Not Yet Closing Time For GITMO

This week Congress voted down an amendment to the FY17 National Defense Authorization Act that would have struck out existing prohibitions on the use of funds to transfer terrorists housed at GITMO to the United States, or to construct or modify facilities in the U.S. to house detainees transferred from GITMO. The amendment was defeated 259-163 with 21 of the Noes coming from Democrats.

This defeat should not have come as a surprise to the author of the amendment, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who had tried it before with the same results.

As time runs out on the Obama administration, it is releasing GITMO detainees in a rush and sometimes without due regard for the safeguards that will be applied to releasees in their new locations. According to the administration's own reports to Congress, about one in three former detainees are known or suspected to have reengaged in terrorism. Such reckless disregard has created distrust between the administration and Congress that will be the kiss of death for any more Nadler amendments.

It is not yet closing time for GITMO, but Nadler can dream while he cries in his beer. Shall we open all the doors and let this bunch out into the world?

Dalai Lama Tactical Tip Tuesday

The 14th and current Dalai Lama is beloved for his clear moral vision and for the pithy bits of wisdom he delivers with a preternaturally calm demeanor. Plus, he is all the rage right now with advocates of defensive gun use.

In May 2001 the Lama spoke to high school students in Portland, Oregon, at an "Educating the Heart Summit." As reported by the Seattle Times, The Dalai Lama said acts of violence should be remembered, and then forgiveness should be extended to the perpetrators. But if someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, he said, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun. Not at the head, where a fatal wound might result. But at some other body part, such as a leg.

The Lama's thinking on defensive gun use has evolved since then, apparently, because now he's a center mass guy.

As a public service, here is the first Dalai Lama Tactical Tip:

Most Eyebrow-Raising Headline of the Week

I notice they didn't buckle it into the SUV

"Yellowstone tourists put bison calf in car because they’re worried it’s cold" - East Idaho News


A father and son pulled up at the ranger station with a bison calf in their SUV. “They were demanding to speak with a ranger. They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying.”

Law enforcement rangers were called and the father-and-son tourists, who were from another country, were ticketed. Rangers followed the pair back to where they had picked up the bison, and the animal was released.

Australian Embassy Baghdad, Alcohol-Involved Shooting Incident

Such a simple rule could prevent such grave mishaps 

A deadly incident at the Australian embassy in Baghdad that was originally misreported as a sniper attack has now been confirmed as an accidental shooting of one security contractor by another. Non-official sources say the incident occurred in the contractor's on-compound housing facility during a 'heavy drinking session.' 

Shooting at Australian embassy in Baghdad: contractor shot dead:

In an incident that will raise significant questions about the security measures for diplomats and the Australian-founded private firm that guards the embassy workers, the former Australian soldier was shot dead early on Thursday morning.

A fellow Australian guard, believed to be a former special forces soldier, was taken to a military base at Baghdad Airport for questioning, sources in Iraq said.

-- Snip --

The shooting is believed to have happened at the contactors' accommodation, which is within the broader embassy compound, giving the [Australian Federal Police] jurisdiction to investigate.

Sources said alcohol was involved in the incident and that the guard who had been taken for questioning had been working in Iraq as a contractor since 2005.

-- Snip --

In February, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Peter Varghese strongly dismissed reports of problems with the contract with [Unity Resources Group].

Mr Varghese told a Senate hearing that the reports of corner-cutting and a drop in the price paid by the department under the contact had come from "disgruntled former employees" and the claims were "without foundation".

"The department puts the highest priority on the safety and welfare of its employees, and the suggestion that we would run a cut-price security system is, frankly, quite offensive," he said.

"The core question here is: has this contract been managed in a way that doesn't put our staff at any additional risk? And the answer to that is clearly in the affirmative."

Mr Varghese said the department had looked into the media reports about the security issues and was satisfied that security at the Baghdad embassy was "operating effectively and that the transition to the new arrangements has not created any additional risk to our staff".

The new contract price for the security had dropped to $51 million over three years - down from the previous contract of $100 million over five years. But this was due to greater competition among security providers in Iraq, he said.

The dead security contractor had worked in Iraq since 2005?? To have worked for so long in such a high-stress job is very impressive, in one sense. But also very depressing in the larger, political, sense that diplomatic missions in Baghdad still need protection contractors thirteen years after Operation Iraqi Freedom. How many more years will it be before Normal arrives?

The price drop in Australia's protection contract, and possibly consequent drop in contractor morale and performance, is also remarkable as an indicator of what other diplomatic missions in Baghdad may be facing as the years role on. It's like a race to see whether Normal will arrive before security degrades to an intolerable level.

Most Eyebrow-Raising Headline of the Week

"Moms Eat Free at Hooters on Mother’s Day" - Hooters of America LLC Press Release

America's Place in the World, To Be Explained May 5

This upcoming event at the Brookings Institution looks like it will be good.

On May 5, the Brookings Project on International Order and Strategy (IOS) will host a discussion on America’s global role and the release of the newest edition of Pew Research Center’s series, “America’s Place in the World.” This survey explores American views of U.S. foreign policy today and the role of U.S. leadership abroad. The study also looks at which national security threats concern Americans the most.

Carroll Doherty, director of political research at Pew Research Center, will open the discussion by explaining the survey’s findings. Senior Fellow Robert Kagan, author of “The World America Made” (Vintage Books, 2013), will talk about the implications of the survey for U.S. support of the international order. Derek Chollet, former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs and author of the forthcoming book “The Long Game” (Public Affairs, 2016), will offer insight into how these findings fit with President Obama’s worldview. Laure Mandeville, U.S. bureau chief for Le Figaro, will contribute an international perspective on American politics and U.S. power abroad.

Most Eyebrow-Raising Headline of the Week

Basically a cross between Home Alone and Full Metal Jacket

 
 "11-year old Alabama boy shoots home intruder: 'He started crying like a little baby'" - WILX.com Talladega Alabama

“When he was coming down the stairs, that’s when he told me he was going to kill me, f-you and all that,” Gaither said ... That’s when Gaither started firing off bullets ... “I shot through the hamper he was carrying,” Gaither said. “It was a full metal jacket bullet. It went straight through the back of his leg. He started crying like a little baby."