http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20130520/exxon-no-plans-yet-reopen-ruptured-pipeline-and-no-answers-why



The company has yet to release results of a sophisticated test of the 65-year-old pipeline's interior, conducted in February.

Exxon: No Plans Yet To Reopen Ruptured Pipeline, and No Answers Why
By David Hasemyer
May 20, 2013

Almost two months after a ruptured pipeline sent at least 210,000 gallons of oil flowing through a neighborhood in Mayflower, Ark., the line's owner—oil giant ExxonMobil—remains largely silent on the future of its failed pipeline.

Most of the visible oil has been removed from the neighborhood and the ruptured section of pipe has been replaced and reburied. Yet Exxon hasn't asked the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for permission to restart the 850-mile Pegasus line, which runs across four states from Patoka, Ill. to Nederland, Texas.

~snip~

"This pipeline will not be restarted until we are convinced it is safe to do so," said Aaron Stryk. "We need to identify the cause of the incident and the mitigation steps necessary to prevent an incident like this from occurring again."

Some industry analysts say there could also be other reasons for the delay. The 65-year-old Pegasus line could be riddled with defects and require extensive repairs. Or perhaps Exxon is considering other alternatives, including replacing the Pegasus with a larger line.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/21/us-usa-drones-idUSBRE94K03720130521

Pentagon to take over some CIA drone operations : sources
By Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON | Mon May 20, 2013 9:35pm EDT

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama's administration has decided to give the Pentagon control of some drone operations against terrorism suspects overseas that are currently run by the CIA, several U.S. government sources said on Monday.

Obama has pledged more transparency on controversial counterterrorism programs, and giving the Pentagon the responsibility for part of the drone program could open it to greater congressional oversight.

Obama will make a speech on Thursday at the National Defense University in Washington that will include discussion of the government's use of drones as a counterterrorism tool. It is unclear whether he will announce the drone program shift in that speech or separately.

Four U.S. government sources told Reuters that the decision had been made to shift the CIA's drone operations to the Pentagon, and some of them said it would occur in stages.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-peace-lost-in-transition-worries/2013/05/20/8af1780c-c09b-11e2-9aa6-fc21ae807a8a_story.html



An Afghan Army soldier is seen through the wreckage of a destroyed car after a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 16, 2013.

Afghan peace lost in transition worries
By Pamela Constable, Published: May 20

KABUL — Amid the scattered but steadily mounting carnage of the Taliban’s annual spring offensive, including a suicide bombing Monday that killed a provincial council head, hopes of stirring life into peace talks with the Islamist insurgents seem to be dying here with each new suicide attack, kidnapping and roadside bombing.

Even as this fragile nation of about 30 million holds its breath, fearing catastrophe could follow the presidential election and NATO troop pullout next year, both the Afghan government and its armed opponents seem to think that time is on their side. A once-acute feeling of urgency to end the war seems to have been overtaken by uneasy, tenuous maneuvering in a vast political fog.

~snip~

Several other factors have contributed to deepening pessimism about prospects for peace. Most dramatic is a renewed surge in Taliban violence this spring, which has left hundreds of Afghan police officers, soldiers and civilians dead, along with 57 coalition troops, from March to May. The southern-based insurgents have staged small attacks and bombings across hundreds of miles and more than a dozen provinces.

In the latest attack, a suicide bombing killed 14 people Monday, including the provincial council head of Baghlan, a relatively peaceful and secure province in the northeast. The attacker approached the official, a known anti-Taliban figure, as he talked with a group outside his office in the city of Pul-i-Khumri. The Taliban swiftly asserted responsibility for the bombing.

http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2013/05/21/1258164?sac=fo.military

VA numbers show staggering effects of sexual abuse in military
By Kevin Freking
The Associated Press
Published: 12:40 AM, Tue May 21, 2013

WASHINGTON - New government figures underscore the staggering long-term consequences of military sexual assaults: More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness linked to the abuse, and 4,000 sought disability benefits

The Department of Veterans Affairs' accounting, released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press, shows a heavy financial and emotional cost that affects several generations of veterans and lasts long after a victim leaves the service. Sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment can trigger a variety of health problems, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. While women are more likely to be victims, men made up nearly 40 percent of the patients the VA treated for conditions connected to what it calls "military sexual trauma."

~snip~

But not all those veterans seek health care or disability benefits related to the attacks. The 85,000 who sought outpatient care linked to military sexual trauma during the latest fiscal year are among nearly 22 million veterans around the country.

The VA statistics underscore that the problems for victims of sexual abuse do not end when someone leaves the service.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/05/18/Guantanamo-inmates-cost-US-900000-each-per-year/UPI-57481368920085/?spt=htr

Guantanamo inmates cost U.S. $900,000 each per year
Published: May 18, 2013 at 7:34 PM

WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- The 166 detainees remaining in Guantanamo cost U.S. taxpayers about $900,000 a year each, officials say.

