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Egypt: US Mideast plan 'preposterous'
Today's Headlines
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Page 5: Russia-Former Soviet Union
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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-Short Attention Span Theater-
USS John Rodgers (DD-574) coming home
. . . this story will revolve around the last of the "High Bridge" Fletchers, DD-574, the USS John Rodgers. The Rodgers received more battle stars from her service in World War II than any other surviving destroyer from that war. Which is one of the reasons we want to keep her out of the hands of the breakers.

After the war, she found herself at loose ends and in storage, when she got a new lease on life - in the Mexican Navy. The ship was transferred to Mexico 1 May 1968. She served in the Mexican Navy as BAM Cuitláhuac, named after Cuitláhuac (?–1520), the second-to-last Aztec emperor of the Mexica.

The Cuitláhuac was retired by the Mexican Navy 16 July 2002—bringing to an end the 60-year history of the Fletchers.

Enter Bob Owens of Confederate Yankee, and Ward Brewer of Beauchamp Tower Corporation (BTC). .... Ward collects warships like I collect rifles. Obviously, Ward isn't an employee of the government... Ward is also not a fan of the MSM. He wanted the story of the repatriation of the Rodgers to be told by milbloggers, and asked Bob for a recommendation. Bob recommended me.

The Cuitláhuac was transferred to the ownership of U.S.-based nonprofit Beauchamp Tower Corporation on December 7, 2005. She will be moved back to the United States in 2006 and restored, with it ultimately becoming a World War II Pacific Theater Museum.

She starts her tow back the US 1 August, with an expected arrival at Mobile around 15 August.

And I'm going to cover it. We leave Wednesday for the Mexican Navy base at Lazaro Cardenas to do the final inspection and rig her for tow.

I'm the Project Scribe. And, since I'm the Armorer, I'm also the guy who's going to secure her guns so that the State Department will rest comfortably that we aren't going to be engaging in any piracy while we schlep her back to Mobile, Alabama, not all that far from where she was launched, the Consolidated Steel Corporation shipyards of Orange, Texas.

She'll be met at the International Limit by a Coast Guard cutter and escorted to her temporary home while Customs and the ATFE do their jobs. Several of her former crew will meet her there, going out on the cutter to greet their old ship upon her return.

Now, ain't this just cool? I don't make any money blogging - but this is a nice perk!

Follow the story day by day as it unfolds. I'm also shilling for links to the posts documenting the return of the Rodgers. Mr. Ward Brewer, the leader of our merry band, wants this story to be spread by the blogosphere, and is eschewing the MSM (we are bringing a documentary film crew).

If you'd like to be on the distro list for the posts related to this project, drop me a line at johnbethd*at*yahoo.com and I'll add you to the distro. That's anyone, not just milbloggers!
Posted by: Mike || 07/25/2006 16:04 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Don't safe the guns. Take the ship to the Indian Ocean, and fight the pirates there. You've read the weekly reports here on Rantburg, haven't you?
Posted by: Eric Jablow || 07/25/2006 18:42 Comments || Top||


Marlin Spears Fisherman
Posted by: 3dc || 07/25/2006 15:15 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Marlins, why do they hate us?
Posted by: Dreadnought || 07/25/2006 15:30 Comments || Top||

#2  Never take a fly rod to a sword fight.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/25/2006 15:50 Comments || Top||

#3  Dammit, Dreadnought! You made me laugh.
Posted by: mcsegeek1 || 07/25/2006 15:58 Comments || Top||

#4  The sequel to Deer Avenger?
Posted by: Mike || 07/25/2006 16:08 Comments || Top||

#5  Not the first time.
Posted by: Perfesser || 07/25/2006 16:47 Comments || Top||

#6  Get my gear.
Posted by: Ted Williams || 07/25/2006 19:46 Comments || Top||

#7  ...and my head.
Posted by: Ted Williams || 07/25/2006 22:03 Comments || Top||


Hey Fred, want a easy $17 million?
At least it's different from the normal Nigerian spam
Dear Sir/Madam,

With a very desperate need for assistance, I have summed up courage to contact you.

I am presently working in Iraq with American troop, I found your contact particulars in an address journal. I am seeking your assistance to evacuate the sum of $17,000,000:0 (Seventeen million dollars) to your country or any other safe country of your choice, as far as I can be assured that my share will be safe in your care untill I complete my service here,this is no stolen money, and there are no dangers involved.

SOURCE OF MONEY:

Some money in American currency was discovered concealed in barrels with piles of weapons and ammunitions at a location near one of Saddam's old palaces during a rescue operation, and it was agreed by all party present that the money be shared amongst us, this was quite an illegal thing to do, but I tell you what? no compensation can make up for the risks we have taken
with our lives in this hell hole.

