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, Opinion, U.S.

Pakistan says U.S. drone operators have quietly left their country

A senior Pakistani intelligence official says U.S. personnel operating drones from a Pakistan base, have quietly left the country.

Officially the U.S. is not operating drones out of Pakistani bases,  but Pakistani intelligence has been saying, for a while now, they the U.S. is indeed using Pakistani bases for drone attacks.

Supposedly U.S. drones use Pakistan’s Shamsi Air Base.

Carl Forsberg, research analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, says it’s possible the Pakistanis are using pressure on the United States.

Drone attacks kill more civilians than terrorists. The latest attack, last Friday, killed 25 people, including five women and three children: “Drone attacks have become a core irritant in the counter terror campaign. We have repeatedly said that such attacks are counterproductive and only contribute to strengthen the hands of the terrorists.”-Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Perhaps the U.S. drone operators left, because they are now needed in Libya?

Opinion, U.S.

Anti Muslim Terry Jones called a Terrorist by people of Dearborn, Jones ‘accidently’ fires his gun

“So, you are coming to protest against an imaginary threat that doesn’t exist in our community. Not in our courts, not at our City Hall, not on our streets and not in any of our places of worship. Our commitment to the Constitution is unwavering, not merely convenient, which makes your hyperbole about Sharia Law being practiced in the courts or civil law of Dearborn nonsensical.”–Jack O’Reilly Jr., Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan

While being interviewed by a local newspaper, motorist drove by calling so called christian Terry Jones a terrorist: “Get out of Dearborn, you terrorist!”

Also, after an interview at a local TV station, Jones ‘accidentally’ fired his gun while leaving the station. 

Jones has appeared in court, defending ‘his’ church’s decision to protest in front of the largest mosque in the U.S.:  “We’ll do it today at 5 or we’ll come back next week.”

The judge told Jones he needed to pay a bond to cover police protection costs, for his demonstration.  Jones refused to pay.

Dearborn Muslims, along with Christians, and Jews, are celebrating Good Friday at the mosque.

International

Subaru disowns Israeli advertisment showing Palestinians being run over by Subaru car

22 April 2011

“Nobody will stand against you! Subaru!”

In a response to complaints about an Israeli ad that shows Palestinian teens being hit by an Israeli driving a Subaru (made by Fuji Heavy Industries),  U.S. Subaru officials claim Subaru had nothing to do with the ad.

“Thank you for taking the time to contact Subaru of America.  We appreciate you bringing your concern to our attention.

We are the distributor of new Subaru products for the United States only.  We believe that this to be a fake advertisement.  This posting has been brought to the attention of the manufacturer of Subaru vehicles.  Please bear with Subaru while we attempt to locate the source and to have it removed.

Thank you for bringing this to Subaru’s attention.

Sincerely,

John J. Mergen
Subaru of America, Inc.”

It was China’s Xinhua News that first reported the advertisement.  It’s intersting that even though Subaru is a Japanese brand, made by Fuji Heavy Industries, people upset by the advertisment complained to the Subaru of America office!

International, U.S.

Chinese dumping wheels on the U.S. Market

The U.S. International Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce are investigating claims by U.S. companies, that China is dumping steel wheels on the U.S. market.

The claim was filed by the U.S. wheel makers, Accuride Corp and Hayes Lemmerz International Inc.

16 Chinese companies are being investigated for selling their wheels in the United States, for far less than what it cost to make them.  Dumping is a way a company can gain a foot hold in a specific market, by selling their products at huge loses, to push out their competitors. Once that is done the dumping company will increase their prices to make up the difference.

Fukushima

Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Nuke disasters, now Typhoons!

Japan has gone through a lot in the past month.  But typhoon season is on it’s way.  Nishiyama Hidehiko, of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, said nuke plant operators are now preparing for typhoon season.

They believe preparations will be complete by the end of the month.  Officials say the nuke plants are designed to withstand a typhoon, but isn’t that what they said about earthquakes and tsunamis?

Another factor is that some of those nuclear plants have been damaged by the 11 March, 9.0 quake and tsunami.  Wouldn’t that comprise their strength?  Even this morning, 22 April, Fukushima Daiichi was hit by yet another aftershock, 5.6 magnitude.

Fukushima Daiichi is right on the coast, and Tokyo Electric doesn’t think they can get the plant stabilized enough for a cold shut down for at least six to nine months. The Typhoon season is here, now.  Typhoons start hitting Japan as early as May, and the season peaks in September.

