What is White Dross?

What is White Dross? NADCA’s Energy Training – Dross

This explains a lot to those who want an explanation of the question, “was there molten metal at the World Trade Center”?

Afghan-International Security Force Kills Militant Responsible for Numerous Attacks

International Security Assistance Force HQ Public Affairs
KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan-International Security Force killed a Taliban militant in Kandahar province today, Aug. 26, responsible for several improvised explosive devices and small arms attacks in the region.

The joint force searched for the suspected militant southwest of Kandahar City, near the village of Salavat, where intelligence sources reported the known Taliban militant to be located.

During the operation, the force stopped the militant while on his motorcycle and issued multiple verbal commands to dismount. The militant ignored the commands and brandished a weapon, demonstrating hostile intent. The force engaged and killed the militant. A subsequent examination by the force confirmed the identity of the Taliban militant.

There were no Afghan, International Security Force or civilian casualties during the incident.

Though southern Afghanistan is the center of the Taliban-led militancy, the Taliban continues to alienate itself from the civilian populace by indiscriminate use of IED and small arms fire attacks. Afghan and International Security Forces continue to work together – day and night – to expel the Taliban and ensure the legitimate governance of the country.

ISAF is a key component of the international community’s engagement in Afghanistan, assisting the Afghan authorities in providing security and stability and creating the conditions for reconstruction and development.

9/11: What We Know Now that We Didn’t Know Then

James H. Fetzer explores what we know know that we didn’t know then about 9/11. This was taken from a talk given 10-1-06 at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

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9/11CooperUnion

911 truthers

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Commanding Heights – The Battle for the World Economy – EP1

The authors take the thesis that, prior to World War I, the world effectively lived in a state of globalization, which they term the “First Era of Globalization.”The authors define globalization as periods where free markets predominate, and countries place few if any limits on imports, exports, immigration and exchanges of information. Overall, they see globalization as a positive movement that improves the standard of living for all the people connected to it, from the richest to poorest.According to the authors, the rise of fascism and communism, not to mention the Great Depression, nearly extinguished capitalism, which rapidly lost popularity.After World War II, the authors believe the work of economist John Maynard Keynes came to be widely accepted in Western economies. Keynes believed in government regulation of the economy, and the authors underline this as Keynes’ great influence and prestige. In the authors’ opinion, these so-called “commanding heights” were often owned or severely regulated by governments in accordance with Keynes’ ideas.The authors then discuss how the political change of the 1980s ushered in a change of economic policy. The old trend changed when Margaret Thatcher became prime minister of the United Kingdom, and when Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States. Both these leaders parted ways with Keynesian economics. Rather, they were more in the tradition of the work of Friedrich von Hayek, who opposed government regulation, tariffs, and other infringements on a pure free market, and Milton Friedman, who emphasized the futility of using inflationary monetary policies to influence rates of economic growth.While Thatcher, Reagan, and their successors made sweeping reforms, the authors argue that the current era of globalization finally began around 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since then, they argue, countries embracing free markets have prospered on the whole, while those adhering to central planning have failed.While strongly in favor of this trend, the authors worry that globalization will not last. More specifically, they believe that if inequality in economic growth remains high, and if Third World nations are not offered the proper opportunities and incentives to support capitalism, the movement will end just as the first era did.The reason the authors place so much emphasis on narrowing economic gaps is because they believe, against many of the people they interview, that there is no ideological support for capitalism, only the pragmatic fact that the system works better than any other. As they remark: The market also requires something else: legitimacy. But here it faces an ethical conundrum. It is based upon contracts, rules, and choice — in short, on self-restraint — which contrasts mightily with other ways of organizing economic activity. Yet a system that takes the pursuit of self-interest and profit as its guiding light does not necessarily satisfy the yearning in the human soul for belief and some higher meaning beyond materialism. In the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s, Republican soldiers are said to have died with the word “Stalin” on their lips. Their idealized vision of Soviet communism, however misguided, provided justification for their ultimate sacrifice. Few people would die with the words “free markets” on their lips.

