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unhappycamper
unhappycamper's Journal
unhappycamper's Journal
October 31, 2013
Translator at drone strike hearing moved nearly to tears by survivor testimony
By David Ferguson
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 13:50 EDT
A translator at a Capitol Hill hearing on the U.S. drone program was moved nearly to tears Tuesday during the testimony of Pakistani primary school teacher Rafiq Rehman. Rehman and his family — whose story was revealed to the world by Amnesty International — traveled to Washington from Pakistan’s northern Waziristan region. The teacher’s mother was killed in a U.S. drone strike and his two children were injured.
The family’s congressional appearance was held in the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill and was sponsored in by the Brave New Foundation, a global nonprofit social justice foundation. Brave New Films has just released the documentary film “Unmanned: America’s Drone War,” which details the Rehman family’s losses.
~snip~
“How do I explain what I myself do not understand?” he continued. “How can I in good faith reassure the children that the drone will not come back and kill them, too? If I do not understand why it killed my mother and injured my children…”
~snip~
“My mother is not the first innocent victim of U.S. drones,” relayed the translator, “Numerous families in our community and in the surrounding area have lost loved ones — including women and children — in these strikes over the years.”
Translator at drone strike hearing moved nearly to tears by survivor testimony
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/30/translator-at-drone-strike-hearing-moved-nearly-to-tears-by-survivor-testimony/Translator at drone strike hearing moved nearly to tears by survivor testimony
By David Ferguson
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 13:50 EDT
A translator at a Capitol Hill hearing on the U.S. drone program was moved nearly to tears Tuesday during the testimony of Pakistani primary school teacher Rafiq Rehman. Rehman and his family — whose story was revealed to the world by Amnesty International — traveled to Washington from Pakistan’s northern Waziristan region. The teacher’s mother was killed in a U.S. drone strike and his two children were injured.
The family’s congressional appearance was held in the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill and was sponsored in by the Brave New Foundation, a global nonprofit social justice foundation. Brave New Films has just released the documentary film “Unmanned: America’s Drone War,” which details the Rehman family’s losses.
~snip~
“How do I explain what I myself do not understand?” he continued. “How can I in good faith reassure the children that the drone will not come back and kill them, too? If I do not understand why it killed my mother and injured my children…”
~snip~
“My mother is not the first innocent victim of U.S. drones,” relayed the translator, “Numerous families in our community and in the surrounding area have lost loved ones — including women and children — in these strikes over the years.”
October 31, 2013
Seattle left off first list of design centers for new Boeing aircraft
By Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 20:04 EDT
Boeing said Wednesday it would design its new 777X aircraft at five US sites and in Moscow
but had made no decision about using its key Washington state facilities.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes recently established multiple engineering design centers as part of a long-term strategic vision, Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said in an email to AFP.
“BCA will utilize these engineering design centers, as well as engineers from non-BCA sites, to design the 777X,” he said.
“At this time, no decisions have been made about 777X design or build in Puget Sound,” the spokesman said, referring to the Seattle area, where Boeing has a large engineering presence. The 777 is built at its factory in Everett, Washington.
Seattle left off first list of design centers for new Boeing aircraft
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/30/seattle-left-off-first-list-of-design-centers-for-new-boeing-aircraft/Seattle left off first list of design centers for new Boeing aircraft
By Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 20:04 EDT
Boeing said Wednesday it would design its new 777X aircraft at five US sites and in Moscow
but had made no decision about using its key Washington state facilities.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes recently established multiple engineering design centers as part of a long-term strategic vision, Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said in an email to AFP.
“BCA will utilize these engineering design centers, as well as engineers from non-BCA sites, to design the 777X,” he said.
“At this time, no decisions have been made about 777X design or build in Puget Sound,” the spokesman said, referring to the Seattle area, where Boeing has a large engineering presence. The 777 is built at its factory in Everett, Washington.
