Naval Professionals Needed

Vincent Robert Capodanno, a U. S. Navy Roman Catholic chaplain, was born on Staten Island, where he graduated from Curtis High School. He was ordained in 1957.

In 1968, Secretary of the Navy Paul Ignatius notified Lieutenant Capodanno's family of a posthumous Medal of Honor award recognizing his selfless sacrifice in the Que Son Valley with outnumbered elements of the 1st Battalion 5th Marines during the Vietnam War.

If someone asks, Has a Navy Chaplain ever received the Medal of Honor?, now you know.
Read The Grunt Padre's Medal of Honor citation. See the ship nicknamed The Happy Cappy here.

According to the Marketplace Chaplains USA, turnover at Taco Bell outlets in central Texas dropped by a third after they started employing chaplains.

Who then, should be providing spiritual comfort and guidance to our military? Not psychiatrists like Nidal (AbduWali) M. Hasan.

But, how many navy chaplains graduated this year to replace those leaving the entire fleet and shore establishment? Just 29 new chaplains at a time of heinous war. In the final year of WW2 (1945), the comparable number of navy chaplains graduated was 519.

Yet, what concerns our congress is not too few navy chaplains, but too few navy lawyers (over 300 added since 2008).

Submarines, of course, have neither chaplains nor JAG officers, yet. But then, things are changing. The Navy chaplain's school is now relegated to an Army base far from shore.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Self Certifiction Invites Fraud, Our Congress Learns, - as we pay the tab

Review Finds Fraud in Contracts Awarded in Disabled Veterans’ Program (New York Times)

A program intended to help businesses owned by disabled veterans win 3 % of federal contracts awarded over $100 million in contracts to firms that were either ineligible or committed fraud to obtain the work, an unnecessary GAO review has found:

In one case, a Nevada firm won a $7.5 million contract from the Federal Emergency Management Agency even though its majority owner was not a disabled veteran, the review by the Government Accountability Office. ...In two other cases, businesses that won contracts were owned by disabled veterans who were also full-time state government employees, making them ineligible. And in at
least three other cases, companies owned by disabled veterans did little or none of the contracted work, simply passing it on to subcontractors not owned by disabled veterans.

Currently only the Department of Veterans Affairs has a database of firms whose owners are verified to disabled veterans. But that database is used only by Veterans Affairs for its own contracts; other agencies allow small businesses to “self certify” that they are owned and controlled by disabled veterans.

Duhhhh! The report recommends that the disabled vet database be expanded and made available to all federal agencies.

To arrive at such a brilliant conclusion (which in all likelihood will never be adopted anyway),
our congress of mostly elected lawyers pays lawyers (in this case from the GAO) to supervise a grunt or two who actually digs out the findings.

One more thing, they are all paid with taxpayers' money.

How much do you think the study cost, how many GAO lawyers were involved in the study, and why are such answers not always printed on cover pages of all reports financed at taxpayer expense?

If you read this and know answer(s) to above questions, please share.

To All of Our Brave Sailors, Especially Submariners on Thanksgiving Patrol

USS Reuben James (DD-245), a four-stacker, Clemson-class destroyer, was the first US Navy ship sunk by hostile action in World War II. The ship had been named for Boatswain's Mate Reuben James (c.1776–1838), who had gallantly fought Muslim pirates in the Barbary Wars.


American singer-songwriter and folk musician Woody Guthrie (July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) wrote The Sinking of the Reuben James performed in the YouTube below.

Extreme Creatures ...
Who suffer no attrition upon news their kind are sunk,
Who endure sunless weeks on end in want of their own bunk.
Disturbed from precious sleep by those dreaded, alarming sounds,
When the latest hazard has sprung out of its nearby bounds.
Sacrifices are certain for these devoted volunteers,
Qualifications demanded by a jury of their peers.
In clear illustration of “24-7’s” meaning,
There is no phoning home during silent submarining.

- Juan Caruso Davenport HM1(SS) (nom de plume)
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Russian Sub Alrosa Pending (or not) Updates

UPDATE: April 28, 2010, by Dr. Dmitry Gorenburg, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, in Military significance of the Sevastopol basing agreement:

The Alrosa submarine recently suffered an engine fire and almost sank.

Not really a minor maintenance issue afterall, but a real crisis at sea. Were any crew injured in the fire? Open question at this time, and one that only M.E. is asking.

Above is a photo of sub Alrosa at a Sevastopol drydock (circa Dec 2008).

Multiple accounts of Alrosa's recent misadventure are disputed by various sources within and without Russia. As yet, no Russian admiral has offered an official press release.

Unofficially, unnamed authorities have denied reports that Alrosa sent an S.O.S., required towing, or suffered an onboard crisis or even any major equipment malfunction. Reportedly, no crew has been injured, nor was ever in danger.

Additionally, Alrosa is expected to resume her mission (sea trial, training drills, black ops) when minor repairs are completed.

By now, defense officials across the world have reviewed related satellite surveillance photographs, read classified reports of connected activity within Russia, and shared intelligence. Only a Russian admiral, however, is entitled to paint a final picture of events. Other countries dare not publicize their intelligence (payback is hell).

