Insurgency, resistance, and AFRICOM’s role
Resistance? Insurgents?Insurgency, resistance, and AFRICOM’s role
Resistance? Insurgents?The US Army has fallen hard for counter insurgency, COIN. However, NPR reports:
An internal Pentagon report is raising concerns about whether the Army’s focus on counterinsurgency has weakened its ability to fight conventional battles. The report’s authors — all colonels with significant combat experience — say the Army is “mortgaging its ability to (successfully) fight” in the future.…
The counterinsurgency doctrine emphasizes the use of minimal force, with the intent of winning the hearts and minds of a civilian population.…
The idea in a counterinsurgency campaign, Nagl says (Lt. Col. John Nagl, one of the Army’s top experts on counterinsurgency doctrine) is to drive a wedge between the civilian population and insurgents who live among them.
However, when we talk about counter insurgency, is it really counter insurgency we have in mind? In Iraq the “insurgency” looks a lot more like a resistance.
]]>Today a federal jury in Los Angeles resumes deliberations in a corporate espionage lawsuit filed against a company owned by Rupert Murdoch seeking $1 billion in damages.
Two previous lawsuits alleging similar claims of corporate espionage by Murdoch’s company, however, never made it to a courtroom, and a fourth is still pending. Critics say the company’s business tactics extend beyond playing hardball to predatory piracy and even illegal conduct.
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Today a federal jury in Los Angeles resumes deliberations in a corporate espionage lawsuit filed against a company owned by Rupert Murdoch seeking $1 billion in damages.
Two previous lawsuits alleging similar claims of corporate espionage by Murdoch’s company, however, never made it to a courtroom, and a fourth is still pending. Critics say the company’s business tactics extend beyond playing hardball to predatory piracy and even illegal conduct.
Two current lawsuits and two previous ones against the Murdoch-owned company, NDS, allege a similar pattern of behavior. NDS accesses the secure computer codes and trade secrets of companies and then misappropriates the technology to pirates or hackers, causing huge monetary losses to the companies, according to the plaintiffs.
NDS, which has offices in Israel and California, is currently being sued in federal court by competitor EchoStar TV. That case goes back to the jury today.
I assume that even if the jury finds for the plaintiff, Murdoch will appeal. However, this case has the possibility of destroying News Corp. So far this case has escaped the notice of lefty blogosphere. That is a shame, because at a single stroke, the jury could strike a huge blow for media reform.
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, are supporters of HR 676.
Bobby Scott sponsored the All Healthy Children Act. He also sponsored H.AMDT.568, an amendment to prohibit use of funds for the Random Student Drug Testing Program.
You can see a video here of his exchange with Monica Goodling.
]]>, are supporters of HR 676.
Bobby Scott sponsored the All Healthy Children Act. He also sponsored H.AMDT.568, an amendment to prohibit use of funds for the Random Student Drug Testing Program.
You can see a video here of his exchange with Monica Goodling.
Congressman Jim Moran is a strong advocate for expanding health care to the country’s uninsured and underinsured residents. He believes that, at a minimum, health insurance should be available to every child in the United States, and that catastrophic coverage should be available to every adult. He supports the statewide insurance program recently adopted by Massachusetts which requires all families and individuals residing in the state to obtain health insurance, provides insurance coverages that will be reduced in scope and in cost, and subsidizes those who are unable to pay the full premium cost.
The Congressman is a firm supporter of federal embryonic stem cell research, and opposes the President’s decision to withhold federal support for research on additional stem cell lines. He believes that stem cell research will lead to significant breakthroughs in treatment for many debilitating diseases, such as Parkinson’s, cancer and diabetes, and that the federal government must become a major player in stem cell research. The Congressman was an original cosponsor of the Stem-Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would have enabled the government to play such a role.
On the local level, the Congressman has helped expand the availability of medical care to Northern Virginia’s uninsured resident by obtaining federal funds for community-based health delivery programs, including the Arlington Free Clinic and the Alexandria Neighborhood Health Services program. He also has been instrumental in obtaining assistance for Children’s Hospice International, a new model of treating children with life-threatening conditions, which is based on the delivery of a continuum of care to both children and their families, from the time of diagnosis through bereavement in cases where a cure is not achieved.
More politicians would take the right stand if they saw that they would be rewarded for it. It is important to recognize and thank your friends.
]]>He secured $500,000 to address Louisville heath and dental care shortfalls, and $250,000 for eldercare. He got $452,746 for Louisville’s emergency food and shelter program.