October 31, 2013
Glenn Greenwald rips apart the ‘most radical and criminal conduct’ of Dick Cheney
By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 9:20 EDT
Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald blasted Dick Cheney on Tuesday night, after the former vice president described Edward Snowden as a “traitor” for leaking NSA secrets.
“Remember, Dick Cheney is a politician who engaged in some of the worst, most radical and criminal conduct in the last century in the United States and did it all in secret — from lying about the war in Iraq to torturing people, to putting people in cages with no lawyers, to eavesdropping on the American people without the warrants required by law,” he told CNN host Anderson Cooper. “So of course political people like Dick Cheney, people in political power always want to do what they do behind a wall of secrecy because that’s how they abuse power.”
“And they always consider those who bring transparency to what they do to be evil, treasonous people,” he continued. “Edward Snowden is considered a hero to people around the world and the United States and received a whistle blowing award because he did what people have conscience do, which is tell that world about things that they should know.”
“That the world’s most powerful people are trying to keep concealed,” Greenwald said. “It’s created a worldwide debate over internet freedom and the value of privacy and dangers of surveillance. It’s created movements for reform and all kinds of legislators around the world including in the United States and the world is much better off that the Dick Cheneys of the world aren’t able to abuse their power in secret.”
Glenn Greenwald rips apart the ‘most radical and criminal conduct’ of Dick Cheney
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/10/30/glenn-greenwald-rips-apart-the-most-radical-and-criminal-conduct-of-dick-cheney/Glenn Greenwald rips apart the ‘most radical and criminal conduct’ of Dick Cheney
By Eric W. Dolan
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 9:20 EDT
Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald blasted Dick Cheney on Tuesday night, after the former vice president described Edward Snowden as a “traitor” for leaking NSA secrets.
“Remember, Dick Cheney is a politician who engaged in some of the worst, most radical and criminal conduct in the last century in the United States and did it all in secret — from lying about the war in Iraq to torturing people, to putting people in cages with no lawyers, to eavesdropping on the American people without the warrants required by law,” he told CNN host Anderson Cooper. “So of course political people like Dick Cheney, people in political power always want to do what they do behind a wall of secrecy because that’s how they abuse power.”
“And they always consider those who bring transparency to what they do to be evil, treasonous people,” he continued. “Edward Snowden is considered a hero to people around the world and the United States and received a whistle blowing award because he did what people have conscience do, which is tell that world about things that they should know.”
“That the world’s most powerful people are trying to keep concealed,” Greenwald said. “It’s created a worldwide debate over internet freedom and the value of privacy and dangers of surveillance. It’s created movements for reform and all kinds of legislators around the world including in the United States and the world is much better off that the Dick Cheneys of the world aren’t able to abuse their power in secret.”
October 30, 2013
Violence is on the rise in Kashmir. Indian and Pakistani units are clashing in border skirmishes, and government soldiers are ruthlessly suppressing separatists. The real victims are the civilians caught in the middle.
Himalayan Hotbed: Tensions Spike in Divided Kashmir
By Wieland Wagner
October 29, 2013 – 04:53 PM
The mourning father points to a short video flickering across the screen of his mobile phone. It shows his son Irfan in front of a computer, swaying enthusiastically to the beat of the music he has mixed for a school party. The 17-year-old was shot to death a day later, right in front of his parents' house, during an operation by Indian soldiers.
Irfan's father is too despondent to talk about what happened on that night in late June in Sumbal. The district is northwest of Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India's only state with a majority Muslim population.
A cousin says that Irfan had run out of the house at about 3 a.m., suspecting that there were cattle thieves outside. That was where he was shot, says the cousin.
"The soldiers wanted to take along his body," says the cousin. He suspects that the military patrol planned to photograph Irfan with a gun in his hand -- as proof that he was a military separatist in the service of hostile Pakistan or a rebel with one of the Islamist groups fighting against Indian control over Kashmir.
