20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AUSTRIAN HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL SERVICE

Photo:  Children Rounded Up For Deportation.  Credit:  U.S. National Holocaust Museum
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks Hannah Rosenthal
Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Embassy of Austria
Washington, DC
May 23, 2012
It is my pleasure to help mark the twentieth (20th) anniversary of the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service, the Austrian Service Abroad. I understand that some of you are currently serving at Holocaust memorial institutions around the world. I commend the Government of Austria for implementing this program two decades ago. What a wonderful opportunity to serve your country and, indeed, the world. It is also a chance to come to terms with one of the most sinister and evil chapter of history, the unthinkable deeds of governments and collaborators, and the silence of so many that led to the Holocaust.

In America, when we teach our students about the horrors of the Holocaust and the deadly reign of Adolf Hitler, we tell them, “never again.” Never again will humanity allow such unspeakable horrors to occur. Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party cemented centuries-old anti-Semitism into the everyday consciousness and laws of Germany. Their “Final Solution” was to annihilate global Jewry. Yet it was not only Jews they hated; the Nazis created an entire industry of death, which targeted its killing machinery on Jews, Roma, the disabled, homosexuals, and political dissidents. Few neighbors stood up to defend Nazi targets, let alone save them.

The Holocaust is something very personal to me. My father, a rabbi, was arrested – on Kristalnacht, the unofficial pogrom that many think started the Holocaust – and sent with many of his congregants to prison and then to Buchenwald. He was the lucky one – every other person in his family perished at Auschwitz. As a child of a Holocaust survivor, I have dedicated my life to eradicating anti-Semitism and intolerance with a sense of urgency and passion that only my father could give me. Austria’s program and your collective service during these past twenty (20) years help keep the lessons of the past alive and make history accessible to all citizens.

You have a role in helping the world remember, not only what happened, but why—how hate and intolerance transformed neighbors into victims and perpetrators. Rather than get lost in the hatred and sadness of the Holocaust, we must now learn from it, in order to ensure it never happens again. We must advance the lessons of the Holocaust: namely, that evil must be confronted rather than ignored. We must never again allow ignorance and hatred to flourish. To this end, education and dialogue are mandatory first steps to prevent and overcome ignorance and hate. To that end, building museums and memorials allow us to educate citizens everywhere.

World War II ended 67 years ago; recent by any historical measure. Yet despite our consistent and strong exhortations to remember and learn from the past, with each passing day we grow further removed from it. Since the Holocaust, generations - who never experienced the horrors of Nazi Europe - have been born. Soon, we will not have the opportunity to meet survivors, liberators, rescuers, or witnesses and to hear their stories first-hand. Sadly, they are passing on. Because time is not on our side, we must all feel the urgency to impart the memory and lessons of the Holocaust. Those of you who are working in Holocaust museums are helping to keep those memories fresh.
During the Holocaust, we witnessed how good people could become willing executioners. However, we also witnessed resistance from individuals who did the right thing – those people who chose to follow their own moral compasses in the face of incredible danger. Part of educating others about the past, is learning about the Righteous Gentiles and the rescuers. I learned there are over 80 righteous gentiles from Austria. These people of conscience, who were in the heart of Nazi Europe, took risks to help Jews during the Holocaust and gave repeated and substantial assistance to them despite the most egregious of circumstances. While we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Austrian Memorial Holocaust Service, it is also quite fitting that this is also the 100th anniversary of rescuer Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat in Hungary who, with the backing of his government, saved thousands of Hungarian Jews. In fact, I was just in Sweden this past month to take part in their year-long commemoration of the life of Raoul Wallenberg. The Austrian righteous gentiles and Raoul Wallenberg personified conscience, along with other righteous diplomats and ordinary citizens. They risked their lives to save the lives of strangers.

The acts of courage performed by the rescuers, and all the righteous gentiles, are an inspiration to us all to stand up to hate, face it squarely, and call it out. We may, one day, find ourselves confronted with the same choice. Sometimes the right choice is not the easy choice. We can learn from these rescuers about what it means to carry out acts that are neither easy nor profitable, but rather are moral. It would have been less mortal risk to turn away. However, people of good conscience could not do that. And I must mention Albania; the only country in the world to save all of its Jews during the Holocaust. Albania, a majority Muslim country, ended up with ten times more Jews at the end of World War II than when it began. It is heartening when governments as well as individuals do the right thing.

Your service is part of the solution, part of the education process. You have the knowledge to educate those around you. I hope that when you eventually return home, you will tell your parents and families, friends and neighbors about what you are learning from this year of service. Sharing your knowledge is needed now as much as ever. For example, a recent Pew Forum report found that, around the world, Jews are increasingly objects of societal discrimination despite official attempts to address anti-Semitism. These attitudes can be found in 75 countries, and is a disproportionately high number considering that Jews make up only .2 percent of the world’s population. What does this mean for us and others of conscience? What else can we do to transform hatred and ignorance into mutual respect and acceptance?

Together, we can teach the values of tolerance by honoring our past and confronting the hatred that still exists in our world today. Where there is hatred born of ignorance, we must teach and inspire. We must expose people to a larger world of ideas as we reach out, especially to youth, so they can see beyond their immediate circumstances. Where there is hatred stirred up by irresponsible leaders, we must call them out. We must answer as strongly as we can – that their messages of hate are totally unacceptable to all people of conscience.

Your service has the potential for a far greater impact than you realize. The time you will have spent in the Holocaust Memorial Service is just the beginning. With that, I would like to thank and congratulate you on the 20th anniversary of the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service.

GEN. DEMPSEY SEEKS INFO. FROM ASIA-PACIFIC PARTNERS

Photo:  Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. martin E. Dempsey.  Credit:  U.S. Department of Defense.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Dempsey Seeks to Learn From Asia-Pacific Partners
By Karen Parrish
ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, May 31, 2012 - The challenge for the United States in the Asia-Pacific region is translating strategy into action, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday.

On his way to Singapore for the 11th annual Asia security summit known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told American Forces Press Service that the U.S. "pivot to the Pacific" isn't about establishing American dominance in the region.
Rather, he said, the goal is to work with regional partners to sustain and strengthen a cooperative security environment among Asian-Pacific nations.

The chairman noted that in this, his first visit to the dialogue, he wants to hear what other nations' officials have to say on topics such as territorial disputes in the region's seas. China and the Philippines both claim the South China Sea waters around Scarborough Shoal, and China and Japan dispute the area surrounding the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, near Okinawa.

Dempsey said the United States does not take sides in territorial disputes and encourages disputing parties to resolve such issues without coercion.

"What I already know is that we've been very clear about the need for cooperation in the maritime domain [involving] freedom of navigation," he said. "I think that's exactly the right position to place ourselves. But beyond that, I want to hear what these 27 nations [at the Shangri-La Dialogue] have to say, both to us and to each other -- because it will clearly be one of the most prominent issues."

From the national strategic level where he works, the chairman said, the first priority in rebalancing defense strategy toward the Asia-Pacific region involves what he calls "intellectual bandwidth."

"We've developed, over the course of 10 years, a core of real experts in the Middle East," Dempsey said. "We need to form that same core of professionals for whom [Asia-Pacific expertise] is a lifelong work."

