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Wednesday December 4th, 2013
"It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts." --Geoff Metcalf Updated 1001 PST  World & National Some Reid staffers exempt from Obamacare exchanges  Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, one of Obamacare's architects and staunchest supporters, is also the only top congressional leader to exempt some of his staff from having to buy insurance through the law's new exchanges. Reid is the exception among the other top congressional leaders. GOP House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have all directed their staffs to join the exchange, their aides said. In the charged atmosphere surrounding Obamacare, Reid's decision only gives Republicans more ammo to attack Democrats already suffering politically from the law's botched rollout. Europe Fines Banks $2.3 Billion for Fixing Rates LIBOR benchmark rate at issue  The European Union has fined eight banks, including behemoths like Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland, a total of 1.7 billion euros ($2.3 billion) for their part in an interest rate rigging scandal that rocked the financial world last year. The LIBOR, which stands for the London Interbank Offered Rate, refers to a set of interest rates banks that pay each other to borrow money for very short periods of time. It is a so-called “benchmark” rate from which trillions of dollars in common financial instruments like high yield debt or students loans are priced, and banker are accused of manipulating the rate for years. The penalty announced Wednesday in Europe is just the latest in a series of regulatory actions which have now cost big banks more than $5 trillion in penalties. 'Extremely dangerous' radioactive theft in Mexico: UN atomic agency Thieves in Mexico have stolen a truck carrying "extremely dangerous" radioactive material used in medical treatment, the UN atomic watchdog said Wednesday. The vehicle was transporting a "teletherapy source" containing cobalt-60 from a hospital in the northern city of Tijuana to a radioactive waste storage centre when it was stolen in Tepojaco near Mexico City on Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. "At the time the truck was stolen, the source was properly shielded. However, the source could be extremely dangerous to a person if removed from the shielding, or if it was damaged," an IAEA statement said. Harvard Poll: US Youth Unhappy with Obama's Job Performance Young Americans are unhappy with virtually every major thing President Barack Obama has done since he was re-elected, but they would still vote for him today, according to the results of a Harvard University survey released on Wednesday. The national poll by Harvard's Institute of Politics of more than 2,000 people aged 18 through 29 is intended to provide insight into the political views of the youngest U.S. voters, an increasingly influential demographic known as the "millennial generation." Poof: Public says America's world leadership has tumbled to 40-year low For the first time in nearly 40 years, a majority of Americans believe the United States is less important around the world and that it should mind its own business, a stunning rejection of President Obama’s foreign policy just four years after he received the Nobel Prize. A new Pew Research Center poll found that 53 percent of people believe that the U.S. is playing a less important role as a world leader than a decade ago, the highest figure since 1974. Worse: 70 percent said that the U.S. is respected less than in the past, almost matching the high reached under former President George W. Bush, whose foreign policy Obama pledged to reverse. Obamacare Lawsuits Mount as Nortre Dame Joins Scrum of Opponents Hours after the University of Notre Dame filed a religious challenge to the U.S. health-care overhaul in Indiana federal court, a judge in Washington heard arguments in a lawsuit assailing tax provisions of the statute. The cases underscore the persistent and diverse nature of legal attacks on the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act even as the Obama administration struggles to fix bugs in healthcare.gov, the online marketplace for health insurance created by the measure. Obamacare litigation continues partly because questions about its legitimacy as a piece partisan legislation are unresolved, said Ilya Shapiro, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington and an opponent of the act. The statute passed Congress without Republican support in either the House or Senate. Rep. Goodlatte: Obama Needs Refresher Course on Separation of Powers President Barack Obama needs a refresher course on the government's separation of powers because he's altered and changed laws enacted by Congress, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte said Wednesday. "Our constitutional law professor president needs a refresher course on the separation of powers provisions in our United States Constitution," the Virginia Republican told Fox News' "America's Newsroom." Goodlatte maintained the president overstepped his legal authority when he made changes to Obamacare. Tuesday the Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine the constitutionality of President Obama's executive use of powers. Obama Not Yet Enrolled in Namesake Health Law Despite promising to enroll in his controversial and problem-plagued signature healthcare legislation, President Obama is still not a customer. “I don’t have an update for you on that," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday at his daily briefing, USA Today reports. "I know that he will and has said that he will." In March 2010 the White House announced that Obama 'will participate in the exchange,' the vernacular for the insurance marketplaces. Ambassador Javits: US Must Take Hard Line with Iran If the United States wants to be successful with Iran, then it must take a hard line coupled with respect or it could end up on the "losing end" of the temporary agreement aimed at ending Tehran's nuclear development program, says a former U.S. ambassador who has dealt with Iran on nuclear issues. "If you took a very hard line, but then spent a lot of time with a lot of respect and tolerance and patience, explaining why that hard line was necessary and what other things you might be able to do for them if they accept the hard line, [it] generally worked out favorably," Eric Javits explained in an interview Tuesday with Newsmax TV. Obama war chiefs widen drone kill box Lethality of collateral damage ‘must not be excessive’ The Pentagon has loosened its guidelines on avoiding civilian casualties during drone