Washington Navy Shipyard: Death, Security, and Voices

What happened at the Washington Navy Shipyard yesterday morning is starting to look less like a terrorist attack, and more like what the CDC calls workplace violence:

• "Occupational Violence"
  Workplace Safety & Health Topics;
  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH);
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

After killing a dozen people, Aaron Alexis was killed in a confrontation with authorities. Families are mourning their dead, law enforcement and national security outfits are working at sorting out what happened and why, and journalists are cranking out copy for news services.¹

News and Views

I don't have a boss and a deadline, for which I'm duly grateful. I suspect that many reporters aren't as daft as their work suggests.

When your job depends on submitting a fixed number of words in less than enough time, researching a story could be difficult. Add to that the knowledge that editors expect to see 'proof' that whatever happened supports their preferred reality: I'm glad I'm not a journalist.

Happily, we no longer depend on old-school information gatekeepers. And that's another topic. (August 14, 2009)

I won't pretend to be "unbiased" in the sense of having underlying set of assumptions about reality. I do, however, try to distinguish between facts and assumptions. More topics.

He Heard Voices

It's possible that someone used Aaron Alexis, exploiting his reported mental problems. The Associated Press says he'd been treated for paranoia, had trouble sleeping and heard voices in his head. Someone like that could be encouraged to act against his own best interests.

Someone may be trying to convince others that Aaron Alexis was sent by the CIA, Big Oil, Al Qaeda, or lizard men. I don't think so, but I'm one of those folks who enjoy conspiracy theories in fiction: not as a basis for public policy

Applying Occam's Razor, I think it's much more likely that Aaron Alexis acted alone.

On the other hand, I hope that investigators are looking very carefully at Mr. Alexis' life, particularly the last few years. I don't think lizard men are behind those deaths: but as I said, someone could have used Aaron Alexis as a weapon.

Security

Aaron Alexis almost certainly got into one building using an employee pass, but had to shoot his way into another. The pass he apparently used was either his own, or one he shouldn't have had.

I've seen both possibilities reported as facts. Like I said, I don't have a boss and editors telling me what to write: so I don't know if he had a pass, and if so whose it was.

Either way, he shouldn't have been able to get onto a naval base with those weapons. Apparently employees don't have to go through a metal detector on their way in. That may have saved some money, and kept "privacy advocates" happy: but in this case it was a lethal oversight.

After what happened yesterday, it's obvious that Mr. Alexis shouldn't have been allowed into the Washington Naval Shipyard yesterday. He probably shouldn't have been allowed to get a job with a subcontractor that brought him to the base in the first place.

That's obvious today. How obvious it would have been when he was hired: I don't know.

Mr. Alexis' general discharge from the Navy was upgraded to an honorable discharge because there wasn't enough evidence backing up misconduct charges. Maybe the charges were bogus, and he really is a victim of discrimination: maybe not. I don't know.

However, if half of what's been reported about his background is accurate, Aaron Alexis shouldn't have been given clearance to work on computer upgrades at a major military base. With my background, I probably wouldn't get that sort of clearance: even if I had the necessary skills.

Computers, Guns, and Keeping Up

Since Aaron Alexis was working with The Experts on a computer upgrade, it's possible that he had the skills and access necessary to provide himself with a valid-looking employee pass that he shouldn't have had. If that's the case, The Experts, Hewlett Packard and the Pentagon should take a hard look at their security.

We use technology today that was literally science fiction in my youth. Thanks to my eclectic job history, I've kept up with most of the major developments. Folks my age, whose successful career paths led them to positions of importance? I'm not sure that some of them really understand the Information Age. Still more topics.

Unlike some of my contemporaries, I like tech: and think that people use tools to do things, not the other way around.

Technology and Free Will

I don't think guns made a sleep-deprive paranoiac kill a dozen people. Human beings were quite capable of acting badly for uncounted ages before firearms, and I think we'll continue to be trouble when an assault rifle is displayed alongside a crossbow and a palstave in some museum.

I have no problem with people using dangerous technology like LP gas, guns, or computers. I also think that every society needs to find common-sense ways to control how they're used. (June 27, 2008)

Somewhat-related posts:

• Humans
  • "Washington Navy Shipyard: Monday Morning's Off to a Bad Start"
    (September 16, 2013)
  • "Using a Machete in a Global Civilization"
    (May 23, 2013)
  • "Bombs, Berserk Vendors, and Getting a Grip"
    (January 20, 2012)
  • "Infected Killer Robots! Unstoppable Virus!! MILITARY DENIAL!!!!!!!!!? No, not exactly"
    (October 8, 2011)
  • "Norway: Oslo, the Island of Utoya, Dead Bodies, Bad Motives"
    (July 24, 2011)
• Technology
  • "Dangerous Technology and Common Sense"
    (April 6, 2010)
  • "Set PHASERs on Stun: Koloc's Kugelblitz Research is For Real"
    Apathetic Lemming of the North (February 20, 2009)
  • "Non-Lethal Weapons"
    (March 6, 2008)
  • "DC Gun Ban, Online Censorship, Individual Rights, and Power to the People"
    (June 27, 2008)
    Particularly
    • Individual Freedom: a Treasure
  • "EEEK! Guns! Hoplophobia and Foreign Policy"
    (December 23, 2007)
• Me
  • "Egypt, Opinions, and Cautious Optimism"
    (August 25, 2013)
  • "Sin, Outrage, and Making Sense"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (May 5, 2013)
  • "Boston Marathon Bombing: Sauntering Through the News"
    (May 1, 2013)
  • "Playing 'Victim;' Living in a Big World"
    (March 13, 2012)
  • "Brilliant, Talented, and On Medication"
    A Catholic Citizen in America (November 30, 2010)

---

¹ From the news:

(FBI, via CNN, used w/o permission.)
"The FBI identified Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old military contractor from Texas, as the dead suspect involved in the shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, September 16. Authorities said at least 12 people -- and the suspect -- were killed in the shooting."

