2008 ford escape "Stop Safely Now" with the red triangle in and no engine codes in. My solution.

2008 ford escape "Stop Safely Now" with the red triangle in and no engine codes in.  

My solution to the repeated failures of the stock and aftermarket ford inverter cooling pump causing the gas engine to shut off unexpectedly. 

To verify it is the inverter cooling pump that failed:

Take the return line off of the tank return slipstream and turn the key to on but without the engine running. Check for flow. No flow = dead pump. (usually a failure of the micro components on the pump's control board but I degress.) Low flow equals bad pump. 

Problem background:

The inverter cooling (MEK, aux cooling pump) pump is supposed to run whenever the key is turned on. This removes heat from the inverter and the electric motor control cktry.   The electric motor control cktry has a high temp cutoff limit. When this limit is reached it turns off the gas engine so as not to charge the battery anymore.  This is because they tied the inverter control cktry high temp alarm/cutout into the battery thermistor temp high, battery overcharge protection gas engine cutoff. 

This is very confusing to diagnose with no codes.  But not once you know where to look.

The inverter cooling system is a closed-loop system. For most short trips (non-highway) the coolant has enough natural circulation cooling to stay below the electronic control cktry's high temp limit. 

On long highway drives (or shorter ones after some city stop and go) the trip temperature is reached as the system's heat into the cooling loop is greater than the natural circulation's ability to remove it. Thus the seemingly random shutoff of a perfectly good running gas engine on the highway. Usually with a truck right behind you. 

The codes go away when the factory bulletin's steps are followed: put the car in park, pull the key, wait 60 or more seconds, then restart and your able to drive again. That is until the electric motor control cktry reaches its high temp cutout and your back to square one.  Ie the more time you wait till you restart the cooler the electronics and their cooling loop get.  Which means the longer you can drive before getting the "stop safely now" gas engine shutoff. 

Yes, the design is asininely stupid: shut off the gas engine for a loss of cooling on the electric one.  But it is due to where the Ford engineer tied the high temp shutoff to. Instead of giving it its own high temp warning and electric motor shutdown (the logical thing to do) the ford engineer took a shortcut and tied it to the traction battery's over-temp protection gas engine cutoff. (also with no codes most of the time.) (Someone should fire that engineer for plain stupidity). 

Unlike Toyota, Ford was overly concerned with the battery granadeing hence the 3 thermisters per layer, the battery high temp gas engine cutoff, and the over use of battery casing bolts and internal parts lanyards. Ford shuts down the gas engine to prevent it from charging the battery as the most likely source of high battery temp is overcharging. 

Toyota was more correctly concerned with battery condition monitoring so they avoided this stupidity and provided actual battery condition monitoring to the driver. Ford provides no battery monitoring at all.

The problem with the Ford and its aftermarket pumps (apparently all made in the same place in china) is the undersized microelectronics which overheat (and burnout) from being on whenever the key is on and from pumping hot water all day long. My last ford pump lasted 41 days. (Rock Autoparts gives a 30 day warranty with the pump.) (Before finding this solution, I had replaced this pump 3 times, and I bought 3 more from the junk yard only to find them all dead.)

The solution that works:

Replace the Ford inverter cooling pump with another one from a different car company. Preferably one associated with quality and long-lasting parts. Toyota's 2008 Prius inverter cooling pump is close enough that with a little modification it makes a reliable replacement.

The Toyota brand 2008 Prius inverter cooling pump is available stock on EBAY for around $53.00.

The pump is better made with a bigger motor and higher flow rate.  Its also made to handle the heat generated from constant running. 

The pump is close enough in input / putput pipe size that a few wraps of electrical tape (pulled tightly when applied) and screw hose clamps will make the Ford hoses fit without leaking.

The Prius inverter cooling pump is set up to be installed horizontally.

Thus you must make a new metal backing plate and weld it to the ford pumps mounting plate. so that the Prius pump is in the same verticle alignment as the original Ford pump. 

Next a trip to the junkyard is in order as you will need the Prius wiring harness plug to replace the Ford wiring harness plug.  

The 2008 series Prius inverter cooling pump is located under the left front headlight. Cut the plug witing as high back as you can. (close to the harness so you have the most wiring possible from the plug).

Cut the Ford Escape inverter cooling pump plug wiring as close to the plug as you can. 

Replace the Ford escape plug with the Prius one you just got. 

