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By Barbara Starr
(CNN) - Deep inside the military's special operations forces there is a crisis of conscience unfolding. The publication of "No Easy Day," a former Navy SEAL's account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, is forcing many to rethink a fundamental point of military honor. How much should America's commandos talk about what they do?
It's a debate that goes beyond disclosure of classified information, which is a crime. The discussion now centers on honor, ethics and cultural values inside the ranks.
"This is a battle for the conscience of the SEALs," a recently retired senior SEAL told me.
He served for decades in operational positions in the force, and has never told me any of the details of his missions. For years he did what every SEAL has done: Go on raids, find targets and, if necessary, kill them. It's what the nation asks of them.
Buzz ramps up over SEAL's bin Laden book
The question now: Is the SEAL community taking that Tom Clancy superman image and turning it into celebrity? "Was No Easy Day" indeed that last straw?
"It's a generational thing that is happening to some extent," the retired SEAL said. Some younger SEALs who have grown up in the age of the Internet and instant online communications simply feel it's their right to talk about their work, as long as they can claim it's not classified, he said.
This senior SEAL said he and his peers grew up in a generation where "we don't talk about what we do," and he feels it should be kept that way.
In fact, the chief Navy SEAL wrote a scathing e-mail to his 2,500 troops, which began with the fundamental SEAL ethos.
"We do NOT advertise the nature of our work, NOR do we seek recognition for our actions," said Rear Adm. Sean Pybus.
Pybus told the men he is "disappointed, embarrassed and concerned" that troops are now openly speaking and writing about what they do.
"Most of us have always thought that the privilege of working with some of our nation's toughest warriors on challenging missions would be enough to be proud of, with no further compensation or celebrity required.
"Today, we find former SEALs headlining positions in a presidential campaign; hawking details about a mission against Enemy Number 1; and generally selling other aspects of NSW training and operations."
Pybus continued: "For an Elite Force that should be humble and disciplined for life, we are certainly not appearing to be so. We owe our chain of command much better than this."
Every SEAL, indeed everyone in U.S. military special operations units, knows exactly what Pybus is saying. He's warning that fundamental trust is at risk. And the risk is on many levels, from the campfire to the Oval Office.
Matt Bissonnette wrote in his book about casual chatter among SEALs, which he portrayed as less than supportive of President Obama. An Army special operations guy who read that passage was shocked.
"That's just 'team talk' around the fire," he said.
Does anybody expect that to show up in a book? The men on these small covert units literally place their lives in the hands of each other. They trust that they'll keep each others' confidence. And confidence must be unshakeable at the highest levels.
Bergen: Sense and nonsense about Obama and Osama
Pybus' reference to a chain of command is read by some to mean only one thing: the president of the United States. A president has to fundamentally believe when he sends SEALs on a secret mission to kill the world's top terrorist that those in the rank and file aren't going to start talking.
Of course, there has been plenty of chatter about Obama administration officials themselves talking too much about the raid. Now there has been outright admission classified information was exposed.
Pentagon spokesman George Little acknowledged classified information about the raid did get out in the hours and days after bin Laden was killed.
"We were all deeply concerned, not just in this building, but elsewhere in the administration, about the disclosure of highly classified information that made its way out the door," he said. "I don't know precisely who did it, but it shouldn't have happened. And many of us tried to keep some of those sensitive details, particularly those involving sources and methods, from making their way to press reports."
Little was the CIA spokesman at the time of the raid.
But many believe there is a difference between Pentagon officials disseminating information and rank and file members of the military sharing it. If service members want to write a book, the material has to be reviewed before publication. If a service member believes he or she needs to bring wrongdoing to light, there are procedures within the military for whistle-blowing. Bissonnette did not follow the rules, the Pentagon said.
In fact, in the book's introduction, Bissonnette justifies his book, writing "It is time to set the record straight" and, "This book will finally give credit to those who earned it." It's odd phrasing, because so many, including Pybus and Adm. William McRaven, the head of all 65,000 special operations forces across the military, think the SEALs have received plenty of credit around the world for killing bin Laden.
Pentagon: SEAL's book has classified info, didn't follow protocol
Both admirals are agonizing over the emergence of SEALs as celebrities as well as political operatives.
McRaven is aiming squarely at a group of former SEALs actively opposing President Barack Obama. The admiral is referring to the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund, which has sponsored a Web video featuring former special forces officers accusing the president of taking too much credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and allowing classified information about the raid to become public.
While McRaven said former SEALs have the right to express their opinions, he wants any link to the active duty force to be kept out of it. "By attaching a special operations moniker or a unit or service name to a political agenda, those individuals have now violated the most basic of our military principles," McRaven said in his e-mail message to the troops.
McRaven and Pybus know their worries are raising eyebrows. That's because the Pentagon itself has encouraged worldwide commercial interest in SEAL lore. In one case, top Pentagon and CIA officials offered their support for the upcoming "Zero Dark Thirty," a movie that Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow is making about the bin Laden raid.
Some in Congress have complained that the Pentagon and CIA should not have offered the filmmaker background briefings.
Active duty Navy SEALs also were given permission to perform in the Hollywood thriller "Act of Valor."
Also, Pentagon sources told CNN, SEALs are also working on two other Hollywood movies.
The recently retired senior SEAL summed up the problem for his brothers in arms since the Bin Laden raid: "We swallowed the golden egg. But now we can't get rid of it."
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I agree with the senior seals are right. These younger Seals should keep there mouths shut.No need for a book if you pay these guys the right
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it's natural to put the SOF community into the limelight. They're the best, they set the standard for all kind of stuff. They are downright exciting. In turn, it's natural for them to enjoy that limelight, they bust their *55es, get really good at some really hard stuff and bring home the bacon for the USA (or save it). Like many people who are excellent, many of them probably wouldn't be that way if they didn't have a reasonably healthy ego (justified pride in capabilities and accomplishments). Which culturally they usually suppress, but here's an opportunity to let it out a little.
Problem is, both these natural reactions (can) produce bad results. A force that needs to come and go and it's like they were never there, needs to not be in the public eye. so maybe the military's PR people need to up their game, take SOF back less public, and sell them on mystery and rumor rather than letting Johnny Pimples think he's got all access via his Xbox. (And no, I don't care if this particular incident happened without authorization. The government sets the tone for how these units are presented (or not) to the public. They can set a different tone.)
it is better to remain silent and thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt
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Either a 't/r/o/l/l or worse. Precisely why this book should have been vetted!
Not like the military would lie to us. Anyone remember Pat Tillman??
Most SEAL's are fed up with Obama. Only the retired ones dare say anything, because a soldier was booted for bad mouthing the idiot in chief.
Anyone remember when he brought charges against three of them for "Ruffing up" a terrorist? Just the fact that they are trying so hard to discredit him makes me want to buy the book, must be some really good stuff in it!
I don't know why you think your current president is an idiot? At least he knows how to talk properly and conduct himself unlike your previous president. As for how to treat terrorists yes they are guilty but beating them only lowers us to their standards. The only thing that will come out of this is that there could be problems for future missions because let's face it..it was not to embarass the military or President Obama but to make a buck. This SEAL member should be tried and convicted under the military rule that forbids him to discuss operations....it's called protecting national security!!!
the president knows how to "talk roperly"–sure-that's the objection–with "trying the navy seal as to "protecting national security"–he only wants to "make a buck"–1–anyone can "talk the talk"-properly–can they "walk the walk"?–2-"protecting national security"?–who-to this moment- as to leaks within the political establishment–has been tried for not "protecting "national security"?–3-"make a buck"–maybe you're unaware as to how many members of Congress-and the President himself–that have made "a buck"–google how many are now millionaires-and were not-before they were elected–he is no more eligible to be held accountable for his violation of "national security"-than the "political establishment"–unless you're one who believes that men in uniform should be held accountable-while men in "suits and ties"-are not to be–as with most-it appears your concentration is centered on the individual problem-not the overall problem–im sure this seal knows how many states there are in the usa-since the president does not–i-and i only speak for myself–i also consider him an "idiot"–as to proper language-maybe you should edit the dictionary–the word is in there-of course it probably would not be gracious to use it when having tea..apparently there are people whom believe in "do as i say"–and not "do as i do"–it's called "equal justice under the law"–politicians put there pants on no different than i do–address the problem–as a whole,,
I agree with you! Why did the retired SEAL pick on other Seals?
It was OBAMA who blabbed that it was SEAL 6 on the Bin Laden raid
And it was OBAMA who gave Hollywood the details of the raid to make an Obama propaganda film!!!
If the Commander-in-Chief can do it..................eh? Obama - leading by example - NOT! Hypocrites.
Bruce, what abot the Director of the NSA who violated security by mentioning Steal Team 6 and a mission. That is TS/SAR. Go after him. He placed all of this in public domain. Not the Seals
Solid "Trigger and mouth discipline" go hand in hand. Once is either one is lost..... there is bound to be unintended casualties.
God bless those Americans willing to sacrifice so that others may sleep well at night.
