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Welcome to the Dawn Patrol, our daily roundup of information on the War on Terror and other topics - from the MilBlogs and various sources around the world. If you're a blogger, you can join the conversation. If you link to any of these stories, add a link to the Dawn Patrol too and your trackback will be added to the list. Hat Tips to the Dawn Patrol are greatly appreciated.Refresh for updates.
Decision on Afghan Troops May Wait -- [NY Times]
The White House signaled Sunday that President Obama would postpone any decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan until the disputed election there had been settled and resulted in a government that could work with the United States.
White House Seeks to Explain its Hesitations on Afghanistan -- [The Times]
The White House has issued its strongest warning yet that President Karzai cannot count on continued US support if he fails to accept that Afghanistan's fraudulent election has critically undermined his authority. President Obama was said yesterday to be more concerned at "whether there's an Afghan partner" worth defending than with the politically fraught question of how many more troops to send, according to Rahm Emanuel, Mr Obama's chief of staff and a central figure in White House deliberations on Afghanistan. His rare public remarks were echoed by comments from Senator John Kerry, who has flown to Kabul to join efforts to persuade Mr Karzai to either accept a second round of voting or enter a power-sharing deal with his opponent, Dr Abdullah Abdullah. The Karzai campaign has said it will not negotiate unless the incumbent is declared the outright winner of the August election.
The Ten-Percent Solution -- [Quatto Zone - in Afghanistan]
If generals rise and fall by how they handle the "irrational tenth" of tactics, then the strategic test of statesmen is surely their capacity to stumble to success amidst even greater uncertainty. And, with respect to Afghanistan, greater uncertainty is all we have at the moment, despite a strategic pause that has allowed American and European bloviators to take their best shots at the issue for more than a month. Vast chunks of media real estate have been devoted to Af-Pak policy, but ...
Get Nasty or Go Home -- [Foreign Policy]
The go-light strategy in Afghanistan is a joke. If Obama's serious about victory, it's time to start making unpleasant choices.
An Intermediate Option -- [Washington Times]
Many ideas for "intermediate options" for Afghanistan are gaining momentum in the Washington debate. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's request for tens of thousands of additional NATO (meaning US) troops stands at one extreme, and a return to the minimalist counterterrorism strategy associated with former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld stands at the other. Those uncomfortable with both are proposing alternatives. The motivations for such intermediate options are understandable. But in fact, most of the ideas are already inherent in the new concepts that Gen. McChrystal, supported by US Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry, have brought to the mission since their arrival in the spring. They are not alternatives to current strategy; they are elements of it. One intermediate option is...
Diplomats Urge Karzai to Accept Election Results -- [Voice of America]
Global pressure continues to mount Sunday on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to accept a possible runoff in Afghanistan's disputed election. Senior foreign officials have urged Mr. Karzai to accept the findings of a fraud investigation by a UN-backed panel that could decide whether the nation's disputed election goes to a runoff. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, US Senator John Kerry and former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met with Mr. Karzai in Kabul Saturday ahead of the long-delayed announcement by the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). Senator Kerry said, in an interview with CNN, it would be irresponsible for the United States to send more troops to Afghanistan when the outcome of the Afghan election is not clear.
Tour of ANA land and elections runoff update -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
...Election runoff update: According to today's local paper, the number of votes cast for President Karzai has slipped to 47%. Because the presidential share of vote has come under the constitutionally mandated 50%, a runoff election will occur. Note: This outcome was based on analyzing about 10 percent of the cast ballots. I've read about unofficial reports alleging 30 percent of the votes cast for Karzai were fraudulent. In fact, I recently learned about a tactic employed by Karzai supporters that was not mentioned by the media. Karzai supporters took advantage of illiterate people. These voters intended to cast a vote for rival challenger Abdullah Abdullah. However, they were informed they would have to travel to the city of Kabul to fill out other paperwork. Furthermore, that this voting station was only for Karzai voters. Since Afghans really value the right to vote, citizens voted for Karzai because they didn't have the money to visit the city. But the truth is all of the candidates and pictures of them are on the presidential ballot. In addition...
