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Terror Truck to ‘Mow Down’ Enemies Seen in Al-Qaeda Guide Bloomberg / July 16, 2016 The use of a truck as a weapon in France didn’t come as a surprise to counter-terrorism experts who have watched attacks involving vehicles surge in recent years. There were more than 70 worldwide in the two years ending in 2015, according to a database maintained by the University of Maryland. Three others had already occurred in France in the last two years. It’s become a weapon of choice in areas where guns and bombs are hard to obtain. An al-Qaeda guide to motivate home-grown terror attacks recommended the use of heavy vehicles. “The idea is to use a pickup truck as a mowing machine, not to mow grass but mow down the enemies of Allah,” said a 2010 magazine called Inspire, written by members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. “To achieve maximum carnage, you need to pick up as much speed as you can while still retaining good control of your vehicle in order to maximize your inertia and be able to strike as many people as possible in your first run.” An attack similar to that in Nice, France on Thursday killed at least 84 people and highlighted the risks to large, public gatherings days before thousands will convene in Cleveland for the Republican nominating convention. U.S. Protocols Because the danger from vehicles is well known, federal and local law enforcement have protocols to protect large public events from trucks, said John Halinski, a former deputy administrator at the U.S. Transportation Security Administration who is now a security consultant. “When you have events like that, you should barricade off the streets,” Halinski said. Photos of the carnage in Nice appear to show that precaution wasn’t taken, he said. No group has taken credit for the Nice attack, whose perpetrator drove a 19-ton rented refrigerator truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day. But “this sort of action is the sort of action advocated by terrorist groups on online media,” Paris anti-terrorism prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters. U.S. officials set up barricades and roadblocks routinely at the largest public gatherings, such as July 4 on the National Mall in Washington or New Year’s Eve in New York’s Times Square, Halinksi said. FBI Director James Comey has been warning for months that the group known as Islamic State is encouraging supporters to kill wherever they are, rather than travel to Syria or Iraq. Needle in Haystack Testifying with other senior U.S. officials before the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday, Comey said the challenge for law enforcement and intelligence agencies is harder than finding a needle in a haystack. “It’s to find pieces of hay in that haystack that may become a needle and disrupt them before they move from consuming to acting on that poisonous propaganda,” Comey said. The use of vehicles in attacks is growing rapidly, according to the University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Database. There were 157 such assaults from 1970 through 2015, and 70 of them occurred in just the past two years, according to the database. The group’s list of attacks includes aircraft as well as motor vehicles. Palestinian Militants While vehicle-impact attacks have been used prominently by Palestinian militants in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, such attacks have also occurred in the West, said Matthew Henman, head of IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre. The three other vehicle-impact attacks in the past two years in France were conducted by suspected Islamic militants, killing one and wounding 21. A Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department bulletin for local police departments warned about vehicle attacks in 2010, noting that there had been at least two in the U.S. since 2001. “Vehicle ramming offers terrorists with limited access to explosives or weapons an opportunity to conduct a homeland attack with minimal prior training or experience,” the agencies said in the document. “This is something our homeland security professionals are always concerned about,” the White House said Friday. Road Map The 74-page second edition of Inspire issued in the fall of 2010 included a detailed guide for carrying out an attack with a large vehicle or truck. Such attacks could be done in “the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Denmark, Holland” and other countries sympathetic to Israel, it said. It urged the attacker to carefully study potential targets and pick areas where people can’t easily escape. “The ideal location is a place where there are a maximum number of pedestrians and the least number of vehicles,” it said. It also warned that it would be difficult to escape afterward. “Hence, it should be considered a martyrdom operation,” it said. “It’s a one-way road. You keep on fighting until you achieve martyrdom.” While most truck drivers in the U.S. aren’t required to pass a security clearance, those working in the most sensitive areas receive background checks. Drivers who work in ports must obtain the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, which is issued by TSA. The agency also assesses any driver who is certified to carry hazardous waste. Steal Trucks Trying to expand these programs in order to prevent terrorists from using trucks to kill people in the U.S. wouldn’t be an effective solution, according to Rick “Ozzie” Nelson, a former National Security Council official who now serves as a senior associate for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Would-be terrorists would simply try to steal trucks or radicalize someone who has already received TWIC approval, he said. “How do you determine when an individual crosses the line from rhetoric to violent action?” Nelson said. “You either have to be in somebody’s head or it requires a level of surveillance that we as a society aren’t willing to accept.” There is no way to completely prevent attacks on the lightly guarded flanks of society, ranging from airport areas outside of security to nightclubs and restaurants, Nelson said. “Terrorists are going to take the path of least resistance,” Nelson said in an interview. “Being able to pick out a threat profile in something as ubiquitous as automobiles and trucks is an almost impossible task.”

FCA wants to introduce a Jeep "Grand Wagoneer" for the Jeep brand on the Ram 1500 pickup platform. Building a “Ram” variant would thrill Ram dealers and add to FCA’s profits. Remember, FCA has announced that it will largely discontinue car production and focus on the more profitable truck segment. In the mid-range pickup segment, FCA head Sergio Marchionne can’t ignore GM’s runaway success with the Colorado/Canyon. Toyota’s Tacoma no longer has a monopoly on the segment. And, believing the U.S. mid-size pickup market still has space to grow (again), Ford will soon be producing the global Ranger in the states.

