Marine Night story and photos now posted at http://www.marines.mil/:
http://www.marines.mil/units/marforcom/Pages/MarineNight2009.aspx
NORFOLK, Va.-Col. Christopher McCarthy, ACS/G-3/5/7, addresses a group of retired, reserve, active-duty and civilian Marines at a pre-game dinner at “Hits in the Park” restaurant at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Va. prior to the start of “Marine Night 2009”, June 6., Dennis Neal, 6/6/2009
NORFOLK, Va.-Sgt. Christopher House of Headquarters Service Battalion winds up to deliver the ceremonial first pitch of the game between the Norfolk Tides and Toledo Mud Hens at the annual “Marine Night” held June 6 at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Va., Dennis Neal, 6/6/2009
Norfolk baseball team honors USMC at Marine Night 2009
Story Date 6/6/2009 By Dennis Neal, Unit Marine Forces Command
NORFOLK, Va. —
Marines past and present were in the spotlight June 6 as the Norfolk Tides, a local minor league baseball team and farm team for the Baltimore Orioles, honored the Marine Corps with the Tides’ annual Marine Night.
The festivities began on the field at Harbor Park here with the 2nd Marine Air Wing Band from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., performing a medley of jazzy tunes and patriotic standards, culminating with a rendition of the Marine Corps Hymn that had audience members clamoring for more.
Marines from the 3rd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) Company, based at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., and Marine Air Control Squadron 24, based in Virginia Beach, Va., provided static displays of Marine Corps vehicles outside the stadium. Inside, FAST Company Marines wowed park-goers with an array of Marine Corps infantry weapons that visitors could inspect and handle under the guidance of their Marine hosts. Recruiters attached to Recruiting Station Richmond units serving the Hampton Roads area also interacted with visitors to the park, as bagpipers and drummers with the Tidewater Pipes and Drums provided ancient Celtic rhythms along the Harbor Park Terrace.
Col. Chris McCarthy, head of Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM) Plans, Policies and Operations Department, was honored as the senior Marine officer present, with McCarthy and Tides Manager Gary Allenson exchanging Marine Corps and Norfolk Tides ball caps. Sgt. Christopher House, MARFORCOM Marine of the Quarter, threw the ceremonial first pitch of the game.
Elsewhere on the field, the Headquarters Service Battalion Color Guard from MARFORCOM and the Staff Sgt. Jason D. Whitehouse Unit of Young Marines, from Virginia Beach, Va., provided spectators in the over 12,000-seat capacity Harbor Park stadium an exhibition of marching skills.
Prior to the Tides and Toledo Mud Hens facing off in the first of a four-game series (won by the Mud Hens 1-0), the 2nd Marine Air Wing Band brought the crowd to their feet with a stirring orchestral rendition of the National Anthem.
All in all, it was an impressive night of tribute, not only for Marines past and present, active, reserve, and retired who were in attendance, but for all who were present for the ninth annual Marine Night at Harbor Park with the Norfolk Tides.
Story Date 6/6/2009 By Dennis Neal, Unit Marine Forces Command
NORFOLK, Va. —
Marines past and present were in the spotlight June 6 as the Norfolk Tides, a local minor league baseball team and farm team for the Baltimore Orioles, honored the Marine Corps with the Tides’ annual Marine Night.
The festivities began on the field at Harbor Park here with the 2nd Marine Air Wing Band from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., performing a medley of jazzy tunes and patriotic standards, culminating with a rendition of the Marine Corps Hymn that had audience members clamoring for more.
Marines from the 3rd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) Company, based at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., and Marine Air Control Squadron 24, based in Virginia Beach, Va., provided static displays of Marine Corps vehicles outside the stadium. Inside, FAST Company Marines wowed park-goers with an array of Marine Corps infantry weapons that visitors could inspect and handle under the guidance of their Marine hosts. Recruiters attached to Recruiting Station Richmond units serving the Hampton Roads area also interacted with visitors to the park, as bagpipers and drummers with the Tidewater Pipes and Drums provided ancient Celtic rhythms along the Harbor Park Terrace.
