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Puntland army launch anti-ISIL offensive in Qandala
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Page 6: Politix
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Cabinet position for Petraeus; disciplinary actions for Broadwell after affair
[The Hill] While former CIA Director David Petraeus is interviewing for a top job in the Trump administration, the woman he had an affair with is facing possible disciplinary actions from the Army.

The Pentagon decided in February it would not pursue any further punishment for Petraeus, but is now seeking to take actions against Paula Broadwell, an Army Reserves major, according to a defense official.

Petraeus and Broadwell, both married, admitted to an extra-martial affair in 2012. They both have expressed regret, with Petraeus personally apologizing to Senate lawmakers during a hearing last year.

The official did not want to characterize what the pending actions are, and said Broadwell would be given an opportunity to respond or issue a rebuttal before making a final determination on disciplinary measures.

The official cited mishandling classified material, as well as issuing threats, as some of the things she could be punished for.

The disparity in treatment by the military of Petraeus and Broadwell has sparked criticism from some members of Congress.

"I think the two of them should be treated fairly, and there shouldn't be two standards," Sen. Claire McCaskill, who has championed the rights of women in the military, told The Hill.

She said "questions would probably come up during his confirmation" hearing if Trump nominates Petraeus to a cabinet position.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/04/2016 02:25 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  This is the first time I have read that Broadwell's promotion file was pulled and her clearance revoked. If being treated "fairly" means being treated equally, I agree with Sen. Claire McCaskill. Make it so.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/04/2016 2:37 Comments || Top||

#2  I'll be concerned about it when the first gay married couples serving are also prosecuted when they stray too. As you say, one set of standards.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/04/2016 8:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Besoeker,

I remember reading at the time (but if you blinked, you missed it) that Broadwell's clearances had been pulled and her personnel jacket placed in deep, DEEP cold storage...and it is a disgrace that Petraeus is walking away essentially unscratched.

The old saying about a thousand attaboys and one 'aw, shiat' applies here to Petraeus. Yes, he's smart, and his personal military courage can not be gainsaid. But the fact here is that as a four-star general, he knowingly and with malice aforethought made decisions to risk classified material. I don't care HOW high HER clearance was (as an intel 0-4 it would have been respectable, but nowhere near what an 0-10 theater commander was sharing with her) the facts are these:

1. She was writing an altogether flattering autobiography of the man (and you know he had to have been hoping it would help a Presidential campaign) and she was having an affair with him.
2. He let it happen. (Don't care WHO initiated it, his position came with a DUTY not to do such things.)
3. If he was boinking the help when he was a four-star, he sure as hell was doing it when he was a Major or Light Colonel. You don't just suddenly give in to temptation when you hit 0-10.
4. "He's been punished enough." The hell he has. Once this nonsense came out, he should have gotten a lifetime ban on anything even resembling a Federal job with access to anything higher classified than 'janitor's closet', followed by a carrot-peeler grade review of everything he touched at the Agency.

It would have been one thing if Mr. Trump had opened a quiet backchannel to Petraeus for advice and counsel - that's what you do when you need need the smarts of someone who's disgraced themselves. But this...oy.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 12/04/2016 9:00 Comments || Top||

#4  Concur Mike.

I've seen too many military careers (and marriages) totally destroyed by acts of infidelity, both officer and enlisted. I am quite certain Petraeus has signed off on a number of career ending UCMJ actions originating from such acts. The double standard here is obvious and little more than betrayal.

As far as Broadwell goes, I was unaware of CCF pulling or suspending her access or a 'flag' on her promotion. I have always thought (conspiratorial bastid that I am) that there was more to this story than we've been told. Some guy or any old hag biographer could have been dispatched to write the Petraeus story.

Posted by: Besoeker || 12/04/2016 12:15 Comments || Top||

#5  I heartedly agree with all the comments above. For me the last straw was the anti-2nd amendment group Petraeus formed with Kelly last summer.
Posted by: brujotejano || 12/04/2016 12:37 Comments || Top||

#6  Total speculation: Petraeus is just on the list to keep the Crooked Hillary meme in play. Every time mishandling classified info gets mentioned, it reminds us Hillary did it too.

He won't get a cabinet position, but Trump might use him somewhere with a lower profile.
Posted by: SteveS || 12/04/2016 12:40 Comments || Top||

#7  ....Sidney Blumenthal of the Trump administration? Say it ain't so Joe.

(er...Joe, are you there? Anybody check if Guam tipped over?)
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/04/2016 13:57 Comments || Top||

#8  Joe is idling, picking up steam for the history well soon be discussing.

