Saturday, May24, 2014


News Clips For The Day


Boy Scouts Chief: I Oppose New Talks on Gay Adults in Scouting – NBC
BY MIRANDA LEITSINGER
First published May 23rd 2014

The new head of the Boy Scouts of America, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, said Friday he supports inclusion of gay adults in Scouting but opposes re-opening talks on the issue that has divided one of the country’s most popular youth organizations in recent years.

Gates was confirmed as the BSA president on Thursday at the group’s annual national meeting in Nashville. His appointment comes one year after the organization voted in a controversial ballot to allow gay youth - but not adults - to join Scouting.

"I was prepared to go further than the decision that was made," Gates told The Associated Press before delivering a speech at the meeting in remarks that were distributed by the BSA. "I would have supported having gay Scoutmasters, but at the same time, I fully accept the decision that was democratically arrived at by 1,500 volunteers (on the National Council) from across the entire country."

Gates said the membership issue "has left us divided, distracted and defensive."

"Given the strong feelings - the passion - involved on both sides of this matter, I believe strongly that to re-open the membership issue or try to take last year's decision to the next step would irreparably fracture and perhaps even provoke a formal, permanent split in this movement - with the high likelihood neither side would subsequently survive on its own.

"... And who would pay the price for destroying the Boy Scouts of America? Millions of Scouts today and Scouts yet unborn. ... Thus, during my time as president, I will oppose any effort to re-open the issue."

Gates made his comments a few days after NBC News obtained an internal resolution revealing that the organization had quietly voted to change the eligibility age of youth in Scouting, moving it down from 21 to 18 years old. The change will be implemented likely by spring 2015 and would mean that Scouts now considered youth from ages 18 to 20 would have to comply with adult membership standards – including the ban on open or avowed gays.

At the time of last year's ballot, BSA said all youth members – including in the programs whose maximum age was 21 – could remain in Scouting. Some considered the revelation earlier this week to be an about-face from that pledge.

Gates, an Eagle Scout, shepherded the military through the end of its "don't ask, don't tell" policy in 2011 and supporters of including gay adults had said they were hopeful that his appointment was a sign that change was coming to the BSA.

But Zach Wahls, co-founder of Scouts for Equality, which supports inclusion of gays, said in a statement: “We hope now that he (Gates) will do what all Eagle Scouts are charged to do: lead. His characterization of last year's decision as 'democratic' is unfortunate and untrue, as the resolution limiting inclusion to only youth was crafted by a small, unelected committee more concerned with avoiding criticism than with following the principles of the Scout Oath and Law."

“This is a copout,” he continued, “and it tarnishes the legacy Mr. Gates has built as a leader who bridged cultural and political divides and led the military — and now the Boy Scouts — into the 21st century.”




The new head of the Boy Scouts organization is former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who led the military away from the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” rule to full inclusion of acknowledged gays to the force. He stated that he welcomes gay adults into scouting, but opposes reopening talks on the issue due to the divisiveness of the subject. He states that it could cause a breach between the two groups and destroy the organization. The NBC article states that the Boy Scouts organization voted “quietly” a few days ago to reduce the eligibility age for youth to 18 from 21, with all older members having to qualify under adult rules which at this time do not admit gays.

This change is expected to take effect in the spring of 2015. “ Zach Wahls, co-founder of Scouts for Equality, said “'We hope now that he (Gates) will do what all Eagle Scouts are charged to do: lead. His characterization of last year's decision as 'democratic' is unfortunate and untrue, as the resolution limiting inclusion to only youth was crafted by a small, unelected committee more concerned with avoiding criticism than with following the principles of the Scout Oath and Law.'"

Personally, I don't think the Boy Scout or Girl Scout memberships should include people over 18 as they are fully mature and should be ready to strike out on their own, either to attend college, take a place of employment or to marry. I oppose the general tendency in modern US society to keep the young people “children” after they are physically and mentally ready to break away from their parents. I think some of the criminality that occurs in that age group is due to their need to live without “adult” supervision. They are ready to take responsibility for their lives.




