT SAFE. Anyone venturing out in such a storm to use their snow blower to remove snow from the bottom of the house have worries. The area where the snow is being blown to is accumulating at a higher rate than any place else on the property. It could collapse on top of anyone as they are out in the severe wind. This is a BUDDY SYSTEM idea at the very least. Get the entire family involved to monitor the area outside the house where one is working.
Monitor the weather as well from either a personal NOAA radio and/or the local television station. When the snowing is about to slow, stop the rescue mission for the house. You will than have accomplished the impossible. The house is safe.
Would I do this. You betcha. But, I also know what I am looking for and protecting from. Please use common sense and the idea no one is going to get hurt or worse.
I don't know if they exist, but, if there are panels that can heat the roof while the snow is falling to make the snow turn into water runoff, then by all means that would be safer as long as the technology is safe. Such panels won't work of electricity to the home is lost, but, if that is the case then it isn't safe to stay in the house anyway because of EXPOSURE.
Plan for EXPOSURE. It will get you through.
The best idea for storms with significant snow fall is to plan for a shelter recommended by the local government and go there at the first opportunity. Leave with confidence in the house will take care of itself as it can. Take your pets with you. Leaving for a shelter with such storms is the best option, but, when it happens twice a week people will have their lives interrupted and will look for other solutions. I'd like people to have solutions that help them stay in their homes. In time, it will prove the best idea.
These realities will not go away. I know we all would like them to do that, but, it's a climate crisis. This is now reality.
Why worry about Russia?
Because of all the bizarre actions by Russia with it's military as well as it's legislature. The Russians within power must be seeking to keep that power stating any "Occupy" movement could destroy the country. Putin has enlisted all the majority influences in Russia to adhere to stringent Old World values. No gays, only Russian Speaking people and all the moves to reinforce that. Putin is also seeking to build a separate financial infrastructure that has nothing to do with any other country.
Isolationism.
Putin is KGB. If he is signing all these legislative restrictions into law, then he is worried. Nothing else makes sense. Perhaps he believes in isolation Russia will come to be more of a financial capital than NYC or London. Dreams can come true. That doesn't lend itself to a stable Russia right now.
Isolationism.
Putin is KGB. If he is signing all these legislative restrictions into law, then he is worried. Nothing else makes sense. Perhaps he believes in isolation Russia will come to be more of a financial capital than NYC or London. Dreams can come true. That doesn't lend itself to a stable Russia right now.
Ready made replacement.
Michèle Flournoy (click here) is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
She served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012. She was the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. She led the development of DoD’s 2012 Strategic Guidance and represented the Department in dozens of foreign engagements, in the media and before Congress....
She won't have a smooth administration. She'll differ on combat role of troops abroad and she hasn't seen combat herself. But, she has been within the defense department and industry for a significant period of time. She was critical of the USA leaving Iraq.
She has criticized leafing Afghanistan, BUT, has also stated any strikes against Iran was very misguided. She stated any steps by the USA and/or Israel against Iran would undermine the mission of the USA in the Middle East.
She is basically a hawk and an administrator.
Other potentials may prove to be better, Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed or former Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B Carter.
Carter is currently a Harvard teaching and Jack Reed is a highly regarded Senator in Rhode Island. I think Carter would be the best choice as he has been involved within the military establishment with this president.
November 24, 2014
By Tom Mooney
...“Senator Reed (click here) loves his job and wants to continue serving the people of Rhode Island in the United States senate,” said Unruh. “He has made it very clear that he does not wish to be considered for secretary of defense or any other Cabinet position. He just asked the people of Rhode Island to hire him for another six-year term and plans to honor that commitment.”...
The Defense Department needs someone who is willing to transition the USA out of being the world's police. The people never wanted that responsibility. The military industrial complex chronically pushed the USA into the position of being an overwhelming force in the world.
The Defense Department needs someone who is willing to transition the USA out of being the world's police. The people never wanted that responsibility. The military industrial complex chronically pushed the USA into the position of being an overwhelming force in the world.
By Craig Whitlock
...Carter stayed on as deputy secretary (click here)— the No. 2 position at the Defense Department, responsible for the day-to-day management of its 2.2 million employees — over the past 10 months at Obama’s request. But many defense officials and analysts viewed Carter as an uncomfortable understudy to Hagel, given his own ambitions to lead the Pentagon.
In his letter, Carter said he had “long firmly intended” to leave the Pentagon by December. But he said he kept quiet about his plans because of “the turbulence surrounding the fiscal situation,” an apparent reference to the federal government shutdown and other forced budget cuts confronting the military....
The military industrial complex has pushed new gadgets and gizmos like the F35 that with budget cuts the USA DOD has to inhibit the length of serve in military personnel to make it a career instead of just an enlistment or officer career choice.