When and if more information is made available from an authoritative source, M.E. will update the top of this page, repetitively, if necessary.

Based upon Russian denials further details should be expected. If, on the contrary, the true story involved a crisis, a permanent news blackout will confirm same. Four calendar days have now elapsed since an Ukrainian news agency allegedly reported Alrosa's SOS (about 8 AM, November 21), from 150 kilometers off the coast of Sukhumi.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Friedman Unwittingly Reveals Unwholesome Fear and Dirty SECRET Solution

Quick Fact:

November 24, 2009; NYT - Stolen E-Mails Sharpen a Brawl Between Climate Scientists and Skeptics The University of East Anglia said ....[t]he incident came to light last Tuesday morning [Nov 17th]

Coincidence [As an experienced investigator, M.E. does not believe in coincidences] OP-ED columnist Thomas Friedman just happened to publish a very strange opinion piece that very same day: November 17, 2009; NYT - What They Really Believe OP-ED piece by Thomas Friedman

OP-ED Excerpts (read carefully):

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...the drill-baby-drill opponents of this [cap-and-trade] legislation ... believe the world is going to face a mass plague, like the Black Death, that will wipe out 2.5 billion people sometime between now and 2050.

But there are two other huge trends barreling down on us with energy implications that you simply can’t deny.

The energy, climate, water and pollution implications of adding another 2.5 billion mouths to feed, clothe, house and transport will be staggering. And this is coming, unless, as the deniers apparently believe, a global pandemic or a mass outbreak of abstinence will freeze world population — forever.

Now, add one more thing. ... more and more people can now see how we live, aspire to our lifestyle and even take our jobs so they can live how we live. So ...by 2050, ...many more will live like “Americans” — with American-size homes, American-size cars, eating American-size Big Macs.

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THE UNWITTING REVELATION:

Friedman reveals, in his opinion, that a mass plague that wipes out 2.5 billion people is the only other alternative, albeit a very poor one, to Cap and Trade legislation. Initially, he predicts a plague would have the same impact as Cap and Trade --- lower human demand for energy and water.

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Accordingly, Friedman (and ostensibly likeminded Democrat leaders) fear ordinary Americans are living too well, and as hordes in developing nations aspire to our middle class lifestyles, cumulative demand will deplete energy and water resources. Lifestyles of even America's elites (people with beach houses?) would then be endangered. Solution? Saddle middle class Americans with passed-along carbon taxes to lower their current lifestyles.

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Anyone else have serious doubts about Friedman's strange logic? To him, Cap and Trade is more about deterring world admiration of U.S. lifestyles, lowering yours and mine in the process, than allowing our powerful free market to respond, as it historically has, very well, by innovating.

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Friedman goes on to say:

And we believe that the country that invents and deploys the most E.T. [energy technology] will enjoy the most economic security, energy security, national security, innovative companies and global respect. And we believe that country must be America. If not, our children will never enjoy the standard of living we did. And we believe the best way to launch E.T. is to set a fixed, long-term price on carbon — combine it with the Obama team’s impressive stimulus for green-tech — and then let the free market and innovation do the rest.

So, as I said, you don’t believe in global warming? You’re wrong, but I’ll let you enjoy it until your beach house gets washed away. [color emphasis added]

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Is Friedman accurate? Examine the recent (October 30, 2009) evidence for yourself: Green Job Benefits - for China. And here is the underlying Wall Street Journal article Chinese-Made Turbines to Fill U.S. Wind Farm. Reality: U.S. taxpayers may expect 2,800 jobs, but only 15% of those would be in the U.S. China will get the 85% balance.

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Friedman overlooks relevant facts (utopians always will) and so he fails utterly to convince M.E.

One sentence, many submarine questions

Nov. 25, 2009 (4 days have now elapsed) - Future updates will appear here.

NEWS UPDATE: 11/23/09 - EURASIANET.ORG - [bold and color emphases added] -
Russian military officials described the sub’s problem as minor, but added that the vessel could not make it to its home port, Sevastopol, on Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. It was towed to the nearer port of Novorossiysk on November 23, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
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The same article states: [The Alrosa was] Made in 1988, the sub had a role in a 1997 Jackie Chan film, the Kommersant daily reported.
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M.E.: - The update leaves little doubt of a major failure and attempted cover-up. Consider that the problem was described as minor, but the sub was towed to the nearer port. For first world countries, even some Canadians should agree, a commissioned military submarine dead in the water must always be considered a major problem.

The Alrosa, a Project 877 Kilo class submarine, was towed on the surface to Novorossiisk after its jet propulsion system failed, it has been reported.
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Russian language Alrosa web page here.

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Kilos are considered one of the quieter diesel submarines. Project 636 Kilo subs have been nicknamed The Black Holes by the Navy due to an uncanny ability to "disappear".[1]

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What could have happened to the Alrosa's pump-jet system: the lampshade inlet (photo below) may have fouled or, worse, the assembly may have partially detached. Consider the strange report about surface towing the sub. The confusion may reflect efforts to hide damage from satellites by keeping a damaged upper lampshade under water during tow.