Could 'Chocolate King' Petro Poroshenko Bring Stability to Ukraine? – NBC
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
First published May 23rd 2014

The Willy Wonka of Ukraine may be the best hope to end the crisis there.

Petro Poroshenko, a political survivor and pragmatist who made a fortune selling chocolate, is expected to cruise toward victory Sunday in the first presidential election in Ukraine since the country was gripped by upheaval, and then the forces of Russia.

Most everyone expects some interference from pro-Russian separatists who are fighting Ukrainian security forces in the east. The militants have smashed ballot boxes, threatened election staff and intimidated whole polling places into closing altogether.

But if voters show up in large numbers anyway, Ukraine analysts say, Poroshenko has a real chance at turning things around.

“He’s always been a sober man of the middle,” said John Herbst, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006. “He is the sole established politician who is perceived by Ukrainians as playing a responsible role in the crisis.”

Opinion polls in Ukraine show that no candidate can touch Poroshenko. Even if he fails to meet a 50 percent threshold, the same polls show that he would win a runoff election three weeks later.

His closest competition is probably Yulia Tymoshenko, who was jailed under ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, but analysts say that it would take a miracle for her to win. She is polling at 6 percent.

Poroshenko, 48, is estimated to be worth $1.6 billion. Critically, he made it building a company that has put chocolate and candy stores all over the country — not, as some other oligarchs did, feasting on state subsidies to industry.

He told supporters this week that he needs to win in the first round.

“A victory on May 25 will be our common victory,” he said at a rally south of Kiev, the capital. “This means, on May 26, there will be a commander-in-chief, success in the operation in the east, an end to chaos.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin told CNBC on Friday that Russia would respect the outcome of the election.

But the separatists will have their say, and the election will depend in part on the bravery of eastern Ukrainian voters. On Friday alone, hundreds of insurgents attacked government troops, leaving 20 insurgents dead.

Playing both sides

Poroshenko, 48, is soft-spoken and perceived in Ukraine as competent and levelheaded, the analysts say.

He aligned himself early this year with the demonstrators at Maidan Square in Kiev, who want Ukraine to develop closer ties with the West. But he also served in the government of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.

He supports stronger ties with Europe but wants to heal the rift with Russia.

“We must build a relationship with our neighbor,” he said this week — quickly stressing that Ukrainian security must come first, and that a healthy relationship with Russia depends on a strong Ukraine.

He promises to decentralize power and give the country’s regions greater power to manage their own money and other matters, which could help build support in the troubled east.

“Poroshenko is by nature a centrist,” said Herbst, the former ambassador. “There are no radical departures with him. He will not be perceived as an alien imposition on the east. That’s a good thing.”

Dealing with Russia

Herbst said Poroshenko would have two paths to solve the Russia problem.

One would be to make a deal with Putin, but that would probably require Ukraine to surrender its aspirations for closer economic ties with Europe. Another would be to strengthen the police and security forces and quell the rebellion in the east.

That would leave the Kremlin with two choices — up the ante by sending troops into Ukraine, inviting much harsher sanctions from the West, or cool it and deal with the new government.

In other words, which matters more: a functioning economy or another piece of Ukraine?
“At some point Russia is going to have to deal with Ukraine,” said William Pomeranz, deputy director for the Kennan Institute, a Russia-focused group at the Wilson Center, a nonpartisan policy organization.

“Better that it be a stable Ukraine as opposed to a Ukraine that’s in the midst of civil war,” he said.

Of course, Poroshenko’s success depends in part on a smooth election Sunday. If the separatists succeed in severely depressing the vote in the east, it would play to Putin’s suggestion that Ukraine is deeply unstable.

And the new president will have a host of problems at home, including the economic meltdown and a Parliament that is sharply divided and rife with reports of corruption.

No walk through the candy store for the man called the Chocolate King.

“He’s a brave man for taking it on. That’s for sure,” Pomeranz said. “This would be a remarkable transformation.”




