From Secrecy News:
RISE IN FRATRICIDE SEEN IN THE WAR ON TERROR
Incidents of fratricide in the U.S. war on terrorism increased in recent years, according to a new report (pdf) from the U.S. Army.
"Fratricide" -- the unintended killing or injury of friendly forces -- "is a harsh reality during combat operations," the study states. "Over the course of 2004-2007, the number of fratricide incidents increased, and experts speculate this is due to the high operational tempo and the reliance on technology during the current war."
According to official data, "there were 55 U.S. Army fratricide incidents from 11 September 2001 to 30 March 2008. Forty of these were Class A accidents" -- involving damage costs of $2 million or more and/or destruction of an Army aircraft, missile or spacecraft and/or fatality or permanent total disability -- "resulting in the deaths of 30 U.S. Army personnel."
Human error is a primary causal factor in many fratricide incidents, the study indicated, and "therefore, human error must be considered in the design and development of fratricide countermeasures, including both technical and human-centric solutions... Improved supervision and leadership may have the greatest potential to reduce U.S. fratricide incidents."
See "An Analysis of U.S. Army Fratricide Incidents during the Global War on Terror (11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008)" by Catherine M. Webb and Kate J. Hewett, U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, March 2010.
Wrap...
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
UGH!
From Voice of San Diego...
Two area congressmen had some interesting things to say about illegal immigration in the last few days. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter on Saturday told a Tea Party gathering that he supports deporting the children of illegal immigrants -- even if they are U.S. citizens by birth. The North County Times confirmed his quote and, though the Constitution seems to be clear that anyone born in the country gets citizenship, Hunter said it should take more to be a citizen. And U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, responding to questions about Arizona's new immigration law -- which gives police the mandate to check the residency status of anyone they might suspect of not having proper documents -- said law enforcement can tell if someone is here illegally by the clothes they wear and how they act among many factors.
Note: Both Repug assholes.
Wrap...
Two area congressmen had some interesting things to say about illegal immigration in the last few days. U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter on Saturday told a Tea Party gathering that he supports deporting the children of illegal immigrants -- even if they are U.S. citizens by birth. The North County Times confirmed his quote and, though the Constitution seems to be clear that anyone born in the country gets citizenship, Hunter said it should take more to be a citizen. And U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, responding to questions about Arizona's new immigration law -- which gives police the mandate to check the residency status of anyone they might suspect of not having proper documents -- said law enforcement can tell if someone is here illegally by the clothes they wear and how they act among many factors.
Note: Both Repug assholes.
Wrap...
And Still More Books On the Way....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly:
FICTION:
DEBUT....
Longtime CNN anchor Kitty Pilgrim's SINCLAIR, tracking abrilliant archaeologist and a renowned oceanographer as they join forces with a team of virologists trying to decode the genome of the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic, to Nan Graham and Roz Lippel at Scribner, in a two-book deal, by Mort Janklow at Janklow & Nesbit (World).
THRILLER...
O.J. Simpson prosecutor and NYT bestselling author Marcia Clark's debut GUILT BY ASSOCIATION, to Judy Clain at Little, Brown, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in Spring 2011, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (World).
Thomas Koloniar's CANNIBAL REIGN, in a post asteroidal world where the sun has ceased to shine and human kind has begun to savagely feed upon itself, the last five green berets on earth have chosen to make a stand, to Matthew Benjamin at William Morrow, for publication in 2011, by Ian Kleinert at Objective Entertainment (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER...
Liza Palmer's WHITE PICKET FENCES AND OTHER CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, about a teacher at a private school whose world is rocked when her school's seemingly perfect new headmistress is killed by her seemingly perfect husband; and THE LAST SUPPER CLUB about an aspiring chef who, after a disastrous attempt to make it in NY, drags herself back to Texas, taking a job preparing last meals for condemned prisoners (simultaneously being developed by the agency's film/tv department as a television series), to Carrie Feron at William Morrow, by Christy Fletcher at Fletcher & Company.
Arturo Perez-Reverte's THE SIEGE, set during Napoleon's famous 19th-century siege of Cadiz, the only Spanish city never to fall to the French, to Jennifer Hershey at Random House, by Howard Morhaim at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency on behalf of Raquel de la Concha (NA).
Lorna Graham's THE GHOST OF GREENWICH VILLAGE, the story of a woman who moves to Manhattan in search of romance and excitement, only to find that her apartment is haunted by the cantankerous ghost of an old Beat Generation writer who wants her help in finishing his life's work, all as she tries to balance a new job at a morning news show, a budding friendship with a legendary fashion designer, and a search for clues to her mother's past, to Jennifer Smith at Ballantine Trade Paperbacks, at auction, for publication in Summer 2011, by Susan Golomb at the Susan Golomb Agency (World).
NONFICTION:
ADVICE/RELATIONSHIPS...
Author of the NYT bestseller Beautiful Boy, David Sheff's THE THIRTEENTH STEP, drawing on recent research and stories of the author's own and others' experiences to show what's wrong with how we approach addiction today and the best ways to treat and prevent it, again to Eamon Dolan at Penguin Press, for publication in spring 2011, by Amanda Urban of ICM.
BIOGRAPHY...
Garry Wills' THE SPIRITUAL CROSSING, a biography of the site of St. Augustine's baptism, to Stefan Vranka at Oxford University Press, by Andrew Wylie at The Wylie Agency.
HUMOR...
Star, writer, and producer of The Office, Mindy Kaling's THE CONTENTS OF MY PURSE, a series of comic essays, drawing in part on her blog "Things I Bought That I Love," sharing personal moments -- such as her ode to the most romantic moment in any relationship (when you can scrub your makeup off before you go to sleep and not feel self-conscious), a piece about the dress she can't wear anymore because it reminds her of one of her most embarrassing public moments, and the story of the day she was horrified to learn her boyfriend could fit into her jeans, to Suzanne O'Neill at Crown, for publication in fall 2011, by Richard Abate and Howard Klein at 3 Arts Entertainment (world).
MEMOIR...
Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu's OFF BALANCE, revealing the often-dark underbelly of Olympic gymnastics, her controversial "divorce" from her parents at age 17 -- and the recent shocking revelation that forced her to reexamine everything she thought she knew about her family and the sport she loves, to Michelle Howry at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in 2012, by Stephanie Abou at Foundry Literary + Media.
Figure-skating champion (and star of a reality show on the Sundance Channel) Johnny Weir's collection of entertaining anecdotes and essays about "everything from pop culture to skating to fashion to Johnny himself," to Jennifer Bergstrom at Gallery, for publication in January 2011, by Dan Strone at Trident Media Group (world).
Singer Susan Boyle's THE WOMAN I WAS BORN TO BE, about her unlikely journey to stardom, to Atria, by Richard Pine at Inkwell Management, and to Transworld in the UK, for publication in fall 2010, by Mark Lucas at Lucas Alexander Whitley.
NARRATIVE...
Roseanne Montillo's THE LADY AND HER MONSTERS, pitched as in the tradition of The Professor and the Madman, about the creation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, combining literary history with the story of the real life occultists and mad scientists who inspired Shelley to write her gothic masterpiece, to Henry Ferris at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Jake Bauman at Rob Weisbach Creative Management (NA).
Foreign: Jenny Meyer Literary Agency
Wrap...
FICTION:
DEBUT....
Longtime CNN anchor Kitty Pilgrim's SINCLAIR, tracking abrilliant archaeologist and a renowned oceanographer as they join forces with a team of virologists trying to decode the genome of the deadly 1918 influenza pandemic, to Nan Graham and Roz Lippel at Scribner, in a two-book deal, by Mort Janklow at Janklow & Nesbit (World).
THRILLER...
O.J. Simpson prosecutor and NYT bestselling author Marcia Clark's debut GUILT BY ASSOCIATION, to Judy Clain at Little, Brown, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, for publication in Spring 2011, by Dan Conaway at Writers House (World).
Thomas Koloniar's CANNIBAL REIGN, in a post asteroidal world where the sun has ceased to shine and human kind has begun to savagely feed upon itself, the last five green berets on earth have chosen to make a stand, to Matthew Benjamin at William Morrow, for publication in 2011, by Ian Kleinert at Objective Entertainment (NA).
GENERAL/OTHER...
Liza Palmer's WHITE PICKET FENCES AND OTHER CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, about a teacher at a private school whose world is rocked when her school's seemingly perfect new headmistress is killed by her seemingly perfect husband; and THE LAST SUPPER CLUB about an aspiring chef who, after a disastrous attempt to make it in NY, drags herself back to Texas, taking a job preparing last meals for condemned prisoners (simultaneously being developed by the agency's film/tv department as a television series), to Carrie Feron at William Morrow, by Christy Fletcher at Fletcher & Company.
Arturo Perez-Reverte's THE SIEGE, set during Napoleon's famous 19th-century siege of Cadiz, the only Spanish city never to fall to the French, to Jennifer Hershey at Random House, by Howard Morhaim at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency on behalf of Raquel de la Concha (NA).
Lorna Graham's THE GHOST OF GREENWICH VILLAGE, the story of a woman who moves to Manhattan in search of romance and excitement, only to find that her apartment is haunted by the cantankerous ghost of an old Beat Generation writer who wants her help in finishing his life's work, all as she tries to balance a new job at a morning news show, a budding friendship with a legendary fashion designer, and a search for clues to her mother's past, to Jennifer Smith at Ballantine Trade Paperbacks, at auction, for publication in Summer 2011, by Susan Golomb at the Susan Golomb Agency (World).