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Whatever happened, no sailors were reportedly injured, this time. That is very fortunate, but it may have become just as difficult to believe.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Females eager for submarine duty and other fables

Reported November 22, 2009 by Capital Gazette - Hometown Annapolis.com:

Female mids eager for submarine duty

A spokesman for the academy quantified the senior first-class midshipmen who have expressed interest in submarining at about two dozen.

Annapolis resident Sharon Hanley Disher - who graduated from the Naval Academy in the Class of 1980, the first class of women to graduate from the institution - wrote a book titled "First Class: Women Join the Ranks at the Naval Academy," published in 1998."It's been a long time coming," Disher said. "Finally - it's very gratifying for me to see the challenges we faced and the attitudes changing.

Disher's husband, a submariner, supports sharing duties with co-ed counterparts it was also reported. Draw your own conclusions, readers. Can anyone imagine being married to a feminist and not supporting acceptance of co-ed's?

According to Disher, lifting the ban on female submarine sailors would greatly increase the pool from which the Navy can choose its recruits.

Molten Eagle agrees that the potential submarine recruit pool would be increased, that is a no-brainer. But how about the volunteer pool?

Since Disher was cited in the Capital Gazette's story (by a female staffer of course), perhaps M.E. readers would also like to know what was not reported about her in the story. According to her bio at the U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE:

Sharon Hanley Disher served in the Navy Civil Engineering Corps for ten years after her 1980 graduation from the Naval Academy, including service as the officer in charge of a construction battalion unit in New London, Connecticut, the second woman in the Navy to hold such a position.

That's right, readers, Disher served 10 years after graduation from the USNA (and a sincere thank you, for your service).

"Fifty percent of the population is women, and they should pick from the best and brightest people who really have a desire to serve," she said.

Well, 10 years is probably more active service than the average from today's academy grads, is it not? Which brings up the major point.: determine minimum career intent before academy matriculation. Slow down the hemorrhage of what Disher calls the brightest and the best by first excluding those who have no real desire to serve at least 10 years, as Disher did.

DoD consultant William J. Andahazy, a Grasonville is one of many voicing opposition to the policy change for financial reasons (the cost to make alterations to existing vessels) could range in the high millions.

"I'm only concerned about the value added to accommodate a handful of women," he said. "Why now when the budget is so challenged? I'm objecting to laying that on the taxpayer right now."

Yeah; and M.E. is concerned with the millions wasted every semester on academy students intent on leaving the service ASAP after they graduate, typically only 5-1/2 years.

Submarines are always silent and strange.

Just Because, that's why! Submarine's demonstration has stereotypical female tone

Becoming the third U.S. submarine reported to have sailed the Arctic so far this year, USS Texas (SSN- 775) completed an Arctic mission above the ice for more than 24 hours, because it can. Until then, some had foolishly believed Virginia-class subs had been ill-designed for arctic deployments.

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Ens. James Robinson, the supply officer for the Texas, said in the Pacific Fleet release that on-ice activities included a re-enlistment for 12 crew members and a pinning ceremony during which one crew member received his submarine warfare qualification dolphins.

Rob Huebert, an Arctic specialist with the University of Calgary, said, [of Canada's leaders] They're moving pretty slowly while others are already expanding their operations in the North.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

A Submarine Mystery for the Astute Only

Yesterday's Mystery Questions of the Week were answered correctly by the SonarMan. One question involved identifying something striking from the ship's underway photo, other than 3 items M.E. mentioned.

There was something else remarkable in that photo. Think hydrodynamic flow and observe the HMS Astute's unusual bow configuration. Note the freeboard (height of ship's hull, excluding sail, above the waterline). We do not know Astute's speed, but compare the sea turbulence on the sub's flanks to that of our SSN-21. Let's assume the underway Seawolf was at a higher surface speed.

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Does surface turbulence even matter for a nuclear submarine? Like U.S. boats the Astute's hull is hydrodynamically rounded for higher speed with lower drag, turbulence and noise generation.

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The forward fairing on Astute's bow no doubt covers specialized equipment (space is never wasted). Does it also provide another purpose? Is it a flow diverter to reduce sonar transducer noise. M.E. suspects so.

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Submarines are always silent and strange

Ironic

The above Juan Caruso cartoon appeared at M.E. on July 25, 2008, poking fun at the USAF after an embarrassing incident for them.

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Eight months later USS Hartford (SSN-768) allegedly experienced the result of chronic laxity, including an official report of 5 'sleepers'. The investigating team underscored at the end of their report that most of Hartford's sailors were of an absolutely superb caliber now hungering for effective leadership and eager to restore their ship’s standing.

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Caruso and M.E are certain that is entirely true. We are also certain some key facts uncovered in the investigation will never be made public for sound reasons.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Submarine Mystery Questions of the Week - 11-18-2009

QUESTIONS

1) What is the full name and hull number of the sub shown above?

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2) What kind of submarine is it?