The Runoff -- [The Canada-Afghanistan Blog]
It looks like Afghanistan is heading for a runoff election between Karzai and Abdullah. This is a good thing, I think. A runoff will mean we have to wait longer to know who the President will be, it will be expensive, it will take up a lot of ISAF and ASF capacity, and it is not guaranteed to be any freer of fraud. I'm on the side of those who argue that the Afghan government must have a legitimate mandate from the people of the country in order to rule effectively--and in order to make it absolutely clear that this is a struggle between democracy and theocracy, and not simply a battle of warlords as the cynics see it.
Start and Stop -- [OPFOR - Lt Col P - in Afghanistan]
We have here a conundrum: sorting out the clear and fair winner of an election, according to the law, is of course the proper thing to do. However, we also need to recognize the practical consequences and understand what is probably going to happen in the interim. In my view, the runoff is going to put the brakes temporarily on strategic progress. The loss of time and momentum will, we hope, be worth the tradeoff if the process and the result is seen as putting a lid on an open question. In another country, the stability of institutions would be enough to carry the people through the period of uncertainty; here, it don't work that way. Not yet. Also...
Introduction to ANA colonel -- [Afghanistan My Last Tour - in Afghanistan]
This morning after our daily ETT meeting, we met with our interpreters and walked about ½ mile to ANA land. The plan was to meet the ANA colonel and then be introduced to his staff of officers. Before we had a chance to meet and greet, the colonel whisked away our team leader to attend a Brigade staff meeting. The rest of the ETT team...
On Mentoring -- [Doc H's International Adventure - in Afghanistan]
Todays discussion is on and about mentoring.
You can make recommendations or suggestions, but these work best if you bring them into a conversation and ultimately make them seem like your mentees idea. You have to allow them to come up with their own ideas and occasionally, although not catastrophically fail. That is the biggest hurdle I have seen here. It is difficult for us as Americans to allow anything to fail at any level. There are many 'mentors' here who simply will not allow their mentees to fail at all. I still remember in training at Ft Riley they stressed time and again that even a mediocre Afghan plan is still better than the best American plan.
Pay to Play -- [Free Range International - in Afghanistan]
As the cool weather finally moves into Afghanistan I have to tell you that from my perspective not much is happening. I am not talking about security incidents - they almost doubled last week from a near all time high the week before. There is lots of villianary going on - the weather is perfect for it - but nothing seems to be really changing. One gets the impression that the players from all sides want to maintain the current status quo because all the sides are benefiting.
Hero -- [Afghan Quest - in Afghanistan]
Recently, an email came in from an officer who quoted an ANP chief in a district in which I did some work as a mentor. The ANP chief said that he was looking forward to winter so that the leaves on the trees could no longer the Taliban and he could kill them all. Fair's fair, after all. They've repeatedly tried to kill him.
The Case for Humility in Afghanistan -- [Foreign Policy/ Af-Pak Channel]
A Taliban victory would have devastating consequences for U.S. interests. But to avoid disaster, America must beware the Soviet Union's mistakes -- and learn from its own three decades of failure in South Asia.
The Pull of The Taliban -- [Bouhammer]
I've been one of the select few who have stood in the rubble at Ground Zero amid the aftermath of 9/11 and stood and fought in Taliban controlled territory in southeastern Afghanistan. Having been in these positions I've been able to deeply reflect on these situations. Shortly after 9/11, our country had the support from most of the world as we went into Afghanistan and did what we had to do. Upon doing so we made a lot of promises to the Afghan people, however as you all know, our country's military focus soon shifted to Iraq. The Afghan people are the most patient group of people I have ever met.
Road project connecting villages in Nuristan Province -- [ISAF]
19 Oct. - NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team attended the ground breaking ceremony of a fourteen mile (24 km) road connecting the villages of Gondalabuk and Doab in the Nurgram district,...
Hash -- [Embedded in Afghanistan...- in Afghanistan]
Drug cultivation was not something we really dealt with in Kunar. When it comes to illegal trade funding illegal activity, Kunar is more known for the timber trade...you might say the situation with the opium in the south is analogous to the timber in the northeast mountainous provinces. Undoubtedly, some opium is cultivated in the mountainous regions, but it wasn't something we really saw or dealt with.
What we did deal with regularly was hashish smoking among the ANA.