NONFICTION:
ADVICE/RELATIONSHIPS...
Author of the NYT bestseller Beautiful Boy, David Sheff's THE THIRTEENTH STEP, drawing on recent research and stories of the author's own and others' experiences to show what's wrong with how we approach addiction today and the best ways to treat and prevent it, again to Eamon Dolan at Penguin Press, for publication in spring 2011, by Amanda Urban of ICM.
BIOGRAPHY...
Garry Wills' THE SPIRITUAL CROSSING, a biography of the site of St. Augustine's baptism, to Stefan Vranka at Oxford University Press, by Andrew Wylie at The Wylie Agency.
HUMOR...
Star, writer, and producer of The Office, Mindy Kaling's THE CONTENTS OF MY PURSE, a series of comic essays, drawing in part on her blog "Things I Bought That I Love," sharing personal moments -- such as her ode to the most romantic moment in any relationship (when you can scrub your makeup off before you go to sleep and not feel self-conscious), a piece about the dress she can't wear anymore because it reminds her of one of her most embarrassing public moments, and the story of the day she was horrified to learn her boyfriend could fit into her jeans, to Suzanne O'Neill at Crown, for publication in fall 2011, by Richard Abate and Howard Klein at 3 Arts Entertainment (world).
MEMOIR...
Olympic gold medal gymnast Dominique Moceanu's OFF BALANCE, revealing the often-dark underbelly of Olympic gymnastics, her controversial "divorce" from her parents at age 17 -- and the recent shocking revelation that forced her to reexamine everything she thought she knew about her family and the sport she loves, to Michelle Howry at Touchstone Fireside, for publication in 2012, by Stephanie Abou at Foundry Literary + Media.
Figure-skating champion (and star of a reality show on the Sundance Channel) Johnny Weir's collection of entertaining anecdotes and essays about "everything from pop culture to skating to fashion to Johnny himself," to Jennifer Bergstrom at Gallery, for publication in January 2011, by Dan Strone at Trident Media Group (world).
Singer Susan Boyle's THE WOMAN I WAS BORN TO BE, about her unlikely journey to stardom, to Atria, by Richard Pine at Inkwell Management, and to Transworld in the UK, for publication in fall 2010, by Mark Lucas at Lucas Alexander Whitley.
NARRATIVE...
Roseanne Montillo's THE LADY AND HER MONSTERS, pitched as in the tradition of The Professor and the Madman, about the creation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, combining literary history with the story of the real life occultists and mad scientists who inspired Shelley to write her gothic masterpiece, to Henry Ferris at William Morrow, in a pre-empt, by Jake Bauman at Rob Weisbach Creative Management (NA).
Foreign: Jenny Meyer Literary Agency
Wrap...
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
A Selection of Good Books Coming...
From Publishers Lunch Weekly...
FICTION
DEBUT...
Zoetrope All-Story Short Fiction Contest winner Bernie McGill's first novel THE BUTTERFLY CABINET, based on a true event, revealing what really happened on the last day in the life of 4-year-old girl, from the alternating points of view of her mother, accused of killing her, and a former nanny who wants to unburden herself of a 70-year secret, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, for publication in summer 2011, by Anna Stein on behalf of Clare Alexander at Aitken Alexander Associates (NA).
Matthew Olshan's MARSHLANDS, a tale of occupation, assimilation and treason pitched as in the tradition of Coetzee's WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS, beginning with a doctor's release from prison and moving backward in time to discover the nature of his crime, to Courtney Hodell at Farrar, Straus, by Seth Fishman at Sterling Lord Literistic (World).
Len Rosen's ALL CRY CHAOS, in which an aging interpol agent is investigating the bizarre murder of a famous Harvard mathematician and the confounding equation he left behind when a terrifying Bosnian war criminal exacts revenge from behind bars at the Hague and has his men hunt down his family, testing him like Job, until he begins to wonder if the cases are connected by a higher power, to Martin Shepard at The Permanent Press, by Eve Bridburg and Todd Shuster at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (World).
PARANORMAL:
Julie Kenner, writing as J.K. Beck's books four through six in her soon-to-be-published Shadow Keeper series of paranormal romances about an age-old judicial system that is hidden within and mirrors our own, to Shauna Summers at Bantam Dell, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group (world).
THRILLER:
Kate Taylor's A MAN IN UNIFORM, a historical thriller novel set in 19th century Paris, told against the backdrop of a country struggling to redefine itself after the Dreyfus Affair scandal, to John Glusman at Harmony, for publication in December 2010, by Dean Cooke at The Cooke Agency (US).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Alison Pick's FAR TO GO, an epic historical novel set during the lead-up to Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia and the fate of one Jewish family, to Claire Wachtel at Harper Perennial, by Barbara Howson at House of Anansi Press.
Author of Bound South and A Soft Place to Land Susan Rebecca White's A PLACE AT THE TABLE, set in New York and Atlanta about the literary and culinary vanguards of those cities in the twentieth century, to Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside, in a two-book deal, by Rebecca Oliver at William Morris Endeavor (World English).
Filmmaker John Sayles' long-shopped long historical novel, SOME TIME IN THE SUN, set during the U.S. occupation of the Phillippines at the turn of the twentieth century, to Dave Eggers at McSweeney's, in a nice deal, for publication in Fall 2011, by Anthony Arnove at Roam Agency (world English).
Paul Harding's ENON, set in the same fictional town as his Pulitzer-winning TINKERS, to Susan Kamil for Random House, at auction, sold at the end of 2009, in a two-book deal, by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group (US).
UK CHILDREN'S:
Elizabeth George's first series for young adults, starting with THE EDGE OF NOWHERE, to Tim Hely-Hutchinson at Hachette UK, for four books, for publication beginning in 2011, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (UK/Commonwealth).
NONFICTION
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson's THE NEW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, the story of how entrepreneurs are using web principles to rejuvenate manufacturing - and the economy - through open source, custom-fabrication and do-it-yourself design, predicting that we are about to see the collective potential of a million garage tinkerers unleashed on global markets, to John Mahaney at Crown, by John Brockman of Brockman (NA).
Business school professor and Deadhead Barry Barnes's MANAGEMENT SECRETS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD, analyzing the band's remarkable thirty-year career, particularly their influence on the business world and the ways in which they pioneered ideas and practices that were subsequently embraced by corporate America, with an introduction by Grateful Dead songwriter John Perry Barlow, to Sara Weiss at Business Plus, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Howard Yoon of the Gail Ross Literary Agency.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
What's the Matter with Kansas? and The Wrecking Crew author Thomas Frank's untitled book about the resurgence of conservatism in 2010, explaining how the right positioned itself to profit from the economic crisis, why it has flourished despite its discredited ideology, and what its revival means for America's future, to Sara Bershtel at Metropolitan, by Joe Spieler at The Spieler Agency (World).
MEMOIR:
73 year-old Kenyan conservationist, Dame Daphne Sheldrick's AN AFRICAN LOVE STORY, focused on the love story in the 1950s and 1960s between her and David Sheldrick, the charismatic wildlife campaigner for whom Dame Daphne left her then husband, to Eric Chinski at Farrar, Straus, and to Venetia Butterfield at Viking UK, in a pre-empt, by Patrick Walsh at Conville & Walsh.
German rights to Goldmann, in a pre-empt, and Dutch rights to De Boekerij, in a pre-empt.
Film rights sold previously to Peter Guber at Mandalay for Warner, with Walter Salles to direct, and the Imax rights sold separately to Imax, who start filming this summer in Kenya.
NARRATIVE:
GQ and Wired writer Jason Fagone's GENIUS IS NOT A PLAN, a narrative about four teams furiously competing to win the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize for the design of a clean, production-capable car that gets more than 100 mpg, also offering a look at the past and future of automotive innovation; the engineering of cars; and the archetype of the classic American inventor, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
Foreign: kschulze@randomhouse.com
Jen Lin-Liu's GREAT NOODLE BAZAAR, a personal narrative arguing that the culinary exchanges along the Silk Road are not only the earliest examples of globalization, but more important, proof that the borders between Asia and Europe are more fluid than those created by nations, to Becky Saletan at Riverhead, by Chris Calhoun at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
SCIENCE:
Dr. Norman Doidge's follow up to THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF, in which this expert on brain plasticity tells miraculous stories that further illustrate the brain is not hard-wired as previously thought, but flexible and dynamic, to Clare Ferraro at Viking, with Jim Silberman editing, for publication in 2013, by Chris Calhoun at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
Wrap...
FICTION
DEBUT...
Zoetrope All-Story Short Fiction Contest winner Bernie McGill's first novel THE BUTTERFLY CABINET, based on a true event, revealing what really happened on the last day in the life of 4-year-old girl, from the alternating points of view of her mother, accused of killing her, and a former nanny who wants to unburden herself of a 70-year secret, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, for publication in summer 2011, by Anna Stein on behalf of Clare Alexander at Aitken Alexander Associates (NA).
Matthew Olshan's MARSHLANDS, a tale of occupation, assimilation and treason pitched as in the tradition of Coetzee's WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS, beginning with a doctor's release from prison and moving backward in time to discover the nature of his crime, to Courtney Hodell at Farrar, Straus, by Seth Fishman at Sterling Lord Literistic (World).
Len Rosen's ALL CRY CHAOS, in which an aging interpol agent is investigating the bizarre murder of a famous Harvard mathematician and the confounding equation he left behind when a terrifying Bosnian war criminal exacts revenge from behind bars at the Hague and has his men hunt down his family, testing him like Job, until he begins to wonder if the cases are connected by a higher power, to Martin Shepard at The Permanent Press, by Eve Bridburg and Todd Shuster at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (World).
