Since the supposed assassination of Osama bin Laden, the United States has actually increased the number of drone attacks in Pakistan.
Since May 2 there have been four attacks.
An unnamed official says the assassination of bin Laden will not affect U.S. policy in Pakistan: “There are absolutely no plans at present to cease or scale back U.S. counter terrorism operations in Pakistan.”
As if the United States and Europe aren’t doing enough for the Libyan Civil War. Today, May 13, Libyan rebel reps are meeting with President Obama, to ask for more money.
Mahmoud Jebril, with the rebel’s National Transitional Council, is asking that Obama turn over the frozen assets of Gaddafi. Jebril is a U.S. educated technocrat, who is helping to lead the rebel campaign against the Libyan government.
Jebril says that if the rebel Council doesn’t get more money soon, they will not be able to pay their mercenaries, I mean rebel troops. The implication is that the so called rebel freedom fighters would walk away.
In the rebel controlled city of Berga, at least 16 civilians were killed, 40 wounded, after NATO planes bombed them.
Witnesses say most of the victims were Muslim clerics. They were holding a religious meeting at a home in the city. Many rebels now doubt that NATO is acting to protect civilians in rebel held territory. They point out that NATO rarely acts when they need them, and, as in the recent airstrike on Berga, NATO has bombed civilians on several occasions.
Japanese vehicle makers announced they’ve lost billions since the March 11 disasters.
Toyota was the biggest loser at $1.3 billion. Honda lost $900 million and Nissan almost $500 million.
The biggest problem for the Japanese car makers is the loss of production, due to lack of parts. The lack of parts is due to the “just in time” supply model that most of Japan’s industries rely on. This model means that the big producers do not make their own parts, and they don’t keep a lot of spare parts on hand. Instead they rely on smaller producers to supply those parts. Also, the smaller producers can not keep a stockpile of parts on hand, because they can’t afford to.
The March 11 disasters resulted in 60% of Japan’s nuclear plants going off line. Japan’s industries are almost totally reliant on electricity from the nuclear power plants. The result was factories all over Japan shut down.
Japanese car makers didn’t even try to forecast their performance for the next year, because the lack of electrical power will continue, at least ’till the end of the year.
In Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo, tea crops are contaminated with cesium. Five samples tested positive for cesium, as high as 780 becquerels. National safe limit is 300 becquerels, however, Kanagawa has set its own safe limit at 500.
The farms with the contaminated tea have been requested to stop shipping the tea to market.
“In a post-Gaddafi era, I think we will still have a role to play in assisting a new Libyan government in a transition to a sustainable democracy.”-Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General
Rasmussen explained that NATO will focus on rebuilding Libya’s security and military units.
Basically what Rasmussen is saying is that U.S. led NATO plans on setting up shop in Libya, after they kill off Gaddafi. What was that Obama said about this not being a long term adventure?
Another case of Afghan government forces shooting U.S. forces. This time a National Police officer shot four U.S. soldier, killing one of them. Very little details are available. The shooting happened in Lashkar Gah. Witnesses say it was an all out scuffle.
This is not the first time Afghan government employees turned their guns on U.S. forces. Last month a career military pilot killed several U.S. personnel, before being killed himself.
As for police forces, this is one of several incidents involving police officers; In April 2011, a total of 11 U.S. personnel were killed by Afghan police. In January 2011, a U.S. Marine killed a police officer. In November 2010, an Afghan border police officer killed six U.S./NATO troops.
Not only do U.S. forces have to deal with the Taliban’s spring offensive, but they have to watch their back for fear of Afghan government police attacking them.
“The President has the authority to use all necessary and appropriate force during the current armed conflict with al Qaeda, Taliban, and associated forces pursuant to the authorization of the use of military force.”-2012 Defense Authorization Bill
U.S. Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, from California, has submitted the fiscal year 2012 defense bill (aka Authorization for the Use of Military Force). The bill expands the powers of the President to wage war, in the name of fighting terrorism.
The American Civil Liberties Union says the bill gives the President too much war making powers, and does not provide a clear end game policy.
A U.S. base in Iraq is being used to train Iranian dissidents for attacks on Iran.
The base is called Camp Taji Contracting Center. Iranian Arab separatists known as Khalq-e Arab, are given military training there. The Iranian government learned of the training after arresting five members of the group after they tried to assassinate Iranian police.
The Khalq-e Arab separatists are trying to take control of Iran’s southwestern oil fields in Khuzestan. Khuzestan has a large Arab population, and has been fought over in the past, by Iraq and Iran.
“We oppose the death penalty in all cases and are clear that British drugs should not be used to carry out lethal injections.”-Vince Cable, British Business Secretary
Mississippi has joined the growing list of U.S. states forced to use drugs used to put down animals, to execute prisoners. Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina have also begun using pentobarbitol.
The United Kingdom has already banned drugs sent to the U.S. for lethal injections. Germany is pushing the European Union to do the same: “We have to make sure that no drugs from Germany or the EU will be used to carry out executions.”-Markus Loening, German Human Rights Commissioner
U.S. prisons can’t get their usual death drug, thiopentol sodium, because the only U.S. maker of the drug stopped making it in January.
Amnesty International says the only countries using lethal injections are China and the United States.
But prisons could also see a shortage of pentobarbitol, because the only FDA approved maker of it, Lundbeck, has publicly denounced its use for lethal injection in humans: “Lundbeck does not condone the use of [pentobarbitol] or any other product for capital punishment.”
Lundbeck officials say they have already sent letters of complaint to the states that are now using their drug to kill prisoners. Lundbeck will now look at ways to blockade access to their drug by prisons.