"Vetting military contractors: How did Navy Yard gunman get in?"
Josh Levs, with Drew Griffin, Mariano Castillo; CNN (September 17, 2013)

"The shooter at the Washington Navy Yard had a 'pattern of misconduct' as a Navy reservist, had sporadic run-ins with the law, and had contacted two Veterans Administration hospitals for apparent psychological issues, sources have told CNN.

"Somehow, none of that prevented Aaron Alexis from getting clearance to the Washington Navy Yard as a subcontractor.

"In the wake of the horrific incident that left 12 victims and the gunman dead, lawmakers and military experts are calling out the vetting process for contractors and subcontractors. Did the military even know the things about Alexis that news agencies managed to find out within hours?

"Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican who serves on the Intelligence Committee, said she now questions 'the kind of vetting contractors do.'

" 'Washington needs a lot more answers,' Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-Washington, said in an interview Tuesday with CNN.

"The incidents in Alexis' past 'should have been a red flag that maybe we need to delve a little deeper into this individual,' said retired Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold.

"The Navy had sought to give him a 'general discharge' due to at least eight incidents of misconduct while on duty, but ultimately had to give him an honorable discharge due to lack of evidence to support the sterner measure, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday.

"But he went on to work for a group called The Experts, which was subcontracting with Hewlett Packard on a large military contract.

"With security clearance, he worked from September 2012 through January in Japan. His clearance was renewed in July, and he worked at facilities in Rhode Island, North Carolina and Virginia for weeks at a time upgrading computer systems, according to Thomas E. Hoshko, CEO of The Experts...."

---

"DC gunman was suffering host of mental issues prior to shooting, report says"
FoxNews.com (September 17, 2013)

"Navy veteran Aaron Alexis, who killed 12 people at a Navy building in Washington Monday morning, had been suffering a host of serious mental issues, including paranoia and a sleep disorder, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press.

"Alexis had been hearing voices in his head and had been treated since August by the Veterans Administration for his mental problems, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the criminal investigation in the case was continuing.

"Alexis, 34, was discharged from the Navy two years ago after serving hitches in Texas and Illinois....

"...He most likely gained entry into the facility with a CAC card, or a common access card. The system does not require workers to pass through a metal detector and usually only requires employees to show the card. Senior military officials tell Fox News that he most likely shot his way into building 197, because that building requires a separate pass he did not have.

"Washington Mayor Vincent Gray said there was still no motive for the shootings and no indication of terrorism 'although we haven't ruled that out.'

"While some neighbors and acquaintances described him as 'nice,' his father once told detectives in Seattle that his son had anger management problems related to post-traumatic stress brought on by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He also complained about the Navy and being a victim of discrimination...."

---

"Navy Yard: Aaron Alexis 'treated for mental health' "
BBC News (September 17, 2013)

"The ex-US Navy reservist who killed 12 people and wounded eight at a Washington DC Navy installation had received treatment for mental health issues, US media have reported.

"Aaron Alexis, 34, was treated for paranoia, trouble sleeping and hearing voices, the Associated Press reported.

"A contractor for the Navy, he had a valid pass for the secure site at the Washington Navy Yard, authorities said.

"Alexis was shot and killed by police during the attack...."

---

"Authorities question vetting of Washington gunman who killed 12"
Mark Hosenball and Ian Simpson, Reuters (September 17, 2013)

"Washington authorities questioned on Tuesday how a U.S. military veteran with a history of violence and mental problems could have gotten clearance to enter a Navy base where he killed 12 people before police shot him dead.

"The suspect, Aaron Alexis, 34, a Navy contractor from Fort Worth, Texas, entered Washington Navy Yard on Monday morning and opened fire, spreading panic at the base just a mile and a half from the U.S. Capitol and three miles from the White House.

"Investigators are still trying to determine the shooter's motive. Alexis had been given clearance to enter the base on the Anacostia River, despite two gun-related brushes with the law and a discharge from the Navy Reserve in 2011 after a series of misconduct issues.

"A federal law enforcement source told Reuters Alexis had a history of mental problems but gave no details. CNN reported that Alexis had contacted two Veterans Administration hospitals recently and was believed to be seeking psychological help.

" 'It really is hard to believe that someone with a record as checkered as this man could conceivably get, you know, clearance to get ... credentials to be able to get on the base,' Washington Mayor Vincent Gray told CNN.

"He said automatic U.S. budget cuts known as sequestration could have led to skimping on vetting that would have barred Alexis from the heavily guarded base...."

---

Iran, a Nuclear Weapons Program to Cure Disease, and Centrifuges

Maybe Iran's ayatollahs really are planning to cure incurable diseases with research reactors.

Maybe Iran has no intention at all of producing nuclear weapons.

Maybe.

Then again, maybe not.

A pacific, beneficent nuclear program - even one pursued in defiance of United Nations demands - would be a nice change of pace from "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." (October 6, 2007)

If it wasn't the same lot in charge in Tehran, I might be more willing to believe what Iranian officials said today.

From recent news:

"Iran gained another nuclear achievement as it marked the National Day of Nuclear Technology.

"The Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Fereidoun Abbasi said on Saturday that the country is to launch a unit of Ceramic Grade Uranium Dioxide with natural purity at uranium processing firm in central city of Isfahan soon....

"...He also added Tehran and Arak research reactors enjoy unique facilities to produce medical radioisotopes for incurable diseases."
(ISNA)

"Iran's foreign minister has confirmed claims by an exiled Iranian opposition group that a factory west of Tehran is manufacturing centrifuge parts.

"Ali Akbar Salehi, quoted by the state news agency IRNA, says the facility is no secret and that many other facilities in the country are involved in manufacturing parts for Iran's nuclear program.

"Iran has long said it produces centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium, a process that the U.N. has demanded Tehran halt...."
(Associated Press, via FoxNews.com)

"...The comments by Ali Akbar Salehi came two days after the Mujahedeen-e Khalq announced at a press conference in Washington that its spies identified the factory, called the TABA facility, saying workers there produced centrifuge casings, molecular pumps, tubes and bellows for the centrifuges.