PARANORMAL:
Julie Kenner, writing as J.K. Beck's books four through six in her soon-to-be-published Shadow Keeper series of paranormal romances about an age-old judicial system that is hidden within and mirrors our own, to Shauna Summers at Bantam Dell, by Kimberly Whalen at Trident Media Group (world).
THRILLER:
Kate Taylor's A MAN IN UNIFORM, a historical thriller novel set in 19th century Paris, told against the backdrop of a country struggling to redefine itself after the Dreyfus Affair scandal, to John Glusman at Harmony, for publication in December 2010, by Dean Cooke at The Cooke Agency (US).
GENERAL/OTHER:
Alison Pick's FAR TO GO, an epic historical novel set during the lead-up to Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia and the fate of one Jewish family, to Claire Wachtel at Harper Perennial, by Barbara Howson at House of Anansi Press.
Author of Bound South and A Soft Place to Land Susan Rebecca White's A PLACE AT THE TABLE, set in New York and Atlanta about the literary and culinary vanguards of those cities in the twentieth century, to Trish Todd at Touchstone Fireside, in a two-book deal, by Rebecca Oliver at William Morris Endeavor (World English).
Filmmaker John Sayles' long-shopped long historical novel, SOME TIME IN THE SUN, set during the U.S. occupation of the Phillippines at the turn of the twentieth century, to Dave Eggers at McSweeney's, in a nice deal, for publication in Fall 2011, by Anthony Arnove at Roam Agency (world English).
Paul Harding's ENON, set in the same fictional town as his Pulitzer-winning TINKERS, to Susan Kamil for Random House, at auction, sold at the end of 2009, in a two-book deal, by Ellen Levine at Trident Media Group (US).
UK CHILDREN'S:
Elizabeth George's first series for young adults, starting with THE EDGE OF NOWHERE, to Tim Hely-Hutchinson at Hachette UK, for four books, for publication beginning in 2011, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group (UK/Commonwealth).
NONFICTION
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Wired magazine editor Chris Anderson's THE NEW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, the story of how entrepreneurs are using web principles to rejuvenate manufacturing - and the economy - through open source, custom-fabrication and do-it-yourself design, predicting that we are about to see the collective potential of a million garage tinkerers unleashed on global markets, to John Mahaney at Crown, by John Brockman of Brockman (NA).
Business school professor and Deadhead Barry Barnes's MANAGEMENT SECRETS OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD, analyzing the band's remarkable thirty-year career, particularly their influence on the business world and the ways in which they pioneered ideas and practices that were subsequently embraced by corporate America, with an introduction by Grateful Dead songwriter John Perry Barlow, to Sara Weiss at Business Plus, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, by Howard Yoon of the Gail Ross Literary Agency.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:
What's the Matter with Kansas? and The Wrecking Crew author Thomas Frank's untitled book about the resurgence of conservatism in 2010, explaining how the right positioned itself to profit from the economic crisis, why it has flourished despite its discredited ideology, and what its revival means for America's future, to Sara Bershtel at Metropolitan, by Joe Spieler at The Spieler Agency (World).
MEMOIR:
73 year-old Kenyan conservationist, Dame Daphne Sheldrick's AN AFRICAN LOVE STORY, focused on the love story in the 1950s and 1960s between her and David Sheldrick, the charismatic wildlife campaigner for whom Dame Daphne left her then husband, to Eric Chinski at Farrar, Straus, and to Venetia Butterfield at Viking UK, in a pre-empt, by Patrick Walsh at Conville & Walsh.
German rights to Goldmann, in a pre-empt, and Dutch rights to De Boekerij, in a pre-empt.
Film rights sold previously to Peter Guber at Mandalay for Warner, with Walter Salles to direct, and the Imax rights sold separately to Imax, who start filming this summer in Kenya.
NARRATIVE:
GQ and Wired writer Jason Fagone's GENIUS IS NOT A PLAN, a narrative about four teams furiously competing to win the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize for the design of a clean, production-capable car that gets more than 100 mpg, also offering a look at the past and future of automotive innovation; the engineering of cars; and the archetype of the classic American inventor, to Rachel Klayman at Crown, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (world).
Foreign: kschulze@randomhouse.com
Jen Lin-Liu's GREAT NOODLE BAZAAR, a personal narrative arguing that the culinary exchanges along the Silk Road are not only the earliest examples of globalization, but more important, proof that the borders between Asia and Europe are more fluid than those created by nations, to Becky Saletan at Riverhead, by Chris Calhoun at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
SCIENCE:
Dr. Norman Doidge's follow up to THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF, in which this expert on brain plasticity tells miraculous stories that further illustrate the brain is not hard-wired as previously thought, but flexible and dynamic, to Clare Ferraro at Viking, with Jim Silberman editing, for publication in 2013, by Chris Calhoun at Sterling Lord Literistic (NA).
Wrap...
Sunday, April 18, 2010
So, Who?
This is a tough one...when Obama's term of President is up, who will we vote for? Shall we give him another term or should we choose someone else?
And who might that someone be? Who might run against Obama? Who might be willing to take on that horrendous job?
Given how things are going, it seems to me to be worth contemplating...
Wrap...
And who might that someone be? Who might run against Obama? Who might be willing to take on that horrendous job?
Given how things are going, it seems to me to be worth contemplating...
Wrap...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Peter Shurman is running against Jerry Brown....
I'd sure like to learn more from Peter Shurman (D) who is running for CA governor against Jerry Brown and the Repub candidates. He's suddenly just popped up on the scene. Had this email from him yesterday...here's part of it:
"Friends -
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for signing on to my campaign for Governor of California. The response since we launched this campaign just a little more than one week ago has been simply incredible.
We're picking up terrific press coverage, including a new Op-Ed published just moments ago, and tapping a well-spring of popular commitment to a prosperous, fair, and Democratic future for California. We're meeting with voters up and down the state, and taking part in major candidate forums. We've won our first major endorsement, from the Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles -- thank you, PDLA!
Our next big focus is the California Democratic Party Convention, this weekend in Los Angeles. It's a huge opportunity to make connections with local leaders from all over the state. We're here now busily preparing."
"Friends -
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for signing on to my campaign for Governor of California. The response since we launched this campaign just a little more than one week ago has been simply incredible.
We're picking up terrific press coverage, including a new Op-Ed published just moments ago, and tapping a well-spring of popular commitment to a prosperous, fair, and Democratic future for California. We're meeting with voters up and down the state, and taking part in major candidate forums. We've won our first major endorsement, from the Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles -- thank you, PDLA!
Our next big focus is the California Democratic Party Convention, this weekend in Los Angeles. It's a huge opportunity to make connections with local leaders from all over the state. We're here now busily preparing."
Thursday, April 08, 2010
New lawyers WORK....
Ian Graham's non-fiction book's Chapter One title is "I'm Going To Prison". And he does, but not because he's been bad.
UNBILLABLE HOURS is the true story of Graham's becoming a lawyer who, after graduating from law school, lands a job with a high-powered Los Angeles law firm. This is a place where new lawyers damned near get worked to death.
And in the process, Ian ends up with a pro bono case...and that's why the book is titled UNBILLABLE HOURS. The lawyers work for free.
So, UNBILLABLE HOURS is both a story about a new lawyer landing a job in a big firm and just what that's like, but also about what it takes to get an innocent person out of prison.
I was fascinated. The book, sent to me by its publisher, Kaplan, should be read by all law students. It's an education in itself.
Wrap...
UNBILLABLE HOURS is the true story of Graham's becoming a lawyer who, after graduating from law school, lands a job with a high-powered Los Angeles law firm. This is a place where new lawyers damned near get worked to death.
And in the process, Ian ends up with a pro bono case...and that's why the book is titled UNBILLABLE HOURS. The lawyers work for free.
So, UNBILLABLE HOURS is both a story about a new lawyer landing a job in a big firm and just what that's like, but also about what it takes to get an innocent person out of prison.
I was fascinated. The book, sent to me by its publisher, Kaplan, should be read by all law students. It's an education in itself.
Wrap...
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Soldiers Killing Themselves...Why?
From Secrecy News...
ARMY GRAPPLES WITH "EPIDEMIC" OF SUICIDES
The U.S. Army is still struggling to come to grips with the unusually high rate of suicide within its ranks.
"The Army ratios are above the national average and in some months recently, there have been more suicides in the Army than combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan," observed Nancy Youssef of McClatchy News last week. "There is no pattern to suicides. One third who commit suicide have never served in combat; another third commit suicide while in combat; and yet another third do it once they return, according to Army statistics."
Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh issued two directives on March 26 that are intended to further an understanding of the problem and to improve the availability of information to surviving family members.
Effectively immediately, all suspected suicides will be subject to an official (AR 15-6) investigation, the purpose of which is "to identify the circumstances, methods, and the contributing factors surrounding the event.... The completed investigation should provide clear, relevant, and practical recommendation(s) to prevent future suicides," according to Army Directive 2010-01 (pdf).
A second Army directive (pdf) provided guidance for reporting (and redacting) information to be provided to family members, who are to be "kept fully informed while the investigation is underway."
Although national security, third-person privacy and other FOIA-exempt information may be withheld, "the release authority cannot withhold information merely because it may be emotionally difficult for the surviving Family members to see or hear." However, "potentially upsetting information should be segregated from the body of the report and made available in a separate sealed envelope that is clearly marked as potentially upsetting information."