“Petro Poroshenko, a political survivor and pragmatist... 'He’s always been a sober man of the middle,' said John Herbst, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006. 'He is the sole established politician who is perceived by Ukrainians as playing a responsible role in the crisis.'” Poroshenko is “competent and levelheaded,” and supported the pro-Western demonstrations that ousted former president Yanukovych from the beginning of the conflict. According to this article, he does, however, want to “heal the rift with Russia” “quickly stressing that Ukrainian security must come first, and that a healthy relationship with Russia depends on a strong Ukraine.” He promises to “decentralize power” and is expected to be accepted by voters in the East as a viable leader. The election is tomorrow. I am waiting in great anticipation of a Poroshenko victory. I certainly hope that will be the case.





More whales being hit by ships along East Coast – CBS
AP May 23, 2014

A cruise ship heading for New York this month struck and killed a whale and dragged it into the Hudson River, part of a higher-than-usual rate of strikes along the Eastern Seaboard for this time of year, a federal agency said.

There were three recent whale strikes recently, including one in which a cruise ship hit a sei whale and did not discover it until it reached port, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.

In a similar case, a sei whale was found dead and attached to a container ship that was docking near Philadelphia, NOAA said.

The whales may be following food sources closer to shore, NOAA said. An increased food supply has recently been cited for a large increase in the number of humpback whales off Massachusetts.

The agency issued a reminder to mariners of measures already in place to protect whales, including speed limits and distances.

"Nobody wants to hit a whale," said Marjorie Mooney-Seus, a spokeswoman. "So we want people to have a greater awareness that they're out there now."

The usual rate of whale strikes by ships is about one every few weeks, she said, compared with the three in the past few weeks.

NOAA said it counted 28 whale strikes in Northeastern waters between 2006 and 2010. Worldwide, a National Marine Fisheries Service survey covering 1975 through 2002 found 292 records of confirmed or possible ship strikes to large whales.

Rob DiGiovanni, who heads a marine mammal rescue group on Long Island, said he's seeing "more evidence of ship strikes and that's definitely a concern." In the past, his Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation would go a couple of years without seeing a large whale that had been hit by a ship.

"Now we get a couple a year," he said.

The New York cruise ship incident was discovered May 4, the Philadelphia case on May 7, Mooney-Seus said. She did not have details about the third recent strike except that it involved a fin whale; NOAA is investigating.

A necropsy on the New York whale found it was killed by blunt force, confirming that it was killed by the ship, Mooney-Seus said. The other two whales were not retrieved.

NOAA said there have been no recent reported strikes of endangered North Atlantic right whales.

DiGiovanni said his group hopes to study whether the numbers are up because there are more whales, more ships or a change in a food source, as suggested by NOAA.

In the coastal waters off Boston, large numbers of a fish called the sea lance have turned the mouth of Massachusetts Bay into a "whale feeding ground," said Laura Howes of Boston Harbor Cruises.




Sea mammal scientists are concerned about a rise in whale deaths due to their being struck by ships. “The usual rate of whale strikes by ships is about one every few weeks, she said, compared with the three in the past few weeks.” That is a much greater incidence of whale strikes by ships than I would have expected. Whales are large – can't the mariners see them and avoid them? NOAA has recently issued a statement for ships to maintain proper “speeds and distances.” Of course, I suppose captains are not necessarily at the wheel of the ship at all times and therefore not vigilant.

There seems to be nothing wrong with the whales health to cause the problem, and the presence of an unusually large supply of a food fish, the sea lance, is thought to be drawing in larger than usual numbers of whales into the ship lanes. That is probably the cause of the large number of accidents. NOAA didn't state that whale populations are being endangered by the events. I suspect the situation will draw to a close on its own when the supply of sea lance runs out.





What Really Happens When Obama ‘Sneaks’ Out of the White House – ABC
By  Mary Bruce
May 23, 2014

On ABC’s hit series “Scandal,” President Fitzgerald Grant is often seen sneaking out of the White House for a clandestine meeting with the covert agents of B-613 or a secret rendezvous with Olivia Pope, but nothing could be further from the truth.

The real president isn’t sneaking anywhere.

President Obama explained earlier this week what it’s like to try and break out of the White House bubble.

