Obama outlines U.S. policy
on use of anti-terror drones


In a major address at the National Defense University in Washington, U.S. President Barack Obama has given a framework for ongoing counterterrorism efforts, including the use of drones in direct lethal action against terrorists. 
 
The hour-long speech was Obama's most expansive effort yet to define threats that al-Qaida and associated forces pose to the United States, define how the U.S. responds, and outline limitations on such action.

As the U.S. ends its military involvement in Afghanistan, he said al-Qaida's core in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat.  He said there have been no large-scale attacks on the United States.
 
Obama said other threats have emerged, including al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula  along with other localized groups, and radicalized individuals in the U.S.
 
Obama said the U.S. prefers to help build the capacity of partners such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia to act against extremist networks. 
 
He said that when governments cannot stop terrorism on their territory, lethal targeted action, including with drones, is required, but must be held to rigorous standards.
 
"America does not take strikes when we have the ability to capture individual terrorists. Our preference is always to detain, interrogate and prosecute them.  America cannot take strikes wherever we choose. Our actions are bound by consultations with partners, and respect for state sovereignty," he said.
 
Obama called the use of drones effective, saying they have disrupted many plots, and that they are legal, noting America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.
 
But he acknowledged that the new technology raises profound questions and the risk of creating new enemies.
 
"As our fight enters a new phase, America’s legitimate claim of self-defense cannot be the end of the discussion.  To say a military tactic is legal, or even effective, is not to say it is wise or moral in every instance.  For the same human progress that gives us the technology to strike half a world away also demands the discipline to constrain that power or risk abusing it," he said.
 
Obama also spoke about the legality of targeting Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen and radical Muslim cleric who was among four Americans killed by drones since 2009.
 
"When a U.S. citizen goes abroad to wage war against America and is actively plotting to kill U.S. citizens, and when neither the United States, nor our partners are in a position to capture him before he carries out a plot his citizenship should no more serve as a shield than a sniper shooting down on an innocent crowd should be protected from a swat team," he said.
 
Obama did not announce any steps to transfer additional authority for drone operations from the CIA to the Defense Department.  But a policy document he signed expresses a preference that the U.S. military has a lead role in the use of force outside of war zones.
 
Ken Anderson, from American University Washington College of Law, says the speech, which also covered detention policies, probably achieved a key objective.
 
"I think that it represented an understanding by the Obama administration in its second term that it has to reach out to Congress on a wide variety of issues that range from Guantanamo to drone strikes to other things, and that it needs to find ways in which to institutionalize and make an acceptable part of the permanent national security tool set of the United States, not just for this president but into the future," he said.
 
Obama said the U.S. must define counterterrorism efforts not as a boundless global war on terror but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific extremist networks.
 
The president plans to re-engage with Congress on drone policy.  He ordered a review of proposals such as establishing a special court to evaluate and authorize lethal action.
 
He also wants the congressional Authorization for Use of Military Force that Congress approved after the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks, to be refined and ultimately repealed.  He said the U.S. must discipline its thinking so it is not drawn into more wars it does not need to fight.


President will again attempt
to close lockup at Guantanamo


President Barack Obama pledged Thursday to renew his attempts to close the controversial U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The president announced his plan in an hour-long, wide-ranging speech on U.S. counterterrorism policy.

Obama first promised to close Guantanamo when he ran for president in 2008.  On his third day in office in 2009, he signed an order to close the facility within the year.

Later that year, the U.S. Senate blocked the funding needed to transfer or release prisoners from the camp.  And in 2011, the president signed a defense spending bill which restricted the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners to the mainland or other countries, forcing the facility to remain open.

In Thursday’s comprehensive address, Obama said his administration is committed to prosecuting alleged terrorists whenever possible. He called the detention of terror suspects without charge at Guantanamo a glaring exception which is damaging America’s global image.

