Sam Spade's San Francisco

Start an exciting career in a fast-paced environment where you work with police, fire, and emergency medical personnel every day to protect the lives of people who live, visit, and work in San Francisco. Earn an annual base salary between $62,582 and $76,076. New hire bonus, retirement benefits, medical and dental insurance, floating holidays, tuition reimbursement, and premium pay are available. Work for the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (SFDEM).

Essential Job Functions:

• Receives emergency and non-emergency calls and efficiently gathers, evaluates, prioritizes, and documents information from callers.
• Dispatches police, fire and EMS field units to specific locations using a computer aided dispatch system, multiple video display terminals, two-way radio dispatch console and related equipment.
• Evaluates incoming reports of police, fire and medical emergencies; immediately transmits complete and accurate information to appropriate field personnel.
• Monitors, coordinates and accurately maintains the status of incidents and record of dispatched emergency service personnel and apparatus.
• Receives and disseminates information from other law enforcement and emergency service computer networks related to jurisdictional requests for police, fire or medical service assistance, or to notices of wanted persons, stolen property, warrants and all points bulletins and maintains confidentiality of information.
• Maintains familiarity with area geography including major streets, buildings and recognizes circumstances that may pose hazards to public safety field units and the public.
• Maintains up-to-date understanding of public safety policies and procedures for the Department of Emergency Management, Police, Fire, EMS and other emergency service providers.
• Responds to routine and non-routine inquiries regarding police, fire, or emergency medical services; properly classifies and prioritizes any report or complaint information and determines appropriate course of action; provides appropriate referrals as necessary.
• Responds, reports and mobilizes as necessary.
• Works various eight-hour or 10-hour shifts, or longer, including days, nights, weekends, holidays and overtime.
• Provides on-the-job training.

How To Apply
Application forms are available on-line at www.jobaps.com/sf.

President Barack Obama talks with Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., at the conclusion of a meeting with bipartisan Congressional leadership in the Oval Office Private Dining Room, Nov. 30, 2010. Listening at right are: Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.; and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,  today fully endorsed the report of the working group that has called for repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell,  the regulation that bans gay men and women from serving openly in the military. Currently the military requires gay and lesbian servicemembers to lie to their commanding officers about their sexual orientation.

“The working group surveyed our troops and their spouses, consulted proponents and opponents of repeal and examined military experience around the world,” Mullen said. “They also spoke with serving gays and lesbians.

The chairman recommended repeal of the law during testimony before Congress in February, and he called for research into how best to do this. “For the first time, the [service] chiefs and I have more than just anecdotal evidence and hearsay to inform the advice we give our civilian leaders,” he said today.

Resources and documents:

1) Here is the full, final comprehensive report on the repeal of DADT that was released this afternoon:
http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0610_gatesdadt/DADTReport_FINAL_20101130(secure-hires).pdf

2) Here is the Support Plan for Implementation of the Repeal of DADT also released this afternoon:
http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0610_gatesdadt/DADTReport-SPI_FINAL_20101130(secure-hires).pdf

3) For more information go to: http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2010/0610_gatesdadt/

On the left is South Korean Navy Rear Admiral Beom-rim Lee. He is greeting U.S. Navy Captain Reid Tanaka aboard aircraft carrier USS George Washington this past Sunday, November 28, 2010.

The South Korean Navy is joining the U.S. Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Royal Australian Navy in a joint naval exercise to flex muscles and let North Korea know that it is behaving badly in the company of some very powerful neighbors who are starting to get a little pissed-off at the lunatic father-son dictator team in Pyongyang.

Read more about the exercise at: U.S. Seventh Fleet, South Korean Navy, Royal Australian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force get ready for war with North Korea.

You can also watch a DOD video of Admiral Lee touring USS George Washington.

This afternoon, the White House reiterated the President's commitment to the DREAM Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation designed to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents by giving them the chance to obtain legal status by pursuing a higher education, or by serving in the U.S. armed forces for the country they've grown up in and love as their own.

Thanks to the participation of young people from all over the country, Cecilia Munoz, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, took great questions on whether the legislation would encourage people to come to the United States illegally (it would not) and whether the DREAM Act can be implemented by the President via Executive Order (it cannot, which is why he is strongly urging Congress to do the right thing by passing it).