Rear Admiral Pybus is right. The SEALs who are using their service to advance their own political or personal agenda are a disgrace. And some of them, like the swift boat birther SEALs Larry Bailey and Benjamin Smith of the OPSEC swiftboat group, are just downright crazy and more than a little bit scary. http://www.whoisformernavysealbenjaminsmith.com I thank them for their service, but just because they were a SEALs once upon a time does not mean they automatically have honor, integrity, or credibility.
Looks like no one is buying into the honor and integrity mantra of the most corrupt department in the government. It was only a matter of time until that scam collapsed. The entire concept of service is obsolete in modern American society, just look at the kind of people in leadership positions. Then putting this so-called raid in perspective, a heavily armed company sized air-assault on a small compound 'defended' by children, wives, and in-laws with handguns, is hardly the stuff legends are made of, kind of a big joke really.
Let's face it the guy had a big mouth and should be punished as those including the Obama Administration. I will say I was in the navy once upon a time and a secret was a secret in those days....this guy along with the Obama Chronies should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
what do obama has to do with people not keeping there mouth closed please dang blaming he for what the seals think they did with out him remember seals if he didnt tell you to move u would be at home doing nothing
All ops done with approval of our congress and commanders and in the name of what is right and just (like going after terrorists...) SHOULD BE CLASSIFIED.
Congress is not the Commander In Chief of the military for a very good reason. If you had to get a popular vote on every operations, nothing would get done because Congress is incapable of doing anything in less than a month, if they do it at all. And, military operations cannot become hostage to partisan politics – remember how much the Congress has done in the last two years just due to one party being more interested in an election than what is right. You want that to happen to military operations too??
Rick – Yeah, great. WHty don't we just put every important decision on the internet for a quick thumbs up or down. e.g. North Korea- 1 for bomb 2 dor diplomacy 3.) investigate members of the congress for North KOrean sympathies and or/ ancestry. I am glad we have a President of intelligence, restraint, action (where indicated) and compasssion. Not a rube who will be tricked by a single provocative action.
God bless our brave Navy SEALs – everyone else shut-up and grow some balls...!
I guess we are fortunate Juliette that you are not a Navy seal. As your irrational decision to make such a nonsensical comment would be indicative of your propensity for being irrational and thoughtless. Not what is needed in a Navy seal were it you nor the seal this whole debate is centered around.
Ignore him Juliette. You are correct. These people who decided not to give up their careers at the drive-up window to serve their country don't have a clue what they are talking about and their opinions are meaningless.
Wow! I have awaken the ignorant giant. First off, being that I have quite a successful white collar job I will dispense with addressing your pathetic attempt to demean the working class. Furthermore, having served my country faithfully for over ten years and within the intelligence community, I take comfort in knowing that I can and do speak with greater authority on this matter than either you will ever be able to. You may return to your normal programming, "Stupid is as you are". Cheers.
Civilians – sit around on their behinds while others keep them safe.
At last the question of honor comes up. I respect many, but when that movie Act of Valor came out and the interviews and the book... I said to only a few so as to not be misunderstood and labled unpatriotic "what happend to honor" Generation thing I guess. Though the new generation is very good and should be proud, they strive to become somethign like a Seal because its what they see Charlie Sheen in the movie and its cool. You get the chicks... The utmost honor is you be the best, and go home at the end of the day not needing to talk or tell the story. As they said in the article, its what they do. Everyone likes to be recognized for jobs well done and being good at what you do, but by the very nature of the work, some jobs we need to sacrifice that recognition and know that at least there is a clsoe knit family in the groups that know and recognize. To NOT seek the glory of the big screen or talk show circuit is the most honorable you can be. My hates off to all in all walks of life that do their jobs each day, and my special thanks to those that must do it in secret. People know these groups exist and are grateful for them. Don't seek attention, esp in covert ops even if retired I would not want to broadcast anything if at least for my own safety into this global world. Your need not recogntion from books or movies, already appreciated and a one of the valued assets in the US.
Honor and stuff is so mercurial in the US... When Bill Clinton was caught cheating on Hillary his fans shrieked it was a private matter, to leave them alone, not a leadership issue, etc. and his lying to the public downplayed as a minor thingy. "He had no other choice"
That shows up a lot here – we all have virtually no choice but to lie, commit violence, insult, threaten every day, especially when it comes to protecting celebrities or trying to share their thunder.
A man lying about an affair hardly compares to the actions of this Navy seal. Navy seals like all members of the US Navy are held to higher standard than civilians and are expected to not only uphold by exemplify the Navy's core values as well as their solemn oaths to their professions. Do not try to mix military professions with that of everyday citizens nor government officials. The seal in question should be reprimanded severely for his actions so as to set the tone going forward that what he has done has never been deemed acceptable and never will be. Military service is not just a job, its a way of life that demands that service to country always comes before self and if he was true to what was believed to be his calling then, it would still hold true that a service member can leave the service but the service never leaves them.
Kjohnson – why don't you point out specifically what this SEAL did for which he needs to be reprimanded? You can't because you haven't read the book. I've read his book and hundreds of other memoirs or accounts of battle and war as written by those that were involved (including presidential memoirs), and this book falls right in line. He doesn't mention names, locations, special tactics, special weaponry, super secret gadgets etc. In fact, I learned more about the raid from the White House/Pentagon releases (leaks) than what is in this book. In fact, this book is almost virtually in line with the final version from the White House. What differs? The death and transport of Bin Laden.
A veteran – Let me explain it to you and hopefully you will understand where this SEAL went wrong. Given the nature of special ops missions, all special ops troops come into contact with the results of intelligence work done at the SCI-level. As such, these folks sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding intelligence and other classified data. If you go online and read the non-disclosure agreement (DD Form 1847) in detail:
You can see that it clearly states that anytime anyone who signs that agreement decides to publish anything related to their work with this type of classified information, is required to have it reviewed by the DoD (Paragraph 4). Having a private third party review any potential publication doesn't count and is irrelevant. Whether or not there is classified information in the book is actually not necessary to get this individual into trouble legally. This individual decided to ignore the process that he signed a legal contract to follow, and should be held accountable for the consequences laid out in the non-disclosure agreement.
What Clinton did was stupid. He put himself in a position to be blackmailed. What Bissonnette did was stupid. Two stupids do not offset each other.
Ex Navy Seals writing books exposing all of our classified information.....help us!!!!!!
I fully understand the need for Not revealing details when teams have to do tasks that could be compromised ,
And too early of a public reveal afterwards could endanger family and other team members . . .
However at some point , those of us that are grateful for their sacrifices would like to recognize them and have some form of tribute .
Sadly , there are those that just want gory details for entertainment ( grew up & maybe still live on war video games ) so command needs to find a way that the teams can be honored withOut compromising the missions and withOut feeding the mental gamers .
But until they figure it out , we should let the teams know we are grateful for their very hard work & sacrifices .
"CAMPFIRE TALK" should remain just that. One warrior should not presume to speak for anyone but himself. HOWEVER, regarding the account how that one particular evening unfolded; if the POTUS presumes to lie about with impunity, that SEAL has EVERY right to set the record straight. Keeping silent has everything to do with maintaining honor, but nothing to do with becoming a willing accomplice in a lie at the highest echelons.
"We do NOT advertise the nature of our work, NOR do we seek recognition for our actions," said Rear Adm. Sean Pybus."
Correct! The pansy suits sitting comfortably in an air-conditioned room take credit for it!
Yes, they take credit for it and they also take responsibility for it......do you understand the difference?
I am so ashamed of this Seal. I grew up in the Marines my dad was a lifer. He held his WW2 and Korean war secrets to the day he died. Trust me I tried to pull them out of him and he avoided the subject to the end. Where have our Honorable soldiers gone? If you can't live by the rules don't join.
Oldbones – my father too was WWII Marine Vet who would not tell his stories. As he told me, it wasn't so much that they were secret, but they were so devestating to recall. It is not dishonorable to write a memoir, nor is it dishonorable to give you opinion of politicians. One of the most famous Marines, and 31st Commandant of the USMC – Viktor Krulak wrote the book First to Fight. In this book he describes the history of the Marine Corps, including battles and first hand accounts – but he also writes in great detail about the struggles he had with politicians and the President regarding the Corps and doesn't hold anything back. If you're going to call this SEAL dishonorable based on what an article says withouth reading the book – go ahead and call GEN Krulak dishonorable as well.
Sir, you are comparing apples and oranges when trying to compare the actions of these two men. I would never call Gen Krulak's conduct nor his service anything other than honorable and deserving of every ounce o appreciation a grateful nation should render him. My thanks to your father for his service as well.
The concept of tight lips is not exclusive to the military, there is an ancient Persian saying "You are slave to what you say, master to what you keep." Throughout the ages the wise have understood this; the very word "secretary" revolves around this concept, it means an official trustee to privy information. Even the Bible extolls the virtue of being a private, discreet person on important matters. Humanity is exquisitely predatory, and your secrets are the first things that others will use against you.
