Month: December 2011

In case Newt Gingrich does get the GOP nomination, my group, AmericanLP, wants to be ready. So we are in planning stages for casting and shooting a commercial like the one below. Please contact me if you know anyone who would be interested in starring in the ad.

Open Casting call for White Woman age30-45 who fits this personal description willing to appear in national broadcast TV ad

:60 TV Ad

(Emotional instrumental background music)

Middle-aged woman speaking right into camera

“Newt Gingrich is absolutely right when he says nobody but Christ is perfect and that everyone deserves forgiveness.  Still…

 My own father cheated on my mother and left us for a younger woman…those were hard times.

A few years ago, my own husband left me for a younger woman…we’ve had some really hard times.

So what am I supposed to tell my son now about how to treat women? Newt Gingrich has twice as many ex-wives as all previous Presidents of the United States combined. It’s been well-documented that Newt has repeatedly and flagrantly cheated on numerous wives. It seems like Newt has used women and tossed them aside his whole life.

What kind of message does it send to my son that you can screw and screw over as many women as you can get your hands on your entire life, and then, at age 70, which is how old Gingrich would be in his first year, claim that you’ve “matured” and be given the highest honor in the world by serving as President? I want a president I can look up to as the best of what we’re all about, not the worst.

I’m not saying we have to go back to the 1950s, but can’t we have some standards? Committing adultery is one of the 10 commandments. Is it really enough to say, `sorry, I’ve matured?’ Where do we draw the line? Are we going to elect convicted murders or rapists, just because they say, `I realize that I was less than perfect and now that I’m 70 I promise not to murder anymore?’

I want a President I can look up to, not someone who reminds me of the worst betrayals in my life.”

More info at www.americanlp.org  and www.dailynational.com

This Washington Post article about public planning in Virginia shows how bad the Aggressively Stupid has become. All across the Commonwealth, public meetings are being disrupted by deranged Tea Partiers who think public planning is some kind of sinister plot directed by the United Nations and the environmental movement. The worst of it is taking place in Hampton Roads, which is sinking even as the ocean level is rising. This combination necessitates pro-active planning.

The residents’ opposition has focused on a central point: They don’t think climate change is accelerated by human activity, as most climate scientists conclude. When planners proposed to rezone land for use as a dike against rising water, these residents, or “new activists,” as [acting executive director of the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, Lewis] Lawrence calls them, saw a trick to take their property.

“Environmentalists have always had an agenda to put nature above man,” said Donna Holt, leader of the Virginia Campaign for Liberty, a tea party affiliate with 7,000 members. “If they can find an end to their means, they don’t care how it happens. If they can do it under the guise of global warming and climate change, they will do it.”

Unfortunately, Donna Holt and many of her 7000-strong tea partiers don’t realize that they want to build a dike for the same reason people always want to build dikes: to protect the property behind the dike. What kind of Stupid does it take to motivate a person to get off their butt, drag it to a public meeting and yell about nonsense like this?

When planners redesignated property as a future flood zone, activists said officials were acting on a hoax. They argued in meetings and on Web sites that local planners are unwitting agents of Agenda 21, a United Nations environmental action plan adopted in 1992 that the activists see as a shadowy global conspiracy to grab land and redistribute wealth in the United States.

I suppose it was generous of them to call these public planners “unwitting” agents. They’re just poor dumb schmucks who have been indoctrinated into believing things like water-level readings.

I can kind of understand when people are marshaled to fight against environmental causes that will hurt the profit margins of the oil and gas industry. But this has extended to fighting against flood protection. It’s incredible how easy it is to make dumb people.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has died, leaving a potentially unstable succession. The government has announced his successor as his third son, Kim Jong-un. We don’t know much about Kim Jong-un other than his mother was apparently Kim Jong-Il’s favorite wife and that he was educated in Switzerland. The South Korean armed forces are on high alert and the Japanese convened a “special security meeting.”

