CLG's
BREAKING NEWS and COMMENTARY
US
taxpayers fund Afghan stimulus: Afghan
security forces get 40% pay hike 29 Nov 2009 Afghanistan
yesterday increased the pay of police and soldiers by nearly 40
per cent as Western countries aimed to increase the size and quality
of Afghan security forces so their own troops can go home. Interior
Minister Hanif Atmar said monthly salaries would increase by $45
to about $165 for a new recruit. At present, there are about 95,000
Afghan soldiers and 93,000 police – a fraction of the number needed
to fight help the Taleban. Afghanistan depends on funds
from the US and other Western countries for large budgetary expenses,
such as military and police salaries.
Switzerland
votes on Muslim minaret ban
29 Nov 2009 Swiss voters are going to the polls to decide on a
proposal to ban the building of minarets in their country. The
proposal is backed by the Swiss People's Party, the largest party
in parliament, and by Christian groups. They say minarets would
be the first sign of the Islamisation of Switzerland.
9/11:
Pentagon Aircraft Hijack Impossible --Flight Deck Door Closed
For Entire Flight (PilotsFor911Truth)
Newly decoded data provided by an independent researcher and computer
programmer from Australia exposes alarming evidence that the reported
hijacking aboard American Airlines Flight 77 was impossible to
have existed. A data parameter labeled "FLT DECK DOOR", cross
checks with previously decoded data obtained by Pilots For 9/11
Truth from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) through
the Freedom of Information Act.
Food
Stamp Use Soars Across U.S., and Stigma Fades 29 Nov 2009
With food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month,
a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed
one in eight Americans and one in four children. It has grown
so rapidly in places so diverse that it is becoming nearly as
ordinary as the groceries it buys. More than 36 million people
use inconspicuous plastic cards for staples like milk, bread and
cheese, swiping them at counters in blighted cities and in suburbs
pocked with foreclosure signs.
Warming
will 'wipe out billions' 29 Nov 2009 Most of the world's
population will be wiped out if political leaders fail to agree
a method of stopping current rates of global warming, one of the
UK's most senior climate scientists has warned. Professor Kevin
Anderson, director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change, believes
only around 10 per cent of the planet's population - around half
a billion people - will survive if global temperatures rise by
4C.
*****
Obomba
holiday weekend bad news PentaPost leak: Troop
deployment to begin shortly after Obama's war strategy speech
Sat., 28 Nov 2009 3:56 PM
[LOL!] Days after President Obama outlines his new war 'strategy'
in a speech Tuesday, as many as 9,000 Marines will begin deploying
to southern Afghanistan to renew an assault on a Taliban stronghold
that stalled earlier this year amid a troop shortage and political
pressure from the Afghan government, senior U.S. officials said.
The extra Marines -- the first to move into the country as
part of Obama's escalation of the Bush's eight-year-old
war -- will double the size of the U.S. force in the southern
province of Helmand... The Marines will quickly be followed by
about 1,000 U.S. Army trainers, who will deploy as early as February
to speed the growth of the Afghan National Army and police force,
military officials said. The revised plan, which faces a war-weary
and increasingly skeptical American public, is expected to call
for 30,000-35,000 new troops in a phased deployment over the
next 12 to 18 months.
Black
sites we can believe in:
U.S.
Secret Prison Still Operating On Bagram Air Base --While two
of the prisoners were captured before the Obama administration
took office, one was captured in June of
this year.
29 Nov 2009 An American military detention camp in Afghanistan
is still secretly holding inmates for sometimes weeks at a time
and without access to the International Committee of the Red Cross,
according to human rights researchers and former detainees held
at the site on the Bagram Air Base. The site, known to detainees
prisoners as the black jail, consists of individual windowless
concrete cells, each illuminated by a single light bulb glowing
24 hours a day. In interviews, former prisoners said that their
only human contact was at twice-daily interrogation sessions...
While Mr. Obama signed an order to eliminate so-called black
sites run by the Central Intelligence Agency in January, that
order did not apply to this jail, which is run by military Special
Operations forces. Military officials said as recently as
this summer that the Afghanistan jail and another like it at the
Balad Air Base in Iraq were being used to interrogate high-value
detainees. And officials said recently that there
were no plans to close the jails.
Canada
bill clears way to sue foreign torturers 26 Nov 2009 An
opposition lawmaker unveiled Thursday proposed legislation that
would allow victims of torture to sue the perpetrators, including
foreign states and officials, in Canadian courts. "Our present
legislation criminalizes torture, war crimes, crimes against humanity
and genocide -- the most heinous acts known to humankind," said
opposition Liberal MP and former justice minister Irwin Cotler.