The second step in the strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific region is to build on that increased bandwidth to create and explore new opportunities to increase regional security, he said.

"We have to make that intellectual shift ... and then listen to the signals that we receive from our partners," he added, noting that standing, multinational forums often are able to deal with security issues before they become crises.

"I think that's the great strength of NATO," Dempsey said.

A security organization similar to NATO involving many Asia-Pacific nations' participation may have value, the general said, but only if other nations want it.

"We would have to see the appetite for that among our partners and not just try to in some way impose it on them," Dempsey said.

INTERNATIONAL CRACKDOWN ON DRUG TRAFFICKERS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Colombian naval forces arrest alleged drug traffickers May 6, 2012 and net 5,000 pounds of cocaine. U.S. Navy photo.  


Interagency Task Force Mounts Aggressive Counter-drug Effort
By Donna Miles
KEY WEST, Fla. , May 30, 2012 - The interdiction of a drug-trafficking speedboat carrying almost 5,000 pounds of cocaine with a street value of more than $363 million played out like a motion-picture thriller.
The action followed a carefully choreographed script, from the moment U.S. Customs and Border Protection pilots spotted the speedboat El Kike on May 6 from their P-3 Orion aircraft. They passed the mission to USS Nicholas, a guided-missile frigate patrolling the region with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement team. Nicholas dispatched a helicopter to track the speedboat, while maneuvering into position to intercept.
El Kike's crew, recognizing their plight, jettisoned half of their cargo, then adjusted course and hit the throttle toward Colombia.

Nicholas followed, while calling on the USS McClusky, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, and the Colombian navy ship ARC 20 de Julio operating nearby for assistance. McClusky launched a helicopter to maintain surveillance, diverting El Kike it into Colombian territorial waters, where the Colombian navy intercepted it.

"With the help of some friends, we accomplished what we set out to do: disrupt the drug trade," said Navy Cdr. Stephen Fuller, Nicholas' commanding officer. "Interdictions are challenging, but with the help of McClusky, [U.S.] Customs and the Colombian navy, we executed a successful operation."

It was latest in a recent string of operational successes for the Joint Interagency Task Force South and its regional partners since they kicked off an aggressive counterdrug effort earlier this year.

In a small, largely symbolic gesture of pride, the JIATF staff hoisted their "cocaine flag" outside their headquarters here to mark the second of many successful interdictions this month. Fluttering in the tropical breezes, it offered a tangible expression to members of what Coast Guard Rear Adm. Charles D. Michel, the task force commander, calls "the most effective and efficient counter-illicit trafficking, detection, monitoring and law enforcement organization the planet has ever known."

Last year alone, JIATF South facilitated the interdiction of 117 metric tons of cocaine, Michel reported. That's 58 percent of all cocaine seized in the East Pacific and Caribbean transit zones last year. It's almost six times the net of all U.S. law enforcement border apprehensions -- the efforts of federal, state, city and tribal efforts combined, he noted. Collectively, they netted 20 metric tons.

"We are the most efficient cocaine removal organization that I am aware of, by far," Michel said. "The taxpayer gets a huge bang for the buck down here, through the interdiction of cocaine, the protection of our neighbors, the stability of the hemisphere and the protection of our citizens on the street."

Sitting with American Forces Press Service, Michel and his vice director, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent John Murphy Jr., said they're convinced these seizures still amount to just 25 percent of the cocaine trade trafficking through the region.

To put a greater squeeze on the traffickers, JIATF South launched Operation Martillo, which translated, means "Operation Hammer," in January. The mission specifically targets illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American Isthmus -- the route for more than 90 percent of the cocaine destined for the United States.

"Operation Martillo is designed to take pressure off these Central American countries," Michel said. Particularly in the northern triangle area of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, "thousands of their citizens are being murdered," he said. "Government officials are being corrupted. Institutions are being rotted from the inside out. Portions of their territory are no longer effectively under their control."

"That is instability," the admiral said, "and that is a national security threat, right in our backyard."

Operation Martillo represents "a different way of doing business in employing this entire enterprise to achieve a strategic effect," Michel said. "And that strategic effect is to protect Central America from these [drug] flows currently causing all the murder, death, destruction, corruption."

While all trafficking causes concern, Michel called the lucrative cocaine trade the No. 1 threat. "Cocaine is king down here," he said, with transnational criminal organizations running an $88 billion-a-year global market.

The incredibly high profit margin -- an estimated $84 billion -- funds everything these groups need to support their efforts: fleets of aircraft, go-fast boats, semi-submersible vessels and increasingly, fully submersible vessels, he said. It also allows them to operate with near impunity in many parts of the region as they buy off government officials and intimidate or kill anyone who stands in their way.

"There are tens of thousands of Central Americans being murdered each year because of drug trafficking," Michel said. "It is a shocking statistic to me. And it's also shocking because it doesn't get the attention that it should."

Michel contrasted the huge resources available to drug traffickers with those of regional governments that seek to counter them. "Those guys are just outgunned and outspent by the traffickers," Michel said. "These are organizations of such magnitude that they can actually challenge nation states."

That makes these organizations and their drug trafficking operations a major national security threat, as reflected in President Barack Obama's national strategy released in July, Michel said. "The No. 1 cause of regional instability throughout Central America, which is our closest neighbor, is the cocaine trade," he said. "There is no question about it."

As the stakes get ever-higher, Michel cited a clear realization that no single nation or agency can stand up to this scourge alone. Partner nations share that recognition, and have participated in 83 percent of all illicit trafficking disruptions since Operational Martillo kicked off in January, he noted.

JIATF South has embraced this inclusive approach since it initially stood up 23 years ago as Joint Task Force 4 as a new model of intergovernmental cooperation.

"This was not an overnight success," Michel conceded. Members of different governmental organizations had to learn to overcome their different backgrounds, ways of doing business and their historical practices of competing for resources, authorities and responsibilities.

"The No. 1 ingredient that you need in order to make this work is trust, and that only gets built up with time," he said. "I wish there was an easy way that you could just flash a magic wand and make people trust each other. But coworkers have to learn to work together, to trust that others are going to protect their information, are going to protect their equities and that others are actually going to act as team players."
More than two decades later, Michel praised JIATF South's evolution into what has been described as "the gold standard for interagency and international cooperation."

"In all my travels and experiences working through the government in different forms, this is the best working model of the whole-of-government solution to a problem set I have ever seen that produces consistent results," he said.

The staff includes representatives of all five armed services, including the National Guard and reserves, members of various federal law enforcement entities, the intelligence community and their counterparts from 13 partner nations.

This brings a wealth of experience to the effort, Michel said. "We can match any capability, competency, authority or partnership that is available in the national inventory to deal with this particular problem set," he said. "Plus, by leveraging contributions from the international partners, we can make this all work together in this joint international interagency task force that we have put together."

As JIATF South evolved, Michel said its staff has become "much smarter" about the way it operates. "We achieve results that are magnitudes better than we used to when this first started, with just a fraction of the assets in place," he said. "And that's because of the way we leverage all those international and interagency partnerships and capabilities that we bring to the table. That is the power of the whole-of-government approach."

