Staff Sgt. Federico Hudson cleans the nose art on a static C-54 aircraft on display at the Berlin Airlift Memorial site at the former Rhein Main Air Base near Frankfurt International Airport in Germany.
Sergeant Hudson and a team of approximately 30 volunteers from Ramstein AB spent three days cleaning the display aircraft for refurbishing in preparation for a Berlin Airlift 60th Anniversary Celebration to take place there in June.
States faulted over privacy breaches; tighter security urged
Scott Bauer, Associated Press Writer
MADISON — Tax forms were sent out to thousands of people in Wisconsin with their Social Security numbers on the mailing labels. A vendor hired by the state of Georgia lost a computer disk with the names and Social Security numbers of 2.9 million people. A disk with similar information disappeared in Rhode Island.
While some of the biggest and most spectacular privacy breaches in recent years have happened at large corporations, state governments have also mishandled or failed to protect some of the sensitive information entrusted to them — data that identity thieves would love to get their hands on.
Yet most states don’t have statewide privacy officers in charge of safeguarding data, statewide policies on protecting sensitive material, or standing procedures for responding to breaches.
“This is an area that has not gotten much attention, and there’s a lot of sensitive information stored by states. It’s not well-protected,” said Robert Ellis Smith, publisher of the monthly Privacy Journal newsletter.
In many states, wills, deeds, divorce papers, death certificates and other public documents that contain Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and signatures are accessible via government Web sites for free or a small charge — or through hacking.
With a few mouse clicks, privacy activist Betty “BJ” Ostergren has found Social Security numbers of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, football star Joe Namath and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
“Its just amazing to me that we’ve got this stuff and we are putting millions of people at risk,” Ostergren said.
Through her efforts, several states have blocked online access to certain records, or redacted information such as Social Security numbers.
Ostergren, who runs the Web site The Virginia Watchdog, said her goal isn’t to prevent people from seeing public documents, but to at least make it a little harder for them to do so, by making them go down to the local courthouse to pull files.
Over the past year or so, security breaches at the discount retailer TJX Cos., the Maine-based supermarket chain Hannaford Bros., and other corporations have exposed tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers and led to thousands of cases of fraud.
It is difficult to say whether states are better or worse than corporations at safeguarding private information, said Joanne McNabb, chief of California’s Office of Privacy Protection. The protections adopted by businesses aren’t as public as what governments are doing, she said.
According to one Web site that tracks data-loss cases, etiolated.org, since 2000 about 21 percent have come from state and federal government. The biggest share, 40 percent, comes from private businesses. The rest come from educational, medical or not-for-profit sectors.
Read the rest here.
It’s a Myth That the World’s Oil Is Running Out
From the April 27, 2008 Sunday Times (London)
by Irwin Stelzer
There are more misunderstandings about the oil market than perhaps any other. In America, drivers are fuming and politicians are demanding explanations because petrol has hit about $3.50 a gallon.
That’s 47p a litre, less than half the 105p-115p being paid by British motorists. So “high” in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Oxford, Mississippi, is “low” in similarly named cities in Britain.
But assume that prices are “high”, which indeed they are by historic standards.
We are mistaken when we think these “high” prices are causing inflation.
High oil prices can force consumers to spend more on petrol and heating oil, at the expense of other purchases.
Ask any suffering restaurateur or clothes retailer if you doubt that.
But high oil prices can’t trigger a rise in the general price level – inflation – unless someone pumps money into the economy so that, to use an oldie but goodie from the economists’ lexicon, there is more money chasing the same amount of goods.
If you want something to blame for inflation, don’t look at oil prices, look at the billions the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy gurus and their confederates at the US Treasury are pouring into the economic system.
Another myth: we are running out of oil.
According to WorldPublic Opinion.org, “majorities in 15 of the 16 nations surveyed around the world think that oil is running out . . . only 22% on average believe that ‘enough oil will be found so that it can remain a primary source of energy for the foreseeable future’ ”.
Those majorities who think we are running out of oil include 85% of the British and 76% of the American citizens polled.
Luckily, they are wrong.
Production of oil is being constrained by several forces, none of them due to God’s failure to put enough of the black gold under our feet.
Several countries that are important sources of supply are in political turmoil, and unable to bring to market the oil they are capable of producing.