"Life in Pain" - A story from the medical front line in Afghanistan -- [A World of Troubles - in Afghanistan]
"Attention on the FOB, Attention on the FOB, Shamrock Red, Shamrock Red," a voice calls over the loudspeakers on Forward Operating Base Salerno. "Shamrock Red" means one patient is inbound for the hospital any minute now. It commands medical personnel to return to their stations immediately. The trauma bay is a broad corridor lined with medical supply lockers, computers and X-Ray equipment. Four examination tables are lined up diagonally in the corridor, each one with different color markings on the floor, corresponding to the call signs.
Morality ends.... -- [There's sand in my... - in Afghanistan]
When does morality end and reality start? That was a big discussion between some of the newbies and us. I am of the firm stance that the "detainees" are pieces of you know what and they should be treated that way. Of course that got the attention of a lot of the people around me and I was immediately blasted by them stating that deep down inside they are people also. Obviously they have not seen the carnage that we have been exposed to thus far caused directly by the "detainees who are people deep down inside", we'll see how their attitude is about halfway through their deployment. I've been in many cases where a coalition fighter has passed due to the piece of crap that is sitting in the trauma bay awaiting treatment. Don't get me wrong, I will do everything humanely possible to save a life and have done so, no matter who's it is,...
A great meal... -- [3rd Time, New Country - in Afghanistan]
Another week in Kabul has been completed. It has been a typical week, but only out on the road once since I last posted and that was too NDS. We did roll through where the last SVBIED tried to take out the Indian Embassy. It never ceases to amaze me as to the amount of destruction explosives packed into an SUV can do. . .
One of the big accomplishments this week was...
Questions About Al Qaeda's Next Move -- [Los Angeles Times]
The plot for the Sept. 11 attacks was set in motion in late 1999 from a cluster of Al Qaeda training camps near Kandahar. In those dusty Afghan compounds, Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants signed off on the plan, set up a special training program, and selected lead members of the hijack team. Ten years later, could Al Qaeda return to Afghanistan and use it again as a launching pad for terrorist strikes? The question has taken on heightened urgency as the Obama administration searches for a new war strategy, and Pakistan carries out its first major military offensive in the tribal region that Al Qaeda has called home since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The issue is also a source of surprising disagreement within the counter-terrorism community. Some are skeptical that Al Qaeda would return to Afghanistan, even in the event of a substantial US military drawdown. Doing so would mean...
Pakistan Troops Battle Militants in South Waziristan -- [Voice of America]
Pakistani forces exchanged heavy fire on Sunday with militants defending their heartland in the mountains of the South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Pakistani troops, backed by fighter jets, continue to advance into the main sanctuary of militants, on the second day of a full-scale ground offensive against Taliban and al-Qaida insurgents. Officials say 60 militants and five Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the first 24 hours of the operation.
Pakistan Claims Gain In Offensive On Taliban -- [Wall Street Journal]
Pakistan soldiers moved to try to encircle Taliban and al Qaeda militants in the South Waziristan mountains near the Afghan border, in a high-stakes offensive aimed at crushing the insurgency in its toughest stronghold. Military reports Sunday indicated soldiers, whose offensive began before dawn Saturday, were making advances amid stout resistance. Some 30,000 Pakistani soldiers were moving into the area from three directions to face as many as 10,000 Pakistani and foreign militants, many of them veterans of battles in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were said to be fleeing South Waziristan to neighboring areas.
Taliban Resists Major Assault by Pakistan -- [The Australian]
Pakistani troops pounded Taliban forces for a second day yesterday in the lawless South Waziristan tribal area as reports emerged that as many as 12,000 local and foreign militants were fiercely resisting the long-awaited ground offensive. As many as 28,000 soldiers have flooded the South Waziristan tribal agency in recent days, sealing off the Taliban stronghold in the central west of the Mehsud clan-dominated region, away from the Afghanistan border, and seizing several Taliban bases. Officials said yesterday the military had established checkpoints on all fronts to prevent militants spilling over the porous Pakistan-Afghan border or north into the bordering North Waziristan agency, dominated by the Wazir tribe. "The operation will continue until the objectives are achieved. The army has blocked all entry and exit points of Waziristan," Major General Athar Abbas said. The military operation in South Waziristan follows repeated requests from the US to eliminate Taliban and al-Qa'ida safe havens within Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas that now serve as the launching pad for attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan and terrorist plots against the West.