While it was expected that Kim Jong-un would be named as the successor, we don’t know whether or not there are factions in the North Korean army who disagree with the decision. We don’t know if his elder two sons are content with the situation. North Korea is especially dangerous both because it possesses nuclear weapons and because it has enough artillery emplaced within range of the South Korean capital of Seoul that it could create massive casualties at a moment’s notice. For these reasons, it it necessary to tread very carefully when dealing with the North Koreans. It should also be remembered that North Korea is a close and traditional ally of the Chinese.

So, things need to be watched very carefully and everyone needs to keep a cool head.

Maybe Kim Jong-un’s experience in Switzerland rubbed off on him in a good way and he can lead his country out of the isolation it has suffered from in recent decades. Let us hope that he isn’t a sociopath.

Meanwhile, Obama has now seen the disappearance of bin-Laden, Moammar Gaddafi, and Kim Jong-Il. He just ended the war in Iraq, a country that will go forward without the anvil of Saddam Hussein and his Baath Party hanging around its neck. That’s two-thirds of the so-called Axis-of-Evil, Ronald Reagan’s main nemesis, and the man responsible for inspiring the September 11th attacks. You’d think the Republicans would think him charmed, if not skilled, and relent a bit on the incessant criticism.

Heh. I’m only joking. Such bad fortune for America’s enemies can only mean that the anti-Obama rhetoric must be ramped up to eleven.

Booman wrote a little article recently called Reflections on the End of a War about the so-called “withdrawal of the troops” from Iraq. I so disagreed with it that it took me a whole day to put my thoughts in order. I present them below.

Long story short? Sure.

“The war” isn’t over. It’s just shifting its priorities and to some degree its tactics. It won’t be over until the United States stops basing its economy on militarily-supported economic imperialism, and that ain’t about to happen anytime soon. Not as long as the corporate-owned Permanent Government can continue to run the only two political parties, both of which are totally dedicated to continuing that policy.

Read on.

Booman…you really believe this stuff, don’t you?

You sound more and more like a mainstream pundit with each passing day.

What kind of stirrings are afoot, and what will remain of the political landscape of the Middle East that has now begun the same kind of breakup as we saw in Eastern Europe twenty-odd years ago?

What kinds of stirrings are afoot?

Yer kiddin’, right?

You’re not?

The ill will that the U.S., Great Britain (and the NATO powers in general) have earned in the Middle East for almost 100 years…much of it monstrously amplified since Bush I’s little Iraqi invasion and massacre rehearsal in 1991…will remain amongst the populace. Would it not remain in the U.S. had a foreign power invaded, murdered, tortured, looted and burned a fairly large portion…say several states…of our own region? Left those states broken on every level and then “left?”

Of course it would. Barring the success of ongoing covert ops meant to keep governments in power that secretly or otherwise favor the U.S., most of the population will go for whichever political parties most plainly oppose the recent murderers who occupied Iraq and are now very, very busy elsewhere in the region.

Please.

Unlike the Soviet Union, the U.S. hasn’t been destroyed as it has navigated, sometimes facilitating, sometimes thwarting, the relaxation of the political straightjacket it has imposed or tolerated in its semi-colonial possessions.

Not yet destroyed maybe, but badly damaged. And…” sometimes facilitating, sometimes thwarting?”  “…imposed or tolerated?” C’mon, Booman. Take a stand. Any “facilitation” whatsoever was done purely in self-interest (desperate self-interest after the old, bought-and-sold regimes began to crumble), and how can a nation “tolerate” a political system that it has totally fixed by the use of force, covert operations and massive amounts of money and weaponry. That’s like saying Al Capone “tolerated” his stranglehold on the city of Chicago during his reign. Did you not listen to that Noam Chomsky speech I posted recently in response to one of your anti-Ron Paul posts? If you’re going to quote the man at length when he agrees with you, at least spend some time finding out what else he believes. You don’t have to download it…I found a transcript. Read the damned thing.

Here’s a sample.