My cousin served for 6 years and then got out, or retired as they say in the military. He found out that with an honorable discharge he could go to the Veteran's Administration and be classififed as "disabled." So, this is what he did. Next, when he wasn't training for marathons, he set up a small business that listed what he did in the military as what his business does. Then, he started applying for government contracts and was given many opportunities because he is a disabled veteran. When he told the story this summer at our family reunion everyone laughed when he said that he makes more than ten times what he could have made in uniform and he never has to leave home. He was jumping up and down and saying that he never felt better in his life. There are many smart people that volunteer to serve and then see the business side of defense is much more lucrative. I'll laugh if the seal author follows up with a NO EASY DAY snowglobe, key chains, pen and pencil set, velcro-adjustable ballcap, and 5 day seminar with hands-on, tactical instruction. If people would pay in advance to read the story, think of how much they will pay to actually talk to the man and leave with a No EASY DAY screensaver and special music CD.
you keep your mouth shut...PERIOD.
Having read many of the comments in this thread, I have only one question. Were LSD and other mind-altering drugs legalized and nobody told me? I have never read so much gibberish in my life. For every one intelligent, cogent thought, there are 50 that are just raving mad.
As someone with 27 years in the military – 14 in the SOF, I can tell you there is one thing that no one should need an NDA to tell them. You NEVER talk about anything you did – EVER. Why? Because your former comrades are still out there, trying to do a tough job without getting their butts shot off and you don't know where they are or what they are doing today. The enemy is not stupid. They take a piece of information that you thought was "unclassified" or "unimportant" and couple it with other tidbits of information that other people thought were unclassified or unimportant to reveal a classified operation or capability. This is not some "freedom of information" or "we have the right to know" freekin game for civilians to play. People can get killed.
You hit it right on the head. More than anything you make sure you take care of those that served with you. The author of "No Easy day" sold out his unit and the entire SEAL family.
This book righter is a punk .He is just after the money .
So why did the SEALS cooperate (and act in) "Act of Valor?"
If the Brass in the SEALS is so concerned about publicity, why cooperate and basically make the movie?
Act of Valor started out as a recruiting tool for the Navy SEALs. The Brass allowed the SEALs to participate in the movie and had final say what made it into movie.
Has anyone ever heard much information about the Special Air Service (SAS) or Special Boat Service (SBS), the special forces of the British (or even Australian and New Zealand) armed forces ? Or the Canadian Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2) ?
Probably not?
GOOD! Because those guys do their job without the fanfare.
The administration leakng details is bad enough. But for the troops themselves to be doing it is borderline treason! Not only are they selling-out their units and comrades for publicity and money, but also for politics! The armed forces are supposed to be neutral, and follow the legitimate orders of their commander-in-chief, whoever they may be and whatever his policies.
These SEALs are ruining the reputation of the many before them who fought so hard.
If Obama can try to capitalize off the bin Laden raid, why shouldn't everyone else?
The President set the standard....the SEALS are following his lead.
someone beart someone to the punch and somebody else is upset,oh well
i am a veteran saw a lot of things the goverment asked its military to do some good some bad . bottom line is war is war it is not pretty or allways right. we as military people fight for the people of the US not who is running our goverment. we talk about dem and rep.dem want and are on there way to trying to make us dependent on the goverment if you don't understand what i just said then you probly think its allright for the goverment to give you money food tell you what to drink how you should pray what schools and what subjects your kids will do ect ect . most of the wars we have fought in was to keep the US from becoming what i just wrote about as to the seal writtng about what happen . it happen its war and the reason the military does not tell you all the facks is the adverage person will never be able to understan it . i see many comments in here and relize 60% of them are from people who have never served or refuse to join the service. but want to run there mouth about someting they know nothing about.
I never served but still feel like running my mouth. Like you, you can't type or spell but you still choose to post incoherent arguments on this site. Thankfully the military never needed you to correctly use the english language.
now be sweet georgia–his education-or wht he was taught to write or sell-this country's systemof teaching consistently shows us neat the bottom-on science-math-and literally every other subject–then again-the president said there were 57 states–nothing like a "role model"..
great comment, bob-we fight for the people of this country-not for who is running it–too many narcissists-that's why there is a political arena–most-and all we can do is vote–most are running around with a lunchbox-one sandwich empty..
man your confused or brainwashed here.show me someone who believes what you said about fighting for the people and not the government.we the people didnt want to be in the mideast to begin with,it was always big business interests over there,and profits,not the concerns of the people.
im not confused-never said i was in the middle east–your premise as to that –no basis–the overall thought presented was that the individual-in uniform-is fighting-regardless of the political interests-for you and others to voice your beliefs or non- beliefs-which you have-maybe a little more wisdom-or open-mindednes is warranted–then again-maybe not–as to brainwahing–you're probably one who doesn't even know what the word means-and a little behind the times–it's referred to as "behavior modification"–and if i am confused or brainwashed-don't believe you have the mentality to modify it--take another shower-and relieve your anxiety–it'll get better...
wow,You like to insult people who dont agree with you,instead of a discussion,you insult.You are the one who needs a shower and a bit more knowledge of the American people.
you are the one who"insulted a person who doesn't asgree with you"-if you consider it a "discussion" to indicate that i am "concused" or "brainwashed"–well-my take on that is it is indicative of an "insult"–so if my response was "insulting"–it was meant to be–a disagreement is just that–a derogatory assertion as to one's character is another–if that's beyond your perception–suggestion-speak to an objective friend–my comments are my perceptions-so are yours-when my state of mind is brought to the table-you-by far-are not my physician-mental health advocate-or psychiatrist–if you're in the medical field-indicate such–i am therefore completely open to your assessment of character flaws–if not–you've made an improper assessment–i take lightly to any attempt to intimidate-to reinforce your view–all you have to do is state it–it's really an easy thing to do..
You do sound kind of opinionated here,and confused. You were in the military why ?the mideast is not a war for the American people,it is a war for oil and business profits.Dont you tell us that you went there for us when 99% of Americans dont even believe in the mideast or a cure for their wars.
I do not believe that the SEALs ever found or killed UBL. He was killed years ago in bomb strikes but we needed a "hero" story like Pat Tillman. We need to get the basic, low-end Marines in there to do the trick. They're not smart or good but they'll take care of things....and then pee on the dead bodies. Who's with me???
could be georgia–possibility exists-he;s alive -and driving a cab in chicago..
Maybe you're right marine, I think he might have given me a lift one evening...I guess I should have considered leaving a bigger tip.
the world is flat also
freedom of the press applies to the milatary as well
Spoken like a true Chicken Hawk. No it does not.
no it does not.
and it could be called Treason.
interesting comments-just logged in yesterday–as to discussing his writing of the book-as to the commander-in-chief–as to sensitive info being divulged–my perception-and like everyone who has commented-their perception–leadership–if it lacks at the bottom–it started at the top–giving an order is giving an order-implementation is the result-obma did not implement-he simply gave an order- as to what is owed to a commander in chief–i owe nothing to a commander in chief-once i am out-period-my six year obligation ended in 1972-sensitive info being divulged?-done everyday by all aspects of the cia-dia-dept of defense–and the white house-and the president–they warrant-apparently-no retribution-they lead–or do they?-as to the comments on color–and politics–i am neither democrat-republican-tea party-or else-i cast my vote on character-and leadership results-and in rvn-69-70-i had a position of leadership-when wrong-it happens-i accepted the error-leadership has never been-it was "his" fault-if you can't correct it-obtain someone who can–delegating authority is what it's about-this country appears to love delegating authority-problem–when those you-and im speaking as to leadership-when those you delegate-fail-you replace–if not-your lack of leadership does not obtain the dersired result-those below that standard that standard-are not leaders–rationalization is great-that's why there's politicians–cia been screwing up–no replacement-fbi been screwing up-no replacement-nor-from the top-no acknowledgement–wake up–or make a career and stay in–my concern is simple-we love our veterans??–well-who has been leading thw way for their needs now they're out-900,000 claims siting on desks–commander-in-chief?-va leader?-and this has been ongoing-party affililiation-irrelevant–could care less about the seal compromised or not–it's being done now-that-is dishonoring the military also–and it has nothing to do with any claim i have–just my perception–leadership–have a good day-unless you have other plans..
That is one loooooooong sentence.
I'm sorry that you never received an education.
If they went there with orders to simply destroy the largest library of information, they are and were taught to be simply stupid........ Sidewalk Justice is easy, to win the War and not just one little skirmish for publicity is mature planning with integrity........ Our Country has again shown the ridiculousness of its training, similar to the Water-boarding situation......And then attempting to use the media to inflate and approve their incomplete training......... Why do you think their is no transparency at the CIA or Blackwater........,
I'd say it's just a symptom of our celebrity obsessed culture.
There's no place for humbleness in Amerika anymore.
I humbly beg to differ with you and humbly submit that you Sir are a buffoon.
I have no problem with this. He wrote the truth. It had to be done. Anything still 'classified' is probably not going to matter – like those embassy cables.
Absolutely correct! It defintely had to be done, cause everyone knows that Brian Smith need to know all the details of a raid on Bin Laden! It must be busy for you when all the US Govt agencies brief you on all their missions. It must really take valuable video game time away from you.
Delta's are written about (mostly hear say) but you NEVER see a Delta or most Special Ops shooting their mouth off in a book. There is a saying in SpecOps, You don't have to wonder who is the SEAL in the room, he will tell you over and over.
If delta and special ops are so good, why weren't they chosen for the UBL raid?
