Russian Presence Near Undersea Cables Concerns U.S. - The New York Times

Russian Presence Near Undersea Cables Concerns U.S. - The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Russian submarines and spy ships are aggressively operating near the vital undersea cables that carry almost all global Internet communications, raising concerns among some American military and intelligence officials that the Russians might be planning to attack those lines in times of tension or conflict.

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The issue goes beyond old Cold War worries that the Russians would tap into the cables — a task American intelligence agencies also mastered decades ago. The alarm today is deeper: The ultimate Russian hack on the United States could involve severing the fiber-optic cables at some of their hardest-to-access locations to halt the instant communications on which the West’s governments, economies and citizens have grown dependent.

While there is no evidence yet of any cable cutting, the concern is part of a growing wariness among senior American and allied military and intelligence officials over the accelerated activity by the Russian armed forces around the globe. At the same time, the internal debate in Washington illustrates how the United States is increasingly viewing every Russian move through a lens of deep distrust, reminiscent of the Cold War.

RED ALERT: FBI Director Reveals How Many Islamic Operatives Are INSIDE America... It's an Army

RED ALERT: FBI Director Reveals How Many Islamic Operatives Are INSIDE America... It's an Army:

"The Islamic State group has made it clear that they are planning terror attacks against America. There have already been several so-called “lone wolf” attacks perpetrated by individuals inspired by the Islamic State organization.

As if that weren’t bad enough, FBI Director James Comey recently revealed how many possible Islamic State group-affiliated terrorists were being investigated inside the United States."

Muslim Immigrants Smash & Urinate on Virgin Mary Statue in Italy

Muslim Immigrants Smash & Urinate on Virgin Mary Statue in Italy - The Gateway Pundit
Immigrants attacked local Christian in Perugia and then smashed and urinated on a Madonna statue.
madonna statue broken

Raymond Ibrahim reported:
A man was kneeling in prayer before the statue of the revered Madonna, with the photograph of a loved one in hand, in the small chapel of St. Barnabas in Perugia (Italy), when he was attacked by five “immigrants.”
The first thing they did was rip the photo from his hands.
Next they unleashed their hatred against the image of the Virgin Mary. 
They broke the statue to pieces and then urinated on it.
Don Scarda, pastor of St. Barnabas, said the event was led by five “foreigners.”
By the time police arrived at the chapel, the unidentified attackers had already fled.
The incident has caused a stir among locals.
Some have lambasted Pope Francis who is accused of appeasing immigrants—mostly Muslims—to wild extremes.
Earlier he had said that “Migrants, through their own humanity, cultural values, expand the sense of human brotherhood.”
Although the Diocese condemned the act of sacrilege against the Madonna statue, it also followed the Pope’s lead by absolving Islam of any responsibility for what happened.
The immigrants kicked pieces of the statue down the street.

"Our Data Is Not Good" - US Companies Warn That A Recession Is Coming

"Our Data Is Not Good" - US Companies Warn That A Recession Is Coming | Zero Hedge
Earlier this month, we highlighted comments from new Fastenal CEO (and former CFO) Dan Florness who, on the company’s Q3 call, took homage to one analyst’s suggestion that we’re currently in a “non-recessionary environment.” Here, as reminder, is the exchange:

William Blair’s Ryan Merkel: Then just lastly, Fastenal growing zero percent here in September and in a non-recessionary environment, it’s pretty surprising, I think, for a lot of us. 

Florness: The industrial environment is in a recession - I don’t care what anybody says, because nobody knows that market better than we do. You know, we touch 250,000 active customers a month.  

There you go. No ambiguity there. Nor was there anything ambiguous about some of the numbers Fastenal reported. For instance, in September, the company saw its first Y/Y sales decline since 2009. 

And the nuts and bolts manufacturer isn’t alone. 

As we’ve been keen on documenting, bellwether Caterpillar is in the midst of a truly historic sales slump that’s now entering its 35th month. 

BREAKING: Obama Admin Accuses Israel of TERRORISM... Spread This Like Wildfire

BREAKING: Obama Admin Accuses Israel of TERRORISM... Spread This Like Wildfire:

"False equivalence is a hallmark of liberal thinking, to the point that officials from the Obama administration genuinely believe that the Israeli people are just as guilty of committing acts of terror as their Palestinian counterparts.

Even Secretary of State John Kerry apparently thinks like this. On October 13, for instance, he suggested that the construction of additional residences in the West Bank somehow constitutes terrorism."

Never forget our American hereos-----An ‘ornery boy’ from Oklahoma made the greatest sacrifice

Fitzgerald: An ‘ornery boy’ from Oklahoma made the greatest sacrifice | Boston Herald
Rummaging through wires conveying the latest up-to-date news, nothing jumped out as fodder for this morning’s column until the name Josh Wheeler appeared.
He was a soldier killed while battling ISIS forces in Iraq two days ago.
It was the first recorded incident of an American soldier confronting ISIS fighters on the ground in accordance with President Obama’s mission to “train and advise” local military units.
Wheeler, 39, a consummate soldier, perished while storming an ISIS prison in Kirkuk, where 70 hostages were facing an imminent mass execution.
The wire report noted he came from Oklahoma.
Oklahoma?
Isn’t that where “the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye” and “the waving wheat can sure smell sweet when the wind comes right behind the rain?”
It’s a long way from Boston.
Then this quote popped out from an Oklahoma school superintendent who remembered Wheeler as a high school student more than 20 years ago.
“He was just a good kid,” Ron Flanagan reminisced. “I mean, he was an ornery boy, but a good boy.”
Suddenly the story became personal.
Don’t we all remember that “ornery boy” from our own school days, the one whose outrageous antics are rollickingly recalled at reunions?
It makes you feel you knew him, doesn’t it?
That’s because Master Sgt. Wheeler was an American boy, too, a brother to generations of American soldiers who left high school days behind and donned this nation’s colors to confront its enemies, even at the cost of their last full measure of devotion.
By the time he died, this Okie had been the recipient of multiple Bronze Stars. 
This “ornery boy” had received a combat infantryman badge, an expert infantryman badge, a master parachutist badge.
He had been a rifle team leader, a squad leader, a weapons squad leader and an anti-tank section leader.
His was a life of valor, ending on his 11th deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Imagine if you were a captive of merciless ISIS madmen, feverishly wondering what they were going to do to you next, when an “ornery boy” from Oklahoma suddenly shows up, all guns blazing, willing to trade his life for yours.
“Greater love hath no man than this,” Scripture proclaims, “that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
But Master Sgt. Wheeler, in the name of America, laid his down for strangers in peril.
No longer just a kid from Oklahoma, he was one of us as well.
God bless you, sir.