The annual cost of the detention center at the naval base in Cuba is $150 million, CNN reported. That makes it far more expensive than the typical federal prison, where spending is about $25,000 a year per inmate, a figure that rises to $60,000 for the almost 500 inmates at the federal "supermax" prison in Florence, Colo.

More than half of the Guantanamo inmates are currently on hunger strike. There are also questions about the facility's future, since many of the inmates are on a list of those a presidential task force recommended in 2009 to be transferred to their home countries.

But the military is planning to spend millions of dollars for renovations at Guantanamo. Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly said the tab could run to $170 million because Guantanamo was created hastily in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

http://mankatofreepress.com/statenews/x1169353879/Military-sex-abuse-victims-seek-VA-help

Military sex abuse victims seek VA help
KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness stemming from sexual abuse in the military, and 4,000 sought disability benefits. The numbers underscore the staggering long-term impact of a crisis that has roiled the Pentagon and been condemned by President Barack Obama.

A Department of Veterans Affairs accounting released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press shows a heavy financial and emotional cost involving vets that lasts long after a victim leaves the service.

Sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment can trigger a variety of mental health and physical problems.

VA officials stress that any veteran who claims to have suffered military sexual trauma has access to free health care. However, the hurdles are steeper for those who seek disability compensation.

http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/va-researcher-quits-over-burn-pit-studies-1.145419

VA researcher quits over burn pit studies
By RANDAL YAKEY / The News Herald
Published: Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 19:30 PM.

PANAMA CITY — Steven Coughlin had enough. He packed up and left D.C.

Coughlin was a research epidemiologist who was working on behalf of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. When he found the impact of burn pits on veterans was going to be left out of a study he was working on, he quit, packed his bags and moved out West.

~snip~

“There were areas of this study that were completely ignored,” said Coughlin, who resigned after he was told to ignore information regarding burn pits in the Middle East.

Coughlin said anything that linked the burn pits to lung problems in military personnel was to be left out of the study.

http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/3904260-74/robots-robot-human

Militaries’ growing use of ground robots raises ethics concerns
By Andrew Conte
Published: Saturday, May 18, 2013, 11:00 p.m.
Updated: Sunday, May 19, 2013

If North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un ever orders troops into the demilitarized zone, an army of South Korean robots could be waiting.

A Samsung subsidiary plans to deploy sentry robots to the tense South Korean border. The machines will be equipped with machine guns and cameras, thermal imaging and laser range finders capable of detecting intruders up to 2 1⁄2 miles away.

Samsung Techwin says the decision to fire must be made by a human in a remote bunker. Experts have suggested, however, that an operator could hack into the robot to enable it to make its own lethal decisions.

~snip~

Though unmanned drones in the sky have drawn a lot of attention, a Tribune-Review investigation finds that ground-based droids — the real-world descendants of Hollywood sci-fi movies — are becoming smarter and deadlier, pushing the line at which ethical questions must be resolved. The Army has more than 7,000 less-sophisticated ground robotics systems for missions such as reconnaissance and bomb detection and removal.

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/19/4244092/shadows-of-dishonor-cast-on-the.html#storylink=misearch



Shadows of dishonor cast on the U.S. military
May 20
Donald Bradley and Rick Montgomery
Kansas City Star

~snip~

Is the respect that America holds for its military — a pride shown Saturday in Armed Forces Day observances — being undercut by acts of mayhem, a growing sexual abuse scandal and a flurry of other misconduct cases grabbing headlines?

Jury selection is scheduled to start next week in the court-martial of Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder at Fort Hood, Texas. By the time testimony begins for Hasan, the trial for WikiLeaks leaker Bradley Manning should also be underway.

There is Robert Bales. He is the Army sergeant charged with the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians, including nine children. At pretrial hearings, the military said it would seek the death penalty.

Throw in record suicides. Throw in what Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey deemed last week a “crisis” of military rape and vows by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to make the court-martial system more accountable.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Military-sex-offenders-rarely-punished-while-4526272.php

Military sex offenders rarely punished, while victims are discharged
By Karisa King, Staff Writer
Updated 6:13 pm, Sunday, May 19, 2013

Marine 2nd Lt. Elle Helmer woke up on a cold floor, lost and surrounded by darkness. Her body screamed with pain, her underwear had been removed and she tasted blood in her mouth. She could hear someone else in the room with her, breathing slowly.

Memories from the past few hours flashed through her mind as she crawled toward a doorway for light. On orders from her command on March 16, 2006, Helmer had joined her fellow officers for a St. Patrick's Day pub run, a night of bar-hopping that ended across the street from the prestigious Marine Barracks Washington, where she was in charge of public affairs.

A major followed Helmer out of the last bar and summoned the petite 25-year-old to his office, saying he needed to speak with her.

As soon as they entered the office, he shut the door and kissed her. She pushed him away and made it halfway out the door when he caught her arm and yanked her back into the room so hard she tripped and went flying forward.