Probably because JSOC is commanded by a SEAL, a lot of times it comes down to which branch has the command, or it could have been they were the available asset. SOF Det-D, SF direct action teams, SEALS, all have the capability to perform these missions.
You don't want to waste them or SAD/SAG operatives on taking out someone who had been pretty much neutralized. Killing Bin Laden was more symbolic than useful.
I own, and have read most of the SEAL authored books extant. Given that, I was aware that bin Laden had been killed, and had seen the Official video of the action, I was shocked at the great number of significant similarities in what I had seen, and what I had read in Tom Clancy's "Locked On"! My initial reaction was, "How did he get that kind of detail? Next was, "Did he have an inside person who gave him first shot on details?" I was confident that Clancy wasn't spolling any beans. He has too much at risk to do that, and he knows better. Later there was a spate of "I was there" type books apparently written by newly retired SEALS and possibly Active Duty personnel. On my opinion, these guys were out of line. It was apparent to me that some books had been vetted because you could see the redactions. They were in such a hurry to publish that they didn't even bother to rewrite. Others were never vetted at all. I personally know a couple former SEALS. Even though they have been retired for 20 years, or more, they will not even discuss unidentified ops. For me, there is nothing to it. If you are a SEAL, Delta Force, Force Recon, or Army Rangers, you just do not talk, suppose, or write. There are former SEALS who have written, and done very well by it, but they never stepped over the line. In that group you will find Marcinko, Chalker, Couch, and a couple others.
You're trying very hard to appear smart in your post but really you are a cross dresser.
No video or pics, it never happened. My President is a liar and thinks US citizens can be held with no charges and infinite duration. 61 Senators think that is just swell. We have a dictator in office right here. Are you taking the shot? Or, maybe you only "protect us" from the third world nobodies that state proudly, as a goal, ruining the US economy.
Mission accomplished. Not us. Them. Crying about a fictional book should be a military priority with our country on the brink of civil war. I'll be in my bunker watching the wheels fall off in HD. November aught to be interesting. Maybe more so than 9/11.
You're really far out there. Maybe you should seek help.
You likely should be expecting a visit from CIA or Secret Service. Is this a direct or indirect threat. Unfortunately since all this terrorism began (preceding 9-1-1) the military has sabotaged Democrats in office. Little following of protocol as far as chain of command is concerned. Yes, loose lips sink ships and too many of you are unprofessional and have no ethics. My husband participated in a highly classified operation back in the 1950s during atomic testing. There were sworn to a vow of silence, the penalty for violation was treason, which is death. That didn't even involve such things as killing public enemy #1 and then this individual has released way too much information within less than 2 years after it occurred. It's all about who gets their first to make the dollars – GREED! That's what too many Republicans stand for these days. Finally the operation my husband was involved in was mostly declassified but they were exposed to life-threatening radiation and were sworn to not even tell medical professionals who might treat their ailments and many of them died from their exposure. I have no respect for the newer generation who think they are the only ones who count and they have "made it all by themselves", no help from those who have gone before. I hope the government strips him of all the money and I sincerely hope that his fellow SEALS and/or their families do not find their lives at risk by foreign terrorists who wish to avenge Bin Laden's death. This is immaturity at its highest. He may be retired, but that does not releave him from his vows of silence/secrecy, etc. It is people like this "hero?" who put others' lives at risk for their own personal recognition.
P.S. We did not learn that the mission had been mostly declassified until 2010 (54 years after event), although the declassification took place in the 1990s, but no particiipants were notified and many more died before it was learned they could talk to their doctors about their exposures.
It's fairly obvious from your remarks here that you like to accuse anyone who disagrees with you of being a terrorist.
Are you off your meds?
As a vet, I'm steamed about this guy and his lack of professionalism. He makes me sick. Everybody enlists knowing the job, knnowing the pay grade, and knowing what's expected of them. It doesn't matter who's the Commander in Chief – you can hate him, the old man, and every drill sargeant in boot camp, but you do the freaking job because THAT'S what you signed up for – no more, no less. You get picked to be a seal – good on ya, by the way, because few are chosen – but do the job and keep your yap shut. This guy's a traitor, and should be treated as such.
A better term would be the guy is a murderer.
Big man, speaking from anonymity, eh? I challenge you to go to any town hall meeting and say that. Hey, blueeyes, guess what? The vast majority of the world disagrees with you. The work of our special forces is important and repected. The only people I know that make comments like yours are sympathizers and apologists for terrorists. Guess what most people think of your type.
Thomas Haymore i got news for you, it is evident that you don't read post on the internet, you're wrong the majority of the world don't support your actions. Go ahead and google it.
Great argument blueeyes! Strong support to your claim by citing the internet! Everyone knows that if you find it on the net it is FACT.
It is interesting that besides the Roger Dalton book and one other, you never hear nor see anything from the Delta Force Operators about their exploits. I wonder why that is?
Really? Ever heard of the book "Blackhawk Down" or "Killing Pablo"?
Both of those accounts are told from the ranger point of view, so cops and delta and ftg never publish books about what they do
Mike, sorry, the authors name is Dalton Fury – not his real name – He wrote Kill Bin Laden – the story about Tora Bora. He has written some other novels. As far as I am aware, he is the only ex-DF operator who has written anything, and from what I've gathered he was person-no-Grata around his ex-compatriots
They have been others written also. With in the dark Ops side the SEALs used to smirk about the fact that they hadn't had anyone write or speak out...ooopsss....not so much any more.
Crazy glory hungry squids!!!! Thank goodness we have Delta, our Special Forces teams, and the Ranger Regiment.....Quiet professionals always....!!
As a veteran, I am digusted with this book. It makes all veterans look bad. Obviously this guy values money and publicity for himself over loyalty. He is shameful
yes...every single vet now looks bad because of this book....i am going down to picket the local VFW tomorrow.
Don't worry girlvet. Nobody will think less of you, there is no connection between spec ops and important missions and whatever joke missions they ask girls to do.
I'm guessing cooking and cleaning the barracks before the fighters get home...
Looking at the picture i noticed all of them have blue eyes with the exception of 2, seems like blue eyes people sure love killing people. No wonder the highest level of blue eyes and green eyes are behind bars and filling almost 90% of prisons for murder and other atrocities.
All you peoples with out blue eyes run for your lives!!!!!!
You are so wrong and sound so immature.
Descendants of Viking warriors. The blue eyes are due to these fighting men's ancestry of northern Europe.
You missed the lecture on David Hume, didn't you ? BTW, all the guys are right-handed too, which obviously means that left-hand seals are tall.
No i didn't, David Hume was a philosopher and an atheist in which led him to speculations only, Your argument was weak.
Almost 50% are black or hispanic. 35% are white(which would include some brown eyes too). It doesnt matter. There are good and bad from all countries , color and cultures. And all of them went after him for murdering thousands of people, and so? I would much rather see them target the offenders than take a chance that you could involve innocent people.I guess you just told on yourself whom you support.
Maryam, i support no one, but i also don't believe in destroying a whole town just to get one house down, the same goes for killing millions of innocent people just get a handful of them. I don't support any form of violence. there are other ways to solve a problem.
Blueeyes is so open minded that he stands for nothing but sits to pee with the best of them..Wheeeeeeeeee!!
Sometimes i wonder........
Clearly, the problem is the Commander-in-Chief. Obama exposed the Seals! He didn't understand the cod. He doesn't understand much of anything. This fiasco is all on Obama and his leaks!
President Obama is at fault for some ex Navy SEAL spewing what he knows to everyone? I think not. President Obama did not expose anyone. Yes, leaks happened, but nowhere is it said that it was President Obama. Or have you been watching Faux News too much? Our military is supposed to keep quiet about special operations, they are trained that speaking about their operations is a violation of the same "code" you speak of. Yet you seem to think it's ok for this retired Navy SEAL to speak out? Rubbish. President Obama gave the command...which is only right since he is Commander-in-Chief, he also praised the Navy SEAL Team 6 for following through with their mission. This ex SEAL needs to go back and reexamine what his oath means, because apparently, it's not worth anything.
Faux news...hahahaha....that is awesome!!...oh gosh...faux news...you know they are all racist also....and Nazis!!!!
Bissonnette says the White House put out lies. Lies are NOT leaks.
Dope. He gave them vredit same as Bush did after successes in Iraq. This book is a GOP tool job.
Why would anyone be surprised that someone is taking advantage of their past experiences to earn income? Former Former Admirals and Generals all work for large corporations earning large incomes. Former Presidents travel the world earning fabulous incomes trading off of their past relationships. The REAL issue here is that someone has embarrassed the current administration. Accordingly the current administration has put pressure on the current military leadership who in turn is hand wringing and moaning. There are many, many examples of former Special Operations folks writing and talking about their experiences in order to earn fame and fortune.
Do you recall hearing, "loose lips sink ships"? Where's your OPSEC? You took the oath to honor, defend and protect. Now get with the program and honor what you learned, not to advertise what you do. Shut up or get out!
He did get out. And then wrote a book.
Give them all a bomb last one standing WINS!
I am disappointed and horrified that our elite forces is seeking celebrity over national security. No way no how should that book have been published. The SEAL should be shamed. They should not be talking about it and our government should not be supporting it.


