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With the massive amount of US military on the way to Costa Rica, has our country rolled over and now admitted that it has lost control of the trafficking of drugs, money laundering and crime in general? Ever since I can remember Costa Rica has said, “If ever invaded, it´s neighbors would come to its rescue.” In times past that referred to Venezuela, but now we have Chavez and….well that´s another 100 pesos. The new friendly neighbor must be the United States who is sending 46 war ships, 200 helicopters and 7,000 Marines to rescue us from invading drug cartels,...

Perhaps it is frustration, as expressed by Anderson Cooper, with the new White House rules inhibiting reports about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that is now causing a big crack in the Mainstream Media wall which until recently mostly avoided direct criticism of the Obama administration response. However that crack has now turned into a flood of surprising criticism coming from formerly friendly outlets such as the Associated Press. Read this amazing AP report and keep in mind that it is no longer just conservative sources that are harsh in their criticisms of the Obama Gulf oil containment efforts:...

NEW LONDON, Conn. — New recruits at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy are supposed to look straight ahead, but Rasheed Breland was able to glance at his classmates long enough to realize that many besides him were minorities. Swabs from racial and ethnic minority groups make up 24 percent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Class of 2014 -- the second highest percentage in the school's history, surpassed only by one class that was a percentage point higher. The academy has been criticized for its lack of racial and ethnic diversity, with some in Congress attempting to bring the admissions...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-president-national-broadband-plan Home • Briefing Room • Statements & Releases The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release March 16, 2010 Statement from the President on the National Broadband Plan America today is on the verge of a broadband-driven Internet era that will unleash innovation, create new jobs and industries, provide consumers with new powerful sources of information, enhance American safety and security, and connect communities in ways that strengthen our democracy. Just as past generations of Americans met the great infrastructure challenges of the day, such as building the Transcontinental...

Eight days ago, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ordered barges to begin vacuuming crude oil out of his state's oil-soaked waters. Today, against the governor's wishes, those barges sat idle, even as more oil flowed toward the Louisiana shore.

Gov. Bobby Jindal chastised the Coast Guard today for stopping eight barges equipped with vacuums to siphon oil for an unnecessary inspection Wednesday. "The last 24 hours have been incredibly frustrating," Jindal said at a news conference at Fort Jackson in Buras, following an aerial tour of oil-fighting efforts on the coast. Calling for "more urgency" in the federal government's response to the growing oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, Jindal described how it took calls to the White House to clear the way for the barges to commence with cleaning up surface oil today. "Twenty-four hours were lost...

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. -- Extensive measures aimed at keeping the Gulf spill from penetrating Perdido Pass failed their first test early Wednesday as globs of hazardous oil rode a rising morning tide through the inlet and settled on beaches, bulkheads and grass beds in the city's inland water bodies. "I'm mad," Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon told about 500 of his constituents during a midday public forum. "I'm absolutely sick to my stomach." As slicks approached the pass overnight, city officials said they asked that heavy-duty boom strung across much of the pass be used to close off the inlet...

The 1991 spill into the Persian Gulf, which began on January 21, was purposely caused by the Iraqis in order to delay or prevent a threatened US-led invasion of Kuwait, including possible landings by US Marines. On February 23, American forces, including the 1st Marine Division, 2nd Marine Division, the 1st Light Armored Infantry, overran Iraqi defenses quickly, but expressed shock at the extent of the environmental disaster surrounding them. The US lost 148 service members in combat, 458 were wounded in the First Gulf War which lasted from August 2, 1990, to February 28, 1991, when America and its...

It's been a big week for Coast Guard Cmdr. Thad Allen, who is in charge of overseeing the federal response to the BP oil leak. This morning, he announced that BP's "top kill" is working, halting the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico since last month's Deepwater Horizon explosion. But earlier in the week, with far less media attention, Allen, 61, stepped down from his position as Commandant of the Coast Guard, the highest position in that branch of the military. He had plans to retire soon after being relieved of command, but was instead tapped to run...

