Why IS It That We Haven't Had a Predator Drone Strike In Pakistan For 3 Weeks?

For those loyal Holger Awakens readers, you know that I post every single predator drone strike that the U.S. carries out in NW Pakistan and you also have probably noticed that it's been like a month of Sundays since we've seen one of these strikes take place.

It's been so damn quiet that I even left a comment over at The Long War Journal asking Bill Roggio what the hell was going on. Well, the answer is up at The Long War Journal here and what Bill is saying is that there isn't any "political" reason for the lull and that apparently some lengthy lulls have occurred before.

From the article:

For over three weeks, the CIA's controversial covert air campaign that targets al Qaeda, Taliban, and allied terror groups' leaders and operatives in Pakistan's lawless and Taliban-controlled tribal areas has been silent. There has not been an airstrike by the armed, unmanned Predators and Reapers, or drones as they are more commonly called, for 25 days. This pause has sparked speculation that the US has halted the strikes for political reasons, but a look at the pace of the strikes over time shows that long pauses are not uncommon.

The current 23-day lull in strikes in Pakistan is the third-longest period of inactivity since the US ramped up the program in August 2008, according to data on the strikes compiled by The Long War Journal [a list of operational pauses that have been longer than eight days appears below].

The most recent strikes took place on Jan. 23, when the Predators and Reapers pounded al Qaeda and Taliban targets in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.

The two most extended periods of operational inactivity so far have occurred in 2009. The longest recorded pause was 33 days, from Nov. 4 to Dec. 8, 2009. The second-longest pause was 28 days, from May 16 to June 14, 2009.

Also, there have been two other periods of time in which 20 or more days went by without a strike. Again, both operational pauses occurred in 2009: from Jan. 23 to Feb. 14 (21 days); and from Jan. 2 to Jan. 23 (20 days).

Now, I'd be a fool to question Bill Roggio on this and also, I do know that there were no indicators of this lull coming up - yes, there was a call by the Taliban about a month and a half ago calling for an end to the strikes but after that edict by the ragheads, we nailed about 20 more of em in at least three more strikes.

The only speculation I had for this recent void of strikes is if it had something to do with the American diplomat being arrested for killing the two Pakistanis that tried to hijack him but that would have been a stretch.

So, if this is just a normal lull, it doesn't mean that I have to like it. LOL

Analysis: Gap in Pakistan Predator strikes not unusual


For over three weeks, the CIA's controversial covert air campaign that targets al Qaeda, Taliban, and allied terror groups' leaders and operatives in Pakistan's lawless and Taliban-controlled tribal areas has been silent. There has not been an airstrike by the armed, unmanned Predators and Reapers, or drones as they are more commonly called, for 25 days. This pause has sparked speculation that the US has halted the strikes for political reasons, but a look at the pace of the strikes over time shows that long pauses are not uncommon.

The current 23-day lull in strikes in Pakistan is the third-longest period of inactivity since the US ramped up the program in August 2008, according to data on the strikes compiled by The Long War Journal [a list of operational pauses that have been longer than eight days appears below].

The most recent strikes took place on Jan. 23, when the Predators and Reapers pounded al Qaeda and Taliban targets in the Taliban-controlled tribal agency of North Waziristan.

The two most extended periods of operational inactivity so far have occurred in 2009. The longest recorded pause was 33 days, from Nov. 4 to Dec. 8, 2009. The second-longest pause was 28 days, from May 16 to June 14, 2009.

Also, there have been two other periods of time in which 20 or more days went by without a strike. Again, both operational pauses occurred in 2009: from Jan. 23 to Feb. 14 (21 days); and from Jan. 2 to Jan. 23 (20 days).

In 2010, there were two periods exceeding 15 days' time in which no Predator strikes occurred in Pakistan: from July 25 to Aug. 14 (19 days) ; and from June 29 to July 15 (15 days).

Since August 2008, there have been 24 periods of eight days or longer with no Predator strikes.