Col. Chris McCarthy, head of Marine Corps Forces Command (MARFORCOM) Plans, Policies and Operations Department, was honored as the senior Marine officer present, with McCarthy and Tides Manager Gary Allenson exchanging Marine Corps and Norfolk Tides ball caps. Sgt. Christopher House, MARFORCOM Marine of the Quarter, threw the ceremonial first pitch of the game.
Elsewhere on the field, the Headquarters Service Battalion Color Guard from MARFORCOM and the Staff Sgt. Jason D. Whitehouse Unit of Young Marines, from Virginia Beach, Va., provided spectators in the over 12,000-seat capacity Harbor Park stadium an exhibition of marching skills.
Prior to the Tides and Toledo Mud Hens facing off in the first of a four-game series (won by the Mud Hens 1-0), the 2nd Marine Air Wing Band brought the crowd to their feet with a stirring orchestral rendition of the National Anthem.
All in all, it was an impressive night of tribute, not only for Marines past and present, active, reserve, and retired who were in attendance, but for all who were present for the ninth annual Marine Night at Harbor Park with the Norfolk Tides.
NORFOLK, Va.-The Headquarters Service Battalion Color Guard and the Staff Sgt. Jason D. Whitehouse Young Marines Unit from Virginia Beach take the field at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Va. prior to the start of “Marine Night 2009.”, Dennis Neal, 6/6/2009
Early Bird summary
Tuesday’s Early Bird leads with an article from the Washington Post reporting that U.S. military personnel on the ground in western Afghanistan and in the air failed to follow established procedures in a battle with the Taliban early last month that killed dozens of Afghan civilians, Pentagon and other Obama administration officials said yesterday.During the battle, a Marine "quick-reaction" force came to the aid of an Afghan army unit attacking Taliban forces. Among the rules violated or poorly followed were poor initial planning for combat in a populated area and the dropping of a 2,000-pound bomb from a B-1 bomber on a building without proper visual and ground confirmation of the target, officials said.Afghan government officials and human rights organizations have variously estimated that between 97 and 140 civilians were killed in the battle, in Farah province. Results of a major military investigation, presented yesterday to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, are to be released in summary form later this week, one Pentagon official said.
Some 10,000 Marines have poured into southern Afghanistan in the past six weeks, the military said Monday, transforming this once small base in the heart of the country's most violent province, Helmand, into a desert fortress, according to the Associated Press.A statement from the military confirmed the U.S. has fully deployed the first wave of 21,000 additional troops President Barack Obama ordered to Afghanistan this year to help stanch an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency.The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, normally based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will battle the Taliban as well as train and fight alongside Afghan security forces."This is where the fight is, in Afghanistan," said 1st Sgt. Christopher Watson, who like many of the troops was recently deployed in Iraq. "We are here to get the job done."
London’s Daily Telegraph reports that heavy weapons continue to stream across the Afghan border from Iran despite US President Barack Obama’s attempts to enlist Tehran’s help in fighting the insurgency, Afghan officials have said.Border police say they regularly intercept consignments of anti-tank mines and mortars bound for militants fighting Nato-led forces.A shipment seized on May 23 along Afghanistan’s 580-mile western frontier contained dozens of anti-tank mines. “That’s a regular occurrence,” the official told The Daily Telegraph. “It tends to be heavier weapons like mines and mortars rather than Kalashnikovs.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Obama administration is pressing for new U.N. steps aimed at cutting off North Korea's ability to peddle its nuclear wares, including an arrangement to interdict air and sea shipments of nuclear materials and hardware to and from North Korea.The core U.S. concern is that North Korea, in cementing its position as a nuclear power, could accelerate the global spread of nuclear know-how and weapons, along with ballistic missiles.But if the U.N. effort provides authority to forcibly board vessels in international waters on suspicion of carrying banned materials, as advocated by the United States, it could prompt a violent reaction from the North Koreans. North Korea has said publicly many times that U.N. penalties would amount to an act of war.
