Not Another Obligatory Libya Update!

Despite the antipathy between Israel and the Arab world, an Israeli remix of one of Mummar Ghdaffi's defiant speeches set to a thumping techno soundtrack by an Israeli DJ seems to have gained traction among Arabic netizens.

Pretty catchy, isn't it? The dual small screens showing the dancing girl don't hurt, either.

Apparently a few months before the uprising, the US Government had stealthily consented to selling at least 50 refurbished M113 armoured personnel carriers to the Libyan military.

Congress balked, concerned the deal would improve Libyan army mobility and questioning the Obama administration's support for the agreement, which would have benefited British defense company BAE. The congressional concerns effectively stalled the deal until the turmoil in the country scuttled the sale.

As all military exports to the regime were suspended last week and President Barack Obama told Gadhafi he should step down, the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls informed Congress that the troop transport deal had been returned without action — effectively off the table, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the deal's sensitive details.

State Department spokesman Mark C. Toner said the proposed license was suspended along with the rest of "what limited defense trade we had with Libya."

The Gadhafi regime's desire to upgrade its troop carriers was so intense that a Libyan official told U.S. diplomats in Tripoli in 2009 that the dictator's sons, Khamis and Saif, both were demanding swift action. Khamis, a commander whose army brigade reportedly attacked the opposition-held town of Zawiya with armored units and pickup trucks, expressed a "personal interest" in modernizing the armored transports, according to a December 2009 diplomatic message disclosed by WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website.

Currently, the majority of Libya's military arsenal currently comes from either Russia or France.



Meanwhile, forces loyal to Mummar Ghdaffy used tanks rockets, artillery and airstrikes to lauch a fierce counterattack on rebel forces approaching the capitol from al Zawiyah, about 30 miles to the west of Triploi. Armor from forces loyal to Ghdaffy is reportedly probing the depleted defences of the city and firing randomly at homes on the outskirts before attempting to make their way to the rebel-held city center.

There have also been reports of Serbian mercenaries piloting Libyan aircraft bombing rebel positions, although Belgrade has denied this early on. Libyan rebels who claimed they managed to down two aircraft over Ras Lanuf insisted that the pilots they captured were in fact Syrian.

The insurgents told the relatively reliable Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, as translated by the Lebanese news portal Iloubnan.info, that the government is using mercenary pilots from Syria, Algeria, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania to fly air force warplanes because Libyan pilots are no longer considered reliable.

The loyalty of Libyan Air Force pilots was put into question when two Colonels from Libya's Air Force disobeyed orders to bomb protesters in Benghazi and instead flew off to the island nation of Malta with their French-made Mirage fighters and sought asylum. [Let it be noted that the Maltese have a sense of humor, at least- the two Mirages are listed as being for sale on the Malta-based classified ad site Maltapark- NANESB!]



Despite the unreliability of some of the Libyan pilots, Ghdaffi's forces hold the edge in air supremacy over the rebels. This has led to calls for a 'no fly zone' similar to what was imposed on Saddam Hussein's Iraq between 1992 and 2003. The USA, UK and NATO are reportedly exploring a 'range of options' regarding the situation in Libya and defense ministers from the USA and Europe will discuss the possible ramifications of establishing a no-fly zone across Libya in order to prevent Ghdaffi from bombing his own people. Canadian and British officials have talked of openly arming Libyan rebels opposing Ghdaffi while the Obama administration has proposed arming the Libyan rebels using Saudi weapons and resources. Already, NATO has stepped up surveillance flights over the country.


Exit question: Assuming they survive, once Ghdaffi bites it, who's going to get custody of his all-girl bodyguard squad?

Another Horn of Africa Update: U.S. Commandos Re-Take Japanese Tanker; Danish Yacht Seized by Pirates

OMAN: U.S. Commandos have boarded a Japanese oil tanker that was seized by pirates off the coast of Oman and re-taken the vessel without firing a shot on Sunday.

Twenty-four crew members on the MV Guanabara took refuge in a protected part of the vessel after reporting they were under attack Saturday, roughly 328 nautical miles southeast of Duqm in southern Oman.