Air Force career field in need: Service taking steps to address shortage, but it will take time -- [Stars&Stripes]
An Air Force joint terminal attack controllers, working for an Army Special Forces team, helps conduct Operation Ice Axe in Nuristan province, Afghanistan. He helped coordinate the distribution of supplies from Afghan soldiers to villagers. GRAFENWÖHR, Germany -- The Air Force is facing a critical shortage of joint terminal attack controllers, a position vital to reducing the number of civilians killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan -- one of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's keys to turning around the war there.
Awakening Leader's Tale Illustrates Iraq's Volatility -- [Los Angeles Times]
The Sunni Muslim paramilitary leader's campaign slogan holds the promise of imminent rescue: "Hold on, we are coming." But the aspiring parliamentary candidate, Mustafa Kamal Shibeeb, may not be in a position to deliver on his slogan: He's a fugitive, with murder charges hanging over his head from events at the height of the US troop buildup two years ago. Already, police commandos have tried to grab him twice, only to be blocked by an Iraqi army unit, with tacit support from US forces. Shibeeb's story reveals the volatility of today's Iraq, where Sunni-Shiite tensions are just one of the conflicts at play. His vulnerability illustrates how the Iraqi government and security forces remain subject to competing political and tribal pressures, and score-settling, that risk igniting new violence. If Shibeeb is jailed, it could...
Seeking consensus in Iraq's divided North -- [Stars & Stripes]
Capt. Michael Schmidt stepped on a cultural land mine during a recent meeting with Iraqi military commanders aimed at easing ethnic tensions in Iraq's disputed north.
"The No. 1 threat is the Sunni insurgency," Schmidt said in response to an Iraqi commander's question about the most pressing security concern for northern Diyala province.
"When you say the Sunni insurgency, you are associating all Sunnis," sniffed Col. Khamees Sulaiman Raja Ahmed, the local Iraqi army commander, himself a Sunni.
Leaving a mark on Iraq -- [Blogs Over Baghdad - in Iraq]
As the 314th PAOC prepares for its departure from Iraq, we felt we could not return home without leaving something behind. Thankfully, we traveled here with a unit filled with gifted artists, and they collectively took up that challenge.
I Can't Complain -- [Blogs Over Baghdad - in Iraq]
Today, one of our interpreters came into my office and asked how I was. I gave the stock answer: "I can't complain." The truth is that I am often seen mumbling under my breath about something that irks me. After he left, however, I thought about my statement, and some of the things that have happened here in Baghdad over the past few months, and how insignificant my troubles seem in comparison to the events that are affecting people like these: - One of custodial staff is a local Iraqi...
Who Fights This War--Flight Surgeon -- [In Iraq Now (at 56) - in Iraq]
Lt. Col. David Doud, 42, returned home to Gettysburg last week at the end of his tour as flight surgeon for the 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion. Doud joined the battalion in 2006 after serving as the Medical Company Commander for the 728th Maintenance Support Battalion.
Out of Dodge -- [Castra Praetoria - in Iraq]
Can you believe you are leaving soon?" This is the question that is continually asked me by family and friends who know we are about to disembark back to planet earth shortly.
The answer to that question is; no I don't. I will not believe I am actually leaving until the plane is wheels up and is in another time zone. Why? Because the potential for something to go wrong always hovers about menacingly.
Iran Blames Britain and US for Suicide Bombing -- [Daily Telegraph]
Iran accused Britain and America of orchestrating a suicide bomb attack that killed 49 people including seven senior officers in the Revolutionary Guard. The attack on a group arriving at a meeting with tribal leaders in the city of Sarbaz, near the border with Pakistan, was claimed by a Sunni rebel group, state media said. But officials said it was backed by "elements linked to the global arrogance" - a euphemism for the United States and Britain. State television news said: "Some informed sources said the British government was directly involved in the terrorist attack... by organising, supplying equipment and employing professional terrorists." The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ari Larijani, directly accused the United States.
