Author: Steve Centanni

At a military change of command ceremony, the outgoing commander is said to be “passing the baton” to his successor.  And today in Washington, the new Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp, joked, “I’m a little worried there might be oil on that baton.”

Of course, the Gulf oil spill is no joke to the people whose way of life is threatened by the spreading oil.  It’s not very funny politically, for Republicans who support more oil exploration, or for a Democratic administration accused of failing to respond to the spill in a more decisive or effective way.

But Admiral Papp’s comment does paint an accurate picture of a change of command overshadowed by disaster.  The outgoing Commandant, Admiral Thad Allen, has been the top federal official overseeing the spill from the beginning.   He’ll continue to be the National Incident Commander in the Gulf, even though he’s scheduled to retire from the Coast Guard July 1st.   At that time, he could either be recalled to active duty or keep doing the same job as a civilian.

At the same time, much of Admiral Papp’s time and energy will now be occupied with the oil spill as he takes over as Coast Guard Commandant.  At a news conference following the change of command, Papp said the Coast Guard will continue to support the oil spill cleanup effort.  And he indicated the intense effort is taking its toll, saying there will soon be a rotation of crews and ships at the scene.

Papp also said he agrees with recent statements by Admiral Allen that only BP is in a position to lead the response, because the oil company has all the equipment and expertise with deep water operations.  He was responding to a question about “federalizing” the capping of the leak and the cleanup of the spill.

Today’s ceremony at Washington DC’s Fort McNair had all the color and pageantry of any change of command.  The band played; the colors were presented; and, the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security were welcomed with a booming 19-gun salute.  (Only the President and heads of state get 21-gun salutes.)  The 87-foot Coast Guard cutter “Ibis,” lay anchored in the Potomac River just beyond the massive tent erected for the ceremony.  Wives and kids were introduced and thanked; and, two Coast Guard Academy graduating classes hooted and hollered when they were mentioned.   Allen graduated from the Academy in New London, Connecticut in 1971; Papp in 1975.  Back then, the two cadets played football together.   Now they’re exchanging a rhetorically oil-soiled baton.

Their boss, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano praised the Coast Guard’s efforts, but nonetheless offered an ominous assessment.  She said, “What began as a search and rescue operation…has now become a potential worst case scenario and an environmental catastrophe.”

As for the current efforts in the Gulf, Admiral Allen said at today’s news conference there’s no telling how big the spill will eventually be.    He reminded reporters, “I have said from the start, I have not been comfortable with any of the estimates.  That’s the reason we’ve been overly responsive in how many resources we’ve put out there.”  He went on to say, “Until I see some hard numbers with assumptions from scientists, I’m going to say we don’t know with any exact certainty exactly how much oil is coming out.”

And in light of reports that the gushing oil, a mile under the Gulf, appeared to be getting darker and possibly increasing in volume, Allen said the flow fluctuates depending on how much gas is coming out, and has probably not gotten bigger.

In any case, today’s change of command, under cloudy Washington skies, against a backdrop of trouble and uncertainty in the Gulf, will probably be remembered more for its timing than for its pomp and pageantry.

An alleged terrorist accused in the grisly murders of four Americans appeared in court Wednesday in Iraq. But Ahmed Hashim Abed isn’t the one on trial. Instead, he was testifying against one of the Navy Seals who arrested him last September.

Petty Officer First Class Julio Huertas of Blue Island, Illinois, is being tried at a military base on the western outskirts of Baghdad. Huertas and two other Navy Seals face charges in connection with Abed’s arrest, during which the prisoner claims he was punched and kicked by at least one of his captors.

The case has prompted a huge outpouring of sympathy in the U.S., with thousands visiting websites in support of the Navy Seals. Many claim the four defendants should be hailed as heroes for capturing Abed instead of being court marshaled. At least 20 members of the U.S. Congress have urged Defense Secretary Robert Gates to drop all the charges.

In court Tuesday, Abed described the surprise raid on his home last year. He say he was with his wife at the time. He says he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location and questioned. He told the court there was no abuse during the first questioning or at a second location where he was later taken. At a third location, however, Abed claims he was hit on his shoulders and back, then punched in to the stomach, causing him to fall on his face. While on the floor, he says he heard yelling and swearing.

The accused terrorist was handcuffed and blindfolded at the time and says he can’t identify anyone who might have hit him. He only remembers seeing someone wearing red shorts. Photos of Abed taken ten days after the alleged incident were also shown in court, but according to a Fox News representative inside the courtroom, the injuries did not look severe.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe of Perrysberg, Ohio, is the only Navy Seal actually charged with assault in the case. His attorney, Neal Puckett, says on his website, “These terrorists are trained to claim abuse despite no physical evidence of such.” McCabe goes on trial May 3rd in Norfolk, VA.