An updated official account of the number of Army suicides through the end of March will be published on Thursday, reported Sig Christenson of the San Antonio Express-News on April 2.
Wrap...
ARMY GRAPPLES WITH "EPIDEMIC" OF SUICIDES
The U.S. Army is still struggling to come to grips with the unusually high rate of suicide within its ranks.
"The Army ratios are above the national average and in some months recently, there have been more suicides in the Army than combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan," observed Nancy Youssef of McClatchy News last week. "There is no pattern to suicides. One third who commit suicide have never served in combat; another third commit suicide while in combat; and yet another third do it once they return, according to Army statistics."
Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh issued two directives on March 26 that are intended to further an understanding of the problem and to improve the availability of information to surviving family members.
Effectively immediately, all suspected suicides will be subject to an official (AR 15-6) investigation, the purpose of which is "to identify the circumstances, methods, and the contributing factors surrounding the event.... The completed investigation should provide clear, relevant, and practical recommendation(s) to prevent future suicides," according to Army Directive 2010-01 (pdf).
A second Army directive (pdf) provided guidance for reporting (and redacting) information to be provided to family members, who are to be "kept fully informed while the investigation is underway."
Although national security, third-person privacy and other FOIA-exempt information may be withheld, "the release authority cannot withhold information merely because it may be emotionally difficult for the surviving Family members to see or hear." However, "potentially upsetting information should be segregated from the body of the report and made available in a separate sealed envelope that is clearly marked as potentially upsetting information."
An updated official account of the number of Army suicides through the end of March will be published on Thursday, reported Sig Christenson of the San Antonio Express-News on April 2.
Wrap...
Monday, April 05, 2010
36 Dead at US Consulate After Attack...
From Stratfor:
RED ALERT: U.S. Consulate Attacked In Pakistan
April 5, 2010
Three explosions, two rocket attacks and subsequent gunfire have been reported in the near vicinity of the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 5. The attack occurred early afternoon local time when the consulate would have been full of both American and local employees. The death toll is reported at 36 but is expected to rise.
There are no assessments yet of the damage that the consulate building has sustained, but reports indicate that the explosions led to the collapse of other, adjacent buildings. Pakistani soldiers are also reported to be engaging militants in gunfire, indicating that militants are actively engaged in an attack near the area - possibly with the intention of breaching the U.S. consulate.
Many U.S. diplomatic missions (including the one in Peshawar) have a number of built in security features, such as a perimeter wall, ample stand-off distance between the buildings and the wall, reinforced concrete structure and windows and marines stationed inside to ward off attacks. While militant activity in the tribal belt of northwest Pakistan has led to regular attacks against targets of the Pakistani state, today’s assault against the consulate is an extremely rare direct attack on a U.S. target.
STRATFOR is monitoring the situation for more details. Monitor our coverage.
Wrap....
RED ALERT: U.S. Consulate Attacked In Pakistan
April 5, 2010
Three explosions, two rocket attacks and subsequent gunfire have been reported in the near vicinity of the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 5. The attack occurred early afternoon local time when the consulate would have been full of both American and local employees. The death toll is reported at 36 but is expected to rise.
There are no assessments yet of the damage that the consulate building has sustained, but reports indicate that the explosions led to the collapse of other, adjacent buildings. Pakistani soldiers are also reported to be engaging militants in gunfire, indicating that militants are actively engaged in an attack near the area - possibly with the intention of breaching the U.S. consulate.
Many U.S. diplomatic missions (including the one in Peshawar) have a number of built in security features, such as a perimeter wall, ample stand-off distance between the buildings and the wall, reinforced concrete structure and windows and marines stationed inside to ward off attacks. While militant activity in the tribal belt of northwest Pakistan has led to regular attacks against targets of the Pakistani state, today’s assault against the consulate is an extremely rare direct attack on a U.S. target.
STRATFOR is monitoring the situation for more details. Monitor our coverage.
Wrap....
Thursday, April 01, 2010
What the Public Doesn't Know About Yet...
From Secrecy News...
BIOTERRORISM, CHANGES IN THE ARCTIC, AND MORE FROM CRS
New Congressional Research Service reports obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf):
"Federal Efforts to Address the Threat of Bioterrorism: Selected Issues for Congress," March 18, 2010.
"Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress," March 30, 2010.
"Deforestation and Climate Change," March 24, 2010.
"The Impact of Major Legislation on Budget Deficits: 2001 to 2009," March 23, 2010.
"GAO Bid Protests: An Overview of Timeframes and Procedures," March 15, 2010.
"GAO Bid Protests: Trends, Analysis, and Options for Congress," February 11, 2009.
"The Future of U.S. Trade Policy: An Analysis of Issues and Options for the 111th Congress," March 24, 2010.
"Europe's Preferential Trade Agreements: Status, Content, and Implications," March 22, 2010.
"F-35 Alternate Engine Program: Background and Issues for Congress," March 22, 2010.
"Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive," April 1, 2010.
A bill on government transparency that was introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) last week would finally make all non-confidential CRS reports publicly available online. There must have been a dozen such proposals that have been introduced in Congress over the last 15 years without effect, and it is not clear whether the latest iteration will fare any better.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
Wrap...
BIOTERRORISM, CHANGES IN THE ARCTIC, AND MORE FROM CRS
New Congressional Research Service reports obtained by Secrecy News that have not been made readily available to the public include the following (all pdf):
"Federal Efforts to Address the Threat of Bioterrorism: Selected Issues for Congress," March 18, 2010.
"Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress," March 30, 2010.
"Deforestation and Climate Change," March 24, 2010.
"The Impact of Major Legislation on Budget Deficits: 2001 to 2009," March 23, 2010.
"GAO Bid Protests: An Overview of Timeframes and Procedures," March 15, 2010.
"GAO Bid Protests: Trends, Analysis, and Options for Congress," February 11, 2009.
"The Future of U.S. Trade Policy: An Analysis of Issues and Options for the 111th Congress," March 24, 2010.
"Europe's Preferential Trade Agreements: Status, Content, and Implications," March 22, 2010.
"F-35 Alternate Engine Program: Background and Issues for Congress," March 22, 2010.
"Cyprus: Reunification Proving Elusive," April 1, 2010.
A bill on government transparency that was introduced by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) last week would finally make all non-confidential CRS reports publicly available online. There must have been a dozen such proposals that have been introduced in Congress over the last 15 years without effect, and it is not clear whether the latest iteration will fare any better.
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, go to:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/subscribe.html
Wrap...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Rove on Book Tour....
From JJ in San Diego:
Even better: Karl Rove is at Warwick's signing books tonight. Long line of people, many protesters, several police watching everyone. Looks like they're only letting people in 1 or 2 at a time for their moment with the anointed one. And right in front of the door stand two women on the sidewalk holding a big sign with bold letters: JAIL THE TURD
I about fell outta the chair!
Note: Warwicks Bookstore is in La Jolla.
Wrap...
Even better: Karl Rove is at Warwick's signing books tonight. Long line of people, many protesters, several police watching everyone. Looks like they're only letting people in 1 or 2 at a time for their moment with the anointed one. And right in front of the door stand two women on the sidewalk holding a big sign with bold letters: JAIL THE TURD
I about fell outta the chair!
Note: Warwicks Bookstore is in La Jolla.
Wrap...
Monday, March 29, 2010
Patriot Act Illegal...
From Secrecy News...
WYDEN: PATRIOT ACT SECRECY IS "INTOLERABLE"
"I believe that there is a discrepancy between what most Americans believe is legal and what the government is actually doing under the Patriot Act," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in a statement last week on the Senate floor regarding reform of the Patriot Act.
"In my view, any discrepancy of this sort is intolerable and untenable, and can only be fixed by greater transparency and openness."
"Most members of the public do not expect to have detailed information about how intelligence collection is actually conducted," Sen. Wyden said, "but they do expect to understand the boundaries of what the law does and does not allow, so that they can ratify or reject the decisions that public officials make on their behalf."
Under present circumstances, Sen. Wyden said, Americans do not have an accurate perception of what the Patriot Act permits and how it is being used and, he said on Thursday, this is unacceptable.
"There is key information that is relevant to the debate on the Patriot Act that is currently classified. Over the past two and a half years, I have pressed the executive branch to declassify this information in a responsible way, so that members of Congress and the public can have an informed debate about what the law should actually be."
In partial response, he said, the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence have produced a classified account of the use of the Patriot Act that any member of Congress can now read in the intelligence committees' secure offices.
"But by itself this step does not go nearly far enough," he said. "It is just as essential for the public to have this information as well."
Among other things, Sen. Wyden noted that the so-called "business records" provision of the Patriot Act (Section 215) actually applies to collection of "any tangible thing," which means that "it covers things like blood or tissue samples as well."
Wrap...
WYDEN: PATRIOT ACT SECRECY IS "INTOLERABLE"
"I believe that there is a discrepancy between what most Americans believe is legal and what the government is actually doing under the Patriot Act," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in a statement last week on the Senate floor regarding reform of the Patriot Act.
"In my view, any discrepancy of this sort is intolerable and untenable, and can only be fixed by greater transparency and openness."
"Most members of the public do not expect to have detailed information about how intelligence collection is actually conducted," Sen. Wyden said, "but they do expect to understand the boundaries of what the law does and does not allow, so that they can ratify or reject the decisions that public officials make on their behalf."
Under present circumstances, Sen. Wyden said, Americans do not have an accurate perception of what the Patriot Act permits and how it is being used and, he said on Thursday, this is unacceptable.