North Korea’s recent nuclear testing and missile launches combine with questions of who will succeed Kim Jong Il, the country’s leader, to create a “pretty dangerous” mix, the top U.S. intelligence official said, according to Bloomberg.com.“Any time you have a combination of this behavior of doing provocative things in order to excite a response, plus succession questions, you have a pretty dangerous, potentially dangerous mixture,” Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said late yesterday.He told an audience of about 200 people at an event in Washington he was concerned about North Korea’s behavior, which follows “a fairly familiar pattern of doing something outrageous and then expecting to be paid for stopping” it.
Agence France-Presse reports that US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to depart for Europe for talks with NATO allies amid a concerted push by Washington to reverse the course of the seven-year-old war in Afghanistan.The visit comes as thousands of American reinforcements pour into the fragile Asian nation in a bid by US President Barack Obama to gain the upper hand in a conflict that commanders say has turned into a stalemate.Most of the 21,000 additional US troops are heading to the south, a Taliban stronghold and the center of a thriving opium trade that helps finance the insurgency.Gates is due to discuss the outlook in volatile southern Afghanistan on Wednesday in Maastricht with North Atlantic Treaty Organization counterparts who have troops in the region. He then heads to Brussels on Thursday for a meeting of alliance defense ministers, the Pentagon said.
AFP also reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has hit back at critics of U.S. President Barack Obama's national security advisor, saying the former Marine general deserved praise instead of "sniping" over his performance.Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Gates took the unusual step of requesting an interview with a Washington Post columnist to respond to criticism from unnamed officials against James Jones, the retired general who serves as Obama's national security advisor.He gave the interview to the Post's David Ignatius "because the secretary firmly believes, as he articulated to Mr. Ignatius, that Gen. Jones is doing a terrific job," Morrell said on Monday.
A former Marine accused of killing a pregnant colleague near his North Carolina base pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing, the Associated Press reports. The former Marine, Cesar Laurean, 22, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio, whose burned body was found buried behind Mr. Laurean’s house. Prosecutors said he would not face the death penalty if convicted.
The Baltimore Sun reports that, three weeks before they will induct a fresh batch of plebes, officials at the U.S. Naval Academy expect their Class of 2013 to include far more minorities than any class in the institution’s 164-year history.The class of about 1,200 will include 435 minorities, up 33 percent from the previous year’s class, which had the most minorities until now, according to figures unveiled yesterday at the academy’s Board of Visitors meeting. The academy received 57 percent more applications from minorities than in the previous year, part of a 41 percent increase in overall applications.Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler, the academy’s superintendent, attributed the rise largely to intensified recruiting efforts in areas that have traditionally sent few applicants to the academy. Fowler cited a new graphic novel about the academy experience, a science, math and technology camp for middle-schoolers and the academy’s summer seminar for prospective applicants as examples of more innovative marketing.
Pakistani tribesmen seeking revenge for a deadly mosque bombing attacked militant strongholds for a second day Monday, while the country's Taliban leader faced rare denunciation from within insurgent ranks, the Washington Times reports.Capitalizing on the anti-Taliban sentiments, the military's top spokesman exhorted all Pakistanis to rise up against militants wherever they found them.Pressure is increasing on militants who have held sway in parts of Pakistan's northwest, with the army already bearing down in an offensive on their one-time stronghold in the Swat Valley region. Talk has now turned to the possibility of another operation against al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the nearby tribal belt along the country's border with Afghanistan.
Reuters reports that Pakistan's politicians and armed forces are showing more cohesiveness in the fight against Islamic extremists and public opinion is increasingly on the government's side, the U.S. envoy to the region said on Monday."Public opinion is solidifying behind the government. People are really fed up with what the Taliban and the other extremists have done," Richard Holbrooke told Reuters shortly after arriving in the United States from Pakistan.Pakistan's military has been fighting the Taliban in the Swat valley, northwest of the capital, for more than a month after the militants took advantage of a peace pact to conquer new areas in the region.