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Somali Pirates Fire on Navy Helicopter

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2009 – Somali pirates aboard a hijacked ship fired at a U.S. Navy helicopter yesterday, Navy officials said.

According to the Navy, the helicopter from the USS Chancellorsville was not hit, and there were no injuries. The helicopter did not return fire.

The chopper received fire while on a surveillance flight over a Taiwanese-flagged vessel that pirates had captured in April. Footage taken from the SH-60B helicopter shows at least one pirate opening fire with what appears to be “a large-caliber weapon,” officials said.

Somali pirates hijacked the Taiwanese-flagged Win Far vessel April 6, and since have used it as a “mother ship” to conduct attacks, most notably on the U.S.-flagged Maersk-Alabama in April. The incident occurred in the Indian Ocean south of Garacad, Somalia, where the Win Far is anchored.

During the flight, the aircrew members observed pirate activity, but did not confirm they were fired on until their return to Chancellorsville and review of the infrared surveillance footage. The helicopter was about 3,000 yards from Win Far when it happened.

(From a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command news release.)

Police, Special Ops Forces Arrest Terrorists in Iraq

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2009 – Iraqi police and special operations forces arrested 11 terrorism suspects in Iraq in recent days, military officials reported.

Along with U.S. forces advisors, Baghdad’s emergency response brigade — an elite police unit — arrested a suspected terrorist leader Aug. 25. The unit was operating under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s authority, officials said. The suspect allegedly is involved with insurgent groups and attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces.

Also operating with U.S. forces advisors, the emergency response brigade arrested another suspected terrorist in Baghdad the same day under the authority of a warrant issued by the Investigative Court of Resafe. The suspect allegedly is affiliated with insurgent groups and wanted for conducting bomb attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces.

On Aug. 24, also in Baghdad, the emergency response brigade — along with U.S. forces advisors and operating under the authority of a warrant issued by the Babil District Court — arrested another suspected terrorist. The suspect allegedly is affiliated with insurgent groups and was wanted for weapons smuggling and bomb attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces.

Also in Baghdad, Iraqi special operations forces, along with U.S. forces advisors, arrested five suspected terrorists Aug. 24 and 25 under the authority of warrants issued by the Central Investigative Court of Karkh. They allegedly are affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq and have been responsible for terrorist activities against Iraqi government officials and security forces.

In Iraq’s Salahuddin province, Iraqi soldiers with the 4th Emergency Response Battalion, along with U.S. forces advisors, arrested three suspected terrorists at their homes Aug. 25 under warrants issued by the provincial Central Investigation Court for suspicion of terrorist activities.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

Obama’s Proven Missile Defense Technology

Missile Defense Technology Moves from Testing to Fielding

By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2009 – Boosted by a few strong years of testing successes, much of the United States’ missile defense technology that once was questioned is now ready to be fielded.

Click photo for screen-resolution image
The destroyer USS Hopper launches a standard missile 3 as it operates in the Pacific Ocean on July 30, 2009. The missile successfully intercepted a sub-scale, short-range ballistic missile launched from the Kauai Test Facility at Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The launch was the latest Missile Defense Agency test in conjunction with the Navy. U.S. Navy photo

“A few years ago the question was, ‘Could you even hit a missile with a missile?’ We have proven we could do that well over 35 times,” Army Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O’Reilly, the director for the Missile Defense Agency, said in an interview at the Pentagon today.

USS Hopper Missile Test

O’Reilly said that 39 of the last 45 tries at stopping a test missile were successful. The failures were mostly at the start of the testing, and in the past few years, all hit their mark, except one that had a manufacturing problem. It was fixed, and three weeks ago successfully hit its target in a test, O’Reilly said.

Most of the new technologies fielded will be to bolster missile defense for deployed troops. Right now, O’Reilly said, forward deployed bases are exposed to missile threats and there is a large gap in U.S. capabilities to protect them.

