I Survived Another Happy New Year!

WNU Editor: Groannnn .... I am getting too old for this .... blogging will resume when I wake up.

Cartoon For Today

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Did President Obama Free A Nuclear Terrorist From Guantanamo?

Photo: Former Gitmo detainee Mohammad Zahir

Frontpage Magazine: Obama Frees a Nuclear Terrorist

WNU Editor: The 4 Guantanamo detainees who were recently released to Afghanistan were let go on the recommendation of the Guantanamo Review Task Force who deemed them .... "cleared for release." The implication is that they had been "cleared" of any wrongdoing and their release is risk-free.

Apparently that is not true.

The Long War Journal did some digging and found a very different story .... 4 Gitmo detainees transferred to Afghanistan are veteran insurgents, files allege.

But what is even more disturbing is that one of these detainees .... as the above Frontpage post discovered .... have a nuclear connection. Gateway Pundit has more on this "former" detainee .... What Could Go Wrong? Obama Frees Nuclear Terrorist from Gitmo (Gateway Pundit)

At the moment .... aside from the Long War Journal .... only a few conservative/right wing sites are covering this story. Nothing from the mainstream media .... and definitely no comment from the White House. A part of me is hoping that this story is not accurate .... that the nuclear materials in his possession when he was captured did not (and does not) warrant any concern ..... but .... in the past the White House was always fast in denying or downplaying reports regardless of their source or background .... but on this one they are being "strangely quiet". It must be the holidays and not having enough staff .... right?

The Pentagon’s Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions

The Pentagon’s New Year’s Resolutions -- Time

You make them, I make them, we all make them…but few of us keep them. In keeping with the seasonal delusion, let’s imagine our favorite world’s biggest office building is a sensate creature, and suffered shortcomings and regrets just like the 25,000 humans who toil there:

Read more ....

My Comment: This list is from 2012 .... but it is still appropriate for today.

CIA Admits That They Were Responsible For At Least HALF Of All UFO Sightings In The 1950's And 60's

#1 most read on our #Bestof2014 list: Reports of unusual activity in the skies in the '50s? It was us. http://t.co/BKr81M5OUN (PDF 9.26MB)
— CIA (@CIA) December 29, 2014

Daily Mail: CIA says at least HALF of all UFO sightings in the 1950's and 60's were spy planes, NOT aliens

WNU Editor: OK .... so they were responsible for half .... what about the other half?

More News On The CIA Admitting That They Were Responsible For At Least HALF Of All UFO Sightings In The 1950's And 60's

CIA Behind UFO Sightings in 1950s and 1960s -- Newsweek
UFO or CIA? Agency takes credit for '50s and '60s sightings -- USA Today
All those UFO sightings in the 1950s and '60s? It was us, CIA confirms -- Al.com
CIA Takes Blame For Most UFO Sightings Decades Ago -- NPR
CIA covered up the truth about UFOs for decades -- New York Post
CIA admits to being responsible for at least half of UFO sightings in the 50s and 60s -- UPI
UFO Sightings in '50s and '60s was CIA -- IBTimes
Alien Spaceship? Probably Not: CIA Admits it’s Behind (Most) UFO Sightings -- Sputnik

Watch A Stunning Video Of Jets Being Launched From A U.S. Aircraft Carrier

Business Insider/The Aviationist: Stunning GoPro Footage Brings You Aboard An Aircraft Carrier During Fighter Launches

WNU Editor: When we see airplanes on carriers .... it is usually from the pilot's perspective. This one is different .... it is from the perspective of the crew that prepares the jet for its launch.

From YouTube: The Catapult Topside Petty Officer's job is to ensure the safety of all personnel on the flight deck during launching operations, and to ensure the proper hook-up of the aircraft to the catapult. The video starts with about one minute until launch, with the first launch taking place at around 1:14. The aircraft you'll see are F/A-18A/B Hornets, F/A-18C/D Super Hornets (Rhinos) and the EA-6B Prowler.

Problems Continue With The F-35. Program May Be Delayed For Four More Years!

Reuters

Daily Beast (Dave Majumdar): New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019

WNU Editor: Apparently the software is 4 years behind!?!?!?! And while the F-35 will still be armed with missiles, its 25 mm cannon will not be functional?!?!?! So much for the advocates of this program who have been stating repeatedly that the F-35 is the plane of the future for protecting ground troops .... not the A-10. More at this link .... The Air Force's Rationale For Retiring The A-10 Warthog Is Bullshit (Fox Trot Alpha).

More News On The F-35 Program's Problem In Not being Able To Fire It's Gun

The F-35 Won't Be Able To Fire A Shot Until 2019 Due To The Latest Technical Problem -- Business Insider/The Telegraph
F-35 Could Be Delayed Another Four Years, But Pentagon And Lockheed Martin Deny Delays -- IBTimes
The Trillion Dollar F-35 Won't Even Be Able to Shoot Its Gun Until 2019 -- Gizmodo
F-35's Latest Glitch: Fighter Jet Can't Fire A Gun -- Investors.com

Update: I have posted the bottom video before .... Pierre Sprey is the co-designer of the F-16 and he helped to develop the A-10 .... he has also been a consistent critic of the F-35 program ....

.... From Gizmodo: According to the Pierre Sprey, co-designer of the F-16, the F35 is a turkey. Inherently, a terrible airplane. An airplane built for a dumb idea. A kludge that will fail time and time again. Just impossibly hopeless. And judging from the bajillion times the F-35 fleet has been grounded, well, he's probably not wrong. It's a trillion dollar failure. Watch Sprey eviscerate the F-35.

Yup .... this video deserves to be watched over and over again. His comments on the inability of the F-35 to provide close troop support is spot on (these comments are at 4:15 on the video).

Update: Pierre Sprey has updated his criticism of the F-35 program .... ‘Every F-35 a country buys from Lockheed Martin damages its defense’ -- RT.

Sighhhhh .... even Russian media senses that this U.S. Air Force program is a "turkey".

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Says He Is Open To High Level Talks With South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the multiple-rocket launching drill of women's sub-units under KPA Unit 851, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang December 30, 2014. Credit: Reuters/KCNA

Bloomberg: Kim Jong Un Says Open to ‘Highest-Level’ Talks With South Korea

WNU Editor: This is not the first time that the two Koreas have gone down this road. If the past is any indication .... my advice will be to not be optimistic.

More News On North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Saying He Is Open To High Level Talks With South Korea

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un says open to summit with South -- Reuters
N. Korea's Kim says open to 'highest-level' talks with South -- AFP
North Korean Leader Open to Summit With South -- AP
N. Korean Leader Says Open to Summit with South -- VOA
N. Korean leader open to inter-Korean summit talks -- Yonhap News Agency

WNU At St.Donat

Happy New Year 2015

WNU Editor: Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! And my prediction for the new year is a simple one .... it is going to be an interesting 2015.