The Obama administration objected yesterday to the release of certain Bush-era documents that detail the videotaped interrogations of CIA detainees at secret prisons, arguing to a federal judge that doing so would endanger national security and benefit al-Qaeda's recruitment efforts, according to the Washington Post.In an affidavit, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta defended the classification of records describing the contents of the 92 videotapes, their destruction by the CIA in 2005 and what he called "sensitive operational information" about the interrogations.The forced disclosure of such material to the American Civil Liberties Union "could be expected to result in exceptionally grave damage to the national security by informing our enemies of what we knew about them, and when, and in some instances, how we obtained the intelligence we possessed," Panetta argued.
Tuesday’s Early Bird leads with an article from the Washington Post reporting that U.S. military personnel on the ground in western Afghanistan and in the air failed to follow established procedures in a battle with the Taliban early last month that killed dozens of Afghan civilians, Pentagon and other Obama administration officials said yesterday.During the battle, a Marine "quick-reaction" force came to the aid of an Afghan army unit attacking Taliban forces. Among the rules violated or poorly followed were poor initial planning for combat in a populated area and the dropping of a 2,000-pound bomb from a B-1 bomber on a building without proper visual and ground confirmation of the target, officials said.Afghan government officials and human rights organizations have variously estimated that between 97 and 140 civilians were killed in the battle, in Farah province. Results of a major military investigation, presented yesterday to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, are to be released in summary form later this week, one Pentagon official said.
Some 10,000 Marines have poured into southern Afghanistan in the past six weeks, the military said Monday, transforming this once small base in the heart of the country's most violent province, Helmand, into a desert fortress, according to the Associated Press.A statement from the military confirmed the U.S. has fully deployed the first wave of 21,000 additional troops President Barack Obama ordered to Afghanistan this year to help stanch an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency.The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, normally based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will battle the Taliban as well as train and fight alongside Afghan security forces."This is where the fight is, in Afghanistan," said 1st Sgt. Christopher Watson, who like many of the troops was recently deployed in Iraq. "We are here to get the job done."
London’s Daily Telegraph reports that heavy weapons continue to stream across the Afghan border from Iran despite US President Barack Obama’s attempts to enlist Tehran’s help in fighting the insurgency, Afghan officials have said.Border police say they regularly intercept consignments of anti-tank mines and mortars bound for militants fighting Nato-led forces.A shipment seized on May 23 along Afghanistan’s 580-mile western frontier contained dozens of anti-tank mines. “That’s a regular occurrence,” the official told The Daily Telegraph. “It tends to be heavier weapons like mines and mortars rather than Kalashnikovs.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Obama administration is pressing for new U.N. steps aimed at cutting off North Korea's ability to peddle its nuclear wares, including an arrangement to interdict air and sea shipments of nuclear materials and hardware to and from North Korea.The core U.S. concern is that North Korea, in cementing its position as a nuclear power, could accelerate the global spread of nuclear know-how and weapons, along with ballistic missiles.But if the U.N. effort provides authority to forcibly board vessels in international waters on suspicion of carrying banned materials, as advocated by the United States, it could prompt a violent reaction from the North Koreans. North Korea has said publicly many times that U.N. penalties would amount to an act of war.
North Korea’s recent nuclear testing and missile launches combine with questions of who will succeed Kim Jong Il, the country’s leader, to create a “pretty dangerous” mix, the top U.S. intelligence official said, according to Bloomberg.com.“Any time you have a combination of this behavior of doing provocative things in order to excite a response, plus succession questions, you have a pretty dangerous, potentially dangerous mixture,” Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said late yesterday.He told an audience of about 200 people at an event in Washington he was concerned about North Korea’s behavior, which follows “a fairly familiar pattern of doing something outrageous and then expecting to be paid for stopping” it.