The Detroit Free Press / July 17, 2016 Developing a large SUV based on the Ram platform would give FCA a large, profitable SUV. A smaller Ram pickup would get the Ram brand into the hot, mid-size truck segment. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) may build a large SUV based on the same platform as its Ram 1500 pickup to compete with big SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe and also might add a smaller pickup to its truck lineup so it can jump into the hot midsize pickup market. Developing a large SUV based on the Ram platform would give FCA a large, profitable SUV and give the automaker a vehicle that could go head to head with General Motors' and Ford's large SUVs. A smaller Ram pickup would expand the Ram brand and give it a truck that would likely appeal to lifestyle buyers. The platform that underpins the current Ram pickup is well-suited to for a body-on-frame SUV, Mike Manley, head of FCA's Jeep and Ram brands, said last month. The automaker is developing the next-generation version of its Ram pickup, which is scheduled to go on sale in January 2018. FCA also is planning to move production from its plant in Warren to its plant in Sterling Heights, a move that will increase the automaker's production capacity. "You have the opportunity with a new frame for the next-generation Ram," Manley said. "You have the opportunity to take a large SUV off of it because we already have a very, very capable frame today that is going to be upgraded." The Ram’s coil-spring suspension makes it “one of the best handling pickup trucks,” Manley said. Big SUVs equal big profits Large, body-on-frame SUVs are cash cows for automakers. But even with a lineup heavily weighted towards trucks and crossovers, the Auburn Hills automaker has been missing out on the cash flow because it lacks a large SUV based on a truck frame. Meanwhile, GM sold a total of more than 200,000 Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade SUVs in the U.S. last year. All four vehicles are that are all built off of the same platform and analysts estimate GM makes a profit of $10,000 or more for each large SUV sold. "While crossovers are all anyone wants to talk about, the money is still in pickups and SUVs," said Dave Sullivan, an automotive analyst for manager of product analysis for Auto Pacific. "FCA needs to enter this segment. "FCA is chasing profit-driving vehicles and they are missing out on a major one, just as Ford is getting ready to launch an all-aluminum Expedition." But while it would be based on the Ram, the SUV would not join the Ram lineup, Manley said. Instead, it would be produced for one of FCA's other brands, Jeep, Dodge or Chrysler. FCA also is planning to bring back the Jeep Wagoneer nameplate in 2018 as a three-row SUV that, according to various media reports, will be built off of the Grand Cherokee platform. 'Opportunity' for a smaller Ram pickup FCA has studied the market for a midsize pickup several times in recent years and has always held back on developing a midsized truck either because the timing for such a vehicle was bad or because the company didn't have the financial muscle to develop one. Chrysler ended production of the midsize Ram Dakota in 2011. The automaker was thinking about developing a midsize "lifestyle" pickup back in 2012 that would have been similar in function to Honda's Ridgeline but didn't move forward with the project. Now, Manley said, FCA is taking another look. The timing makes sense. General Motors brought back its Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon nameplates after a several-year hiatus in 2014 and they have both been a hit, Honda just launched a redesigned version of its Ridgeline pickup and Ford, which discontinued its midsize Ranger in 2011, is widely believed to be bringing the nameplate back in 2018. Finally, U.S. sales of the Toyota Tacoma have increased 7% so far this year and sales of the Nissan Frontier are up 29.3%. "In terms of midsize pickup for Ram I very much believe that that’s an opportunity for the brand," Manley said. "Not just because of the success of the few competitors that have been playing in that field, but I …have been part of the history of the brand, I think it remains a great opportunity for us. But I have no definitive plans for that to announce today."

Commercial Motor TV - sponsored by DAF Trucks / July 15, 2016 .

Bastille Day attack prompts renewed call for 'First Observers' in U.S. July 15, 2016 / Land Line (OOIDA) Following a deadly terror attack involving a panel truck in the coastal city of Nice, France, which left at least 84 people dead, transportation security officials in the U.S. held a conference call Friday to discuss transportation security. Doug Morris, OOIDA safety and security operations director and also the chair of the Transportation Security Administration’s Highway and Motor Carrier Coordinating Council, was one of the conference call participants. He said the group discussed the latest non-classified security briefings about the July 14 attack, as well as ways to improve surface transportation security in the United States. One of the ways Morris said truckers can help is by participating in the TSA’s First Observer program. First Observer is a voluntary program that provides transportation professionals with training on effectively observing, assessing and reporting suspicious individuals, vehicles, packages and objects. OOIDA is a subcontractor for the program. “(TSA) is counting on professionals in the trucking industry or the bus industry who know their industry, know what is suspicious, and know to report those types of things,” Morris said. Since its inception seven years ago, Morris said the training program and the hotline have been responsible for helping to thwart at least 47 instances of terrorist activity, including an attempted bus hijacking at Super Bowl XLV. “If you see something that doesn’t look right, call someone,” he said. “If it’s an emergency situation, call 911. If it’s not, then call the TSA hotline.” Authorities have identified Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year-old man of Franco-Tunisian origin, as the attacker. He was killed by police after driving his panel truck into a large crowd. They were watching a fireworks display that marked the end of the national French holiday similar to America’s Independence Day, celebrating the storming of an infamous prison during the French Revolution. According to a report from the BBC, Bouhlel rented the truck from a rental company in a nearby town on July 11, and was supposed to have returned it on July 13. Police have said the suspect was in possession of an automatic pistol, bullets, a fake automatic pistol and two replica assault rifles, as well as an empty grenade. “As the onion peels back on this, we’ll see that there were a lot of clues that could have been called in and could have probably prevented this,” Morris said. “So what TSA is saying is, if you see something out there … If there’s a situation that’s suspicious and dealing with surface transportation, call the TSA hotline.” For more information about First Observer, click here. To report suspicious activity via the First Observer hotline, call 866-615-5150.