"Iran has long said it is producing its own centrifuges for its uranium enrichment program. Enrichment can produce either fuel for a nuclear reactor or the material for a nuclear warhead...."
(Associated Press)

Related posts:

• "Iran, Dubious Equipment, and a Nuclear Weapons Program that Doesn't Exist"
  (March 18, 2011)
• "Stuxnet: Inhuman Secret Agent"
  (November 26, 2010)
• "Jundallah, Iran, Islam, and the U. S. State Department"
  (November 3, 2010)
• "U.A.E. Ambassador and Iran: One Insane Speech Too Many?"
  (July 7, 2010)
• "Iran's Need(?) for Power, the Natanz Underground Uranium Enrichment Site, and the IAEA"
  (December 5, 2009)

In the news:

• "Iran gains nuclear achievement, marks National Day of Nuclear Technology"
  ISNA (April 9, 2011)
• "Iran Confirms Facility Producing Centrifuge Parts"
  Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (April 9, 2011)
• "Iran confirms factory producing centrifuge parts"
  Associated Press (April 9, 2011)

Iran's Mighty Army, President Ahmadinejad, Nuclear Weapons and History

This hasn't been a particularly slow week for news:

• Followups on Poland's loss
• The Eyjafjallajökull Eruption
• Mark Teixeira's first home run of the season

I think this is noteworthy, too:

"Iran is so powerful today that no country would dare attack it, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday during an annual army parade.

" 'Iran's army is so mighty today that no enemy can have a foul thought of invading Iran's territory,' the Iranian leader said, according to state media.

" 'Of course, Iran is a friend and brother of regional and independent nations and it wants peace, progress and security for all countries,' Ahmadinejad said.

"During the event near the mausoleum of the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini -- who ushered the Islamic Revolution into Iran more than 30 years ago -- several models of Iran's medium- and long-range missiles, including the Shahab 3, were on display...."

"...The United States and its allies should abandon policies designed to dominate the oil-rich nations of the Middle East, Ahmadinejad said, adding that reliance on arms was a sign of a country without culture.

"Iran, he said, is prepared to do all it can to counter nuclear weapons.

" 'One of the greatest treasons by those that monopolize nuclear weapons is to equalize nukes with nuclear energy,' Ahmadinejad said. 'The way to produce weapons is totally different than nuclear energy. And they know these very well, but they plan to talk about both these things in their own monopolized way.' "
(CNN)

Oddly enough, I think that President Ahmadinejad has a point: although I wouldn't describe efforts at slowing down the spread of nuclear weapons as "treason."

Wouldn't it be Nice, If Nukes Didn't Exist?

Here in America, a noticeable number of people apparently think that technology makes people do things: not the other way around. Search for things like "gun laws," "gun lobby" or "gun crime," and you may see what I mean. (December 23, 2007)

It's an attractive idea: just destroy all the guns and ban gunpowder, and everything would be hunky dory. I'm quite sure that, in a 'ban firearms' scenario, "gun crimes" would disappear.

But, depending on what America's 'right sort' got scared of first, soon we'd have to ban crossbows, swords, knives, steel, iron, bronze - you get the idea. (April 6, 2010)

Iran a Threat? Yes, Obviously

I think that Iran's current leadership is a serious threat to anybody within range of its missiles. By now that includes a disturbing fraction of Eurasia and Africa. (August 4, 2009) And the Ayatollahs haven't missed too many opportunities, in my view, to make it quite clear that they believe people should agree with them: or die.

Dealing With New Technology: Been There, Done That

On the other hand, I'm fairly sure that nuclear energy - reactors and weapons systems - is a genie that won't go back into the bottle. We'd better get used to living in a world where people can, with a certain amount of effort, use - or misuse - enormous amounts of energy.

Humanity has been through this sort of thing before. There was a time when arrows were the latest thing in super-weapons. What's different about today's situation is that things tend to move faster: and more of 'the masses' have a clue about what's going on.

Ignorance may be bliss: But I'd rather live now, than in any of the 'good old days' I've heard about. Certainly not the ones I remember. "Happy Days" wasn't.

One advantage we've got, that people a thousand or ten thousand years ago didn't have, is that there are well upwards of 6,000,000,000 of us. A fair percentage of that number have access to Internet connections. Which gives them access to quite a bit of raw information - some of it reliable, some more fiction than fact. They - we - can also communicate with each other. Fast.

Welcome to the Information Age

All national leaders may not have caught on yet, that they're not the only people who have viable ideas: but I think there's there's a vague sense developing, that this isn't the 19th century any more.

That's a pretty good start.

Individual Nations Can Deal With Iran

I don't have answers: not in any detail. But, in general: I think the sort of situation represented by Iran and Korea is one that individual nations can deal with.

But That May Not be a Good Idea

Which is a bit of a problem. I said, "can deal with," not "should deal with." In my view, the United Nations is a sort of practical joke: and a screwball prototype of what humanity may develop. In a century, or a millennium. My guess is that it'll take even longer: but I've been wrong before.

We've seen, recently, what a coalition of nations can achieve. Provided that there's one or two nations in the group with leaders who are willing to take charge. Not dictate: direct.

I realize that's a radical idea: nations cooperating with each other without a U.N. agency running the whole affair. But I think it's better than the 'solo' option.

I'm not necessarily talking about America 'going it alone,' mind you. A few years ago, Russian leaders made it fairly clear that they weren't too noble and self-sacrificing to use nuclear weapons against a threat. (January 25, 2008)

Personally, I'd rather see the 'Iranian nuclear weapons' issue settled without parts of Iran becoming radioactive ash. But today's heirs of the Czars and commissars may decide to be more proactive.