US-Funded Terror Group Kills 31 In Iran -- [P.J. Tobia]
The Iranian terror group responsible for this morning's attacks that killed 31 people (including some top Iranian military official officials) and wounded 28 others has received hundreds of millions of dollars from the US government for years, according to Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker, ABC News, The Telegraph (UK) and other sources. The group, called Jundallah (also spelled Jundullah,) are ethnically Baluchi, a Sunni minority group, native to Iran, Afghanistan and the Western Frontier Province of Pakistan.
Russia Worries About the Price of Oil, Not a Nuclear Iran -- [Wall Street Journal]
Last Wednesday in Moscow, the remaining illusions the Obama administration held for cooperation with Russia on the Iranian nuclear program were thrown in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's face. Stronger sanctions against Iran would be "counterproductive," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, just days after President Dmitry Medvedev said sanctions were likely inevitable. This apparent inconsistency should remind us that Mr. Medvedev is little more than a well-placed spectator, and that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who discounted sanctions in a statement from Beijing, is still the voice that matters.
Flow of terrorist recruits increasing -- [Washington Post]
...U.S. and European counterterrorism officials say a rising number of Western recruits -- including Americans -- are traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan to attend paramilitary training camps. The flow of recruits has continued unabated, officials said, in spite of an intensified campaign over the past year by the CIA to eliminate al-Qaeda and Taliban commanders in drone missile attacks.
Since January...
The UN Sides with Terrorists -- [Washington Times]
Suppose a United Nations investigation team found that the United States had committed war crimes in its response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The report finds that while al Qaeda may have been culpable for the attacks and the carnage they wreaked, America was equally to blame - if not more so - for the civilian deaths caused during Operation Enduring Freedom. The UN instructs the United States to conduct an internal investigation and punish the perpetrators, or face action from the International Criminal Court. This is the framework established by the Goldstone Commission Report, which is the product of an investigation led by South African judge Richard Goldstone.
Civilian Courts Are No Place to Try Terrorists --[Wall Street Journal]
The Obama administration has said it intends to try several of the prisoners now detained at Guantanamo Bay in civilian courts in this country. This would include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and other detainees allegedly involved. The Justice Department claims that our courts are well suited to the task. Based on my experience trying such cases, and what I saw as attorney general, they aren't. That is not to say that civilian courts cannot ever handle terrorist prosecutions, but rather that their role in a war on terror - to use an unfashionably harsh phrase - should be, as the term "war" would suggest, a supporting and not a principal role. The challenges of a terrorism trial are
$10,000 matching donation for radios needed by Marines in Afghanistan -- [Spirit of America]
"The Taliban continue to prevent the people from being educated, keep the people in fear, and do anything they can to gain power. Support such as with Spirit of America is vital in convincing the people that we are not enemies of Afghanistan, but friends. This is the way we will win this war."
Greetings friends and supporters!
Marines in Afghanistan need solar- and hand-powered radios to give to families in Helmand Province. The Marines want to open communication and open minds. The Taliban seek to isolate, intimidate and make ignorant. Read more below. We think this is a very high-impact request. One of our supporters agrees. He has offered to match up to $10,000 in donations to buy the radios the Marines need. Thus, the value of your contribution will be doubled. If we reach the $10,000 goal, we can buy more than 1200 radios - which will directly impact approximately 9,600 Afghanis. Give here.
Cartoonists visit Landstuhl patients -- [Soldiers' Angels Germany]
A group of cartoonists visited patients at Landstuhl hospital today as part of a USO-sponsored trip to Germany and the Middle East.
A Tribute To Our Military Health Care Providers -- [The Kitchen Dispatch]
Well done.
I received notice that someone who had received care after being injured in war had put this together with his family. What I like about this is that it shows a constancy of care given to soldiers through the many wars we've been in.
An amazing end to an amazing week -- [From my position... On the way!]
So Matt Goss and I met, I found out he was a singer, had an act at the Palms, and then curled up into a self-wallowing bout of withdrawal--can't take my pain meds with booze in the system. But damn, it was a fun night. Toby Nunn, on the other hand, was on his game. He talked at length with Matt Goss, told him about Soldier's Angels, VALOUR-IT, and what we were doing here. Matt then invited Toby to bring his semi-retardedly hungover friend (me) to his show tonight.
