Quote:

Hi Miguel,

High school is too late, and condom dispensers are not going to solve the problem...what Philadelphia is NOT saying is, that it has one of the highest rates of girls becoming pregnant at middle school age, that's ages 13 or younger. Young people need more parental guidance, more authority, and they need to be taught to listen to authority figures. USA has so many single-parent households, or kids being raised by grandparents, or both parents working, there's not enough supervision, not enough respect for authority taught anymore, not enough confidence taught to young women, not enough talk about finishing education for young men or women, not enough fathers in the households, and those babies will most likely also be raised without fathers, raised by single mothers and very young grandmothers.

As of Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, at least 2,040 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistanas a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.

The AP count is two less than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST.

At least 1,701 military service members have died in Afghanistan as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

Outside of Afghanistan, the department reports at least 118 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, 11 were the result of hostile action.

The AP count of total OEF casualties outside of Afghanistan is five more than the department's tally.

The Defense Department also counts three military civilian deaths.

Since the start of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, 18,154 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department.

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The latest identifications reported by the military:

—Sgt. Enrique Mondragon, 23, of The Colony, Texas, died Dec. 24, in Baraki Barak, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by small arms fire while on dismounted patrol; assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany.

—Cdr. Job W. Price, 42, of Pottstown, Pa., died Dec. 22 of a noncombat-related injury while supporting stability operations in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan; assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit in Virginia Beach, Va.

—Sgt. 1st Class Kevin E. Lipari, 39, of Baldwin, N.Y., died Dec. 14 in Logar province, Afghanistan; assigned to HHC 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Bamberg, Germany.

—Sgt. Michael J. Guillory, 28, of Pearl River, La., died Dec. 14 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan; assigned to 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Pendleton, Calif.

—Staff Sgt. Nicholas J. Reid, 26, of Rochester, N.Y., died Dec. 13 in Landstuhl, Germany, from wounds suffered on Dec. 9, in Sperwan Village, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device; assigned to the 53rd Ordnance Company (EOD), 3rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

—Staff Sgt. Nelson D. Trent, 37, of Austin, Texas, died Dec. 13 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device; assigned to the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division, Fort Worth, Texas.

— Staff Sgt. Wesley R. Williams, 25, of New Carlisle, Ohio, died Dec. 10 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, under control of the 7th Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

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Online:

http://www.defense.gov/news/

Indian students protesting against the brutal gang-rape of a woman on a bus last week in New Delhi, hold a banner and placards during a protest in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. The banner reads, "We need a fearless society and equal rights to live". (AP Photo/ Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Indians burn an effigy representing rapists as they protest against the recent gang-rape of a young woman in a moving bus in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. On Tuesday, authorities have sealed off a high-security zone in the Indian capital for a second day to put an end to a week of demonstrations against the brutal gang-rape. (AP Photo/ Saurabh Das)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singhpledged Thursday to take action to protect the nation's women while the young victim of a gang rape on a New Delhi bus was flown to Singapore for treatment of severe internal injuries.

The Dec. 16 rape and brutal beating of the 23-year-old student triggered widespread protests in New Delhi and other parts of Indiademanding a government crackdown on the daily harassmentIndian women face, ranging from groping to severe violence. Someprotesters have called for the death penalty or castration for rapists, who under current laws face a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.

Rape victims rarely press charges because of social stigma and fear they will be accused of inviting the attack. Many women say they structure their lives around protecting themselves and their daughters from attack.

Singh's government set up two committees in response to the protests. One, looking into speeding up sexual assault trials, has already received 6,100 email suggestions. The second will examine what lapses might have contributed to the rape — which took place on a moving bus that passed through police checkpoints — and suggest measures to improve women's safety.

"Let me state categorically that the issue of safety and security of women is of the highest concern to our government," Singh told a development meeting. He urged officials in India's states to pay special attention to the problem.

"There can be no meaningful development without the active participation of half the population, and this participation simply cannot take place if their security and safety is not assured," he said.

The victim of the gang rape arrived in Singapore on an air ambulance Thursday and was admitted in "extremely critical condition," to the intensive care unit" of the Mount Elizabeth hospital, renowned for multi-organ transplant facilities, the hospital said in a statement.

India's Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said in a statement that the government, which is overseeing her treatment and paying the costs, had decided to send her abroad on the recommendation of her doctors here.

"Despite the best efforts of our doctors, the victim continues to be critical and her fluctuating health remains a big cause of concern to all of us," he said.

Her family was also being sent to Singapore to be with her during her treatment, which could last weeks, he said.

Meanwhile, police in riot gear manning barricades filled the streets of central Delhi in a show of force ahead of another planned protest march. Near daily protests have shut down the center of the capital for days since the rape. Police quelled some of the demonstrations with tear gas, water cannons and baton charges.

One police officer died Tuesday after collapsing during a weekend protest. Police said an autopsy showed the officer had a heart attack that could have been caused by injuries suffered during violence at the protest. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said the officer was running toward the protesters with a group of police when he collapsed on the ground and began frothing at the mouth and shaking. Two protesters rushed to the officer to try to help him. Police charged eight people with murder in the death of the policeman.

Police said the rape victim was traveling on the evening of Dec. 16 with a male friend on a bus when they were attacked by six men who gang raped her and beat the couple with iron rods before stripping them and dumping them on a road. All six suspects in the case have been arrested, police said.

B.D. Athani, the medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, where the woman had been treated, said she suffered severe intestinal and abdominal injuries, underwent three surgeries and had parts of her intestines removed, according to the Press Trust of India.

"With fortitude and courage, the girl survived the aftereffects of the injuries so far well. But the condition continues to be critical," he was quoted as saying.

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Associated Press reporter Heather Tan contributed reporting from Singapore.

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