The Sequestration cuts of Congress have not reduced the hideous spending in the private sector of the DOD, it has instead reduced the personnel. So, the DOD now has to protect the USA without the benefit of fully engaged personnel. I'd rather see the branches of the military fully staffed than pay for tinker toys.
Ashton Carter has the ambition to claim that path for his own and provide an asset to President Obama in reducing the presence of the USA in foreign theaters while allowing regional authority to maintain the peace.
January/February issue of Foreign Affairs
By Ashton Carter
...Although (click here) the department still struggles to contain the costs of military systems, it has come a long way in providing better buying power for the taxpayer. The Pentagon has also, by sad necessity, pioneered advances in medical technology, particularly in such areas as prosthetic limbs and the treatment of traumatic brain injuries and posttraumatic stress disorder.
But the same system that excels at anticipating future needs has proved less capable of quickly providing technology and equipment to troops on the battlefield. I have spent much of the past five years, first as undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics and then as deputy secretary of defense, trying to address this shortfall. With the Iraq war over and the war in Afghanistan coming to a close, it is important to understand what prevented the Pentagon from rapidly meeting immediate demands during those wars, what enduring lessons can be learned from its efforts to become more responsive, and how to put in place the right institutions to ensure success against future threats when agility is crucial....
The American people want to move the military into the future as being a leader in defense, but, not the only military power on Earth able to defeat the movement of terrorism.
There are very few countries the USA has any profound argument needing military solutions, the danger to the USA is from a far smaller UNIT, namely the individual.
The individual is not a global threat, it is a uniquely local threat. To that end it isn't the DOD that is going to solve the problem, but, allies that can declare sovereignty against those that would seek to undermine it.
The answer to bringing down such national debt is not to end services or allow a government shut down to end spending on VA disability benefits. The country has an obligation to those we ask to make the greatest sacrifice to our country.
The answer to bringing down the national debt in relation to MILITARY ACTIVITY of the USA is to empower local authorities to establish and maintain their sovereign status. It is why the current coalition in the Middle East is so vital. The USA cannot do this alone anymore and to state it can is a lie.
The other answer, which is more Republican than anything else, is to turn the USA into an automated war machine and continue the global activities. The Republicans see drones replacing soldiers on the battlefield and to continue the march of domination around the world. That is very, very expensive and will ultimately result in a nuclear holocaust. Not even a limited nuclear war, but, a nuclear war whereby the objective would be to completely destroy the USA and it's people viewed to allow such a global monster to exist.
The recent activities by Putin PROVES exactly that. He has been flying high altitude bombers around the world reaching close proximity to NATO and USA assets. Putin's bombers have even visited Guam in it's muscle flexing. To be completely honest, Russia's nuclear capacity has surpassed it's ability to win conventional wars. If Russia could win a conventional war it would HAVE BEEN doing so in Syria. Russia is completely absent in Syria with no evidence in returning to the country. Russia instead has burdened Turkey's borders to facilitate NATO to act in Syria.
If Turkey finds it's sovereignty threatened NATO will have no choice but to provide defense of Turkey. There will be no assault by Russia. Instead, Russia has decided to amend it's ability to commit war to a country not a member of NATO, namely Ukraine. The war with the Ukraine by Russia is hideous. Ukraine had completely disarmed itself, no different than Iraq with Saddam, to pursue NEUTRALITY in global events. That all changed when Putin broke treaties and decided to reclaim Ukraine as a wayward child.
if NATO were to enter the frey in Ukraine, which is can because of the dismantled treaty, Putin would be taking different actions in regard to Ukraine's border. Like I said his bombers have been making the rounds.
Would Putin actually deploy nukes? I doubt it seriously and I think it is all very elaborate muscle flexing, but, with the 'tone within Russia' being that of a regime rather than a country in control of it's outcomes, there is no guarantees. Desperate men do desperate things. Putin has tried to soften that image in resent pictures with the Australian Prime Minister and Koala Bears, but, that sincerely doesn't change any skepticism.
The USA has a challenge before it in finding any new DOD Secretary. It has to be a person that does not increase personnel back to a war stance in the Middle East that will doom the USA to a forever war and defend countries already allies from Russia that has an unstable internal political environment. It isn't an easy job, but, there is at least ONE person capable of doing exactly that.
Why look any further than Ashton Carter. At the very least he could replace the exiting Secretary and write policy that makes sense for the USA while bringing others up to speed to replace him in the future.
...At the outset of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon made two fatal miscalculations. First, it believed these wars would be over in a matter of months....