"There is key information that is relevant to the debate on the Patriot Act that is currently classified. Over the past two and a half years, I have pressed the executive branch to declassify this information in a responsible way, so that members of Congress and the public can have an informed debate about what the law should actually be."
In partial response, he said, the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence have produced a classified account of the use of the Patriot Act that any member of Congress can now read in the intelligence committees' secure offices.
"But by itself this step does not go nearly far enough," he said. "It is just as essential for the public to have this information as well."
Among other things, Sen. Wyden noted that the so-called "business records" provision of the Patriot Act (Section 215) actually applies to collection of "any tangible thing," which means that "it covers things like blood or tissue samples as well."
Wrap...
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tough On Journalists...
From Secrecy News...
THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND "NEWSGATHERING CRIMES"
It might be pleasant for writers and publishers to suppose that First Amendment principles of freedom of speech and freedom of the press are absolute and will prevail in every circumstance. But that is clearly not the case.
For one thing, the Supreme Court has specifically excluded obscenity, child pornography, and certain other forms of communication from First Amendment protections. (See "Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment" (pdf), Congressional Research Service, updated October 16, 2009.) Moreover, courts have repeatedly upheld the constitutionality of prohibitions in the Espionage Act against the unauthorized disclosure of certain types of classified information (most recently in a 2006 ruling [pdf] in the AIPAC case, USA v. Rosen and Weissman).
The intersection of national security law and ordinary newsgathering remains a bit murky, and is contested in some quarters even where it is fairly clear. Although "the right of the press to publish confidential information is well established, [t]here is... a paucity of constitutional doctrine protecting newsgathering activities that seek the leaking of confidential information," according to a recent law review article.
"Ethics codes for news organizations state that reporters must not commit crimes such as trespassing or stealing information but are silent on inchoate crimes such as solicitation," wrote Prof. William E. Lee of the University of Georgia last year. "And while news organizations have elaborate rules about relations with confidential sources, they do not address the propriety of promising confidentiality as an inducement to the disclosure of classified information."
"Although there are practical and political difficulties in prosecuting reporters for solicitation or conspiracy, there is little First Amendment precedent in support of the argument that reporters should be exempt from generally applicable criminal laws." See "Probing Secrets: The Press and Inchoate Liability for Newsgathering Crimes" (purchase req'd) by William E. Lee, American Journal of Criminal Law, vol. 36, no. 2, Spring 2009.
The longstanding conflict over press publication of national security information is revisited in the forthcoming book "Necessary Secrets" by Gabriel Schoenfeld (Norton Books, May 2010).
Wrap...
THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND "NEWSGATHERING CRIMES"
It might be pleasant for writers and publishers to suppose that First Amendment principles of freedom of speech and freedom of the press are absolute and will prevail in every circumstance. But that is clearly not the case.
For one thing, the Supreme Court has specifically excluded obscenity, child pornography, and certain other forms of communication from First Amendment protections. (See "Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment" (pdf), Congressional Research Service, updated October 16, 2009.) Moreover, courts have repeatedly upheld the constitutionality of prohibitions in the Espionage Act against the unauthorized disclosure of certain types of classified information (most recently in a 2006 ruling [pdf] in the AIPAC case, USA v. Rosen and Weissman).
The intersection of national security law and ordinary newsgathering remains a bit murky, and is contested in some quarters even where it is fairly clear. Although "the right of the press to publish confidential information is well established, [t]here is... a paucity of constitutional doctrine protecting newsgathering activities that seek the leaking of confidential information," according to a recent law review article.
"Ethics codes for news organizations state that reporters must not commit crimes such as trespassing or stealing information but are silent on inchoate crimes such as solicitation," wrote Prof. William E. Lee of the University of Georgia last year. "And while news organizations have elaborate rules about relations with confidential sources, they do not address the propriety of promising confidentiality as an inducement to the disclosure of classified information."
"Although there are practical and political difficulties in prosecuting reporters for solicitation or conspiracy, there is little First Amendment precedent in support of the argument that reporters should be exempt from generally applicable criminal laws." See "Probing Secrets: The Press and Inchoate Liability for Newsgathering Crimes" (purchase req'd) by William E. Lee, American Journal of Criminal Law, vol. 36, no. 2, Spring 2009.
The longstanding conflict over press publication of national security information is revisited in the forthcoming book "Necessary Secrets" by Gabriel Schoenfeld (Norton Books, May 2010).
Wrap...
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Books Arriving In 1011....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly....
FICTION..
DEBUT:
Sarah Jio's THE WATERS OF MARCH, in which a bestselling novelist whose life has fallen into disarray takes refuge on Bainbridge Island at the home of a beloved aunt who is the unwitting custodian of a long-lost manuscript that may reveal much about her past and could alter her future, to Denise Roy at Plume, at auction, by Elisabeth Weed at Weed Literary (NA).
UK and translation: jenny@meyerlit.com
GENERAL/OTHER:
Susan Woodring's GOLIATH, focusing on the interior lives of a clutch of the town's citizens, including the scion of the furniture business, whose suicide sets the events of the book in motion, and his secretary and one-time lover, whose relationships with her boss, daughter and a gentleman friend animate this novel pitched as comparing well to Annie Dillard and Elizabeth Strout, to Elizabeth Beier at St. Martin's, in a pre-empt, in a nice deal, by Peter Steinberg at The Steinberg Agency (world English).
Author of LIFE AS I KNOW IT Melanie Rose's COMING HOME, pitched as in the vein of Cecilia Ahern and Allison Winn Scotch, about a woman who sparks a second chance at life for a young widower when she's stranded at his house during a blizzard along with his mute six-year-old daughter -- who suddenly begins to speak again, to Caitlin Alexander at Random House Trade Paperbacks, by Valerie Borchardt at Georges Borchardt (US).
CHILDREN'S/MIDDLE GRADE:
John Grisham's THEODORE BOONE: Kid Lawyer, about a 13-year-old, amateur attorney who unwittingly becomes involved in a high-profile murder trial, plus a second in the series, to Don Weisberg and Julie Strauss-Gabel at Penguin Children's, for publication on May 25, 2010, and again in 2011, by David Gernert at The Gernert Company.
UK rights following longtime editor Oliver Johnson to Hodder & Stoughton, for publication on June 10, 2010.
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Mark Lamster's PHILIP JOHNSON: Architect of the Modern Century, moving to Michael Sand at Little, Brown, at auction, by Sarah Burnes at The Gernert Company (world).
Rights: Tracy.Williams@hbgusa.com
Guggenheim fellow and professor at University of Nebraska Lincoln Rhonda Garelick's exploration of Coco Chanel, ANTIGONE IN VOGUE, capturing not only the story of Chanel's life and loves but her impact on 20th century culture, as well as the cultural and political forces that shaped her, to Jennifer Hershey at Random House, by Scott Moyers of The Wylie Agency (NA).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Lisa Gansky's THE MESH: WHY THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS IS SHARING, explaining how a new and disruptive model for commerce---sharing rather than owning---is turning the business world inside out and how companies can operate, create value, and effectively compete within this new framework, to Courtney Young at Portfolio, on an exclusive submission, by Lisa DiMona at Lark Productions.
HISTORY/POLITICS/WORLD AFFAIRS:
Associated Press correspondent Kevin Maurer's THE QUIET PROFESSIONALS, an inside look at Special Forces in action in southern Afghanistan, to Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
MEMOIR:
Oprah.com producer Rachel Bertsche's MWF SEEKING BFF, chronicling the author's search for a new best friend after she moves to Chicago for love, and the many discoveries she makes while embarking on 52 girl-dates over the course of a year, to Jennifer Smith at Ballantine Trade Paperbacks, by Alison Schwartz at ICM (World).
NARRATIVE:
New York magazine executive editor John Homans'sWHAT'S A DOG FOR?: What the Changing Human-Canine Relationship Tells Us about Who We Are, a narrative exploration of the co-evolution of man and dog, combining first-person reportage, memoir, and state-of-the-art "dog science" research to understand the dog as an artifact of human culture, and to trace the progression of the dog from its rural past to its urban present and future, to Colin Dickerman at Rodale, at auction, by David Kuhn at Kuhn Projects (NA).
POP CULTURE:
Journalist Richard Rushfield's AMERICAN IDOL, a look behind the scenes at the tumultuous ten year history of America's most popular television show, to Elisabeth Dyssegaard at Hyperion, with Brenda Copeland editing, for publication in January 2011, by Daniel Greenberg at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (world).
Wrap....
FICTION..
DEBUT:
Sarah Jio's THE WATERS OF MARCH, in which a bestselling novelist whose life has fallen into disarray takes refuge on Bainbridge Island at the home of a beloved aunt who is the unwitting custodian of a long-lost manuscript that may reveal much about her past and could alter her future, to Denise Roy at Plume, at auction, by Elisabeth Weed at Weed Literary (NA).
UK and translation: jenny@meyerlit.com
GENERAL/OTHER:
Susan Woodring's GOLIATH, focusing on the interior lives of a clutch of the town's citizens, including the scion of the furniture business, whose suicide sets the events of the book in motion, and his secretary and one-time lover, whose relationships with her boss, daughter and a gentleman friend animate this novel pitched as comparing well to Annie Dillard and Elizabeth Strout, to Elizabeth Beier at St. Martin's, in a pre-empt, in a nice deal, by Peter Steinberg at The Steinberg Agency (world English).