“The original premise for opening GTMO - that detainees would not be able to challenge their detention - was found unconstitutional five years ago.  In the meantime, GTMO has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law.  Our allies will not cooperate with us if they think a terrorist will end up at GTMO,” Obama said.

The president called on Congress to lift the restrictions it placed on transferring detainees from Guantanamo to other countries or imprisoning them in the United States. 

Obama asked the Defense Department to designate a location in the U.S. where military commissions could be held.  The president also said he is appointing a senior envoy to the State and Defense departments who will work to transfer detainees to other countries.

The president said he would lift the moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen, to allow each case to be reviewed individually.  And he committed to trying terror suspects in U.S. civilian and military courts, where appropriate.

There are 166 prisoners still at Guantanamo.  Eighty-six have been approved for transfer as long as security restrictions are met.  More than 100 of the prisoners are on a hunger strike to protest their detention, and about 30 are being force-fed.

Toward the end of the speech, when he addressed the Guantanamo issue, Obama was interrupted repeatedly by an anti-war heckler.  The president acknowledged her as he made his case for closing the camp. 

“Look at the current situation, where we are force-feeding detainees who are being held on a hunger strike.  I am willing to cut the young lady who interrupted me some slack, because it is worth being passionate about.  Is this who we are?” Obama said.

At Human Rights Watch, counterterrorism adviser Laura Pitter says she believes the hunger strikers forced U.S. officials to revisit the Guantanamo issue.

“Well, the hunger strike has really put the issue of closing Guantanamo back on the political agenda.  It is unfortunate that the detainees had to resort to such drastic measures and desperate measures in order to get the attention of the administration and Congress again,” Pitter said.

President Obama has been criticized at home and around the world for failing to close Guantanamo.  He also has faced domestic opposition for proposing the detention of terror suspects on U.S. soil.


British agents had known
about two radical Muslims


Senior British officials say the two men detained for the gruesome murder of an off-duty British soldier on a London street had been identified earlier by security teams investigating suspected Islamist extremists.

The victim, a 25-year-old father named Lee Rigby who had served in Afghanistan, died at the scene. The two suspects were shot and wounded by police.

Media reports Thursday cited British Muslim hardliners and acquaintances who identified one of the suspects as 28-year-old Michael Adebolajo of Nigerian descent.

Anjem Choudary, head of the banned British radical Islamist group al-Muhajiroun, said Adebolajo had regularly attended sermons by the group's Syrian-born founder Omar Bakri, who was banished from Britain in 2005.

Reporters confirmed that both suspects are British citizens who converted to Islam after being raised as Christians by their African immigrant families.

As the investigation progressed Thursday, British police said they had arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of conspiracy in connection with the case.

Rigby was rammed by a car and then hacked to death Wednesday afternoon near an army barracks in south London. Government officials said one of the attackers shouted Allahu akbar "God is great" as the soldier lay dying near him.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the killing was an appalling attack on Britain and a betrayal of Islam.

"This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life. It was also a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country. There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act," Cameron said.

The prime minister also said Britain was "absolutely resolute in its stand against violent extremism and terror."

"We will defeat violent extremism by standing together, by backing our police and security services and above all by challenging the poisonous narrative of extremism," Cameron said.

The two suspects are under guard in a prison hospital.

Witnesses to the attack said the soldier was hacked to death with large butcher knives. British television broadcast a bystander's dramatic video showing a man identified as Adebolajo with blood-covered hands holding a cleaver and a knife.

He criticized the presence of British troops in foreign lands and justified the attack on religious grounds, saying to those around him, "the only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day."

Adebolajo apologized to women and children who witnessed the bloodshed but said, "in our land, women have to see the same."

U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the attack, saying "the United States stands resolute with the United Kingdom, our ally and friend, against violent extremism and terror."

In signs of a backlash after the attack, more than 100 angry supporters of the English Defense League, a far-right street protest group, took to the streets late Wednesday. Separately, two men were arrested in connection with separate attacks on mosques outside London. No one was hurt.