Today's webchat was part of the President's ongoing commitment to engage with young people all over the country. If you'd like to be added to the White House youth engagement distribution list, send an email to

Miss the webchat live? Check it out in its entirety with full questions and answers here:




-- Download the DREAM Act Fact Sheet (.pdf)

-- Learn more at dreamact.info

Bo, the Obama family dog, is greeted by several of the President’s Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) achievers in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Nov. 29, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

Click to enlarge or download this official White House photo.

Pete Souza is the White House Chief Photographer. He has the highest security clearance in the country. Number One. He goes wherever the President goes -- aboard Air Force One, riding with POTUS inside or very near the Presidential limousine in each motocrade, walking with the President behind the scenes and occasionally even into the private Obama family residence inside the White House. The entire photo collection of the daily life of the President is kept and becomes part of the public archives. They will eventually end-up in the Obama Presidential Library when it is established.

I declared myself as a Barack Obama fan in this post from October 26, 2006:Barack Obama, our Best Hope since RFK. I am following this journey closely and it is proving to be a very impressive experience. Through the work of the White House Photographers we can become eyewitnesses to history. 

Every day Pete Souza posts a picture of the day on the White House website. I simply download and post Pete's picture pick of the day, or, Pete's Pic du Jour.

PBS obtained permission (very rare permission) to tail Pete Souza wherever he went. The documentary, called The President's Photographer: 50 years in the Oval Office, provides a very rare and unique inside view of what it's really like to be tailing the President of the United States. There are some great shots of previous White House Photographers going back to the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson who started the tradition of documenting (almost) every minute of the President's life in office. The first real "member of the family" Presidential Photographer was Yoichi "Okie" Okamoto who did .

In the documentary you almost feel your walking right along with Pete Souza, rushing right by the Secret Service and right up to the Boss. It is an impressive experience. Watch it at pbs.org/the-presidents-photographer/

The White House also has some interesting videos available online from a series called "Inside the White House".

Enjoy!

What: A Benjamin Dean Lecture: The Dark Universe and the Origin of Structure at the California Academy of Sciences at
.
Who: Josh Frieman, Ph.D.
.
Where: Morrison Planetarium, CalAcademy, GG Park
.
Date: Monday, December 6, 2010
.
Time: 7:30 PM
.
Tickets: Adults: $12 / Seniors: $10 / Members: $6 -- buy online
.
Parking: Music Concourse Garage (plus other important info)
.
Transit: Muni 44 O-Shaughnessy bus line stops at the front door

Josh Frieman is a senior staff member (Scientist III) in the Theoretical Astrophysics group at  the Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics. He is also Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, where he is a member of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics.



Frieman earned a B.Sc. degree from Stanford (1981) and a PhD in Physics from the University of Chicago (1985). After a postdoc in the SLAC Theory Group, he joined the scientific staff at Fermilab in 1988. He served as Head of the Theoretical Astrophysics Group from 1994 to 1999. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Trustee of the Aspen Center for Physics. He has served on the Executive Committee of the APS Divison of Astrophysics, on the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) of HEPAP, on the Astro 2010 Decadal Survey Committee, and on the Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC).


Frieman's research centers on theoretical and observational cosmology, including studies of the nature of dark energy, the early Universe, gravitational lensing, the large-scale structure of the Universe, and supernovae as cosmological distance indicators. The author of over 230 publications, he led the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-II) Supernova Survey, which discovered over 500 type Ia supernovae for cosmology studies, and served as chair of the SDSS Collaboration Council. 


Frieman is a founder of and currently serves as Director of the Dark Energy Survey, a collaboration of over 120 scientists from 20 institutions on 3 continents, which is building a 570-Megapixel camera to carry out a wide-field survey on the Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile to probe the origin of cosmic acceleration. Frieman’s recent scientific papers can be found on the preprint ArXiv, http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Frieman_J/0/1/0/all/0/1


His index webpage at U. Chicago contains some additional content on graduate and undergraduate courses taught.