TELL ME ITS SO JOE!
Posted by: Shipman || 12/04/2016 14:58 Comments || Top||

#9  Telex machines are hard to repair these days
Posted by: European Conservative || 12/04/2016 16:21 Comments || Top||

#10  "So David's a sucker for broads? Well,
Perhaps he'll play doctor with Boswell."
The rest of this history
Lies shrouded in mystery
A stone's throw from VITTER and ROSWELL.
Posted by: Hupoluns Snosh8795 || 12/04/2016 18:22 Comments || Top||

#11  Petraeus is too stupid to vote.

Hey Dave, we don't need ya. Your lack of loyalty, moral courage, and arrogance disqualify ya...just go away.
Posted by: Tennessee || 12/04/2016 19:46 Comments || Top||

#12  Concur with don't need you /want you fucktard. Respectfully.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 12/04/2016 21:37 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Ohio State University administrator faces calls for dismissal after seeking compassion for Sudden Jihad student
[CLEVELAND] Have a bit of compassion for Himmler, too.
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  'Higher Education' - yep. More like paper mills running on taxpayers dimes for the intellectually mediocre. State universities should focus on STEMs and leave the 'liberal' arts to private schools.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/04/2016 8:32 Comments || Top||

#2  Make accreditation a pure accounting exercise: Graduation rate x employment rate x ongoing salary history rate. Problem solved.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 12/04/2016 10:39 Comments || Top||

#3  Black academic administrator = Black and Terrorist Lives Matter™
Posted by: Frank G || 12/04/2016 10:46 Comments || Top||

#4  State universities have become microcosms of the Federal government. Federal laws, mandates, and bureaucracy are imposed on the state universities. Federal money has far too much influence on State universities. The money causes universities to become politicized in all facets--even to the extent of imposing a left-wing ideology and culture. Taxpayer money should not be sent to Washington first and then only a part of it sent back to the universities. The State universities should be run by the States.
Posted by: JohnQC || 12/04/2016 10:48 Comments || Top||

#5  JQC - what a novel idea! State stuff should be controlled by the states! We shoulda put that in the Constitution!

Oh, wait...
Posted by: Bobby || 12/04/2016 12:24 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
7 Year Old Girl Shoots Her First Deer
Young gun! Moment a seven-year-old Texas girl named Lilly fires a high-powered hunting rifle (AR-15) by herself and takes down an adult deer. Since then, it’s been viewed more than two million times (on Facebook) and has gotten thousands of shares.

The proud father says he recently felt Lilly was prepared to shoot her first deer and wanted to capture the milestone on camera, Fox 4 News reported.

'We have a passion for the outdoors, and (the video) was primarily intended to be for family and friends,' Klapper told the station. 'But now that it has had 1.4 million views, I hope that it inspires other parents to get their children into the outdoors.'

Posted by: Shavilet Ulinemp7957 || 12/04/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Yeah, that's the weapon that frightened the lib so badly before the election.
Posted by: Skidmark || 12/04/2016 0:36 Comments || Top||

#2  Yep. But them 7 year olds out in flyover land ain't afraid of nothing!

Posted by: Hupuper Thalet7860 || 12/04/2016 2:28 Comments || Top||

#3  Meh. The .223 is not "a high-powered" anything. It is an intermediate round.
Posted by: Iblis || 12/04/2016 11:35 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Chechen cleric denies Kadyrov apologized to Saudis over fatwa
[RFE/RL] Chechnya's leading Islamic cleric has formally rejected suggestions that Chechen chief Ramzan Kadyrov was made to visit Saudi Arabia to apologize for a religious edict that was seen as a snub of Salafism. Mufti Salakh-hadzhi Mezhiyev called "untrue and an outright lie" reports that Kadyrov went to Jiddah to offer apologies for the fatwa, adopted at a conference in Grozny three months ago, that designated Salafism as "an aberrant sect."

Several media outlets in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had reported that Kadyrov did indeed present his apologies. Whether the remarks attributed to him constitute a genuine apology is a matter of interpretation, however.

The August conference of Islamic scholars was tied to the 65th birthday of Kadyrov's late father, Akhmed-hadzhi Kadyrov. Its stated purpose was to discuss the abuse of Islamic ideas to propagate "extremism."

Regardless of the motives for Kadyrov's reported apology or the terms in which it was possibly couched, two separate Russian scholars of Islam commentators have already concluded that he has irrevocably sabotaged any chances he may have had to secure for himself recognition in the Arab world as the leader of Russia's Muslims.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/04/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


China-Japan-Koreas
U.S. Warns China It Will Target Firms for Illicit North Korea Business
[Free Beacon] WASHINGTON (Reuters) ‐ The United States has warned China it will blacklist Chinese companies and banks that do illicit business with North Korea if Beijing fails to enforce U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang, according to senior State Department officials.