More camels in parched Kenya
raising concern about the milk


Camels are known for their ability to travel long distances across the desert without water, but they’re also becoming an increasingly important source of milk for people in drought-prone regions.

That includes East African countries like Kenya, where populations of camels, the single-humped kind technically known as dromedaries, have grown rapidly over the past few decades.

But introducing camels, or any species, to a new region could mean bringing in new diseases, so researchers are studying camel diseases in Kenya to try to assess the possibilities.

The camels at the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya might sound fierce and, at more than two meters tall, adult dromedaries can be pretty intimidating. But Margaret Kinnaird, Mpala’s executive director, says they don’t deserve their reputation for meanness.

“I’ve never been spat on, I’ve never been bitten, I’ve only been sort of gummed and kissed,” she said.

A couple of years ago, Ms. Kinnaird began a project on camel health with Sharon Deem, who directs the Institute for Conservation Medicine at the St. Louis Zoo in Missouri.

“Camels may have some diseases that, as the human population reaches for camel milk, these diseases could be passed to them,” Ms. Deem said.

A growing number of Kenyans are drinking camel milk, most of it unpasteurized.

“These are estimates, but we really believe that up to 10 percent of Kenya’s 40 million people, so we’re talking four million people, probably drink unpasteurized camel milk,” Ms. Deem said.

Camels are not native to Kenya. But Ms. Kinnaird estimates that over the past 30 years, their number has grown to about three million.

Many have been brought in by immigrants from neighboring countries like Somalia and Sudan, where people have traditionally kept camels. Kenyan ranchers are turning to camels because of their ability to survive with limited water.

“People are learning that they can have camels persist throughout some very severe droughts, where they tend to lose all of their cattle, or a large majority of their cattle,” Ms. Kinnaird said.

Unlike cattle and goats, camels can continue producing substantial quantities of milk under drought conditions, which climate scientists predict will become more severe and frequent in Kenya in the future.

"So, I would imagine that given climate change, the role of camels is bound to be even more important than it has been before for those who live in these areas,” said Amos Omore, with the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi.

With camels becoming more common in Kenya, as well as a significant source of nutrition, Ms. Deem, said she believes it’s critical to find out what diseases they might be spreading.

When she began her research on camels, she really didn’t know much about them, so she started hitting the books.

“I became, very quickly, sort-of a camel expert," Ms. Deem said. "And I think that first field season I was maybe one of the best camel vets in Kenya.”

That unusual expertise helped Ms. Deem gain the trust of some local herders, who were eager to have her check out their camels.

Ms. Deem and her colleagues decided to focus on three diseases: brucellosis, trypanosomiasis, and Q fever.

They chose those diseases not only because they could spread to people who drink unpasteurized milk, but because they might also infect Kenya’s abundant wildlife species, like zebras and elephants.

With start-up funding from the St. Louis-based animal health and nutrition company Novus International, Ms. Deem worked with Margaret Kinnaird and local ranchers to test 150 camels over the course of two years. They collected blood, fecal, and tick samples.

The testing didn’t turn up much brucellosis or trypanosomiasis, according to Ms. Deem, but almost a third of the camels, and more than half the ticks, tested positive for Q fever, a bacterial disease that can be fatal in humans.

“So we really feel that Q fever in camels could be very important in this region,” she said.

The next step for Ms. Deem and her team will be to take a closer look at Q fever and how it is affecting livestock, people, and wildlife.

She also wants to keep working with Kenyan ranchers on what she calls “camel 101,” basic steps to keep their herds healthy.


Cash mobs help local stores
compete with the big chains


The U.S. economy posted a solid growth in the first quarter, in part due to the biggest consumer spending surge since the end of 2010. A trend sweeping the country is helping to push more of that spending toward local businesses.

What do you get when you mix a store's need for more business with enthusiastic local consumers? A cash mob.