"But Canadian law does not allow a civil remedy for the victims
of such horrific acts. This legislation will: address the evil
of such international crimes; target the impunity of those states
and officials that perpetrate these crimes; remove the state immunity
that operates to shield the perpetrators of such crimes; and finally
allow Canadian victims to secure justice."
'Gatherings
that may disturb the public order must not take place.' Denmark
approves new police powers ahead of Copenhagen --Controversial
legislation gives police sweeping powers of 'pre-emptive' arrest
and extends custodial sentences for acts of civil disobedience
27 Nov 2009 The Danish parliament today passed legislation which
will give police sweeping powers of "pre-emptive" arrest and extend
custodial sentences for acts of civil disobedience. The "deeply
worrying" law comes ahead of the UN climate talks which start
on 7 December and are expected to attract thousands of activists
from next week. Under the new powers, Danish police will be
able to detain people for up to 12 hours whom they suspect might
break the law in the near future. Protesters could also be
jailed for 40 days under the hurriedly drafted legislation dubbed
by activists as the "turmoil and riot" law. The Danish ministry
of justice said that the new powers of "pre-emptive" detention
would increase from 6 to 12 hours and apply to international activists...
The Danish police also separately issued a statement
in August applying new rules and regulations for protests at the
climate conference, warning that "gatherings that may disturb
the public order must not take place".
Wisconsin
health officers can order guards be put on infectious people
--Douglas
County joins others in state with isolation and quarantine policy
27 Nov 2009 Wisconsin counties have a little-known policy that
allows forced isolation or quarantine of people using armed law
enforcement and deputized civilians. This is to help health officials
in a worst-case scenario to contain outbreaks... The policy includes
isolating people infected or even suspected of being infected
with a contagious disease such as tuberculosis or in a flu pandemic.
Douglas County Health Officer Deb Clasen says every county health
officer in the state can now order that guards be put on infectious
people. Washburn County Sheriff Terry Dryden says this is a tool
that may be needed at flu vaccination clinics as well.
'U.S.
Forces--Iraq' 'Multi-National'
to drop from U.S. unit names in Iraq 28 Nov 2009 One of
the last vestiges of the "coalition of the willing" [bribed] in
Iraq will soon be retired. As part of a consolidation of its command
structure ahead of next year’s planned troop reductions, the U.S.
military will drop the "Multi-National" name from its unit designations
starting in January. Under the plan, the top two levels of the
U.S. command, known as Multi-National Forces--Iraq and Multi-National
Corps--Iraq, will be merged and renamed U.S. Forces--Iraq. The
U.S. command that oversees training of Iraqi forces will also
fall into the new command.
Iraq
War was legal but not 'legitimate' 28 Nov 2009 The Iraq
War was legal but not "legitimate" for a democratic country, Britain's
former UN ambassador said yesterday. Sir Jeremy Greenstock told
the Iraq inquiry that the 2003 invasion did not have the backing
of the UN or the majority of British people, "so there was
a failure to establish legitimacy". He said he believed the
US and the UK could establish legality under UN resolutions if
Iraq was shown to have breached disarmament rules. But a "final"
verdict was never likely to be made. [Right, just as the 9/11
terror attacks were carried
out by Bush, to establish the legitimacy of his p_Residency.
--LRP]
US
lamestream media *finally* reports Chilcot inquiry: UK
diplomat: US was 'hell bent' on Iraq invasion 27 Nov 2009
The United States was "hell bent" on a 2003 military invasion
of Iraq and actively undermined efforts by Britain to win international
authorization for the war, a former British diplomat told an inquiry
Friday. Jeremy Greenstock, British ambassador to the United Nations
from 1998 to 2003, said that President [sic] George W. Bush had
no real interest in attempts to agree on a U.N. resolution to
provide explicit backing for the conflict. The ex-diplomat, who
served as Britain's envoy in Iraq after the invasion, said serious
preparations for the war had begun in early 2002 and took on an
unstoppable momentum.
Gordon
Brown announces timetable for Helmand handover to Afghan control
28 Nov 2009 The countdown to handing back Helmand province to
Afghan control began yesterday when Gordon Brown announced a detailed
exit timetable. In a surprise move, the Prime Minister said two
key districts of Helmand, where more than 200 British troops have
been killed, could be handed back by the end of next year. Mr
Brown will also formally commit to sending 500 more troops this
week taking Britain's military presence in the country to 9,500.