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3) Besides the pictured sub's unusually beefy sail and rudder, and the alternative location of her bow planes, what else depicted in this photo is certainly striking?

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Comments are open.

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ANSWERS will be announced when and if made correctly by one respondent.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Fraud Red Flags on the Horizon - Will John McCain Sit in His Hands?

Nov. 16, 2009 - ABC News Exclusive - Jobs 'Saved or Created' in Congressional Districts That Don't Exist

In Arizona's 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. ...There's one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the state has only eight districts. And ABC News has found many more entries for projects like this in places that are incorrectly identified.
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Late Monday, officials with the Recovery Board created to track the stimulus spending, said the mistakes in crediting nonexistent congressional districts were caused by human error [sic].

FRAUD INVESTIGATOR's OPINION: It is definitely time for actual recipient names and dollar amounts to be ascertained in connection with diligent forensic investigations. The excuse of 'human error' fails in view of multiple occurrences and the amounts of taxpayer-financed stimulus funds involved. Fraud was predicted early on in disbursements of huge stimulus payments; now we know why. Sen. McCain should be the first to demand a thorough investigation of the Arizona 'errors', in my opinion. - M.E.

BACKGROUND:
February 23, 2009 - Chicago Tribune Washington Bureau Swamp -Stimulus patrol: 'RAT' board gears up

Using the TARP as an example, former comptroller general and head of the Government Accountability Office, David M. Walker said the lesson to be learned from the $350 billion handed out to banks without stipulations or transparency is that "we still don't know what we got" from that program.

President Barack Obama today appointed Earl E. Devaney to serve as chairman, along with Vice-President Joe Biden, of the new Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board. Devaney, a former white-collar crime investigator for the Secret Service, has served as inspector general for the Department of the Interior since 1999.

The recovery board, dubbed the "RAT-Board" by some industry insiders, is an $84 million element of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created to coordinate oversight and government-wide policy on how the overall $787 billion economic stimulus is spent. A key part of Obama's promise to provide transparency and accountability to taxpayers...

Potentially Bad Fast Boat Idea

Why display flags in this manner anytime? M.E. does not have an answer to that question, nor a clue to what such an awkward, display contraption actually cost taxpayers.

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More importantly, of course, is what it cost the USS Cheyenne (SSN-773) in unnecessary storage space and added safety considerations for whomever had to haul the clumsy contraption to the bridge and mount it in such a congested area.

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What we do know, however, is a bit of history that makes a case why this flag arrangement shown is probably an ill-conceived idea.

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British J-class submarines had three screws, which enabled a speed of 19.5 knots (surfaced) against German vessels of WW1. One boat, HMS J6, was sunk by another British warship. Why? Check the dopey flag arrangement on the Cheyenne and read on:

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15 October 1918 - HMS J6 Sunk in error by Q Ship HMS Cymric.

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Note that the above sub is not even fully surfaced. What's the point of showing colors? We know some of you are thinking this photo was not taken in a combat situation (TRUE, this time); others think modern technology would eliminates the kinds of human errors (poor judgement is not uncommon during the chaos of war) that sunk J6 in actual war (FALSE).

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At least one U.S. sub was likely sunk (all hands lost) by its own navy: [USS] Rowell's commanding officer knew he was in a safety lane,[9] but, having failed to get word [USS] Seawolf [(SS-197)] was behind schedule,[10] believed there was no U.S. submarine nearby and chose to attack. Rowell [(DE-403)] established sonar contact on the submarine, which then sent a series of dashes and dots which Rowell stated bore no resemblance to the existing recognition signals. Believing this an attempt to jam her sonar,[11] Rowell attacked with Hedgehog. The second attack was followed by underwater explosions, and debris rose to the surface.

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Post-war examination of Japanese records shows no attack listed that could account for the loss of Seawolf. While it is possible Seawolf was lost to an operational casualty or as a result of an unrecorded enemy attack, it is more likely she was sunk by friendly fire. 62 officers and men as well as 17 Army passengers were lost. She was the thirty-fourth U.S. submarine lost in the Pacific War, the second (after Dorado) to friendly fire.[12]

SUBS are Always Silent and Strange - This is no exception

13 Nov 2009 - Telegraph UK - China admits secretly salvaging British submarine HMS Poseidon

China has admitted secretly salvaging a British submarine sunk in an accident in 1931, but claimed there was no sign of the remains or personal effects of the 18 men who were entombed in HMS Poseidon when it went down off the former naval base of Weihai.

HMS Poseidon (P99) was a Parthian class submarine built by Vickers for the United Kingdom''s Royal Navy. Launched in 1929, most of Poseidon's brief service was performed in the region of the Yellow Sea. Around 12:45 pm on 9 June 1931, 20 miles north of the vessel's Weihai base, Poseidon collided with the Chinese merchant steamer SS Yuta despite excellent visibility. [1]

Although eight crew managed to escape from the forward end, two failed to reach the surface and one later died.