Agence France-Presse reports that US Defense Secretary Robert Gates is set to depart for Europe for talks with NATO allies amid a concerted push by Washington to reverse the course of the seven-year-old war in Afghanistan.The visit comes as thousands of American reinforcements pour into the fragile Asian nation in a bid by US President Barack Obama to gain the upper hand in a conflict that commanders say has turned into a stalemate.Most of the 21,000 additional US troops are heading to the south, a Taliban stronghold and the center of a thriving opium trade that helps finance the insurgency.Gates is due to discuss the outlook in volatile southern Afghanistan on Wednesday in Maastricht with North Atlantic Treaty Organization counterparts who have troops in the region. He then heads to Brussels on Thursday for a meeting of alliance defense ministers, the Pentagon said.
AFP also reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has hit back at critics of U.S. President Barack Obama's national security advisor, saying the former Marine general deserved praise instead of "sniping" over his performance.Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Gates took the unusual step of requesting an interview with a Washington Post columnist to respond to criticism from unnamed officials against James Jones, the retired general who serves as Obama's national security advisor.He gave the interview to the Post's David Ignatius "because the secretary firmly believes, as he articulated to Mr. Ignatius, that Gen. Jones is doing a terrific job," Morrell said on Monday.
A former Marine accused of killing a pregnant colleague near his North Carolina base pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing, the Associated Press reports. The former Marine, Cesar Laurean, 22, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio, whose burned body was found buried behind Mr. Laurean’s house. Prosecutors said he would not face the death penalty if convicted.
The Baltimore Sun reports that, three weeks before they will induct a fresh batch of plebes, officials at the U.S. Naval Academy expect their Class of 2013 to include far more minorities than any class in the institution’s 164-year history.The class of about 1,200 will include 435 minorities, up 33 percent from the previous year’s class, which had the most minorities until now, according to figures unveiled yesterday at the academy’s Board of Visitors meeting. The academy received 57 percent more applications from minorities than in the previous year, part of a 41 percent increase in overall applications.Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler, the academy’s superintendent, attributed the rise largely to intensified recruiting efforts in areas that have traditionally sent few applicants to the academy. Fowler cited a new graphic novel about the academy experience, a science, math and technology camp for middle-schoolers and the academy’s summer seminar for prospective applicants as examples of more innovative marketing.
Pakistani tribesmen seeking revenge for a deadly mosque bombing attacked militant strongholds for a second day Monday, while the country's Taliban leader faced rare denunciation from within insurgent ranks, the Washington Times reports.Capitalizing on the anti-Taliban sentiments, the military's top spokesman exhorted all Pakistanis to rise up against militants wherever they found them.Pressure is increasing on militants who have held sway in parts of Pakistan's northwest, with the army already bearing down in an offensive on their one-time stronghold in the Swat Valley region. Talk has now turned to the possibility of another operation against al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the nearby tribal belt along the country's border with Afghanistan.
Reuters reports that Pakistan's politicians and armed forces are showing more cohesiveness in the fight against Islamic extremists and public opinion is increasingly on the government's side, the U.S. envoy to the region said on Monday."Public opinion is solidifying behind the government. People are really fed up with what the Taliban and the other extremists have done," Richard Holbrooke told Reuters shortly after arriving in the United States from Pakistan.Pakistan's military has been fighting the Taliban in the Swat valley, northwest of the capital, for more than a month after the militants took advantage of a peace pact to conquer new areas in the region.