“Every once in a while, I’m able to sneak off… I’m sort of like the circus bear that kind of breaks the chain, and I start taking off, and everybody starts whispering, the bear’s loose,” he said.

In truth, the chain never breaks. The bear cage just gets a bit bigger.

Even the president’s seemingly impromptu stops and surprise drop-bys are well-orchestrated events.

This morning, diners at Chicago’s Valois Restaurant where shocked when the president popped by for breakfast (two eggs over medium, with bacon and hash browns, to be exact), but the location, no doubt, was carefully selected and reviewed by an advance team and the Secret Service.

For security purposes, the so-called “off the record” stops are planned in secret and kept from reporters until the moment the president arrives and range from visits to local stores to stops by Little League games and pull overs for burgers and shakes.

The visits give the president a chance to mingle with regular Americans and are often intended to highlight part of his broader political agenda, but they are also an opportunity for the most powerful man in the world to enjoy some seemingly regular activities.

Even a simple walk outside is anything but.

Earlier this week, Obama surprised his ever-present press pool when he strolled from the White House to the Interior Department for an event.

Tourists visiting the National Mall were also surprised.

One woman asked if he was real. “Someone’s gonna think you’re like wax!” she exclaimed as she posed for a picture with Obama.

But the security detail and throngs of officers on foot and bicycle were a tell-tale sign that he was the real deal.

At one point an aide seamlessly handed the president boxes of White House M&M’s to dole out to two little girls, ages 7 and “4 and three quarters.”

As he crossed the street, the president told motorists, “sorry to hold you up… You’re trying to go home and here I am messing you up.” The street, of course, had been blocked off.




I'm glad to see that the president sometimes gets to get out and enjoy the sunshine, or eat a double cheeseburger and fries, even if he does have to have a small crowd of security officers with him. “The visits give the president a chance to mingle with regular Americans and are often intended to highlight part of his broader political agenda, but they are also an opportunity for the most powerful man in the world to enjoy some seemingly regular activities.”

The life of a president is shown here as being like “a bear on a chain.” Inside the White House, however, he has a gymnasium, a swimming pool and a movie theater, and I understand there is at least one “secret tunnel” from the White House in case he really wants to “sneak out.” I looked this up on the Internet and found not only proof of secret tunnels to various buildings but a special branch of the Washington DC metro train system.

See the story below from http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=233668. The WH website http://whitehouse.gov1.info/tunnel/ confirms this story. The recently declassified underground bunker system is part of new security measures. Click on whitehouse.gov1 to read more about it.

Wow, I don't know when exactly they declassified this but this is the first i've read this. Many people always speculated that the DC Metro system was primarily funded not because of the cities need for public transportation - which it did - but as a transport system for the President in the case of a nuclear attack.

It's far more extensive than I could have imagined. Since the system reaches Camp David - why would the president need to take a helicopter to Camp Daivd?

For once the conspiracy theorists were right.

And wow, they plan to make the train go underground all the way to Pennsylvania. 

This train system must have been insanely expensive to build and likely stays idle most of the time. 
White House.gov




French Fight Muslim Rebels in C. African Republic – ABC



French forces in Central African Republic fired mortars and exchanged sustained gunfire on Saturday with Muslim rebels who once controlled the country.

The substantial engagement by the French, including a Gazelle helicopter that fired a rocket, occurred in the central town of Bambari. Ex-Seleka forces crossed the bridge on the Bangui road and engaged French forces 300 meters from a bridge, prompting the French to fire warning shots and mortars, said a French military officer on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

Many local residents had earlier demonstrated against the French forces and blocked the bridge to prevent them from passing.

The group known as Seleka was forced from power in January nearly a year after its fighters overthrew the president. Christian militias have sprung up, saying they are seeking revenge for atrocities committed during Seleka's rule and plunging the country into sectarian violence that has left thousands dead and forced nearly 1 million people to flee their homes.