...Accordingly, since it normally takes years to develop new capabilities, the Pentagon saw little value in making acquisitions unique to the environments of Afghanistan and Iraq that would be irrelevant by the time they were ready. Second, the Pentagon was prepared for traditional military-versus-military conflicts -- a characterization that applied only to the early stages of the Iraq war. As a result, the military was not well positioned to fight an enemy without uniforms, command centers, or traditional organizational structures. The Pentagon initially failed to see the conflicts as requiring entirely new technologies and equipment, even as it became clear that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other makeshift tactics of an insurgency were more than nuisances -- they were strategic threats to U.S. objectives....
The paragraph speaks for itself.
There are real heroes in the climate crisis. No one ever hears about them, otherwise, why the KXL.
NARRATOR (Bob Ellison): A partnership for the environment. Holiday food prices. And safe seasonal cooking. Those stories and more in “U-S-D-A Week In Review”.
NARRATOR: U-S-D-A, Chevrolet and Ducks Unlimited are teaming up to improve the environment. Chevy announced at U-S-D-A headquarters that it’s voluntarily buying almost forty thousand tons of carbon credits that it will never cash in.
Greg Martin, Executive Director for Global Public Policy, General Motors: They will not be used to offset emissions related to any vehicle, facilities, products or operations. And that’s the best part of this program, and don’t think for a second I don’t enjoy telling people about that. We take that out of the system and it’s done.
NARRATOR: The money from the sale of the carbon credits is used to compensate ranchers for not using their land in any way that breaks up the soil and releases carbon into the atmosphere....
I listened to the sound recording.
The Canadian Press
Published Thursday, November 20, 2014 9:55AM EST
Published Thursday, November 20, 2014 9:55AM EST
BERLIN -- Scientists (click here) have released a brief recording of the sound that Europe's space probe Philae made when it became the first to land on a comet last week.
The two-second recording features a short, sharp thud as the lander touched down about 311 million miles (500 million kilometres) from Earth on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko's icy surface.
Martin Knapmeyer of the German Aerospace Center, DLR, said Thursday that sound was recorded by instruments in the lander's feet....
It is not exactly the same as sand when it has movement in the wind, but, it has those 'qualities.' As if it is particles bouncing off each other and making sound. What was so astounding to me at all is that sounds exists in space. The air around the comet is not a void.
An illusion of movement. Either a legislative body votes or it doesn't. End of discussion.
The right wing reaches back across time to state, "The Democrats had the House and Senate for two years, why didn't they pass immigration reform then?"
Why? Because people dying at the hand of the health care system was more important IN REFORM priorities than immigration. That's why.
The right wing has nothing to say about reaching back in time. Do Rebuglicans want immigration reform?
NO! NO! NO! NO! Kindly get that FACT to the American people and most of all to the Hispanic community. The Republicans DO NOT WANT IMMIGRATION REFORM.
"W" could get immigration reform done in the face of a Congress of majority for FOUR years starting with 2001 and ending with 2006. "W"'s party held the House and Senate for four years and nothing was done about ANY of the problems of the USA then either. No immigration reform, no health care reform, but, alas we were a country at war and had to make sacrifices.
If the USA is going to be at war because some lunatics are on the loose in the Middle East it will never get any of it's domestic problems solved.
With the Hispanic community receive immigration reform under Jeb Bush? Absolutely not.
November 21, 2014
...His Friday statement on Obama's executive action (click here) to protect nearly 5 million immigrants from deportation was nuanced, taking aim only at the tactic, not the ultimate effect.
"President Obama's ill-advised unilateral action on illegal immigration undermines all efforts to forge a permanent solution to this crisis. Action must come in the form of bipartisan comprehensive reform passed through Congress," (Jeb) Bush said.
He later tweeted that the move was "an abuse of power."
But both Presidents George H.W. Bush and his son used similar unilateral action to protect immigrants from the threat of deportation under similar circumstances.
In 2001 President George W. Bush extended protections to as many as 150,000 Salvadorans in the United States illegally. And the elder Bush implemented a "Family Fairness" policy to allow an estimated 1.5 million close family members of newly legalized immigrants under the sweeping 1986 immigration reform measureto avoid deportation while they applied for legal status....
Jeb Bush is seeking to run for the presidency, so lying is a good thing. Toe the line for FOX's allegiance.
Because immigration reform ITSELF will not determine elections. Immigration reform is a 'hot' topic to corral the Hispanic vote. Even Rubio turns away from it when his party comes down on it.
There is every indication elections don't matter, too. It has long been DECIDED health care was a real problem in the USA. Not made up for elections as the Republicans carry as their moniker, NOTHINGNESS "Vote for me."