Himalayan Hotbed: Tensions Spike in Divided Kashmir
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/tensions-spike-in-kashmir-between-indians-pakistanis-and-separatists-a-930594.htmlViolence is on the rise in Kashmir. Indian and Pakistani units are clashing in border skirmishes, and government soldiers are ruthlessly suppressing separatists. The real victims are the civilians caught in the middle.
Himalayan Hotbed: Tensions Spike in Divided Kashmir
By Wieland Wagner
October 29, 2013 – 04:53 PM
The mourning father points to a short video flickering across the screen of his mobile phone. It shows his son Irfan in front of a computer, swaying enthusiastically to the beat of the music he has mixed for a school party. The 17-year-old was shot to death a day later, right in front of his parents' house, during an operation by Indian soldiers.
Irfan's father is too despondent to talk about what happened on that night in late June in Sumbal. The district is northwest of Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India's only state with a majority Muslim population.
A cousin says that Irfan had run out of the house at about 3 a.m., suspecting that there were cattle thieves outside. That was where he was shot, says the cousin.
"The soldiers wanted to take along his body," says the cousin. He suspects that the military patrol planned to photograph Irfan with a gun in his hand -- as proof that he was a military separatist in the service of hostile Pakistan or a rebel with one of the Islamist groups fighting against Indian control over Kashmir.
October 30, 2013
New details continue to emerge over alleged US spying in Germany. A parliamentary investigation could provide clarity - but it also has limitations. The issue constitutes the first stress test for a future coalition government.
NSA Scandal: Parliamentary Spying Inquiry Poses Challenges
By Veit Medick and Annett Meiritz
October 29, 2013 – 03:06 PM
The list is long: There have been 39 investigatory committees in the history of the German Federal Republic. Soon that number may rise to 40. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the far-left Left Party and the Greens have insisted on a parliamentary inquiry into the activities of US intelligence agencies in Germany. The conservatives are committed, at the very least, not to hinder such a probe. That leaves the door wide open for one.
All participants know that such an investigatory committee would be unprecedented in that it would be dealing with the fundamental problems of the digital age. It would be different from prior committees. And because there is a desire to send a multi-party signal of protest to Washington, it is hard to get around it.
On the other hand, the committee could quickly reach its investigatory limits. Because how useful is an investigation that would largely have to make do without witnesses or files from overseas? How should an honest evaluation work if the two biggest parties are forming a new government and therefore acting in unison? And what exactly should be investigated?
There are four problems standing in the investigation's way. The first is that it complicates ongoing talks to form a new government.
NSA Scandal: Parliamentary Spying Inquiry Poses Challenges
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/germany-faces-challenges-in-investigating-nsa-spying-a-930639.htmlNew details continue to emerge over alleged US spying in Germany. A parliamentary investigation could provide clarity - but it also has limitations. The issue constitutes the first stress test for a future coalition government.
NSA Scandal: Parliamentary Spying Inquiry Poses Challenges
By Veit Medick and Annett Meiritz
October 29, 2013 – 03:06 PM
The list is long: There have been 39 investigatory committees in the history of the German Federal Republic. Soon that number may rise to 40. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the far-left Left Party and the Greens have insisted on a parliamentary inquiry into the activities of US intelligence agencies in Germany. The conservatives are committed, at the very least, not to hinder such a probe. That leaves the door wide open for one.
All participants know that such an investigatory committee would be unprecedented in that it would be dealing with the fundamental problems of the digital age. It would be different from prior committees. And because there is a desire to send a multi-party signal of protest to Washington, it is hard to get around it.
On the other hand, the committee could quickly reach its investigatory limits. Because how useful is an investigation that would largely have to make do without witnesses or files from overseas? How should an honest evaluation work if the two biggest parties are forming a new government and therefore acting in unison? And what exactly should be investigated?
There are four problems standing in the investigation's way. The first is that it complicates ongoing talks to form a new government.