strikes, modifying instructions from requiring military personnel to “ensure” civilians are not targeted to encouraging service members to “avoid targeting” civilians. In addition, instructions now tell commanders that collateral damage “must not be excessive” in relation to mission goals, according to Public Intelligence, a nonprofit research group that analyzed the military’s directives on drone strikes. Pentagon weighing 'second start' for overexposed youth in social media The Pentagon is considering offering a “second start” to young people who have exposed behavior online that would disqualify them for military service, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday. “[I] worry a bit about … the young men and women that are now in their early teens who probably underestimate the impact of their persona in social media, and what impact that may have later in life on security clearances and promotions and selections,” Army Gen. Martin Dempsey said during a conference in Washington. The Human Wealth of Nations The latest Program for International Student Assessment global education scores are a warning to both parties. Are the schools that serve the world's leading economy really only as good as those in Hungary, Lithuania, Vietnam and Russia? That's the conundrum posed by Tuesday's news of one more mediocre U.S. showing on international educational progress. If the findings land amid exaggerated angst about national decline, they still suggest that both Washington and the 50 states ought to be less complacent about prosperity and human capital. Since 1998, the Program for International Student Assessment, or Pisa, has ranked 15-year-old kids around the world on common reading, math and science tests. The U.S. brings up the middle—again—among 65 education systems that make up fourth-fifths of the global economy. The triennial Pisa report also shows—again—that East Asian countries like Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea produce the best outcomes. The Coming Global Wealth Tax Indebted governments may soon consider a big one-time levy on capital assets. Between ObamaCare, Iran and last quarter's uptick in U.S. economic growth, taxpayers these days may be distracted from several dangers to come. But households from the United States to Europe and Japan may soon face fiscal shocks worse than any market crash. The White House and New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio aren't the only ones calling for higher taxes (especially on the wealthy), as voices from the International Monetary Fund to billionaire investor Bill Gross increasingly make the case too. In his November investment commentary for bond giant Pimco, Mr. Gross asks the "Scrooge McDucks of the world" to accept higher personal income taxes and to stop expecting capital to be taxed at lower rates than labor. As for the IMF, its latest Fiscal Monitor report argues that taxing the wealthy offers "significant revenue potential at relatively low efficiency costs." The context for this argument is the IMF's expectation that in advanced economies the ratio of public debt to gross domestic product will reach a historic peak of 110% next year, 35 percentage points above its 2007 level. Medal of
Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. GeneTrerally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress. The first award of the Medal of Honor was made March 25, 1863 to Private JACOB PARROTT.The last award of the Medal of Honor was made September 15, 2011 to Sergeant DAKOTA MEYER. Since then there have been: • 3458 recipients of the Medal of Honor. • Today there are 85 Living Recipients of the Medal of Honor.  CSM Jon R. Caviani UNITED STATES ARMY CAVAIANI, JON R. Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Vietnam Training Advisory Group, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 4 and 5 June 1971. Entered service at: Fresno, Calif. Born: 2 August 1943, Royston, England. Citation: S/Sergeant. Cavaiani distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action in the Republic of Vietnam on 4 and 5 June 1971 while serving as a platoon leader to a security platoon providing security for an isolated radio relay site located within enemy-held territory. On the morning of 4 June 1971, the entire camp came under an intense barrage of enemy small arms, automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenade and mortar fire from a superior size enemy force. S/Sergeant. Cavaiani acted with complete disregard for his personal safety as he repeatedly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire in order to move about the camp's perimeter directing the platoon's fire and rallying the platoon in a desperate fight for survival. S/Sergeant. Cavaiani also returned heavy suppressive fire upon the assaulting enemy force during this period with a variety of weapons. When the entire platoon was to be evacuated, S/Sergeant. Cavaiani unhesitatingly volunteered to remain on the ground and direct the helicopters into the landing zone. S/Sergeant. Cavaiani was able to direct the first 3 helicopters in evacuating a major portion of the platoon. Due to intense increase in enemy fire, S/Sergeant. Cavaiani was forced to remain at the camp overnight where he calmly directed the remaining platoon members in strengthening their defenses. On the morning of S June, a heavy ground fog restricted visibility. The superior size enemy force launched a major ground attack in an attempt to completely annihilate the remaining small force. The enemy force advanced in 2 ranks, first firing a heavy volume of small arms automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenade fire while the second rank continuously threw a steady barrage of hand grenades at the beleaguered force. S/Sergeant. Cavaiani returned a heavy barrage of small arms and hand grenade fire on the assaulting enemy force but was unable to slow them down. He ordered the remaining platoon members to attempt to escape while he provided them with cover fire. With 1 last courageous exertion, S/Sergeant. Cavaiani recovered a machine gun, stood up, completely exposing himself to the heavy enemy fire directed at him, and began firing the machine gun in a sweeping motion along the 2 ranks of advancing enemy soldiers. Through S/Sergeant. Cavaiani's valiant efforts with complete disregard for his safety, the majority of the remaining platoon members were able to escape. While inflicting severe losses on the advancing enemy force, S/Sergeant. Cavaiani was wounded numerous times. S/Sergeant. Cavaiani's conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army. |
         
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