Verify power (12 v dc) at the newly wired plug. Connect the pump to verify it turns on. (you may have to swap the wiring connection around as the wire colors are different so don't tape up the wire nuts or solder them until verification is done).

Now connect the hoses (1" hose clamps if I remember correctly)  then use the original ford escape bolts to tighten the plate to the bumper mount. Make sure the ground is attached to a clean bare metal spot. 

 I cleaned the plate up around the bolt holes (on both sides) and put a loop end on the ground wire so that it is under the head of the mounting bolt.

With everything reconnected and bolted up fill the reservoir up to the bottom "need to fill" line.  This way when you turn the key you can see the return flow (look through the fill port) Yes the level will go down when you turn the key so be ready to fill once you have verified the flow.

Now turn the key to on without the engine running. you should hear the pump running and be able to verify flow. Once flow verification is completed top off the tank and replace the cover. 

Turn the key off and tape up the wire nuts so they are waterproof and you're done. 

Take a long highway test drive and enjoy.

No codes at all on my standard code reader.

Red Triangle of death. No codes will show up on basic code readers. Have to select the Ford OEM Enhanced codes on the Orilies one to see any codes.

Orilies but normal code selected.

These will show once you select the Ford OEM enhanced section on the Orilies code reader. If you do not then no codes is all you see.

The electric motor control box supply and return.

This box has a high temp cutout. It's the one discussed above.

2008 Toyota Prius inverter cooling pump.

It's a bigger pump and motor. Better designed to take the heat and constant running. Plastic input and out put lines are slightly smaller so wrap in electric tape very tightly to increase the diameter. Use screw hose clamps to ensure no leakage.

the plug you need to match from the junkyard.

The Ford inverter cooling pump that failed.

very small impeller

The burnt circuit board. The cause of the repeated pump failures.

Way too small. It should be bigger than the Prius as the ford inverter and electric motor is bigger. Bigger means more heat.

How I modified the original bracket.

hose clamps on the intake

Wire nuts to connect the new Prius plug. Plus a better view of the bracket. (just a square piece of flat steel from Menards.)

Prius wiring plug.

A better view of both hose clamps the intake could fit 2 so it got 2 the output only has one, its shorter. The pump is running in this photo and no leaks from the hoses.

 I bought my pump on e-bay. Here is an Ebay ad with the same part number.

the Toyota Prius box part number.

same just another view in case one picture goes bad.

HSA's verses Obama care. A solution, a way out of the Obama care problems America finds subjected to.

To all the pundants saying/writing where is the republican answer to Obama care.

At one time the republican leadership fought for HSA's (health care savings accounts) they are the best answer / way out of this mess.

 Funny thing is the HSA saves the taxpayer many times over, no new website, admin, IRS agents, or navigators needed. Al the structure is already here.  Nothing new needed.

For those of you who have not heard of HSA's:

 Instead of paying $600/month for a standard medical HMO/PPO policy with limited doctors/hospitals.
 That same $600 is split into $300 toward a catastrophic medical policy.
The other $300 goes toward a Health Care Savings account.
 (A.K.A. a severely conservative mutual fund that grows your money. This is what you draw from, with a debit/credit card, when needed.)

Some companies provide startup money to get your account started as this lowers their medical related costs as well.

We should repeal the Obama care taxes on HSA'S and restore the HSA pretax deduction, no not restore-raise the deduction limit. Couple this with catastrophic policies that cover everything with-in capped upper limits of 2-5 mill/year, and we have the best way out. Allowing individual purchases of this policy type make the insurance totally portable from job to job which removes losing the health insurance upon job loss. Allowing the HSA to be passed on to the dependents/willed relatives where there are no surviving wife or dependents will enrich American children. Starting these policies and their accompanying HSA accounts when people are young and not sick, builds wealth and incentives young people to get there own HSA/catastrophic medical policy. Thus they have a reserve cash fund (earning interest) to draw from when they get excessively sick.

Owning a HSA and catastrophic policy makes Americans self sufficient --its their money so they try not to waste it. They shop for the best deal which drives down costs. There is much less overhead and nobody between them and their doc. No required "best practice gov approved" rules that the doc has to follow.  Your doc decides your care and your free to get as many other opinions as you want - your paying for it.

I have this setup. I can see any doc in the world. I'm paying cash!