This story comes from gCaptain, a maritime blog. It was written by John Konrad:


The Edda Fides is a type of vessel that goes by many names. Officially designated as an Accommodation Vessel these Floating Hotels are often reffered to as Flotels for their ability to provide bed space, food, laundry and the myriad of other services required to house people working on construction projects offshore.

Compared to a traditional propulsion system, the Voith Schneider system will offer a very precise, fast and accurate positioning capability combined with a considerably reduced fuel consumption. The 130 meters long and 27 meters wide vessel will be equipped with a telescopic gangway, which will be installed on the 1400 square meter deck. The gangway may be landed on an off-shore platform, FPSO or other fixed objects enabling personnel to walk back and forth in a safe manner.

You may also be interested in USCGC Sherman, a Crowley cycloidal drive, a Zeppelin and my sweet, sweet SF Bay

Check out this interactive Voith-Schneider Propulsion System. You have the controls! Pilot a virtual tug using the Voith Schneider system!

Click to enlarge or download this official White House photo.

Pete Souza is the White House Chief Photographer. He has the highest security clearance in the country. Number One. He goes wherever the President goes -- aboard Air Force One, riding with POTUS inside or very near the Presidential limousine in each motocrade, walking with the President behind the scenes and occasionally even into the private Obama family residence inside the White House. The entire photo collection of the daily life of the President is kept and becomes part of the public archives. They will eventually end-up in the Obama Presidential Library when it is established.

I declared myself as a Barack Obama fan in this post from October 26, 2006:Barack Obama, our Best Hope since RFK. I am following this journey closely and it is proving to be a very impressive experience. Through the work of the White House Photographers we can become eyewitnesses to history.

Every day Pete Souza posts the best picture of the day on the White House website. I simply download and post Pete's picture pick of the day, or, Pete's Pic du Jour.

PBS obtained permission (very rare permission) to tail Pete Souza wherever he went. The documentary, called The President's Photographer: 50 years in the Oval Office, provides a very rare and unique inside view of what it's really like to be tailing the President of the United States. There are some great shots of previous White House Photographers going back to the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson who started the tradition of documenting (almost) every minute of the President's life in office. The first real "member of the family" Presidential Photographer was Yoichi "Okie" Okamoto who did .

In the documentary you almost feel your walking right along with Pete Souza, rushing right by the Secret Service and right up to the Boss. It is an impressive experience. Watch it at pbs.org/the-presidents-photographer/

The White House also has some interesting videos available online from a series called "Inside the White House".

Enjoy!

Click to enlarge or download this official White House photo.

Pete Souza is the White House Chief Photographer. He has the highest security clearance in the country. Number One. He goes wherever the President goes -- aboard Air Force One, riding with POTUS inside the Presidential limousine, walking with the President behind the scenes and even into the private Obama family residence inside the White House. The entire photo collection of the daily life of the President is kept and becomes part of the public archives. They will eventually end-up in the Obama Presidential Library when it is established.

I declared myself as a Barack Obama fan in this post from October 26, 2006:Barack Obama, our Best Hope since RFK. I am following this journey closely and it is a very impressive experience.

Every day Pete Souza posts the best picture of the day on the White House website. I simply download and post Pete's picture pick of the day, or, Pete's Pic du Jour. 

PBS obtained permission (very rare permission) to tail Pete Souza wherever he went. The documentary, called The President's Photographer: 50 years in the Oval Office, provides a very rare and unique inside view of what it's really like to be tailing the President of the United States. There are some great shots of previous White House Photographers going back to the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson who started the tradition of documenting (almost) every minute of the President's life in office. The first real "member of the family" Presidential Photographer was Yoichi "Okie" Okamoto who did .

In the documentary you almost feel your walking right along with Pete Souza, rushing right by the Secret Service and right up to the Boss. It is an impressive experience. Watch it at pbs.org/the-presidents-photographer/ 

The White House also has some interesting videos available online from a series called "Inside the White House".

Enjoy!

The Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf and its crew returned to its homeport of Alameda, Nov. 24, 2010, just in time for the crew to enjoy the holidays with their loved ones, following its first 90-day operational patrol in the Eastern Pacific. 