Related posts:

• "Obama Limits Nuclear Weapons: That's Nice"
  (April 6, 2010)
• "The CIA, the BBC, Iran, and an Iranian Scientist"
  (March 31, 2010)
• "Iran, Twitter, and the Responsibilities of Proper British Gentlemen"
  (December 29, 2009)
  • And jolly old England isn't alone
• "American Military Tests Antimissile System: Smart Move, I Think"
  (December 19, 2009)
• "Russian Submarines Near America: There's Probably a Reason"
  (August 4, 2009)
  Particularly
  • Yes: Iran Could Bomb European Targets
• "Iran's Need(?) for Power, the Natanz Underground Uranium Enrichment Site, and the IAEA"
  (December 5, 2009)
• "Iran, Islam, "Arrogant Powers" and 'Certain Expansionist Superpowers,' and Common Sense"
  (May 30, 2009)
• "Unintended Consequences? The West May be Getting Over Hiroshima"
  (January 25, 2008)
• "Ballistic Missiles in Cuba = Anti-Missile System in Europe?"
  (October 26, 2007)

In the news:

• "Ahmadinejad: Iran too 'mighty' to attack"
  CNN (April 18, 2010)

Dangerous Technology and Common Sense

Remember the Peloponnesian War?

Chemical weapons aren't all that new. Sparta employed a sort of napalm analog at Plataea, in 429 BC. Wood, pitch and sulfur don't sound all that dangerous - but they produce quite a lot of heat. And toxic fumes.

See:

• "Incendiary Weapons - History"
  GlobalSecurity.org

The Peloponnesian War almost certainly had an economic angle to it - but it was also an armed struggle between two radically different political philosophies: Athens' version of democracy, and Sparta's oligarcy.

Athens apparently didn't use the sort of (for the time) high-tech weaponry that Sparta had.

Athens lost.

Related post:

• "Obama Limits Nuclear Weapons: That's Nice"
  (April 6, 2010)

The Chembots are Coming! It's Just Like "Terminator 2"!

No, not really.

"Pentagon Researchers Unveil Blob-Like Robot"
FOXNews (October 20, 2009)

" The Pentagon has unveiled a new 'chemical robot' that's half liquid, half solid…and all weird.

"The new robot — which scientist are calling a ChemBot — moves by inflating and deflating parts of its body via a process called jamming. This causes its skin to change between semi-liquid and semi-solid states. Researchers say it could one day help save lives on the battle field.

"Foxnews.com spoke with Ward Carroll, the editor of military.com, about the chembot.

" 'Jamming is simply introducing air into a membrane that's filled with particulate matter— BBs, if you will,' he explained. 'The plan is that this robot would go where other robots can't go, because it can change from a solid to a liquid-like state.'..."

I could write some 'scare' copy, comparing chembots to the living-metal robot from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," but you can read that sort of thing in the more 'relevant' blogs.

Like so many prototypes, today's chembot doesn't look all that impressive:

(From FOXNews.com, used w/o permission)

(From FOXNews.com, used w/o permission)

Actually, it reminds me of a bean bag. That can flex.

As the article points out, these chembots are at the "proof of concept" stage now. Since the gadget actually does change shape on cue, technicians and researchers can go on to develop versions that'll do something more than just show they can move.

One of the obvious applications is intelligence-gathering.

Interesting days, these that we're in.

Related post:

• "The Chembots Are Coming"
  Apathetic Lemming of the Month (July 1, 2008)

Shape-Shifting Technologies: Canned Universal Spare Parts

There's some remarkable R & D going on, which could (probably will, I think) result in uniforms - and street wear - that changes with the weather, morphing robots like the shiny guy in Terminator II, and cans of goop that become whatever's needed.

More, at:

• "Programmable Matter: Next-Generation Morphing Technologies"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (June 8, 2009)

Sloppy Contractors, or: GEORGE BUSH STILL KILLING U.S. SOLDIERS!!!!!!

Sounds like about 16 American soldiers were electrocuted in Iraq. That's 16 too many. Three were killed while showering. One was killed by a swimming pool.

Another soldier, Ron Vance, was so traumatized by an electrified shower, he says, that now he can't take a shower without his wife being around. Vance also says the military didn't take his (psychological?) injuries seriously. With respect, I can see why.

The problem is very real: 16 bodies worth.

The news told about two victims:

• Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth
  • Showering: pump malfunctioned
• Staff Sergeant Christopher Lee Everett, Texas Army National Guard
  • Cleaning a vehicle: power washer short-circuited

Maseth's family has sued KBR, the contractor that's overseeing maintenance at most American facilities in Iraq. (AP) For now. KBR says it's not their fault. That case may run until the Maseth's family runs out of money.

Looks Like a Monumental SNAFU

As far as the 16 dead soldiers are concerned, it doesn't matter what combination of sloppy work and inadequate equipment inspections killed them. They're dead.

For everybody who's still breathing, something's gotta be done!

And, is being done. Task force SAFE (Safety Action for Fire and Electricity) is working its way through U.S. Army facilities, looking for bad equipment.

It's a big problem. Roughly a third of inspections have, apparently, uncovered "potential electrical hazards at 15,000 of the 41,000 facilities visited since the task force's inception in August, a US military spokesman said." (guardian.co.uk)

The AP tells the same story - in more detail. There are 65,000 facilities to go in the inspection - and, since the American military deals with the real world - where things take time - inspections could take the rest of this year. (AP)

Task Force SAFE - Cue Sarcastic Comments

I didn't run into any searing criticisms on the inhuman, incompetent, and generally yukky American military: but it's early days. Army news ran an article last month, and the shocking case of the deadly showers hit national news today.

With an acronym like SAFE, there will probably be some very witty writing done on the subject.

Better Surge Protectors: Good Idea!

Besides repairing defective equipment, the Army's getting better surge protectors. The ones they were using in Iraq were purchased in Iraq. (AP) Nuf said.

This is Bigger Than Shocking Showers: Sloppy Work is Unacceptable

A (very former) co-worker, in meetings, often asked "is it important?" I finally lost it and said something like this - "Important? If you mean, a hundred thousand years from now, will anybody know or care what color paper goes in this mailing: No, it's not important. If you mean, a month from now, how many orders will we be getting: Yes, it's important."