Only true medical expenses count toward the 5K deductible. After the 5K deductible is met the catastrophic policy takes over so if I'm really sick or ended up in the hospital for anything I'm covered. The catastrophic policy administrator of my policy has set up "usual and customary prices" which I can try to beat by shopping around, or just pay the "standard Rate".  You can save alot of money by shopping around!

 A perfect example of the benefits of owning a HSA and catastrophic policy:

When I lost my job this year. My catastrophic policy was with my last employer so it went away, however, I had 12K saved in my HSA. So when my son got sick, and the doc said, he needed a cold air vaporizer and these medicines, he got it.

At that time, I had no money in my checking/savings accounts, but I still had my saved HSA account money. From which I payed: the doc, Walgreen's pharmacy, and I bought the vaporizer from Walgreen's it self.

With the traditional policy I would have had nothing to take care of my son.

 I would have had to go to the government clinic, plead to get approval for my son's care from the bureaucrat in charge, and let the taxpayer pay for the medical care.

 I prefer my HSA to having to plead/beg for care from the gov bureaucrat.

I know why Romney lost 3 million white voters, and over 12% of teaparty voters. Voters that just last election, put the Republican party in charge of the house

Have you ever been cought off guard by something like Mit Romney was during this election? To find out that the answer to the mystery was right in front of you and so obvious that everybody else could see it but you. This is how I am when I'm looking for the tool I just put down. Usually if I turn around it is right there. I could not find it because it was too obvious. Romney and the Republican Party leadership sabotaged themselves at the 2012 Republican convention in Tampa. The election results show that, as compared to the last midterm election, white males stayed home by the order of ~ 3 million across the midwestern states that Obama won such as Ohio. Why then did they stay home? Simple answer protest vote against the Party leadership (and their canidate) that has clearly stated they are not wanted. Even thoe the Tea party helped sweep 61 seats into republican hands Party leadership and all that help would be needed to secure the senate and the presidency during the republican convention the Old Guard Leadership and Mitt Romney's people attacked the newcomers attempting to put them down.
From Michelle Maulkin post:
"This past Friday, the RNC’s Convention Rules Committee voted – after several contentous votes – to change the party’s rules to allow future presidential candidates to have veto power over who can be delegates from any state – in other words, take power away from the grassroots and their ability to elect fellow conservatives as delegates.
This represents a brazen move by several Washington Beltway consultants and party insiders to diminish the power and influence of conservatives over the party."

"Finally, we would like them to help us spread the word that this is an insider power grab by a bunch of DC Beltway types who want consultants to be able to pick who the delegates are from their respective states in the future – AS WELL AS FUTURE PLATFORM COMMITTEE MEMBERS. Post a link to this page on Facebook and Twitter…spread the word on the media…COMPLAIN. Let everyone know this is wrong, and that it is ANTI-GRASSROOTS!"
From Tim Eaton | Monday, August 27, 2012, http://www.statesman.com

"The Texas delegation is livid. At a morning meeting of Texas delegates, Munisteri and a boisterous crowd discussed how the proposed change would affect the way Texans might send delegates to future conventions.

We will be “told how to select our delegates,” Munisteri said.

Texas prides itself on being a state party whose members choose who will go the national convention. It’s a grassroots — versus top-town — approach, said James Dickey, an at-large alternate from Bee Cave.

Dickey said the result of the change, if it is approved, could be drastic.

“It would dampen enthusiasm a lot,” Dickey said. “It would dampen excitement about running to be a delegate.”

So after pissing off the conservitive groups that helped elect Romney in the primary and were on fire to help the republicans replace Obama what did they do? Stomp on them again.
" Floor fight: Grass-roots activists battle attempt to rig RNC delegate rules Updated: Palin: “direct attack on the grass-roots;” RNC power grab showdown 2pm; Rush weighs in; purge underway?; Rules Cmte votes 78-14 for deal; dissidents gather sigs for floor fight; Boehner/Sununu declare”no objections” over massive boos on floor

By Michelle Malkin • August 27, 2012 03:04 P

Dudley Brown from Colorado was part of the group trying desperately to use the last resort to block it.
“If you’re trying to win a presidential campaign and put on a show, you shouldn’t poke a sharp stick in the eye of conservative activists,” he said.


From Politico:

"TAMPA, Fla. —The Romney campaign appears to have fended off a floor fight Tuesday over the 2016 nominating process.
First, Mitt Romney’s top surrogates agreed to a compromise on the Republican National Convention’s rules committee that assuaged some angry conservatives.