He also has done a bunch of other good stuff not related to healthcare.
]]>He secured $500,000 to address Louisville heath and dental care shortfalls, and $250,000 for eldercare. He got $452,746 for Louisville’s emergency food and shelter program.
He also has done a bunch of other good stuff not related to healthcare.
]]>ADNA Discrimination Is Illegal!
My nursing colleague, “S,” has a 50/50 chance of inheriting Polycystic Kidney Disease from her father. At the age of 28, through genetic testing, she will find out if she has the gene that will inevitably cause her body to develop cysts in her kidneys, liver and other organs. There is no cure, so why would she get screened? And more immediately, if she has the gene, will she be dropped by her health insurance company for having a pre-existing condition?
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ADNA Discrimination Is Illegal!
My nursing colleague, “S,” has a 50/50 chance of inheriting Polycystic Kidney Disease from her father. At the age of 28, through genetic testing, she will find out if she has the gene that will inevitably cause her body to develop cysts in her kidneys, liver and other organs. There is no cure, so why would she get screened? And more immediately, if she has the gene, will she be dropped by her health insurance company for having a pre-existing condition?
S’s situation is relevant to the bill the senate unanimously approved HR 493 last week; a bill entitled the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). As the title suggests anyone who has a genetic test and finds out they carry genes that may cause them to develop a disease later in life, can’t be discriminated against. Your genes are now protected against discrimination in the same way you can’t be discriminated against for your age, gender, race, religion, etc. Neither your employer nor health insurance companies can use your genetic test results against you, for example by firing you or declaring that you have a pre-existing condition and dropping your health coverage. While I find this a step in the right direction for treating long-term health outcomes and protecting patient privacy, I’m left wondering why we are allowed to discriminate against people once they develop a disease. I’m beginning to think that healthcare is a right….
… The solution for our patients, friends, family, colleagues and ourselves is already here, we have a bill, SB 840, in the state of California and HR 676 is a federal bill. As students and American residents we are all in this healthcare system together and as voters and constituents we have the power to change the system into a fair one. Everyone in, nobody out! NS4universalcare.blogspot.com
David Golden also supports HR 676, a Canadian this it is the best proposal for American healthcare.
]]>The parties are in the final days of what was expected to be a month-long trial. In the suit brought by then-Echostar (now Dish Network) and the security firm it co-owns, NagraStar LLC, the digital-broadcast satellite company alleges that NDS, a rival security firm owned by News Corp., hacked Echostar smart cards. …
… Echostar is asking for $93.8 million in damages for itself and NagraStar for the actual cost of the swapping out the compromised cards.
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The parties are in the final days of what was expected to be a month-long trial. In the suit brought by then-Echostar (now Dish Network) and the security firm it co-owns, NagraStar LLC, the digital-broadcast satellite company alleges that NDS, a rival security firm owned by News Corp., hacked Echostar smart cards. …
… Echostar is asking for $93.8 million in damages for itself and NagraStar for the actual cost of the swapping out the compromised cards.
If the jury finds in favor of Echostar and opts to apply statutory damages—$10,000 for each of the 100,000 compromised smart cards Echostar claims it had to replace in the U.S.—NDS could be on the hook for up to $1 billion in damages.
I assume that News Corp will appeal if the jury finds for EchoStar. In addition to ruinous damages, and potential shareholder lawsuits, News Corp’s FCC licenses could be at risk. I am not a lawyer and have only a vague understanding of the 1934 Act that established the FCC, but I think that companies that are convicted of financial misconduct are not allowed to have broadcast licenses.
]]>NEW YORK - May 7 - Single payer universal health care advocates rallied today at the State Capitol in support of action at both the national and state level.
Representatives of unions, nurses, doctors, seniors, consumer and faith groups urged the state legislature to pass a resolution urging Congress to pass HR 676, known as Medicare for All. As. Felix Ortiz sponsors the Assembly resolution. HR 676 has 90 cosponsors, including NY Congressional representatives Engel, Hinchey, Maloney, McNulty, Nader, Owens, Rangel, Serrano, Towns, Weiner and Velazquez.
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NEW YORK - May 7 - Single payer universal health care advocates rallied today at the State Capitol in support of action at both the national and state level.
Representatives of unions, nurses, doctors, seniors, consumer and faith groups urged the state legislature to pass a resolution urging Congress to pass HR 676, known as Medicare for All. As. Felix Ortiz sponsors the Assembly resolution. HR 676 has 90 cosponsors, including NY Congressional representatives Engel, Hinchey, Maloney, McNulty, Nader, Owens, Rangel, Serrano, Towns, Weiner and Velazquez.