Also in court in Baghdad, a Navy officer testified that he witnessed McCabe assaulting Abed. Petty Officer Third Class Kevin Demartino, who is not a Navy Seal, said he saw McCabe punch Abed in the stomach and saw blood coming from the prisoner’s mouth. Demartino was silent about the case at first, saying in court, “I wasn’t prepared to rat those guys out.” But after he learned there would be a formal investigation, he decided to cooperate with the prosecution.

McCabe is charged with assault, dereliction of duty and making false statements. Huertas is charged with dereliction of duty and impeding an investigation. A third Navy Seal, Jonathan Keefe of Yorktown, Pennsylvania, is charged only with dereliction of duty. He faces trial later this week in Baghdad.

After five months of formal requests, the Senate Homeland Security Committee has followed through on its threats and has issued the first-ever Congressional subpoena of the Obama administration. The Committee Chairman, Independent Congressman Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, and the ranking Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, wrote a strongly-worded letter to accompany the subpoenas, saying, “It is impossible for us to avoid the conclusion that the departments [of Defense and Justice] simply do not want to cooperate with our investigation.”

The Senators’ letter outlines three official requests for documents or witnesses, and two specific warnings that subpoenas might be issued.

The first communication was in November of 2009 and the latest was on March 23rd of this year. The committee wants military personnel records for the shooting suspect, Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan, as well as access to witnesses who had any knowledge of Major Hasan prior to the time he allegedly carried out the November 5th attack in Fort Hood, Texas, leaving 13 people dead. The committee’s goal is to learn whether the Departments of Defense and Justice had information that could have prevented the attack. More specifically, Senators want to learn what the government knew about communications between Hasan and the Yemeni cleric and suspected terrorists Anwar Al-Aulaki.

The Department of Defense has said it has nothing to hide, but does not want to release information that will jeopardize the prosecution of Major Nadal. In their letter, Senators Lieberman and Collins, insist “the matter at issue is not the criminal case.”

“Instead,” they write, “ we want to know whether the government officials responsible for protecting our homeland against terrorism—foreign or domestic—correctly did their jobs. The administration has yet to explain to us how such questions will in any way affect testimony in a trial… “

Some documents have been released, but Senator Collins complained last week that the administration has been “spoon-feeding us selected facts rather than giving us information … that we need.”

The subpoenas “command” Attorney General Eric Holder and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to appear before the Committee on Tuesday, April 27th, and to bring with them all the materials the Senators have been seeking. However, if the documents and witness access are provided by next Monday, April 26th, the subpoenas say, “a personal appearance will be unnecessary.”

How many airline pilots are depressed but untreated; or, have been diagnosed with depression and are secretly medicating themselves with anti-depressants? Nobody knows because, under current FAA rules, admitting to such an ailment or treatment would result in being grounded from flying. Pilots have a strong incentive to hide the truth.

The FAA hopes all that will change with the announcement this morning of a new policy. Starting next Monday, pilots who come forward and admit they’re taking medication for mild to moderate depression will be eligible for a special medical certificate.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says, “ We know more today about the science of the medications being given and we know a lot more about depression itself.” As a result, says Babbitt, “The policy is changing, I mean our number one priority is safety and the public certainly has the right to know that everybody in the cockpit is healthy, both mentally and physically.”

Pilots previously were not allowed to take anti-depressants. The new FAA rules will allow pilots to use four commonly prescribed medications to counteract depression: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa and Lexapro. Others may be added to the list as the agency becomes confident they’re safe and effective.

Under the new policy, pilots would be given a six month grace period. If they come forward during that time and admit they’re taking anti-depressants, they would avoid civil penalties. But, they could be barred from flying for up to 1 year as the government undertakes a number of tests and evaluations.

Even after that evaluation period, pilots would be required to undergo psychiatric examination twice a year, in addition to the already-required annual physical checkup.

Anti-depressants have a long list of side-effects. The most severe are also the most rare, but they include seizures, problems with eyesight, memory loss, hallucinations and thoughts of suicide.

Babbitt says, “We want to make certain that those side effects don’t manifest themselves as they go under these medications.” That’s why, he says, the new rules include, “a long period of time of evaluation and even when they return to the cockpit, (pilots) will continue to be evaluated the rest of their careers.”

While there are no numbers available on how many pilots might be keeping their depression secret as they continue flying, it’s generally accepted that about 10-percent of the general population are suffering from depression. That could mean that 25-thousand of the nation’s quarter of a million commercial pilots are suffering from depression.

Administrator Babbitt says this new rule is aimed, in part, at removing the stigma of mental illness, much as the FAA began to deal with drug abuse and alcoholism in the cockpit with the establishment 40 years ago of its Human Intervention and Motivation Study.

“When people heard that there were going to be pilots who had been alcoholics returning to the cockpit, there was concern,” says Babbitt. “But… that program took a lot of people that needed help, they got the help and they finished great careers as safe pilots. And I think that’s what this is going to do.”

Babbitt insists the flying public will be safer with the new policy. “When you get in an airplane you ought to be comfortable that airplane is being maintained and its being operated by people that are qualified and healthy,” says the Administrator. “And that ‘healthy’ means physical and mental.”