Then the chairman of the rules committee, top Romney surrogate John Sununu, swiftly brought the amended rules up for a full voice vote on the convention floor late Tuesday afternoon.
Over Ron Paul supporters loudly screaming their disapproval, House Speaker John Boehner (chairing the convention) declared that the “yes” votes had prevailed.
Conservative ire was already flaming out earlier in the afternoon after the rules committee voted, 78 to 14, to accept a full set of revised rules. Negotiated behind the scenes by Romney’s surrogates on the rules committee, the compromise means that winning candidates will not be able to approve or reject their delegates.
But staying intact is a change to the Republican National Committee governing document that makes binding every statewide primary or caucus — that is, the new rule will invalidate any delegate who votes for a candidate other than the one they are bound to support under their state’s rules.

From the Blaze report by Mythoes Holt
"The trouble began when Credentials Committee Chairman Mike Duncan took the stage to announce the results of several appeals requests to have three delegations controlled by Texas Congressman Ron Paul’s supporters seated at the convention. True to early reports, the convention seated two of them, but declined to seat the Maine delegation, instead choosing to seat an alternate delegation.

The announcement that the Maine delegation would not be seated met with audible booing. The decision, however, passed the convention floor by a voice vote, despite the cacophonous roar of “No” from the Paul supporters.

It was at this point that the real chaos started. Business Insider reports:

Things just got a little awkward during the Republican National Convention, as Ron Paul supporters burst out into protest and shouted “point of order” in protesting the RNC’s determination not to seat Paul delegates from Maine.
“Point of order! Seat them now! We’ve been robbed!” Paul supporters shouted.
The Paul supporters’ chants were countered by Romney supporters chanting “U-S-A!”

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who looked rather bewildered throughout the entire ordeal, repeatedly asked for calm banging his gavel on the podium.
Audio of the screaming was cut out by C-SPAN, but it continued unabated as the convention proceeded, with angry delegates shouting “No” to practically every motion following this decision. The shouting of “U-S-A” followed each outburst, a response that Tweeter robport suggested might have been coordinated:

Timothy P Carney@TPCarney
RT @robport: ND delegate just texted me saying they were instructed to chant "USA" to drown out dissent. #RNCpowergrab
28 Aug 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite
Coordinated or not, the problems did not stop after this first outburst. When Rules Committee Chairman John Sununu took the floor to ask for agreement to a set of rules – rules that have been slammed up and down by grassroots conservatives and conservative pundits for depriving activists of power – the makings of a real rebellion looked to be in the making. Reporter Zeke Miller Tweeted:



Zeke Miller@ZekeJMiller
Two members of the Texas delegation are chanting "Point of order" repeatedly.
28 Aug 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite


Zeke Miller@ZekeJMiller
More members of the Texas delegation now joining in
28 Aug 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite

Permanent convention Chairman John Boehner called for a voice vote on the rules. Those voting “Aye” screamed their approval. Boehner called for those opposing to yell. The response was arguably indistinguishable from that of the supporters. Nevertheless, Boehner ruled that “The Ayes have it” and all the rules went through. Despite early reports that minority reports had been sent to the Chair that would have offered an alternate vision of the rules, no minority reports were voted on. It was as though no opposition had ever existed.

Boos and fury followed. The unseated Maine delegation walked out in disgust.


Added for reference for thoes who do not remember the 2009 midterm elections.
Political balance shifts to the right
ELECTION 2010
Republicans also gain in the Senate, though Nevada Democrat Reid keeps his seat.
November 03, 2010|Mark Z. Barabak
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Republicans seized control of the House on Tuesday and shrank the Democratic advantage in the Senate, dealing a major setback to President Obama and sweeping a number of "tea party" insurgents into power.

The nearly coast-to-coast blowout -- a result of voters' frustration and deep economic anxiety -- promised to once more change the country's political dynamic, presenting challenges to both parties in a newly divided government.An energized conservative electorate, fueled by the anti-establishment Tea Party movement that emerged in 2009, helped Republicans to what could be their biggest gain in congressional elections in decades.

"It's clear tonight who the real winners are, and it's the American people," said Boehner, who is expected to become House Speaker in January when the new GOP majority takes over.