text:
As 2015 draws to a close, we're inundated with lists.
Best of lists.
Epic fails lists.
Prediction lists.
Everyone's trying to get in on that end of year metrics booster as people search for reports, studies and stats on how well we did this year or how well we're predicted to do next year.
I am no different.
But I'm not particularly interested in offering any scientific or metrics-based opinions.
I've read no studies to support any of what I'm about to say.
No reports inform my perspective.
In fact, I've been told by at least one person, that my list is bunk.
Kick rocks.
I know what the fuck I'm talkimbout'.
Anywho, I think we can all agree that 2015 was a banner year for tech.
This year, we saw curved screens, wearables, virtual reality, and streaming music explode.
Everyone had skin in the game and we (consumers) benefited from all of it.
Everywhere you looked, technology was changing the way we did things, the way we saw things and the way we interacted with the world around us.
And that trend is likely to continue unabated.
So here are my top 5 tech trends of 2015 (in no particular order).
Wearables are a thing.
Without question, 2015 was the year of wearables. Anyone who was anyone wanted to create a wearable device, demonstrating that they 'got it' when it came to wearable technology. While brands like Tag Heuer had their head turning high end $1,800 Android watch, one wearable stood out among the rest: The Apple Watch. Heralded as the device that would 'free people from their phones' (considering the fact that it's a tethered device – that's a bit of an overstatement, but nonetheless) Apple sold more than 4.2 million watches in the second quarter of this year, making it the most successful wearable device ever. I'm not a fan (be on the look out for my expert's review) of the Apple Watch, but I've got to give props where they are due and the Apple set the bar for wearable lifestyle integration.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
2015 was the year that Cloud came into it's own. Principally, in the form of highly publicized hacks. Who can forget last year's infamous Apple iCloud hack. Seeing Jennifer Lawrence's naughty bits brought the issue squarely into – ahem – focus. Ashley Madison's subsequent hack once again showed the vulnerability of data in the cloud. But where many see problems, cloud providers and security experts see opportunity. The demand for cloud services will invariably increase due to the advantages of high computing power, low costs, high performance, scalability, accessibility and availability, and cloud vendors are reaping the benefits with 50% annual growth rates. Data breaches will continually be the bane of virtual data storage, but cloud is definitely the future and the trend clearly got a foothold this year.
Drones, drones everywhere!
In 2013, when Jeff Bezos introduced the planned delivery drones of Amazon Prime Air on 60 Minutes to the befuddlement of Charlie Rose, it was a fantastic and futuristic moment. Two years later, drones are an every day part of our lives. Whether it's the small toys for kids, the more advanced camera toting variety or Amazon's delivery drones, drones have become a defining element of 2015. Drone were so prolific this year they prompted legislators to draft bills prohibiting them and the FAA to issue regulations regarding flight ceilings to prevent their unfettered use in airspace by the general population. Drone technology continues to advance as innovative applications are constantly being developed.
Mobile became a gateway.
Mobile is the gateway to everything. The explosion in social media, wearables, IoT, streaming, cloud all owe their origin to mobile. Mobile has become one of the largest contributors to retail, providing a cushion to waning brick and mortal sales. The use of mobile in stores, to scan barcodes, search for comparable items, and pay all from the same device has increased the frequency and number of touch points that can be exploited by brands to help influence consumer behavior. The sheer amount of data generated by mobile users is a treasure trove for brands interested in harnessing the value of that data. As users become device agnostic, opting to use the device appropriate for the moment, mobile will become synonymous with 'mobility' and not devices.
Social Media
Social media has become a disruptive element to virtually every space. From finance to politics to the reporting of world events, social media has helped spread information light years faster than traditional media. Breaking news is no longer coming from news outlets, but from people on-the-ground broadcasting events in real time to online followers and members of their digital social networks. Nowadays media outlets are piggybacking on stories sourced from social media, with the more savvy media outlets devoting entire units to social media listening. Social media has also grown niche audiences, speaking to its power to engage both mainstream and previously less engaged or insular communities.
The items that didn't make this list (because I was lazy or harangued by my more critical peeps – you know who you are) include: machine to machine, 3D printing, digital pay – I could go on.
Suffice it to say, this is just an entré for a deeper discussion for 2015's top trends.
What other trend stood out for you in 2015? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Enrique Peña Nieto will be Mexico's next president, and
In other races, exit polls suggested that the PRI would pick up at least one more governor's post, giving the party control of 21 of Mexico's 31 states.
In the megalopolis of Mexico City, Miguel Angel Mancera captured 60 percent of the vote, allowing the left to continue to run one of the largest and most complex cities in the world.
Mexico Restores Ex-Ruling Party to Power
Enrique Peña Nieto, a telegenic former governor of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, won with about 38% of the vote versus 31% for his closest challenger, leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador, according to a partial vote count by Mexico's election agency.
Josefina Vázquez Mota, Mexico's first major female presidential candidate and a member of President Felipe Calderón's National Action Party, or PAN, trailed with 26%.
The final official result might vary slightly, election officials said.
Ms. Vázquez Mota conceded defeat, but Mr. López Obrador said he would wait for final results in the coming days to decide what to do. Associates said he would likely contest the results in court, alleging that the PRI broke campaign spending limits and had favorable coverage in the media.
The return of the PRI, which ruled Mexico for 71 years through an extensive patronage system that Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa dubbed "the perfect dictatorship," marks a stunning comeback for a party that nearly fell apart after it lost its first presidential election in 2000. After a third-place showing in 2006, the party has united around its new face: Mr. Peña Nieto, a 45-year-old former state governor.
Even in victory, the party was supported by only four in 10 Mexicans. In his victory speech, Mr. Peña Nieto told cheering supporters that the PRI had been given a second chance at power, and must show voters that it can govern better than in the past, when it was dogged by corruption scandals. "We have to show that we understand Mexico has changed," Mr. Peña Nieto said.
Sr Peña-Nieto will succeed as president if he is willing to "de-PRI" the PRI. The question is,can he?
While the 45-year-old presents himself as part of a more-
democratic generation of leaders, many PRI governors continue to rule their states like "fiefdoms" and won't take easily to centralized control, said Enrique Krauze, a historian and author of "Mexico: Biography of Power." Pena Nieto also faces the threat of protests from an anti-PRI student movement and supporters of second-place finisher Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
"Pena Nieto has proved during these months that he has political instincts, that he's a political animal," Krauze said in an interview in Mexico City prior to yesterday's balloting. "But he won't have an easy ride now in the sense that he'll
have to fight both inside and outside" his party.
While the PRI will control at least one house of Congress, amending the Constitution – a step required to end Pemex's grip on oil production, as Peña Nieto promised – would require at least a two-thirds majority.
Cross-posted at Real Clear World.


text:
Recipe for game development success: I'm a tax accountant, it's busy season, and my wife is 5.5 months pregnant with our first child. Oh, and I'm studying. Wait, did I say 'success'?
A little about me and game development: Apart from a few simple games in BASIC or C++, most of my decade of experience has been as a contributor, reviewer and/or administrator of Ancient Anguish, a text-based MUD. There were a number of very helpful and patient people who taught me how to code, and a number of brilliant programmers whose work I learned from.
Unfortunately, the lack of graphics in Ancient Anguish made it really hard to explain to friends and family what I spent all my time on, despite my assurances that a lot of players enjoyed my work. Also, graphics should present more of an intellectual challenge, and I like intellectual challenges.
So, I'm working on my first 3D-graphics game. The goal is to launch a game properly, get it on Steam and have at least a few hundred players.
Progress so far: After actually doing some work on the game I created BensBucketGames.com, tied it to Facebook and Twitter, and started a developer blog on GameDev.net. I'll talk about the game more in my next post and include some screenshots.
There is lots left to do on the website. But! It's important to actually Get Things Done, so I'm going to balance 'studio stuff' with actual work on the game.
Wish me luck!


text:
WASHINGTON — The scandal that brought down CIA Director David Petraeus started with harassing emails sent by his biographer and paramour, Paula Broadwell, to another woman, and eventually led the FBI to discover the affair, U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Petraeus quit Friday after acknowledging an extramarital relationship.
The official said the FBI investigation began several months ago with a complaint against Broadwell, a 40-year-old graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and an Army Reserve officer. That probe led agents to her email account, which uncovered the relationship with the 60-year-old retired four-star general, who earned acclaim for his leadership of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The identity of the other woman and her connection with Broadwell were not immediately known.
Concerned that the emails he exchanged with Broadwell raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with Petraeus directly, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation. The FBI approached the CIA director because his emails in the matter were in most instances sent from a personal account, not his CIA one.
Petraeus decided to quit, abruptly ending a high-profile career that might have culminated with a run for the presidency, a notion he was believed to be considering.
Petraeus handed his resignation letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday, stunning many in the White House, the CIA and Congress. The news broke in the media before the House and Senate intelligence committees were briefed, officials say.
By Friday evening, multiple officials identified Broadwell, who spent the better part of a year reporting on Petraeus' time in Afghanistan.
Members of Congress said they want answers to questions about the affair that led to Petraeus's resignation.