Most US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal were unwilling to discuss the reasons for the current pause in strikes, or previous strikes, citing operational security concerns. But weather in the region is known to be the primary reason for slowdowns in the strikes.

Pakistani news outlets have speculated that the pause in strikes is related to the arrest of Raymond Davis, the US consular official who shot and killed two Pakistanis in Lahore. Davis believed the men were trying to kill him, but Pakistani courts refuse to recognize his diplomatic status and release him. One theory is that the US is not launching Predator strikes while Davis is in custody lest an attack inflame Pakistani sentiments.

But US officials contacted by The Long War Journal would not link Davis' detention to the pause in strikes.

Number of days between Predator/Reaper strikes in Pakistan since August 2008, eight days or greater

2011:

* 23 days, Jan. 23 to Feb. 16

2010:

* 8 days, Dec. 17 to Dec. 27
* 19 days, July 25 to Aug. 14
* 15 days, June 29 to July 15
* 12 days, May 28 to June 10
* 12 days, March 30 to April 12
* 10 days, Feb. 24 to March 8
* 11 days, Feb. 2 to Feb. 14

2009:

* 33 days, Nov. 4 to Dec. 8
* 13 days, Sept. 30 to Oct. 14
* 9 days, Sept. 14 to Sept. 24
* 10 days, Aug. 27 to Sept. 7
* 8 days, Aug. 11 to Aug. 20
* 9 days, June 23 to July 3
* 28 days, May 16 to June 14
* 9 days, April 19 to April 29
* 10 days, April 8 to May 12
* 9 days, March 15 to March 25
* 10 days, March 1 to March 12
* 12 days, Feb. 16 to March 1
* 21 days, Jan. 23 to Feb. 14
* 20 days, Jan. 2 to Jan. 23

2008:

* 11 days, Nov. 29 to Dec. 11
* 13 days, Sept. 17 to Oct. 1

Isn't This a Shocker! Federal Government's First Offering of GM Stock Will Be At a Loss To Taxpayers

I've said it a hundred, maybe a thousand times - name one time that the Federal government meddled in the affairs of the private sector in America where it DIDN'T completely mess the whole thing up. Just one, name one.

Well, when the Federal government and the Obama socialists decided that they couldn't afford to lose the votes of the UAW workers, they used our taxpayer money to buy a majority share of stock in General Motors - that failing behemoth of an automaker who had gotten into its mess by turning out cars that no one wanted to buy and by negotiating a union contract that made every car produced, unprofitable. So now, when it appears that the Fed will actually begin to get out of the State ownership of production in the Unites Socialist States of America, they have decided to sell their stock ....oh wait a minute, it's OUR stock, the peoples' stock....at a loss. Figures.

From the article at Reuters via Breitbart:

The U.S. government is likely to take a loss on General Motors Co in the first offering of the automaker's stock, six people familiar with preparations for the landmark IPO said.

Subsequent offerings of the government's holdings may be profitable depending on how investors trade the newly listed stock, the sources said.

But the question of whether taxpayers are ultimately made whole on GM's $50 billion bailout could be left open for years, the people said.

Treasury spokesman Mark Paustenbach declined to comment. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson also declined to comment.

So, let's just make it perfectly clear here folks. Barack Hussein Obama and his Union boss cronies made a deal - Obama would take tax dollars collected from you and me and he would buy out General Motors so that the UAW workers wouldn't lose their jobs and the union bosses could still make their mortgage payments on their multi-million dollar mansions. And now, when it comes time for the government to get its grubby hands out of private industry, they are more than happy to return to you and me LESS money than they took from us. And they have no fucking comment.

So, the next time someone comes to your door asking you to support their Democrat candidate, be sure to remind them that the Democrats stole your money and repaid you at a loss and the next time you run into your neighbor, you know...the one with the "Buy Union" bumper sticker on his Toyota pickup...tell him to take his UAW membership and shove it up his ass.

Taxpayers may face initial loss on GM IPO: sources


(Reuters) - The U.S. government is likely to take a loss on General Motors Co in the first offering of the automaker's stock, six people familiar with preparations for the landmark IPO said.