"With their voices, the American people are demanding a new way forward in Washington," Boehner said, calling for conservative policies favored by the Tea Party such as cutting spending and reducing the size of government

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/boehner-booed-at-convention-as-chaos-erupts-on-convention-floor-over-ron-paul-delegates/
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80294.html#ixzz2Bz1876Dm

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2012/08/27/national_republicans_at_odds_w.html/http://michellemalkin.com/2012/08/27/floor-fight-grass-roots-activists-battle-attempt-to-rig-gop-convention-delegate-rules/
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0812/80294.html#ixzz2Bz1zMOba
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2012/08/27/national_republicans_at_odds_w.html/

More Obama voters display there lack of knowledge

More confirmation of my last post: business guy with a good plan but no clue on publicity coupled with aparently no college outreach vs the president with no plan but great publicity. (Provided free from colleges and the mainstreet news)

Put plainly Romney and especially the republican leadership failed to reach the college age voters.



Further thoughts.
The post election economic moves by business to prepair for the new Obama care taxes and regulations is underfoot. The post election layoffs/plant closings have begun. Did anybody else besides me notice that when it looked like Romney was going to win earlie during the reporting that the stock market surged only to lower drastically once it was apparent that Obama would win.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/how-many-businesses-have-announced-closings-or-lay-offs-since-obama-won-a-second-term/

election results...thoughts

Feeling quite shocked since the economy and jobs and taxes were on my mind and supposedly high on many others as well. Rather than hiring a new president with business credentials we re-hired the big spending politician who has proven he does not understand economics or business.

Obama's reteric of "The rich must pay their fair share/free stuff for everybody else" won out over the business guy with the plan but bad marketing. Remember the brieghtbart web sight video of the Ohio Obama college voters? They new nothing of our economic situation or the bengazi failures, nor did they know Romney/Ryan's economic recovery plans. They acted like they never heard of them. Yet they were voting for Obama, it was the cool thing to do.

Neil Boortz top 3 posts in his "Neil's Nuze" today are the best explanations for what happened that I have seen so far. Others have incorrectly blamed the "Tea party and conservatives". Last night the ABC news commentator went so far as to say that speaker Baner will have to go to "thoes" guys and reign them in that they are the reason we are facing the fiscal cliff cause "they" blew it preventing us from getting Obama's tax deal. Yes he actually blamed the runaway deficit spending on the guys who are attempting to be finically sound and want the out of control spending/borrowing to stop. His twist of logic/reality is astounding.

By Neal Boortz
Will somebody please explain how in the hell this makes any sense: Exit polling showed that the economy was, by far, the most important issue in this election for voters … yet, they vote for the SCOAMF?

I’ve outlined in detail the failures of the ObamaEconomy and the ObamaRecovery. But even without that information, it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to understand that Obama has been an abject failure when it comes to our economy and recovery.

So what is going on here? Either people are lying about their top voting issue or they have absolutely no clue. Remember what I told you about the Dunning-Kruger effect? Incompetent people are inherently unable to judge the competence of other people, or the quality of those people's ideas. This is the only way to explain how people can go to the polls with the economy as their top voting issue and push the button for Obama.
These are the people who believe that it is possible to tax our way to prosperity and that the rich aren’t paying their fair share. These are the people who believe that Warren Buffett pays less in taxes than his secretary. And these people are now, officially, the predominant force in America. Yesterday, they proved that.
I warned you that the greatest threat to this country are these uneducated voters. I hope you are making plans to get out of dodge, because the moochers are outnumbering you and they have the numbers on their side to vote their way into your pocketbook.


"The argument could be made that this was our last chance .. this election … 2012. Our LAST chance … and we blew it. Turning this country back toward freedom, economic liberty and self reliance will be an even tougher task in the midterm elections of 2014, and probably impossible in 2016. By 2016 even more Americans will realize that they can use the ballot as a weapon .. a legal weapon .. to do something that would put them in jail if they did it with a gun … and that is take someone else’s money. Game. Set. Match.

Those people cheering this Obama victory have no real idea what is going on in the minds of business owners across America today. Some are making plans to close less-profitable locations and lay off employees. Some businessmen are shelving plans for expansion and more hiring, deciding that it would be better to take their money and put it where it will be safe from the coming tax increases. Other businessmen are preparing to fire some employees and reduce others to part-time status in order to stay below the employee threshold on ObamaCare. People who voted for Obama yesterday will be out of a job by the end of the week because their election wishes came true.
Here’s an interesting dynamic that the low-information voters who put Obama over the top will not be able to grasp. As businesses cut back on employees, and as they move more employees to a part-time status in order to escape the mandates of ObamaCare and other government regulations, the employees who will suffer; the employees who will lose their jobs or be relegated to part-time status with lower pay, will be the less capable, less educated employees who voted for Obama yesterday. They will never understand that their job situation has become more tenuous because of the vote they cast. They simply aren’t intelligent enough to understand that. They’ve done this to themselves, but they are too ignorant to realize it.