The above figure ! was given to me as my share, and to conceal this kind of money became a problem for me, so with the help of a German contact working here, and his office enjoys some immunity, I was able to get the package out to a safe location entirely out of trouble spot.

The German contact does not know the real contents of the package, and beleieves that it belongs to an Asian American who died in an air raid, and before giving up, trusted me to hand over the package to his business associate.

I have now found a secured way of getting the package out to a safer country in Europe for you to pick up, and will discuss this with you when I am sure that you are willing to assist me.

One passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter with a third party, should you have reasons to reject this offer, please destroy this mail as any leakage of this information will be too bad for us. I do not know for how long we will remain here, and I have survived suicide bomb attacks by the special grace of God, this and other reasons I will mention later has prompted me to reach out for help, I honestly want this matter to be resolved immediately.

Please contact me through my email so we can discuss more.

Respectfully,

Ammar Salim
N/B
PLEASE FORWARD ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO
Email::amma_9@myway.com
Posted by: Steve || 07/25/2006 10:01 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  For a second I thought his email domain was @amway.com - sort of made sense.
Posted by: Spot || 07/25/2006 11:24 Comments || Top||

#2  Steve the poster---you will notice the sentence near the end of your posting:

One passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter with a third party, should you have reasons to reject this offer, please destroy this mail as any leakage of this information will be too bad for us.

You blew it! You REEEEEEEEEEEEEEALY blew it! Now this whole arangement is blown wide open and the money again will go into hiding. I weep for my lost millions.........
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 07/25/2006 19:35 Comments || Top||

#3  Oops. Last paragraph should not be italic.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 07/25/2006 19:35 Comments || Top||


Docs curb man's monstrous appetite
This one's for John.

"I couldn't eat another thing. I'm absolutely stuffed."

"It's only wafer thin."

We all know how it's gonna end.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 07/25/2006 05:19 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Life imitates the Simpsons.
Posted by: BrerRabbit || 07/25/2006 9:19 Comments || Top||

#2  Life imitates the Simpsons.

It sure does.
Posted by: anonymous5089 || 07/25/2006 10:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Did he look like this?

Posted by: DMFD || 07/25/2006 10:08 Comments || Top||

#4  NO MOORE! Please!
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/25/2006 11:18 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Another MD Democrat Senate Candidate Embarassed
Josh Rales, a Democratic candidate for Maryland's U.S. Senate seat, paid a drug-treatment center in Baltimore to drive its recovering addicts to last week's debate in College Park, where they held signs supporting his campaign.

About 20 patients from the I Can't, We Can (ICWC) drug-treatment and counseling center in northwest Baltimore attended the debate, said Adrian Harpool, president of the 21st Century Group, a Baltimore public-relations firm hired by the Rales campaign to recruit volunteers. "It's not something that happens on a regular basis," Mr. Harpool said, adding that the recovering addicts were unpaid volunteers who were to help post signs but ended up holding the placards. "It was a real error in judgment on my part."

The ICWC patients told The Washington Times that they pay about $350 a month to undergo treatment at the center and that some have criminal records, including felony convictions. Using recovering addicts as campaign supporters does not appear to be illegal, said a spokeswoman for the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Kelly Huff said campaigns can use their money for "pretty much any lawful purpose as long as it relates to the campaign."

Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Anonymoose || 07/25/2006 10:57 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "It was a contribution from my company to his organization. It wasn't anything extraordinary, in drug running terms. I'm just uncomfortable talking about dollar figures or the gratuitous meth and crack," Mr. Harpool said.
Posted by: Besoeker || 07/25/2006 11:17 Comments || Top||

#2  Party machine politix at its best. That's two Dem senate candidacies scuppered in two days, plus the odd end to Doug Duncan's gubernatorial campaign a couple weeks ago.

Baltimore Big Blue Machine Democrats getting V-E-R-Y nervous. Kweisi's poll numbers must be absolutely dreadful.