A special unit from the destroyer USS Bulkeley boarded the oil tanker Sunday and detained the suspected pirates, according to a news release from the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). No shots were fired and no injuries were reported.

"The ships and aircraft under my command have today scored a real and immediate victory through the disruption of a suspected act of piracy and the detention of individuals believed to be engaging in piracy," CMF's counter-piracy commander, Abdul Alheem, said in a statement.

Two vessels from the NATO counter-piracy task force- the USS Bulkeley and the Turkish frigate TCG Giresun- received a distress call from the Guanabara and shadowed the vessel before it was boarded by the commandos.

The captured pirates will reportedly face trial in Tokyo.

PUNTLAND: Seven Danish nationals were captured by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Feb. 24th after their yacht was seized. This captives includes a family of five (the parents and three children) as well as 2 crew members.

An official from the village of Bandarbeyla in Puntland said that it was likely the Danes were being held in a mountainous region called Hul Anod. The official also said that a warship was spotted some 1.5 miles off the coast of the village and cautioned against any sort of military operation after the massacre of 4 Americans at sea last month.

According to piracy expert, the average ransom payout for a large shipping vessel and its crew is in the neighborhood of $5 million. A couple from the UK were released in September 2010 reportedly after a ransom of $1 million was paid out.

MOGADISHU: Somali officials have reported that an American from Alabama who joined the Al Shabaab Islamist group was killed in clashes with soldiers from the Somali transitional government and African Union peacekeepers this week.

Somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Mohamud Haji Fiqi told The Associated Press that Somali officials do not have a body and that the intelligence reports have not yet been confirmed.

"We have information saying that he died," Fiqi said. "I'm not sure 100 percent sure but this is the information that we get from different sources. We need to make sure."

Omar Hammami, who grew up in the middle-class town of Daphne, Alabama, joined the al-Qaida-linked Somali militants in 2007 while he was in his early 20s. He became the most high-profile American member of al-Shabab and had taken on the nom de guerre of Abu Mansour al-Amriki, or "the American."

Forces from the Somali transitional government, backed by African Union peacekeepers have been mounting a countrattack against the Islamist al Shabaab militia. On Monday, the Somali and multinational forces were able to seize control of the border town of Bulo Hawo- along the Kenyan and Ethiopian border- from Al Shabaab; the first time forces from the UN-backed Transitional government were able to exert control over territory outside of Mogadishu.

[hat tip: Jammie Wearing Fool]

Borderline Psychosis (Mostly) El Norte Edition- ATF Arming Mexican Criminals? Border Patrol Agent Armed w/Beanbag Rounds in Deadly Shootout

ARIZONA: You know how gun control advocates have been lobbying for stricter gun control laws in the USA citing the number of American weapons turning up at crime scenes in Mexico? I initially derided such claims as unmitigated bullshit, but it turns out they were more on the nose than anybody thought. But what nobody banked on was that the cartels and Mexican criminals were arming themselves thanks in large part to the complicity of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms.

BATF Agent John Dodson has come forward and in an interview with CBS went on record as saying that allowing suspect sale of firearms to straw purchasers in Arizona go through before they were smuggled to Mexico in a tactic known as letting the guns 'walk'.

Agent Dodson and other sources say the gun walking strategy was approved all the way up to the Justice Department. The idea was to see where the guns ended up, build a big case and take down a cartel. And it was all kept secret from Mexico.

ATF named the case "Fast and Furious."

Surveillance video obtained by CBS News shows suspected drug cartel suppliers carrying boxes of weapons to their cars at a Phoenix gun shop. The long boxes shown in the video being loaded in were AK-47-type assault rifles.

So it turns out ATF not only allowed it - they videotaped it.

Documents show the inevitable result: The guns that ATF let go began showing up at crime scenes in Mexico. And as ATF stood by watching thousands of weapons hit the streets... the Fast and Furious group supervisor noted the escalating Mexican violence.

One e-mail noted, "958 killed in March 2010 ... most violent month since 2005." The same e-mail notes: "Our subjects purchased 359 firearms during March alone," including "numerous Barrett .50 caliber rifles."