The U.S. and its allies will do anything they can to prevent authentic democracy in the Arab world. The reason is very simple. Across the region, an overwhelming majority of the population regards the United States as the main threat to their interests. In fact, opposition to U.S. policy is so high that a considerable majority think the region would be more secure if Iran had nuclear weapons. In Egypt, the most important country, that’s 80 percent. Similar figures elsewhere. There are some in the region who regard Iran as a threat — about 10 percent. Well, plainly, the U.S. and its allies are not going to want governments which are responsive to the will of the people. If that happens, not only will the U.S. not control the region, but it will be thrown out. So that’s obviously an intolerable result.

—snip—

Now, there are some polls that are reported. So here’s one from the New York Times a couple days ago. I’ll quote it. It said, “The poll found that a majority of Egyptians want to annul the 1979 peace treaty with Israel that has been a cornerstone of Egyptian foreign policy and the region’s stability.” Actually, that’s not quite accurate. It’s been a cornerstone of the region’s instability, and that’s exactly why the Egyptian population wants to abandon it. The agreement essentially eliminated Egypt from the Israel-Arab conflict. That means eliminated the only deterrent to Israeli military action. And it freed up Israel to expand its operations — illegal operations — in the Occupied Territories and to attack its northern neighbor, to attack Lebanon. Shortly after, Israel attacked Lebanon, killed 20,000 people, destroyed southern Lebanon, tried to impose a client regime, didn’t quite make it. And that was understood. So the immediate reaction to the peace treaty in Israel was that there are things about it we don’t like — we’re going to have to abandon our settlements in the Sinai, in the Egyptian Sinai. But it has a good side, too, because now the only deterrent is gone; we can use force and violence to achieve our other goals. And that’s exactly what happened. And that’s exactly why the Egyptian population is opposed to it. They understand that, as does everyone in the region.

On the other hand, the Times wasn’t lying when they said that it led to the region’s stability. And the reason is because of the meaning of the word “stability” as a technical meaning. Stability is — it’s kind of like democracy. Stability means conformity to our interests. So, for example, when Iran tries to expand its influence in Afghanistan and Iraq, neighboring countries, that’s called “destabilizing.” It’s part of the threat of Iran. It’s destabilizing the region. On the other hand, when the U.S. invades those countries, occupies them, half destroys them, that’s to achieve stability. And that is very common, even to the point where it’s possible to write — former editor of Foreign Affairs — that when the U.S. overthrew the democratic government in Chile and instituted a vicious dictatorship, that was because the U.S. had to destabilize Chile to achieve stability. That’s in one sentence, and nobody noticed it, because that’s correct, if you understand the meaning of the word “stability.” Yeah, you overthrow a parliamentary government, you install a dictatorship, you invade a country and kill 20,000 people, you invade Iraq and kill hundreds of thousands of people — that’s all bringing about stability. Instability is when anyone gets in the way.

Yup.

The real deal. While the president and his supporters mouth off about “humanitarian concerns.” What a crock of shit.

More Booman:

…the inspiration for [these revolutions] is rooted in the founding principles of our country, including self-determination, human rights, and representative democracy?

Bullshit. The “inspiration” for this movement is…and remains…to remove the demagogues who have recently had their asses handed to them in the region. The people are not reading Tom Paine or Thomas Jefferson, they’re just tired of being shat upon. The only thing that relates to “our country” in this movement is the not so curious fact that the U.S. has offered active and/or tacit acceptance of the movements after it became plain that there was no way to stop them.

Even our international role has been upheld, however unevenly. Iraq will willingly maintain military and diplomatic ties with the United States. The same is probably true in Egypt. Libyans literally owe their freedom to the intervention of the West, and will probably build strong ties to Europe.

Wanna bet? “Iraq will willingly maintain military and diplomatic ties with the United States?” I guess it depends on your definition of the word “willingly.” And of course, which part of the population is doing the willing.

Yet, we have left Iraq not entirely on our own terms, and certainly with a lingering sense of shame and an earned degree of resentment and outright hostility.