Governor
of Afghanistan's Kandahar survives bomb
27 Nov 2009 The governor of Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province
survived a bomb strike on his motorcade while heading to prayers
for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday on Friday, a spokesman said.
The bomb shattered a window of the car that Governor Tooryalai
Wesa was travelling in, but he was unhurt, spokesman Zalmai Ayoubi
said.
Three
bodies recovered from Afghan helicopter crash 27 Nov 2009
A US Air Force rescue team Friday recovered the bodies of three
crew from the wreck of a helicopter that crashed in remote mountains
in eastern Afghanistan. The three were believed to be Ukrainians
reported missing after their helicopter disappeared in bad weather
late Monday, US Air Force rescue team members said. The missing
aircraft was operated by Supreme Global Services Solutions, according
to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Israeli
agents operating at international airports 28 Nov 2009
Israeli spies have been found to be posing as airport security
guards at international terminals, subjecting
unsuspecting travellers to illegal interrogations and strip searches.
A television network covering southern Africa recently aired a
report, after an extensive undercover investigation, that revealed
an elaborate Israeli secret service operation being carried out
at Johannesburg International Airport.
Germany,
UK warn Iran to accept West offer 28 Nov 2009 In what
appears to be a last-ditch effort to force Tehran into accepting
an IAEA draft proposal on fuel supply, Germany and Britain warn
that world patience is running out with Iran. One day after World
powers threw their weight behind a draft resolution condemning
Iran's nuclear program, German Foreign Minister Guido Wersterwelle
said that although time is pressing, the West "still has its hand
extended" for the Tehran government.
US,
Israel welcome IAEA resolution against Iran 27 Nov 2009
The US and Israel welcome a decision by the UN nuclear watchdog
to censure Iran over the construction of its Fordo enrichment
plant. "Our patience and that of the international community is
limited, and time is running out," White House spokesman Robert
Gibbs said in a stern warning to Tehran.
Bomb
suspected as Russian train crash kills 39 28 Nov 2009
At least 39 people were killed and nearly 100 injured when a Russian
express train came off the rails late last night in what the head
of the national railway company said could have been a bomb attack.
The Nevsky Express, carrying 661 passengers from Moscow to St
Petersburg, was derailed at 9:34 p.m. (1834 GMT) near the village
of Uglovka about 200 miles north of Moscow.
Homeland
Suckyourity: Cuban
migrants went undetected for hours at Turkey Point --More
than 30 Cubans were dropped off close to the 'heavily guarded'
[Yup, in quotes] Turkey Point nuclear
power plant and remained undetected until they called for help
hours later.
28 Nov 2009 More than 30 Cubans, dropped off by a smugglers' speedboat,
spent up to eight hours on the off-limits grounds of the Turkey
Point nuclear power plant on Thanksgiving Day, then called the
plant's nuclear control room to say they were by the cooling canals.
The utility, which boasts of tight security in the area, did not
address why its security personnel apparently did not become aware
of the Cubans' presence on Turkey Point for up to eight hours.
White
House gatecrashers got all the way to the president 29
Nov 2009 Michelle and Barack Obama’s first state dinner at the
White House will be remembered for its gatecrashers. The White
House has been forced to admit that Michaele and Tareq Salahi,
the Virginian couple auditioning for a television reality show,
not only brazenly walked through layers of security to attend
the event but actually met the president. A photograph released
by the White House showed Michaele shaking hands with a beaming
Obama as her husband looked on. It prompted an abject apology
from the secret service.
Secret
Service apologizes for ticketless couple's access --Questions
linger over checkpoint breakdowns at White House dinner 28
Nov 2009 The White House said late Friday that Michaele and Tareq
Salahi, the Virginia couple auditioning for a Bravo reality show,
not only got past layers of experienced, executive-branch security
but also shook the president's hand in the Blue Room of the White
House during the Obamas' first state dinner... The security breach
has caused hand-wringing inside the White House, bewilderment
among Tuesday night's guests -- and late on Friday, prompted an
apology
from the Secret Service.
Anti-WTO
protesters smash windows, burn cars in Geneva 28 Nov 2009
Anti-capitalism protesters smashed the windows of banks, shops
and cafes in central Geneva and set cars on fire on Saturday during
a demonstration against the World Trade Organisation. A Reuters
reporter at the scene said some demonstrators were breaking the
windows of every building they passed and setting off fireworks
in the main shopping street.