The Obama administration objected yesterday to the release of certain Bush-era documents that detail the videotaped interrogations of CIA detainees at secret prisons, arguing to a federal judge that doing so would endanger national security and benefit al-Qaeda's recruitment efforts, according to the Washington Post.In an affidavit, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta defended the classification of records describing the contents of the 92 videotapes, their destruction by the CIA in 2005 and what he called "sensitive operational information" about the interrogations.The forced disclosure of such material to the American Civil Liberties Union "could be expected to result in exceptionally grave damage to the national security by informing our enemies of what we knew about them, and when, and in some instances, how we obtained the intelligence we possessed," Panetta argued.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: USA Today and the New York Times lead with, while everyone else fronts, the surprising move by the Supreme Court to temporarily block the sale of Chrysler to Fiat while it considers whether to hear an appeal of the deal. (Slate Magazine)
2. Pakistan to target Waziristan: A curfew has been imposed in an area bordering the Taliban stronghold of Waziristan ahead of a military operation there, officials say. (BBC)
USA Today and the New York Times lead with, while everyone else fronts, the surprising move by the Supreme Court to temporarily block the sale of Chrysler to Fiat while it considers whether to hear an appeal of the deal. In a 53-word order, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave no hints as to whether the court will hear an appeal by three Indiana pension funds that said they were being treated unfairly in the automaker's bankruptcy plan. By delaying the sale of Chrysler "pending further order," the court could just be saying it needs more time to consider documents filed over the weekend. A long delay could be catastrophic to Chrysler. Fiat has the right to walk away if no deal is reached by Monday, and that could mean Chrysler might be forced to liquidate. But Fiat's CEO said yesterday he "would never walk away" from the Chrysler deal, even if it's not completed by Monday.
The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the White House saying it was "engaged through all possible channels" to try to seek the release of the two American journalists who were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor by North Korea's highest court. The sentencing of Laura Ling and Euna Lee complicates the already perilous relationship between North Korea and the United States. Some analysts have raised fears that the recent tensions could make it less likely that the Current TV reporters would be released quickly and they could become "the first Americans subjected to North Korea's gulag-style prisons," notes the WSJ. The Washington Post leads with the Obama administration's latest efforts to keep Bush-era CIA documents under lock and key. CIA Director Leon Panetta told a federal judge that releasing the documents related to the videotaped interrogations of CIA detainees, as well as ones that describe the rough interrogation methods, would hurt national security and help al-Qaida's recruiting efforts.
The Supreme Court's move to at the very least slow down the sale of Chrysler came as a bit of a shock to the White House, particularly since it came less than a week after Obama pretty much declared the automaker's reorganization a done deal. If the justices end up agreeing with some of the claims made by the pension funds, it could also put a damper on plans to rescue General Motors and generally "weaken the government's hand in stabilizing the troubled economy," notes the WP. Indeed, the WSJ reports that the lawyer for the Indiana pension funds is now in talks with GM bondholders who also think they were treated unfairly and want to raise a similar challenge. A professor of corporate law tells the LAT he was "stunned" by the court's move, even if he does think that Chrysler's bondholders have a legitimate complaint, particularly since the United Auto Worker union appears to have received favorable treatment.
The WP tries to read into Ginsburg's 53 words and says the language she "used in her order usually signals a delay of short duration." The WSJ specifies that while the court sometimes issues this type of delays in death-penalty cases, it's rare for the justices to order full emergency reviews as the creditors are requesting. But there's little question that it could also have broad implications particularly since the appeal by the Indiana funds "reads less like a standard business brief than a plea for the Supreme Court to stand up to the Obama administration," notes the LAT.
The LAT points out that the United States is trying to prevent the discussions over the release of the American journalists from being linked to the efforts to end North Korea's nuclear program. But the connection seems inevitable, and many speculate that the isolationist regime will use Ling and Lee as negotiating chips to make sure the United Nations and individual countries don't impose harsh sanctions for its recent nuclear and missile tests. "I think it very unlikely that the North Koreans would let them go without some serious extortion," one expert said. "But giving in to that extortion would fundamentally undermine broader U.S. national security interests." At the very least, that means their release could be delayed, and "the two women face a grim future in a brutal prison system notorious for its lack of adequate food and medical supplies and its high death rate," notes the LAT. The WSJ says that many analysts believe the current standoff "with North Korea is among the most dangerous since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War" and "raises the potential for a miscalculation or escalation."