Reports of those on board do not seem to tally (photo). As a result of successful escape by 5 of Poseidon's crew (one later died) British Admiralty revised its policy in 1934, from having crews wait for assistance to escaping from the submarine as soon as possible.[2]

25 Jun 2009 - Telegraph UK - Family of lost submarine crew demands answers

The granddaughter of a Royal Navy submariner killed when HMS Poseidon sank in 1931 is calling on the British and Chinese governments to reveal all that they know about claims of a secret salvage operation.

After all, they point out, the CSS Hunley, one of the first submarines ever built and sunk in 1864 during the American Civil War, contained eight skeletons that had been almost perfectly preserved when it was recovered from Charleston harbour in April 2004.

And, retreival of the Hunley submarine sailors' remains would not be the first or last time another country salvaged another state's sub. Recall the tale of the ill-fated Soviet K-129.

The United States announced that in the section they recovered were the bodies of six men. Due to radioactive contamination, the bodies were buried at sea in a steel chamber on September 4, 1974 with full military honors about 90 nautical miles (167 km) southwest of Hawaii.[4]

Submarines are always silent and strange. Super technology ( see bioluminescent foxfire, since back in 1775 ) is only one reason for silence.

Satan Petitioned for Early Release

PREVIEW: The Curious Horsemen of the Modern Apocalypse

UPDATE: (CARACAS) 15 Nov 2009 16:15:11 - Reuters - [Hugo Chavez] Government criticized for poor planning in drought
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez says he will join a team of Cuban scientists on flights to "bomb clouds" to create rain amid a severe drought that has aroused public anger due to water and electricity rationing. ...Chavez provides Cuba with subsidized oil and is a close friend of the communist island's former leader Fidel Castro. ... Chavez said Castro was in excellent health and invited the Cuban to participate in a trade conference he is hosting next month in Havana.

Scholars do not agree on what each horseman described by the Book of Revelation represents. The four ancient horsemen are often referred to as Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.

Some may now be seeing the ancient horsemens' modern apocalyptic counterparts (Radical Mosques, Drought, Nuclear, Energy). Scholars would still disagree, however:

Manhattan, NEW YORK - Nov 13 The Washington Post - Prosecutors tie Iran, U.S. assets
FORFEITURE ACTIONS BEGIN

Prosecutors described an intricate web of ties allegedly connecting the properties to an Iranian bank that has been identified as a key financier of Tehran's nuclear [energy] and ballistic missile programs and possibly acts of terrorism.

None of the properties has been formally seized. Rather, prosecutors are formally starting the process of forfeiture, which a court must recognize.

Havana, CUBA Nov 11 Reuters - Cuba orders extreme measures to cut energy use -

The energy situation we face is critical and if we do not adopt extreme measures we will have to revert to planned blackouts affecting the population," said a recently circulated message from the Council of Ministers.

Cuba is the third country in as many weeks in the region to implement electricity rationing. Venezuela and Ecuador have both been facing shortages due to severe drought.

Caracas, VENEZUELA November 12 The Tehran Times - Venezuela’s new hydropower plant won’t be finished soon -

But the $4.3 billion Manuel Piar, or Tocoma plant, partly financed by the Inter American Development Bank, is still five years from completion, even though earlier plans called for a 2010 finish.

Hugo Chavez promotes what he calls 21st-Century socialism, nationalized electricity production in 2007. In 2008 Chavez had announced he was importing 21 small electricity plants from a close political ally, Cuba! Chavez has also told people to stop taking long showers, which could allow more water to flow to the hydropower plants. Chavez's government has ordered state bodies to cut energy use by 20%, and is restricting imports of electrical equipment that aren’t energy efficient.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, however, prefers to blame excesses of unfeeling, inhuman capitalism. He asks, What will the rich fill their swimming pools with? With the water that is denied inhabitants in the poor neighborhoods. source

Reykjavik, ICELAND Nov 12 - RÚV - Extensive Water Export Planned in East Iceland

The water would be exported to Mediterranean countries [sorry, Hugo -ed.], which lack water for agricultural and industrial purposes.

Reports show that it is a growing problem in the world; water is talked of as the ‘blue gold’ and everything indicates that many opportunities are involved in water export, Gudmundsson said.

The plan is to pump water from the Nykurhylur pool in the river Fossá in Berufjördur and transport it with pipelines to 80,000-ton tankers, RÚV (video) reports.

Hasan's Insanity May Not Be Permanent - Defense Mum

Thursday, November 12, 2009 - Washington Post - Hasan to be charged with premeditated murder, Army official says -Authorities: Hasan will be tried in a military court.

The temporary insanity trigger? Car keyed and Allah is Love bumper sticker ripped...

At the apartment complex where Hasan lived in Killeen outside Fort Hood, another soldier had vandalized Hasan's car and tore off a bumper sticker that read "Allah is Love," prompting Hasan to file a complaint to police, a co-manager of the complex said. The soldier had been in Iraq and reportedly was upset to learn that Hasan was Muslim.

Standby and wait. Hasan will probably be released from prison in 17 year, counting credit for time served before sentencing to 25 years to life.