""This video was shot by the local parish government in South Pass. When we [CBS] tried to reach the beach covered in oil, a boat with BP contractors with two Coast Guard officers on board told us to turn around under threat of arrest. "This is BP's rules, not ours." We spoke to Coast Guard officials today. They say that they are looking into it.""

When it comes to dealing with incidents in and around New Orleans, it appears there's only one man for the job: Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen. Allen, of course, was the go-to guy in the Hurricane Katrina response after the initial federal effort went awry. Now Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has tapped him to serve as "national incident commander" for the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He'll work with the Defense, Interior and Commerce departments, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies, to coordinate the response to the looming environmental disaster.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Coast Guard discovered Saturday that oil is leaking from the damaged well that fed a massive rig that exploded this week off Louisiana's coast, while bad weather halted efforts to clean up the mess that threatens the area's fragile marine ecosystem. As recently as Friday, the Coast Guard said no oil appeared to escaping from the well head on the ocean floor. Rear Adm. Mary Landry said the leak was a new discovery but could have begun when the rig sank on Thursday, two days after the initial explosion. "This is a very serious spill,...

President Barack Obama's pick to lead the Coast Guard wants to make major cuts to the agency's counterterrorism mission over the next five years

I just read an article on Huff Po (Save the Coasties) that their budget is getting cut and they will ahve to cut staff. (I could'nt post the link). My daughter says her DH was told about this and the guys that want to re-up might not be able to. But Acorn gets $4 Billion?

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday he will ask Boston’s lawyers to see whether the city can block Yemeni tankers from delivering liquefied natural gas into Boston Harbor, calling such deliveries “wrong.’’ “We’re in extraordinary times that call for extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of our city,’’ the mayor said in an interview. “They cannot be coming into a harbor like Boston, where there is less than 50 feet between the tankers and residential areas.’ -snip- The Globe reported yesterday that shipments of liquefied natural gas from Yemen are scheduled to arrive for the first time in Boston as...

2000 x 1330 pixels, 3005 x 2000 pixels, 4256 x 2832 pixels  2000 x 1330 pixels, 3005 x 2000 pixels, 4256 x 2832 pixels  Photographer  Petty Officer 2nd Class Sondra-Kay Kneen, United States Coast Guard Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-201001.htm (#1, #2)

Navy, Coast Guard deploying forces to Haiti NORFOLK Thousands of Hampton Roads sailors received orders this morning to prepare to deploy to Haiti as part of a massive U.S. effort to deliver humanitarian assistance in the wake of Tuesday’s devastating earthquake. At least four Norfolk-based ships are getting ready to leave for the impoverished country, said Ted Brown, a spokesman with Norfolk’s Fleet Forces Command. The amphibious assault ship Bataan, the guided missile cruiser Normandy and the dock landing ships Fort McHenry and Carter Hall will likely leave port by Friday, the Navy said. Expeditionary forces based at the Little...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-obama-signs-executive-order-establishing-council-governors Home • Briefing Room • Presidential Actions • Executive Orders The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release January 11, 2010 President Obama Signs Executive Order Establishing Council of Governors Executive Order will Strengthen Further Partnership Between the Federal and State and Local Governments to Better Protect Our Nation The President today signed an Executive Order (attached) establishing a Council of Governors to strengthen further the partnership between the Federal Government and State Governments to protect our Nation against all types of hazards. When appointed, the Council will be...

Eight years after the U.S. Coast Guard and the NAACP signed a voluntary agreement to work together to boost the number of African-Americans at its 1,000-cadet service academy, the annual enrollment and graduation figures for blacks remain in single digits. ... Under a House bill, sponsored by Oberstar and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the Coast Guard subcommittee chairman, members of Congress would nominate candidates for the academy. ... On a 385-11 vote last month, the House advanced the legislation to the Senate. The Coast Guard Academy historically has taken pride in viewing itself merit-based and choosing its applicants without regard...

A senior Coast Guard official removed earlier this year from his command position in Alaska is facing a long string of charges within the agency, including sodomy, indecent acts and conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman. The U.S. Coast Guard filed 31 violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice against Capt. Herbert Hamilton. It did not provide details of the alleged offenses, which also include fraud, adultery, indecent language and soliciting another to commit an offense.