While on patrol, Bertholf made the transition from testing and evaluation to fully mission capable, interdicting an estimated 12,400 kilograms of cocaine valued at nearly $400 million, destined for the United States. During several separate cases, Bertholf detained nine persons suspected of illegal activity and entered 27 associated smugglers into national databases which will also serve to aid future efforts in the region.

 “The crew and cutter performed beyond my highest expectations in this first full operational patrol,” said Capt. J. F. Prince, commanding officer, CGC Bertholf.  “The capability Bertholf brings to this mission, and all Coast Guard missions, proved the value of the National Security Cutter and its importance to our nation’s homeland and national security strategies.”

Bertholf’s crew operated alongside the Department of Defense, Joint Interagency and international partners in carrying out the Coast Guard’s drug and suspected migrant interdiction missions.  At the outset of the patrol, Bertholf provided command and control capabilities in support of suspected counter-drug and migrant interdiction operations off the coast of California in the vicinity of the Southwest Border.
Bertholf’s crew also worked with Joint Interagency Task Force South to detect and monitor illicit trafficking. Bertholf disrupted and seized contraband from a wide variety of drug vessels, including: fishing vessels, high speed panga-style vessels and a multi-engine, go-fast vessel.

Bertholf is the first of the Legend Class National Security Cutters, measuring 418-feet long with a crew of 110 personnel. Take a virtual tour of the Bertholf and learn that the cutter is capable of deploying out of hemisphere for up to half a year as part of the U.S. National Fleet alongside U.S. Navy partners, or operating independently in all theatres around the world.

Also see:
USCGC Bertholf comes home to Alameda for the first time
USCGB Eagle meets USCGC Bertholf in San Francisco Bay 
Come aboard USCGC Bertholf -- a great 3-minute video 
Coast Guard emergency contact and phone numbers for SF Bay Area
More Bertholf photos and artwork
Bertholf's Engineering Department
Bertholf's Weapons Department
Bertholf's Operations Department
Captain John F. Prince, Commanding Officer, USCGC Bertholf
Like to be a member of the crew? The Coast Guard is hiring right now!

From a stunning event planned for the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park on November 30th, the eve of World AIDS Day, to San Francisco City Hall ablaze in red, people in San Francisco are preparing for World AIDS Day, December 1, 2010.

The National AIDS Memorial Grove at Golden Gate Park will host the first ever Light in the Grove Event from 6 to 9 PM on November 30th, the eve of World AIDS Day. It will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Ryan White Care Act.

There will be a very special recognition for Pat Christen, architect of the Ryan White Care Act, former executive director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and current executive director of HopeLab.
.
There will also be special recognition of these World AIDS Day honorees:

- Jeanne White Ginder, activist and mother of the late Ryan White;

- U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, lead legislative sponsor of the Ryan White CARE Act;

- Laura Thomas, Deputy Director, Drug Policy Alliance.

The Grove will be illuminated under the evening sky as guests enjoy the comfort of a clear, heated tent. The entire Grove will be both showcase and centerpiece with imaginative lighting, unique performances and inspiring art installations. Cocktails will be served.

Light in the Grove is a great idea. Learn more or buy tickets here.

The Bay Area Reporter is San Francisco's premier LGBT news source and they have prepared an excellent guide to World AIDS Day events in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. Check it out here.

Some HIV/AIDS Resources in San Francisco:
SF HIV -- San Francisco SFDPH 
SF AIDS Foundation
UCSF AIDS Health Project
Stop AIDS Foundation
AIDS Emergency Fund
AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)
AIDS/HIV Nightline
Arc of Refuge
API Wellness Center
Shanti
Bayview - Hunters Point Foundation
Catholic Charities of San Francisco
Glide Foundation
Project Inform
Project Open Hand
HIV InSite: the UCSF HIV/AIDS portal 

Click to enlarge or download this official White House photo.

Pete Souza is the White House Chief Photographer. He has the highest security clearance in the country. Number One. He goes wherever the President goes -- aboard Air Force One, riding with POTUS inside the Presidential limousine, walking with the President behind the scenes and even into the private Obama family residence inside the White House. The entire photo collection of the daily life of the President is kept and becomes part of the public archives. They will eventually end-up in the Obama Presidential Library when it is established.