Whitman Design & Custom Chassis Press Release / July 17, 2016 Limited Production Offering - 14 Build Reservation Slots Remaining! This Glider can be used to upgrade or repair any Diamond Reo C114D, C116D, DR Giant or build yourself a custom retro ride. Built using an exclusive custom aluminum cab with retro styling. The gliders will be built in order of reservation starting November 2016. A $5000.00 refundable reservation deposit is required. Upon receipt of the deposit each customer will receive a confirmation package within 10 days and TSO to firm up their specification. Once the spec is firm, a final price is generated. Base model pricing starts at $55,500.00 for a basic Glider Kit but many options are available to customize the unit. Anything from a base Glider to a rolling Glider is available. All units will be shipped with a new Certificate of Origin and will have a standard 12 Month or 100,000 mile warranty. The warranty will be activated once the unit is put into service. For questions or instructions for reservation deposit please send and e-mail to: sales@tlinetrucks.com Related reading - http://tlinetrucks.com/glider-kits/ http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/39126-diamond-specialty-vehicles-announces-all-new-models/ .

Transport Topics / July 15, 2016 A group of trucking companies in Southern California will pay $5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by drivers who alleged that they were improperly treated as independent contractors [which they in fact are], according to a court filing July 14. The settlement marks the latest victory for port truck drivers in a years-long battle they have waged, with the help of union organizers and plaintiffs lawyers, to force companies to compensate them as if they were employees, rather than freelancers. It is unclear, though, whether the case will prompt a radical transformation in the trucking business, which has clung to a contractor model despite an onslaught of legal challenges brought by drivers. Several companies have been forced out of business in the last two years. "It doesn't change anything," said Barb Maynard, a spokeswoman for the Teamsters Union, which has been advocating for port truck drivers. "The clock starts again the minute the settlement is over. The misclassification is continuing." More than 380 drivers sued Erick Byunghak Yoo, whose family trust owns the land used by a network of trucking firms that are operated by Yoo's family members or associates and are run as a single enterprise, according to plaintiffs' lawyers. The drivers were represented by attorneys from Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles and the Wage Justice Center. The suit accused the constellation of companies of illegally deducting around $1,500 from drivers' paychecks, paying them less than the minimum wage and failing to give the workers rest breaks. Plaintiffs' lawyers accused Yoo and his associates of "maximizing their own profits while forcing their drivers to labor under unlawful and unfair conditions that shock the conscience." About $1.25 million of the settlement will go to plaintiffs' lawyers. Jon Kardassakis, a lawyer representing the defendants, refused to comment. The companies did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement. Trucking bosses have been reluctant to start labeling their drivers employees partly because the current model saves so much money, said Jonathan Rosenthal, a portfolio manager at the private equity fund Saybrook Capital. "There are a lot of companies out there who, despite these huge claims, despite these huge awards, continue to go with the status quo," Rosenthal said. "It's a business decision. It's a risk." Last year, Rosenthal helped found Eco-Flow Transportation, whose drivers are employees. He estimates that an employee-only trucking firm is 30% more expensive to operate than the traditional independent contractor model. The case will have a very specific impact on Mariano Alexander Saravia, a named plaintiff in the case who will win more than $9,000 from the settlement. In 2012 and 2013, Saravia worked 14 hours per day for QTS from Monday through Thursday and an additional six hours on Saturday, hauling tires from the Port of Long Beach to Ontario, California. At the end of each week, he said, QTS subtracted from his paycheck $1,000 for diesel fuel, $415 in truck lease payments, $130 for insurance and $35 for the cost of tires. Steep deductions are a common practice in the trucking industry, in which drivers are treated as if they are small-business owners. Trucking executives have said drivers prefer the arrangement because it affords them some measure of freedom. But Saravia, a resident of Rialto, said he often ended up taking home a sum that amounted to less than the minimum wage, after counting the seven hours he often spent waiting to pick up containers at the port. One week in December 2012, Saravia recalled, he was left with a paycheck of exactly $1 after all the deductions, for 48 hours of work. He said the check amount stuck with him because at the time he was gearing up to buy his three daughters gifts for Christmas. "I felt really badly, because what could I have bought my daughters with $1?" he said. "If I had gone to the 99-cents store to buy something for my girls, I could only have bought one of them a gift." Now Saravia said he earns more driving for XPO Logistics, one of the world's largest trucking companies. That outfit still treats him like a contractor and bills him for the truck rental, parking and insurance, which Saravia says comes to about $450 per week.