Dodson feels that ATF was partly to blame for the escalating violence in Mexico and on the border. "I even asked them if they could see the correlation between the two," he said. "The more our guys buy, the more violence we're having down there."

Senior agents including Dodson told CBS News they confronted their supervisors over and over.

Their answer, according to Dodson, was, "If you're going to make an omelette, you've got to break some eggs."

There was so much opposition to the gun walking, that an ATF supervisor issued an e-mail noting a "schism" among the agents. "Whether you care or not people of rank and authority at HQ are paying close attention to this case...we are doing what they envisioned.... If you don't think this is fun you're in the wrong line of work... Maybe the Maricopa County jail is hiring detention officers and you can get $30,000 ... to serve lunch to inmates..."

Agent Dodson and others knew that allowing the guns to walk wouldn't end well, and their fears were confirmed in December 2010 when two guns from Fast & Furious were recovered from the scene of an Arizona shootout that killed US Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

Not surprisingly, Mexican authorities were kept in the dark about Fast & Furious as well. Mexican diplomats have petitioned the US Department of Justice for more details regarding the operation over the weekend.

Dodson has formally sought protection as a whistleblower under Federal law and has been providing information to the Senate Judiciary committee, chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

ELSEWHERE ALONG THE BORDER: Speaking of the late Agent Brian Terry, documents detailing the Dec 14th gunbattle outside of Nogales, AZ in which the Border Patrol agent was killed indicates that the Border Patrol agents were instructed to use non-lethal beanbag rounds in their shotguns.

The documents say the group of illegal border entrants refused commands to drop their weapons after agents confronted them at about 11:15 p.m. Two agents fired beanbags at the migrants, who responded with gunfire. Two agents returned fire, one with a long gun and one with a pistol, but Terry was mortally wounded in the gunfight.

Terry's brother, Kent Terry, said the other agents who were there that night told him that they were instructed to use the non-lethal beanbags first. It's a policy that doesn't make sense to Kent Terry.

"You go up against a bandit crew that is carrying AKs, and you walk out there with guns loaded with beanbags - I don't get it," Terry said in a phone interview from Michigan. "It's like going to the Iraqi war with one knife. It boggles my mind. ... These guys (Border Patrol agents) are professionals; they should be able to use their judgment call on their own."

[snip]The Terry family remains upset about allegations that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed a gun smuggler it was investigating to purchase and smuggle into Mexico the weapons used in the shootout in which Terry died. The Justice Department has denied the allegations, but U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, continues to insist on the validity of the claims.

"Your government is telling you to use beanbags, but you are selling guns back to the Mexicans," Kent Terry said. "There's a lot of questions that they haven't answered."

The Border Patrol has declined comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

WASHINGTON D.C.: In a meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House last week, President Obama announced that a tentative agreement had been reached with Mexico that would allow Mexican truck drivers to use US Highways in exchange for Mexico dropping retaliatory tariffs on American goods once the first Mexican truck completes its run inside the USA.

OK....let me just come right out and say that this is like the layer cake of bad ideas.

Let me count the ways: I guess to start off with, expedited border crossings from Mexico mean that some criminal enterprise is going to take advantage of this which will most likely lead to expedited drug smuggling or human trafficking, abetted by corrupt officials on both sides of the border.

Last I heard, things like weigh stations, logbooks, preventative maintenance, hours of service, and safety inspections were these whimsical, novel foreign concepts to the majority of truckers on the Mexican side of the border. Even if Mexico reciprocates and allows American truckers to drive further into Mexico's interior, there's the the matter of rampant crime in the form of hijackings and roadblocks set up to rob drivers or steal their cargo. Either that or set it on fire as part of an impromptu blockade while one cartel or another lays siege to a Mexican city.

And lastly, I fail to see how allowing more Mexican trucks onto US highways would benefit the American economy or create American jobs- union or non-union.

MEXICO CITY: A Major in the Mexican Army is suspected of leaking information to drug cartels, training hitmen and enforcers through a private security company and funnelling weapons from the Mexican military to cartels like Los Zetas, according to a US diplomatic cable released on Wikileaks.