These capabilities are critical, he said, as traffickers employ increasingly sophisticated methods. Of particular concern is their use of low-profile semi-submersible vessels that are extremely difficult to detect and more recently, submersibles that operate completely underwater.

JIATF South and its partners have confiscated about 30 semi-submersibles so far, with one now positioned on the lawn outside its headquarters building here and another at the U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Miami.

Almost all were discovered operating in the Eastern Pacific. "But this summer, for the first time, we saw them on the Caribbean side, which is a disturbing trend," Michel said. "That means they have exported that technology to another building area and other people are operating this type of craft."

Michel reported signs that more evasive submersible vessels have come into favor. The only ones JIATF South has confiscated to date have been discovered on land, but Michel said he's sure they're operating underwater.

Looking ahead, Michel called traffickers' deep pockets and adaptability one of JIATF South's biggest challenges. "Their conveyances have gotten better, their security procedures are better, they dig themselves more and more into governments, they corrupt more and more and they have become more and more violent in their tactics," he said. "Our adversary is incredibly nimble."

But almost as daunting, Michel said, are budget realities that give these adversaries a leg up.

"My No. 2 challenge is the resource challenge, particularly for ships and aircraft," he said. Michel cited cases when JIATF South had "high-confidence that drugs are moving," but no law-enforcement assets available to interdict them.

"I can be as smart as I possibly can," he said, "but if there is no ship or an aircraft to come up with an end game, the traffickers get a free pass."

Michel said he'll continue to press for more assets dedicated to the JIATF South mission. "If we had more assets, we would be able to make an even bigger dent into this effort," he said. "You give me assets, and I'll show you results."

Meanwhile, JIATF South will continue to make the most of every capability made available to it.

"We have limited assets, but because of what we have built down here, we can use those limited assets very smartly and achieve results in a magnitude of what we used to get in the past, for just a fraction of the investment," he said.
(Navy Lt. Matt Phillips from USS Nicholas contributed to this story.)

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK REAUTHORIZATION IS SIGNED INTO LAW

Photo:  President Obama During A Weekly Address.  Credit:  White House.
FROM:  EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
President Obama Signs Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act into Law
Washington, D.C. – Surrounded by more than 150 small and medium-sized business owners and other invited guests from across the country, President Obama today signed the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 into law. Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred P. Hochberg joined the President at the White House for the signing ceremony.

“Today is a great day for U.S. businesses – both large and small,” said Chairman Hochberg. “By signing this bipartisan bill into law, President Obama has once again demonstrated his strong commitment to America’s business owners, workers, and exporters. The President has been a strong champion of Ex-Im Bank, and thanks to his leadership more U.S. companies are exporting to more countries. With our reauthorization now achieved, the Bank will continue to do what it does best – help our nation’s workers compete globally and support U.S. jobs at no cost to American taxpayers.”

The Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 extends the Bank's authority through 2014 and ultimately increases its portfolio cap to $140 billion. This provides much-needed certainty and predictability to U.S. exporters and their workers.

About Ex-Im Bank:
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers $1.9 billion above the cost of operations. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services.

Ex-Im Bank approved $32.7 billion in total authorizations in FY 2011 -- an all-time Ex-Im record. This total includes more than $6 billion directly supporting small-business export sales -- also an Ex-Im record. Ex-Im Bank's total authorizations are supporting an estimated $41 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 290,000 American jobs in communities across the country.

TWO INDIVIDUALS ACCUSED OF COMMISSION RIP-OFF IN $163 MILLION DOMINICAN RESORT INVESTMENT SCHEME

Photo:  Dominican Republic.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
May 31, 2012
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged James B. Catledge and Derek F.C. Elliott, and certain of their related entities, with making material misrepresentations to investors in connection with the unregistered sale of interests in two resorts in the Dominican Republic.

The SEC alleges that Catledge, a Nevada resident, and Elliott, a Canadian citizen and resident of the Toronto area, raised more than $163 million from approximately 1,200 investors between the fall of 2004 and 2009. The securities offered, called “Residence” and “Passport” investments, represented timeshare and ownership interests, respectively, in the Cofresi and Juan Dolio resorts in the Dominican Republic

The complaint alleges that Catledge and Elliott promised investors a secure return of 8% to 12% annually on the Residence investment and 5% on the Passport investment. Investors were assured that their principal was safe, and that they would share in the projected appreciation in the value of the resorts. According to the SEC’s complaint, investor funds were not used to construct the properties, as had been represented, but instead were largely used for other purposes, including the payment of exorbitant undisclosed commissions and promised returns to earlier investors. The SEC alleges that, of the nearly $164 million raised from investors, approximately $59 million (36%) was used to pay commissions to Catledge, Elliott and several of their related entities, among others.

The SEC’s complaint seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, financial penalties, and permanent injunctive relief against Catledge, Elliott, Sun Village Juan Dolio, Inc., EMI Sun Village, Inc. and EMI Resorts (S.V.G.), Inc. to enjoin them from future violations of the federal securities laws. As to Catledge and Elliott only, it also seeks an injunction against acting as an unregistered broker-dealer. The complaint also names D.R.C.I. Trust, which was beneficially owned by Catledge, as a relief defendant in this matter.
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by staff attorney Alison J. Okinaka and senior staff accountant Norman J. Korb in the Commission’s Salt Lake Regional Office. Senior trial counsel Thomas M. Melton is leading the litigation.

The SEC acknowledges the assistance of the Ontario Securities Commission, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

PRESIDENT AND FIRST LADY HAVE VISIT FROM WOMEN SUBMARINERS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet the first contingent of women sailors to be assigned to the U.S. Navy's operational submarine force in the Blue Room of the White House, May 28, 2012. Also attending were Navy Adm. Mark Ferguson, left, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, right. White House photo by Pete Souza  
Obamas Host Women Submariners, First Lady Sponsors Sub
By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 29, 2012 - President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama yesterday welcomed the Navy's first contingent of women submariners to the White House as part of a busy Memorial Day schedule.

The 24 young women visited the White House, along with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and Navy Adm. Mark Ferguson, vice chief of naval operations, as part of a "Joining Forces" initiative. The first lady and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, started the Joining Forces campaign last year to rally Americans to honor, recognize and serve military families.

As part of the meeting, the first lady accepted Mabus' invitation to serve as the sponsor of the future USS Illinois (SSN 786), a Virginia-class submarine -- the Navy's newest class of attack submarine -- being built in Groton, Connecticut and Newport News, Virginia. Illinois is expected to join the fleet in late 2015.

In sponsoring USS Illinois, Obama joins a tradition of first lady sponsorships of Navy submarines. First Lady Laura Bush is USS Texas' (SSN 775) sponsor and christened it in 2004; First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is USS Columbia's (SSN 771) sponsor and christened it in 1994.

"As sponsor, the first lady will establish a special link to Illinois, her sailors, and their families that extends throughout the life of the submarine," a White House press release says.

"It's an honor and a privilege to serve as sponsor of the USS Illinois," the first lady said yesterday. "I'm always inspired by the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the Navy, as well as the families who support them. This submarine is a tribute to the strength, courage, and determination that our Navy families exhibit every day."
"Naval tradition holds that a sponsor's spirit and presence guide the ship and her crew throughout the life of the ship," Mabus said. "Illinois and her crew are blessed to have such a wonderful sponsor and I am grateful Mrs. Obama accepted my invitation to serve as sponsor for this submarine."