Think Nigeria, where security problems have shut down about 20% of the nation’s capacity of 2.5m barrels a day and discouraged new investment, and Iraq, where political paralysis and terrorists have kept production at less than half its potential.
Read more here.
An RQ-3A Darkstar (top to bottom), MQ-1L Predator A and X-45A Joint Unmanned Combat Air System hang in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in a new exhibit of military unmanned aerial vehicles.
The exhibit, which opened to the public April 24, includes six UAVs from all four services and will be on display for the next 10 years.
Members of the Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride ride along the South Lawn drive at the White House April 24, 2008, during the kick off of the annual “Soldier Ride: White House to Lighthouse Challenge” bike ride.
White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian.
Wounded Warriors Get White House Send Off Before Soldier Ride
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2008 – A group of wounded warriors got a presidential send off at the White House today as they launched a three-day bicycle ride to show the world and themselves what they’re still capable of accomplishing.
President Bush joined Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England, and the secretaries of State and Veterans Affairs on the South Lawn, heralding the wounded warriors for their service, sacrifice and inspiration.
The riders set out on the “White House to Light House Challenge” that will take them from the White House to Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and Baltimore before they arrive in Annapolis, Md., April 27.
Bush praised the participant’s bravery and said he admires their courage and determination. “The three-day bike ride you’re starting today at the White House says a lot. It says that you’re showing that even when you’re wounded, you’re not done fighting,” he said.
Bush said the riders represent the spirit of the strongest military in the world and the greatest country on earth. “I’m thankful that we have brave men and women like you who step forward to protect America,” he said. “I’m proud to be your commander in chief.”
The United States owes those wounded serving the country “all the support they can possibly have,” he said.
“We owe them the best prosthesis, and if there’s a new advance, it will be made available for our folks,” he said. “We owe them a Veterans Health Administration that’s seamless and works well. We’ll give them the best medical care, and for the docs and nurses here, there’s no doubt in my mind our troops get the best medical care possible.”
Most of all, Bush said, “We owe them our thanks.”
Read more here.
Capt. James Anthony, commander of Co. C, 1-30th Inf. Regt., watches as children play at the al-Alemia school in Arab Jabour. Anthony and his company have helped to rebuild the school. (Courtesy photo)
Soldiers work to repair Arab Jabour schools
FOB Kalsu, Iraq, Thursday, 24 April 2008
By Sgt. Jason Stadel
After months of fighting, Coalition forces in Arab Jabour have rid the area of al-Qaeda in Iraq and turned their attention to rebuilding the community.
Those efforts have opened numerous schools, water pumps and health clinics in Arab Jabour. The Islah School, Al’ula School and al-Alemia School are currently undergoing repairs in Arab Jabour.
Capt. James Anthony, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and his Soldiers are overseeing the repair of the al-Alemia School in the Bayija village.
Anthony said the school was in disarray after AQI used it as a base of operations.
“The exterior walls were destroyed and whole classrooms were demolished,” said Anthony, from Byhalia, Miss. “All of the electrical wiring had been removed to include the generators powering the water filtration system.”
It was assessed that more than 50 percent of the area’s AQI leadership lived near the school.
The battalion conducted numerous combat operations in the area, resulting in many AQI members being killed, detained or fleeing. After the operations most of the AQI leadership was gone but they left behind dangerous traps for Coalition forces and citizens.
“Multiple (improvised explosive devices) were found on the school grounds, as well as in several of the stairwells and classrooms,” Anthony said.
Company C removed the IEDs and within two days nine teachers and more than 35 students began classes, Anthony said.
Company B, 1-30th Inf. Regt. Soldiers saw a similar trend at the Al’ula School in the village of Abd al-Salman. Since AQI was forced out of the area in late 2007 and early 2008, more than 800 children have returned to school.
When Anthony and his company saw residents’ eagerness for their children to return to school they made it a priority to repair and improve the school.
Read more here.
April 23, 2008
________________________________________
I recently informed the Department of Defense of my intention to retire from the United States Air Force. That will take effect on the first of July, nearly 39 years after I entered on active duty. The military has in that time given me and my family tremendous opportunities, in this country and overseas. Together, we have grown, both in our stock of experiences and in our appreciation for those with whom we have served.