Major Arturo Gonzalez Rodriguez was assigned to President Calderon's security detail before being arrested in December 2008 for accepting $100,000 a month bribes from multiple cartels in exchange for relaying the travel plans of Calderon.

"Based on statements from a former cartel member turned witness code-named 'Jennifer,' PGR (federal attorney general's office) has accused González of passing information related to the activities and travel plans of Mexican President Felipe Calderón to the Arturo Beltran Levya organization (ABLO).

"González also stands accused of leaking military intelligence, training ABLO hit men through a private security company and supplying military weapons to various (drug trafficking organizations), including los Zetas."

The cable also alleges that another official working for the Calderon administration leaked copies of his medical file to drug traffickers.

CHIHUHUA: The 20 year old woman who found herself in the limelight in 2010 for becoming police chief of the border town of Praxedis G Guerro after her predecessor was murdered and beheaded by narotrafficantes was fired on Monday after failing to show up for work.

City officials released a statement saying that the mayor had decided to remove Marisol Vallez Garcia from office after she failed to show up after a leave of absence in which she had to attend to a family emergency. She was accompanied by a local official as far as the International Bridge connecting El Provenir with Ft. Hancock, TX last week.

Marisol Valles, then a 20 year old criminology student studying at the University of Guadlajara, was the only person willing to take the job and was sworn in on October 18, 2010 a year after the previous police chief was kidnapped, murdered and beheaded and his severed head left outside the Paxedis G Guerro police station.

Valles is reportedly seeking asylum in Texas after her infant son was being treated for an unspecified illness there. She also was reportedly subjected to a number of anonymous death threats during her brief tenure as police chief.

Weekend Sports Chowdah Updat- 8 is Enough? Celtics Buck Trend; BC, UConn Football 2011 Schedule Released

NHL: Like it or not, all good things must come to an end. And although they wouldn't come away from Saturday night's game empty-handed, the Bruins 7-game win streak has come to a close against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After a scoreless 1st period, Zdeno Chara would get the scoring underway 7 and a half minutes into the 2nd period, beating Marc-Andre Fleury to put Boston up 1-0. However, the Penguins would come right back with a pair of goals a minute and ten seconds apart to put Pittsburgh up 2-1. David Krejci would get the equalizer with 33 seconds remaining in regulation after the Bruins pulled Thomas for an extra attacker.

However, the Pens would capitalize on a Dennis Seidenberg turnover and C Dustin Jeffery got the game winning tally 1:52 into OT for the win. Boston gets the one point for forcing OT, so their point streak continues through at least 8 games, but that's the end of their impressive 7 game win streak.

Tim Thomas stopped 36 of 39 shots while Pittsbugh's Marc Andre Fleury turned aside 29 of 31 shots faced on the night.

Boston's next game will be a rematch of last month's feisty, high scoring affair versus Montreal. This will take place at Montreal on Tuesday night, 7:30 PM ET on NESN. The Canadiens are riding a 4-game win streak coming into the Tuesday night game, having downed Tampa Bay by a 4-2 final on Saturday.
NBA: After a 107-103 win against the Golden State Warriors at the Garden on Friday night, the C's embarked on a quick 1-game road trip to Milwaukee for a Sunday night game televised on ESPN.

Although trailing at the half 43-49 (including being held to only 16 points in the 2nd quarter), the C's would come back and outscore the Bucks 46-34 in the second half to win by the final of 89-83. Paul Pierce led the scoring with 23 points as well as 5 rebounds while Kevin Garnett had 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The C's next game will be at home against the LA Clippers on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM ET on Comcast New England.

OTHER CELTICS NEWS: Interestingly, only 9 players were in uniform for Boston on Sunday night [same w/Milwaukee, but this isn't Not Another Milwaukee Sports Blog- NANESB!]. According to head coach Doc Rivers, Delonte West is likely to return in time for Wednesday's game against the Clippers, but Shaquille O'Neal's return is unlikely.

MLB: While the Red Sox were vicorious in their Friday night spring training game against the NY Yankees, the Red Sox haven't won a game since, falling to the Florida Marlings by an 11-2 margin and reaching a 4-4 deadlock with the Orioles in split squad action on Saturday and losing to the Mets 5-6 on Sunday.