October 30, 2013
With members of his party calling for consequences in the NSA spying affair, a leading member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's sister party says he wants the EU to cancel its Safe Harbor data agreement with the US.
Spying Fallout: Conservative Calls for End of Data Pact
By Björn Hengst
October 29, 2013 – 05:29 PM
For US Internet giants like Facebook and Google, the so-called "Safe Harbor" pact between the EU and the US is extremely practical. The agreement allows US companies doing business in the EU to transfer personal data like the birthplace, telephone numbers and email addresses of EU citizens to the US. More than 3,000 US firms joined the program, including, among others, Facebook, Google and Microsoft.
The 1998 agreement has come under criticism time and again because of the lax data privacy laws in the US. Although the Safe Harbor agreement provides for a level of protection for the transferred data according to EU standards, data protection advocates often voiced doubts about how seriously it was being implemented.
The concerns grew in Brussels by the time former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the secret monitoring program of the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US, and it became known that companies like Facebook and Google had provided data to the NSA. EU Justice Minister Viviane Reding has called the Safe Harbor agreement a "loophole," rather than a "protection of our citizens." For years, audits have revealed serious breaches of the Safe Harbor rules by US companies.
So far, the German government has not pushed at the EU level for the agreement to be renegotiated or cancelled. But that is now changing. Manfred Weber, a member of the European Parliament from Chancellor Angela Merkel's sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), is now calling for a radical restructuring of the relationship between the EU and the US as it relates to data.
Spying Fallout: Conservative Calls for End of Data Pact
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/german-politician-wants-to-end-safe-harbor-agreement-with-us-a-930703.htmlWith members of his party calling for consequences in the NSA spying affair, a leading member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's sister party says he wants the EU to cancel its Safe Harbor data agreement with the US.
Spying Fallout: Conservative Calls for End of Data Pact
By Björn Hengst
October 29, 2013 – 05:29 PM
For US Internet giants like Facebook and Google, the so-called "Safe Harbor" pact between the EU and the US is extremely practical. The agreement allows US companies doing business in the EU to transfer personal data like the birthplace, telephone numbers and email addresses of EU citizens to the US. More than 3,000 US firms joined the program, including, among others, Facebook, Google and Microsoft.
The 1998 agreement has come under criticism time and again because of the lax data privacy laws in the US. Although the Safe Harbor agreement provides for a level of protection for the transferred data according to EU standards, data protection advocates often voiced doubts about how seriously it was being implemented.
The concerns grew in Brussels by the time former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the secret monitoring program of the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US, and it became known that companies like Facebook and Google had provided data to the NSA. EU Justice Minister Viviane Reding has called the Safe Harbor agreement a "loophole," rather than a "protection of our citizens." For years, audits have revealed serious breaches of the Safe Harbor rules by US companies.
So far, the German government has not pushed at the EU level for the agreement to be renegotiated or cancelled. But that is now changing. Manfred Weber, a member of the European Parliament from Chancellor Angela Merkel's sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), is now calling for a radical restructuring of the relationship between the EU and the US as it relates to data.
October 30, 2013
Rep. Randy Forbes can play the partisan as well as any of his GOP colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee, but he also makes a habit of reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats on select issues. As chairman of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee, Forbes has pressed colleagues on both sides of the aisle for much of this year to hold more hearings on the Pentagon’s Pacific pivot (or whatever term we’re using this month). In this op-ed, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a respected Democrat from Hawaii with a strong parochial and strategic interest in the topic, joins Forbes to press the call for more congressional focus on one of the fundamental strategic issues with which our country is grappling. The Editor.
Time For Congress To Rebalance On Asia-Pacific: Reps. Forbes & Hanabusa
By Rep. J. Randy Forbes and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa on October 29, 2013 at 1:35 PM
We are pleased to announce the launch of a bipartisan House Armed Services Committee (HASC) oversight effort we are calling the HASC Asia-Pacific Oversight Series. For the last 12 years, the United States has worked alongside its allies and partners to sustain large-scale ground operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the war against Al Qaeda and its associated forces.