Molten Eagle's Veterans Day Salute Variations

Rarely has the U.S. ever been subject to the degree of confusing, political correctness demanded of our serving military by increasingly, lawyerly leadership.
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Lets compare the performances of two officers in military Medicine.



The smiling M.D. pictured at left has deployed to Iraq and later Bosnia during her thirty-one years in the army. With both of her arms broken and a bullet in her back after the crash of her Blackhawk hellicopter near Basra in 1991, she could not fight her captors. Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,438760,00.html#ixzz0WaQ3DKkM Her courage and resilience became a model for America's female soldiers in their expanded wartime roles.
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Brigadier Gen. Rhonda Cornum's decorations include the Legion of Merit (with 2 oak leaf clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (4 oakleaf clusters), Purple Heart and Air Medal. She wears the airborne, air assault, and expert field medic badges.


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The smiling M.D. pictured at right has never been deployed overseas during his 12+ years in the Army. Since July 2009, he has been posted to Darnall Army Medical Center (Fort Hood, Texas) for eventual deployment with a reserve unit already in Afghanistan. This M.D. would have rendered back-office, psychiatric support to U.S. soldiers. Maj. Hasan wears the National Defense Service Medal (two awards), the Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.
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Nidal (AbduWali) M. Hasan is now hospitalized in ICU at Brooke Army Medical Center (San Antonio, TX) in connection with his assault that killed 12 soldiers, 1 civilian and the fetus of Pfc. Francheska Velez at Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan's assault injured another 30.
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Both of the above are decorated officers on a day of national recognition for military service. Has the comparison been fair and accurate?
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Want the larger question? How does the honor of an Islamist male compare to the service of a liberated infidel female? Not very well, at all. Remember, Cornum, a woman, was shot in the back by a Muslim. Oh, Islamists protest, jihadists could not tell she was a woman in her Army uniform. So, when U.S. troops accidentally wound civilians it is o.k. because jihadists dress like civilians? Think again, one-way Islamist.
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Perhaps one of the majors betrayed the Army uniform and cheated U.S. taxpayers out of the value of a costly medical education. In that case, a one-finger salute and ten tons of bacon bits may be appropriate in about 10-12 years, allowing time for a speedy trial, capital case appeals and eventual conviction. Alternatively, a hospital death might soon be more convenient for politicians bent on nonpursuit of the obvious.
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Want another example of political correctness?
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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Nidal Malik Hasan - What Can be Done

As his best defense option (insanity) Hasan has been instructed to testify that he acted alone. That means there never was a terrorist conspiracy, just a well-executed plan by one, half-baked gunman.

Hasan will eventually be sentenced to prison. Faithful Islamic fanatics, however, like Hasan never stop talking. He will tell a more truthful tale, to the glory of Allah, of obtaining Al-Qaeda approval for his well-executed massacre through an intermediary spiritual advisor (see photo).
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According to ABC's video (YouTube below) this the FBI already denies. The FBI determined that Hasan's e-mails to this cleric did not warrant investigation, according to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Perfect, shortly after Muslim incompetents were sentenced for planning a similar massacre at Fort Dix, Hasan actually executes a successful one at Fort Hood, shaming the U.S. Army on its home turf.

With the assistance of infidels looking the other way, Hasan managed to vindicate his Islamist extremism by proving to copycats that Allah seems willing after all. Unless Hasan can be silenced, copycats are a certainty no matter what preventative measures the Army undertakes.

Hasan's grave will eventually be oversprinkled with real bacon bits, the spiritual equivalent of hot oil poured down his throat.

HDTV

My friend and neighbor is a cable-TV-telephone subscriber. M.E., is an over-the-air free TV and economy wireless consumer.

My friend has his cathode-ray-tube TV hooked to his expensive cable service. Amazing, since the guy is more of a penny-pincher than M.E., but every bit as smart in most respects.

Are you considering the purchase of a flat screen HDTV?

M.E. made the decision to get one upon return from Disney World in 1989. In fact, a poster of EPCOT Center was placed on the wall of our den when we returned from our family visit there to reserve the space for a future, flat screen TV.

About 5 years later a $31,000 flat screen was announced. No thanks, out of my league, but I am very patient.

DISCLOSURE: We now have 2 HDTVs, but the main one, for the den has been the most elusive.

Things M.E. has learned...

> Reliability is important (my HDTVs are still working fine) and Consumers Reports rates manufacturer reliability well (although it just does not rate enough of them).

> Never, ever buy before researching. An excellent research resource in addition to Consumers Reports (available free at your local library) is Amazon.com (online reviews), but do not stop there.

> Be cautious with conventional wisdom relative to screen size and resolution. If you do not get 1080, you had better forget Blueray.

> Be cautious with respect to diagonal dimension. Your screen will be cheated by a variety of factors no one mentions. For instance, a 19" HDTV may have only 15" of display for older, SDTV broadcasts. Worse, you must factor in the legibility of "crawlers" and subtitles. Screens that downsize displays are usually inadequate for those not wanting to move seating much closer. Do so, however, and you will instantly wish you had bought the 1080 versus 720 model.