Are you wondering what the wonderful low-information voters have brought us on this day after the election?

Here … let me drop a few reminders:
Higher taxes on productive Americans, of course. Exit polls showed that most voters want this. Obama’s class warfare tactics worked like a charm.
Labor unions will renew their push for card-check; unionization by intimidation.
Taxes on jobs producing small businessmen will almost certainly go up.
Obama will issue a call for another multi-billion dollar stimulus bill that will do nothing other than reward cronies and campaign contributors.
Doctors who have been in practice for many years will be closing up shop. They know what a nightmare ObamaCare is going to be for their patients, and they want no part of it.

The Second Amendment will come under immediate attack. The United Nations will be used as an excuse to limit our rights.

The EPA will unleash a flood of new “clean air” regulations that will all but destroy the coal industry and bring huge increases in the cost of energy.

Democrats will start talking about a scheme to levy a tax against retirement and pension funds on the premise that it is not fair that some people are going to have a comfortable retirement while others will have to shove shopping carts at customers entering Wal-Marts.
The push for ETIs will return. Economically Targeted Investments. This means that the government will tell you where you can and cannot invest your qualified retirement (401K, IRA) funds. The purpose will be to force you to invest these funds in “union-friendly” (i.e., unionized) companies.
Democrats will develop schemes to punish states with Right-To-Work laws in an attempt to force more Americans into joining unions in order to work.
Democrats will attack talk radio with community advisory boards and shorter license renewal periods. Syndicated talk radio may be a thing of the past in four years, except for Clark Howard, of course."

real good you tube video.

Retired rear admiral confirms Glen Beck's theory of the Obama administration running guns to Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups, and that American Military personnel were set to respond to the attackers. Only someone very high up in the Obama administration countermanded the order of Admiral William McRaven Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command .

My post title is taken from my read of the recently posted Washington times column by Retired Adm. James A. Lyons. He is someone who is very qualified to discuss this subject from an inside baseball point of view.

From his online biography, his qualifications:

ADMIRAL JAMES “ACE” LYONS, JR., U.S. Navy Retired was an Officer of the U.S. Navy for thirty-six years, most recently as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the largest single military command in the world, his initiatives contributed directly to the economic stability and humanitarian understanding in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions and brought the U.S. Navy Fleet back to China. He also served as Senior U.S. Military Representative to the United Nations. As the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations from 1983 – 1985, he was principal advisor on all Joint Chiefs of Staff matters, and he was, the father of the Navy Red Cell, an anti-terrorism group comprised of Navy Seals he established in response to the Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut. Admiral Lyons was also Commander of the U.S. Second Fleet and Commander of the NATO Striking Fleet which were the principle fleets for implementing the Maritime Strategy. Admiral Lyons has represented U.S. interests with military and civilian leadership worldwide – including China, Japan and other Pacific Rim countries, the European continent and Russia. As Fleet Commander he managed a budget of over $5 billion and controlled a force of 250,000 personnel. Key assignments preceding Flag rank included Chief of Staff, Commander Carrier Group Four, Commanding Officer, USS Richmond K. Turner (CG-20) and Commanding Officer, USS Charles S. Sperry (DD697). He has been recognized for his distinguished service by the United States and several foreign governments. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has received post graduate degrees from the U.S. Naval War College and the U.S. National Defense University.


LYONS: Obama needs to come clean on what happened in Benghazi
The American people deserve to know the truth


By Adm. James A. Lyons Sunday, October 28, 2012.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/oct/28/lyonsobama-needs-come-clean-what-happened-benghazi

There is an urgent need for full disclosure of what has become the “Benghazi Betrayal and Cover-up.” The Obama national security team, including CIA, DNI and the Pentagon, apparently watched and listened to the assault on the U.S. consulate and cries for help but did nothing. If someone had described a fictional situation with a similar scenario and described our leadership ignoring the pleas for help, I would have said it was not realistic—not in my America – but I would have been proven wrong.