John Lackey will get the start at City of Palms park against Baltimore (or should I say half the Orioles, since they will be doing the split-squad thing) on Monday afternoon at 1:05 PM ET.

NCAA FOOTBALL: The 2011 football schedules for both Boston College and UConn were released towards the end of February. While the dates have pretty much been settled, the game times for the overwhelming majority remain up in the air.

The Boston College football schedule is as follows:

09/03/11 vs. Northwestern Chestnut Hill, Mass. TBA
09/10/11 at UCF Orlando, Fla. TBA
09/17/11 vs. Duke Chestnut Hill, Mass. TBA
09/24/11 vs. Massachusetts Chestnut Hill, Mass. TBA
10/01/11 vs. Wake Forest Chestnut Hill, Mass. TBA
10/08/11 at Clemson Clemson, S.C. TBA
10/22/11 at Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Va. TBA
10/29/11 at Maryland College Park, Md. TBA
11/03/11 vs. Florida State Chestnut Hill, Mass. 8:00 p.m. ET
11/12/11 vs. North Carolina State Chestnut Hill, Mass. TBA
11/19/11 at Notre Dame Notre Dame, Ind. TBA
11/26/11 at Miami Miami Gardens, Fla. TBA

The UConn football schedule is as follows:

09/01/11 vs. Fordham Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn. TBA
09/10/11 at Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tenn. TBA
09/16/11 vs. Iowa State Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn. 8:00 p.m. ET
09/24/11 at Buffalo UB Stadium, Buffalo, N.Y. TBA
10/01/11 vs. Western Michigan Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn. TBA
10/08/11 at West Virginia Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WVa. TBA
10/15/11 vs. USF Rentscler Field, East Hartford, Conn. TBA
10/26/11 at Pittsburgh Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa. 8:00 p.m. ET
11/05/11 vs. Syracuse Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn. TBA
11/19/11 vs. Louisville Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn. TBA
11/26/11 vs. Rutgers Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn. TBA
12/03/11 at Cincinnati Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio TBA

Today's Train of Thought- A Flurry of Activity, March 5 2011

While baseball teams from Boston to Seattle start making their way towards the warmer weather in Florida and Arizona, today's train of thought takes us back to the snowy northeast.

Here, railpictures.net contributor Mike Lockwood caught Western New York & Pennsylvania's Driftwood Turn (symbol DFT) heading northbound on the former Norfolk Southern Buffalo Line in an early season snow squall on October 17, 2009 with WNY&P C630M #630 leading an all Montreal Locomotive Works consist. Today's 20-car train is somewhat overpowered with no less than 12,600 horsepower of Montreal muscle making it's way up the grade at Keating Summit, PA. Each one of the units are more than 40 years old.

Even with gravity and the wet, slippery rails working against them, the quartet of six-axle MLWs likely made short work of the grade. Each until is still painted in the colors of the previous owner- #630 is still in Arkansas & Missouri colors, the black and orange units come from Quebec Cartier mining and the 3rd unit in the consist started out life for the Canadian Pacific but was purchased from the Minnesota Commerical Railroad.

Oregon Congressman David Wu- Certifiable?

I've got Tigers blood, baby!

The easiest thing in the world would probably make snarky comments about Democrats, liberals and mental illness until the cows came home, but apparently the conduct of Representative David Wu (D-OR 1) has raised concern from Oregonians and his staff.

According to The Oregonian, Wu's staffers first became alarmed when the congressman delivered a rambling 19-minute speech to Washington County Democrats on Oct. 27. Two days later, Wu reportedly convinced an employee at Portland International Airport to let him through security in order to meet his children, who were arriving from Washington; Wu proceeded to solicit votes from passengers at the gate.

Early the next morning, according to the Oregonian report, Wu sent odd emails to several of his staffers, including one with a picture of himself dressed as a tiger for Halloween. Wu acknowledged Tuesday that he sent the emails, which he called "very, very unprofessional."

Wu's erratic behavior was reportedly behind a number of his campaign and congressional staffers quitting. However, Wu was reportedly exhibiting such behavior well before election day, and perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this story is not Wu's condition, but the fact that his campaign and congressional office decided to conceal the depth of the problem from his constituents- and then jumping ship after the election.