My personal decision to conclude an immensely rewarding Air Force career is a product of practical considerations related to military retirement. After I leave the military, I will continue as CIA Director, aware as always that my service at the Agency is at the pleasure of the President.
Since coming to CIA in May 2006, I have been privileged to be part of two exceptional organizations. The Agency and the Air Force have a great deal in common, far more than just the birthday they share. They are both dedicated to the protection of our country, its values and ideals. The Americans who give life to each of those essential communities blend knowledge with curiosity, skill with courage, and strength with decency. For those reasons, and thanks to you, I have always felt at home here at CIA. I have never sensed that my uniform was an issue at the nation’s premier center of civilian intelligence.
I look forward to working with you, the men and women of CIA, beyond the close of my time in the United States Air Force. Your commitment to mission and your accomplishments in so many challenging fields are a true inspiration.
Mike Hayden
U.S. Marines from Charlie Battery, with 1st Battalion, 11th Marines Regiment escort private investors during a tour in Al Medinah As Siyahiyah, Iraq, April 6, 2008.
Marines with the unit are working with the director of Al Medinah As Siyahiyah to try to get Iraqi businessmen to invest in the town to rebuild the resort and attract tourism.
A U.S. Air Force pilot aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle conducts a mission over Afghanistan, April 14, 2008. The F-15 frequently performs shows of force to deter enemy activities and protect coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The ten seniormost al Qaeda in Iraq leaders killed or captured in March and April.
The Long War Journal: Targeting al Qaeda in Iraq’s network, March-April 2008
Written by Bill Roggio on April 19, 2008 8:54 PM to The Long War Journal
As Coalition and Iraqi security forces work to dismantle al Qaeda in Iraq’s network nationwide, al Qaeda is attempting to reestablish operations in its former stronghold in Baghdad as well as in the northern city of Mosul. Al Qaeda’s ability to conduct large-scale, coordinated attacks has diminished since the fall of 2007 as the security situation improved. But as yesterday’s suicide attacks in Baqubah, Mosul, Ramadi, and Baghdad show, al Qaeda still maintains some capacity to coordinate operations and target civilians.
US and Iraqi security forces have killed or captured 53 senior members of al Qaeda in Iraq’s network over the past month, Major General Kevin Bergner, the spokesman for Multinational Forces Iraq said during an operations briefing on April 15 in Baghdad. Bergner singled out the ten senior-most al Qaeda leaders. US and Iraqi forces have killed or captured five emirs, or leaders, three cell leaders and two facilitators – operatives in charge of moving men, weapons, explosives, and money to allow al Qaeda to continue operations. Nine of the ten senior operatives have been captured, which allows the Coalition and Iraqi forces to interrogate for information to paint a better picture of al Qaeda’s network.
Of these senior al Qaeda operatives killed or captured, three were responsible for operations in Mosul, and four in Baghdad. Joint forces killed or captured the leader of Mosul, his deputy, and, the leader of the eastern half of the city. In Baghdad, security forces killed or captured two leaders and two facilitators.
Bill Would Ban Cell Phone Chatter on U.S. Flights
by Chloe Albanesius
For many of us, the opportunity to power down the cell phone or disconnect from the Internet during an airplane ride is a welcome respite from being constantly connected, but technologies that will soon allow for Web browsing and cell phone service from 35,000 feet could disrupt those moments of solitude.
Several members of Congress want to ensure that your domestic flights are not interrupted by one-sided cell phone chatter. They introduced a bill on Tuesday that would ban passengers on U.S. flights from talking on their mobile phones, should that technology become available.
Text messaging and surfing the Web would be permissible, according to the bill.
The measure, H.R. 5788, comes a week after the European Union voted to allow cell phone use on commercial flights.
“Last year was one of the worst on record for flight cancellations, delays and lost luggage,” bill co-sponsor Rep. Jerry Costello, R-Ill., said in a statement. “Now is not the time to consider making the airline passenger-experience any worse and using cell phones in-flight would do just that.”
“The free market wasn’t adequate to regulate smoking on planes and it won’t be sufficient to regulate cell phones either,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore.
“This bill will ensure a relative amount of peace for the American public as they take to an increasingly crowded sky,” said Rep. John Hunter, R-Tenn.