Heavy Duty Trucking / July 15, 2016 The massacre by truck that killed at least 84 persons, including two Americans, and wounded over 200 others in France on July 14 raises anew the question of what can be done to prevent low-tech but devastating truck-ramming assaults of people alongside a roadway. The attack came out of nowhere as revelers were gathered on the seaside Promenade des Anglais in the famed resort city of Nice to view Bastille Day fireworks. The medium-duty cabover had been rented by the perpetrator, Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a 31-year old Tunisian immigrant. several days before. At about 10:45 pm on July 14, Bouhlel drove the truck onto the thoroughfare and began plowing through the crowd. He kept driving and swerving into people for over a mile and began firing on police officers from the cab. The police returned fire, killing Bouhlel while he was still behind the wheel. Found in the cab was a small arsenal, including an automatic pistol, a cartridge clip, several cartridges, and a Kalashnikov and an M­16 rifle. On this side of the Atlantic, the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, was quick to react, issuing a statement early the next day that outlined immediate steps that were being taken to guard against any such assault, especially in New York City. Cuomo ordered state law enforcement officials to “step up security at high-profile locations” around the state, including airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems. “The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ Office of Emergency Management Watch Center will be on heightened alert, monitoring world events,” the governor said in a statement. “DHSES regional staff have all been notified to maintain a heightened state of awareness at mass gathering events.” He added that the New York State Police and Joint Task Force Empire Shield (which conducts Homeland Security operations) have deployed additional troops in the New York metropolitan region. New York City is no stranger to attack by truck. The first attempt by terrorists to destroy the World Trade Center, back in 1983, also used a rented truck. In it was placed a homemade 1,500-pound urea-nitrate bomb. The truck was parked in an underground garage and when the bomb exploded, it blew a hole five stories deep and half-a-football field wide. Six persons were killed and another thousand were injured by the blast. The other infamous truck bombings perpetuated against Americans were the assault on the Marine barracks in Lebanon in 1983 and the 1995 attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that left 168 persons dead. However, explosives in vehicles can be detected and vehicular proximity to buildings can be controlled. But preventing a truck, or a car, for that matter, from being unleashed as a lethal battering ram anywhere people are gathered is a far more difficult feat. Indeed, the thought of it imparts new, and more ghastly, meaning to the words “soft target.” Yet the threat of vehicular ramming is not new. The Department of Homeland Security addressed it as far back as 2010 in a public document released to law enforcement and first-responder personnel. “Terrorists overseas have suggested conducting vehicle ramming attacks— using modified or unmodified vehicles— against crowds, buildings, and other vehicles,” advised DHS. “Such attacks could be used to target locations where large numbers of people congregate, including sporting events, entertainment venues, or shopping centers.” Chillingly prescient, the agency went on to say that “Vehicle ramming offers terrorists with limited access to explosives or weapons an opportunity to conduct a Homeland attack with minimal prior training or experience.” The document details several examples of vehicle-ramming incidents, not all of which were deemed acts of terrorism. The most severe one cited was a front-loader launched against a crowd of people in Israel that killed several and wounded dozens more in 2008. DHS also discussed “indicators” to be aware of that might point to an imminent vehicle-ramming attack. “Although a single indicator may not be suspicious, one or more might indicate a ramming attack is being developed, based on the specific facts or circumstances.” The agency soberly noted that “a ramming attack can be conducted with little to no warning.” Here are the indicators cited by DHS: Unusual modifications to commercial motor vehicles, heavy equipment, passenger cars, and sports utility vehicles (SUVs), such as homemade attempts to reinforce the front of the vehicle with metal plates The purchase, rental, or theft of large or heavy-duty vehicles or equipment, such as SUVs, trucks, or commercial motor vehicles, if accompanied by typical indicators such as nervousness during the purchase, paying in cash, or lack of familiarity with the vehicle’s operations Commercial motor vehicles or heavy equipment being operated erratically, at unusual times, or in unusual locations, particularly in heavy pedestrian areas Attempts to infiltrate closed areas where traffic usually moves, but where crowds are gathered, such as for street festivals or farmers’ markets A vehicle operator’s apparent unfamiliarity with commercial motor vehicle or heavy equipment operation (unable to back up; trouble with shifting; poor lane tracking; unfamiliarity with basic vehicle mechanics such as air brake operations, slack adjusters, fifth wheel operations, Jake brakes, engine type, or location of fire extinguishers and other emergency equipment) Clearly, the attack at Nice has signaled that everyone from police officers to motorists to pedestrians must keep foremost in mind that the next lone-wolf terrorist attack may well come from behind the wheel of the nearest vehicle. It's also obvious that the means of preventing such an assault are extremely limited. "Absent intelligence, the same way you can't stop someone from shooting into a crowd, there isn't a magic way to stop someone from driving into a crowd," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller, per a New York Daily News report. "What we seek to do is minimize that threat in pedestrian malls like Times Square, where you have the largest crowds."