The groups are also urging the state to adopt a single payer system as soon as possible.
Wonder if there are going to be any rallies in my city.
]]>Cotton Mouth thinks that it is good that they used local people in the ads. The Thorn Papers says the special election is all about GOTV.
]]>Cotton Mouth thinks that it is good that they used local people in the ads. The Thorn Papers says the special election is all about GOTV.
]]>But when Moore returned with his next film in 2007, O’Reilly was still very much on the warpath.
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]]>But when Moore returned with his next film in 2007, O’Reilly was still very much on the warpath.
In Sicko, Moore would not exactly depart from his didactic style, but—in highlighting an issue (the need for national health care) without backing a specific policy or politician—the work followed in the tradition of Bowling for Columbine far more than Fahrenheit. The mostly positive critical reaction saw a recent nemesis return, this time with a nod of the cap. Writing in Counterpunch, Ralph Nader, who after the 2004 election wrote a column there asking “Will the Real Michael Moore Ever Re-Emerge,” now viewed Sicko as Moore’s “best move yet.” Nader did express hope that Moore would go beyond his general endorsement of national health care to contribute his resources and influence to the widespread grassroots movement behind HR 676, John Conyers’s legislation calling for a single-payer system. In a memorable showdown with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, in which the activist filmmaker berated the host and his network for their coverage of the war, Moore would in fact express his support for the bill. (On Blitzer’s show, Moore would also speak favorably about the new Al Gore, and not rule out supporting Hillary Clinton.)
Now, a consumer is raising the stakes a bit by attempting to get class action status for a suit against Ingenix itself. In the suit, which was filed in Connecticut, plaintiff Jeffrey Weintraub contends that he was defrauded by a conspiracy in which health plans calculate lowball, out-of-network rates using bogus Ingenix data. Weintraub also names UHG, Oxford health Plans, Aetna, Cigna and other insurers in the suit.
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Now, a consumer is raising the stakes a bit by attempting to get class action status for a suit against Ingenix itself. In the suit, which was filed in Connecticut, plaintiff Jeffrey Weintraub contends that he was defrauded by a conspiracy in which health plans calculate lowball, out-of-network rates using bogus Ingenix data. Weintraub also names UHG, Oxford health Plans, Aetna, Cigna and other insurers in the suit.
Meanwhile, the industry is still waiting for Cuomo to drop the other shoe. While New York’s AG has promised to sue Ingenix, he hasn’t done so yet. Cuomo has said that he is investigating an “industry-wide scheme perpetrated by some of the nation’s largest health insurance companies to defraud consumers.”
Between the criminal investigation and the civil law suit, we should be able to learn a great deal about the inner workings on the health insurance industry. Yum.
]]>]]>Businesses, particularly small businesses, want their employees to have access to health care – but it must be affordable. Through a universal, Canadian-styled, health care system, all Americans would have access to quality, affordable health care. A new system would provide stability and predictability for employers and enable employees to obtain health care coverage no matter their employer or pre-existing conditions. Under this system all Americans would be able to choose their doctor without the uncertainty of rising deductibles and co-payments. There must be shared responsibility from employers and employees to keep our workforce healthy.
Businesses, particularly small businesses, want their employees to have access to health care – but it must be affordable. Through a universal, Canadian-styled, health care system, all Americans would have access to quality, affordable health care. A new system would provide stability and predictability for employers and enable employees to obtain health care coverage no matter their employer or pre-existing conditions. Under this system all Americans would be able to choose their doctor without the uncertainty of rising deductibles and co-payments. There must be shared responsibility from employers and employees to keep our workforce healthy.
Now all we have to do is find 434 more like her. Thank you voters of Maryland and thank you netroots. Because every now and then netroots gets it right.
]]>After boldly standing up to The Bush administrations’ fear mongering in February, word comes that House leadership may now be working with Senator Jay Rockefeller to possibly rush a pro-telecom amnesty bill through Congress in the next few days.
Civil libertarians in the Mountain State, say no to back room deals.
The FireDogLake community is trying to do something about this.
]]>After boldly standing up to The Bush administrations’ fear mongering in February, word comes that House leadership may now be working with Senator Jay Rockefeller to possibly rush a pro-telecom amnesty bill through Congress in the next few days.
Civil libertarians in the Mountain State, say no to back room deals.
The FireDogLake community is trying to do something about this.
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