The first lady also serves as the sponsor for the recently commissioned Coast Guard Cutter Stratton, based in Alameda, Calif. The ship is named after Captain Dorothy Stratton, the director of the Coast Guard Women's Reserve during World War II where she oversaw 10,000 enlisted women and 1,000 commissioned officers.
In 2009, Mabus announced that for the first time in U.S. Navy history, women would be assigned to the operational submarine force.

The 24 women who met with the president and first lady were accepted into the Navy's nuclear submarine program after completing intensive training. They are serving on ballistic and guided missile submarines throughout the Navy.

CAPTURING A DRAGON IN SPACE

FROM:  NASA
Capturing the Dragon
On May 25, 2012, with darkness, Earth's horizon and thin line of atmosphere forming a backdrop, the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is grappled by the Canadarm2 robotic arm at the International Space Station. Expedition 31 Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Andre Kuipers grappled Dragon at 9:56 a.m. EDT and used the robotic arm to berth Dragon to the Earth-facing side of the station’s Harmony node at 12:02 p.m. May 25, 2012. Image Credit:  NASA.

SpaceX Dragon Approaches
This image of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft as it approached the space station was taken NASA astronaut Don Pettit. The SpaceX Falcon 9 and its Dragon spacecraft launched on Tuesday, May 22, at 3:44 a.m. EDT. This mission is a demonstration flight by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, as part of its contract with NASA to have private companies launch cargo safely to the International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA

Capturing SpaceX's Dragon
With clouds and land forming a backdrop, the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is grappled by the Canadarm2 robotic arm at the International Space Station. Expedition 31 Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Andre Kuipers grappled Dragon at 9:56 a.m. EDT and used the robotic arm to berth Dragon to the Earth-facing side of the station’s Harmony node at 12:02 p.m. May 25, 2012. Image Credit: ESA/NASA

EPA-VA WORK TOGETHER TO CONNECT VETERANS TO WATER JOBS

Photo:  Imperial Dam.  Credit:  U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA and Department of Veterans Affairs to Connect Veterans with Jobs in Water Sectors
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program announced today a memorandum of understanding to connect veterans with disabilities to career opportunities in the water and wastewater sectors -- such as at wastewater plants and drinking water facilities -- as part of EPA’s Water Sector Workforce Initiative. This effort will be beneficial to both the environment and economy as clean water and job placement for veterans are top priorities of the Obama Administration.

The agreement allows EPA and VA to connect qualified veteran employees with staffing needs at water and wastewater utilities. EPA and the VA will work with water utilities, states and local VA counselors to promote water sector careers and resources for finding water jobs for veterans as well as educational programs to help veterans transition into careers in water industries.

“This agreement comes at the perfect time to address the predicted workforce shortages in the water and wastewater industries and the need for transitioning veterans into civilian jobs,” said Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “EPA believes that well-trained and experienced water sector professionals are vital to ensuring sustainable, properly operated systems.”

“VA has cultivated relationships with both public and private industry to ensure disabled veterans have opportunities to find and maintain meaningful employment,” said Under Secretary for Benefits Allison A. Hickey. “We are thrilled to forge this relationship with EPA to assist them with hiring veterans through our Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program.”

More than one-third of all current water operators are eligible to retire within seven years and, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment for water and wastewater operators is expected to grow by 20 percent between 2008 and 2018, faster than the national average for all other occupations. EPA sees the need to invest now in creating a pipeline of future water sector professionals to fill these essential water sector careers.

VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program assists more than 100,000 disabled veterans annually prepare for, find, and maintain meaningful careers. Veterans are an important target group for water and wastewater utility jobs because many veterans already possess training and technical skills that are directly transferable to careers in the water sector. There is a wide spectrum of water sector careers that veterans could be qualified for, including engineering, laboratory and water science, operations and maintenance, management and administration, communications, and public education. The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program further supports veterans for the water workforce by providing necessary accommodations and additional training as needed.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ON COMBATING INTERNATIONAL CORRUPTION

Photo:  Justice And Humanity.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Combating Corruption and Bribery in APEC: Promoting Open Governance and Transparency Vital to Regional Economic Growth and Foreign Direct Investment
Remarks David M. Luna
Director for Anticrime Programs , Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs ABAC-ACT Public-Private Partnership and Dialogue: Anti-Corruption and Illicit Trade
Kazan, Russia
May 28, 2012
Good morning.
As a co-chair of this Dialogue, I would like to thank ACT Chair Timur Eyvazov and the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) for their leadership in APEC 2012 and our continued dialogue on combating corruption and illicit trade across the Asia Pacific region. Working together via effective public-private partnerships, we can help meet the governance and security challenges that threaten the prosperity of our economies, and the health and safety of our people.

The strong partnership between ABAC and the Anti-Corruption and Transparency (ACT) Experts’ Working Group promises to ensure progress against corruption and foreign bribery in 2012. We also applaud the Russian Federation for organizing the APEC-OECD workshop on combating bribery, held yesterday in Kazan. With the commitment of our APEC leaders, we have made transparency and anti-corruption efforts a cornerstone of the overall APEC agenda and a linchpin for improving societies and expanding markets across our economies. We also take note of the commitment by President Vladimir Putin during his inaugural address earlier this month to make anti-corruption a top priority in Russia, recognizing its role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and promoting economic growth.

We can appreciate why business leaders have made fighting corruption and bribery a priority in their investment portfolios overseas. The impact of corruption on GDP growth and FDI in both advanced and developing economies is well-documented. Corruption stifles entrepreneurship and international investment as businesses are less inclined to invest in markets where corruption is rampant and kleptocrats abuse their positions for self-enrichment. Capital and FDI are timid, and savvy investors flee business climates where the playing field is uneven and the rule of law is unreliable.

As the ACT-ABAC illicit trade dialogue has established in recent years, corruption also opens the floodgates for cross-border illicit trade flows, which raise the costs of doing business and divert legitimate revenues into the coffers of transnational illicit networks. According to a 2011 World Economic Forum Report on Global Risks, “illicit trade is estimated to represent between 7 and 10 percent of the global economy – in some countries, illicit trade is the major source of income.”

The criminal entrepreneurs and illicit networks that smuggle tens of billions of dollars of illegal goods across borders each year – drugs, arms, humans, natural resources and endangered wildlife, counterfeit medicines, and pirated software, as well as embezzled public funds – not only sow insecurity and instability across the APEC region, but also cost APEC economies jobs and vital tax revenue, endangering the welfare and safety of our families and communities.

A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and the proliferation of corrupt actors and criminal entrepreneurs forges new points of entry for all sorts of illicit trade, corroding the integrity of legitimate supply chains and harming the economic interests of our businesses and markets. The proliferation of counterfeit goods, for example, tarnishes brand reputations and reduces returns on innovation and investment.

Illicit trade creates unfair, unregulated competition for legitimate businesses across APEC economies. We must continue to dismantle illicit trade networks at every opportunity and prosecute criminal entrepreneurs and their facilitators who arbitrage weak and corrupt law enforcement systems and exploit internal border controls for illicit gain.