 

International, U.S.

‘Christians’ say they will protest largest Mosque in United States

Terry Jones now has a $1 million bounty for his arrest.  He’s one of the ‘christians’ that burned the Quran in March.  He, and his followers (doesn’t that make it a cult?) are in Dearborn, Michigan, to launch a Good Friday protest in front of the largest mosque in the U.S.

The problem is that Terry Jones has stated, recently, that he and his followers will use guns at the protest.  In a morning interview (April 22) with a Michigan TV station, Jones said they will protest, even though a judge denied their permit to do so.  The judge did suggest other sites for holding the protest, but Jones refused.

International, Opinion

Chocolate Kinder Eggs Illegal in the United States, could cost you $300.00

If you’re coming back from Canada with a handful, or even just one, Kinder Egg, you’re breaking the law.  It’s against U.S. law to bring chocolate Kinder Eggs into the U.S., and can result in a $300.00 fine, per egg.

Several people have already had their collectible eggs, with a toy inside, taken by U.S. Customs officials after a random inspection at the border.  U.S. law banned the eggs precisely because they have a toy inside.  They are considered a health risk to children.  Last year (2010) U.S. Customs seized 25,000 Kinder Eggs at the U.S./Canadian border.

That’s pretty lame.  I used to get these Italian creations whenever I had the chance. My kids loved them when they were young.  Now I find out why it’s so hard to get them in the U.S.

The company that makes them is the Italian based Ferrero. Originally called Kinder Surprise, they’ve been making them since 1972, yet the United States government thinks they are some kinda terrorist threat to our children (maybe there’s WMDs in there?).  Actually, there is a U.S. law that says a food product cannot contain a non-edible object inside it.  Since 1991 seven kids, in the entire world, died choking on the Kinder Egg toy surprise.  There are legal toys/candies in the U.S. that have caused more deaths than that!

Another surprise is that even though they are illegal in the U.S., Canadian companies are selling them to people in the U.S., through the mail.  There used to be a small European food store where I live, in Idaho, and they sold Kinder Eggs all the time.  In fact they were their best selling item.  Where did they get the Kinder Eggs?  From a Canadian food supplier, though the mail.

Kinder Eggs have become so popular in the world that there are special eggs made for several countries, and holidays.  Wouldn’t it suck to go to jail for trafficking illegal chocolate eggs?   Sounds like some kinda Willy Wonka gone-bad movie.

Fukushima, U.S.

Two U.S. Nuke Plants shut down, one for no apparent reason

At least two nuclear plants in the United States have been automatically shut down this week.  A nuclear plant in Virgina, and a nuclear plant in Georgia.

In Surry, Virginia, a nuke plant was hit by tornadoes.  It shut down automatically, and is now undergoing repairs to its electrical switchyard.

A nuke plant in Georgia automatically shut down, for no reason.  The plant remains off line while an investigation continues to find out why the automatic systems shut it down.  The plant is near Waynesboro, Georgia.

Business/Economics, International, Opinion

Subaru promotes killing of Palestinians

An advertisement by Subaru, in Israel, promotes running over Palestinians with your new Subaru car.  The tag line, in Hebrew, is: “We’ll see who can stand against you”

What makes it worse, is that the scene in the add is real.  The photo was taken last year, when an Israeli settler ran over Palestinian teens who were protesting the settlements.  The driver of the car, David Be’eri, is the director general of Elad, a hard-line property development company.

The advertisement was revealed to the world by Chinese news agency Xinhua.

International, U.S.

Bahraini Shia claim government, and Saudis, have destroyed 28 Mosques

“We will not keep silent on destruction of mosques.”-joint statement by clerics

Bahrain Center for Human Rights said that 28 Mosques, and 50 mourning halls, have been destroyed by government forces, and Saudi forces.  Muslim clerics have accused Bahraini and Saudi forces of sacrilege.

The Shia majority have been protesting since February 14, they want an end to the royal family rule.  Some of the destroyed mosques were located in Karzakan, Salmabad, Bu Quwah, and A’ali.

Protesters plan a big rally for Friday.  Husain Abdulla, human rights activist, says the United States does not want democracy in Bahrain, because the U.S. fears the people will vote the U.S. Navy out.  Bahrain is the head quarters of the USN Fifth Fleet.