Computer
hacker Gary McKinnon to be extradited to US --Alan Johnson
quashes last-ditch attempt to halt extradition 26 Nov 2009
Computer hacker Gary McKinnon, who has Asperger's syndrome, is
at serious risk of suicide, relatives said today, after the home
secretary rejected a last-ditch attempt to prevent his extradition
to the US. In a letter today Alan Johnson ordered McKinnon's removal
to the US on charges of breaching US military and Nasa computers,
despite claims by his lawyers that extradition would make the
43-year-old's death "virtually certain".
U.S.
journalist grilled at Canada border crossing --Officials demanded
to know what she would say publicly about 2010 Olympics 26
Nov 2009 U.S. journalist Amy Goodman said she was stopped at a
Canadian border crossing south of Vancouver on Wednesday and questioned
for 90 minutes by authorities concerned she was coming to Canada
to speak against the Olympics. Goodman says Canadian Border Services
Agency officials ultimately allowed her to enter Canada but returned
her passport with a document demanding she leave the country within
48 hours.
Police
accused of preventing suspects accessing lawyers 27 Nov
2009 Defendants are being denied a fair trial because police pressure
deters them from being represented by a lawyer after their arrest,
a survey reveals today. Solicitors questioned by the National
Audit Office (NAO) say they believe that the reason half of all
suspects do not use their free services is a direct result of
the action - or inaction - of the police.
FDA
OKs Novartis Vaccine Against Seasonal Flu In Fast Review
27 Nov 2009 The Food and Drug Administration approved a new Novartis
AG flu vaccine, Agriflu, in an accelerated process Friday. The
vaccine to prevent disease caused by influenza virus subtypes
A and B is for people age 18 and older. It does not prevent the
H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. The Swiss drug maker... on
Tuesday opened a vaccine-manufacturing plant in North
Carolina designed to make [deadly] flu vaccines without
relying on decades-old technology that employs millions of chicken
eggs to grow viruses. [See: New
US vaccine production techniques: Genetically modified insect
cells, E. coli, caterpillar ovaries 24 Nov 2009 Spurred
by $487 million in federal funding, a sprawling new vaccine
factory is opening in North Carolina Tuesday that will produce
shots using dog cells instead
of chicken eggs.]
Bacterial
Disease Linked to H1N1 Flu Worries CDC 25 Nov 2009 The
CDC is warning about a "worrisome" rise in the incidence of pneumococcal
disease associated with the [lab-generated] pandemic H1N1 flu.
"We're seeing increases in serious pneumococcal infections around
the country," Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC's National
Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said at a briefing
today.
The
right reform for the Fed By Ben Bernanke 29 Nov 2009 Our
[The Fed] financial statements are public and audited by an outside
accounting firm; we publish our balance sheet weekly; and we provide
monthly reports with extensive information on all the temporary
lending facilities developed during the crisis. Congress, through
the Government Accountability Office, can and does audit all parts
of our operations except for the monetary policy deliberations
and actions covered by the 1978 exemption. The general repeal
of that exemption would serve only to increase the perceived influence
of Congress on monetary policy decisions, which would undermine
the confidence the public and the markets have in the Fed to act
in the long-term economic interest of the nation. [Resign *now.*]
Bloomberg
Spent $102 Million to Win 3rd Term 28 Nov 2009 To eke
out an election victory over the city’s low-key comptroller, Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg spent $102 million of his own fortune --
or about $174 per vote -- according to data released Friday, making
his bid for a third term the most expensive campaign in the city’s
history. Mr. Bloomberg, the wealthiest man in New York City, shattered
his own records: He poured $85 million into his campaign in 2005
(or $112 per vote) and $74 million into his first bid for office
in 2001 ($99 per vote).
Canadian
researcher says arctic ice is thinning 27 Nov 2009 The
permanent Arctic sea ice that is home to the world's polar bears
and usually survives the summer has all but disappeared, a Canadian
researcher said Friday. University of Manitoba Arctic researcher
David Barber said experts around the world believed the ice was
recovering because satellite images showed it expanding, but the
thick, multiyear frozen sheets have been replaced by thin ice
that cannot support the weight of a polar bear.
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*****
Signed
In Blood: 2002 Blair-Bush Texas meeting sealed Iraq fate
27 Nov 2009 Saddam Hussein's fate as Iraqi leader was sealed at
a secret meeting between Tony Blair and George Bush in 2002, it
was claimed yesterday. The former Prime Minister allegedly "signed
in blood" Britain's support for an attack on Baghdad when he got
together with the US president [sic] at his Texas ranch. And
Mr Blair deliberately linked Saddam to al-Qaeda in a bid to strengthen
the case to topple Saddam, despite there being no evidence,
the Iraq War inquiry heard. Former British Ambassador to the US
Sir Christopher Meyer told the hearing the PM suddenly appeared
to agree to the case for a regime change in Iraq after his Bush
meeting. Talking about the meeting with Mr Bush, Sir Christopher
said: "To this day I am not entirely clear what degree of convergence
was, if you like, signed in blood at the Crawford ranch."