It unfortunately is indicating that the Dems are are starting to get their act together, there won't be nearly as much disarray and dissent in their ranks as we've seen the last few years.
Posted by: Seafarious || 07/25/2006 11:40 Comments || Top||

#3  I've heard of rent-a-mobs before, but, sheesh!
Posted by: Mike || 07/25/2006 12:57 Comments || Top||

#4  Wait for word of Sestak's involvement in some weird crabs-for-sex scandal, and you'll know...
Posted by: Seafarious || 07/25/2006 15:20 Comments || Top||


Wasn't 3,000 at LA pro-Israel rally, but 10,000
Follow-up to yesterday's article, the press release from organizer Simon Wiesenthal Center. I had no idea Gov. Schwarzenegger had been travelling to Israel since the 1970's, raised funds for the SWC for a quarter century, and had gone over there to open the SWC's Museum of Tolerance. Your call whether you believe press release number or ERIC BERKOWITZ, Associated Press Writer . There's a picture of the crowd at the website, for those who wish to make their own count. ;-)

A crowd of 10,000 attended a pro-Israel rally organized by the Jewish Federation Council of Los Angeles including California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA); Jewish Federation President John Fishel; County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky; City Councilman Jack Weiss; Israel's Consul General Ehud Danoch; Federation Board Chair Michael Koss; and numerous Jewish and Christian leaders.
Posted by: trailing wife || 07/25/2006 05:33 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Excellent. And the Left can barely get 100 people to there D.C. rallies at times. This is VERY good.
Posted by: Charles || 07/25/2006 10:28 Comments || Top||


GOP's McCloskey endorsing Dem against Pombo
Maverick former GOP Rep. Pete McCloskey took on his party's establishment — and lost — with a primary challenge to Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, chairman of the powerful House Resources Committee. Now McCloskey, 78, plans to urge Northern California voters who supported him in the state's June primary to vote for Pombo's Democratic opponent, wind engineer Jerry McNerney, in November.

McCloskey won 32 percent of the Republican primary vote June 6 to 62 percent for Pombo. McNerney is "an honorable man that has not and will not seek to enrich himself and his family through his office," McCloskey said in an interview.

His support for Democrats doesn't stop with McNerney. McCloskey, who served in Congress from 1967 to 1982 and was an original author of the Endangered Species Act, said he'd like to see his party lose control of the House of Representatives. "It's essentially the need for legislative oversight — an obligation of Congress under the Constitution which has not been exercised by the Republican House," he said. "Hence a Republican reluctantly finds himself in the belief that the opposing party should have a majority for, say, the next two years."

McCloskey and McNerney scheduled a press conference for Wednesday in Dublin, Calif., where McCloskey planned to make the endorsement formal. Throughout the primary, Pombo aides dismissed McCloskey as a Democratic Party tool. They said they weren't surprised by his endorsement of McNerney and that it wouldn't make any difference. "He was a stalking horse for McNerney all along. Certainly nobody's going to be surprised," said Pombo consultant Wayne Johnson. "We feel very good about the fall race. "
Posted by: Fred || 07/25/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Ah, those "mavericks". Funny how they're all on one side.
Posted by: JSU || 07/25/2006 1:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Zell Miller supported President Bush in 2004.
Posted by: Chuck || 07/25/2006 2:15 Comments || Top||

#3  There are born losers and there are poor losers... is McCloskey sorta like a hybrid?
Posted by: cruiser || 07/25/2006 3:21 Comments || Top||

#4  Didn't McClosky attempt a go at Nixon in 1972?
Posted by: Griper Whegum8464 || 07/25/2006 3:31 Comments || Top||

#5  A "wind engineer"? What a perfect occupation for a Democrat.
Posted by: tu3031 || 07/25/2006 8:39 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
Cougar Ace Crew rescued
Nearly two dozen crew members were hoisted to safety in rescue helicopters late Monday night from a giant car-carrying ship that had listed onto its side in the North Pacific Ocean, according to the Alaska Air National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The 23 crew members of the Cougar Ace, wearing red survival suits, perched on a wall of the ship's superstructure in choppy seas as two Air Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters and a Coast Guard helicopter lowered slings and pulled them to safety. The rescue operation began shortly after 9 p.m. and was completed by about 10 p.m.

"They did pack them in, as many as they humanly could, into all three helicopters," said Maj. Mike Haller of the Air National Guard. "They did it one at a time, and quickly."

The helicopters then headed for Adak, about 230 miles away.

The Singapore-registered Cougar Ace, carrying nearly 5,000 vehicles, had sent out an SOS Sunday at 11:09 p.m. The 654-foot vessel had begun to list and was taking on water, according to the Coast Guard. By midafternoon Monday, the Coast Guard reported that the ship was listing to 90 degrees, almost flat on its side in the sea.

As the rescue commenced, the seas were at 10 feet with 30-knot winds. Haller said chopper crews described those conditions as "very sporty."

"The fact you are 15 stories up in the air bobbing up and down is challenging for everybody on board," Haller had said earlier in the day.