The ACT 5-year medium-term plan also rightly places a priority on promoting green and sustainable growth and encourages the ACT to work across APEC subfora to work through the governance challenges associated with protecting our environment and natural resources.

Environmental crimes such as the illegal timber trade and wildlife trafficking impose significant negative externalities on local ecosystems; distort markets; reduce revenues from eco-tourism and taxes; destroy the livelihoods of communities that rely on our precious biodiversity; and discourage companies from paying for licenses and making other responsible investments that promote transparency and accountability. A recent World Bank study found that illegal logging in areas such as those found in Southeast Asia reaps profits of USD 10-15 billion annually, while the probability that illegal loggers will be punished is less than 0.08 percent.

Beyond the threat posed to economic development, the illicit profits generated by “marriages of convenience” among different criminal actors and networks engaged in every type of illicit activity—from drug trafficking to counterfeit production to illegal logging and associated trade—could finance criminal and terror campaigns that endanger not only our markets but our collective security.

APEC, in concert and cooperation with other partners, is taking these threats seriously and is committed to combating corruption and dismantling crime-terror pipelines across the Asia Pacific region, especially where illicit activities and risks within the illegal economy threaten to harm licit commerce.

We cannot realize these objectives without the active and continued engagement of the private sector at every link in the global supply chain. Again, we welcome the opportunity that this ABAC-ACT dialogue provides to bring together senior government and business leaders to tackle corruption and illicit trade.

Collective action—on the part of governments, the private sector, and civil society—is essential to secure greater accountability, competitiveness, and supply chain integrity. As reflected in our ACT work plan, we must employ the full range of tools in our toolbox—ranging from tools to prevent corruption and enhance market integrity to tools to more effectively investigate and prosecute corruption and combat money laundering and illicit trade.

In closing, we must capitalize on our momentum here this week and in the coming months, including at the July 10-11 Phuket APEC Workshop on Combating Corruption and Illicit Trade: Tracking Cross-Border Financial Flows, International Asset Recovery, and Anti-Money Laundering Efforts. Other efforts in Chile, China, Malaysia, Peru and the Philippines will also strengthen our APEC regional efforts. We hope that our ABAC-ACT anticorruption and illicit trade dialogue here this week in Kazan is also recognized by leaders in both public and private sectors at the 2012 APEC Summit in Vladivostok this September.

We also hope that APEC, ACT, and ABAC can work with other partners such as the OECD and World Economic Forum (WEF) in advancing a global dialogue to combat corruption and illicit trade.

Russia’s active leadership in APEC and its participation in the OECD Working Group on Bribery will ensure that combating corruption, foreign bribery, and illicit trade will remain at the top of the list of priorities for APEC economies in 2012 and beyond. We also appreciate Indonesia’s active leadership and applaud their efforts to build on the ACT’s work in 2013.

The United States looks forward to further advancing APEC’s leadership in the coming years to work with other international partners to combat illicit trade; attack the financial underpinnings of transnational criminal organizations; strip criminal entrepreneurs and corrupt officials of their illicit wealth; and sever their access to the global financial system.

Finally, we also hope that the ACT continues to advance the work of last year's APEC High-Level Policy Dialogue on Open Governance and Economic Growth on ways that economies can work to enhance public trust by combating corruption and by committing to transparent, fair, and accountable governance, especially in a manner that empowers communities to monitor and voice their perspectives on government policies and the use of resources.

Through collective action, we will succeed in exposing criminal activities hidden behind legitimate fronts; protecting the integrity of our markets and financial system; promoting open governance that nurtures economic growth; and safeguarding the security of our citizens.
Thank you.

NAVY SEABEES COMPLETE ETHIOPIAN SCHOOL FACILITIES

FROM: U.S. NAVY
Navy Seabees Complete Ethiopian School Facilities and Enhance Education Opportunities
By Tech. Sgt. Ryan Labadens Combined Joint task Force – Horn of Africa, and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 Public Affairs

DIRE DAWA, Ethiopia (NNS) -- Ethiopian and U.S. personnel gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate a new school house and two latrines at the Gende Gerada Primary School here May 22.

The school was started by previous Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB) but was finished by the Seabees of NMCB 3.

The entire project perfectly lines up with the U.S. Navy's slogan "Americas Navy-A Global Force for Good."

NMCB 3 completed construction of two latrines and added final touch ups to the school house after their arrival in February, said Lt. j.g. Sarah Ursetti, NMCB 3 officer in charge.

The school already hosts approximately 2,500 students. The new four-room school house now allows the school to accommodate 200 additional students, said the principal of Gende Gerada, Kumsa Baysa.

Dire Dawa education officials plan on using the new building to teach children ages five to six, said Kumsa. This will be the first time the school will have the facilities to hold a kindergarten program.

"The addition of the new classrooms will provide great benefits for the education of our country," said Kumsa. "I would like to say 'thank you' to the people of the United States government and our people who worked with the U.S. military."

The Seabees were not alone in their construction efforts, said Ursetti. Since the project began in April 2010, several Gende Gerada school boys lent a helping hand to the Seabee construction crews whenever and wherever they could.

"It started off with three or four boys initially, but when our crew arrived that number grew to about seven, with several others helping out as we neared the end," said Ursetti.

"They helped us during every recess and even on the weekends," said Builder 2nd Class Benjamin Weber, NMCB 3's project supervisor for the school. "They are hard workers. I would welcome them to my crew anytime."

While the students and the Seabees were working together they taught each other about their culture and a little of their language.

"We learned a lot from each other," said Builder Costructionman Jaqui Shaw. "They taught us about their culture and we taught them about ours on top of answering endless questions about America. It was a great experience."

During the dedication ceremony, Rear Adm. Michael Franken, CJTF-HOA commander, presented each of the young students with his command coin to thank them for their hard work and dedication to their school.

In his speech during the ceremony, Kumsa revealed his vision of the results the new facilities will bring.
"In the future, you will see many kids filling up this school and we will use it for the betterment of our country," said Kumsa

NMCB 3 is an expeditionary naval construction element currently assigned to U.S. 6th Fleet's Commander, Task Force 68, to provide construction, engineering, and security services that support national strategy, naval power projection, humanitarian assistance and contingency operations.

VALVE COMPANY EXECUTIVE PLEADS GUILTY TO FOREIGN BRIBERY OFFENSE

Photo:  Majesty of Justice.  Credit:  U.S. Justice Department
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Former Head of Worldwide Sales at California Valve Company Pleads Guilty to Foreign Bribery Offense
WASHINGTON – Paul Cosgrove, the former Head of Worldwide Sales at Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based valve company Control Components Inc. (CCI) pleaded guilty today to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), announced the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Cosgrove, who resides in Laguna Niguel, Calif., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge James V. Selna in Santa Ana, Calif., to a one-count superseding information charging him with making a corrupt payment to a foreign government official in China in violation of the FCPA.  According to court documents, CCI designed and manufactured service control valves for use in the nuclear, oil and gas, and power generation industries worldwide.  At sentencing, Cosgrove, 65, faces up to 15 months in prison.  Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 27, 2012.

