War | Catherine Crier

Archive for war

A Perfect Storm of Fear and Unrest in Gaza is Being Live-tweeted

November 17, 2012 / Catherine Crier / One comment

Israel and Hamas are not just fighting a war with rockets and bombs anymore. On Wednesday, both the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas military, Al Qassam Brigades, began live-tweeting their military tactics in an attempt to rally support and communicate with the broader international community.

Is this an isolated example of propaganda in the digital age, or will live-tweeting warfare become the new norm? Read the following article on the Gaza conflict from NBC News and share your thoughts below.

From NBC News’ Technology Blog

Category: journalism, war / Tags: al qassam, gaza, hamas, hashtags, idf, israel, jihad, twitter, War

Exchanging Our Mammoth Defense Industry for a Smaller, Cheaper, Stronger Military

November 13, 2012 / Catherine Crier / One comment

Throughout President Obama’s first term, he kept Bush’s military leaders in charge of our defense and instituted a surge in Afghanistan. He also took out more terrorists in his first year than Bush did in his entire second term and is progressing on reducing nuclear weapons—one of Reagan’s most fervent wishes, and yet, daily he is proclaimed a socialist or worse.

Our global military presences requires both a powerful federal government and a mammoth defense industry. When big defense companies become indispensable, we should not be surprised at their political clout. What do you think of President Obama’s plan to reduce our huge industrial and military machinery of defense in exchange for a smaller, cheaper, stronger military?

From Bloomberg Businessweek

Category: congress, Military, national budget, politics, war / Tags: afghanistan, bush, defense industry, defense spending, federal government, military, military-industry complex, nuclear weapons, president obama, terrorists

I bid thee a solemn, yet joyous Veterans Day.

November 11, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

They fought fearlessly for our national pride. They served till the last breath. We salute and respect the spirit that binds our nation together.

In honor of those who have and are serving in our armed forces, thank you for protecting our people and country, and a Happy Veterans Day to all those who have cared, not for themselves, but for the nation.

From The Huffington Post

Pages: 1 2

Category: catherine crier, war / Tags: afghanistan, Armed Forces, Iraq, military, soldiers, va, veterans day, vfw

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS): Another Military Boondoggle, Waste of Taxpayer Money

October 11, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

On the heels of the Pentagon’s trillion-dollar commitment to the overrated, over budget, and under performing F-35 comes the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a seven-year investment, now triple original cost estimates, that has negligible value to the Navy.

The LCS is fast on its way to joining the F-35, giant spy blimps, and the Medium Extended Air Defense System—another military-industrial boondoggle, wasting taxpayer money year after year.

$The Navy’s new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is not only staggeringly overpriced and chronically unreliable but — even if it were to work perfectly — cannot match the combat power of similar sized foreign warships costing only a fraction as much. Let’s take a deep dive and try to figure out why.$

From Time

Category: congress, Military, national budget, war / Tags: boondoggle, Defense Budget, f35, giant spy blimp, lcs, littoral combat ship, MEADS, military industrial complex, navy, pentagon

DHS Fusion Center Network: An Unwieldy, Bloated, and Unaccountable Waste of Taxpayer Dollars

October 9, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

A new Senate report on the Department of Homeland Security’s fusion center network exposes the federal behemoth for what it really is: an unwieldy, bloated, and unaccountable waste of taxpayer dollars that has encouraged the militarization of domestic law enforcement for nearly a decade.

Thanks to former President George W. Bush and a Republican-controlled Congress, programs such as these “have become pools of ineptitude, waste and civil liberties intrusions,” according to the report. When questionable tactics used in the legitimate pursuit of terrorism become a tool in “regular” criminal investigations, the rights of all American citizens are seriously jeopardized. What do you think?

From The Center for Public Integrity

Category: congress, Military, war / Tags: Central Intelligence Agency, Fusion center, government, Homeland security, Joint Regional Information Exchange System, Law enforcement in the United States, national security, Public safety, surveillance, United States Department of Homeland Security

Vast Discrepancies Between Defense and State Department Funding

September 15, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

Diplomacy is a critical arm of our national security, yet there are more people in our military marching bands than in the State Department’s Foreign Service. In light of Tuesday’s tragic events in Benghazi, isn’t it about time we address the vast discrepancies between the annual budgets for the Defense Department ($614B) and the State Department ($51.6B)?