The Washington Post / July 17, 2016 Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the failed coup in Turkey has created only minor delays in the military campaign against ISIS in Syria and that it will not diminish Turkey’s role in the fight. Kerry, who talked by phone three separate times Saturday with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, said he was assured that the continuing turmoil will not interrupt counterterrorism efforts based in Turkey. Missions against ISIS are flown out of Incirlik Air Base, although air space was closed Saturday after the coup attempt. Kerry said he expected operations would return to normal “very quickly.” “According to our commanders, there may have been a minor delay here or there or something [???], but it has not affected the fundamental direction or commitment to the fight,” Kerry said. Kerry said Turkish officials have assured the United States that they will continue to take part in the campaign against militants in bordering Syria. “They are fully committed to the fight,” Kerry said of the Turks. “But apparently, there was some refueling of some of the aircraft that were flying during the coup that came out of Incirlik, and I think they’re trying to chase that to ground and find out if there were conspiratorialists who were somehow involved in those flights. But they’ve assured us, and to date we don’t see a negative drag on the effort with respect to counter-ISIS.” Kerry expressed concern that the Turkish government, in tracking down coup plotters, would overreach and become more authoritarian. “Obviously, there are coup plotters, and the coup plotters need to be held accountable and they will be,” said Kerry. “But I think we’re all concerned, and we have expressed that concern, that this not fuel a reach well beyond those who engaged in the coup but that they strengthen the democracy of the country, strengthen the process and use it as a moment to unite the nation.” Kerry dismissed allegations that the United States played a role in the attempted coup as “utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations.” “It’s absurd some of the allegations that are out there, we’ve seen in some of the Turkish media and other media as well,” said U.S. Department of State spokesman Mark Toner. “It’s absurd to think that the United States was complicit or in any way connected to the events of Friday.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Bans Commercial and Private Flights To and From Turkey The Wall Street Journal / July 16, 2016 American aviation regulators have issued a notice barring all U.S. commercial and private aircraft from flying to Turkey or flying from that country into the U.S. The unusually broad prohibition, announced by the Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday, reflects Washington’s serious concerns about airport security in that country following this weekend’s failed coup attempt. The FAA didn’t indicate when the ban would be lifted. The agency also barred all Turkish carriers, along with commercial flights from Turkey operated by aircraft of other countries, from flying to the U.S. The move, in effect, severs all aviation links between the U.S. and Turkey. According to the FAA’s notice, the agency banned all “U.S. commercial and private aircraft from operating into or out of any airport in Turkey.” It also prohibited “any aircraft of any registry from departing Turkey for the U.S.” The FAA said it is “monitoring the situation in Turkey in coordination with” the State Department and The Department of Homeland Security, and “will update the restrictions as the situation evolves.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has effectively declared war on the United States, saying: "I don’t believe any country would stand by this man (U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen). Any country that would do that is not a friend to Turkey. Any country that would stand by him is at war with Turkey.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Financial Times / July 17, 2016 The Obama administration lashed out at accusations made by senior Turkish officials that Washington was behind Friday’s attempted military coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling such charges “irresponsible”. The Turkish claims, made by ministers close to Erdogan, centre on the exiled cleric Fetullah Gulen, a one-time ally of the president whom Ankara now insists orchestrated the coup from his compound in rural Pennsylvania. Turkey’s prime minister has demanded that Gulen, a legal permanent US resident, be extradited. Suleyman Soylu, labour minister, said that the Obama administration was behind the coup. “The US is not harbouring anybody; we’re not preventing anything from happening,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday. “We have always said: give us the evidence, show us the evidence. We need a solid legal foundation that meets the standard of extradition in order for our courts to approve such a request.” The dispute over Gulen threatens to upend an already tense relationship that Washington has relied on in its ongoing offensive against ISIS militants in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. Air strikes by US warplanes have been flown from Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, but on Saturday the Turkish government temporarily cut off access to the base, raising questions over whether Ankara was using the facility as a bargaining chip. A Turkish official described the move as cautionary, because the brigadier general in charge of the base appeared to have been involved in the attempted coup. By Sunday morning the Pentagon was saying that “air operations in Turkey have resumed”. Although Ankara has yet to submit a formal extradition request for Gulen, Kerry said he expected to be in touch with Turkey’s justice minister “shortly” and Turkish authorities had promised him “they are assembling the evidence, putting it together in a dossier.” In a rare interview at his central Pennsylvania home, a frail Gulen denied any involvement in the plot. He suggested that Erdogan’s allies may have staged the coup in order to crack down on Gulenists in the government. “I don’t believe that the world takes the accusations made by President Erdogan [against me] seriously,” Gulen said. “There is a possibility that it could be a staged coup [by Erdogan’s AK party] and it could be meant for further accusations.” Although Erdogan has made many calls for his former ally to return to face justice, compiling a case that would persuade a US court could prove challenging. This may explain Ankara’s slowness in submitting a formal extradition request. Long before Friday’s attempted coup, the battle between Erdogan and Gulen was marked by the dismissal or reassignment of thousands of judges, prosecutors and police officers. While Turkish officials say such moves were necessary to rid the bureaucracy of Gulenists plotting against the state, the crackdown has been depicted internationally as subverting the rule of law — a potential complicating factor in any court case outside Turkey itself. Turkey would also have to demonstrate that it has a “smoking gun”, definitively linking Gulen personally to criminal plots. Extradition requests are normally submitted by foreign embassies in Washington to the state department where they are reviewed and then transmitted to the justice department. After legal scrutiny, the issue is farmed out to the appropriate US attorney’s office, which obtains a warrant to apprehend the individual. Kerry said that the US believed that Erdogan had successfully reasserted control after Friday’s brief coup. US officials are urging the hardline president to “strengthen democracy” rather than unleash a wave of reprisals against political opponents not directly linked to the uprising.

RT / July 17, 2016 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plane was in the crosshairs of coup plotters’ fighter jets while en route to Istanbul, Reuters reports. The incident happened as Erdogan was heading back from a holiday resort during the recent attempted military coup. "At least two F-16s harassed Erdogan's plane (Gulfstream IV) while it was in the air and en route to Istanbul. They locked their radars on his plane and on two other F-16s protecting him.” Why they didn’t fire has not been revealed. Coup plotters had bombed places in the coastal town of Marmaris, where Erdogan had been staying, shortly after he left. CNN Turk reported that some 25 soldiers descended from a helicopter in an attempt to capture the Turkish president at a Marmaris hotel. “[Erdogan] evaded death by minutes,” a senior Turkish official said. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was also directly targeted in Istanbul during the coup attempt but managed to escape.