'Scrabbling
for the smoking gun' Chilcot
inquiry: Tony Blair decided on Iraq war a year before invasion
- envoy
26 Nov 2009 Tony Blair's government decided up to a year before
the Iraq invasion that it was "a complete waste of time" to resist
the US drive to oust Saddam Hussein, opting instead to offer advice
on how it should be done, the former British ambassador to Washington
said today. Sir Christopher Meyer, testifying to the Chilcot inquiry
into Britain's role in the war, made it clear that once the Bush
administration decided to take military action, the Blair government
never considered opting out or opposing it... British officials
were left "scrabbling for the smoking gun" - evidence for Iraqi
weapons of mass destruction - as preparations continued... The
message from Downing Street was that the 11 September attacks
and the subsequent US determination to oust Saddam were established
facts, "and it was a complete waste of time ... if we were
going to work with the Americans, to come to them and bang away
about regime change and say: 'We can't support it'."
Iraq:
The inquiry cover-up that will keep us in the dark 26
Nov 2009 Gordon Brown was accused of strangling the inquiry into
the Iraq war at birth yesterday by refusing to let it make public
sensitive documents that shed light on the conflict. A previously
undisclosed agreement between Sir John Chilcot's inquiry and the
Government gives Whitehall the final say on what information the
investigation can release into the public domain. Mr Brown,
who initially wanted the inquiry held in private, was forced to
climb down earlier this year after an outcry and promised that
most of its sessions would be heard in public. He said information
would be withheld only when it would compromise national security.
However, a protocol agreed by the inquiry and the Government includes
nine wide-ranging reasons under which Whitehall departments can
refuse to publish documents disclosed to the investigation.
6
family members killed in Iraq 25 Nov 2009 [Blackwater]
Assailants broke into a house and killed six family members before
dawn Wednesday in an area north of Baghdad that was 'once a stronghold
of al-Qaida in Iraq,' Iraqi officials said. The dead included
a couple and two daughters, and two brothers of the husband, according
to a police officer in Tarmiyah, 30 miles (50 kilometers) north
of the capital. The throats of two women were slit, while the
other four people were shot execution-style; two of the couple's
other children were not harmed.
Former
top official 'can't say' if Afghans tortured 26 Nov 2009
There is "no evidence" Canadian detainees transferred
to Afghan jails were tortured, but Canada didn’t monitor them
during 2006 and part of 2007 and reports of prison abuse were
common, a senior diplomat told a committee of MPs Thursday. Under
intense questioning by opposition MPs, David Mulroney said he
couldn’t guarantee that no detainee transferred by Canadians had
been mistreated. Nor could he say with complete certainty that
an Afghan prisoner who described to Canadian diplomats how he
had been tortured, whipped with cables and shocked with electricity,
had not been handed over by Canadians to Afghan authorities. "I
can’t say whether he was or wasn’t," Mulroney said.
Civilian
Casualties in Afghanistan: Germany's
Top Soldier Resigns over Air Strike Accusations 26 Nov
2009 Germany's highest-ranking soldier has resigned over allegations
that the Defense Ministry did not come clean about civilians killed
in a recent air strike [war crime] in Afghanistan. Former Defense
Minister Franz Josef Jung is also under pressure to resign. Germany's
highest ranking soldier has resigned in response to allegations
that the German Defense Ministry concealed information about civilian
casualties sustained during an air strike in Afghanistan. Defense
Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told the German parliament,
the Bundestag, on Thursday morning that Bundeswehr Inspector General
Wolfgang Schneiderhan, the highest-ranking officer in Germany's
armed forces, had asked to be relieved of his official duties.
Guttenberg said that Peter Wichert, a state secretary in the Defense
Ministry, would also resign.
Contractor
helicopter missing in Afghanistan 25 Nov 2009 A helicopter
belonging to an international military contractor has disappeared
in Afghanistan, officials said Thursday. The Supreme Global Service
Solutions helicopter has been missing since late Tuesday, said
NATO spokesman Maj. Steven Coll. Supreme provides food and logistics
services to military bases across Afghanistan.