Great picture of a container ship at 85° list
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 07/25/2006 19:15 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This was a big story on the 10:00 news last night. Coasties did a great rescue job. I wonder how the ship took on so much water. Maybe a side door failure, who knows?
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 07/25/2006 19:38 Comments || Top||

#2  Good show, Coasties!

Pacific, huh? Probably full of Prius. All those batteries. Lead. Acid. Eco-disaster. Boycott Toyota.
Posted by: cruiser || 07/25/2006 20:02 Comments || Top||

#3  Nothing I've read give a clue as to cause. 5,000 cars floating around out there waiting for someone to pick them up and give them a home.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 07/25/2006 20:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Thats a ro-ro (roll-on, roll-off) ship, not a container ship.

Pity about the ship. That sort is very good for moving vehicles round the world, ready-to-use at portside.

Like at Bandar Abbas, say.
Posted by: buwaya || 07/25/2006 21:17 Comments || Top||

#5  Of course. Thanks for the correction.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 07/25/2006 21:22 Comments || Top||

#6  Good job to the coasties!! Hovering near a listing ship pulling people of is sporty to say the least.
Posted by: 49 Pan || 07/25/2006 21:49 Comments || Top||


Restored Fighter Jet Crashes, 1 Killed
HICKORY, N.C. (AP) - A restored Korean War-era military jet crashed and burst into flames Monday, killing the pilot shortly after the F-86 Sabre took off, authorities said. The single-seat plane crashed several hundred feet from the Hickory Regional Airport runway, said airport spokeswoman Mandy Pitts. The ejection seat wasn't used, officials said.

The aircraft was headed to an air show in Wisconsin, Pitts said.

Federal Aviation Administration agents had not released the pilot's name by Monday evening. Family and friends, however, identified the pilot as Wyatt Fuller of Hickory. Fuller's warplane collection included a T-6 World War II trainer, a T-33 jet and the F-86 Sabre jet that crashed.

The cause of the 11:40 a.m. crash has not been determined. The FAA was investigating. Lt. Col. Jim Carr, a member of the Civil Air Patrol and a friend, said Fuller had trouble with the jet's landing wheels when he returned from his last aviation show in Alabama.
There's the trouble with flying restored, vintage warbirds: every once in a while something bad goes wrong, and when it does you're really screwed. Condolences to the family.
Posted by: Steve White || 07/25/2006 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The previous problem with the landing gear was not neccessarily related to the crash. It is my understanding that a great many jet warbirds do NOT have a active ejection seats. It takes expensive & specific training and continuing maintainance to make them safe for flight. God bless the pilot & his family.
Posted by: Throger Thains8048 || 07/25/2006 2:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Flameout on takeoff. Not good.
Posted by: mojo || 07/25/2006 10:11 Comments || Top||

#3  My heart goes out to the family.
Posted by: Charles || 07/25/2006 10:30 Comments || Top||

#4  Throger-
Absolutely right that warbirds do not - for the most part - have functioning ejection seats. The cockpit of a jet fighter is a literal symphony of explosives and although they are quite safe to handle with the proper training and storage, that stuff costs big bucks. I only know of one jet warbird that has functioning seats; one's owned by a historical foundation that has coughed up the money to do it right.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 07/25/2006 16:46 Comments || Top||

#5  Did the F-86 have ejection seats while in service?
Posted by: 6 || 07/25/2006 19:52 Comments || Top||



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On Sale now!


A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2006-07-25
  Egypt: US Mideast plan 'preposterous'
Mon 2006-07-24
  Hamas, I-J rocket Sderot. Surprise.
Sun 2006-07-23
  Israel seizes Maroun al-Ras
Sat 2006-07-22
  Gaza groups agree to stop firing at Israel
Fri 2006-07-21
  Ethiopia enters Somalia to back government
Thu 2006-07-20
  Siniora pleads for world's help
Wed 2006-07-19
  IAF foils rocket transports from Syria
Tue 2006-07-18
  Israel flattens Paleo foreign ministry, Hamas offices
Mon 2006-07-17
  Israel attacks Beirut airport with four missiles
Sun 2006-07-16
  Chechens Ready to Hang it Up
Sat 2006-07-15
  IDF targets Beirut, Tripoli ports & Hizbollah leadership
Fri 2006-07-14
  IAF Booms Hezbollah HQ, Misses Nasrallah
Thu 2006-07-13
  Israel bombs Beirut airport, embargos coast
Wed 2006-07-12
  IDF Re-Engages Lebanon, Reserves Called Up
Tue 2006-07-11
  163 dead in Mumbai train booms

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