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FCC Chair Refuses to Testify before Congress ahead of Net Neutrality Vote
Two prominent House committee chairs are “deeply
disappointed” in Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler
for refusing to testify before Congress as “the future of the Internet
is at stake.”
Wheeler’s refusal to go before the House Oversight Committee on
Wednesday comes on the eve of the FCC’s vote on new Internet regulations
pertaining to net neutrality. The committee’s chairman, Representative
Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah), and Energy and Commerce Committee chairman
Fred Upton (R., Mich.) criticized Wheeler and the administration for
lacking transparency on the issue.
“So long as the chairman continues to insist on secrecy, we will
continue calling for more transparency and accountability at the
commission,” Chaffetz and Upton said in a statement. “Chairman Wheeler
and the FCC are not above Congress.”
Eleventh-Hour Drama for Net Neutrality
A Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission wants to see changes
that could narrow the scope of new net neutrality rules set for a vote
on Thursday.
Mignon Clyburn, one of three Democrats on the FCC, has asked Chairman
Tom Wheeler to roll back some of his provisions before the full
commission votes on them, FCC officials said.
The request — which Wheeler has yet to respond to — puts the chairman in
the awkward position of having to either roll back his proposals, or
defend the tough rules and convince Clyburn to back down.
Hillary Clinton Endorses FCC's Title II Designation for the Internet
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton signaled support
for the Federal Communications Commission upcoming vote to make the
internet a Title II public utility.
When asked directly by Re/Code’s Kara Swisher if she supported the
FCC’s upcoming vote, she said she supported President Obama’s position
on the issue.
“I would vote for net neutrality, because as I understand it, it’s
Title II with a lot of changes within it in order to avoid the worst of
the utility regulation,” she said. “It’s a foot in the door, it’s a
value statement, I think the president is right to be upfront and out
front on that.”
Senate GOP Wave White Flag on Amnesty
The Senate majority leader is making his move to try and prevent a shutdown.
McConnell told reporters Tuesday that after two months of begging, he
would finally agree to give Democrats a clean vote to fund DHS through
the end of the fiscal year. The funding, based on an agreement between
Democratic and Republican appropriators last year, would come with no
strings attached.
"I've indicated to the Democratic leader that I'd be happy to have his
cooperation to advance the consideration of a clean DHS bill which would
carry us through till September 30th," McConnell said to press Tuesday.
Iran attacks replica US ship in military drill
Iran's Revolutionary Guard launches a large-scale naval
and air defence drill near a strategic Gulf waterway, during which a
replica of a US aircraft carrier is used as a target
Iranian state television has broadcast footage showing military drills which target a replica of a US aircraft carrier.
Video appears to show missiles being fired from the coast and speedboats striking the vessel.
The exercises, which also included the shooting down of a drone and
planting undersea mines, were the first to involve a replica of a US
aircraft carrier.
Ex-Marine convicted in 'Sniper' trial faces life in prison
A Texas jury has rejected the insanity defense of a former Marine in the
deaths of famed "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle and another man.
After a two-week trial in which jurors heard testimony about defendant
Eddie Ray Routh's erratic behavior, including statements about anarchy,
the apocalypse and pig-human hybrids, they convicted Routh Tuesday night
in the deaths of Kyle and Chad Littlefield at a Texas shooting range
two years ago.
Hacker Attack Knocks Out NYC Government
The FBI, NYPD and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis
Center are investigating a hacking attack against the city's email
system that left all agencies unable to receive messages last week.
According to a City Hall source, the "universal" denial of service
attack had been slowed but there was still "ongoing malicious activity"
as recently as Monday.
Susan Rice: Netanyahu Visit 'Destructive'?
President
Barack Obama’s national security adviser is calling Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to address Congress next week
“destructive” to U.S.-Israel relations.
Susan Rice told
PBS Tuesday that Netanyahu’s decision to accept House Speaker John
Boehner’s invitation has injected partisanship into bilateral
relations. She called that “destructive of the fabric of the
relationship.”
Rice said the relationship has always been bipartisan, and needs to stay that way.
BiPartisan Coaltion to Press Congress on Criminal Justice Overhaul
Effort marks a shift from years past; ‘there are actually places where we can work together’
A small, motley
coalition of Republicans and Democrats have found common ground on what
was once among the most divisive and partisan of political issues:
crime.
A tenuous
working relationship and grudging respect has emerged between President
Barack Obama and liberal Democrats on one side and a handful of
conservatives including Republican Sen. Rand Paul on the other over the
need to overhaul the federal criminal justice system.
China drops leading technology brands for state purchases
China has
dropped some of the world's leading technology brands from its approved
state purchase lists, while approving thousands more locally made
products, in what some say is a response to revelations of widespread
Western cybersurveillance.