Leader:
Occupiers, root of terrorism 26 Nov 2009 In a message
to the pilgrims of the holy mosque in Mecca, the Leader of the
Islamic Revolution warns of forces that are sponsoring terrorism
in the region. "Occupiers... organize and mastermind violent sectarian
terrorism among regional nations," Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei
said in his message. "The Middle East and North Africa were once
colonized and humiliated for more than a century by the Western
governments of Britain and France and subsequently by America;
their natural reserves were plundered, their free spirit was trodden
upon and their nations were taken hostage," the Leader added.
The
US 'is supporting dictatorship.' [It usually does.] Zelaya
slams US over supporting coup regime
26 Nov 2009 Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya has slammed
the US for supporting Sunday's presidential elections, saying
that the US is supporting a coup-perpetrating regime. "The United
States is not just supporting the elections but it is supporting
the de facto regime, it is supporting the dictatorship, it is
supporting the coup-perpetrating regime," Zelaya said in a telephone
interview published on Thursday by the Brazilian website UOL.
Washington
endorses gunpoint election in Honduras By Bill Van Auken
27 Nov 2009 The Obama administration has declared its support
for elections being held this Sunday in Honduras, under conditions
in which the regime that came to power in a coup last June has
refused to cede power and is preparing intense repression against
those who oppose it. The action has placed Washington at odds
with virtually all of Latin America, whose governments have refused
to recognize the elections as legitimate.
Arroyo's
ally to be charged over massacre 27 Nov 2009 Andal Ampatuan
Jnr, the member of a powerful pro-government clan suspected of
involvement in the massacre of 57 people in an election caravan
in the southern Philippines earlier this week, will be charged
with murder today, the Philippines' chief prosecutor said yesterday.
Mr Ampatuan turned himself in amid mounting pressure on 'President'
Gloria Arroyo to crack down on lawlessness and warlords.
Ousted
Minot AFB commander Westa to retire 25 Nov 2009 Col. Joel
Westa, the former 5th Bomb Wing commander fired Oct. 30, retired
Monday rather than accept an assignment to Global Strike Command.
Westa was chosen to turn around the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air
Force Base, N.D., after airmen from the wing mistakenly
loaded six nuclear warheads aboard a B-52 two years ago. Maj.
Gen. Floyd Carpenter, 8th Air Force commander, arrived unannounced
to Minot and fired Westa after the wing failed its second nuclear
inspection under Westa’s command.
Canada,
U.S. to audit air-attack preparedness
25 Nov 2009 Canada and the U.S. will review their air defence
capabilities to make sure the right amount of planes and crews
are in place to protect North American cities from terrorist attacks.
The review by the North American Aerospace Defence Command, the
joint U.S.-Canadian alliance, is expected by next spring. Norad
will look at the various threats, including the possibility that
terrorists could hijack aircraft and fly those into critical infrastructure,
such as a power plant or communications centres.
CBC
News: The
Unofficial Story (Documentary) 27 Nov 2009 On September
11, 2001 the world watched in shock and disbelief as planes flew
in to New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington,
and Americans realized they were under attack. But by whom? What
really happened? In The Unofficial Story, the fifth estate’s
Bob McKeown introduces us to people who believe the real force
behind the attacks was not Osama Bin Laden, but the U.S. government
itself... You’ll meet Richard Gage, an American architect, explains
how the WTC twin towers and the lesser
known 'Tower #7' could only have crumbled as they did due to explosive
charges placed inside the buildings.
ABA
Backs Federal Court Trials of Alleged 9/11 Plotters 25
Nov 2009 The president of the American Bar Association sent a
letter to Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. today praising the
decision to pursue federal court prosecutions of five Guantanamo
detainees with [very] alleged ties to the 9/11 attacks. The Nov.
25 letter, signed by ABA President Carolyn Lamm, comes after Holder
became the target of criticism from conservative politicians for
his decision to try alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
and the others in New York.
Egads!
Confidential 9/11 Pager Messages Disclosed By Declan McCullagh
25 Nov 2009 As the World Trade Center and Pentagon were ablaze
on September 11, 2001, the U.S. Secret Service's presidential
protective detail was informed that a "Korean airliner has been
hijacked" en route to San Francisco, prompting already-skittish
agents to worry about another wave of terrorist attacks... This
unusual glimpse into the events of 9/11 comes from messages sent
to alphanumeric pagers that were anonymously published
on the Internet on Wednesday. The pager transcripts, which total
about 573,000 lines and 6.4 million words, include numeric and
text messages also sent to private sector and unclassified military
pagers.