> Features vary and can be compelling in your purchase decisions. Today's successes will be tomorrow's standards. Be patient.

> Finally, power consumption is at least as important in the decision matrix as durability. Previously, this was difficult to compare. No so any longer. Who wants a large-screen, plasma TV second in household power consumption only to their hot-water heater? Yet, before you by an energy efficient LED backlit LCD HDTV, realize that weekly pricing is very volatile and
coming down fast. By the way, did you know HDTV Energy Star standards are being raised for LCD TVs (the most efficient currently)?

> Patience has held me back since 1989. So far, with no regrets. Why not have YouTube, news, weather, sports and stock quotes on your HDTV for free? Hmmm!

At screen sizes smaller than 26 inches, only a small difference exists between the power consumption of the two television types. However, LCD-TVs in the popular 37-, 40-, 42- and 50-inch sizes have dramatically greater power consumption than the smaller CRT-TVs, which max out at the 35-inch dimension.

Previous global standards, including earlier versions of the Energy Star regulations, focused on reducing power consumption only during the off and standby modes. However, the new requirements focus on the on-mode, in which televisions consume the most power.

Good luck hunting!

MK-34D Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment (SEIE) Suit

Further explanation can be found here.

Hugo Chavez, Submariners and Water Rationing

In adjacent Miranda State the Lagartijo Reservoir is at the lowest level ever recorded. Residents of Venezuela’s capital face strict cuts in water service through May 2010.

President Hugo Chavez has urged citizens to reduce water consumption, including his suggestion last week that showering should last only 3 minutes.

In response to drought, water supplies in Caracas are shut off for as much as 48 hours per week, staggered throughout the city, according to state-owned water utility Hidrocapital officials cited in AFP reports.

But is something more amiss? Critics, including the municipal agency that distributes Hidrocapital's water to the city, say that poor infrastructure has made it difficult for water pressure to reach some of the poorest parts of the city. Water taps in poor districts are known to run until they dry up, because nobody can turn them off. The real cause of the trouble is decades of inadequate system maintenance.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, however, prefers to blame excesses of unfeeling, inhuman capitalism.

What will the rich fill their swimming pools with? With the water that is denied inhabitants in the poor neighborhoods. source

Which brings about today a spot of good news: Shortages pose a risk to Venezuela's Chavez

What are submariners to think? One diesel submariner revealed this:

We generated only sufficient fresh water for officers to shower every 11 days, general enlisted showered every four days, and only food handlers were permitted to shower every day.

And, even in the nuclear era, we were informed during submarine school how to take the 2-minute shower. But not from this lady.

Death toll rises: "It could be a terror attack"

9:52 PM EST PREDICTION: Major Malik Nadal Hasan will be declared dead (again) as soon as he is able to make a statement that he was acting alone. - Vigilis

UPDATE: 9:34 EST- FOXNEWS - Hasan was in stable condition condition at a local hospital Thursday night, Cone said after previously reporting that he was killed at the scene.

This story (cover-up) is getting weird. It is taking on the wild, inexplicable aura of the JFK assassination timeline. The nation's top cover-up team, again in a Democrat administration, is exercising th endless imagination of Hollywood scrip writers to suppress the truth. With this obvious cover-up in play, Vigilis will no longer be updating this tragedy. Tomorrow or later, we may elaborate our opinion in more detail. The rate of change of "facts" tonight makes tracking the story hopeless (as the Obama's administration fully intends).

UPDATE: CNN 9:07 EST - Surviving Fort Hood shooting suspect arrested at golf course, officer says - A senior officer who was playing golf said an MP told him that authorities considered the man to be a suspect in the shootings after having overheard the man say he was with the shooter.

UPDATE: 8:29 EST - The massacre at the Fort Hood military base that killed at least 12 people and wounded 31 at Fort Hood appears to be the deadliest mass shooting at a US military base in modern history. Officials at the Texas base, the largest US military base in the world, said a soldier opened fire in a busy processing centre where troops go before being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was a psychiatrist on the base, according to records uncovered by ABC News. Hasan, who was born in Virginia, was single with no children. The Austin American-Statesman reported his parents were originally from Jordan. At this time the numbers that we’re looking at are 12 dead and 31 wounded and they are dispersed among the local hospitals here in the central Texas area. The shooter was killed and two other suspects, who are also soldiers, have been apprehended, Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone said.
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At this time, it appears to M.E. that the Army is working on excuses to release the living suspects. Otherwise, our Commander-in-Chief will come under severe scrutiny for his stance on waterboarding, and blinding a proven avenue used to uncover terrorist conspiracies on domestic soil.

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UPDATE: 7:07 EST - US Army Major Malik Nidal Hasan Identified As Primary Shooter At Fort Hood Maj. -- Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, an Army mental health professional has ties to the Washington, D.C. area. Military officials said that Maj. Hasan was a psychiatrist who had been recently promoted to major and transferred to Fort Hood from Washington's Walter Reed Medical Center. Maj. Hasan's professional specialties included post-traumatic stress disorder, combat stress and other emotional issues common to the troops implicated in earlier incidents of military fratricide. - WSJ

During my time in the military, the title of M.D. (medical Doctor) was used for ranks lower than Commander (O-5). In other words, Lt.s were called doctors. If Army Major Hasan (O-4) was really an M.D., why is no one calling him Doctor? Molten Eagle believes Hasan is a psychologist, unless current military title conventions elevate O-5 (Majors) over M.D.s.