I declared myself as a Barack Obama fan in this post from October 26, 2006: Barack Obama, our Best Hope since RFK. I am following this journey closely and it is a very impressive experience.

Every day Pete Souza posts the best picture of the day on the White House website. I simply download and post Pete's picture pick of the day, or, Pete's Pic du Jour. 

PBS obtained permission (very rare permission) to tail Pete Souza wherever he went. The documentary, called The President's Photographer: 50 years in the Oval Office, provides a very rare and unique inside view of what it's really like to be tailing the President of the United States. There are some great shots of previous White House Photographers going back to the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson who started the tradition of documenting (almost) every minute of the President's life in office. The first real "member of the family" Presidential Photographer was Yoichi "Okie" Okamoto who did .

In the documentary you almost feel your walking right along with Pete Souza, rushing right by the Secret Service and right up to the Boss. It is an impressive experience. Watch it at pbs.org/the-presidents-photographer/ 

The White House also has some interesting videos available online from a series called "Inside the White House".

Enjoy!

Southern California sent us a Republican leadership; Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abel Maldonado. Now were sending them back. The San Francisco Bay Area has taken control of the top three jobs in California State Government and we're sending three powerhouse Democrats to Sacramento:

Jerry Brown, former Oakland Mayor, is California's new Governor
Gavin Newsom, San Francisco Mayor, is our new Lieutenant Governor
and we all joyously learned this afternoon that:
Kamala Harris, San Francisco District Attorney, is our new Attorney General.

It was a clean sweep of the three top executive offices in the California State Government. All Democrats. All San Francisco Bay Area people. 

And the best news is that all three are left-coast liberal San Francisco Bay Area Democrats. 

YES!!  HOORAY!!

Now, hopefully we will come out of this experience making California a much nicer place to live: a place where civil rights means equal rights for LGBT Californians and immigrant Californians and homeless veteran Californians, HIV+ Californians, unemployed Californians who need a hand-up (not a hand-out), and low-income student Californians who need a free and good education. These people are my political priority. 

In light of the delightful news today of Kamala's election (making it three!), I would really like to deliver a message to all those pick-up driving, gun-carrying, Fox News watching, homophobic, San Francisco-hating, Republican Tea Party patriots. I'd like to deliver a message to them, but I need to stick to the Middle Path and not let my child-self throw rotten tomatoes, so you're going to have to imagine everything I wanted to say -- and I'm ashamed to tell you that it was a nasty, ugly, vulgar, rude, direct, insulting message. You'll have to use your imagination. 

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.   

This is a very busy day for the U.S. Coast Guard in Bodega Bay. As I write this Station Bodega Bay is responding to its fifth rescue call of the day - and it's only 6 PM. This may be a very long day for our Coast Guardians working out of Station Bodega Bay, a unit of USCG Sector San Francisco.

One man died today. He was one of five people in a Cabo that capsized a half-mile West of Arch Rock. They were all in the water and in serious trouble. The Coast Guard immediately deployed an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and a 47-foot MLB (motor lifeboat) from Station Bodega Bay.

The Cabo had been crabbing nearby a 22-foot Boston Whaler also crabbing. It can sometimes get almost crowded at the start of Dungeness Crab Season. 

Apparently a crab line fouled the Cabo's propeller. Swells and waves overturned the crippled boat and all five went into the water. The skipper of  the Boston Whaler pulled all five victims from the wild, rolling, wind-blown swells. It was windy and rough out there today. Rain and wind are forecast. The Coast Guard did not release the name, but I would sure like to know the name of that Boston Whaler skipper. That was an inspiring act of heroism.

Midway he was met by the Coast Guard MLB coming in response. The victims were transferred to the MLB and the race back to Station Bodega Bay continued where Bodega Bay Fire Dept Rescue paramedics were waiting.

One victim didn't make it. He was 60 and was unresponsive. CPR was administered en route to Station Bodega Bay, but when the fire department rescue paramedics assessed the man, they declared him deceased.

The survivors, three men and one woman, were treated for hypothermia and transported to hospitals. 

And for the Coast Guard in Bodega Bay the day is still young and people are still calling for help. Let's remember the absolutely amazing men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard at Station Bodega Bay who are still out there right now on their fifth rescue call of the day. 