Organized through social media, the phenomenon is based on the concept of a flash mob, where large groups convene in a public area to perform a dance routine. Instead of showing up to dance, these people show up to spend money. This cash mob was organized by Think Local First DC, a group that works to grow the Washington, D.C. economy. Stacey Price is the group's executive director.

"Local businesses are why people stay in a community. They are the character of our community, they give back to our community. If you look at studies you know that 68 cents to every dollar goes back into the local economy when people spend at a local business. When you spend at a chain store, only 37 cents goes back into the local economy," explained Price.

The rules of the cash mob are simple. Just show up at a local business at a set time, bring $20 and spend it on anything in the store.

The group chose Pleasant Plains Workshop for a cash mob to showcase the gallery's unique artwork and crafts. Everything in the store is made by local artists like Chris Haughery.

"I love my work and I like showing my work, but I would be more excited about people being able to see art just in general, and for me to be a part of that, to be able to add to that, you know, is really cool," said Haughery.

Store owner Kristina Bilonick said the event was a huge success.

"It's a win-win, and the sales are just icing on the cake," she said.

The cash mobs organized by Think Local First DC have increased sales for local businesses in Washington by 500 percent. And the mob members say the events are so much fun that they look forward to participating in one again.


Boy Scouts eliminate ban
on openly gay youngsters


The Boy Scouts of America has voted to lift its official ban against openly gay members, but will keep the ban on gay scout leaders.

More than 60 percent of the 1,400 members of its National Council voted to lift the ban at their annual meeting in Texas Thursday.

It adopted a resolution saying that America needs scouting and the organization's work will stay focused on what unites members. It says starting Jan. 1, no youth may be denied membership on the basis of sexual orientation or preference. It says there is no change in its policy in adult members.

Many current members say they have no objections to allowing openly gay scouts to join.

But many scout chapters are sponsored by churches and other religious groups. They opposed changing the policy towards gays, Some parents have threatened to take their sons out of scouting.

The Boy Scouts were founded in 1910 but did not have a policy banning gays until 1991.


Deep cultural changes sought
to safeguard women soldiers


A recent Pentagon report says the number of sexual assaults among people in the military continues to grow. The estimated number of incidents, ranging from groping to rape, increased by 37 percent last year. Both men and women were victims.  This is prompting them, and activists, to push for deep changes in the US military. 
 
More women are on active military duty than ever before. And as their numbers grow, so do the reports of sexual assaults.  
 
Calls to do something about it are growing.
 
“So not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make, and has made, the military less effective than it can be. And as such, it is dangerous to our national security," said President Obama.
 
Few understand that better than Jenny McClendon, a veteran who was raped by a superior while serving in the U.S. Navy. She now works to advocate change through a group called Protect Our Defenders.
 
"If you can't trust the people that you're working with to have your best interests at heart, if you can't trust the people that you're working with to not assault you, then you can't trust your unit which means that there's a divided unit," she said.
 
Women now make up more than 14 percent of the active duty force, and for the military that means new challenges in creating an environment where men and women can work and live in close quarters while maintaining professionalism.
 
The military has tried to combat sexual assault with public service announcements that stress awareness, and training programs that call for sensitivity and an improved reporting system.
 
But revelations that some of those in charge of the programs have allegedly been perpetrators could undermine these efforts. Like the case of Colonel Jeffrey Krusinski, head of the Air Force sexual assault prevention and response unit, who is now charged with groping a woman near the Pentagon. 
 
Ms. McClendon believes it's time for deep cultural changes.  She recalls that while serving 12 years ago, it was acceptable for male soldiers to say they didn't want to work with women. 
 
“When that's permitted, you've got a culture that promotes sexual assaults and rape. We need to challenge that paradigm. We need to have people saying we're not going to allow people to not work with women. If you don't want to work with women, you're not working in the military," she said.
 
With an estimated 26,000 assault cases last year, Congress is considering tougher penalties for sexual assaults in the military.  Activists welcome those moves.
 
Ms. McClendon says creating a more diverse, gender-neutral environment in the military will ultimately advance as more women enlist.