House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., and ranking member Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., will meet Wednesday with FBI deputy director Sean Joyce, and CIA acting director Michael Morell to ask questions, including how the investigation came about, according to a senior congressional staffer who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
Petraeus has been married for 38 years to Holly Petraeus, the daughter of the West Point superintendent when he was a student at the New York school.
"He is truly remorseful about everything that's happened," said Steve Boylan, a retired army officer and former Petraeus spokesman who spoke with the former general on Saturday. In a phone call with Boylan Saturday, Petraeus lamented the damage he'd done to his "wonderful family" and the hurt he'd caused his wife.
"He screwed up, he knows he screwed up, now he's got to try to get past this with his family and heal," said Boylan.
Paula Broadwell interviewed the general and his close associates intensively for more than a year to produce the best-selling biography, "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus," which was written with Vernon Loeb, a Washington Post editor, and published in January. Since Petraeus's resignation on Friday, the book jumped from a ranking on Amazon of 76,792 on Friday to 111 by mid-Saturday.
The CIA was not commenting on the identity of the woman with whom Petraeus was involved.
Broadwell, who is married with two young sons, has not responded to multiple emails and phone messages. Broadwell planned to celebrate her 40th birthday party in Washington this weekend, with many reporters invited. But her husband emailed guests to cancel the event late Friday.
CIA officers long had expressed concern about Broadwell's unprecedented access to the director. She frequently visited the spy agency's headquarters in Langley, Va., to meet Petraeus in his office, accompanied him on his punishing morning runs around the CIA grounds and often attended public functions as his guest, according to two former intelligence officials.
As a military intelligence officer in the Army Reserve, Broadwell had a high security clearance, which she mentioned at public events as one of the reasons she was well-suited to write Petraeus's story.
But her access was unsettling to members of the secretive and compartmentalized intelligence agency, where husbands and wives often work in different divisions, but share nothing with each other when they come home because they don't "need to know."
In one incident that caught the CIA staff by surprise, Broadwell posted a photograph on her Facebook page of Petraeus with actress Angelina Jolie, taken in his 7th floor office where only the official CIA photographer is permitted to take photos. Petraeus had apparently given Broadwell the photo just hours after it was taken.
Petraeus' staff in Afghanistan similarly had been concerned about the time Broadwell spent with their boss on her multiple reporting visits to the war zone. Following standard military procedure with senior officers, they almost always had another staffer present when she met with him at his headquarters, though they did have some meetings alone. Military officers close to him insist the affair did not begin when he was in uniform.
In the preface to her book, Broadwell said she first met Petraeus in the spring of 2006. She was a graduate student at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard; he was visiting the university to discuss his experiences in Iraq and a new counterinsurgency manual he was working on.
She had graduated from West Point with academic, fitness, and leadership honors, according to a biography posted on her publisher's website that lists authors available for speaking engagements.
Harvard invited some students to meet with Petraeus, and Broadwell was among them because of her military background, which she wrote included being recalled to active duty three times to work on counterterrorism issues after the Sept. 11 attacks.
After Obama put Petraeus in charge in Afghanistan in 2010, Broadwell decided to expand her research into an authorized biography.
Broadwell has deep ties and friendships throughout the Washington media sphere and often was sought for comment on Petraeus' viewpoints as he proved harder and harder to reach.
The CIA director had lowered his media profile, stopping his practice of emailing reporters and ending once-common background interviews by the agency. That was especially the case after GOP allegations last spring that the Obama administration was leaking sensitive material to burnish its foreign policy reputation ahead of the presidential election, after a series of stories appeared about top secret operations aimed at al-Qaida in Yemen, and Iran's nuclear program. A White House-ordered investigation of those leaks continues.
Petreaus's resignation comes just before a crucial scheduled appearance before congressional intelligence committees next week to testify on what the CIA knew, and what it told the White House, before, during and after the attacks that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Libya on Sept. 11.
Congressional officials say Petraeus' deputy, Michael Morell, will testify instead, as acting director of the CIA.
Associated Press writer Adam Goldman contributed to this report.


text:
Montigny's girlfriend cited in probation trial testimony
Friend of senator received top score for Bristol probate court job
BOSTON — The questions were "standard," answers were compared against an "answer key," but according to a prosecution witness involved in the upper levels of state probation department hiring years ago, the final interview was weighted in favor of the commissioner's choice who received inflated scores.
Testifying under an immunity deal, probation department lawyer Edward McDermott said he was underwhelmed by the March 2008 performance of Kelly Manchester, the girlfriend of Sen. Mark Montigny who was up for a probation officer job at Bristol Probate and Family Court.
"She was woefully inadequate as far as her qualifications were concerned," said McDermott, who said he and probation official Patricia Walsh had "grievous concerns" about Manchester after interviewing her.
Nevertheless, evidence in a racketeering trial against three former probation officials shows Manchester received the top score after meeting with McDermott and Walsh.
Former Probation Commissioner John O'Brien and two of his former deputies, Elizabeth Tavares and William Burke III, are pleading not guilty to fraud and other charges related to their alleged cover-up of a patronage system at the public safety agency.
Under cross-examination, McDermott acknowledged he hadn't previously been able to recall Manchester's name, remembering her by a prior job she held as a bridge operator for the town of Dartmouth.
In opening statements last week, prosecutors said Manchester was the girlfriend of Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat, while defense attorneys said even a judge who gave her low scores during the second-round of interviews was impressed with her performance.
McDermott, who expressed appreciation for O'Brien hiring him and said Tavares was a "great" boss, said it was "obviously greatly troubling" to learn on the stand Tuesday that he is an unindicted co-conspirator.
"I don't think I committed any crimes," McDermott said under questioning from O'Brien's attorney, William Fick. He said, "What I engaged in was a violation of the Trial Court policies and procedures manual," but said it fell short of a crime.
Judge William Young has instructed jurors that patronage is not a crime and neither is violating the manual, telling them to "keep your eye on the ball" about the alleged fraud committed to cover up the patronage system.
McDermott, who joined the department as a temporary employee in April 2004, with a recommendation from former Speaker Thomas Finneran, said he would score non-favored candidates accurately and inflate the scores of the commissioner's choices.
"They would be given the most consideration or the most liberal scoring that could be done," said McDermott, who said that when his score-sheet failed to advance the favored candidate to the top, "I would be directed to add a point or two."
McDermott said he complained to his supervisor, Francis Wall, and after interviewing Manchester he complained to Tavares, saying he told her "this is bad stuff."
"She said, 'Don't worry about it,' or dismissed it," McDermott testified.
"You were complaining to our client about something you had done yourself," said Tavares's attorney Brad Bailey. He said, "You had selected that candidate you were complaining about."
McDermott said he did not raise his concerns to others, didn't know how candidates came to be the "commissioner's choice" and didn't know what happened to the scoring sheets after he turned in his scores to Wall or Walsh.
"Why rock the boat, because everyone else seemed to be participating," said McDermott, who joined the agency after a career in civil litigation and with one of his children in college.
At another point McDermott said, "There was nobody else to go to. The whole upper management was in on the fraud scheme."
McDermott said he was assigned to participate in final stage interviews in 2007, with the directive to score the pre-selected candidates at the top so O'Brien could avoid having to participate in binding arbitration proceedings in case someone objected to being passed over for a promotion.
McDermott, who said he tried to quit his participation in the hiring panel, also acknowledged he had not read the portion of the procedures manual concerning hiring, but said his "innate sense" was that the hiring should be "merit-based."
Some of the commissioner's choices were the best job candidates, said McDermott, who said he participated in between 20 and 35 hiring panels, and in prior proceedings brought up in court has said between 25 and 10 percent of the favored candidates were "home runs."
A Holy Cross graduate, whose wife is director of admissions at the Worcester college, McDermott said he went to Holy Cross with Bill Kennedy, who became chief of staff and legal counsel to Finneran, and served as a mentor to McDermott. McDermott met O'Brien at a breakfast networking session held by Kennedy. McDermott said his sister Patricia worked for former Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and his brother David worked for William Bulger, both as Senate president and president of UMass.
At the direction of assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak, McDermott pointed out in the audience the former senate president's son, Christopher Bulger, an attorney who previously worked for the probation department and was reportedly reprimanded for providing information to O'Brien when the former commissioner was under investigation. Bulger sat two rows behind U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who listened in on some of the afternoon proceedings.
McDermott said he attended fundraisers for Ludlow Rep. Tom Petrolati, a Democrat and the former speaker pro tempore, who allegedly provided names of his favored candidates to Burke, the deputy for the western part of the state.
The springtime fundraisers at the Ludlow Country Club were social occasions with probation department employees making up about 75 to 100 of the 200 to 250 attendees, McDermott said. He said he was approached by probation officials Paul Lucci and Wall to make contributions, and he gave cash.
Saying he had been "unilaterally demoted without cause," McDermott said he has concerns about his future employment with the agency. Wyshak wrote a letter on McDermott's behalf explaining to current probation officials that he has cooperated in the prosecution, he said.
"I'm going to get terminated probably in the next two months," said McDermott. He said, "I'm here to tell the truth."