The tougher U.S. approach reflects growing impatience with China and a view that it has not strictly enforced existing sanctions to help curb Pyongyang’s nuclear program, which a U.S. policy of both sanctions and diplomacy has failed to dent.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave the message to Chinese officials in meetings in Beijing in October after North Korea conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test, the officials said.

U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the importance of choking off financial flows to Pyongyang during a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in New York on Nov. 1.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/04/2016 02:20 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Another death-row convict acquitted after 11 years in jail
[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: The Sup­reme Court stepped in on Friday to correct the mistakes committed by the trial court and the high court, and acquitted a convict after 11 years of imprisonment. A district and sessions judge in Mandi Bahauddin had sentenced Mohammad Anar to death on a murder charge in 2005, but the Lahore High Court later converted the capital punishment into life imprisonment.

A three-judge SC bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa ordered immediate release of Mohammad Anar for want of solid prosecution and owing to contradictory evidence against him.
Are you beginning to wonder what these decisions are going for?
Posted by: Fred || 12/04/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Science & Technology
Uber can now track passengers' locations after they are dropped off even when the app is closed
[Daily Mail] Uber can now track their passengers' locations after they are dropped off and even when their app has been closed.

A new update to Uber's app allows the global taxi service to collect passenger data up to five minutes after a journey has finished.

Previously Uber had only been able to do this when their app was open.

The firm believe that the data will cut down on the frustrating back-and-forth often experienced by customers, as drivers try to ascertain exactly where their passengers are. On its website Uber said: 'Uber collects your location data from the time of trip request through five minutes after the trip ends, including when the app is in the background.

'We do this to improve pickups, drop-offs, customer service, and to enhance safety. Trip Related Location Data is collected during the following times.'

On the app users can choose between two information sharing options labelled 'Always' and 'Never'.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/04/2016 02:54 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I really like riding my bicycle.
Posted by: Abu Uluque || 12/04/2016 11:26 Comments || Top||

#2  They and the NSA. Get a shield for your 'smart' phone.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/04/2016 13:58 Comments || Top||


Skynet is here with Estonian Bolo UGV
Video of the UGV in action at the link
[Defense-blog.com] The Estonian Defence Forces successfully tested the THeMIS ADDER weaponized fully modular unmanned ground vehicle.
Leave it to Estonia to come up with the first Bolo...
This unmanned vehicle was conceived by Milrem, a defense and security provider based in Estonia, who says ADDER will soon work alongside soldiers in the field.

‘Unmanned systems will play a significant role in the development of military capabilities in future,’ said Kuldar Väärsi, CEO of Milrem.
Posted by: badanov || 12/04/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
31[untagged]
7Islamic State
3Govt of Pakistan
3Moslem Colonists
3Taliban
2Houthis
2al-Nusra
2al-Shabaab
2Arab Spring
1Jamaat-e-Islami
1Govt of Syria
1Salafists
1Sublime Porte
1Govt of Iran
1Thai Insurgency

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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2016-12-04
  Puntland army launch anti-ISIL offensive in Qandala
Sat 2016-12-03
  IS uses female suicide bombers in Sirte
Fri 2016-12-02
  Aussie, French warships intercept arms for Houthis
Thu 2016-12-01
  'IS-linked' Ohio university attacker lived in Pakistan for 7 years: NYT
Wed 2016-11-30
  ISIS claims responsibility for Ohio State attack
Tue 2016-11-29
  Iranian small boats train weapons on US Navy Helicopters
Mon 2016-11-28
  Ohio State Stabbing: Somali Refugee (stabber) Killed
Sun 2016-11-27
  Iraq's parliament passes law legalising Shia militias
Sat 2016-11-26
  Fidel Castro dies aged 90
Fri 2016-11-25
  Suicide truck bomb kills about 100 in Iraq, mostly Iranian pilgrims
Thu 2016-11-24
  Wayne State University police officer dies after being shot in head
Wed 2016-11-23
  ISIS ‘resisting till their last breath’ in Sirte, Libya
Tue 2016-11-22
  ISIS claims responsibility behind Kabul mosque bombing that left 32 dead
Mon 2016-11-21
  Turkey’s Erdogan warns NATO on sheltering ‘terrorist’ plotters
Sun 2016-11-20
  Three Pakistani Men Apprehended in U.S. at Arizona Border

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