This summer, both Iran and North Korea tested their ballistic missiles systems. And several other nations have as many as a few hundred such missiles in their arsenals.

“We want to provide the same level of protection against ballistic missiles that we enjoy today against cruise missiles or against aircraft,” O’Reilly said.

The Defense Department recently committed an additional $900 million toward fielding the Army’s theater high altitude area defense mobile missile defense system. The agency has finished seven of eight required tests of the system, and O’Reilly said he expects to see it in the field next year. The Army also will get some new radar systems.

The Navy’s Aegis-class ballistic missile defense ships are being equipped with some improved missiles. The Aegis ship’s capability was demonstrated to the world when it stopped a crippled reconnaissance satellite over the Pacific Ocean before it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere in February 2008. The Aegis ships will have a second-generation interceptor fielded next year, O’Reilly said. And the Pentagon has proposed converting six more Aegis-class ships to provide additional theater missile defense coverage.

“This capability will provide protection in the theater against ballistic missiles — short-range missiles, medium range and missiles up to ranges greater than 3,000 kilometers,” O’Reilly said.

As much as $8 billion is slated for additional missile defense technologies in the future, the general said.

Two demonstrator satellites will be launched into space next month. The pair of satellites will “talk” to each other, extending the capabilities of other sensors in place to detect missiles. By 2012, the agency will test the satellites, launching an interceptor from an Aegis ship toward a test target. This will allow the ship to fire at a target that is beyond its own radar ranges.

Eventually, O’Reilly said, the pair will be part of a larger constellation of connected satellites. Plans are to develop a satellite system that tracks missiles around the world.

“It’s just an extremely exciting area,” he said. “And all theaters across the world now are receiving missile defense command and control and will soon be receiving the capability.”

In the next five years, extensive testing will take place with more than 56 flight tests, many including multiple missiles in the air at the same time, across the entire Pacific Ocean. In that testing, the agency will use a mix of satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, ships and ground-based radars.

War is Hell For Terrorists

War is Hell for Terrorists

Terrorists getting blown up and shot up by Apaches and other platforms. Set to the song “Two Steps from Hell” by Moving Mountains. Enjoy.
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Forces Detain Suspected Terrorists in Iraq

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2009 – Iraqi forces, aided by U.S. advisors, detained eight suspected terrorists Aug. 20 and 21 in operations in Iraq, military officials reported.

In Baghdad, members of an Iraqi emergency response brigade, along with U.S. advisors, arrested a suspected terrorist believed to be affiliated with insurgent groups Aug. 21. The suspect is wanted for bomb attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces operating in the area. The elite police force was operating under the authority of a warrant issued by the Investigative Court of Kut.

Meanwhile, members of the Iraqi 7th Regional Commando Battalion, with U.S. advisors, arrested two suspected terrorists in Ninevah province. The men are suspected of assassination attempts and explosive attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces. The commandos arrested the suspects with a warrant issued by the Central Investigative Court of Karkh.

In Aug. 20 operations in Iraq:

— Members of an Iraqi emergency response brigade, along with U.S. advisors, arrested a suspected terrorist allegedly affiliated with insurgent groups. The suspect is believed to have facilitated and conducted sniper attacks against Iraqi security forces in Baghdad. The police force was operating under the authority of a warrant issued by the Criminal Investigative Court of Karkh.

— Iraqi special operations forces, along with U.S. advisors, arrested three suspects during an intelligence-driven mission in Baghdad. The suspects allegedly are affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq and are believed to be responsible for conducting terrorist activities against Iraqi government officials and Iraqi security forces. The soldiers were operating under the authority of a warrant issued by the Central Investigative Court of Karkh.

— A Basra special weapons and tactics team, along with U.S. advisors, arrested a suspected terrorist believed to be linked to numerous insurgent networks in Basra province. The suspect has allegedly served as a high-ranking official for terrorist groups operating in the area and is believed to be responsible for attacks against Iraqi security forces and civilians. The team was operating under the authority of a warrant issued by the Basra Court.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)