Others put the shift down to a protectionist impulse to shield China's domestic technology industry from competition.
Applauding an elegant conservative
Recently, I was
temporarily placed on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s watch list for
extremism simply because I vocally support traditional marriage. I
remember thinking: When did advocating for lifelong love between one
man and one woman become a hate crime? Fortunately, the group saw the
folly of its ways and apologized, removing me from the list.
It was a small
battle, a blip in the daily life of someone who has entered the
political arena. And I enjoyed the support of many who rallied in the
conservative media to my cause to help reverse such a silly
distinction. But it wasn’t that long ago when liberal extremism tried
to suffocate traditional values, and there were few media voices to
come to the rescue.
There was one,
though, so powerful and elegant, persistent yet graceful. Her name is
Phyllis Schlafly. And for the last 90 years she has been a tireless
advocate for the nuclear family, for traditional marriage and for
common-sense conservatism that resists injecting government into every
aspect of our lives. On Wednesday night, she will be honored at the
Paul Weyrich Awards dinner that precedes the start of the annual
Conservative Political Action Conference.
Repsecting enither characetr nor Constitution
Obama has no use for fellow Americans who disagree with his amnesty plan
Not long ago,
American presidents waged bitter fights with their political opponents
in Congress, and in the end arrived at a civil compromise. President
Obama consistently shows that he lacks the skill set, work ethic,
political courage or humility to follow the path of his predecessors.
Few personified
the statesmanlike relationship between branches of American government
better than House Speaker Tip O’Neill and President Ronald Reagan. Each
held strong and usually opposing views based on philosophy and
principle. When necessary, they fought each other mercilessly. At the
end of the day, though, both put aside their differences and worked
together for the good of the nation.
How times have changed.
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.
BENAVIDEZ, ROY P.
Rank: Master Sergeant
Organization: U.S. Army
Company: Detachment B-56
Division: 5th Special Forces Group
BENAVIDEZ, ROY P.
Citation
Master Sergeant (then Staff Sergeant) Roy P. Benavidez
United States Army, who distinguished himself by a series of daring and
extremely valorous actions on 2 May 1968 while assigned to Detachment
B56, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, Republic
of Vietnam. On the morning of 2 May 1968, a 12-man Special Forces
Reconnaissance Team was inserted by helicopters in a dense jungle area
west of Loc Ninh, Vietnam to gather intelligence information about
confirmed large-scale enemy activity. This area was controlled and
routinely patrolled by the North Vietnamese Army. After a short period
of time on the ground, the team met heavy enemy resistance, and
requested emergency extraction. Three helicopters attempted extraction,
but were unable to land due to intense enemy small arms and
anti-aircraft fire. Sergeant Benavidez was at the Forward Operating
Base in Loc Ninh monitoring the operation by radio when these
helicopters returned to off-load wounded crewmembers and to assess
aircraft damage. Sergeant Benavidez voluntarily boarded a returning
aircraft to assist in another extraction attempt. Realizing that all
the team members were either dead or wounded and unable to move to the
pickup zone, he directed the aircraft to a nearby clearing where he
jumped from the hovering helicopter, and ran approximately 75 meters
under withering small arms fire to the crippled team. Prior to reaching
the team's position he was wounded in his right leg, face, and head.
Despite these painful injuries, he took charge, repositioning the team
members and directing their fire to facilitate the landing of an
extraction aircraft, and the loading of wounded and dead team members.
He then threw smoke canisters to direct the aircraft to the team's
position. Despite his severe wounds and under intense enemy fire, he
carried and dragged half of the wounded team members to the awaiting
aircraft. He then provided protective fire by running alongside the
aircraft as it moved to pick up the remaining team members. As the
enemy's fire intensified, he hurried to recover the body and classified
documents on the dead team leader. When he reached the leader's body,
Sergeant Benavidez was severely wounded by small arms fire in the
abdomen and grenade fragments in his back. At nearly the same moment,
the aircraft pilot was mortally wounded, and his helicopter crashed.
Although in extremely critical condition due to his multiple wounds,
Sergeant Benavidez secured the classified documents and made his way
back to the wreckage, where he aided the wounded out of the overturned
aircraft, and gathered the stunned survivors into a defensive
perimeter. Under increasing enemy automatic weapons and grenade fire,
he moved around the perimeter distributing water and ammunition to his
weary men, reinstilling in them a will to live and fight. Facing a
buildup of enemy opposition with a beleaguered team, Sergeant Benavidez
mustered his strength, began calling in tactical air strikes and
directed the fire from supporting gunships to suppress the enemy's fire
and so permit another extraction attempt. He was wounded again in his
thigh by small arms fire while administering first aid to a wounded
team member just before another extraction helicopter was able to land.