Our national security policies affect every aspect of our society—culturally, politically, and economically. Americans will always rally to defend this great nation, but a true patriot never fears a serious debate about the methods we use to accomplish this vital mission.

Dilan Samo holds a picture of slain U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens during a candlelight vigil outside the Libyan Embassy in New York City. Stevens was killed Sept. 11 during an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, by a mob angered about a film that mocked the prophet Mohammed.Photo By John Minchillo, AP

From Salon.com

Category: journalism, Military, national budget, Patriot Acts, religion, war / Tags: Africa, benghazi, christopher stevens, embassy, libya, Protests, state department, us consulate, violence

Anti-Government Domestic Terrorists Are A Real Threat to Our Republic

August 30, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

As inflammatory rhetoric and ideological warfare threaten the very pillars of democracy, true patriots must join the battle armed with facts, not deadly weapons and destructive plots. Anti-government “Patriot” groups that engage in domestic terrorism are a real threat to our Republic.

Read this story from Huffington Post Crime about an anarchist militia group under indictment in Georgia, then take a look at the DHS report on Muslim extremism and home grown terrorists discussed in the Economist. Notice any similarities?

From The Huffington Post

Category: congress, education, hypocrisy, Military, Patriot Acts, political parties, politics, religion, war / Tags: Armed Forces, Crime News, Militia, Right-Wing Extremists, Soliders Plot Overthrow Federal Government, Soliders Terror Plot, terrorism, u.s. military, Video

DARPA’s “Plan X” Has Potential to Redefine Global Conflict

August 28, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

When the Stuxnet computer virus disrupted Iran’s nuclear weapons program in 2010, even Luddites realized that cyberwarfare will redefine global conflict.

DARPA’s “Plan X” provides a glimpse into this dark arena, including military strategies to defend cyberspace and online “attack systems.” Check out the article from Wired’s Danger Room, then read Daniel Roelker’s “Pillars of Foundational Cyberwarfare” for an overview of this 21st century threat.

From Wired’s Danger Room

Category: catherine crier, congress, journalism, politics, war / Tags: cyberwarfare, daniel roelker, darpa, defense spending, global conflict, iran, military, national security, pentagon, plan x, stuxnet

3D printing could offer criminals easy access to homemade guns.

August 20, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

Think gun shows are bad? How about a future in which guns can be manufactured from the comfort of one’s home for about $30 dollars in ABS plastic filament? Recently, an American gun forum user may have become the first person in the world to construct and shoot over 200 rounds of a semi-automatic rifle that was partially built using 3D printed plastic.

It’s only a matter of time before this technology will grant nearly anyone with a 3D printer unfettered access to weapons of mass killing. Only by having a serious discussion about the uses of guns in America can we come to a reasonable conclusion about what we can do to significantly reduce gun violence throughout the nation.

From Wired’s Danger Room

Category: catherine crier, journalism, Patriot Acts, war / Tags: 3d printer, 3d printing, abs plastic, gun control, gun violence, guns, homemade guns, semi-automatic

Packing up America’s monolithic, global military presence.

August 2, 2012 / Catherine Crier / No comments

As the U.S. military continues to tone down missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, what will happen to the billions of dollars worth of weapons, vehicles, and machinery created to sustain a never-ending global security presence?

The New York Times and TomDispatch are reporting on huge supplies of combat equipment that may be ‘strategically relocated’ to so-called ‘satellite bases’ in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. By equipping these locations and deeming them important military stockpiles, defense contractors will reap huge profits maintaining and upgrading this material despite the absence of any major U.S. conflict in the region.

Despite the pending troop withdrawals in Iraq and those in Afghanistan between now and 2014, the United States remains a superpower on a scale not seen since the days of the Caesars. With this in mind, the National Post’s Richard Johnson takes a look at the scale of America’s forces. (Source: National Post)

From The New York Times

Category: catherine crier, journalism, Military, national budget, war / Tags: Africa, Africom, Department Of Defense, US Army, US Military, Us Military Africa, Us Military Bases, World News

« Older Entries