Well, at least y’got that right.

Even so, the best aspirations of American ideals are on the rise in the Middle East, as though the people there have learned the value and correctness of our creed just well enough to turn them against us and demand the same rights for themselves that we take for granted.

“…the value and correctness of our creed,” eh Booman? Pray tell…what creed is that, exactly? Islam has its own creed(s), and they are what is driving much of the so-called Arab Spring movement.

Lissen up. If the U.S. or its surrogates lose control of the elections in these countries, the political parties that win will be anti-U.S. Islamist parties, just as is presently happening in Egypt.

Egypt’s Islamists claim sweep of second round vote
CAIRO | Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:43pm EST
(Reuters) – Egypt’s two leading Islamist parties said on Sunday their separate party lists secured about three-quarters of votes cast in the second round of a parliamentary election, extending their lead in the three-stage vote

A source from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) said it was on track to win about 40 percent of votes for party lists, based on results from most districts.
A spokesman for the ultra-conservative Salafi al-Nour Party said its list received about 35 percent of votes.

Every time the U.S.-trained and armed military busts people’s asses in the street, U.S. stock goes down in these countries. Wake the fuck up. It’s not “our example” that they are emulating any more than they “hate us for our wealth.” Those are both just two sides of the same counterfeit American domestic propaganda coin…the Dem side and the Ratpub side.

That the exercise of those rights can be an inconvenience or worse for our elites makes this moment unusually poignant. The death of Vaclev Havel reminds us of the fall of the USSR, which should also remind us to be humble in times such as these. Yet, our best ideals are made of sturdier stuff than those of the Soviets. Or, let us hope.

Yes. Let us indeed “hope.” In the face of a two-headed PermaGov political monster about to impose two versions of the same economic imperialist line on our ruling bodies once again, let us hope.

Let us hope that we can survive.

That’s about all of the hope I have left, myself. I watch with bated breath as the good people of Iowa struggle against the massive hype to understand why so many of them are still so attracted to Ron Paul’s candidacy even in the face of concerted media efforts to make sure that he does not win there. And after he does…or at least makes a strong showing…I will watch further as those same forces marshal every weapon at their command to stop him in New Hampshire.

You’ve seen the movies where the tragically honest boxer refuses to throw a fight, right? The controllers always end up beating the shit out of him, although in true Hollywood propaganda/fairy tale fashion he usually prevails in the end. In real life? Not the most common ending.

It’ll be Romney…with a side helping of Condoleezza Rice, maybe…against Obama…w/a helping of Hillary as VP also a continuing possibility no matter how many “denials” we hear from her and the White House.

And the two-headed, single-minded War Party will continue in power, bickering over tactics but not the basic strategy of economic imperialism.

You OK with that?

I’m not.

Bet on it.

AG

John Boehner is really starting to take “not very good at my job” to a whole other level. First he has a conference call with his members to praise the deal the Senate reached on the payroll tax holiday extension, and then he declares that he his opposed to the deal. I guess he is basically “Speaker-in-name-only.”

Mr. Boehner’s remarks on “Meet the Press” came less than 24 hours after a conference call in which he tried to sell the package to his rank and file, pointing to a provision that would speed Republican-supported construction of an oil pipeline, known as Keystone XL, from Canada to the Gulf Coast.

But many Republican lawmakers were not buying what their leader was urging them to do, chiefly because they objected to the tax cut extension’s cost.

Among them was the House majority leader, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, who said in a statement Sunday that on Monday, the House would either amend the Senate bill so that it met the “needs of hard-working taxpayers and middle-class families,” or pass a motion to move the bill to a conference committee to accomplish the same.

Mr. Cantor said the House opposed the Senate bill “because — to put it simply — we owe the middle class, employers and doctors better than a two-month extension.”

Mr. Boehner’s decision to back away from a deal on the payroll tax cut is similar to his actions during debt-reduction talks with President Obama in July.