Subsequent offerings of the government's holdings may be profitable depending on how investors trade the newly listed stock, the sources said.

But the question of whether taxpayers are ultimately made whole on GM's $50 billion bailout could be left open for years, the people said.

It could take more than three years for the Treasury to sell down its remaining stake in GM after the IPO, one person said. That would push a final accounting into the next presidential term.

A decision to price the initial GM shares below the cost to taxpayers would follow the usual Wall Street practice of giving the first investors in a new stock a discount, but it could also help allay investor concern in the face of the slow recovery of the U.S. economy and flat auto sales.

Preparations for GM's IP0 remain confidential. Both GM and the U.S. Treasury have declined to comment, citing restrictions by U.S. securities regulators.

The Obama administration has pledged to exit its investment in GM as quickly as possible while holding out the prospect that taxpayers could ultimately be paid back in full.

Treasury spokesman Mark Paustenbach declined to comment. GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson also declined to comment.

GM plans to begin a roadshow for its IPO immediately after the November 2, U.S. midterm congressional elections, paving the way for a stock debut on November 18, sources have said.

GM in August filed paperwork for an IPO that could potentially be worth as much as $20 billion, making it one of the biggest IPOs of all time.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is now reviewing the automaker's S-1 filing.

Analysts and potential investors have projected a market value for GM of between $50 billion to around $90 billion, based on projections for the automaker's cash flow, comparisons with rival Ford Motor Co and trading in bonds in the old GM, which are convertible into shares in the new company.

A market value at the high end of that range would be above the roughly $70 billion in market capitalization that GM needs to achieve for the U.S. government to break even on its $43 billion remaining investment in the automaker.

But IPOs typically price at a discount of 10 percent to 15 percent to theoretical fair value to reward investors for taking a risk on a new issue and pave the way for future stock floats. In tough market conditions, that discount can be even larger.

"You have to sell people on the notion that there is an upside to what they are buying," one of the sources said.

Another of the sources said the discount could be as much as 20 percent on the GM IPO compared with the U.S. Treasury's break-even point.

Preparations for the GM stock offering remain in the early stages. A number of the sources cautioned that the size and value of the deal and the size of the stake to be sold by the U.S. government have not been determined and will not be set for weeks.

UAW Workers Vote At New York Plant: Work For Less or Lose All Jobs? They Voted To Lose Jobs

Way to go United Auto Workers! Once again you have proven your leadership to be nothing short of brilliant. At the Magna parts plant in Syracuse, New York, the UAW took a vote that would make wage and benefit concessions in order to keep the plant open and save their jobs - this from the article over at Breitbart. The UAW workers proceeded to vote "No" to the new contract and the plant will be closed and all 1,400 workers will lose their jobs. Like I said, what a bunch of Einsteins.

Now, perhaps the Union here has some inside information that President Obama will open the plant back up after his Government buys the plant and begins to run it, but I don't think Magna operations are quite visible enough for that to happen....lol.

So, 1,400 union drones just voted to slit their throats - and now they can all shuffle along in the unemployment lines and make the kind of wages the rest of us make. Enjoy your newfound economic security, putzes! Oh and don't let it bother you that your Union bosses who told you to vote "No" are all on a plane for their new assisgnment at another location where they will enjoy the same pay, the same benefits, the same perks...that you paid for.

Union rejects bid again to keep NY plant open

EAST SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Members of a United Auto Workers union have rejected a contract aimed at saving a suburban Syracuse plant from closing.
UAW Local 624 president Scott Stanton says 68 percent of the workers voting opposed the contract in a vote Saturday.
It's the third time workers have rejected contracts with concessions that could have kept the parent company, Magna International Inc., from shutting down the struggling New Process Gear plant.

A Magna spokeswoman wouldn't immediately comment.
After the second rejection, the Canadian company began closing the factory, which makes parts for trucks and sport utility vehicles. It employs 1,400 workers.