His indomitable spirit kept him going as he began to ferry his comrades
to the craft. On his second trip with the wounded, he was clubbed from
additional wounds to his head and arms before killing his adversary. He
then continued under devastating fire to carry the wounded to the
helicopter. Upon reaching the aircraft, he spotted and killed two enemy
soldiers who were rushing the craft from an angle that prevented the
aircraft door gunner from firing upon them. With little strength
remaining, he made one last trip to the perimeter to ensure that all
classified material had been collected or destroyed, and to bring in
the remaining wounded. Only then, in extremely serious condition from
numerous wounds and loss of blood, did he allow himself to be pulled
into the extraction aircraft. Sergeant Benavidez' gallant choice to
join voluntarily his comrades who were in critical straits, to expose
himself constantly to withering enemy fire, and his refusal to be
stopped despite numerous severe wounds, saved the lives of at least
eight men. His fearless personal leadership, tenacious devotion to
duty, and extremely valorous actions in the face of overwhelming odds
were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service,
and reflect the utmost credit on him and the United States Army.
From the Archives
American Fairness to a Fault — a Deadly One
Tuesday, 10 Nov 2009 02:28 PM
American’s tragic flaw is our unbridled fairness, which has been
corrupted ever more by the cancer of political correctness to the point
we put ourselves at risk rather than create even the perception of
prejudice.
Sometime after the VOLAR (all volunteer) Army, the military veered from
the “yes sir, yes sir, three bags full” blind adherence to all orders to
the concept of refusing “unlawful orders” and that was ostensibly a
good thing.
However, the uniformed services do not set or get to pick and choose
foreign policy. The civilian leadership sets foreign policy, and the
U.S. military enforces it — with a big, honking combined arms stick.
Retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters has been one of the rare pundits with the
courage to target the “culture of political correctness” in leadership
of the military. In at least two interviews on Fox, Peters (correctly)
blamed the culture of political correctness for the Army’s diffidence in
taking action against Nidal Malik Hasan in the wake of knowledge of the
problem.
Many mechanisms exist for dealing with matters of deep conscience — all
without killing those one might think disagree with in principle.
However, it is not prejudice to discriminate based on threat facts in
evidence. Refusal to act judiciously for fear of a tainted perception is
just plain dumb.
Notwithstanding the articulated fears of the Army chief of staff and the
secretary of Homeland Security, officials made an epic mistake in
handling suspicions about Hasan. A mistake founded on political
correctness and sustained by diffidence that cost the lives of
innocents.
Reportedly, U.S. intelligence agencies were aware (months ago) that
Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with
al-Qaida. He spoke openly to too many people about his angst and
misdirected sympathies. He was apparently a poster child for suspicion,
and the Army failed bigtime to intervene.
“It is not known whether the intelligence agencies informed the Army
that one of its officers was seeking to connect with suspected al-Qaida
figures," the officials said.
But you damnbetcha they SHOULD have done so.
Investigators want to know whether Hasan maintained contact with a
radical mosque leader from Virginia, Anwar al Awlaki, who now lives in
Yemen and runs a Web site that promotes jihad around the world against
the United States.
In a recent blog posting titled "Nidal Hassan Did the Right Thing,"
Awlaki calls Hasan a "hero" and a "man of conscience who could not bear
living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that
is fighting against his own people."
Increasingly we are told people who knew or worked with Hasan say he
seemed to become gradually more radical in his condemnation of the war
in Iraq and Afghanistan. Subordinates and superiors had a responsibility
to flag the inappropriate rhetoric, and they apparently did not.
The fear to speak out is a symptom of the PC disease fueled by
recriminations and implied threats of discrimination — a fear that
indirectly resulted in mayhem.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman said, "If Hasan was showing signs, saying to
people that he had become an Islamist extremist, the U.S. Army has to
have a zero tolerance," and despite the echo of shutting the barn door
after the horse got out, he is right.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr. is concerned that speculation
about the religious beliefs of Hasan could “cause a backlash against
some of our Muslim soldiers.” He’s right, but such a backlash would be a
direct result of the failure of command — not prejudice.
When confronted about whether he thought the Army “dropped the ball” in
not responding to warning signs, Casey replied that the Army needs to be
careful not to jump to conclusions based on early tidbits of
information.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.-S.C., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., both of whom
are veterans, took pains to say that Muslims have served honorably in
the military and at risk to their lives.
“At the end of the day, this is not about his religion — the fact that
this man was a Muslim,” Graham said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
But, hey, it is (kinda/sorta) about religion (when the FBI says 10
percent of American Mosques preach jihad) — at least from a risk
analysis perspective.
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