I feel pretty confident that the Dems will take back the House from the Republicans next November but, either way, I find it hard to believe that Cantor won’t supplant Boehner as the GOP leader.

There is something strange and karmic about Vaclav Havel passing away at virtually the same moment as the last U.S. combat troops passed over the Iraqi border into Kuwait. What kind of synchronicity is it, this odd capstone connecting the end of two eras of brutality? If Havel’s rise in Czechoslovakia marked the true success of the West in the Cold War, what can we make of the condition of Iraq and its relationship to the Arab Spring? What kind of stirrings are afoot, and what will remain of the political landscape of the Middle East that has now begun the same kind of breakup as we saw in Eastern Europe twenty-odd years ago? Unlike the Soviet Union, the U.S. hasn’t been destroyed as it has navigated, sometimes facilitating, sometimes thwarting, the relaxation of the political straightjacket it has imposed or tolerated in its semi-colonial possessions.

Soviet-style communism was defeated and discredited, along with the imperialistic/colonial policies emanating from Moscow. This is different from what we are seeing in the Arab world, where the inspiration for revolution is rooted in the founding principles of our country, including self-determination, human rights, and representative democracy. Even our international role has been upheld, however unevenly. Iraq will willingly maintain military and diplomatic ties with the United States. The same is probably true in Egypt. Libyans literally owe their freedom to the intervention of the West, and will probably build strong ties to Europe.

Yet, we have left Iraq not entirely on our own terms, and certainly with a lingering sense of shame and an earned degree of resentment and outright hostility.

Even so, the best aspirations of American ideals are on the rise in the Middle East, as though the people there have learned the value and correctness of our creed just well enough to turn them against us and demand the same rights for themselves that we take for granted. That the exercise of those rights can be an inconvenience or worse for our elites makes this moment unusually poignant. The death of Vaclev Havel reminds us of the fall of the USSR, which should also remind us to be humble in times such as these. Yet, our best ideals are made of sturdier stuff than those of the Soviets. Or, let us hope.

Watching the Republican presidential candidates debate, we can see that our better ideals are not looking so sturdy at the moment.

.

Greens call out Keystone XL deal

“It’s bulls—,” said Sierra Club President Michael Brune. “This is no way to run a government. We’ve got Republicans in Congress who are willing to hold the entire government hostage simply to give a Christmas present to industry.”

For greens, the fact that the Keystone pipeline was back on the table five weeks after Obama had seemingly punted it until 2013 is causing considerable heartburn with an administration that hasn’t been as green as they once wished.

Keystone XL Pipeline: What’s Next?

A provision included in the payroll-tax package approved by the Senate and expected to be sent to President Obama by the House next week, would require the administration to issue the permit within 60 days or explain why the 1,700-mile, $7 billion pipeline is not in the national interest.

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The project would carry 700,000 barrels of tar-sands oil per day from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast; many environmentalists say it would threaten sensitive lands and waters in the middle of the country while production of the carbon-heavy oil would significantly contribute to climate change.

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., a chief sponsor of the bill to force a quick decision, said State’s “characterization of our Keystone XL legislation is blatantly misleading,” as the language in the legislation would deem the NEPA requirements fulfilled by the final environmental impact assessment (EIS) issued for the project in August. Lugar’s bill states that State’s final EIS “satisfies all requirements” of NEPA and the National Historic Preservation Act and that “no further Federal environmental review shall be required.”

Canada opts-out of Kyoto Treaty because of tar-sands project

Canada agreed under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce CO2 emissions to 6.0 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, but its emissions of the gases blamed for damaging Earth’s fragile climate system have instead increased sharply.

Saying the targets agreed by a previous Liberal administration were unattainable, Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government last year unveiled its own measures aimed at curbing emissions, in line with US efforts. Pulling out of Kyoto now allows Canada to avoid paying penalties of up to CAN$14 billion (US$13.6 billion) for missing its targets.