Despite the loss of staff and editorials from newspapers in his district calling for him to step down, Wu insists he'll remain in office and run for another term in 2012.

Quick question- does anybody know what procedures would be in place in Oregon if Wu were to step down? Would there be a special election or could the governor appoint somebody? Are there provisions for a recall? [I'm not up to date on much of this because apparently Oregon isn't as addicted to special Congressional elections as New York is- NANESB!]

[hat tip- Jammie Wearing Fool, Lars Larson]

Back Home Sports Chowdah Update- B's Knockin on 7's Door; Suns Come Out Late in Beantown

And I don't mean this Seven's, either [although if you happen to be in Beacon Hill, I highly recommend stopping by- NANESB!]

The Bruins put the finishing touches on a perfect 6-0 road trip on Tuesday night thanks to a shutout performance by Tukka Rask backed by a single goal from Nathan Horton in the 3rd period in Ottawa on Tuesday night.

If you're the superstitious type, then it would be worth nothing that the last time the Bruins went on a perfect 6-0 road trip was during the 1971-1972 season- the last time the B's hoisted the Stanley Cup in Boston [But as we all know, Boston fans aren't the least bit superstitious, right?- NANESB!]

On Thursday night, they would try and make it 7 wins in a row with their first home game since the day after Valentine's Day against the Southeast Conference leading Tampa Bay Lightning.

If the Bruins wanted to make it 7 wins in a row, they would have to climb out of a 1-0 hole to do it. Eric Brewer broke the scoreless deadlock 4 minutes into the 2nd period with a goal to put Tampa Bay on to 1-0. Pruins call-up Steve Kampfer managed to knot the game at 1-1 about 2 minutes later and the contest would enter the 3rd period that way.

Although he was pulled in an earlier contest against Boston, Lightning goalie Mike Smith had a pretty strong showing on Thursday night. However, with 3:42 left in regulation, Milan Lucic was able to get a bouncing puck past Smith to make it a 2-1 game. The Bruins were able to hold off a late charge from Tampa Bay after the Lightning pulled Smith and hung on to win by the final of 2-1, good for their 7th win in a row.

Tim Thomas stopped 27 of 28 shots faced while Tampa's Mike Smith turned aside 26 of 28. The win vaults Boston past Tampa for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, 3 points behind Philly (who lost to Toronto on Thursday). The Bruin's next game will be at 7PM ET on Saturday night at Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Arena against the Penguins.

NBA: The Celtics homecoming on Wednesday night wasn't quite as triumphant as the Bruins, but they came out on top nonetheless. At first blush, the C's 115-103 win might've looked like a commanding performance (and it was, taking a 20 point lead into halftime), but Boston had to hold off a late rally from the Phoenix Suns, with the visitors threatening to close the gap to less than 10 points late into the 4th.

Kevin Garnett played like a man with something to prove (imagine that) racking up 28 points and 11 rebounds against Phoenix. Ray Allen had the next highest point total with 19 in Wednesday night's win.

The C's next game will be at home in Friday night against the Golden State Warriors at 7:30 PM ET

MLB: Friday marks the first contest between the Boston Red Sox and NY Yankees at New York's Spring Training facility in Tampa, FL. Both teams are coming into Friday's game sporting a 2-3 record. Bartolo Colon will be auditioning for a slot in the Yankees rotation while Clay Buchholz will get the start for the Sox.

After a high profile and ugly feud with manager Ozzy Guillen, former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks made his Red Sox debut in Thursday's 2-0 loss to Philly, allowing a hit and not earned runs.

Josh Beckett is back and will likely throw a bullpen session on Friday and may start another game as early as Tuesday. During his return to City of Palms park, Beckett presented coaching assistant Ino Guerrero (his 'assailant' after getting hit in the head w/a ball during BP and treated for mild concussion symptoms) with a fluorescent orange construction worker's vest.

Libyan Evacuation: Ferry Bring Americans to Malta, USAF Flying Egyptian Nationals Home.