The WSJ fronts word that the Obama administration appears to be backtracking from its efforts to cut down on the number of agencies that have oversight duties in the nation's financial markets. This suggests that "the current alphabet-soup of regulators will remain mostly intact," notes the paper. While officials have often talked about how the White House wants to streamline the oversight process, it now looks like existing agencies will be given more authority to make sure financial institutions aren't taking on a dangerous level of risk. Although officials caution that nothing has been set in stone yet, the White House seems to have concluded that trying for a large-scale overhaul would spark internal fights and inevitably delay the whole process.
The LAT fronts a look at how Obama is in the unenviable position of trying to convince a skeptical public that the stimulus package is working even as the unemployment rate continues to increase. The money has been slow in coming—only 6 percent of the $787 billion had been spent by May 29—and two top White House advisers had said early this year that if the stimulus package were approved the unemployment rate wouldn't exceed 8 percent. It is now 9.4 percent. While stating that the stimulus package has saved or created 150,000 jobs already, Obama also emphasized that he was "not satisfied" with the pace and said stimulus spending would accelerate in order to create or save 600,000 jobs by the end of the summer.
In the WSJ's op-ed page, William McGurn writes that talking about jobs "saved or created" has "become the signature phrase" for the president, even though the number is utterly meaningless. The number "allows the president to invoke numbers that convey an illusion of precision," but no one actually measures "jobs saved." Even White House officials recognize that the numbers are, at best, an educated guess. "Now, something's wrong when the president invokes a formula that makes it impossible for him to be wrong and it goes largely unchallenged," writes McGurn.
In the NYT, André Aciman writes that while Obama's speech in Cairo "was a groundbreaking event," no one seemed to notice that the president failed to say a word about the "800,000 or so Jews born in the Middle East who fled the Arab and Muslim world or who were summarily expelled for being Jewish in the 20th century." Even though Obama took pains to mention Islam's "proud tradition of tolerance" for other religions, "he failed to remind the Egyptians in his audience that until 50 years ago a strong and vibrant Jewish community thrived in their midst." For Obama to speak in Cairo about tolerance and respect without mentioning the Jews who used to live there "would be like his speaking to the residents of Berlin about the future of Germany and forgetting to mention a small detail called World War II."
A curfew has been imposed in an area bordering the Taliban stronghold of Waziristan ahead of a military operation there, officials say.
Police in Bannu district say they fear militants may head towards the area
Pakistan's army and paramilitary forces have deployed troops in the semi-tribal area between the northern Bannu district and Waziristan.
"We have imposed an indefinite curfew," local police in Bannu told the BBC.
Waziristan is controlled by Taliban militants and is said to be where al-Qaeda leaders have found safe haven.
The tribal region has been described by US officials as "the most dangerous place on earth".
It is said to harbour some of the world's most wanted men including al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Bannu shutdown
Police told the BBC that they had imposed the curfew in six of the 12 police station districts in Bannu.
"The six police stations all border the semi-tribal areas of Janikhel and Bakakhel, as well as the North Waziristan tribal region," Mohammad Iqbal, head of police in Bannu said.
"We fear that with the impending military operation in Janikhel, the militants may escape towards Bannu."
Mr Iqbal added that all bus stops in Bannu had also been closed in an attempt to thwart any militant attacks.
Local authorities there have sealed also businesses and properties belonging to members of the Janikhel and Bakakhel tribes.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad said that the Janikhel tribal area has been long known as a hide-out for militants.
Since 2008 it has been the target of several missile strikes in which dozens of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants have been killed.
The authorities say the tribes in the area have aided Taliban militants in their fight against security forces.
Security forces have been steadily increasing their numbers in Janikhel.
"We fear that with the impending military operation in Janikhel, the militants may escape towards Bannu," said Bannu police chief Mohammad Iqbal.
"Hundreds of additional troops have arrived here," Abdul Razzaq, a local administration official in the Janikhel area, told the BBC.
"The entire region has been sealed off from all sides.
"Most of the locals have already left the area and gone to their relatives in Lakki Marwat and Bannu," he said.
Local officials said the military was waiting for the arrival of helicopter gunships before launching the operation.
