12A • Friday, July 10, 2015 • Daily Corinthian
FBI: Violence plots stopped ahead of July 4 The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The FBI stopped several potential acts of violence in the month before the July 4 weekend, FBI Director James Comey said Thursday. Comey said he believes that some of the more than 10 people arrested during that time were planning acts of violence tied to the holiday. But he declined during a wide-
ranging discussion with reporters to describe any of the potential plots that might have been thwarted or to identify specific individuals the FBI thought might carry out at an attack. Federal agents had ramped up efforts in recent months to arrest Islamic State sympathizers across the country, arresting more than 10 in the last four weeks in places
including New Jersey, Ohio and North Carolina. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security had warned of a heightened terror threat tied to the July 4 weekend, but had not publicly identified any specific plot they were tracking. Comey also said the current crop of Westerners attracted by the Islamic State’s messaging is so unpredictable that it can
be hard for federal authorities to ever be sure of their plans. Whereas AlQaida would train operatives and carefully scope out targets, the concern among law enforcement officials is that the Islamic State is motivating people to commit violence “on a very short string.� “We face people who are highly unpredictable,� Comey said. “We cannot count on the fact that
they’ll be looking to do something on July fourth, so July third, we really got to lock these guys up.� He cited as an example the case of a 26-year-old terror suspect who was fatally shot by police in Boston last month after authorities said he lunged at them with a militarystyle knife. Authorities say he had been scheming with other men, both now facing charges, of plotting
to kill a conservative blogger known for provoking Muslims. Comey said that some of the people who had been arrested in the last month had been communicating on encrypted platforms — a concern he discussed before Congress on Wednesday — but he acknowledged that, in these particular cases, agents were able to use other means.
NASA picks 4 astronauts to fly first commercial missions The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has selected four veteran astronauts to lead the way back into orbit from U.S. soil. On Thursday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden named the four who will fly on capsules built by private companies — SpaceX and Boeing. Each astronaut has test pilot experience and has flown twice in space. The commercial crew astronauts are: Air Force Col. Robert Behnken, until recently head of the astronaut office; Air Force Col. Eric Boe, part of shuttle Discovery’s last crew; retired Marine Col. Douglas Hurley, pilot of the final shuttle crew; and
Navy Capt. Sunita Williams, a two-time resident of the International Space Station. “These distinguished, veteran astronauts are blazing a new trail, a trail that will one day land them in the history books and Americans on the surface of Mars,� Bolden said on his blog. SpaceX and Boeing are aiming for test flights to the space station by 2017. It will be the first launch of astronauts from Cape Canaveral, Florida, since the space shuttles retired in 2011. In the meantime, NASA has been paying Russia tens of millions of dollars per ride on Soyuz spacecraft to ferry astronauts;
the latest tab is $76 million. Bolden noted that the average cost on an American-owned spacecraft will be $58 million per astronaut, and each mission will carry a crew of four versus three, in addition to science experiments. The four — who will work closely with the companies to develop their spacecraft — range in age from 44 to 50, and have been astronauts for at least 15 years. Each attended test pilot school; Williams specializes in helicopters. NASA said the four were chosen for their spaceflight experience. They have a combined total of more than 400 days
in space, thanks largely to Williams’ two station stints, and more than 85 hours of spacewalking time. Williams — the world record-holder for most spacewalking time by a woman — most recently lived on the orbiting lab in 2012. NASA’s contracts with SpaceX and Boeing for crew capsules — totaling nearly $7 billion — require at least one test flight with at least one NASA astronaut on board. “There are lot more than just the four of us who will be responsible for the safety and the certification of the vehicle,� Hurley said in a NASA interview posted online. A “huge team� will work
to make the spacecraft as safe as possible, he noted. The announcement comes just 1? weeks after SpaceX’s failed launch to the space station with cargo. The Dragon capsule lost atop the Falcon 9 rocket that broke up shortly after liftoff on June 28 is a smaller, simpler version of what will be used to carry astronauts to the space station. NASA’s other commercial shipper, Orbital Sciences Corp., also is grounded because of a failed launch dating back to last fall. Boeing’s yet-to-fly craft is called the CST-100 for Crew Space Transportation and 100 kilometers, the threshold of space. A real name is forthcoming,
according to Boeing officials. Bolden —himself a former space shuttle commander — noted that July has always been a big month for NASA. The first manned moon landing, by Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, occurred on July 20, 1969. NASA got its first close-up pictures of Mars, thanks to Mariner 4, on July 14, 1965, and the robotic Pathfinder landed on Mars on July 4, 1997. And on Tuesday — the 50th anniversary of Mariner 4’s flyby — the New Horizons spacecraft will sweep past Pluto on the first-ever close flyby of the dwarf planet.