...If you haven't guessed by now, I enjoyed his show more than any other I've ever seen.
After the show, we went up to meet Matt and thank him for the invitation. I shook his hand and I gave him my Soldier'sAngels Valour-IT coin that I've carried everywhere. In a side conversation, Toby explained how much that coin meant to me. Then Matt Goss did someting absolutely touching and deeply appreciated. He showed me a coin he had hand-made in India. It's 24k rose gold, and hand engraved with a beautifully designed Ganesha, and the inscription "OM GUNG GANAPTA NAMAH" on the reverse. He explained that the inscription was a mantra that was used to remove obstacles from you life. Further more...
Contest for Pregnant Military Wives -- [You Served - Claire]
I found the following at the Baby Designers... if you know someone, or if you are someone who qualifies for the contest, enter today! Let us know if you win!
We're looking for 15 very deserving pregnant military wives. We understand that it can be stressful having their husbands so far away at such an important time. That's why we want to help!
"Hurry up and wait" -- [Field Notes]
an age old Army theme. It aptly describes the rhythm here at the CONUS Replacement Center (CRC). Before arriving, I was advised to just "relax and go with the flow." Good advice for sure but considering the mission and volume of personnel handled on a weekly basis (to include holiday weekends like this past Columbus Day when my group went through) the CRC does a pretty good job. This week the CRC processed approximately 385 personnel. Surprisingly, only about 20% were military. The majority - as I discovered is the norm - were contractors. While this statistic indicates that the military is very reliant on contract support to sustain missions worldwide, it does not reflect the vast numbers of soldiers who deploy to theater with their units.
VA, lawmakers share blame for GI Bill delay -- [Stars&Stripes]
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki got a bipartisan hug from the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday as lawmakers accepted his plan to fix Post-9/11 GI Bill payment delays, and blamed their own rush to enact the complex education benefit last year for some of the challenges VA now faces.
Three times each week, Wounded Warriors are welcomed home at Andrews AFB after medevac flight from Germany -- [Soldiers Angel Germany]
An informative and heartwarming story about the arrival of our Wounded Warriors at Andrews AFB after medevac from Germany. It will make you proud of each and every member of this team.
More Than 100 Marines Back Home from Iraq -- [KGMB]
Over 100 marines are back home from Iraq Sunday. The soldiers of "America's Battalion" touched down at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Sunday afternoon. After a short walk, they we're re-united with their loved ones; "America's Battalion" operated in Al Asad, Iraq.
What milbloggers mean to the Army -- [Army Live]
Today I'm chagrined to be missing the MilBlog Track at this year's Blog World Expo. It's one of the few times each year our geographically displaced milblog community get together to connect, discuss and learn from one another. Along with the MilBlog Conference in Washington, D.C., it's a great opportunity for Army public affairs flaks such as myself to really get to know the needs of this community, and better learn how to work with them.
As little as 2 years ago the relationship between the military and bloggers was not an overly positive one. Unclear policies and the growing disconnect between traditional and social media outlets left us in a strained relationship, at best. For me, from the beginning of my Army career the milblog community was one I knew I needed to reach out to in order to be able to successfully tell our Soldiers stories. Since then they have grown even more critical, and more connected to traditional media outlets.
There has been a serious culture shift among our Army leadership which has helped for forge positive relationships between the Army and milbloggers. F
DoD's Policy on Social Media to be Announced Any Day Now (New Slogan: Be Social, But Be Smart) -- [Milblogging.com]
The DoD's policy on social media is expected to be announced any day now. According to Price Floyd's own tweets back in late September "the review and policy should be done and out sometime in the next few weeks." There are more hints that the final policy is very, very close.
Miltweets, Milfacers, Milbloggers at Blog World Expo -- [Kitchen Dispatch]
This weekend I attended The Blog World Expo, a conference for social networking. Social networking, which is a term that didn't even exist 5 years ago, is what so many of now spend inordinate amounts of time doing.
War Wife In Vegas: Milblogs and Milbloggers At BlogWorld Expo '09 -- [Blogcritics]
Let's start with social networking terminology. Because groups who read blogs can be fairly insular, I'll give you a fast primer on what we call "milblogs."