Author of LIFE AS I KNOW IT Melanie Rose's COMING HOME, pitched as in the vein of Cecilia Ahern and Allison Winn Scotch, about a woman who sparks a second chance at life for a young widower when she's stranded at his house during a blizzard along with his mute six-year-old daughter -- who suddenly begins to speak again, to Caitlin Alexander at Random House Trade Paperbacks, by Valerie Borchardt at Georges Borchardt (US).
CHILDREN'S/MIDDLE GRADE:
John Grisham's THEODORE BOONE: Kid Lawyer, about a 13-year-old, amateur attorney who unwittingly becomes involved in a high-profile murder trial, plus a second in the series, to Don Weisberg and Julie Strauss-Gabel at Penguin Children's, for publication on May 25, 2010, and again in 2011, by David Gernert at The Gernert Company.
UK rights following longtime editor Oliver Johnson to Hodder & Stoughton, for publication on June 10, 2010.
NONFICTION...
BIOGRAPHY:
Mark Lamster's PHILIP JOHNSON: Architect of the Modern Century, moving to Michael Sand at Little, Brown, at auction, by Sarah Burnes at The Gernert Company (world).
Rights: Tracy.Williams@hbgusa.com
Guggenheim fellow and professor at University of Nebraska Lincoln Rhonda Garelick's exploration of Coco Chanel, ANTIGONE IN VOGUE, capturing not only the story of Chanel's life and loves but her impact on 20th century culture, as well as the cultural and political forces that shaped her, to Jennifer Hershey at Random House, by Scott Moyers of The Wylie Agency (NA).
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:
Lisa Gansky's THE MESH: WHY THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS IS SHARING, explaining how a new and disruptive model for commerce---sharing rather than owning---is turning the business world inside out and how companies can operate, create value, and effectively compete within this new framework, to Courtney Young at Portfolio, on an exclusive submission, by Lisa DiMona at Lark Productions.
HISTORY/POLITICS/WORLD AFFAIRS:
Associated Press correspondent Kevin Maurer's THE QUIET PROFESSIONALS, an inside look at Special Forces in action in southern Afghanistan, to Natalee Rosenstein at Berkley, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.
MEMOIR:
Oprah.com producer Rachel Bertsche's MWF SEEKING BFF, chronicling the author's search for a new best friend after she moves to Chicago for love, and the many discoveries she makes while embarking on 52 girl-dates over the course of a year, to Jennifer Smith at Ballantine Trade Paperbacks, by Alison Schwartz at ICM (World).
NARRATIVE:
New York magazine executive editor John Homans'sWHAT'S A DOG FOR?: What the Changing Human-Canine Relationship Tells Us about Who We Are, a narrative exploration of the co-evolution of man and dog, combining first-person reportage, memoir, and state-of-the-art "dog science" research to understand the dog as an artifact of human culture, and to trace the progression of the dog from its rural past to its urban present and future, to Colin Dickerman at Rodale, at auction, by David Kuhn at Kuhn Projects (NA).
POP CULTURE:
Journalist Richard Rushfield's AMERICAN IDOL, a look behind the scenes at the tumultuous ten year history of America's most popular television show, to Elisabeth Dyssegaard at Hyperion, with Brenda Copeland editing, for publication in January 2011, by Daniel Greenberg at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency (world).
Wrap....
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
The Army & Cyberspace...
From Secrecy News...
ARMY FORESEES "PERPETUAL TURBULENCE" IN CYBERSPACE
U.S. Army doctrine (pdf) published last week anticipates an increasingly unstable information environment that may challenge Army operations and test national capabilities.
"Unprecedented levels of adverse activity in and through cyberspace threaten the integrity of United States critical infrastructure, financial systems, and elements of national power. These threats range from unwitting hackers to nation-states, each at various levels of competence. Collectively, the threats create a condition of perpetual turbulence without traditional end states or resolution."
Under prevailing circumstances, the Army says, "Notions of 'dominating' cyberspace are simplistic and unrealistic. A realistic and meaningful goal is to achieve and maintain freedom of action in and through cyberspace while being able to affect that of the adversaries."
The Army's assessment and proposed response are described in "Cyberspace Operations Concept Capability Plan 2016-2028," TRADOC Pamphlet 525-7-8, February 22, 2010.
Wrap...
ARMY FORESEES "PERPETUAL TURBULENCE" IN CYBERSPACE
U.S. Army doctrine (pdf) published last week anticipates an increasingly unstable information environment that may challenge Army operations and test national capabilities.
"Unprecedented levels of adverse activity in and through cyberspace threaten the integrity of United States critical infrastructure, financial systems, and elements of national power. These threats range from unwitting hackers to nation-states, each at various levels of competence. Collectively, the threats create a condition of perpetual turbulence without traditional end states or resolution."
Under prevailing circumstances, the Army says, "Notions of 'dominating' cyberspace are simplistic and unrealistic. A realistic and meaningful goal is to achieve and maintain freedom of action in and through cyberspace while being able to affect that of the adversaries."
The Army's assessment and proposed response are described in "Cyberspace Operations Concept Capability Plan 2016-2028," TRADOC Pamphlet 525-7-8, February 22, 2010.
Wrap...
Monday, March 01, 2010
Caught My Attention...
*Repub Senator, Jim Bunning, from Kentucky had no qualms about cutting off unemployment benefits for 1.2 million jobless people. And had the nerve to follow up with this comment: "Tough shit." A friend from Arkansas, hearing this, asked, "Does he want to get shot?" Guess not. He hasn't gone anywhere near Kentucky since doing his dastardly deed.
*The 8.8 earthquake that just hit Chili literally moved the earth to the point that we have a shorter day. Not much shorter, but still....
*Skip Jurus has been a doorman at the San Diego Convention Center for 20 years and has shaken the hands of 11 million people from all over the world. Last Thurs evening, he was honored with a top award at the annual meeting of the Hotel & Motel Assn. International: The James V Cunningham Award for Personalized Service.
Wrap...
*The 8.8 earthquake that just hit Chili literally moved the earth to the point that we have a shorter day. Not much shorter, but still....
*Skip Jurus has been a doorman at the San Diego Convention Center for 20 years and has shaken the hands of 11 million people from all over the world. Last Thurs evening, he was honored with a top award at the annual meeting of the Hotel & Motel Assn. International: The James V Cunningham Award for Personalized Service.
Wrap...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Justice Dept on FISA....
From Secrecy News...
SOME BELATED ANSWERS ON ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE
The Justice Department has released its responses to questions (pdf) originally posed by the House Judiciary Committee in 2007 about the Department's views on the legal framework governing electronic surveillance under the amended Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
In questions for the record from a September 18, 2007 hearing, House Committee members probed the potential use of electronic surveillance against U.S. persons, the exclusivity of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the claimed scope of independent presidential authority, and the basis for mandating telecommunication carrier immunity.
"If the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) was perfectly legal as has been claimed, why would companies who cooperated in it need immunity?" the Committee asked. (To protect classified information, among other reasons, the Department responded.) "Is the President free to disregard any provisions of FISA with which he disagrees?" (No, not exactly.) "If an individual in the United States is suspected of working in collusion with persons outside the United States--such that an investigation of one is in effect the investigation of the other--under what circumstances, generally, would you use criminal or other FISA wiretaps?" (Targeting of persons in the United States can only be done under FISA procedures.)
The Committee hearing volume (pdf) was published in June 2008 without the Justice Department's answers to these questions, because they were provided to Congress too late to be included in the published record. A copy of the answers was released last week under the Freedom of Information Act.
Wrap...
SOME BELATED ANSWERS ON ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE
The Justice Department has released its responses to questions (pdf) originally posed by the House Judiciary Committee in 2007 about the Department's views on the legal framework governing electronic surveillance under the amended Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
In questions for the record from a September 18, 2007 hearing, House Committee members probed the potential use of electronic surveillance against U.S. persons, the exclusivity of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the claimed scope of independent presidential authority, and the basis for mandating telecommunication carrier immunity.
"If the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP) was perfectly legal as has been claimed, why would companies who cooperated in it need immunity?" the Committee asked. (To protect classified information, among other reasons, the Department responded.) "Is the President free to disregard any provisions of FISA with which he disagrees?" (No, not exactly.) "If an individual in the United States is suspected of working in collusion with persons outside the United States--such that an investigation of one is in effect the investigation of the other--under what circumstances, generally, would you use criminal or other FISA wiretaps?" (Targeting of persons in the United States can only be done under FISA procedures.)
The Committee hearing volume (pdf) was published in June 2008 without the Justice Department's answers to these questions, because they were provided to Congress too late to be included in the published record. A copy of the answers was released last week under the Freedom of Information Act.
Wrap...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
My Selection of Books On the Way....
From Publishers Lunch Weekly...
FICTION:
MYSTERY/CRIME...
Gayle Trent's KILLER SWEET TOOTH, the next novel in her Kindle bestselling cozy mystery series, moving to Lauren McKenna at Gallery, in a two-book deal, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group.
SI-FI/FANTASY...
Filmmaker David Goyer and author and TV writer Michael Cassutt's sci-fi adventure trilogy, HEAVEN'S SHADOW, HEAVEN'S WAR, and HEAVEN'S FALL, about teams of astronauts sent to intercept an object hurtling toward Earth -- which is filled with alien forces, to Ginjer Buchanan at Ace, for publication beginning in July 2011, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House.
GENERAL/OTHER...
Francine Pascal's SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL, following her iconic identical blonde twins and full cast of characters into adulthood, now in their late twenties and early thirties, "where the real world intrudes," to Dan Weiss at St. Martin's (who created the original series with Pascal when he was a book packager), with Hilary Rubin Teeman editing, for publication in early 2011.