The EU has provisionally imposed penalties on import Canada’s filthy oil  

• Philippines death toll above 650 as extreme rainfall triggers flash floods  

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

I chose a rather inconvenient time to take a couple of mental health days. In truth, I didn’t really choose the days. This weekend just happened to be when my extended family could get together to celebrate Christmas. So, I’ve barely been online at all over the last 48 hours, as the White House and Congress have hashed out deals and signed bills on several things of significant consequence. I have noted the alarm with which the left has responded to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, but I haven’t had the chance to read the relevant language in the bill and make an assessment. I’ve read some of the usual hyperventilation from some of the usual suspects, but I need to check their opinions against the facts before I weigh in.

On the Omnibus appropriations bill, the White House sent out some talking points about the things you and I might like about the overall deal. The thing is, pretty much everything on their list is an example of protecting something the Republicans wanted to defund or abolish or frustrate. Half of the list is about obnoxious riders the administration successfully defeated. I can honestly say that the only truly positive (as opposed to purely defensive) accomplishment on the list is extra money for the Student Aid Administration to help them service college loans.

But, you know, they saved NPR and Planned Parenthood, and AmeriCorps. They protected the EPA’s budget and prerogatives. Head Start kept the extra slots that were created by the Recovery Act. They prevented a forced regression on Cuba policy.

These are all good things. But the midterm elections of 2010 created the problems we have now. The Republicans have far too much power in Washington and they’re exercising that power, almost without any conscience at all, to make the broadest possible attack on progressive ideals and principles.

Not only does this put the Democrats in a defensive crouch, but its inevitable that they’re lines will occasionally be breached. It’s just wave upon wave of demented avengers, many of whom are not even controlled by their leaders.

Elections have consequences, particularly when the winners of those elections appear to be suffering from the ill effects of the Rabies Virus.

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Last U.S. troops leave Iraq, ending war (Reuters)

Beyond the most obvious in cost of lives and the US Treasury, the silent departure of US Forces leaves an indelible mark on an ill-fated adventure. The pro-Bush intelligentsia use the line: “Wait and see, it’s too early, let history decide.” True, a former US proxy and Stalinist dictator met his untimely death, but how many innocent lives were lost, bodies maimed for life, mental health wrecked? The cost has been too high and at no time it was the walk-over US leadership promised. There was no necessity to prepare for phase IV – Ensuring Postwar Stability – in the aftermath of ‘Shock and Awe’. The result was a prolonged battle where US morals were tested … and failed miserably. Fallujah massacre, civilians murdered at US road blocks, nightly invasion of Iraqi homes, cultural shock in harsh treatment. The nightmare of prisoner treatment, Abu Ghraib prison, rendition, and Guatanamo Bay on the island of Cuba. [In August 2009, Eric Holder announced immunization for torture crimes]

The US has never been able to befriend the Iraqi people nor its present leadership democratically chosen. All Iraqis who were employed by US Forces in the military and in civilian jobs live in mortal fear what the future will bring. They are seen as traitors and can’t get out of Iraq as a refugee because of US red tape.

The US adventure and fulfilled departure has left behind a hostile nation and a region in turmoil. The US and the West seek friends with the Gulf oil rich states (Sunnis) and stalwart ally Israel. To offset the loss of stability within the three major factions in Iraq, the US is putting additional pressure and sanctions on long-time foe Iran (Shia). Clearly the nation which has gained most in influence since the US operations of Infinite Justice – later dubbed Enduring Freedom – in Afghanistan. The crusader lost and the Islamic nation will be the winner.

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Mr Bush said: "This crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while."

After the attacks of 9/11, the psychic of you and me, family, friends and communities changed forever. Hate speech and populist candidates for political office have triumphed in the Western world with so-called judeo-christian values. The aftermath of the Bush years will permeate society throughout the 21th century. What a bad deal we got in Florida in the year 2000.