'The
concept has evolved to include a broader 'all crimes, all hazards'
approach.' Vegas
fusion center fights terrorism, street crime
26 Nov 2009 When a tip arrived about a threat of violence at a
southern Nevada high school football game, a Clark County School
District police officer helped plan a response. When a Colorado
man was arrested on terrorism charges, a Department of Homeland
Security analyst probed whether he had Las Vegas ties. Though
the two cases are very different, the officials who worked them
were in the same cubicle-filled room at the Southern Nevada Counterterrorism
Center. Open for more than two years, the Las Vegas "fusion" center
is battling terrorism and street crime.
Heads
up! Baxter
hopes to build U.S. cell-based vaccine manufacturing plant
--Facility would be used to make flu, pandemic vaccines
26 Nov 2009 (IL) Deerfield-based Baxter International Inc. says
it is looking into building a cell-based vaccine manufacturing
plant in the U.S. to produce seasonal and pandemic flu vaccines.
The company won't say when a plant could be built because the
timing would depend on the outcome of a government-funded clinical
trial of its seasonal product, which is in its final stages. [See:
Baxter
working on vaccine to stop swine flu, though admitted sending
live pandemic flu viruses to subcontractor
By Lori Price 26 Apr 2009.]
Swine
flu linked to serious respiratory disease 26 Nov 2009
Federal officials said Wednesday that they have noticed "a worrisome
spike in serious pneumococcal disease" linked to pandemic H1N1
influenza. Health authorities normally see an increase in such
infections associated with seasonal flu, but this year the rate
is substantially higher than normal and striking younger people
rather than the elderly, according to Dr. Anne Schuchat, director
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center
for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
Sharp
increase in swine flu deaths in France 26 Nov 2009 The
number of deaths in mainland France from the H1N1 swine flu virus
jumped in the last week, according to official data Thursday.
The toll rose to 68 deaths as of November 22, with 22 new deaths
last week. Six of the 68 victims had no underlying health problems,
the country's health monitoring institute said.
Dubai
in deep water as ripples from debt crisis spread 27 Nov
2009 Fears of a dangerous new phase in the economic crisis swept
around the globe yesterday as traders responded to the shock announcement
that a debt-laden Dubai state corporation was unable to meet its
interest bill. Shares plunged, weak currencies were battered and
more than £14 billion was wiped from the value of British banks
on fears that they would be left nursing new losses.
IMF
warns second bailout would 'threaten democracy' 23 Nov
2009 The public will not bail out the financial services sector
for a second time if another global crisis blows up in four or
five years time, the managing-director of the International Monetary
Fund warned this morning. Dominique Strauss-Kahn told the CBI
annual conference of business leaders that another huge call on
public finances by the financial services sector would not be
tolerated by the "man in the street" and could even
threaten democracy.
Bush
advisers on White House visit list [Visitors? I think
they're tenants.] 25 Nov 2009 The White House released
a new batch of visitor log records Wednesday, disclosing an additional
1,615 visits to the executive mansion. The list includes some
surprising names, including a slew of corporate chieftains and
even a couple of high-ranking former Republican officials. The
White House, which spent much of the year developing and pushing
for reforms in Wall Street regulation, welcomed several high-profile
Wall Street and corporate figures, the new records show.
Because
China did *such* a terrific job with the drywall, powdered milk
and pet food: China
State Construction nets $100m US subway deal
24 Nov 2009 China State Construction Engineering Corp, the largest
contractor in China, has bagged a subway ventilation project worth
about $100 million in New York's Manhattan area, marking the construction
giant's third order in the United States' infrastructure space
this year. The contract was given to China Construction American
Co, a subsidiary, the Wall Street Journal quoted a source as saying.
"The new project, along with the $410-million Hamilton Bridge
project and a $1.7-billion entertainment project it won earlier
this year, signals China State Construction's ambition to tap
the American construction market," said Li Zhirui, an industry
analyst at First Capital Securities. [Thanks, Bloomberg!]
Dealing
with the bank was 'like dealing with organized crime.' [It usually
is.] Judge
blasts bad bank, erases 525G debt 25 Nov 2009 A
Long Island couple is home free after an outraged judge gave them
an amazing Thanksgiving present -- canceling their debt to ruthless
bankers trying to toss them out on the street. Suffolk Judge Jeffrey
Spinner wiped out $525,000 in mortgage payments demanded by a
California bank, blasting its "harsh, repugnant, shocking and
repulsive" acts. The bombshell decision leaves Diane Yano-Horoski
and her husband, Greg Horoski, owing absolutely no money on their
ranch house in East Patchogue. Spinner pulled no punches as he
smacked down the bankers at OneWest -- who
took an $814.2 million federal bailout but have a record of coldbloodedly
foreclosing on any homeowner owing money... The bank is involved
in a similar case in California, where it's trying to foreclose
on an 89-year-old woman, despite two court orders telling it to
stop.