UK...
Amor Towles's debut RULES OF CIVILITY, set in New York in 1938 and telling the story of a young woman of extraordinary ability and ignominious beginnings who, armed with little more than formidable intellect, bracing wit, and uncommonly good legs, embarks on a journey through the upper echelons of a city on the brink of dramatic change in search of a future far brighter than she's been told she has the right to expect, to Jocasta Hamilton at Hodder Sceptre and to Neri Pozza, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, by Cathryn Summerhayes and Laura Bonner on behalf of Dorian Karchmar at William Morris Endeavor, who will be auctioning North American rights next week.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...
Professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and former corporate chair in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation, Bruce Hoffman's ANONYMOUS SOLDIERS: The Jewish Underground, the British Army, and the Rise of Israel about the militant factions that drove the Jewish revolt against British rule in Palestine between 1944-1948, to Andrew Miller at Knopf, on exclusive submission, by Eric Lupfer at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
Washington D.C. editor for The Nation, New America fellow, and regular MSNBC commentator Christopher Hayes's SYSTEM FAIL: The Crisis of Authority, the Decline of the Meritocracy, and the Reformation to Come, revealing the origins, effects, and scope of the crisis of authority that is crippling American politics and society, exploring the poor performance of key institutions from Wall Street to Major League Baseball to the Big Three automakers and Congress, and offering a way forward to remedy what ails us, to Vanessa Mobley at Broadway, for publication in 2012, at auction, by Will Lippincott at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (NA).
MEMOIR...
MacArthur scholar and Georgetown physics and public policy professor Dr. Francis Slakey's TO THE LAST BREATH, pitched as Into Thin Air meets Three Cups of Tea, a memoir of the distinguished scientist's quest to summit the highest mountain on every continent and surf every ocean -- and how this pursuit challenged his fiercely ingrained scientific beliefs, inspired a new understanding of human interdependence, and deepened his humanity, to David Rosenthal and Priscilla Painton at Simon & Schuster, by Rob Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management (NA).
Anna Goldsworthy's PIANO LESSONS, a memoir of the extraordinary teacher who brought a respect for life, a generous spirit, and a love of music into a nine-year-old's world, and gave her the courage to embrace the musical life as she discovers passion and ambition, confronts doubt and disappointment, and learns about much more than tone and technique -- a story for anyone who has ever loved a teacher, to Nichole Argyres at St. Martin's, by Sophy Williams at Black Inc. (NA; UK).
The Tennessee couple who adopted Michael Oher (subject of Michael Lewis's The Blind Side), Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy's book about the power of giving, to Steve Rubin at Holt, for publication in summer 2010.
SCIENCE...
Author of KLUGE and Director of the NYU Center for Child Language, Gary Marcus's GUITAR ZERO, pitched as in the tradition of THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC, Marcus becomes his own subject in the quest to create and map the neuromuscular aspects of musicianship, to Ginny Smith at the Penguin Press, for publication in 2011, by Daniel Greenberg of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.
Forbes senior reporter David Randall's DREAMLAND: Adventures in the Strange World of Sleep, an entertaining exploration into the rich, complex realm of sleep science, to Jill Bialosky at Norton, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (World English)
SPORTS...
Tennis Magazine executive editor Stephen Tignor's THE END OF THE EARTH: Borg, McEnroe, Connors, and the Final Days of Tennis' Golden Age, a chronicle of how a bunch of free-spirited but ferocious rivals took the sport farther from its gentlemanly roots than anyone thought possible and gave it a mystique that has never been equaled since, to David Hirshey at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Amy Rennert of the Amy Rennert Agency (World).
Wrap....
FICTION:
MYSTERY/CRIME...
Gayle Trent's KILLER SWEET TOOTH, the next novel in her Kindle bestselling cozy mystery series, moving to Lauren McKenna at Gallery, in a two-book deal, by Robert Gottlieb at Trident Media Group.
SI-FI/FANTASY...
Filmmaker David Goyer and author and TV writer Michael Cassutt's sci-fi adventure trilogy, HEAVEN'S SHADOW, HEAVEN'S WAR, and HEAVEN'S FALL, about teams of astronauts sent to intercept an object hurtling toward Earth -- which is filled with alien forces, to Ginjer Buchanan at Ace, for publication beginning in July 2011, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House.
GENERAL/OTHER...
Francine Pascal's SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL, following her iconic identical blonde twins and full cast of characters into adulthood, now in their late twenties and early thirties, "where the real world intrudes," to Dan Weiss at St. Martin's (who created the original series with Pascal when he was a book packager), with Hilary Rubin Teeman editing, for publication in early 2011.
UK...
Amor Towles's debut RULES OF CIVILITY, set in New York in 1938 and telling the story of a young woman of extraordinary ability and ignominious beginnings who, armed with little more than formidable intellect, bracing wit, and uncommonly good legs, embarks on a journey through the upper echelons of a city on the brink of dramatic change in search of a future far brighter than she's been told she has the right to expect, to Jocasta Hamilton at Hodder Sceptre and to Neri Pozza, in a major deal, in a pre-empt, by Cathryn Summerhayes and Laura Bonner on behalf of Dorian Karchmar at William Morris Endeavor, who will be auctioning North American rights next week.
HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS...
Professor at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and former corporate chair in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation, Bruce Hoffman's ANONYMOUS SOLDIERS: The Jewish Underground, the British Army, and the Rise of Israel about the militant factions that drove the Jewish revolt against British rule in Palestine between 1944-1948, to Andrew Miller at Knopf, on exclusive submission, by Eric Lupfer at William Morris Endeavor (NA).
Washington D.C. editor for The Nation, New America fellow, and regular MSNBC commentator Christopher Hayes's SYSTEM FAIL: The Crisis of Authority, the Decline of the Meritocracy, and the Reformation to Come, revealing the origins, effects, and scope of the crisis of authority that is crippling American politics and society, exploring the poor performance of key institutions from Wall Street to Major League Baseball to the Big Three automakers and Congress, and offering a way forward to remedy what ails us, to Vanessa Mobley at Broadway, for publication in 2012, at auction, by Will Lippincott at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin (NA).
MEMOIR...
MacArthur scholar and Georgetown physics and public policy professor Dr. Francis Slakey's TO THE LAST BREATH, pitched as Into Thin Air meets Three Cups of Tea, a memoir of the distinguished scientist's quest to summit the highest mountain on every continent and surf every ocean -- and how this pursuit challenged his fiercely ingrained scientific beliefs, inspired a new understanding of human interdependence, and deepened his humanity, to David Rosenthal and Priscilla Painton at Simon & Schuster, by Rob Weisbach at Rob Weisbach Creative Management (NA).
Anna Goldsworthy's PIANO LESSONS, a memoir of the extraordinary teacher who brought a respect for life, a generous spirit, and a love of music into a nine-year-old's world, and gave her the courage to embrace the musical life as she discovers passion and ambition, confronts doubt and disappointment, and learns about much more than tone and technique -- a story for anyone who has ever loved a teacher, to Nichole Argyres at St. Martin's, by Sophy Williams at Black Inc. (NA; UK).
The Tennessee couple who adopted Michael Oher (subject of Michael Lewis's The Blind Side), Sean Tuohy and Leigh Anne Tuohy's book about the power of giving, to Steve Rubin at Holt, for publication in summer 2010.
SCIENCE...
Author of KLUGE and Director of the NYU Center for Child Language, Gary Marcus's GUITAR ZERO, pitched as in the tradition of THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC, Marcus becomes his own subject in the quest to create and map the neuromuscular aspects of musicianship, to Ginny Smith at the Penguin Press, for publication in 2011, by Daniel Greenberg of the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.
Forbes senior reporter David Randall's DREAMLAND: Adventures in the Strange World of Sleep, an entertaining exploration into the rich, complex realm of sleep science, to Jill Bialosky at Norton, by Larry Weissman at Larry Weissman Literary (World English)
SPORTS...
Tennis Magazine executive editor Stephen Tignor's THE END OF THE EARTH: Borg, McEnroe, Connors, and the Final Days of Tennis' Golden Age, a chronicle of how a bunch of free-spirited but ferocious rivals took the sport farther from its gentlemanly roots than anyone thought possible and gave it a mystique that has never been equaled since, to David Hirshey at Harper, in a pre-empt, by Amy Rennert of the Amy Rennert Agency (World).
Wrap....
Thursday, February 18, 2010
DADT...
From Keith Taylor...
Me and the Admiral
by
Keith Taylor
Admiral Mike Mullen and I have something in common. We are both Navy men of long standing. I enlisted in 1947, and made the leap from enlisted to officer in 1964. Mike became an ensign in 1968. Hey, I outranked him by half a stripe, but that was temporary. I stayed a JagGee. Mike ended up with so much gold on his sleeve I wonder how he is able to raise his arm to return a salute, and that’s a lot. He’s now the top dog in our armed forces.
But me and the Admiral have more in common than being veterans for a long time. Both of us bought the idea that homosexuality and military life were incompatible. I don’t know what they taught the plebes at Annapolis in the 60s, but the boot pushers at Great Lakes in 1947 told us those guys weren’t to be trusted or tolerated, and they were to be discharged as soon as they were caught, simple as that.
With “everybody” believing the same thing it was easy to go along. But doubt crept in. In 1964 shortly after the Navy “promoted” me from being the senior enlisted man on a ship to being the junior officer in the universe, an ensign. I was assigned to a small island far away when my skipper suddenly disappeared.