Bill sponsors cited a poll sponsored by the Association of Flight Attendants and the National Consumers League that found only 21 percent of passengers in favor of removing restrictions on airplane cell phone use.
CTIA, which represents the wireless industry, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Here’s a thought: make those calls automatically subject to intercepting without recourse to the FISA rules, and provide the results on a fast track to the homeland security people.
Judge orders mistrial in Miami terrorism case
MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge has declared another mistrial against six men accused of plotting to spark an anti-government war by toppling Chicago’s Sears Tower and bombing FBI offices.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard ordered a mistrial when jurors reported they were deadlocked after 13 days of deliberation in the case of the so-called “Liberty City Seven.” The first trial ended in a mistrial in December because of a hung jury for the same six defendants and the acquittal of a seventh.
Lenard set an April 23 hearing on whether a third trial would occur. U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said in a statement a decision on whether to try the men a third time would be announced at that hearing.
The six could have faced up to 70 years in prison if convicted of four conspiracy charges.
Defense lawyers indicated in court they would seek to have the men released on bail at next week’s hearing.
Jurors in this trial first reported a stalemate last Friday and sent out a second note reporting an impasse on Tuesday. Each time, Lenard ordered the seven-man, five-woman jury, whose names are secret, to keep trying.
“They’ve deliberated. They’ve discussed this case inside and out,” said Rod Vereen, who represents defendant Stanley Phanor. “At this point, enough is enough.”
Read the rest here.
Forty bundles of humanitarian supplies are dropped from a C-17 Globemaster III using the Joint Precision Airdrop Delivery System to a drop zone in Afghanistan, April 13, 2008. The U.S. aircrew is from the 17th Airlift Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.
Face of Defense: Soldier From Sudan Becomes U.S. Citizen in Mass Ceremony
By Army Sgt. Jasmine Chopra
Special to American Forces Press Service
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, April 14, 2008 – Two hundred fifty-nine foreign-born U.S. troops serving throughout Iraq became American citizens at Al Faw Palace here April 12 in the largest U.S.
naturalization ceremony to date in Iraq.
Among the newest citizens were several soldiers who entered the United States as refugees from war-torn nations, including Spc. Simon Nbenye, an Arabic interpreter with Company D, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
Born in war-ravaged Sudan, a place where youth are sometimes snatched from their homes and forced to fight as child soldiers in a bloody civil war, Nbenye and his family faced religious and racial persecution from the Arab-Islamic government.
“The situation was terrible for my family,” Nbenye said. “No jobs, no finances and too, too much violence.”
Part of the Nbenye family, including Simon, moved to the Sudanese capital, while other family members stayed south in the town of Maridi. Fearing his son would be forced to become a soldier, Nbenye’s father urged his son to flee Sudan.
“They go to your home, knock on your door and ask your father where you are. If he refuses to get you, they kill him, get you and put you in the army. There is no guarantee you’ll ever make it back home alive, and they send you down to kill your own people,” Nbenye said. “I had friends from school who were captured, sent to fight, and I have never seen them again.”
Travelling illegally through several countries in Africa including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Egypt, Nbenye finally connected with the United Nations office in Cairo and gained refugee status. He entered the United States legally in 2001.
“When they granted me refugee status, it gave me so much hope,” Nbenye said. “It meant for me a chance to start a new life in a safe place.”
In 2006, upon hearing the Army needed Arabic speakers to help with the global war on terrorism, Nbenye, fluent in Arabic, enlisted.
“America did something good for my life and my family by accepting me, so I decided I want to do something for the American people to show them I am grateful,” Nbenye said.
Until he came to the United States, he had never truly experienced freedom, Nbenye said. “My whole life, there is war in my country. No peace, never knowing for sure if you go out, you’ll come back home. In America things are different. I feel safe.”
Now that he is a citizen, Nbenye said he hopes to get a better job, visit his family in Sudan, and help them become American citizens too.
More than 40,000 service members are not American citizens, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. These foreign-born men and women have pledged commitment to the U.S. Constitution by serving in the military, and many are availing themselves of a July 2002 executive order making members of the armed forces immediately eligible to apply for citizenship. Nearly 5,000 service members have earned U.S. citizenship while serving abroad since 2004, U.S. officials said.
American Forces Press Service News
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