Etymology of War on Terrorism

Looking back at the Iraq war: ‘There was more stability before the US invasion’ – video

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

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Exclusive: Iran hijacked US drone, says Iranian engineer (Video)

(CS Monitor) – Iran guided the CIA’s “lost” stealth drone to an intact landing inside hostile territory by exploiting a navigational weakness long-known to the US military, according to an Iranian engineer now working on the captured drone’s systems inside Iran.

Iranian electronic warfare specialists were able to cut off communications links of the American bat-wing RQ-170 Sentinel, says the engineer, who works for one of many Iranian military and civilian teams currently trying to unravel the drone’s stealth and intelligence secrets, and who could not be named for his safety.

Using knowledge gleaned from previous downed American drones and a technique proudly claimed by Iranian commanders in September, the Iranian specialists then reconfigured the drone’s GPS coordinates to make it land in Iran at what the drone thought was its actual home base in Afghanistan.

Avtobaza: Iran’s weapon in alleged RQ-170 affair?

Could this be the smoking electron in the alleged unmanned air vehicle (UAV) incident over Iran?

Moscow has sold Iran the highly-advanced Avtobaza truck-mounted systems capable of jamming aircraft radar and the electronic guidance instruments of attacking missiles. The deal, announced in Moscow Tuesday, Oct. 25, substantially boosts Russian military assistance to the Islamic Republic, especially of defensive weaponry. The US and Israel suspect the Avtobaza jammers are only the first installment of the complete ELINT-electronic signals system for disabling planes and missiles over the entire Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.

These radar jammers are a component of Russia’s most sophisticated anti-aircraft and electronic warfare system for the early warning of approaching assault planes and missiles. Avtobaza is only part of the complete system. Its job is to transmit incoming information via optic fibers to separate electronic command centers and central air defense commands which then act to foil air or missile attacks.

The full ELINT-electronic signals intelligence system would enable Iran to identity and react to any aerial or missile movements – not only over its territory but in the skies of the entire Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. Debkafile’s military sources describe the Avrobaza system as able to simultaneously detect and electronically jam 60 targets within a 150-kilometer radius at angles ranging 360 degrees on 20 minutes notice.

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Kvant 1L222 Avtobaza ELINT System

The Avtobaza ELINT system is designed to detect airborne side-looking radars, air-to-ground fire-control radars and low-altitude flight control radars, as well as to provide intelligence data for the 1L125M APUR.

• Is the long-winged “Dragon Lady” now flying missions above Iran?

On reverse-engineering and getting the secrets out of the RQ-170 drone …

“It Won’t Be Easy for Iran to Dissect, Copy U.S. Drone”

(Wired.com) – Iran will probably need help from arms exporters Russia and China in breaking down the flying-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) — meaning the RQ-170′s secrets could ultimately fall into the hands of, well, pretty much every country with an interest in sticking it to Uncle Sam. Luckily for Washington, however, reverse-engineering a high-tech drone is easier said than done.

The drone inspectors will start by studying the Sentinel’s basic construction, particularly the details of its radar-evading shape. “Anyone can copy the shape of the vehicle or figure out the optimal geometry,” says the other UAV designer, who worked on Boeing’s X-45, a contemporary of the Lockheed Martin-built RQ-170.

“Seam treatments” — that is, techniques for making welds undetectable to radar — “are somewhat of a secret, but not too hard for someone to figure out,” the Boeing engineer tells Danger Room. “Engines and routine things like that, no big deal,” the source adds. “However, exhaust ducting is another matter.” The drone’s tailpipe is probably made of carefully tailored materials, reflecting decades of cutting-edge research.

After examining the (alleged) RQ-170′s airframe, they will likely focus on its sensors. We don’t know for sure what devices the Sentinel carries, but it could include video cameras and a ground-mapping radar. The Darpa robot designer says the RQ-170′s radar — if it carries one — could share subsystems with the radars on the latest F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, which might give U.S. adversaries some insight into how those planes operate, too.

• NY Times: Drone Crash in Iran Reveals Secret U.S. Surveillance Effort

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."