McDermott said he is "forever grateful" to O'Brien and said he socialized with O'Brien and his wife Laurie. O'Brien was acquitted on state charges that he and a former aide to former Treasurer Tim Cahill conspired to give O'Brien's wife a job at the State Lottery in exchange for a 2005 fundraiser O'Brien organized for Cahill, a fellow Quincy resident.
Though Young cut short the line of questioning, Fick opened a window onto what defense attorneys say was a bad relationship between O'Brien and retired Chief Justice of Administration and Management Robert Mulligan. Under questioning by Fick, McDermott said O'Brien had given him his parking pass when he had hip surgery.
"No good deed goes unpunished," Fick said.
"Now what does that mean?" Young said.
Fick continued, saying, "Chief Judge Mulligan tried to fire Jack over him giving you his parking pass."
"I am aware of that," said McDermott, as prosecutors objected and the attorneys were called to a sidebar conference.
Testimony closed Tuesday just after former first deputy commissioner John Cremens, Tavares's predecessor, took the stand, also with an immunity agreement. Ed Driscoll, a regional supervisor in the probation department, is expected to take the stand after Cremens.


text:
A New York judge on Monday sentenced the man who videotaped Eric Garner's fatal police chokehold death to four years in prison on weapon possession charges and drug sales, the New York Daily News reports.
Ramsey Orta, 25, accepted a plea deal in July on charges of selling heroin, crack, marijuana, and other illegal narcotics to an undercover officer. Authorities also caught him carrying a .25-caliber pistol.
Orta and his supporters believe that the police have targeted him over his 2014 video of the police involved killing of Garner. He's had several encounters with the police since then.
The Daily News reported that protesters stood up in the Staten Island courtroom and chanted, "No justice no peace! F**k these racist police!"
Jewel Miller, the mother of one of Garner's children, underscored to the newspaper that Orta recorded Garner's final words, "I can't breathe," while Officer Daniel Pantaleo refused to release his chokehold.
"Ramsey Orta is a young boy. He's just getting into adulthood. He's just becoming a man and it's really sad," she told the newspaper.
After the sentencing, Orta said to his family that he will be alright, according to The Daily News.
His aunt, Lisa Ricardo, told the newspaper that she "would tell the police, don't touch him. Hands off Ramsey. Leave him alone in jail."
SOURCE: New York Daily News | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty, Twitter
Eric Garner Chokehold Cop Collects $20,000 In Overtime Pay On Desk Duty
Man Who Filmed Eric Garner's Death Files $10 Million Lawsuit Against NYPD
Ramsey Orta Sentenced To Four Years On Gun & Drug Sales Charges was originally published on newsone.com
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text: WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)-- The U.S. economy is continuing to grow at a moderate pace and the economic outlook is positive, the Federal Reserve reported Wednesday, in an assessment that is likely to keep it continuing to pull back, or taper, its stimulus program. The so-called Beige Book found that consumer spending was higher, manufacturing continued to grow steadily and real estate continued to improve. Two-thirds of the 12 districts reported increases in hiring. Wage and price pressures were seen as contained. Some service-sector firms are planning to raise selling prices in the near term, the report said.


text:
Crosscompiling Crystal Space on GNU/Linux
This is a HOWTO guide which explains how to cross-compile CrystalSpace for Windows under GNU/Linux. It is useful for Linux developers who wish to maintain a single development environment, and deploy binaries for both platforms.
The MinGW32 Toolchain
First, you need to build the MinGW32 toolchain for linux. This page describes how to get started:
Build a Win32 compiler for Linux
An aside, roughly halfway down that page points to this really useful script which does virtually everything for you:
Note: This automated script does not work in Fedora Core 3. You must use the other script mentioned on the page, download the packages by hand, and modify the settings at the top of that script.
If you're on some platform other than Fedora, grab this script, put it in a local file, e.g. buildmingwcross.sh. Give it execute permission:
$ chmod +x buildmingwcross.sh
Modify the variables under the BEGIN USER SETTINGS heading if you want, but the defaults should be OK.
As of this writing, there are two bugs in this script which must be fixed before this will work. First, line #64 is supposed to be a comment, but it is missing the "#" symbol at the start of the line. Put it there. Second, on line #129, the variable $BUILD_DIR should read $BUILDDIR... there is no such $BUILD_DIR variable named anywhere else in the file, and if you use it as-is your build directory will be /source.
Remember that the script must have write permission to the destination directory, so if you put it in a location like /usr/local/mingw32, you will need to run the script with root privileges. This script will take quite a while to download and compile everything. Go take a coffee break.
When it's done and you have a mingw32 installation (mine's in the default location /usr/local/mingw32), add /usr/local/mingw32/bin to your system PATH. In Mandrake and Fedora, create the file /etc/profile.d/mingw32.sh:
# Add MinGW32 to the PATH PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/mingw32/bin export PATH
Make sure it has executable permission:
$ chmod +x /etc/profile.d/mingw32.sh
Quit and restart your terminal. The new path should show up the next time a shell is started. You can verify this by doing:
set | grep PATH
Check that the mingw32 portion of the path appears.
In all of the example paths in the remainder of this HOWTO, the path /usr/local/mingw32 is used. Replace this as necessary with your own install location path.
Required Libraries
CrystalSpace requires several external libraries which are not a part of the default MinGW32 installation. At this point, you have two options.
Option #1 is to cross-compile all the prerequesite libraries by hand, installing them with, for example, a --prefix setting of /usr/local/mingw32/mingw32.
Option #2 is to obtain the standard Windows library package and install it under MinGW32 (and possibly Wine). This option is a binary package which contains the required ZLib, and many optional but useful libraries such as JPEG and Ogg/Vorbis support, and is a nice option to get you started quickly.
Option 1 is partially described below; only the steps involved for compiling and installing ZLib (the only library that is strictly required) are presented here.
Option 2 is described in detail below option 1.
Library Option 1 - ZLib under MinGW32
CrystalSpace requires ZLib, which is not a part of the default MinGW32 installation. If you chose the option to compile libraries by hand, download the latest source package from:
ZLib uses a nonstandard ./configure script, so some trickery will be necessary to get it working:
$ export CC=mingw32-gcc $ ./configure --prefix=/usr/local/mingw32/mingw32 $ make
`make` will fail because the naive configure script uses the local ranlib, and does not provide a way to set one short of modifying the configuration system itself. Do this:
$ mingw32-ranlib libz.a $ make $ make install $ mingw32-ranlib /usr/local/mingw32/mingw32/lib/libz.a $ unset CC
The second make will succeed and you can proceed to `make install`. The second `mingw32-ranlib` command may or may not be necessary, but I was having trouble until I did this. The final `unset CC` is important - CC needs to not be set for the remaining steps in this tutorial.
Although this document doesn't describe how to compile all necessary libraries, most should compile with a minimum of problems. The most serious problem you are likely to encounter is build systems which make assumptions about ranlib. Running mingw32-ranlib on generated libraries should fix this.
Compiling these libraries as shared objects instead of static libraries is certainly possible, but beyond the scope of this document.
Library Option 2 - The Standard Windows Libraries
The standard win32 library binary package is available at:
Crystal Space Win32Libs for 1.0
Unfortunately, this installer doesn't do anything we really need except self-extract the archive. This can be done under Wine or a normal Windows desktop. For example:
$ wine cs-win32libs-1.0_001.exe
After the install has completed, you have a new directory containing libs, dlls, include files, and some other stuff we don't really need. Change directories to the install location and copy the necessary items into the mingw32 root. For example:
$ cp -rf include/* /usr/local/mingw32/mingw32/include/ $ cp -rf lib/*.lib lib/*.a /usr/local/mingw32/mingw32/lib/
The installer probably installed the .dll files correctly in your system, but if Wine cannot find them, you can also manually copy the contents of the dll/ directory to your Wine system directory. For example:
$ cp -f dll/*.dll ~/.wine/drive_c/windows/system/
Note This process works with CrystalSpace 1.0, but YMMV with other versions.
In order for this to work, the CRYSTAL environment variable should point to a CS source directory in which you want to build. This should be separate from any existing Linux builds of CS. Note that when switching between building native and mingw32 applications, it is necessary to switch the CRYSTAL environment variable to point to the correct location.
The main problem with building CrystalSpace for another target platform is `jam`. The ./configure script happily builds jam0.exe for you but it does not seem to work under wine emulation.
The solution is to configure CS twice, once configured for the local machine, once for mingw32.
$ mkdir build-jam $ cd build-jam $ $CRYSTAL/configure $ cp jam $CRYSTAL $ cd .. $ rm -rf build-jam $ cd $CRYSTAL $ ./configure --target=mingw32 --host=mingw32 --build=i686-pc-linux-gnu \ CXXFLAGS=-I/usr/local/mingw32/mingw32/include \ "LDFLAGS=-L/usr/local/mingw32/mingw32/lib -s -O" \ CXX=/usr/local/mingw32/bin/mingw32-g++ --with-z=/usr/local/mingw32/mingw32 $ ./jam
Note: Fedora core 3 requires the value "i586-mingw32" in the --target and --host parameters. If your distribution requires something different here, please let me know.
Note: If jam reports missing symbols like _mspace_malloc, put '#define MSPACES 1' in the #ifdef-lines in libs/csutil/dlmalloc.c.