The Washington Post / July 17, 2016 Three police officers were murdered and three others injured in a shooting ambush Sunday morning in Baton Rouge, when officers responded to reports of a man carrying a rifle in an area filled with grocery stores and other businesses. Col. Michael D. Edmonson of the Louisiana State Police said police had killed the armed attacker. The murderer was identified Sunday afternoon as ex-Marine sergeant 29-year-old Gavin Eugene Long of Kansas City. Under the online alias “Cosmo Setepenra”, Long was actively advocating violent protests on social media, saying that 100 percent of successful revolutions were the result of fighting back "through bloodshed". Two of the officers fatally shot were with the Baton Rouge police force, while the third was part of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office. Another deputy was in critical condition after the shooting. In the hours after the shooting, police had warned people to stay inside as they said they sought two other potential suspects. Police were contacted about a man “carrying a weapon, carrying a rifle” at about 8:40 a.m. Police at a convenience store in the area saw the man, who was wearing all black, Edmonson said. Shots were reported fired at 8:42 a.m., and at 8:44 a.m., officers were reported down. At 8:45 a.m., more shots were fired. At 8:46, Edmonson said the suspect was reported near a car wash next to a convenience store. At 8:48 a.m., as emergency personnel began staging to treat the wounded, officers engaged the suspect and brought him down. Baton Rouge said that its police force and other local, state and federal authorities were “actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this morning’s shooting.” Agents for the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on the scene in Baton Rouge responding to the shooting. The three dead police officers have also been identified as Montrell Jackson, 32, a new father and ten-year veteran of the force, Matthew Gerald, 41, a former Marine and father-of-two who joined the Baton Rouge police force a year ago, and Brad Garafola, 45, a married father-of-four who had worked for the sheriff's office for 24 years. Nicholas Tullier, 41, an 18-year veteran, is still in hospital in critical condition, while 51-year-old Bruce Simmons, who had been with the department for 23 years, has been treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A third wounded officer, also aged 41, has not been named. All were married with families. As a result of Baton Rouge police killings, cities around the country are on high alert and revising operational policies. The NYPD told personnel today that all officers should patrol in twos, effective immediately and until further notice. "There are to be no solo foot posts citywide," the NYPD said. "All uniform members of service shall arrive and remain on post together. All meals and personal breaks will also be taken in pairs. If the assigned post is considered integral to your command operations and you feel it should not be left unmanned during meal breaks, have that post back-filled. Police Officers on patrol should maintain a heightened level of awareness." The NYPD also said station house security would be mandatory until further notice and all security posts would have two officers at a time. In Boston and Chicago, officers will now patrol in pairs. In Los Angeles, the police chief has ordered security enhancements. It already requires its officers to work in pairs when responding to calls or reports of crimes in progress. New Orleans Police officers were also told to respond to calls with no less than two officers and two police units on the scene until further notice. . .

It now seems that Turkey's Erdogan is playing poker. He appears to be holding the U.S. Air Force’s 39th Air Base Wing hostage at Incirlik Air Base. That includes over 1,500 American servicemen and our A-10s, F-16s and KC-135 aerial refuelers. Erdogan has shut down the air space, blocked off access and cut the power. To be clear, Turkish authorities are NOT allowing U.S. aircraft to depart Incirlik Air Base, and the facility has been surrounded my forces loyal to Erdogan. The U.S. side is "seeking an explanation" (When being held hostage, the "big stick" Teddy Roosevelt approach sends a strong message). It seems Erdogan is holding our people hostage, in exchange for his arch enemy Fethullah Gulen, sho's been living in Pennsylvania for 16 years. Did I mention that it's estimated that the U.S. currently has from fifty to ninety B61 nuclear bombs stored at Incirlik ? No doubt Erdogan is upset that the US signaled it wouldn't mind a regime change (though the coup appears to have been executed more poorly than the Bay of Pigs invasion). The US has come to fully realize that Islamist Erdogan is no longer part of the solution to the problem, rather, he has become part of the ISIS problem (driven my Erdogan's biggest supporter, Saudi Arabia). Putin has known all along that Erdogan was part of the problem, playing both sides of the fence. Note that the U.S. ordered the families of U.S. diplomats and servicemen out of Turkey at the end of March, even though there was no known threat. The Air Force issued the hollow statement, “All indications at this time are that everyone is safe and secure.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why did coup happen? - Jeremy Bowen, BBC News Middle East Editor The attempted coup happened because Turkey is deeply divided over President Erdogan's project to transform the country and because of the contagion of violence from the war in Syria. President Erdogan and his AK Party have become experts at winning elections, but there have always been doubts about his long-term commitment to democracy. He is a political Islamist who has rejected modern Turkey's secular heritage (i.e. not subject to or bound by religious rule). Mr Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian and is trying to turn himself into a strong executive president. From the beginning Mr Erdogan's government has been deeply involved in the war in Syria, backing Islamist opposition to President Assad. But violence has spread across the border, helping to reignite the fight with the Kurdish PKK, and making Turkey a target for the jihadists who call themselves Islamic State. That has caused a lot of disquiet. Turkey has faced increasing turmoil and the attempt to overthrow President Erdogan will not be the last of it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turkey's Labour Minister Suleyman Soylu on Saturday said the US had been behind the coup - an allegation that received a strong rebuke from Kerry who described it as "utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations". "The US is behind the coup attempt. A few journals that are published there [in the US] have been conducting activites for several months. For many months we have sent requests to the US concerning Fethullah Gulen. The US must extradite him," said Soylu. Erdoğan wants to formally centralise power around him as president, rather than the parliament – continuing an autocratic trend that he has led in recent years. Commenting on the situation in the Guardian, Turkish analyst Andrew Finkel said that “many would argue that Turkey was already in the throes of a slow motion coup d’état, not by the military but by Erdoğan himself. For the last three years, he has been moving, and methodically, to take over the nodes of power.” Turkey's Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag says that over 6,000 people have already been arrested in connection with the failed coup, including 2,700 judges. A senior security official told Reuters that 8,000 police officers, including in the capital Ankara and the biggest city Istanbul, had also been removed from their posts on suspicion of links to Friday's coup bid. Thirty regional governors and more than 50 high-ranking civil servants have also been dismissed, CNN Turk said. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said 7,543 people had so far been detained, including 6,038 soldiers. Work was under way to purge the civil service. "We had to condemn the coup in Turkey, this is the least we could do,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. “[But] we want the rule of law to function fully, this is no carte blanche for Erdogan.” The swift rounding up of judges and others after a failed coup in Turkey indicated the government had prepared a list beforehand, the EU commissioner dealing with Turkey’s membership bid, Johannes Hahn, said on Monday. “It looks at least as if something has been prepared. The lists are available, which indicates it was prepared and to be used at a certain stage,” Hahn said. “I’m very concerned. It is exactly what we feared.”

