U.S. Defense Contractors Told To Not Send Lay-Off Notices Before The November Elections

White House To Defense Contractors: Don’t Warn Employees Before Election They May Get Laid Off -- Washington Examiner

Obama’s Labor Department is trying to spare the president the embarrassment of having hundreds of thousands of layoff notices arrive in the mail just before Election Day, including in the crucial swing state of Virginia. It issued a guidance yesterday to defense contractors that just happened to advise them not to send federally-required warnings to their employees that they could get pink slipped because Washington can’t get the budget under control.

At issue is a regulation called the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice Act, which requires federal contractors, especially ones with Pentagon contracts, to send notices to their workers 60 days before their contract is expected to terminate. The point is to give the workers a heads up and time to get new employment or seek training.

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More News On The DoL Telling Government Contractors To Not Send Lay-Off Notices Before The November Elections

Sequestration has defense in the dark -- Washington Times
Layoff notice, defense cuts set off dispute -- FOX News/AP
Republicans: Obama administration hiding big job losses from sequester -- The Hill
Defense cuts, layoff notice dispute sets off tiff -- Huffington Post
DOL: Delay Layoffs Until After Election -- Alana Goodman, Commentary

Update: This is breaking news ..... personnel programs exempt from sequestration.

Picture Of The Day

U.S. Navy Capt. Daniel Cave, commander of Carrier Air Wing 5, approaches the flight deck during his last arrested landing on the USS George Washington under way in the Philippine Sea, July 24, 2012. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Brian H. Abel

The Syrian Regime Is Running Out Of Money To Fight

Source: Assad Could Fund 6 More Months Of War -- CBS News

(CBS News) LONDON - The U.S. government says President Bashar Assad's grip on power in Syria is coming loose, with rhetoric from the highest levels in Washington suggesting the dictator will soon fall thanks to his own poor decision-making and intransigence.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said Sunday that Assad's continued use of heavy weapons and aggressive military tactics against opposition fighters - which often results in civilian deaths - "makes clear that his regime is coming to an end." But he did not give a time-frame.

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My Comment: The same thing was said about Gaddafi during the height of the Libyan civil war. He had access to gold and wast amounts of money .... paid thousands of mercenaries .... but it was not enough to stop the rebellion from overthrowing him. Bottom line .... both Gaddafi and now Assad must pay their soldiers to fight .... the rebels are doing it for free .... who do you think is more motivated to win.

UN General Asembly To Meet Thursday On Syria's Civil War

United Nations (UN) observers travel in an UN vehicle from the UN office in Damascus to Douma, where protests against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad have been taking place, 26 April 2012. (Photo: REUTERS - Khaled al- Hariri)

UN General Assembly To Meet On Syria -- Voice of America

BEIRUT/GENEVA — The United Nations General Assembly is to meet Thursday to discuss a Saudi resolution expressing grave concern with the violence in Syria and condemning the Security Council's lack of action.

The draft resolution also raises alarms about the Syrian government's threat to use chemical weapons against what the Syrians call foreign invaders. It calls on President Bashar al-Assad to step down in favor of a peaceful transition to a democratic government.

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Update: U.N. General Assembly to meet on Syria crisis -- Reuters

My Comment: A total waste of time.

Two Disturbing Video Reports On The Battle In Aleppo

Syrian Christians Fear For Their Future

A church in Homs was damaged during fighting between security forces and rebels

Syrian Christians Fear Future As Violence Worsens -- BBC

The woman was clearly frightened. Over and over again she explained that the world should know about what was happening to Christians like her inside Syria.

But she would not appear on camera or even allow her voice to be recorded.

"My husband does not want to draw trouble on us by speaking out," she said.

The family had fled Syria for Lebanon because it was simply too frightening now for Christians, she insisted.

Although I met Christian refugees with widely differing political opinions, all were afraid of being targeted if they spoke publicly.

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My Comment: Considering what has happened to the Christian community in Iraq .... and how Coptic Christians are being treated in Egypt today .... these fears are well founded.

Syrian Rebels Overrun An Army Base Outside Of Aleppo (Video)

CNN Inside Syria: Firefight For Control Of Army Base -- CNN

CNN's Ivan Watson has been traveling through northern Syria near Aleppo, where bloody battles have raged for more than a week for control of the country's largest city. Watson and the crew are some of the few international reporters in Syria, whose government has been restricting access on foreign journalists and refusing many of them entry. Check out more from CNN inside Syria.