Note: If jam reports errors because of a missing 'windres' executable, make a new symbolic link named windres which links to i586-mingw32msvc-windres.
Notice the -s and -O options in the LDFLAGS section. This produces optimized DLLs with the symbols stripped. Without this, all the DLLs and EXEs that mingw32-g++ creates will be excessively large. However, if you get errors because i586-mingw32msvc-g++ cannot handle -fvisibility flags, leave out the -s switch.
This will take a long time, and a good chunk of it may fail to link because of a similar `ranlib` issue that libz has: it is trying to use the local ranlib instead of mingw32-ranlib. (NOTE: current CVS versions of CS seem to fix this; you can also try to 'export RANLIB=i586-mingw32msvc-ranlib' beforehand)
$ mingw32-ranlib `find . -name *.a`
This will fixup your libraries. Do this again:
$ ./jam
Finally, you should have a complete Windows CS build in the $CRYSTAL directory. If you have `wine` installed and configured, you can test it:
$ wine walktest.exe -- -relight flarge
Embedded Projects
Projects which live under the CS source tree and use Jam for configuration and building do not need to do anything special. They will be built alongside walktest.exe and the other executables in the package.
Embedding Projects
Projects which embed CS and do not live in the source tree may also be cross-compiled. If you are not doing so already, you should include these in your build system (in configure.in or Makefile.am):
CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS `$CRYSTAL/cs-config --cxxflags`" LDFLAGS="$LDFLAGS `$CRYSTAL/cs-config --ldflags`"
You will want to keep a CS binary installation for each build target. In my case, this means I have two CS system directories:
/usr/local/CS-i686-pc-linux-gnu /usr/local/CS-i586-mingw32
The second directory is a result of following the above steps and copying the resulting built CS directory to /usr/local/CS-i586-mingw32. The other directory is a plain-vanilla `./configure; jam` build of CS.
If you're using autoconf, put this in configure.in right after the AC_INIT call:
This macro knows how to switch compilers when you pass the mingw32 --target and --host values to ./configure. If your build system does't use autoconf, you'll have to figure out how to switch gcc/ld/ranlib/etc. by hand.
If you do include the AC_CANONICAL_SYSTEM macro in autoconf, you can cross-build your app like so (obviously modifying the CRYSTAL path for your setup):
$ export CRYSTAL=/usr/local/CS-i586-mingw32 $ ./configure --target=mingw32 --host=mingw32 --build=i686-pc-linux-gnu "LDFLAGS=-s -O"
Thanks to Res for first pointing out that the required libraries are available via the standard Windows library package.


text:
American TV announces it will go out of business
Furniture and appliance store American has announced it will go out of business after 60 years.
VIDEO: American TV announces it's closing
A release from the company said the last five years have been difficult for the industry.
"While this is a sad moment it is also a proud moment," CEO Doug Reuhl said in a statement. "It's a moment to be proud of our efforts and to be proud of what we have delivered to the community."
American, based in Madison, operates 10 stores: Six in Wisconsin, two in Illinois and two in Iowa.
Officials said that the company's 989 employees have been given notice of the closing.
"It's a, it's a sad day," Biz Times analyst Steve Jagler said.
Jagler is also a longtime customer. The news caught him by surprise, but he said understands how it happened.
"Apparently they could just not compete on price with these specialty places and these mass big-box national chains like Costco and Walmart," Jagler said.
A news release from the company said a going-out-of-business liquidation sale will begin on Thursday, Feb. 20.
Stores will continue to honor gift cards during the liquidation sale. Customers can also request a refund of their gift card if they do not wish to use it. Customers who have open orders waiting for delivery will either receive delivery or a refund of their deposit.


text:
Annie Clark, a 7-year-old from Pennsylvania, has won a national penmanship award, a trophy and a $1,000 prize. She achieved all of this despite one key setback: she was born with no hands.
A first-grader at Wilson Christian Academy in West Mifflin, Penn., Annie received one of two awards granted by the Zaner-Bloser language arts and reading company, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The firm offered both awards to disabled students, with the other going to an Ohio student with a visual impairment.
(MORE: A Florida School Seeks Better Test Scores Through Placebos)
Annie writes by wedging a pencil between her arms — the same approach she uses to feed and dress herself, use school supplies and even paint her own toenails. Annie's determination has helped her learn to swim, ride a bike, type on a keyboard and use an iPod touch, her father, Tom Clark, told the Post-Gazette.
The Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest, now in its 21st year, is an annual event, open to grade school students, which celebrates penmanship in an increasingly digital world. Annie's handwriting sample earned her the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellent Penmanship, created to honor Nicholas Maxim, a fifth-grader from Maine born without hands or lower arms. To win the Maxim award, students must have a cognitive delay or intellectual, physical or development disability.
"This has given her a real sense of confidence," Annie's mother, Mary Ellen Clark, told the Post-Gazette. "She is just proud to be her and as a parent, I'm just thrilled with that."
MORE: How To Make A Better Student: Eight Secrets of Success


text:
A Web of Free Stuff
Surf your way to free food, lodging and other deals on the Internet.
Free at last, free at last. Thanks to the Internet, more and more stuff is free at last.
See also: Re-purpose to save money.
Nothing excites my Inner Miser more than the thought of getting something for free. More than once, I've nearly crashed the car when I've seen something along the road with a homemade "FREE!" sign next to it. It doesn't matter what it is, I automatically hit the brakes.
I've scored some terrific free stuff over the years, but my bragging rights pale in comparison to those of my friend and fellow cheapskate Kate Easlick of Benzonia, Mich. In the rolling countryside, Easlick lives in a delightful little home she has proudly decorated with an array of furniture and other housewares that she's nabbed for free (or pennies on the dollar) from friends, neighbors and Internet sites such as Freecycle and Craigslist.
But it's Easlick's house — not her furniture — that has my Inner Miser more than a little green with cheapskate envy. You see, when she was looking to build a house on the lot she owned, she posted an ad in the local newspaper asking if anyone had a house they planned to demolish. Her proposal: Give me your house — for free — and I'll move it to my lot. Sure enough, clever Kate now lives in a small but very comfortable house she got for absolutely free, having paid about only $6,000 for the cost of moving it a couple of miles to her piece of property.
OK, so maybe everybody can't score a free house, but the Internet has opened up a whole new world when it comes to free stuff. Here are some of my favorite sites:
Free Money: The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) is a nonprofit organization with a website (Unclaimed.org) that can help you find money that might be due you or your family members from sources like forgotten bank accounts, inheritances, utility-bill refunds, security deposits and so on. NAUPA says that about one out of every eight Americans is entitled to unclaimed assets (I was one of them!), with claims averaging about $1,000. Searching for and recovering funds through NAUPA is free; beware of any companies that try to charge you money to do the same thing. Also, check out TreasuryHunt.gov to search for unclaimed savings bonds.
Birthday Freebies: Birthdays sting a little less when you discover all of the freebies you're entitled to on your special day. From free meals and free ice cream to free gifts and entertainment — check out this list and you'll wish you had more than one birthday in a year.
Free Software: Many websites, including Tucows.com and Download.com, offer free software downloads. For example, OpenOffice.org provides a free alternative to expensive Microsoft Office software. Does Bill Gates know about this?
Free Audio Books: Download free audio books on the nonprofit website LibriVox.org. These are recordings of books that are found in the public domain (i.e., no longer covered by copyright) and they're read by volunteers, but the quality is generally quite good.
Free Kiddie Meals: MyKidsEatFree.com includes a nationwide directory of thousands of restaurants where kids can eat for free when accompanied by an adult. It's a great way to treat the grandchildren to a nice meal out.
Free Samples: The Internet is of course loaded with sites offering free product samples and other free stuff, but beware of rip-offs and cons. Some of my personal favorites for free samples are: TheFreeSite.com, StartSampling.com, Freechannel.net, Freenology.com and Volition.com.
Free Foreign Languages: "Habla cheapskate?" Learn a wide range of foreign languages with the help of the free online audio and visual teaching tools provided by the BBC.
Free Lodging for Travelers: And last but not least, CouchSurfing.org is a nonprofit network of more than a half-million people around the world who will let you sleep on their couch (or, often, in a spare bedroom) while you're traveling. Couch Surfing may not suit everyone's travel tastes, but I've used the Couch Surfing network extensively in my travels — as do more and more 50+ folks like me. I've found it to be a great way to meet local people and see the world on a shoestring budget. Check out its website and you might just get hooked like I did.
Jeff Yeager is the author of The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches and The Cheapskate Next Door. His website is www.UltimateCheapskate.com and you can friend him on Facebook at JeffYeagerUltimateCheapskate or follow him on Twitter.


text:
|Sample Image | Spin Video | QuickTimeVR Rotation
Description from the source:
Sulphohalite ( Na6 (SO4)2 F Cl cub.), Searles Lake, California, USA. Perfect octahedral crystal, much better than the photo, rare. 2x1,8x1,5 cm; 12 g with box.
Source: Simone Citon
Contributor: John Gray
Acquired: 26 October, 2008
Text Updated: 26 October, 2008
Price: Trade
Size: 0.75"
Composition: Na6(SO4)2FCl