While the committee will continue to conduct strong oversight of our nation’s efforts to degrade and destroy these terrorist networks, we believe the time has come for Congress to play a leading role in shifting our attention towards the long-range trends that stand to affect our security interests. Primary among these are the shifting security dynamics that have been occurring across the Asia-Pacific region. More specifically, we feel the rise of Chinese military modernization, and the geostrategic impact this trend stands to have on our friends, allies and trading partners throughout the region, calls for a thorough oversight effort by the House Armed Services Committee.
The Obama Administration acknowledged the need for our government to pay closer attention to the Asia-Pacific two years ago with its stated policy to begin to shift the nation’s attention to the region. However, we feel the Congress has been slow to conduct a ‘rebalance’ of its own. This series aims to stimulate such a process, not only because the Obama Administration has not fully supported its rhetoric with resources, but because we know this policy will only be successful with strong congressional input and support.
At its core, this series will seek to enhance an understanding of Asia-Pacific security issues for both members of Congress and the general public. To be successful, we will rely on government witnesses and some of the best independent thinkers across the country to increase our understanding of the military, economic, and political trends affecting the long-term security outlook in the region.
unhappycamper comment: It will be interesting to see where these folks are going to get the bucks for our 'Asia pivot'. The services are crying poor mouth:
http://www.armytimes.com/article/20131030/NEWS05/310300001/Vice-chief-Sequester-cuts-would-impact-missions
http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131029/NEWS04/310290008/Air-Force-searches-Band-Aids-keep-aging-planes-airworthy
(af) http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131029/NEWS02/310290004/Commission-weighs-merger-between-Guard-Reserve
http://www.stripes.com/news/army/top-army-officer-says-cuts-would-impact-missions-1.249916
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/10/30/army-looks-beyond-armor-to-upgrade-vehicle-fleet.html?comp=1198882887570&rank=1
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2013/10/29/marines-move-to-guam-in-question/
That's what a five percent budget cut looks like.
Time For Congress To Rebalance On Asia-Pacific: Reps. Forbes & Hanabusa
http://breakingdefense.com/2013/10/time-for-congress-to-rebalance-on-asia-pacific-reps-forbes-hanabusa/Rep. Randy Forbes can play the partisan as well as any of his GOP colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee, but he also makes a habit of reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats on select issues. As chairman of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee, Forbes has pressed colleagues on both sides of the aisle for much of this year to hold more hearings on the Pentagon’s Pacific pivot (or whatever term we’re using this month). In this op-ed, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a respected Democrat from Hawaii with a strong parochial and strategic interest in the topic, joins Forbes to press the call for more congressional focus on one of the fundamental strategic issues with which our country is grappling. The Editor.
Time For Congress To Rebalance On Asia-Pacific: Reps. Forbes & Hanabusa
By Rep. J. Randy Forbes and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa on October 29, 2013 at 1:35 PM
We are pleased to announce the launch of a bipartisan House Armed Services Committee (HASC) oversight effort we are calling the HASC Asia-Pacific Oversight Series. For the last 12 years, the United States has worked alongside its allies and partners to sustain large-scale ground operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the war against Al Qaeda and its associated forces.
While the committee will continue to conduct strong oversight of our nation’s efforts to degrade and destroy these terrorist networks, we believe the time has come for Congress to play a leading role in shifting our attention towards the long-range trends that stand to affect our security interests. Primary among these are the shifting security dynamics that have been occurring across the Asia-Pacific region. More specifically, we feel the rise of Chinese military modernization, and the geostrategic impact this trend stands to have on our friends, allies and trading partners throughout the region, calls for a thorough oversight effort by the House Armed Services Committee.