On Apr. 8, 2009, Cosgrove and five other former executives of CCI were charged in a 16-count indictment for their roles in the foreign bribery scheme.  The five other former CCI executives charged were Stuart Carson, CCI’s former president; Hong “Rose” Carson, CCI’s former director of sales for China and Taiwan; David Edmonds, CCI’s former vice president of worldwide customer service; Flavio Ricotti, the former CCI vice president of sales for Europe, Africa and the Middle East; and Han Yong Kim, the former president of CCI’s Korean office.  On Apr. 28, 2011, Ricotti pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA.  On Apr. 17, 2012, Stuart Carson and Hong “Rose” Carson each pleaded guilty to one count of making a corrupt payment to a foreign government official in violation of the FCPA.  The trial of Edmonds is scheduled for Jun. 26, 2012.  The charges against Kim are pending.  An indictment merely contains allegations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

In related cases, two defendants previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe officers and employees of foreign state-owned companies on behalf of CCI.  On Jan. 8, 2009, Mario Covino, the former director of worldwide factory sales for CCI, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA.  On Feb. 3, 2009, Richard Morlok, the former CCI finance director, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA.  Stuart and Rose Carson, Covino, Morlok and Ricotti are scheduled to be sentenced later this year.

On July 31, 2009, CCI pleaded guilty to a three-count criminal information charging the company with conspiracy to violate the FCPA and the Travel Act, and two substantive violations of the FCPA.  CCI was ordered to pay an $18.2 million criminal fine, placed on organizational probation for three years, and ordered to create and implement a compliance program and retain an independent compliance monitor for three years.  CCI admitted that from 2003 through 2007, it made corrupt payments in more than 30 countries, which resulted in net profits to the company of approximately $46.5 million from sales related to those corrupt payments.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Charles G. La Bella and Trial Attorney Andrew Gentin of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Douglas McCormick and Gregory Staples of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.  The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and its team of special agents dedicated to the investigation of foreign bribery cases.

THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE AS SEEN FROM THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS NIMITZ

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) man the rails as the ship passes underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Nimitz departed Naval Station Everett, Wash., May 24 for a tiger cruise and arrived in San Francisco to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Thomas G. Siniff (Released) 120527-N-ZC182-029

STAFF SGT. HELPS AFGHANS PREPARE FOR SECURITY TRANSITION

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Norris, deployed from the 50th Space Communications Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., is serving in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kapisa province. The Kapisa PRT covers an area of approximately 1,143 square miles of mountainous terrain, home to nearly 365,000 Afghans. Located just north of Kabul, Kapisa is the smallest province in the country, but has the one of the highest populations per capita spread throughout seven districts. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Greg Biondo  

Face of Defense: Airman Serves with Reconstruction Team
By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Beth Del Vecchio
U.S. Air Forces Central
KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, May 29, 2012 - Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Norris is helping Afghans prepare for the upcoming security transition during his six-month tour with a Provincial Reconstruction Team based here.

Norris, a quality assurance technician and native of Grove Hill, Ala., is home-stationed with the 50th Space Communications Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The staff sergeant supervises three communications specialists and his group is responsible for all communications equipment for the 65-member PRT. Norris' team also manages radio communications at the tactical operations center while the PRT is engaged off-base performing missions.

"We [also] do maintenance for all the communication equipment in the trucks, the handheld radios, the computers and all the network programming," Norris said.
The staff sergeant's PRT covers an area of approximately 1,143 square miles of mountainous terrain, home to nearly 365,000 Afghans, officials said. Located just north of Kabul, Kapisa is the smallest province in the country, but has the one of the highest populations per capita spread throughout seven districts.

The staff sergeant said his responsibilities in Afghanistan are very different from his stateside duties. Norris and his team, he added, keep the PRT members in constant contact with each other and with the base so they can safely continue their mission to prepare Kapisa for transition to Afghan control.

"Back home, I'm pretty hands-off, doing paperwork," he said. "Here, I get to work on the equipment more. The thing that motivates me is that I work with the equipment that will get these guys help if something were to happen. It's important to me to keep the equipment running so they can call for help if they need it."

The Kapisa PRT has been conducting counterinsurgency and stability operations in the province for more than six years, officials said. Mentors on the team have been working with the Afghan leaders of Kapisa at the provincial and district level to bolster the capacity and credibility of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, or GIRoA.

With the help of an Army security force, the PRT travels across not only Kapisa province but also Parwan and Kabul provinces, officials said. The Kapisa PRT participates in key leader engagements, scouts areas for new projects and performs quality checks and site visits on existing projects.

Members of the PRT work closely with the Afghans, mentoring them on how their government can work for them, officials said.

NOAA PREDICTS HURRICANE SEASON TO BE ABOUT NORMAL FOR 2012

FROM:  NOAA
Photo:  Irene in 2011 was a reminder that tropical systems can affect the Northeast and of the threat of inland flooding.
NOAA predicts a near-normal 2012 Atlantic hurricane season.  Anniversary of Hurricane Andrew underscores necessity to prepare every year
May 24, 2012
Conditions in the atmosphere and the ocean favor a near-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin this season, NOAA announced today from Miami at its Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, and home to the Hurricane Research Division.

For the entire six-month season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center says there’s a 70 percent chance of nine to 15 named storms (with top winds of 39 mph or higher), of which four to eight will strengthen to a hurricane (with top winds of 74 mph or higher) and of those one to three will become major hurricanes (with top winds of 111 mph or higher, ranking Category 3, 4 or 5). Based on the period 1981-2010, an average season produces 12 named storms with six hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.
“NOAA’s outlook predicts a less active season compared to recent years,” said NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. “But regardless of the outlook, it’s vital for anyone living or vacationing in hurricane-prone locations to be prepared. We have a stark reminder this year with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.” Andrew, the Category 5 hurricane that devastated South Florida on August 24, 1992, was the first storm in a late-starting season that produced only six named storms.

Favoring storm development in 2012: the continuation of the overall conditions associated with the Atlantic high-activity era that began in 1995, in addition to near-average sea surface temperatures across much of the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, known as the Main Development Region. Two factors now in place that can limit storm development, if they persist, are: strong wind shear, which is hostile to hurricane formation in the Main Development Region, and cooler sea surface temperatures in the far eastern Atlantic.

“Another potentially competing climate factor would be El Niño if it develops by late summer to early fall. In that case, conditions could be less conducive for hurricane formation and intensification during the peak months (August-October) of the season, possibly shifting the activity toward the lower end of the predicted range,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
"NOAA's improvement in monitoring and predicting hurricanes has been remarkable over the decades since Andrew, in large part because of our sustained commitment to research and better technology. But more work remains to unlock the secrets of hurricanes, especially in the area of rapid intensification and weakening of storms,” said Lubchenco. “We're stepping up to meet this challenge through our Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project, which has already demonstrated exciting early progress toward improving storm intensity forecasts."

Lubchenco added that more accurate forecasts about a storm's intensity at landfall and extending the forecast period beyond five days will help America become a more Weather-Ready Nation.