Some of the remaining locals in the area told the BBC that the army operation in Janikhel would have no effect on the militants as, they say, they fled the area two days ago when the authorities announced a general evacuation.
Taliban target
The army's move comes days after dozens of college students and teachers on their way to Bannu were kidnapped in North Waziristan.
The mass kidnapping took place in Janikhel and is said to have been carried out by local Taliban militants loyal to Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) head Baitullah Mehsud. The kidnapped students have all been released.
The specific target of this operation is said to be Mehsud and his TTP organization, the BBC's Syed Shoaib Khan says.
Security sources earlier told the BBC that the operation in the Janikhel and Bakakhel area is a prelude to a larger operation within the Waziristan tribal region.
There have also been reports that troops have been substantially increased in the town of Jandola which borders South Waziristan, Baitullah Mehsud's home base.
Our correspondent adds that the plan appears to be to encircle and Mehsud and destroy his organisation.
Further north the Swat valley has been the scene of heavy fighting between the Pakistani military and Taliban militants as the army attempts to dislodge militants from their strongholds in that area.
To top of document
Police in Bannu district say they fear militants may head towards the area
Pakistan's army and paramilitary forces have deployed troops in the semi-tribal area between the northern Bannu district and Waziristan.
"We have imposed an indefinite curfew," local police in Bannu told the BBC.
Waziristan is controlled by Taliban militants and is said to be where al-Qaeda leaders have found safe haven.
The tribal region has been described by US officials as "the most dangerous place on earth".
It is said to harbour some of the world's most wanted men including al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Bannu shutdown
Police told the BBC that they had imposed the curfew in six of the 12 police station districts in Bannu.
"The six police stations all border the semi-tribal areas of Janikhel and Bakakhel, as well as the North Waziristan tribal region," Mohammad Iqbal, head of police in Bannu said.
"We fear that with the impending military operation in Janikhel, the militants may escape towards Bannu."
Mr Iqbal added that all bus stops in Bannu had also been closed in an attempt to thwart any militant attacks.
Local authorities there have sealed also businesses and properties belonging to members of the Janikhel and Bakakhel tribes.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad said that the Janikhel tribal area has been long known as a hide-out for militants.
Since 2008 it has been the target of several missile strikes in which dozens of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants have been killed.
The authorities say the tribes in the area have aided Taliban militants in their fight against security forces.
Security forces have been steadily increasing their numbers in Janikhel.
"We fear that with the impending military operation in Janikhel, the militants may escape towards Bannu," said Bannu police chief Mohammad Iqbal.
"Hundreds of additional troops have arrived here," Abdul Razzaq, a local administration official in the Janikhel area, told the BBC.
"The entire region has been sealed off from all sides.
"Most of the locals have already left the area and gone to their relatives in Lakki Marwat and Bannu," he said.
Local officials said the military was waiting for the arrival of helicopter gunships before launching the operation.
Some of the remaining locals in the area told the BBC that the army operation in Janikhel would have no effect on the militants as, they say, they fled the area two days ago when the authorities announced a general evacuation.
Taliban target
The army's move comes days after dozens of college students and teachers on their way to Bannu were kidnapped in North Waziristan.
The mass kidnapping took place in Janikhel and is said to have been carried out by local Taliban militants loyal to Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) head Baitullah Mehsud. The kidnapped students have all been released.
The specific target of this operation is said to be Mehsud and his TTP organization, the BBC's Syed Shoaib Khan says.
Security sources earlier told the BBC that the operation in the Janikhel and Bakakhel area is a prelude to a larger operation within the Waziristan tribal region.
There have also been reports that troops have been substantially increased in the town of Jandola which borders South Waziristan, Baitullah Mehsud's home base.
Our correspondent adds that the plan appears to be to encircle and Mehsud and destroy his organisation.
Further north the Swat valley has been the scene of heavy fighting between the Pakistani military and Taliban militants as the army attempts to dislodge militants from their strongholds in that area.
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