Jerry, is this gauge for a Mack? An R/U/DM? If so, when you contacted Watts Mack (provider of the BMT website) for a 9MT36P2 positive ground fuel gauge, what did they say? The sending unit depends on whether your R/U/DM has a rectangular tank (16MB48P10) or round tank (16MB48P12). 1-888-304-6225 http://www.wattsmack.com/parts-department/

Power to Turkey's Incirlik Air Base in Adana has been cut, the U.S. consulate in Turkey said Saturday. Local authorities are preventing movement onto and off the base, according to the consulate, which warned U.S. citizens to avoid the air base until normal operations are restored. The U.S. Air Force’s 39th Air Base Wing (http://www.incirlik.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets) is based at Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base. The base is used by the United States to launch airstrikes against ISIS.

When you contacted Cole-Hersee customer service, what did they say? http://www.littelfuse.com/contactus.aspx http://www.littelfuse.com/about-us/acquired-brands/cole-hersee.aspx

Pretty entertaining, but turn off the sound. .

Associated Press / July 15, 2016 Turkish military launch coup to depose President Recep Erdogan and end his Islamist government The Turkish military says it has taken control and overthrown the government of Recep Erdogan. Turkey's armed forces said on Friday they had taken power in the country to protect the democratic order and to maintain human rights. Soldiers seized strategic locations across Istanbul and Ankara. Erdogan urged his supporters to ignore a military curfew and take to the streets to oppose the attempted takeover, putting there lives at risk, while he has safely fled the country in a private jet. Loud explosions have been heard across Ankara with reports of an explosion occurred at the state-run television building. Turkey's state-run news agency reported military helicopters have also attacked the headquarters of TURKSAT satellite station on the outskirts of Ankara and the Ankara Police headquarters. Dozens of tanks were seen moving toward a palace that is now used by the prime minister and deputy prime ministers. All flights from Istanbul's AtaturkAirport have been canceled. US Secretary of State John Kerry said he hoped the crisis in Turkey would soon be resolved while preserving peace, stability and a respect for 'continuity'. .

It would appear that authorities are not acknowledging that they captured a terrorist alive. .

We were talking about the massacre here..............http://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/42652-paris-under-attack/?page=7 Assault trucks...banned.....France ? I'm unaware that the French government has said that.