In a more immediate example of research supporting hurricane forecasting, NOAA this season is introducing enhancements to two of the computer models available to hurricane forecasters - the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting (HWRF) and the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) models. The HWRF model has been upgraded with a higher resolution and improved atmospheric physics. This latest version has demonstrated a 20 to 25 percent improvement in track forecasts and a 15 percent improvement in intensity forecasts relative to the previous version while also showing improvement in the representation of storm structure and size. Improvements to the GFDL model for 2012 include physics upgrades that are expected to reduce or eliminate a high bias in the model's intensity forecasts.

The seasonal outlook does not predict how many storms will hit land. Forecasts for individual storms and their impacts are provided by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, which continuously monitors the tropics for storm development and tracking throughout the season using an array of tools including satellites, advance computer modeling, hurricane hunter aircraft, and land- and ocean-based observations sources such as radars and buoys.

Next week, May 27- June 2, is national Hurricane Preparedness Week. To help prepare residents of hurricane-prone areas, video and audio public service announcements featuring NOAA hurricane experts and the FEMA administrator are available in both English and Spanish.

“Every hurricane season we ask families, communities, and businesses to ensure they are prepared and visit www.ready.gov/hurricanes,” said Tim Manning, FEMA deputy administrator for protection and national preparedness. “Being prepared includes developing a family emergency plan, putting an emergency kit together or updating your existing kit, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and getting involved to ensure your community is ready.”

NOAA’s outlook for the Eastern Pacific basin is for a near-normal hurricane season and the Central Pacific basin is expected to have a below-normal season. NOAA will issue an updated seasonal outlook for the Atlantic hurricane season in early August, just prior to the historical peak of the season.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us onFacebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE NEWS RELEASE IN AFGHANISTAN MAY 30, 2012

Photo:  Helicopter Flying Over Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Air Force.

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Combined Force Kills Several Insurgents

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 30, 2012 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed several insurgents during an operation to detain a Taliban facilitator in the Sayyidabad district of Afghanistan's Wardak province today, military officials reported.

The Taliban facilitator works directly for the senior Taliban leader in Sayyidabad and also supplies weapons, ammunition and equipment to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition troops, officials said.

As the combined force approached the leader's location, multiple insurgents fired on the troops from within a building, which was later determined to be a mosque. The security force returned fire, killing the insurgents. The Afghan troops entered the building to ensure no insurgents remained.

As the Afghan force cleared the area, they discovered one of the insurgents killed in the exchange had an unstable grenade rigged to his equipment. The Afghan troops requested a coalition explosives expert enter the building and defuse the grenade. The explosives expert rendered the grenade safe, removed it without incident, and departed the area as the Afghan forces finished clearing the building.

During the subsequent search, the Afghan forces recovered a machine gun, multiple AK-47 rifles and several grenades.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force detained a Taliban facilitator in the Washer district of Helmand province. The facilitator worked for Taliban leaders in the district and provided weapons, ammunition and equipment to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also performed investigations for the Taliban and attempted to intimidate Afghan civilians who supported the government of Afghanistan.

-- A combined force detained numerous suspected insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader in the Panjwa'i district of Kandahar province. The sought-after Taliban leader plans and coordinates attacks against Afghan government officials, as well as Afghan and coalition troops. He also coordinates the movement of insurgents and weapons into the Panjwa'i district.

-- In the Sabari district of Khost province, a combined force called in an airstrike that killed several insurgents, and it also seized AK-47 rifles, several magazines and multiple grenades, and detained numerous suspects during an operation to capture a Haqqani facilitator. The facilitator supplies weapons, ammunition, rockets and explosives to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition troops throughout the district. As the security force approached the insurgent leader's location, several armed insurgents appeared. After ensuring no civilians were in the area, the security force called for a precision airstrike to engage the enemy fighters. Several insurgents were killed and a follow-on assessment determined that no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged.

-- A combined force detained several suspects during an operation to capture a Haqqani facilitator in the Musahi district of Kabul province. The facilitator is involved in the preparations for an attack in Kabul City against Afghan officials and Afghan and coalition troops. He also coordinates the movement of explosives, weapons and equipment between Haqqani leaders and subordinate insurgents.

And in operations yesterday, a combined force killed several Taliban fighters and seized multiple AK-47 rifles, grenades and IEDs during an operation to detain a Taliban leader in the Almar district of Faryab province. The leader plans and organizes roadside bombings and other attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and is responsible for distributing funds to Taliban district commanders.

SELF-DESCRIBED LIBERTARIAN CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL ON EX-PATRIOT CAPITAL

Photo:  New York Stock Exchange 1939.  Credit:  Wikimedia. FROM:  CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL'S WEBSITE Capital Controls Have No Place in a Free Society

The characteristic mark of a tyrannical regime is that it eventually finds it necessary to erect walls to keep people from leaving.  This is why we should be troubled by the “Ex-PATRIOT Act,” an egregiously offensive bill recently introduced in the Senate.  Following a long line of recent legislation and regulations attempting to expropriate more and more wealth from hard-working Americans, this new bill spits in the face of overburdened taxpayers and tramples on the Constitution.  Current law already dictates that Americans with a net worth of over $2 million who expatriate must be assumed to have sold all their assets and must pay a corresponding punitive exit tax on those assumed sales.  The Ex-PATRIOT Act goes even further than current law by assessing a 30% capital gains tax on all future earnings of expatriates.  Not content just with this additional tax, the bill also grants the IRS the sole authority to determine whether individuals have expatriated for tax purposes and allows the IRS to bar those individuals from ever re-entering the United States.  Finally, the bill blatantly violates the ex post facto provisions of the U.S. Constitution by extending all of these provisions to anyone who has given up their U.S. citizenship within the past decade.   This bill, and other similar legislation, casts a chilling effect on saving, investment, and entrepreneurial activity.  The bill was introduced in response to news reports about one of the founders of Facebook who might save millions of dollars of taxes by renouncing his U.S. citizenship.  But in their blind envy towards successful entrepreneurs, the bill's sponsors ignore the fact that they will ensnare many ordinary middle-class Americans who work hard, save and invest wisely, and benefit from rising home values.  These Americans may easily find themselves pushing past the $2 million mark by the time they retire, especially as inflation continues to seriously accelerate.  If they wish to escape the Federal Reserve's inflation by emigrating to lower-cost countries so their dollars will go farther, as many Baby Boomers are starting to do, the federal government will penalize them, and continue to penalize them for the rest of their lives as long as they hold any money in the United States.  Unfortunately, the mere consideration of such legislation, even before it has passed, has made American banking customers a potential future headache for banks around the world.  They don't want to deal with the IRS any more than Americans do, and if American account holders become a Trojan horse for the IRS to insinuate themselves into their affairs, there may be more cost than benefit to extending banking services to Americans. We live under a federal government that has eviscerated our Fourth Amendment rights, that can detain U.S. citizens indefinitely based solely on the President's word, that assaults toddlers and grandmothers at airports in the name of security, and regulates virtually every aspect of our economic lives.  No wonder increasing numbers of Americans feel this government is engaged in outright warfare against its own citizens.  Every day the noose grows tighter, yet anyone who sees the writing on the wall and seeks to leave must pay exorbitant taxes just for the privilege of leaving, and increasingly the possibility looms of never fully breaking away from the government's tentacles no matter where they go.  Ultimately, the Ex-PATRIOT Act proposes to control people by controlling their capital, and it has no place in a free society.