The U.S. Army will soon decide whether or not to claim this was an isolated incident, or a well-planned terrorist plot. As M.E. said earlier. highly educated Islamists act alone; otherwise, they tend to conspire. Is it not grand! Guess what the Army will decide.

If anyone conspired, ME. has said in advance:
Obviously, if an al-Qaeda terror bombing were to occur in the U.S. now, Obama and his fawningly supportive 111th Congress Democrat majority Congress will be held inextricably culpable of executive inexperience and gross negligence, respectively.



At Least 7 Dead, 12 Wounded in Shootings at Ft. Hood in Texas
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A pair of mass shootings at Ft. Hood military post in Texas left at least 7 dead and 12 wounded Thursday, and one suspected gunman is on the loose, the Army said. A massive manhunt was under way for the suspect at large, Fox News confirmed, and one person was in custody. The New York Post said that there were two shooters at the Army post massacre; other reports said there were three.

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"It could be a terror attack, it could be a disenchanted soldiers, it could be a varity of people," said Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis.

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In every act of attempted Islamic terror on U.S. soil dissclosed to date, at least 2 perpetrators, more often 3 or more, have been involved. Such acts contrast with the delayed teenage rebellion episodes involving highly-educated Islamic rogues like this one, who struck in Chapel Hill, NC on March 4, 2006. On August 26, 2008, Taheri-azar was sentenced on two counts of attempted murder to 26 years and 2 months to 33 years in prison by Orange County Superior Court.[2]

Two Cells and Bad Vibes X 3

FACT: BlackBerry smartphones feature worldwide phone capabilities.

QUESTION: So who is President Obama calling with his BlackBerry?

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FACT: Even the cell area dedicated to East German Stasi [Secret Police] prisoners in an area called the submarine was several times larger than most crewmen get on today's U.S. submarines.

QUESTION: How would female crew react to areas smaller than shown in the prison photo?

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FACT: Published October 28, 2009 -Underwater Entrapment - Today's Imminent Warning!

QUESTION: 11:15 pm November 1, 2009 - Tragic coincidence?

Our sincerest sympathies go to the families and friends for the tragic loss of three wonderful and talented young women.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

New York Times 3 Years Late and a $Billion Short

May 31, 2006 - Occupation: Global Warming Mongers by Vigilis -

It is becoming clearer that he [Gore] is either very dim-witted, or is spearheading a scam for which he has a financial conflict of interest. In fact, his interest in the recent movie An Inconvenient Truth, could be offset by production costs claimed as advertising/marketing for his investment company, based in London. Shameful, really shameful, but not illegal.

November 2, 2009 - The New York Times - Gore’s Dual Role: Advocate and Investor - by John M. Broder -

Representative Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, asserted at a hearing this year that Mr. Gore stood to benefit personally from the energy and climate policies he was urging Congress to adopt.

Mr. Gore said every penny he has made from his renewable energy holdings — as well as from his book and movie efforts — into the non-profit he chairs, the Alliance for Climate Protection.

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The founder and current chairman of the alliance is former US Vice President Al Gore. [1] Does Al Gore ever mention the CEO salary and benefits he receives from the non-profit? No, he does not. Or, does he cleverly have proceeds deposited in the Gore Family Trust, as perhaps one of his major league lawyers have advised?

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We do not know, and it is very unlikely that anyone from the NYT will ever ask.

Steely Question of the Week: 11-3-2009

November 2, 2009 - New York City - USS New York arrives in New York City -

LPD 21 arrived in New York City on Nov. 1 as PCU (precommissioning unit) New York. After the commissioning ceremony on Nov. 4 the ship--built with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in her bow--will officially become USS New York.

October 27, 2009 - San Francisco bridge closes after cable snaps -

Questions of the week:

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1) In tons, what was the reported range of weights of salvaged WTC steel used in building LPD-21?

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2) In tons, what were the reported range of weights of fallen steel that fell on the deck of the San Francisco's Oakland Bay Bridge recently?

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3) Will the USS New York (LPD-21) be a terrorist target of choice?

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Answers Wednesday

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Submarines are always silent and strange.

Shhh... Secret!

Terrorism was predictable (published as a major, post-Soviet threat) by the time the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Even authors and Hollywood were kicking the idea around. True Lies is an extended remake of a 1991 French movie La Totale!,[1] Released in 1994, True Lies a film by director James Cameron was a blockbuster featuring a spectacular nuclear weapon detonation in the Florida Keys by a terrorist network called the Crimson Jihad.

It may have been the one result of a U.S. military planning exercise, however. Perhaps some highly placed U.S. and French civilians knew quite a bit more about a certain kingdom's true role.

Just a theory.