My co-worker wasn't, I think, either stupid or sloppy. I found out later that she and her husband were having their first baby: I think she was trying to get fired, so she could stay home, without having to say that she quit.

Electrical Equipment: No Room for Sloppy Work

Sloppy security, sloppy news reporting, sloppy inventory control - with nuclear weapons no less, and now sloppy quality control. I've harangued about sloppiness before. I'm no fan of 'the good old days.' I was born in the waning years of the Truman administration, and remember the sixties and seventies pretty well, and a little of the fifties: They were no Golden Age.

Today, our technology should encourage a zero-tolerance approach to quality control.

Technology has always been hazardous. Even when the club was the latest in cutting-edge military technology, people had to be careful. Letting the thing fall could mean an injured foot. Or, if you'd incautiously leaned it against a overhead branch, it might hit your head: possibly killing you.

We've come a long way. A worst-case scenario - - - Anybody watched "Dr. Strangelove?" lately? Or "Fail-Safe?" Or "The Swarm?"

Okay: That's Hollywood, where killer bees can make a nuclear power plant go pfft in seconds - without killing the bees - and military installations seem peculiarly prone to equipment malfunctions.

Out here in the real world, nuclear weapons can get misplaced (and, once, did). Conceivably, one of them could go off at a very embarrassing time and place. And, at this moment, there's enough power coursing through that light switch over there to kill you, several times over.

What's going on in Iraq is the more every-day sort of problem: no crazy general, no killer bees, no incredible exploding reactor, just bodies piling up because of shoddy equipment and lax quality control.

I've said this before: "there's a war on."

This is not the time to turn on, tune in, drop out: even if a college professor said to. People's lives are at stake here: and not just the soldiers who use this junk. Everybody who is counting on those soldiers to preserve their freedom to wear trousers, worship God, Allah, Elvis, or nothing at all, and stage anti-military protests, has something to lose here.

I Remember the Communist Threat (real), and Commie Plots (not so real)

And, proving that there's no tragedy or SNAFU that can't be put to work for politics: This SNAFU is George W. Bush's fault. So say some.

Of course. Everybody knows that.

" 'The process of finding and fixing this problem has gone far too slow,' said Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org, a veterans group. 'We've known about this problem for years, and it's inexcusable that our troops continue to face the threat of severe injury or death not only in the battlefield, but when taking a shower back where it's supposed to be relatively safe.

" 'The previous administration wanted to farm out way too many things to contractors, without any real accountability, and this is one of the legacies of that terrible decision.' "

SNAFU? Yes. Being Fixed? Yes. Hate Bush? Always

The problem is real. It's a bit hard, given what's in the news, to figure out what's taking so long to fix it. But, looking closely, it's pretty clear that there's an effort under way to make showering safe.

A real effort, not the tired old 'blame the guy I hate' routine.

This reminds me of the 'good old days,' when there was no problem, big or small, that wasn't the fault of the commies. According to 'right-thinking' people.

Related posts:

• "Marine One Plans in Tehran - File Sharing Software and Sloppiness"
  (March 1, 2009)
• "Peanut Terrorism? Peanut Corp. of America Reveals Dangerous Security Gap"
  (February 11, 2009)
• "The News and Palin, Kennedy, Iraq, Lebanon, Hamas: They Just Don't Get It"
  (January 9, 2009)
• "Madoff's Ponzi Scheme, Laptops, Nipple Rings, and the War on Terror"
  (December 17, 2008)
• "McCain Campaign BlackBerrys Sold at Bargain-Basement Prices - Confidential Data Included: What's the Matter With People These Days?!"
  (December 15, 2008)
• "No Room for "Oops" when Handling Nuclear Weapons: Top Two Air Force Leaders Resign"
  (June 5, 2008)
• "U.S. Warship Kills Innocent Egyptian!! No Wonder Everybody Hates America!!!"
  (March 24, 2008)

In the news:

• "Shoddy wiring 'everywhere' on Iraq bases, Army inspector says"
  CNN (March 26, 2009)
• "Electrocution deaths prompt US military investigation in Iraq"
  guardian.co.uk (March 26, 2009)
• "AP IMPACT: More bad wiring imperils troops in Iraq"
  The Associated Press (March 26, 2009)
• "Deadly Threat for Troops in Iraq Far Off Battlefield: the Shower"
  FOXNews (March 26, 2009)
• "Army takes steps to tackle electrical concerns in Iraq, Kuwait"
  ASC Public Affairs (February 23, 2009)

White Phosphorus in Gaza: Hot Substance, Hot-Button Phrase

Expect to hear a lot about white phosphorus in the news. It's a hot-burning substance. International law limits its military use to "signaling, screening, and incendiary purposes." And, that's how Israeli Defense Forces have been using it.

And, news editors like to put the phrase, "white phosphorus, in accounts of Israeli forces in Gaza: whether it has much to do with the story, or not.

White Phosphorus: the New Napalm

I remember the Vietnam War era, and how the word "napalm" was guaranteed to produce a gut-level reaction in right-thinking people.¹ These days, I see that white phosphorus is the new napalm, or nearly so.

Like napalm, I'd much rather not get up close and personal with white phosphorus. Not while it's burning. And, I doubt that we'll see many protesters showing how bad white phosphorus is by burning each other. Demonstrating the horrors of waterboarding on your friends or colleagues is fairly safe. White phosphorus isn't.

The phrase, "white phosphorus" has been showing up in the news from Gaza. The news services aren't lying. Israeli forces really are using white phosphorus. Legally, according to international law, as far as I can tell.

That's not the impression you'd get, though.

As I've said, often, it's best to study the news, not just absorb it: The feeling-to-fact ratio is too high. And, sometimes what isn't reported tells more than what is. I don't see evidence that, with the exception of tabloids and some state-run news services in the world's better-regulated countries, newspapers, magazines, and television news deliberately lie. Given the relative isolation of many editorial boards, I doubt that most news services deliberately distort facts.