DOJ ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO PROTECT VOTING RIGHTS OF MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTERS IN CALIFORNIA

Photo:  Justice and Humanity.  Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Justice Department Announces Agreement to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters in California
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement with California state officials to help ensure that military servicemembers, their family members and U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in California’s June 5, 2012, federal primary election.
 
The agreement was filed at the same time as a lawsuit brought under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).  The Justice Department filed suit in response to the state’s failure to send absentee ballots to thousands of California’s eligible military and overseas voters for the June 5, 2012, federal primary election at least 45 days prior to the election, as required by UOCAVA.  The complaint also alleges that the state failed to ensure that ballots were sent by the voters’ preferred method of transmission (by mail or electronically), as required by federal law.

The agreement between the Justice Department and the California Secretary of State provides remedial options to afford affected military and overseas voters sufficient opportunity to receive, cast and return their ballots in time to be counted.  Under the agreement, affected voters will be notified of their options to receive and return their ballots by electronic or other expedited methods, and they will be offered the option of returning their ballots by express delivery at no cost to the voter.  The agreement recognizes the steps some counties already took to utilize express delivery for ballots that were not sent at least 45 days prior to the election.

“Members of our armed forces, their families and overseas citizens are entitled to a complete and meaningful opportunity to vote, and the Justice Department is committed to seeking full access to the ballot box for all voters – regardless of where they are on Election Day,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.  “The California Secretary of State worked cooperatively with the department and agreed to implement measures that will ensure California’s military and overseas voters will have the opportunity to fully participate in June’s primary election and future federal elections.”

“Our fine men and women in uniform make tremendous sacrifices serving our nation every day,” said Benjamin B. Wagner, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California.  “This agreement ensures that military voters, as well as U.S. citizens who are overseas, need not sacrifice their right to vote.”

UOCAVA requires states to allow uniformed service voters (serving both overseas and within the United States) and their families and overseas citizens to register to vote and to vote absentee for all elections for federal office.  In 2009, Congress enacted the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which made broad amendments to UOCAVA.  Among those changes was a requirement that states must transmit absentee ballots to voters covered under UOCAVA, by mail or electronically at the voter’s option, no later than 45 days before federal elections.  

The agreement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, Calif., also commits the California Secretary of State to closely monitor and certify California counties’ transmission of UOCAVA ballots, conduct training of county election officials before the 2012 general election, provide assistance to its counties when necessary, and report back to the United States about its UOCAVA compliance for the 2012 federal general election and the 2014 federal election cycle.  In addition, the agreement requires the California Secretary of State to take additional steps to ensure full compliance with UOCAVA in future federal elections, including investigating the cause of the late mailed ballots and then taking the actions necessary to prevent future violations.  The California Secretary of State must provide status reports to the Department of Justice on those efforts.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SUPPORTS INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE ON SYRIA

Photo Credit:  U.S. Department of Defense

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Pentagon Supports Diplomatic, Economic Pressure on Syria

By Cheryl Pellerin

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2012 - The Defense Department supports the U.S. policy of working with international partners to put diplomatic and economic pressure on Syria's government to help stem the humanitarian crisis there, the Pentagon's press secretary said here today.

George Little spoke with reporters at the Pentagon about the ongoing and destabilizing situation in Syria.

"What we're witnessing in Syria are atrocities undertaken by the [Bashar al-]Assad regime," he said. "That kind of violence by the regime needs to stop. We've been clear about that."

U.S. policy continues to focus, "with our international partners," Little added, "on applying diplomatic and economic pressure on the Assad regime to try to convince them that they are pursuing a reckless, inhumane and deplorable course of action."

Assad's troops massacred more than 100 Syrian men, women and children in the Houla region, north of the city of Homs, on May 25, U.S. and United Nations officials said.

The State Department today "called in Syrian charge d'affaires Zuheir Jabbour and informed him that he is no longer welcome in the United States and gave him 72 hours to depart," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a briefing.

The action was taken, she said, in response to the "absolutely indefensible, vile, despicable massacre against innocent children, women, shot at point-blank range by regime thugs -- [called] the shabiha -- aided and abetted by the Iranians who were actually bragging about it over the weekend."

Nuland said the State Department is in consultation with U.S. allies and partners about what more can be done to pressure the Assad regime.

"This decision to kick out the charge was done in coordination with other countries," she said. "Australia, Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany also took the same action today."

At the Pentagon briefing, Little said the focus remains on the diplomatic and economic track "but at the end of the day we in the Department of Defense have a responsibility to look at the full spectrum of options and to make them available if they're requested."

Little added, "We share the shock over the atrocities that we're seeing in Syria with our international partners. And we have an interest, of course, in stability in the region."

The United States has for decades played a key role in trying to provide peace, stability and security for that region, he said.

"When there is a crisis like this that erupts that has the potential to cause not just humanitarian disasters but also could cascade outside of Syria, potentially, that's a concern to countries of the region and to countries like the United States outside the region," Little said.

Defense Department officials have been in regular contact with international partners and countries in the region to express "our collective dismay at what's happening in Syria and to try to see if there are things we can do to bring pressure to bear on the Assad regime to stop what they're doing against their own people," the press secretary said.

"That's of course the prudent thing to do," Little added, "when you see a crisis like this in a very important region of the world."

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON MEETS WITH MIDDLE EAST DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Meeting With Visiting Middle East Democracy Activists
Remarks Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Treaty Room
Washington, DC
May 29, 2012
SECRETARY CLINTON: Hello.

PARTICIPANT: Hello.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Welcome. Welcome. We are so pleased to have you here, and I know many of you were able to come to the Civil Society Dialogue.

PARTICIPANT: Yes.

SECRETARY CLINTON: And we just want to continue encouraging you, supporting you where we can in your efforts to stand up for democracy – real democracy – and the human rights of every human being, and to help advance the cause of progress and freedom every way that you are already doing so. And we’re very proud of what you are doing. And we know it’s not an easy path to be on, but history has, I think, shown time and time again that you are on the right side of history. So thank you, all.

PARTICIPANT: Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Lots of pictures and cameras. (Laughter.) That’s it? Good.
Well, I know too that you have been meeting with a lot of people. Has it been a good experience for you?

PARTICIPANT: Yes, it was a very good – yeah.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good. And I hope that as part of your dialogue with all of our team, you’ll give us your very honest assessments about what we can do, what we should not do, what the best ways to try to support you are, what works, what doesn’t work, because we admire greatly not only what you’re doing, but what your countries are trying to do. And I often remind my own fellow Americans that it took us a long time to try to make sure we dealt with all of the issues – our Constitution enshrined slavery and we had to overcome that; it eliminated the right for women to vote and we had to overcome that.

So it’s not like we are telling you that it’s easy for us, because it’s been challenging. But we have the luxury of doing it during 200 years of history where the whole world was not watching everything you did and said. I mean, you are, in a way, in a much more challenging environment because of the media and technology that now has an opinion about everything and can be used for the betterment of human society or for the undermining of progress.

So we know how hard this is, just on the merits because of our own experience. And we know that it is even more challenging in today’s world. So we want to learn from you. We think we have some ideas to offer, some help to provide, but we really want to learn from you. So please take that invitation. Don’t be shy about that.