military industrial complex

Special Forces axe their plan to infiltrate Utah after locals complain about exercise ‘imposing martial law’

"The U.S. Army chose a quiet community in central Utah as the training ground for Special Forces soldiers needing to develop Jason Bourne-like skills and to learn how to build a resistance movement by infiltrating the town leadership. With the deeply religious culture present in Manti, Utah and the desert landscape of the area, residents were deemed ideal candidates by the Defense Department to role play with soldiers in the 10th Special Forces as part of a two week training exercise in July on unconventional warfare tactics. Now that sequestration is in full effect, the Utah mission was called on Thursday to the relief of residents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSpecial Forces axe their plan to infiltrate Utah after locals complain about exercise ‘imposing martial law’

Combat stress felt far from front lines

"Sitting at computer banks lining the expansive room, the Air Force analysts watch the video feeds streaming from surveillance drones and other military assets monitoring U.S. forces around the globe. Photos, radar data, full-motion video and electronically gathered intelligence flows across multiple screens. In 15- to 20-minute shifts, the airmen watch and interpret the information. While they are thousands of miles from the gritty combat in Afghanistan, the analysts in the cavernous room at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia relive the explosions, the carnage and the vivid after-battle assessments of the bombings over and over again." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCombat stress felt far from front lines

US citing security to censor more public records

"The U.S. government, led by the Pentagon and CIA, censored or withheld for reasons of national security the files that the public requested last year under the Freedom of Information Act more often than at any time since President Barack Obama took office. Overall, the Obama administration last year answered its highest number of requests so far for copies of government documents, emails, photographs and more, and it slightly reduced its backlog of requests from previous years. But it more often cited legal provisions allowing the government to keep records or parts of its records secret, especially a rule intended to protect national security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS citing security to censor more public records

Democrats Demand Reinstatement of The Draft

"You’ve got to drop your aspirations and either pick up a gun for peace or engage in some meekly paid community service position for two years (should you survive them with your soul intact). You were always bothered by the fact that federal financial aid came with the stipulation that you sign up for Selective Service. Now you realize how contracts work. You might complain about your post in the new Civilian Service Corps: Is your pay inadequate? Is your assigned position benefitting a local elite rather than those truly in need? Tired of killing women and children? Suck it up, soldier, er, 'public servant' – your wages are paid in glory to the fatherland." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDemocrats Demand Reinstatement of The Draft

How Americans were swindled by the hidden cost of the Iraq war

"When the US invaded Iraq in March 2003, the Bush administration estimated that it would cost $50-60bn to overthrow Saddam Hussein and establish a functioning government. This estimate was catastrophically wrong: the war in Iraq has cost $823.2bn between 2003 and 2011. Some estimates suggesting that it may eventually cost as much as $3.7tn when factoring in the long-term costs of caring for the wounded and the families of those killed. The most striking fact about the cost of the war in Iraq has been the extent to which it has been kept 'off the books' of the government’s ledgers and hidden from the American people. This was done by design." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Americans were swindled by the hidden cost of the Iraq war

Why Rand Paul Is in Position to Become DC’s Most Powerful Pol

"While Paul received some criticism from both sides of the aisle, the Democratic criticism was muted by the obviousness of Paul's position and the inadequate response from the Obama administration. Now, House Democrats have done what modern US politics dictates they must do: They have sent a letter to Obama asking him to clarify his position on drone strikes. Paul easily seized leadership on this issue because it is one that appeals to both right and left. There are libertarian sensibilities on both sides of the aisle, and it was this coalition that Ronald Reagan capitalized on when he built his successful political run for the presidency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy Rand Paul Is in Position to Become DC’s Most Powerful Pol

Pentagon to review controversial drone warfare medal

"The US military said Tuesday it halted production of a new medal for drone and cyber warfare, ordering a review after critics called the award an insult to combat veterans. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who received two Purple Hearts and other decorations as a soldier in the Vietnam War, made the decision to put a hold on the new Distinguished Warfare Medal after hearing complaints from veterans, his spokesman George Little told a news conference. Hagel asked the military’s top officer, General Martin Dempsey, to lead the review of the medal and to look at the ranking of the award compared to other military medals, he said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon to review controversial drone warfare medal

These Vehicles Are Tons of Fun, and Good for Thwarting Road Rage

"Weapons buffs may stock semiautomatics in the gun safe. But nothing makes a statement like having an Army tank in the garage. Scattered around the country are members of a small fraternity of guys who own tanks. They are hyper-avid history buffs or hyper-edgy investors or just wealthy men who can now afford hyper-sized versions of the toys they played with when they were boys. Tank brokers—yes, there is such a thing—estimate there are several hundred to 1,000 private tank owners in the U.S." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThese Vehicles Are Tons of Fun, and Good for Thwarting Road Rage

Officer Safety Uber Alles: Christopher Dorner and the “Rickoverian Paradox”

"A citizen or privately employed security guard wouldn’t be able to ram an unidentified truck and open fire on its driver, or spray gunfire in a residential neighborhood, without facing criminal charges. In the official reaction to Dorner’s rampage, we see an unusually candid manifestation of the 'Officer Safety Uber Alles' mentality that defines police work. From their perspective, the population exists to protect and serve the police, rather than the reverse. This brings to mind the concept of Rickover’s Paradox, which I encountered in a science fiction novel decades ago." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOfficer Safety Uber Alles: Christopher Dorner and the “Rickoverian Paradox”

Forbes: 1.6 Billion Rounds Of Ammo For Homeland Security? It’s Time For A National Conversation

"Homeland Security has issued an open purchase order for 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition. As reported elsewhere, some of this purchase order is for hollow-point rounds, forbidden by international law for use in war, along with a frightening amount specialized for snipers. At the height of the Iraq War the Army was expending less than 6 million rounds a month. Therefore 1.6 billion rounds would be enough to sustain a hot war for 20+ years. In America. Add to this perplexing outré purchase of ammo, DHS now is showing off its acquisition of heavily armored personnel carriers, repatriated from the Iraqi and Afghani theaters of operation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingForbes: 1.6 Billion Rounds Of Ammo For Homeland Security? It’s Time For A National Conversation