The Obama Administration acknowledged the need for our government to pay closer attention to the Asia-Pacific two years ago with its stated policy to begin to shift the nation’s attention to the region. However, we feel the Congress has been slow to conduct a ‘rebalance’ of its own. This series aims to stimulate such a process, not only because the Obama Administration has not fully supported its rhetoric with resources, but because we know this policy will only be successful with strong congressional input and support.
At its core, this series will seek to enhance an understanding of Asia-Pacific security issues for both members of Congress and the general public. To be successful, we will rely on government witnesses and some of the best independent thinkers across the country to increase our understanding of the military, economic, and political trends affecting the long-term security outlook in the region.
unhappycamper comment: It will be interesting to see where these folks are going to get the bucks for our 'Asia pivot'. The services are crying poor mouth:
http://www.armytimes.com/article/20131030/NEWS05/310300001/Vice-chief-Sequester-cuts-would-impact-missions
http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131029/NEWS04/310290008/Air-Force-searches-Band-Aids-keep-aging-planes-airworthy
(af) http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20131029/NEWS02/310290004/Commission-weighs-merger-between-Guard-Reserve
http://www.stripes.com/news/army/top-army-officer-says-cuts-would-impact-missions-1.249916
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/10/30/army-looks-beyond-armor-to-upgrade-vehicle-fleet.html?comp=1198882887570&rank=1
http://www.dodbuzz.com/2013/10/29/marines-move-to-guam-in-question/
That's what a five percent budget cut looks like.
October 30, 2013
The $100+ million dollar Osprey
Marines Brush Off DoD IG Criticisms Of V-22 Readiness Reporting
By Colin Clark on October 29, 2013 at 9:45 AM
THE PENTAGON: The Marines say the V-22 tilt rotor aircraft has deployed and flown “with properly trained and equipped combat ready Marines and mission capable aircraft” over the last six years.
That statement stands in stark contrast to the findings of a classified Pentagon Inspector General’s report released late Friday afternoon. In an unclassified summary, the IG said:
“From FY 2009 through FY 2011, MV-22 squadron commanders computed the Naval Aviation Maintenance Program MCR for five of the six squadrons using erroneous aircraft inventory reports and work orders. Squadron maintenance personnel:
“improperly recorded MV-22 aircraft status information 167 of 200 times on aircraft inventory reports for out-of-reporting periods; and
Marines Brush Off DoD IG Criticisms Of V-22 Readiness Reporting
http://breakingdefense.com/2013/10/marines-brush-off-dod-ig-criticisms-of-v-22-readiness-reporting/The $100+ million dollar Osprey
Marines Brush Off DoD IG Criticisms Of V-22 Readiness Reporting
By Colin Clark on October 29, 2013 at 9:45 AM
THE PENTAGON: The Marines say the V-22 tilt rotor aircraft has deployed and flown “with properly trained and equipped combat ready Marines and mission capable aircraft” over the last six years.
That statement stands in stark contrast to the findings of a classified Pentagon Inspector General’s report released late Friday afternoon. In an unclassified summary, the IG said:
“From FY 2009 through FY 2011, MV-22 squadron commanders computed the Naval Aviation Maintenance Program MCR for five of the six squadrons using erroneous aircraft inventory reports and work orders. Squadron maintenance personnel:
“improperly recorded MV-22 aircraft status information 167 of 200 times on aircraft inventory reports for out-of-reporting periods; and
October 30, 2013
As budget negotiations restart, Obama, GOP still pushing austerity
Warren, Sanders Ready to Face Down Obama over Social Security, Medicare Cuts
Jacob Chamberlain, staff writer
Published on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 by Common Dreams
Though the 'deficit scold dream' of a so-called 'Grand Bargain' may be diminished on Capitol Hill, a mini-version—circulating among some as the 'Small Deal' version of a 2014 austerity budget—is still on the table as congressional budget negotiations are set to resume Wednesday.