A milblog is a military blog. Since techies like to play fast and loose with words, the prefix "mil" gets attached to a number of nouns like supporter, spouse, family, blog, blogger and even a verb, blogging.
Twitter Lists Beta: Organizing the Military Twitter Community (if you can't tweet it, blog it) -- [Milblogging.com]
This is a picture of my Twitter account when I sign in. The Twitter Lists Beta feature displays at the top of my account. A little over a week ago I posted a brief story on the soon-to-launch Lists feature that Twitter had announced on their blog. With Twitter lists, I can now organize my friends and followers into groups. My plan is to begin organizing lists in a similar way that military bloggers are organized into Branches on Milblogging.com such as Frontlines, U.S. Army, U.S. Military Veteran, and U.S. Military Spouse.
Army Strong Bloggers Lounge (Video) -- [You Served]
Major Mary Constantino talks about the Army's presence at the 2009 BlogWorld & New Media Expo and tells us about U.S. Army Accessions Command's signature Soldier blog, Army Strong Stories.
BlogWorld Expo - Day 2 -- [You Served - CJ]
BWE09 is still in full swing as I write this. Day two opened up all the vendors and other exciting events.
Yesterday, Hugh Hewitt did his show live from BlogWorldExpo right next to the military lounge. During the first hour he featured Soldiers' Angels and Greyhawk from Mudville Gazette. He talked about the upcoming Valour-IT that will raise money to purchase voice-activated laptop computers for wounded troops.
White House admits: We 'control' news media -- [WND]
Communications chief offers shocking confession to foreign government -- TEL AVIV - President Obama's presidential campaign focused on "making" the news media cover certain issues while rarely communicating anything to the press unless it was ...
READY TO REVOLT: Oath Keepers pledges to prevent dictatorship in United States -- [Las Vegas Review-Journal]
Group asks police and military to lay down arms in response to orders deemed unlawful Depending on your perspective, the Oath Keepers are either strident defenders of liberty or dangerous peddlers of paranoia.
A White House Comfortable with Genocide? -- [Confederate Yankee]
It turns out Ayers and Dohrn aren't the only associates of Barack Obama comfortable with genocide. We can also include one of his closest four advisers, Anita Dunn. Victor David Hanson is among those outraged over Dunn's admiration of the greatest ">mass killer in human history
...Once again, someone close to the President is found to be an admirer of political genocide. In that context, perhaps the Oath Keepers aren't so radical after all... at least as it comes to being willing to resist unlawful orders.
The Danger of Obama's Dithering -- [Los Angeles Times]
Weakness in American foreign policy in one region often invites challenges elsewhere, because our adversaries carefully follow diminished American resolve. Similarly, presidential indecisiveness, whether because of uncertainty or internal political struggles, signals that the United States may not respond to international challenges in clear and coherent ways. Taken together, weakness and indecisiveness have proved historically to be a toxic combination for America's global interests. That is exactly the combination we now see under President Obama. If anything, his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize only underlines the problem. All of Obama's campaign and inaugural talk about "extending an open hand" and "engagement," especially the multilateral variety, isn't exactly unfolding according to plan. Entirely predictably, we see more clearly every day that diplomacy is not a policy but only a technique.
Have You No Shame? -- [BlackFive - Deebow]
I will never use my position for pleasure, profit or personal safety.---NCO Creed
I am feeling very betrayed right now.... and that is not a good place for these oxygen thieves to be....
Senators diverted $2.6 billion in funds in a defense spending bill to pet projects largely at the expense of accounts that pay for fuel, ammunition and training for U.S. troops, including those fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an analysis.
Ahhhh, the new Navy -- [CDR Salamander]
I know it's a funnyspam - but I can't help myself.
From: Executive Officer
To: All Chief Petty Officers
Subj: MEMO TO CPO'S
1. It has been brought to the Executive Officer's attention that some Chief Petty Officers throughout the command have been using foul language during the course of normal conversation with their Division Officers.
2. Due to complaints received from some Division Officers who may be easily offended, this type of language will no longer be tolerated. We do however, realize the critical importance of being able to accurately express your feelings when communicating with Officers.
(Need more? Dawn Patrols Archives are here.)