What is the state of the rebel offensive and what are the rebels saying about their chances? Here's what Watson recently saw and heard from on the ground near Aleppo (edited for length and clarity):

With our eyewitness vantage point, we saw was a rebel offensive that started at sunset Friday night. The rebels attacked the last Syrian army checkpoint before the gates of Aleppo to the north of the city.

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My Comment: These Syrian rebels were clearly outgunned .... but they still won. More importantly .... it shows the weakness of the Syrian military .... they could not send in reinforcements to save their comrades.

The Battle For Aleppo Continues

Syria Government's Aleppo Assault Stalls -- The Telegraph

The Syrian government's assault on Aleppo appeared to have stalled on Tuesday night as rebels claimed new victories against the increasingly demoralised troops of Bashar al-Assad.

Rebels now believe they can capture the country's biggest city within days despite being outgunned. On Tuesday they stormed a number of bases including police stations in Aleppo suburbs, killing as many as 40 members of the security forces, following their capture of a key checkpoint on the road to the Syrian border the day before.

State media meanwhile said troops were still "pursuing terrorists" in the suburb of Salaheddin, which on Monday it claimed to control, as well a list of other districts.

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More News On The Battle For Aleppo

Syria: Rebels 'overrun Aleppo police stations' - live updates -- The Guardian
Syria Live Blog -- Al Jazeera
Syria crisis: Fresh clashes in Aleppo -- BBC
Syrian forces intensify air assault on Aleppo -- Al Jazeera
Syria government reportedly showing more restraint in Aleppo fighting -- McClatchy News
Rebels resist in battle for Aleppo -- The Australian
Rebels in Syria’s Largest City Claim to Seize Important Police Stations -- New York Times
Syria rebels take police stations, kill 40 -- Sydney Morning Herald/AFP
Syrian Activists Report Continued Fighting -- Voice of America
Residents in Aleppo, Syria running low on food and gas as clashes between rebels and regime forces continue: activists -- New York Daily News/AP
Syrian rebel commander says Aleppo to be liberated 'within days' -- Haaretz/Reuters
Syrian rebels say Aleppo theirs "within days" -- Reuters
Syria foes ready for long Aleppo battle -- The Australian
Syrian aircraft strike Aleppo, rebels claim successes -- Reuters
Syrian Army Continues Aleppo Offensive -- Wall Street Journal/AP
Syrian Army Bombs Aleppo As Refugee Problem Becomes Acute -- Radio Free Europe
Besieged Syrian city of Aleppo running low on food and power -- Washington Post/AP
As fighting in Aleppo rages, frightened civilians seek shelter -- CNN
Syria Crisis: Photos From Aleppo War Zone -- Huffington Post

Syrian Rebels Are Becoming Proficient At The Use Of IEDs

Syria's Rebels Add Explosives Expertise To Guerrilla Tactics -- The Guardian

Commanders use insurgency methods but rage at being compared to al-Qaida, saying if anyone is a terrorist it is Assad

Syria's opposition fighters are increasingly using Iraqi-style roadside bombs in their war against Bashar al-Assad, most recently blowing up tanks in a large convoy travelling to attack rebels inside Aleppo.

Free Syrian Army (FSA) commanders told the Guardian the use of improvised explosive devices has gone up in recent months, with fighters growing increasingly adept at bomb-making. Iraqi insurgents used roadside bombs extensively in their campaign against the US military.

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My Comment: The Syrian rebels are clearly beginning to learn and value the art and effectiveness of asymmetrical warfare.

On a side note .... in the past I would go to YouTube to look for Syrian videos of IEDs exploding .... and I would only find a few videos that are dated. Tonight .... when I did the same thing .... I was surprised to not only see a large number of videos available, but I also noticed that most of them have been uploaded recently.

Syria's Rebels Now Have Anti-Aircraft Missiles

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Turning Point? Syrian Rebels Obtain Missiles -- NBC Nightly News

For days the Syrian troops' weapons have given them the upper hand during key battles in Aleppo, but the rebels – now armed with powerful shoulder fired anti-aircraft missiles -- are preparing for a different kind of fight. NBC’s Richard Engel reports.

My Comment: If these are effective anti-aircraft missiles, it will change the dynamics of the war in Syria appreciably.

Update: Syrian rebels acquire surface-to-air missiles-report -- Reuters