With austerity proposals again taking the lead in the latest budget battle, however, at least two progressive senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are ready to fight such a deal.
"Instead of talking about cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, we must end the absurdity of corporations not paying a nickel in federal income taxes," Senator Sanders, who is on the Senate and House budget conference committee, wrote in an op-ed in the LA Times Monday.
Pushing for progressive tax reform as opposed to further cuts to key social programs and earned benefits, Sanders added, "We cannot impose more austerity on people who are already suffering. When 95% of all new income between 2009 and 2012 went to the top 1%, and while tens of millions of working Americans saw a decline in their income, we cannot cut programs that working families depend on."
Warren, Sanders Ready to Face Down Obama over Social Security, Medicare Cuts
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/10/29-5As budget negotiations restart, Obama, GOP still pushing austerity
Warren, Sanders Ready to Face Down Obama over Social Security, Medicare Cuts
Jacob Chamberlain, staff writer
Published on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 by Common Dreams
Though the 'deficit scold dream' of a so-called 'Grand Bargain' may be diminished on Capitol Hill, a mini-version—circulating among some as the 'Small Deal' version of a 2014 austerity budget—is still on the table as congressional budget negotiations are set to resume Wednesday.
With austerity proposals again taking the lead in the latest budget battle, however, at least two progressive senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are ready to fight such a deal.
"Instead of talking about cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, we must end the absurdity of corporations not paying a nickel in federal income taxes," Senator Sanders, who is on the Senate and House budget conference committee, wrote in an op-ed in the LA Times Monday.
Pushing for progressive tax reform as opposed to further cuts to key social programs and earned benefits, Sanders added, "We cannot impose more austerity on people who are already suffering. When 95% of all new income between 2009 and 2012 went to the top 1%, and while tens of millions of working Americans saw a decline in their income, we cannot cut programs that working families depend on."
October 30, 2013
For Iraqis, Paul Bremer became camel's urine, dragging the country back to a state of lawlessness and paving the way for the masking of the Iraqi political class.
The Ambassador’s Record Stripped Bare
Al-Khaleej, UAE
By Farah Al-Mush'al
Translated By Joseph McBirnie
21 October 2013
Edited by Robert O’Connor
Iraqis remember the image of Paul Bremer resembling a pane of glass, without shame or the slightest bit of warmth or conscience.
For Iraqis, Paul Bremer became camel's urine, dragging the country back to a state of lawlessness and paving the way for the masking of the Iraqi political class!
~snip~
Paul Bremer then continued his advice and remarks to the ambassador to help him learn to deal with “those people,” concluding:
(Paul Bremer) The Ambassador’s Record Stripped Bare
http://watchingamerica.com/News/224287/the-ambassadors-record-stripped-bare/For Iraqis, Paul Bremer became camel's urine, dragging the country back to a state of lawlessness and paving the way for the masking of the Iraqi political class.
The Ambassador’s Record Stripped Bare
Al-Khaleej, UAE
By Farah Al-Mush'al
Translated By Joseph McBirnie
21 October 2013
Edited by Robert O’Connor
Iraqis remember the image of Paul Bremer resembling a pane of glass, without shame or the slightest bit of warmth or conscience.
For Iraqis, Paul Bremer became camel's urine, dragging the country back to a state of lawlessness and paving the way for the masking of the Iraqi political class!
~snip~
Paul Bremer then continued his advice and remarks to the ambassador to help him learn to deal with “those people,” concluding:
“You will find them proficient in cruel and empty speech, rendering the listener confused. They speak this way with every nationality and culture and are unable to be direct even among their closest companions. With their empty intellects and political ineptitude, you will not find any among them who has a clear or acceptable solution to the problem; they continually place their partisanship and temperament ahead of all considerations of the national good. Knowing full well that they are isolated and receive no consideration from their own people because their citizens who took power during the interim transitional government have demonstrated that they are little more than expendable material.”*
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