We now know why Ambassador Christopher Stevens had to be in Benghazi the night of 9/11 to meet a Turkish representative, even though he feared for his safety. According to various reports, one of Stevens’ main missions in Libya was to facilitate the transfer of much of Gadhafi’s military equipment, including the deadly SA-7 – portable SAMs – to Islamists and other al Qaeda-affiliated groups fighting the Assad Regime in Syria. In an excellent article, Aaron Klein states that Stevens routinely used our Benghazi consulate (mission) to coordinate the Turkish, Saudi Arabian and Qatari governments’ support for insurgencies throughout the Middle East. Further, according to Egyptian security sources, Stevens played a “central role in recruiting Islamic jihadists to fight the Assad Regime in Syria.”



In another excellent article, Clare Lopez at RadicalIslam.org noted that there were two large warehouse-type buildings associated with our Benghazi mission. During the terrorist attack, the warehouses were probably looted. We do not know what was there and if it was being administrated by our two former Navy SEALs and the CIA operatives who were in Benghazi. Nonetheless, the equipment was going to hardline jihadis.




Once the attack commenced at 10:00 p.m. Libyan time (4:00 p.m. EST), we know the mission security staff immediately contacted Washington and our embassy in Tripoli. It now appears the White House, Pentagon, State Department, CIA, NDI, JCS and various other military commands monitored the entire battle in real time via frantic phone calls from our compound and video from an overhead drone. The cries for help and support went unanswered.



Our Benghazi mission personnel, including our two former Navy SEALs, fought for seven hours without any assistance other than help from our embassy in Tripoli, which launched within 30 minutes an aircraft carrying six Americans and 16 Libyan security guards. It is understood they were instrumental in helping 22 of our Benghazi mission personnel escape the attack.


Once the attack commenced, Stevens was taken to a “safe room” within the mission. It is not known whether his location was betrayed by the February 17 Martyrs Brigade, the local force providing security to the consulate, which had ties to the Ansar al-Sharia terrorist group conducting the attack, and to al Qaeda. Unbelievably, we still do not know how Ambassador Stevens died.


The Obama national security team, including CIA, DNI, State Department and the Pentagon, watched and listened to the assault but did nothing to answer repeated calls for assistance. It has been reported that President Obama met with Vice President Joseph R. Biden and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta in the Oval Office, presumably to see what support could be provided. After all, we had very credible military resources within striking distance. At our military base in Sigonella, Sicily, which is slightly over 400 miles from Benghazi, we had a fully equipped Special Forces unit with both transport and jet strike aircraft prepositioned. Certainly this was a force much more capable than the 22-man force from our embassy in Tripoli.


I know those Special Forces personnel were ready to leap at the opportunity. There is no doubt in my mind they would have wiped out the terrorists attackers. Also I have no doubt that Admiral William McRaven, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, would have had his local commander at Sigonella ready to launch; however, apparently he was countermanded—by whom? We need to know.


I also understand we had a C-130 gunship available, which would have quickly disposed of the terrorist attackers. This attack went on for seven hours. Our fighter jets could have been at our Benghazi mission within an hour. Our Special Forces out of Sigonella could have been there within a few hours. There is not any doubt that action on our part could have saved the lives of our two former Navy SEALs and possibly the ambassador.


Having been in a number of similar situations, I know you have to have the courage to do what’s right and take immediate action. Obviously, that courage was lacking for Benghazi. The safety of your personnel always remains paramount. With all the technology and military capability we had in theater, for our leadership to have deliberately ignored the pleas for assistance is not only in incomprehensible, it is un-American.


Somebody high up in the administration made the decision that no assistance (outside our Tripoli embassy) would be provided, and let our people be killed. The person who made that callous decision needs to be brought to light and held accountable. According to a CIA spokesperson, “No one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need.” We also need to know whether the director of CIA and the director of National Intelligence were facilitators in the fabricated video lie and the overall cover-up. Their creditability is on the line. A congressional committee should be immediately formed to get the facts out to the American people. Nothing less is acceptable.


Retired Adm. James A. Lyons. (bolding by buglover34465)


Here is my problem with all this, the one thing in my opinion, that Obama and his administration were attempting to cover up.
After George Bush spent Billions of dollars on two wars and many American soldiers lives, attacking, routing, and killing the leadership of AL Qaeda, (the group responsible for killing 3000 plus Americans in the 9.11.2001 Terrorist attack) why is the Obama Administration re-arming, and refunding them?

Buglover34465