Newt Gingrich: Test every Muslim in U.S. to see if they believe in Sharia CNN / July 15, 2015 Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Thursday called for the U.S. to test every person with a Muslim background to see if they believe in Sharia law, and deport those who do. "Let me be as blunt and direct as I can be. Western civilization is in a war. We should frankly test every person here who is of a Muslim background, and if they believe in Sharia, they should be deported," said Gingrich. "Sharia is incompatible with Western civilization. Modern Muslims who have given up Sharia, glad to have them as citizens. Perfectly happy to have them next door." Gingrich was asked, "How do we ascertain -- how do you possibly ascertain whether or not that person really wants assimilation, really wants a new life, or whether or not they want to expand that caliphate, which is what we're at war against?" "The first step is you have to ask them the questions," Gingrich responded. "The second step is you have to monitor what they're doing on the Internet. The third step is, let me be very clear, you have to monitor the mosques. I mean, if you're not prepared to monitor the mosques, this whole thing is a joke. Where do you think the primary source of recruitment is? Where do you think the primary place of indoctrination is? You've got to look at the madrassas -- if you're a school which is teaching Sharia, you want to expel it from the country." The comments by Gingrich are similar to ones made by Trump last fall, when he called for surveillance of "certain mosques" to counter terrorist threats. Gingrich also said Thursday that calling Islam a "religion of peace" is "bologna." "It's not that Islamists are necessarily evil, but they're not necessarily a religion of peace," Gingrich said. Gingrich then turned his focus to President Barack Obama, citing many leading Democrats' argument for stricter gun regulation laws after the Orlando terror attack, where 49 individuals where shot and killed inside a nightclub. "I fully expect by tomorrow morning that President Obama will have rediscovered his left-wing roots and will give a press conference in which he'll explain that the problem is too many trucks," Gingrich said. "If only we had truck regulation, then we wouldn't have problems like Nice because it is trucks that are dangerous. I mean that's the exact analog to Orlando and just tells you how nuts the left wing in America is." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . U.S. States Shun Syrian Refugees (i.e. economic migrants) CNN / November 16, 2015 The governors of 31 (was 24) states have announced they will not accept Syrian refugees. All but one have Republican governors. The announcements came after authorities revealed that at least one of the suspects believed to be involved in the Paris terrorist attacks entered Europe among the current wave of Syrian refugees. He had falsely identified himself as a Syrian named Ahmad al Muhammad and was allowed to enter Greece in early October. Some leaders say they either oppose taking in any Syrian refugees being relocated as part of a national program or asked that they be particularly scrutinized as potential security threats. Only 1,500 Syrian refugees have been accepted into the United States since 2011, but the Obama administration announced in September that 10,000 Syrians will be allowed entry next year. Authority over admitting refugees to the country, though, rests with the federal government -- not with the states -- though individual states can make the acceptance process much more difficult, experts said. American University law professor Stephen I. Vladeck put it this way: "Legally, states have no authority to do anything because the question of who should be allowed in this country is one that the Constitution commits to the federal government." But Vladeck noted that without the state's participation, the federal government would have a much more arduous task. "So a state can't say it is legally objecting, but it can refuse to cooperate, which makes thing much more difficult." Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said one tactic states could use would be to cut their own funding in areas such as resettling refugees. The conference is the largest refugee resettlement organization in the country. But "when push comes to shove, the federal government has both the plenary power and the power of the 1980 Refugee Act to place refugees anywhere in the country," Appleby said. In announcing that his state would not accept any Syrian refugees, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Monday on his personal account, "I demand the U.S. act similarly," he said. "Security comes first." Texas will not accept any Syrian refugees & I demand the U.S. act similarly. Security comes first. — Greg Abbott In a letter to President Barack Obama, Abbott said "American humanitarian compassion could be exploited to expose Americans to similar deadly danger," referring to Friday's deadly attacks in Paris. In a statement from Georgia's governor, Republican Nathan Deal, he said Georgia will not accept Syrian refugees "until the federal government and Congress conducts a thorough review of current screening procedures and background checks." I've issued an executive order directing state agency heads to prevent the resettlement of Syrian refugees in GA. — Governor Nathan Deal Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley also rejected the possibility of allowing Syrian refugees into his state and connected refugees with potential terror threats. "After full consideration of this weekend's attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris, I will oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program," Bentley said Sunday in a statement. "As your governor, I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way." I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way. We refuse Syrian refugees. — Gov. Robert Bentley There is currently no credible threat against the state, the governor's office said, and no Syrian refugees have been relocated to Alabama so far. As the list of states blocking refugees grows, at least one state, Delaware, announced that it plans to accept refugees. "It is unfortunate that anyone would use the tragic events in Paris to send a message that we do not understand the plight of these refugees, ignoring the fact that the people we are talking about are fleeing the perpetrators of terror," said Gov. Jack Markell. States whose governors oppose Syrian refugees coming in: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming States whose governors say they will accept refugees: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said the state would "put on hold our efforts to accept new refugees." "Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration. But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents," said Snyder. He demanded that the Department of Homeland Security review its security procedures for vetting refugees but avoided blanket suspicion of people from any region. "It's also important to remember that these attacks are the efforts of extremists and do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world," Snyder said. And Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson posted on his official Twitter account that he would "oppose Syrian refugees being relocated to Arkansas." Action taken by some states is similar to several European countries who have forcefully opposed accepting refugees. Hungary built a razor-wire fence along its border, and neighboring countries have been following suit. And previously generous countries such as Sweden and Germany that welcomed thousands were already pulling back. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement, "(At) this time, I find the idea of accepting Syrian refugees highly concerning and have no plans to accept them into our state and believe the federal government has an obligation to carry out extensive background checks on everyone seeking to enter the United States." Mississippi, Ohio bristle at taking refugees The governors of Ohio and Mississippi also announced their states would not allow Syrian refugees. Jim Lynch, a spokesman for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, issued this statement: "The governor doesn't believe the U.S. should accept additional Syrian refugees because security and safety issues cannot be adequately addressed. The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio. We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement of these refugees." Kasich is a Republican presidential candidate. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant wrote on Facebook that he was working with the state's homeland security department to "determine the current status of any Syrian refugees that may be brought to our state in the near future. “We don’t know who these individuals are. Any idea (that) you can do a background check of someone that’s been living in Syria is absolutely ridiculous,” Bryant said. “These are dangerous times, whether people want to admit it or not,” Bryant said. “We want to keep the war out of Mississippi, here on the homefront.” "I will do everything humanly possible to stop any plans from the Obama administration to put Syrian refugees in Mississippi. The policy of bringing these individuals into the country is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous. I'll be notifying President Obama of my decision today to resist this potential action." Louisiana: 'Kept in the dark' Louisiana governor and GOP presidential candidate Bobby Jindal complained bitterly in an open letter to Obama that the federal government had not informed his government about refugees being relocated to his state last week. "It is irresponsible and severely disconcerting to place individuals, who may have ties to ISIS, in a state without the state's knowledge or involvement," says Jindal. He demanded to know more about the people being placed in Louisiana to avoid a repeat of the Paris attacks and wanted to know whether screening would be intensified for refugees holding Syrian passports. And he suggested Obama hold off on taking in more refugees. "It would be prudent to pause the process of refugees coming to the United States. Authorities need to investigate what happened in Europe before this problem comes to the United States," Jindal said. Republican candidate Donald Trump called accepting Syrian refugees "insane." "We all have heart and we all want people taken care of, but with the problems our country has, to take in 250,000 -- some of whom are going to have problems, big problems -- is just insane. We have to be insane. Terrible." While addressing reporters on Monday, Obama called out Republican candidates who have objected to admitting refugees to the United States. "When I hear a political leader suggesting that there should be a religious test for which a person who is fleeing from a war torn country is admitted... when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they were fleeing political persecution, that is shameful," the President said. "We don't have religious tests to our compassion." New York: 'Virtually no vetting' A senior White House security official attempted to allay concerns about the vetting of Syrian refugees. On NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said, "We have very extensive screening procedures for all Syrian refugees who have come to the United States. There is a very careful vetting process that includes our intelligence community, our National Counter Terrorism Center, the Department of Homeland Security, so we can make sure that we are carefully screening anybody that comes to the United States." New York Rep. Peter King cast doubt on Rhodes' comments. "What he said about the vetting of the refugees is untrue. There is virtually no vetting cause there are no databases in Syria, there are no government records. We don't know who these people are." On Sunday, investigators said that one of the Paris bombers carried Syrian identification papers -- possibly forged -- and the fear of Syrian refugees grew worse. "It's not that we don't want to -- it's that we can't," said Florida Senator and Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio. "Because there's no way to background check someone that's coming from Syria." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ . Life in a western country, including the United States, is completely different from countries under Islamic Law (Shariah). If one chooses to [legally] immigrate to the United States, then one needs to make a conscious decision about adapting to the American way of life. The U.S. is a global symbol of diversity. However, we have our own norms, which are unlike those of countries under Islamic Law (Shariah). You can’t put a square peg into a round hole. Live in the countries where your beliefs fit in.