They probably aren't aware that the unevenly applied principle of moral equivalence that seems to permeate their subculture is more sophisticated in the fashionable sense, than the philosophical.

And, when a news service does publish 'facts' - or photos - that just aren't so, there are bloggers around to catch their little oopsies.

White Phosphorus, Sherman Potter, Gaza, and Thinking

First, a few words about the 'Three Fs:'

• Feelings
• Fiction
• Facts

Feelings

I have nothing against feelings: they're part of the human experience, and add richness and texture to our lives. Feelings may happen when we're exposed to either facts or fiction. In fact², it's a poor sort of fiction that doesn't evoke emotion.

Fiction

I enjoy a good story. Fiction offers everything from nearly-mindless entertainment to philosophy: pop and otherwise. But, realistic as it may seem, it isn't real.

Facts

These are what we keep running into, if we depend entirely on feelings and fiction to determine what we believe. And, since facts tend to be hard, with sharp corners, running into one can hurt.

And, for people who choose to live in the real world, it's important to remember what's fact, what's fiction, and not let feelings get in the way of thinking.

Learning from the Wit and Wisdom of Sherman Potter

I enjoy watching M*A*S*H reruns, and remember when Colonel Sherman Potter joined the unit. A self-described 'old war-horse' was a decorated army doctor with a heart of gold and a knack for eloquently expressing keen insights.

For example, in "Pressure Points," the good doctor is moved to tears by news of a new horror, white phosphorus. "If they can invent better ways to kill each other, why can't they invent a way to end this stupid war??!" (Wikipedia)

It's a moving scene, and stands out clearly in my memory.

And, it's fiction. Colonel Sherman Potter is a character played by Harry Morgan, whose acting career extends far beyond the televised exploits of the 4077th.

White phosphorus is real, and had military applications before 1928.

And, the pain and suffering of war, so eloquently expressed by Sherman Potter and the rest of the M*A*S*H characters over the years, is very real.

Although it's actually an opinion, many people accept the idea the world would be a better place if there weren't any wars. I feel that way, myself.

War isn't nice, and we'd be better off without it. But, since people like Osama bin Laden, Adolph Hitler, and Timothy McVeigh have a tendency to kill people who get in the way of their ideals, I don't see Earth being a groovy war-free zone any time in the foreseeable future.

Heated Views and White Phosphorus

The way people use the phrase "white phosphorus" reminds me more of Sherman Potter losing his cool, than of the facts I've dug up about it.

Online references I've found are generally emotionally-charged insults or accusations (like this comment on a YouTube video: "yeah, but i dont concider myself canadian, north america is not a union i want to be part of. You probably know nothing of the fear and carnage white phosphorus causes." (connorellis (1 year ago))

Factual references to white phosphorus are few and far between - and the best-linked ones are mostly undocumented copies of text that also appears in a Wikipedia article.

Some of the facts:

• White phosphorus is a substance that burns when it's exposed to oxygen - even the 20% mix we call 'air'
  • You really don't want to touch it, because it
    • Sticks to skin and muscle,
    • Can burn right down to the bone
• Israeli forces have used it, apparently within the limits of international law
• The phrase "white phosphorus" is being used the way "napalm" was, back in the Vietnam War era - to express or whip up emotions

And, I think it's quite possible that people who may be non-combatants in Gaza may show up with the sort of nasty burns that white phosphorus produces.

Considering the way that Hamas, and, apparently, UNRWA, uses non-combatants as shielding and potential propaganda fodder, It shouldn't surprise anyone that some innocent Palestinians get hurt or killed: by white phosphorus, or the roof falling on them. That sort of thing happens when you've got 'friends' like that lot.

Staying in Your Comfort Zone, or Getting Real

It's very easy to believe one of the conventional, traditional, lines:

• When terrorists kill Jews in a coffee shop it's just as bad, but no worse, than when Israeli soldiers kill terrorists who make suicide vests
• That
  • Whatever America (or Hamas, or Israel, or Iran) does is right, because they're the good guys
  • Whatever America or some other entity does is wrong, because they're the bad guys

In some circles, you'll make points by opining that Al Qaeda was forced to act against the west, and that what happened to New York City's World Trade Center was mostly the fault of America's oppressive culture.

I'm far from one of those "America can do no wrong" people. I know too much. I don't always approve - not that it matters - of Israel's policies. I even understand that some Palestinians might have a legitimate grievance over land ownership.

But I can't go with the flow, and accept the packaged attitudes that America's dominant culture provides.

When it comes to the War on Terror, it gets worse: or, rather, more complicated. I'm a devout Catholic, so America's contemporary culture of "Barbies, live-in girlfriends, and thongs" is not the best match with my way of life and philosophy. I can, perhaps better than many Americans, imagine what this country looks like from a devout Muslim's point of view.

That doesn't mean that I condone taking down the Twin Towers, and killing family members because they step out of line. That's just plain wrong: and some Muslims agree. ("More about 'Yeh Hum Naheen' / 'This is Not Us' " (August 9, 2007), "Honor Killing is Against Islam, Islamic Party Members Say " (September 7, 2008))

And, I don't see eye-to-eye with people who seem offended when they see someone wearing a crucifix or a head scarf ("I'm With the Devout Muslims on This One" (September 19, 2007)). But I'm at least as concerned about places like Saudi Arabia, whose ruler doesn't allow people to carry un-Islamic things like Bibles, crucifixes, statues, carvings, and items with religious symbols such as the Star of David, into the country.

Enough! I've got a project to finish, and it's getting late.