While some 200 Americans being evacuated from Libya had to wait for a ferry to Malta last week, President Obama dispatched US Air Force C130s to Tunisia in order to aid in the evacuation of Egyptian workers trapped in Libya since an uprising against the Gahdaffi regime and ensuing crackdown

President Obama announced today that he had approved the use of military planes to transport Egyptian refugees from the Tunisian border back to Egypt.

Defense officials says the operation will be run by Africa Command (Africom) which is based in Stuttgart, Germany. One of the officials says Africom will use between two and four C-130 aircraft based in Germany to carry out the flights between Tunisia and Egypt. C-130’s are smaller aircraft compared to C-17’s so it looks like they could be making a lot of trips.

The flights will operate between Tunisia and Egypt. A Department of Defense official said that USAID would charter additional civilian aircraft to evacuate foreign nationals who are fleeing strife-torn Libya via the Tunisian border. Spain and German are sending aircraft and warships to aid in the evacuation of foreigners (mostly Egyptians) while India and South Korea have dispatched Naval vessels to evacuate their citizens.

You know what? I hope I don't come off like I'm against using US Air Force aircraft and personnel to evacuate foreign nationals from the escalating and increasingly bloody clusterfuck in Libya, because I'm not....

Simply put, It's the right thing to do......

I'm sure there were some logistical concerns as well. But with that said, how come these assets weren't made available to the American citizens who needed them first?

Food for thought.

Two US Airmen Killed by Gunman at Frankfurt Airport

A gunman opened fire on a bus carrying US Air Force personnel outside the passenger terminal at Frankfurt International Airport on Wednesday, killing two airmen and wounding two others before being subdued while trying to flee.

The four airmen were stationed at RAF Lakenheath in England and being deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan.

German police had identified the shooter as Arid Uka, a Kosovar citicizen from the northern village of Mitrovica. The gunman reportedly shouted 'Allahu Akhbar!' before opening fire on the bus and attempted to flee after his gun jammed.

Kosovo unilateraly decalred its indepedence from Serbia in 2008, becoming one of the last former Yugoslav republics to break away from Belgrade. 8700 NATO troops are still stationed in Kosovo as part of the KFOR after a series of airstrikes against Serbia in 1999.

The US Air Force maintains a number of bases around the Frankfurt area including Ramstein Air Base, which was reportedly targeted by the Islamic Jihad Union terrorist group in 2007 before German authorities were alerted to their plot.

US Repositions Naval Assets in Mediterrenian As Ghdaffi Steps Up Attacks on Rebel Strongholds

And at this point, I think 'Rebel Strongholds' could mean pretty much everywhere in Libya outside of Tripoli and environs.

As forces loyal to Ghdaffi continued airstrikes against weapons depots and military facilities in rebel-held territory, the US Navy began to move ships off the coast of the strife-torn North African nation. The USS Mount Whitney is already in the Mediterranean while the USS Enterprise is making its way through the Suez Canal after being diverted from the pirate-infested waters near the Gulf of Aden [complete with detained pirates on board- NANESB!]. Secretary of Defense William Gates has also ordered 400 Marines currently stationed in the continental United States to be deployed to the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, which is also making its way through the Red Sea towards Libya.

The US, NATO and the United Nations are discussing possible actions against the Libyan regime, including a naval blockade or establishing 'no fly zones' similar to Iraq before 2003. Canada has dispatched the Halifax-based frigate HMCS Charlestown to the Mediterranean to take part in the international buildup against the Libyan regime. British prime minister David Cameron ordered contingency plans for the UK to enforce a yet-to-be-established no fly zone over Libya in coordination with other NATO members. Cameron also hinted that the UK is considering arming Libyan rebel groups if Ghdaffi continues his crackdown on opposition protesters.

Last week, President Obama signed an executive order placing sanctions against Ghdaffy and his associates while the European Union placed an arms embargo and travel ban against Libya. Already, international observers say that the former Soviet republic of Belarus has violated the arms embargo.

Elsewhere, A council of top Libyan dissidents remained divided on the prospect of foreign intervention, saying that while some groups were considering a request for foreign air strikes under United Nations auspices, the group ultimately opposed foreign military intervention in the crisis.