The exchange Saturday shows that former Seleka rebels, who have been in disarray since they were forced from power, have not been defeated and may be gaining strength. Hundreds of the Muslim fighters had gathered more than two weeks ago to choose Gen. Joseph Zindeko as their new leader. He was once a commander of a rebel base in the capital, Bangui. At that time, the rebels said they intended to create a political wing so they can participate in reconciliation talks.

Around 2,000 French troops and nearly 5,000 African peacekeepers are trying to stabilize Central African Republic, a country about the size of Texas. Last month, the U.N. Security Council authorized a nearly 12,000-strong peacekeeping force to bolster the troops already in the country to protect civilians, though the U.N. force is not expected to be operational until September.




Seleka is a radical Muslim group recently removed from power in a Texas sized nation in Africa after they overthrew the government there. “Christian militias have sprung up, saying they are seeking revenge for atrocities committed during Seleka's rule and plunging the country into sectarian violence that has left thousands dead and forced nearly 1 million people to flee their homes.”

Gen. Joseph Zindeko is the choice of the large group of the Islamic militants, who have banded together again recently, hoping to form a new political party for the upcoming reconciliation talks. Some 2,000 Frenchmen and 5,000 African peacekeepers are fighting for stabilization of Central African Republic at this time. They are to be joined in September by a 12,000 strong force under UN authorization.

At least this band of Islamic fighters are being opposed. This trend during the last ten years of takeovers in many parts of Africa and Asia by Islamists is alarming to me as a freedom and peace loving feminist. To me it is simply a step backward in time to a very primitive set of folkways which are highly inappropriate in a civilized world. I want to see them opposed strongly wherever they pop up. Ideally they should first and foremost be opposed by moderate and peaceful believers within Islamic faith so soldiers won't need to come to fight them.





Pakistan's Prime Minister Will Attend India's Narendra Modi's Swearing In
by EYDER PERALTA
May 24, 2014 

Making history, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he would travel to New Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of India's new prime minister.

Narendra Modi, as you might remember, made history on his ownwhen his BJP party drove out of power the party that had long dominated the world's largest democracy.

Sharif's attendance at Modi's swearing in will mark a first for the two countries, historical foes.

The Hindu reports:

"A statement from Mr. Sharif's office said the Prime Minister had been invited this week by the BJP to attend the ceremony. Mr. Sharif has already congratulated Mr. Modi over his party's landslide victory in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

"State-run Pakistan Television said Mr. Sharif also would meet with President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit.

"Sharif, who will reach New Delhi on Monday, would be accompanied by his Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi and Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, among others."

Sharif's spokesman, Tariq Azim, set expectations for the meeting.

"Hope this will usher in a new era between India and Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif has always said that he wants to maintain good relations with all neighbouring countries, specially with India," he told the TV station. But, he added, "We should not burden the meeting with many expectations."

The AP adds a bit more context:

"Though the India and Pakistan haven't fought a major ground war since 1999, relations between the two nations, particularly along their disputed border in Kashmir, remain tense. Starting last summer and continuing throughout the fall, the two armies repeatedly lobbed rockets across the border in what military leaders in both countries called the worst border violence since a 2003 cease-fire.

" 'I hope that this will mark a new beginning in ties between our two countries,' Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, wrote on Twitter Saturday. 'The people of J&K will be watching closely.'

"While most analysts believe Sharif's hope of improving ties with India is sincere, they say he had to carefully consider the possible political ramifications of such a visit. Just hours after the Indian government said they had invited Sharif, India's consulate in Herat, Afghanistan was attacked by four gunmen who were eventually killed by security forces. On Friday, a spokesman from India's Ministry of External Affairs cautioned against drawing conclusions about whether the events were linked, saying the investigation had just begun, but opposition politicians in India took note."




“Making history, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he would travel to New Delhi for the swearing-in ceremony of India's new prime minister. Mr. Sharif has already congratulated Mr. Modi over his party's landslide victory in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Tariq Azim stated 'We should not burden the meeting with many expectations.'" Nonetheless there will surely be much hope for improvements between India and Pakistan. Both countries having atomic weapons makes the long term tension between them more stressful, and there is a religious conflict to be overcome. I will look for continuing stories about their meetings together.