All posts by Hutchins AAron

Born in Deutschland 1965, hometown was Bütthart, parents were not U.S. government employees. However, when father was tricked into joining the U.S. Air Force Civil Service, in 1969, with the promise that we could remain in Germany, we were promptly shipped off to Iran. Due to one of my Iranian educators being disappeared, along with her husband, by the U.S. ally Shah of Iran's Israeli & U.S. created Savak (for the then official terrorist act of promoting the idea that women can vote), and due to my U.S. citizen mother being placed on Savak's Terrorist Arrest List (for supporting the idea that women should vote, at that time the U.S. ally Shah of Iran did not allow women to vote, now they can) we left Iran for the United States in 1973, literally in the middle of the night. At the U.S. Embassy airbase the CIA operated Gooney Bird (C-47) was so packed with other U.S. citizens fleeing our ally Iran (because the Shah gave the OK to arrest any U.S. citizen for such terrorist acts as promoting the concept of voting) that we were turned away by the Loadmaster and had to take a chance on a civilian flight out of Tehran's airport. My father told me he and my mother had three culture shocks; first when they arrived in Germany as civilians, then after being shipped off to Iran as U.S. government employees, then again returning to the United States as unemployed civilians (because so much had changed in the U.S. while they were gone, their only news source was the U.S. Armed Forces Radio & Television Service which heavily censored information about the home front). Since I graduated high school in 1982 I've worked for U.S. government contractors and state & local government agencies (in California), convenience store manager in California, retail/property management in Georgia, California and Idaho. Spent the 1990s in the TV news business producing number one rated local news programs in California, Arizona and Idaho. 14+ years with California and Idaho Army National Guard and the U.S. Air Force. Obtained a BA degree in International Studies from Idaho State University at the age of 42. Unemployed since 2015, so don't tell me the economy has recovered.
International

Pakistan makes official warning to U.S. Ambassador, next time it’s war

U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter was summoned to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, where an official protest was issued to him.

Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Secretary, Salman Bashir, officially stated that the May 2 operation to assassinate Osama bin Laden was an attack on Pakistan.  He added the Pakistan will not tolerate any future operations from the U.S., without consultation.

Ambassador Munter said it was regretful that the U.S. did not consult with the Pakistani government before the operation.

The May 2 operation, and the fact that U.S. drone attacks continue, is splitting the Pakistani government.  Several political parties in the Pakistani Parliament,  are calling for an end to relations with the U.S.

International, U.S.

U.S. increases drone attacks in Pakistan, says War on Terror will not be scaled back

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.”

International, Opinion, U.S.

Libyan rebel representatives at the White House asking for money

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.

 

International

NATO bombs Muslim clerics in Libya

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.

U.S.

South Carolina Prison Christian Crusaders ban all books but Bible

In an obvious act of religious discrimination, a South Carolina prison has banned all books, except the Bible, from being read by prisoners.  The ban went into effect in 2008.  The Bible is the only religious book allowed.

The book ban is taking place at the Berkeley County prison.  The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit.

Prison officials claim that only books and magazines with staples in them are banned.  But several book publishers, and individuals, say all books (except the Bible) sent to prisoners are being returned by the prison officials.  Also, in an email response, a prison staff member admitted that only Bibles are allowed: “…our inmates are only allowed soft black Bibles in the mail directly from the publisher.”

The ACLU also discovered that legal pads of paper, with staples in them, are being sold to prisoners.  The ACLU says the Berkeley County prison has obviously implemented a Bible only policy, despite officials trying to dodge the claims of the lawsuit.

 

Business/Economics, International

Japanese car makers lose Billions since March 11

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.

Fukushima

Japan official: Flooding Reactor 1 with more water is a wasted effort, due to total melt down?

Officials with Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency say it’s too late now that fuel rods in Fukushima Daiichi Reactor 1 have melted down!  Tokyo Electric Power Company officials wanted to pump more water into the reactor, in the hopes of stopping the meltdown.

Nuclear Safety officials think the melted rods have cooled enough in the water at the bottom of the reactor, that there might not be too much concern.  However, TEPCo believes that holes in the reactor vessel have been created by the meltdown, which is causing large amounts of radioactive water to pour into the Pacific Ocean.

The Agency suggested that TEPCo should inject water only to the point of keeping the bottom of the reactor filled.

Fukushima

Cesium spreading across Japan!

Two prefectures bordering Fukushima Prefecture, have discovered that plants are contaminated with cesium.

Tochigi and Ibaraki Prefectures have cesium contamination well about safe limits.  As much as 3,600 becquerels of cesium has contaminated pasture land, and crops!  The government’s safe limit is 300 bequerels.

Farmers are being told not to feed their animals the grass.  Crops are so contaminated that farmers are being told not to harvest, or ship their crops.  Some contaminated parsley had already been shipped to market.

 

 

 

 

Fukushima

Fukishima Daiichi Reactor 1 officially in Meltdown

13 March 2011, Tokyo Electric Power Company has announced that fuel rods in reactor 1 have melted.  Government officials think this might be the cause of holes where highly contaminated water is pouring from.

TEPCo officials say that most of the fuel rods have melted and are now melting through the bottom of the reactor.  Officials think the melted rods are cooling down at the bottom of the reactor because there is still water there.

TEPCo is now trying to find out how much water is actually in the reactor, and come up with a new plan to address the meltdown.