Related post:

• "U.N. Condemns (What Else?) Israel: This Time it's Over an 'Aid Complex' "
  (January 15, 2009)
• "United Nations Schools Okay With Hiring Terrorists"
  (January 14, 2009)
• "Israel Bombs School: United Nations Wants Impartial Investigation"
  (January 7, 2009)
• "Look at the Poor, Pulverized, Palestinians!"
  (January 6, 2009)

In the news:

• "U.N. Building in Gaza Strip Is Hit by Strike From Israel"
  The New York Times (January 15, 2009)
• "U.N. condemns shelling of aid complex, blames Israel"
  CNN (January 15, 2009)
• "UN outraged after Israel shells its compound"
  International Herald Tribune (January 14, 2009)
• "Israelis shell hospitals and UN HQ"
  Al Jazeera (January 15, 2009)

Background:

• "White Phosphorus (WP)"
  GlobabSecurity.org
• "History of Chemical and Biological Warfare: An American Perspective"
  Jeffery K. Smart, M.A.³ (1997)
• "Episode 17: COURAGE The Sgt. Freedom Campaign"
  gbeckerswetzel, YouTube (October 12, 2007)
  video (8:23)

---

¹ Actually, many of them were left-thinking, but that's a whole different topic.

² I couldn't resist playing with those words.

³ Command Historian, U.S. Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21010-5423.

"Hot Eagle:" the Space Marines Are Coming

I doubt that they'll be called "Space Marines," but there's a good chance that sometime around 2040, something like this will happen (all times are UTC):

• 13:35. A truck bomb explodes at the American embassy's gate in [redacted]. There are unconfirmed reports of gunfire inside the embassy complex.
• 14:05. An unidentified person, calling from the American embassy in [redacted] claims that it has been liberated by [redacted], that the embassy staff will continue to be safe, provided that specified demands are met.
• 14:20. An aid to the American ambassador at the embassy is killed.
• 16:25. Several spacecraft enter the airspace of [redacted] and land near the American embassy. Marines, armed with stun guns and gooey nets, pour out.

This isn't Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, or Star Wars stuff.

Gooey nets are available today. Products like Sticky Net are an effective way of restraining people without killing them, and anathema to the more hoplophobic bloggers.

Stun guns are a still in the research-and-development stage. The way I see it, though, the biggest obstacles to their use will be

• A 'we've never done that before' attitude by some older officers in the military and police forces
• Legal challenges by people and organizations horrified by the thought that big, rough, men in uniforms won't have options other than lethal force
  • (" 'Non-Lethal' Weapons: Where Science and Technology Service Repression" (GlobalResearch.ca (July 10, 2008) is a pretty good example)

Those space ships are a little further off, but they're being developed.

2002: Birth of the Space Marines

In 2002, the United States Marines' deputy commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations, now-retired Lieutenant General Emil R. Bedard signed a Universal Needs Statement calling for "Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion (SUSTAIN) capability".

The prototype is called "Hot Eagle." It doesn't exist yet, but the Pentagon wants to see test flights in 11 years.

What's being discussed sounds a lot like the Dyna Soar project (1958-1963). Almost a quarter century would pass before some of the Dyna Soar technology was used in the Shuttle. Now, fifty years later, I think "Hot Eagle" has a very good chance of making it off the drawing board and into the inventory of the United States military.

Spaceplanes like the Dyna Soar aren't the only option for the Space Marines. The McDonnell Douglas Delta Clipper represents a type of vertical takeoff and landing spaceship that could land in a smaller area than a glider.

McDonnel Douglas' Delta Clipper lost out to the more excitingly innovative technologies of Lockheed Martin's X33, with its linear aerospike engine.

Unlike the X33, which had to be scrapped around the turn of the century, the Delta Clipper actually flew in the late nineties. It's not hard to imagine that engineers could take data from the Delta Clipper tests and begin work on a new vertical takeoff and landing single-stage-to-orbit spaceship.

Marines in Spaceships? Yes, it Makes Sense

Production models of "Hot Eagle" would 'fly' more than 50 miles up: above what most countries claim as their airspace. That would make it possible to 'send in the Marines' without getting the permission of every country along the route: and probably tipping off the enemy in the process.

The psychological impact of having Marines landing in spaceships, hours after an incident, might be almost as effective as the next-generation non-lethal weapons that some find so scary. Although a few shiploads of Marines might not be able to deal with all aspects of a mission, I think they would at the least be able to buy time until slower military units caught up.

I may not live to see Space Marines, but I'm glad to read that some of America's leaders are planning ahead.

---

Slightly-related post in another blog:

• "Coming Soon to a Spaceport Near You"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (March 26, 2008)

News and resources:

• "Spaceplane to reach spots faster"
  Times of India (October 20, 2008)
  • "The American military is planning a 'spaceplane' designed to fly a crack squad of heavily armed marines to trouble spots anywhere in the world within two hours.
  • "At a recent secret meeting at the Pentagon, engineers working on the craft, codenamed Hot Eagle, were told to draw up blueprints for a prototype which generals want to have in the air within 11 years.
• "Pentagon plans 'spaceplane' to reach hotspots fast"
  TimesOnline (UK) (October 19, 2008)
  • "The American military is planning a 'spaceplane' designed to fly a crack squad of heavily armed marines to trouble spots anywhere in the world within four hours.
  • "At a recent secret meeting at the Pentagon, engineers working on the craft, codenamed Hot Eagle, were told to draw up blueprints for a prototype which generals want to have in the air within 11 years."
• "Future Launch"
  A few visionary Marines would take expeditionary warfare to new heights
  Navy League of the United States (undated)
  • "Think back to the Iranian hostage crisis of the late 1970s. For 444 days, the United States was rendered impotent after a mob of Iranians overran the Marine Guard and took the U.S. Embassy staff hostage.
  • "President Jimmy Carter, who had promised during his election campaign to reverse the country's 'crisis of confidence' and 'national malaise,' looked powerless during the long hostage crisis as Americans were reminded nightly that their countrymen were being held against their will, and there was nothing the United States could do about it."
• "Scaled Composits"
  home page
• "Jurassic Technology: The History of the Dyna-Soar"
  Aerospace Crosslink (Winter, 2004)
  • "During its brief existence, the nation's first space plane fostered research and technology that influenced space efforts for years to come.
  • "When NASA announced in the spring of 2003 that its next major project would be the design and launch of an orbital space plane, many in the space community sensed that the nation's space program had come full circle. An Air Force program to develop a similar orbiting space plane, the Dyna-Soar, was the first in the nation's history to result in the manufacture of hardware. The Dyna-Soar program was truly a pioneering effort, and although it was canceled in December 1963 without achieving flight, it fostered research that was later applied to the development of the space shuttle and other U.S. space systems."
• "NASA Shuts Down X-33, X-34 Programs"
  Space.com (March 1, 2001)
• "The Delta Clipper Experimental: Flight Testing Archive"
  NASA (January 6, 1998)