Mister Smith (not his real name) was, like me, a mustang. He was also a grouchy old goat, but he sported a chest full of ribbons gained from a long and honorable 26-years in the Navy. Ironically Smitty’s request for retirement was turned down because he was too valuable and the Navy would have to find a qualified relief. Then he made a trip to Washington to discuss a problem and we never saw him again.
Word about him filtered down the scuttlebutt pipeline slowly. Only two things are known for sure. He was caught in some sort of homosexual act and was given a choice of a general court martial or a general discharge. Some said he was so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing. If so, that didn’t matter. The rules of the Uniform Code of Military Justice were immutable. Any penetration no matter how slight was forbidden. Whether Greg penetrated or was penetrated didn’t matter. He was a goner. Twenty-six years of faithful, sometimes, cantankerous, service was wiped out by those archaic rules.
But that was a long time ago. The term “homosexual” disappeared and was replaced by the ironic term “gay.” In 1993 a new president promised to change the rules and allow gay men and women to serve in the armed forces. But it was thwarted by congress with the strong backing of the leaders of the armed forces. We ended up with don’t ask, don’t tell rule. It was a great invitation to sweep a problem, if it was a problem, under the desk.
In essence it said, our fighting men and women could be as gay as they wished as long as they didn’t tell anybody, and as long as they didn’t have sex with folks of the same sex. All sorts of sex is against the law but, some laws are more vigorously prosecuted. None more than when the word “gay” pops up.
As with so many compromises it was a complete flop. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group devoted to defending gays who are being discriminated against by the military, discharges increased 72% in the first ten years of Don’t Ask.
Now a new president is again trying to carry out a campaign policy by doing away with roadblocks to their serving. And again we hear the objections. Our local congressman, Duncan Hunter, just raised the horrible specter that rescinding the ban altogether would open the military “to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians." Not that it was a huge problem. I never took a shower with a hermaphrodite during my 22 years, nine months, and 11 days active service. Nor did I take one with a lesbian. Gays, I’m just not sure.
But the congressman seems to be on the losing side of this. A poll just out by Military Times indicates only half of its readers don’t ask compared to 63% a few years ago.
I doubt that he was polled, but my old running mate (for a short while) changed course as well. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,”
Welcome aboard the ship of common sense admiral, even if it took you a while.
Keith Taylor is a retired Navy officer living in Chula Vista. He can be reached at KRTaylorxyz@aol.com
Wrap...
Me and the Admiral
by
Keith Taylor
Admiral Mike Mullen and I have something in common. We are both Navy men of long standing. I enlisted in 1947, and made the leap from enlisted to officer in 1964. Mike became an ensign in 1968. Hey, I outranked him by half a stripe, but that was temporary. I stayed a JagGee. Mike ended up with so much gold on his sleeve I wonder how he is able to raise his arm to return a salute, and that’s a lot. He’s now the top dog in our armed forces.
But me and the Admiral have more in common than being veterans for a long time. Both of us bought the idea that homosexuality and military life were incompatible. I don’t know what they taught the plebes at Annapolis in the 60s, but the boot pushers at Great Lakes in 1947 told us those guys weren’t to be trusted or tolerated, and they were to be discharged as soon as they were caught, simple as that.
With “everybody” believing the same thing it was easy to go along. But doubt crept in. In 1964 shortly after the Navy “promoted” me from being the senior enlisted man on a ship to being the junior officer in the universe, an ensign. I was assigned to a small island far away when my skipper suddenly disappeared.
Mister Smith (not his real name) was, like me, a mustang. He was also a grouchy old goat, but he sported a chest full of ribbons gained from a long and honorable 26-years in the Navy. Ironically Smitty’s request for retirement was turned down because he was too valuable and the Navy would have to find a qualified relief. Then he made a trip to Washington to discuss a problem and we never saw him again.
Word about him filtered down the scuttlebutt pipeline slowly. Only two things are known for sure. He was caught in some sort of homosexual act and was given a choice of a general court martial or a general discharge. Some said he was so drunk he didn’t know what he was doing. If so, that didn’t matter. The rules of the Uniform Code of Military Justice were immutable. Any penetration no matter how slight was forbidden. Whether Greg penetrated or was penetrated didn’t matter. He was a goner. Twenty-six years of faithful, sometimes, cantankerous, service was wiped out by those archaic rules.
But that was a long time ago. The term “homosexual” disappeared and was replaced by the ironic term “gay.” In 1993 a new president promised to change the rules and allow gay men and women to serve in the armed forces. But it was thwarted by congress with the strong backing of the leaders of the armed forces. We ended up with don’t ask, don’t tell rule. It was a great invitation to sweep a problem, if it was a problem, under the desk.
In essence it said, our fighting men and women could be as gay as they wished as long as they didn’t tell anybody, and as long as they didn’t have sex with folks of the same sex. All sorts of sex is against the law but, some laws are more vigorously prosecuted. None more than when the word “gay” pops up.
As with so many compromises it was a complete flop. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group devoted to defending gays who are being discriminated against by the military, discharges increased 72% in the first ten years of Don’t Ask.
Now a new president is again trying to carry out a campaign policy by doing away with roadblocks to their serving. And again we hear the objections. Our local congressman, Duncan Hunter, just raised the horrible specter that rescinding the ban altogether would open the military “to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians." Not that it was a huge problem. I never took a shower with a hermaphrodite during my 22 years, nine months, and 11 days active service. Nor did I take one with a lesbian. Gays, I’m just not sure.
But the congressman seems to be on the losing side of this. A poll just out by Military Times indicates only half of its readers don’t ask compared to 63% a few years ago.
I doubt that he was polled, but my old running mate (for a short while) changed course as well. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, testified before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,”
Welcome aboard the ship of common sense admiral, even if it took you a while.
Keith Taylor is a retired Navy officer living in Chula Vista. He can be reached at KRTaylorxyz@aol.com
Wrap...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
CIA Hit List...
From Secrecy News...
NO U.S. CITIZENS ON CIA HIT LISTS
It is useful to be reminded from time to time that not every allegation or published report concerning Central Intelligence Agency operations is necessarily true.
A front-page story in the Washington Post on January 27 included the remarkable statement that "Both the CIA and the JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command of the Department of Defense] maintain lists of individuals... whom they seek to kill or capture. The JSOC list includes three Americans, including [Islamist cleric Anwar al-] Aulaqi, whose name was added late last year. As of several months ago, the CIA list included three U.S. citizens, and an intelligence official said that Aulaqi's name has now been added."
But at least the part about the CIA list turns out to be unfounded.
"The article referred incorrectly to the presence of U.S. citizens on a CIA list of people the agency seeks to kill or capture," the Washington Post said in a correction published in the February 12 edition. "After The Post's report was published, a source said that a statement the source made about the CIA list was misunderstood. Additional reporting produced no independent confirmation of the original report, and a CIA spokesman said that The Post's account of the list was incorrect. The military's Joint Special Operations Command maintains a target list that includes several Americans. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have said that the government is prepared to kill U.S. citizens who are believed to be involved in terrorist activities that threaten Americans."
The correction has been appended to the online version of the article.
On February 3, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair testified to his view that U.S. government agencies may use lethal force against U.S. citizens who are involved in terrorist activities. "We don't target people for free speech," he said. "We target them for taking action that threatens Americans."
"I'm actually a little bit surprised you went this far in open session," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) at the hearing of the House Intelligence Committee.
"The reason I went this far in open session," replied DNI Blair, "is I just don't want other Americans who are watching to think that we are careless about endangering -- in fact, we're not careless about endangering lives at all, but we especially are not careless about endangering American lives as we try to carry out the policies to protect most of the country. And I think we ought to go into details in closed session."
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
NO U.S. CITIZENS ON CIA HIT LISTS
It is useful to be reminded from time to time that not every allegation or published report concerning Central Intelligence Agency operations is necessarily true.
A front-page story in the Washington Post on January 27 included the remarkable statement that "Both the CIA and the JSOC [Joint Special Operations Command of the Department of Defense] maintain lists of individuals... whom they seek to kill or capture. The JSOC list includes three Americans, including [Islamist cleric Anwar al-] Aulaqi, whose name was added late last year. As of several months ago, the CIA list included three U.S. citizens, and an intelligence official said that Aulaqi's name has now been added."
But at least the part about the CIA list turns out to be unfounded.
"The article referred incorrectly to the presence of U.S. citizens on a CIA list of people the agency seeks to kill or capture," the Washington Post said in a correction published in the February 12 edition. "After The Post's report was published, a source said that a statement the source made about the CIA list was misunderstood. Additional reporting produced no independent confirmation of the original report, and a CIA spokesman said that The Post's account of the list was incorrect. The military's Joint Special Operations Command maintains a target list that includes several Americans. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have said that the government is prepared to kill U.S. citizens who are believed to be involved in terrorist activities that threaten Americans."
The correction has been appended to the online version of the article.
On February 3, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair testified to his view that U.S. government agencies may use lethal force against U.S. citizens who are involved in terrorist activities. "We don't target people for free speech," he said. "We target them for taking action that threatens Americans."
"I'm actually a little bit surprised you went this far in open session," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) at the hearing of the House Intelligence Committee.
"The reason I went this far in open session," replied DNI Blair, "is I just don't want other Americans who are watching to think that we are careless about endangering -- in fact, we're not careless about endangering lives at all, but we especially are not careless about endangering American lives as we try to carry out the policies to protect most of the country. And I think we ought to go into details in closed session."
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.
The Secrecy News Blog is at:
http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/
Wrap...
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