The Coast Guard: saving lives and guarding the coast since 1790. They are such an important part of our lives. We need to include them in our list of things for which we are grateful this Thanksgiving.

And who is the skipper of that Boston Whaler? 

The recent artillery strikes by North Korea beg the question of what caused the strikes. The answer may lie in this joint naval exercise where the U.S., South Korea, Japan and Australia joined together to sit off the North Korean coast and rattle sabres and flex their combined military muscle. It is a grand show of force, but it is likely resulting in an escalation of tension and danger. The North Korean artillery strike is a shot across our bow and their message is clear: back off.

In light of this new development I am re-publishing this original story from Sam Spade's San Francisco from Tuesday, October 12, 2010:

Forces from the U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet, the South Korean Navy, the Royal Australian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force have joined together and have launched Eastern Endeavor to make sure they are ready in case a sea-based "interdiction issue" arises in the waters near South Korea, North Korea and Japan. It is part of the Proliferation Security Initiative. Hmmm. Interesting choice of location.
..
The exercise is not being staged near Somalia where pirates are a real "interdiction issue" and there is no big multi-national interdiction training exercise going on in the waters off South America and Central America where the U. S. Coast Guard is doing a remarkable job of busting big drug shipments and other maritime interdiction missions all by themselves. 
.
Where are the real experts? Where's the A-Team?
.
And since I mentioned the Coast Guard, I wonder why DOD didn't ask DHS to send the Coast Guard to participate. After all, the Coast Guard is clearly this country's maritime interdiction A-Team. Nobody knows maritime interdiction techniques better than the U.S. Coast Guard.
.
And if you take a look at the assets involved in Eastern Endeavor it looks like a lot of overkill for even WMD interdiction training. It's basically a squadron of missile destroyers.  
.
General Curtis LeMay and his A-Bomb B-52 SAC deterrence force
.
The DOD and Partners are thinking on a bigger, more aggressive scale. Back in the 1960s the USAF Strategic Air Command's commanding officer, General Curtis E. LeMay, had B-52 bombers circling the globe day and night with ready-to-arm 20-megaton atomic bombs. They said the circling B-52 Stratofortress bombers were a deterrence against a Soviet first strike. Sometimes the DOD comes up with some truly bizarre ideas. We need to fully support the DOD, but we need to keep them under careful scrutiny as well.
.
To prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons, dirty bombs, chemical and biological WMDs it might be a good idea to plan more exercises with the naval and coastal forces of the nations around the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Those all seem to me to be likely places for interdiction missions to stop proliferation of WMDs.
.
So why does the DOD and Partners select the waters near South and North Korea and Japan for the exercise? Hmmm. 
.
I wonder if DOD and Partners may be just a wee bit concerned about those father-son nut cases who are the "Dear Leaders" of North Korea, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un. Ya think?
.
The exercise is being billed by the Navy as practice for "WMD interdiction" missions, but that sounds a little vague to me. The official story sounds a bit like a spin job when you think of the recent high-tension events between North Korea and their non-Communist neighbors. And if you have ever been in the military, you know how easily polished brass spins. 
.
The North Korean "People's" Navy may have other ideas
.
That squadron of destroyers and other assets are training to stop the North Korean Navy if they have to. Who else is going to be carrying WMDs in North Korea's back yard? And if anybody tries to stop a North Korean ship it will in effect mean that confrontation is going to escalate almost immediately to become a conflict with the North Korean Navy.


Cmdr H.B. Le


The commander of the Navy's major participant, USS Lassen (DDG 82), is Commander H.B. Le and he didn't mention interdiction as much as he emphasized the chance for the region's allies to practice deterrence. The major participants of the exercise happen to be the two countries that have been bullied by North Korea: South Korea and Japan.



No matter. Most of us are not on the DOD "need to know" list and for the most part that's a very good thing. I'm glad this exercise is taking place. Those two insane father-son creeps in North Korea are goofier than the Mad Hatter. It's a very good idea to be ready for anything when you live next door to an insane asylum. President Teddy Roosevelt said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" and when it comes to North Korea that is a very good advice. But let's not go over the top like Curtis LeMay.