Strategic Defense Initiative: Mocked in the Eighties, Laser Cannon by Boeing Today

Laser cannons that can burn through a missile launcher and leave the car parked next to it untouched are being developed by Boeing. It's hard to remember that back in the eighties, eminent experts solemnly proclaimed Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, derisively called "Star Wars"), to be a waste of resources.

Exotic weapons like anti-missile systems and laser cannons were regarded with "contempt and disdain, derision and ridicule:" an attitude still cherished¹, although I'd think it is getting harder to maintain.

The anniversary of Reagan's SDI speech passed, over a week ago, with no fanfare.

For those with an interest in history, vision, and common sense, here's commentary, and a transcript of President Reagan's speech,"Address to the Nation on National Security by President Ronald Reagan, March 23, 1983": "Re-visited: Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative."

And no, this isn't an April Fool's prank.

---

¹"Way Out There in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars and the End of the Cold War. - book review" Naval War College Review (Spring, 2002) by Roger W. Barnett. Repeated in bnet's FindArticles.com service.

Non-Lethal Weapons

"Water Cooler Cannon Takes on Terrorism" FOXNews (March 6, 2008)

This thing shoots water cooler jugs and can punch a man-sized hole in a concrete wall.

It joins pepper spray and rubber bullets in the growing lists of weapons that incapacitate, but aren't designed to kill.

The author says there will be more on the subject.

"Crusher:" Robot Soldier

The war on terror is the first major conflict in which robots are playing a significant role. Predator drones are already patrolling battle zones. The first-generation Predators have been joined by Predator B, dubbed "The Reaper."

Airborne robots will probably be joined by robot trucks. Soon. When I was growing up, this would have been science fiction:

• A seven-ton robot scout driving itself to an intersection keeping an eye on traffic for a week or so, and sending back reports
• Later, the robot hauls supplies over terrain that would give humans in a Humvee spinal injuries
• After being refitted with weapons, the seven-ton soldier attacks a heavily-fortified position

Today, seven tons of muscle truck with artificial intelligence is on its way to production.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is rolling out "Crusher," a robotic battle truck. "Crusher" drives itself, although it's possible to steer it by remote control.

"Crusher" in the news:

• "Pentagon's 'Crusher' Robot Vehicle Nearly Ready to Go" FOXNews (February 26, 2008)
  An overview, plus a video
• "They call him the Crusher" Stars and Stripes (February 25, 2008)
  More detail about the robot truck
• "Gaming skills incorporated into Crusher’s controls" Stars and Stripes (February 25, 2008)
  How off-the-shelf technology, including an X-box controller, were used in "Crusher's" design

When The New York Times and other traditional news outlets hear about this, I suspect that there'll be a spate of hand-wringing impression pieces on the inhumanity of war.

Like every other new technology, robots able to act without direct human control will require new procedures and rules of engagement. But I don't regard this new example of artificial intelligence as a monstrous threat.

Given a choice, in a situation where terrorists were dug in, surrounded by heavy barriers and booby traps, I'd rather have the assault led by a seven-ton robot, than by American troops.

Of course, I'm one of those people who believe that terrorists aren't very nice people. I also believe that people whose colleagues have used retarded women as walking bombs aren't likely to stop killing people because they've been asked politely.

Milestones in Iraq and Iran

Or, 'there's good news, and there's bad news.'

First, the good news.

Iraq's leaders decided to let people who worked for Saddam Hussein work for the new Iraqi government. That's another benchmark passed by Iraq. (More at "Truth and News: How Success Gets Marketed as Failure" (February 4, 2008).)

Now, the bad news.

Iran joined the ranks of countries with space technology. With the construction and successful test-firing of a rocket that could put a satellite in orbit "... Iran has joined the world's top 11 countries possessing space technology to build satellites and launch rockets into space." That's what Iran's official television channel says.

'Ayatollah TV' ("Islamic Republic of Iran News Network") also announced the opening of Iran's first space center.

Like Iran's civilian nuclear program, Iran's civilian space program is strictly for scientific and civilian missions. It's pure coincidence that its missiles will be able to carry nuclear warheads. According to Iranian television.

I don't mind another nation being able to launch communications satellites and conduct research in space.

I do have serious concerns about Iran's "death to Israel! Death to the great Satan America!" Ayatollahs getting first-strike nuclear capabilities.

War on Terror and Travel Technology

The U.S. government was plodding along with the job of upgrading passports. I suspect that if 9/11 hadn't happened, the next generation of passports would have been ready at about the same time that people started needing passports to Mars.

As it is, the new, high-tech passports, with embedded software and data chips, are ready now. "U.S. Allies Begin Issuing High-Tech Passports for Travelers" gives more detail on the smart passports.

The immediate plus here is that, since other countries which are not likely to support terrorism are using the new, more efficient, passports too, it will be possible to concentrate on higher-risk travelers.

A next step now, according to that article, is to deal with how personal information can leak out of the new system. Apparently, it wouldn't be too difficult to commit identity theft with the new system: providing that the thief was tech-savvy.

I don't see the identity-theft issue as a reason to abandon the new technology. If our ancestors had been that sensitive about using new tools, we'd probably still be discussing property rights with cave bears.