At two in the morning on Sept. 9, 2005, five DynCorp International security guards assigned to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's protective detail returned to their compound drunk, with a prostitute in tow. Less than a week later, three of these same guards got drunk again, this time in the VIP lounge of the Kabul airport while awaiting a flight to Thailand.
"They had been intoxicated, loud and obnoxious," according to an internal company report of the incident, which noted that Afghanistan's deputy director for elections and a foreign diplomat were also in the lounge. "Complaints were made regarding the situation." DynCorp fired the three guards.
Contractors behaving badly mean headaches for US
Swedish Police Report Details Case Against Assange
Julian Assange, the founder of the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy organization who was released from a British jail late last week, is facing a new challenge: the leak of a 68-page confidential Swedish police report that sheds new light on the allegations of sexual misconduct that led to Mr. Assange’s legal troubles.
The Swedish report traces events over a four-day period in August when Mr. Assange had what he has described as consensual sexual relationships with two Swedish women.
Bank of America says it'll block payments for WikiLeaks
Bank of America Corp. Friday said it was joining other financial institutions in declining to process payments intended for WikiLeaks.
WikiLeaks has gained attention in recent months for revealing Pentagon and State Department secrets. Founder Julian Assange has also said he plans a "megaleak" involving a major bank, leading to speculation that Bank of America could be the target.
Officer at center of Abu Ghraib scandal vows to clear name
Janis Karpinski believes one day, a call will come from Washington, D.C., and a voice will tell her she has been cleared of the wrongdoing that thrust her into the national spotlight. "So then they'll be, of course, an outpouring of media requests," Karpinski said. "Maybe I'll be selective. Maybe Olbermann, maybe O'Reilly."
The Hilton Head Island resident has even imagined the title of her next book: "Cleared," or perhaps "Vindicated." But so far, the exoneration she so deeply craves -- and freedom from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal -- eludes her.
Promoting Jewish Victimhood as Guise for Victimizing Palestinians
During a July 2007 meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Canada supported the appointment of a representative to the chair to report on anti-Semitism. Despite calls for a change in OSCE policy, Ottawa supported recognizing prejudice against Jews as a unique phenomenon, not one among many forms of bigotry. The OSCE meeting condemned all forms of racism, discrimination and “aggressive nationalism” but added: “Recognizing its unique and historic character, [we] condemn anti-Semitism without reservation, whether expressed in a traditional manner or through new forms and manifestations.”
Senate Votes to End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
The US Senate has passed bill to end the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, putting the long campaign to end the ban on gay men and lesbians close to its conclusion. The final vote was 65 Senators in favor and 31 opposed to the bill.
This is breaking news.
Sex Assaults, Harassment Up at US Military Academies
A congressionally mandated study concludes that sexual assault and harassment climbed at the service academies in 2009-2010, but the Pentagon questions whether the latest figures show problems are increasing or merely reflect a greater willingness by victims to report incidents.
According to the Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the United States Military Service Academies there were 41 sexual assaults on cadets or midshipmen, a 64 percent increase over the 2008-2009 period.
Latest Nixon tape buries Kissinger’s reputation
“The emigration of Jews from the Soviet Union is not an objective of American foreign policy. And if they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern.” — Henry Kissinger
One of my main points in that article was the extent to which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was dependent on a coalition that gave important porfolios to political parties with insane ideologies. I instanced Israel Beitenu, the ultra-chauvinist group led by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and the religiously orthodox Shas Party, under the spiritual leadership of deranged Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. “Fringe” though they might be, members of such groups hold key ministries, including the ones that dominate the “settlement” process. Since I last wrote about him, Rabbi Yosef has again been to the fore, blaming the calamitous forest fires in northern Israel on the failure of Jews to observe the Sabbath in the proper way. And the country’s interior minister, a Shas member named Eli Yishai, has rejected offers of fire-fighting equipment from Christian organizations, lest they use the opportunity to seduce Jews away to the worship of the Nazarene.
Obama administration issues science guidelines at last
The White House on Friday released its long-delayed scientific integrity guidelines, intended to ban political interference in science. President Barack Obama campaigned on scientific integrity after scientists and others complained that Bush administration officials distorted scientific work and limited access to information on a variety of issues ranging from climate change to lead poisoning and mountaintop removal mining.
Shortly after Obama took office, he issued a memorandum in March 2009 calling for scientific integrity guidelines. He gave John Holdren, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, until that July, but the deadline kept slipping until Friday.
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