There are sincere problems in the USA. The devastation of the 2007-08 global economic collapse destroyed lives. People lost everything. Was that ever important to Republicans? No. They screamed and yelled, the Restoration Act of 2009 was simply big government. Well. Yeah.
The Republicans can't accept change because the cronies are established in the past, not the future.
The Democrats have always been the champion of the underserved, the fringes, the can do party. They not only accept change, they experience the pain of the people and seek change. They address problems. They don't allow people to linger in the vapors of politics.
Currently, if the trend is to BUY the offices in the House, Senate and White House there won't be sincere change for Immigration Reform ever. I hope the Hispanic population understands that. If there is no legislation on the floor and being passed by both houses of government at the federal level with a President willing to sign the legislation; there will never any immigration reform. How do I know that?
Jeb Bush is a supposed moderate: He later tweeted that the move was "an abuse of power."
If Jebby actually cared about immigration reform and wanted to anchor is elections in 2016, he should have stated, "None of this would be necessary if the US House would pass the Senate bill." Is that what he said. No, he is using much needed immigration reform as a campaign issue for 2016. Will he resolve the problem? No.
If Jebby wanted to resolve the problem and sincerely have immigration reform come to an end, he would abmonished the US House and he didn't and he won't.
The perpetual bouncing ball. An illusion of movement.
Why? Because people dying at the hand of the health care system was more important IN REFORM priorities than immigration. That's why.
The right wing has nothing to say about reaching back in time. Do Rebuglicans want immigration reform?
NO! NO! NO! NO! Kindly get that FACT to the American people and most of all to the Hispanic community. The Republicans DO NOT WANT IMMIGRATION REFORM.
"W" could get immigration reform done in the face of a Congress of majority for FOUR years starting with 2001 and ending with 2006. "W"'s party held the House and Senate for four years and nothing was done about ANY of the problems of the USA then either. No immigration reform, no health care reform, but, alas we were a country at war and had to make sacrifices.
If the USA is going to be at war because some lunatics are on the loose in the Middle East it will never get any of it's domestic problems solved.
With the Hispanic community receive immigration reform under Jeb Bush? Absolutely not.
November 21, 2014
...His Friday statement on Obama's executive action (click here) to protect nearly 5 million immigrants from deportation was nuanced, taking aim only at the tactic, not the ultimate effect.
"President Obama's ill-advised unilateral action on illegal immigration undermines all efforts to forge a permanent solution to this crisis. Action must come in the form of bipartisan comprehensive reform passed through Congress," (Jeb) Bush said.
He later tweeted that the move was "an abuse of power."
But both Presidents George H.W. Bush and his son used similar unilateral action to protect immigrants from the threat of deportation under similar circumstances.
In 2001 President George W. Bush extended protections to as many as 150,000 Salvadorans in the United States illegally. And the elder Bush implemented a "Family Fairness" policy to allow an estimated 1.5 million close family members of newly legalized immigrants under the sweeping 1986 immigration reform measureto avoid deportation while they applied for legal status....
Jeb Bush is seeking to run for the presidency, so lying is a good thing. Toe the line for FOX's allegiance.
Because immigration reform ITSELF will not determine elections. Immigration reform is a 'hot' topic to corral the Hispanic vote. Even Rubio turns away from it when his party comes down on it.
There is every indication elections don't matter, too. It has long been DECIDED health care was a real problem in the USA. Not made up for elections as the Republicans carry as their moniker, NOTHINGNESS "Vote for me."
There are sincere problems in the USA. The devastation of the 2007-08 global economic collapse destroyed lives. People lost everything. Was that ever important to Republicans? No. They screamed and yelled, the Restoration Act of 2009 was simply big government. Well. Yeah.
The Republicans can't accept change because the cronies are established in the past, not the future.
The Democrats have always been the champion of the underserved, the fringes, the can do party. They not only accept change, they experience the pain of the people and seek change. They address problems. They don't allow people to linger in the vapors of politics.
Currently, if the trend is to BUY the offices in the House, Senate and White House there won't be sincere change for Immigration Reform ever. I hope the Hispanic population understands that. If there is no legislation on the floor and being passed by both houses of government at the federal level with a President willing to sign the legislation; there will never any immigration reform. How do I know that?
Jeb Bush is a supposed moderate: He later tweeted that the move was "an abuse of power."
If Jebby actually cared about immigration reform and wanted to anchor is elections in 2016, he should have stated, "None of this would be necessary if the US House would pass the Senate bill." Is that what he said. No, he is using much needed immigration reform as a campaign issue for 2016. Will he resolve the problem? No.
If Jebby wanted to resolve the problem and sincerely have immigration reform come to an end, he would abmonished the US House and he didn't and he won't.
The perpetual bouncing ball. An illusion of movement.
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