Decorated Civil War-era soldier buried Country music acts abandon battle flag The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — A Civil War-era Medal of Honor recipient forgotten in an unmarked grave for nearly a century finally got a funeral Thursday when he was given full military honors and reburied at a national cemetery. The Army gave Sgt. Charles Schroeter a full gun salute and a bugler played “Taps� on the cloudy morning at Miramar National Cemetery. Scores of veterans from past wars ranging from Vietnam to Afghanistan attended the ceremony. Some dressed in uniforms and dresses from the Civil War era. Among the crowd were two Medal of Honor recipients. Schroeter was found thanks to efforts to locate all those awarded the nation’s highest military
award. “On behalf of a grateful nation, may you find this new place of rest to be the home of honor you rightfully deserve,� Army Brig. Gen. Joseph M. Martin told the crowd. The German-born U.S. soldier was given the Medal of Honor in 1869 for his gallantry during battles between settlers and Native Americans out West. Researchers from the Medal of Honor Historical Society of the United States discovered records showing Schroeter’s remains had been buried at the private Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego. The group sent a Medal of Honor plaque to the cemetery staff in 2013 to have it placed on his grave. That’s when the cemetery’s staff learned
Schroeter — who never married and had no children — was buried in the grave space set aside for unclaimed cremated remains. “I thought, ‘Ugh,’� said Cathy Fiorelli, director of Greenwood Memorial Park who also serves on the board of the Miramar cemetery’s foundation. “This guy should be buried at our national cemetery. It feels more befitting, proper and appropriate as the final resting place for a war veteran and Medal of Honor recipient.� Fiorelli submitted the necessary paperwork. Schroeter is the first Medal of Honor recipient buried at San Diego’s newest national cemetery. The box containing his remains was put in a horse-drawn hearse. An honor guard from Fort Irwin’s 11th Armored Cavalry accompanied the hearse to the cemetery’s Memorial Circle as Marine Corps fighter jets conducted training flights nearby. The honor guard presented the flag to the cemetery director, acting as next-of-kin because no one has located any descendants. According to the Medal of Honor Historical Society, about 400 Medal of Honor recipients are listed as “lost to history� because their burial location is unknown.
Historians try to track down every detail they can by scouring records. Researchers say Schroeter was born on July 4, 1837, in Luneburg, Germany. He migrated to the United States as a young man. He spent the next three decades serving in the U.S. military, joining the 1st Volunteer Missouri Cavalry Regiment in 1863 in which he fought against Confederate soldiers in Arkansas. After the Civil War, he joined the U.S. 8th Cavalry and headed out West. Schroeter was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courage during the Battle of Rocky Mesa on Oct. 20, 1869, which was sparked by an Apache attack on a stagecoach that killed two civilians and four troopers. He and his comrades tracked the Apaches into Arizona’s Chiricahua Mountains, where they survived against rifle fire that killed two men and wounded another before darkness brought an end to the fighting. “He devoted his life to his adopted country,� said Bill Heard, spokesman for the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation. “He suffered bullet wounds, sabre cuts and he was a little guy, about 5-foot-6 and 135 pounds. He was tough as nails. He deserves to be buried among his comrades in arms.�
The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Confederate flag was once a familiar symbol in country music, representing the rural South and the renegade spirit of artists such as David Allan Coe and Hank Williams Jr. But the rebel banner that will soon be removed from the grounds of the South Carolina Capitol has steadily faded from stage and song, with many country artists quietly distancing themselves from the emblem that used to feature prominently in merchandise, lyrics and concerts. “You won’t find it being used by young country acts today, partly because it doesn’t mean the same thing to them,� said Robert K. Oermann, author and columnist for MusicRow magazine. “Partly because some of them aren’t Southern, and partly because if you want to appeal to a national audience, why would you do that?� Only a small number of country artists have been willing to speak on the issue in the weeks since nine black churchgoers were fatally shot at a Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina. Charlie Daniels wrote a long column on his website addressing the most recent controversy over
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the flag, which he called â&#x20AC;&#x153;a sign of defiance, a sign of pride, a declaration of a geographical area that you were proud to be from.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all it is to me and all it ever has been to me,â&#x20AC;? Daniels wrote, explaining that he opposes racism and believes that every person deserves the same rights and advantages regardless of skin color. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unfortunately,â&#x20AC;? Daniels said on the site, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Confederate battle flag has been adopted by hate groups â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and individuals like Dylann Roof,â&#x20AC;? who is charged with murder in the church attack. The banner was not commonly used until the late 1960s, when it began to be adopted by some country and rock artists who identified as outlaw musicians appealing to blue-collar fans, Oermann said. Coe and Williams, the country group Alabama and rockers like Lynyrd Skynyrd all used the flag on stage or in merchandise or referenced the flag or the Confederacy in their lyrics. The flag continued to appear in some country acts through the 1970s and early 1980s, but it fell out of favor as the genre became more commercial and the industry sought to reach wider audiences in the suburbs and urban areas beyond the South. Country artists take a big risk in addressing social and political issues. Just two years ago, Brad Paisley was criticized for recording a song called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Accidental Racist,â&#x20AC;? with rapper LL Cool J, that sought to explore racial tensions but came across as naive and ill-advised. Diane Pecknold, an associate professor of women and gender studies at the University of Louisville who has written extensively about the history of country music, said country has a strong association with patriotism and with promoting inclusion of all races and cultures. She noted that Paisley, Tim McGraw and Garth Brooks all have songs that are explicitly anti-racist.