State
dinner crashers spur White House security probe 27 Nov
2009 The Secret Service has launched a "comprehensive investigation"
of its security measures after two aspiring reality-TV stars [Michaele
and Tareq Salahi] crashed President Barack Obama's state dinner
at the White House this week. An administration official said
the gate-crashing incident was apparently a breakdown in Secret
Service screening and not the work of the White House social office.
Couple
slips though security to crash state dinner
25 Nov 2009 Crashing a state dinner at the White House apparently
takes a security breakdown as well as some kind of nerve. The
Secret Service is looking into its own security procedures after
determining that a Virginia couple, Michaele and Tareq Salahi,
managed to slip into Tuesday night's state dinner at the White
House even though they were not on the guest list, agency spokesman
Ed Donovan said.
Obama
grants 'Courage' a pardon 25 Nov 2009 It was a festive
atmosphere on the White House North Portico on Wednesday morning
for the president's annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon. Dozens
of press joined dozens of guests and White House staffers to witness
President Obama pardon a 45-pound turkey dubbed Courage, from
Goldsboro, NC. [Obama seems to have pardoned the biggest turkeys
on earth - the Bush cabal - so Courage should certainly get a
pass.]
Obama
'promises' greenhouse gas cut 26 Nov 2009 US President
Barack Obama seeks to reduce America's greenhouse gas emissions
by a 'low' 17 percent before 2020, ahead of a climate summit in
Denmark. Obama's pledge to cut CO2 levels comes in advance of
the December climate change convention in Copenhagen, meant to
decrease human's contribution to 'catastrophic' air pollution.
Hacked
climate emails called a "smear campaign" 25 Nov 2009 Three
leading scientists who on Tuesday released a report documenting
the accelerating pace of climate change said the scandal that
erupted last week over hacked emails from climate scientists is
nothing more than a "smear campaign" aimed at sabotaging December
climate talks in Copenhagen. "We're facing an effort by special
interests who are trying to confuse the public," said Richard
Somerville, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Scripps Institution
of Oceanography and a lead author of the UN IPCC Fourth Assessment
Report.
Australia
to kill 6,000 camels 26 Nov 2009 Australian authorities
[sociopaths] plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters
and gun them down after they overran a small Outback town in search
of water, trampling fences, smashing tanks and contaminating supplies.
The Northern Territory government announced its plan Wednesday
for Docker River, a town of 350 residents where thirsty camels
have been arriving daily for weeks because of drought conditions
in the region.
*****
Two
NATO commanders wore Nazi regalia in Afghanistan 25 Nov
2009 It has just been discovered that two commanders of the Czech
military working under NATO command used Nazi symbols on their
helmets during their deployment in Afghanistan. The story was
made public after Czech police serving in Afghanistan reported
the case, the Russia Today website reported on Tuesday. According
to the daily Mlada fronta Dnes, the soldiers, identified
as Hynek Matonoha and Jan Cermak, wore the symbols of the 9th
SS panzer division Hohenstaufen and the SS Dirlewanger brigade
respectively, which were probably the most infamous SS combat
units of World War II.
Iraq
inquiry: Britain rejected regime change as illegal in 2001
--British officials discussed toppling Saddam Hussein in 2001
but rejected a policy of "regime change" as illegal
under international law, the Iraq war inquiry has heard. 24
Nov 2009 On its opening day of public hearings, Sir John Chilcot’s
public inquiry into the invasion heard that British
diplomats heard the "drumbeat" of war emanating from
Washington even before the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The inquiry into the war opened yesterday with a promise from
Sir John, a former Whitehall mandarin, to "get to the heart of
what happened" and "not shy away" from criticising anyone who
made mistakes.
Iraq
inquiry: Bush administration 'discussing regime change two years
before invasion' --Elements of the new US administration of
President [sic] George Bush were already discussing ''regime change''
in Iraq two years before the invasion of 2003, the official inquiry
into the war has been told.
24 Nov 2009 Sir Peter Ricketts, who was chairman of the Joint
Intelligence Committee in 2001, said there was concern in both
London and Washington that the strategy of ''containment'' of
Saddam Hussein was ''failing''. Giving evidence at the first public
hearings of the inquiry, he said a review of the Iraq policy was
already under way in Whitehall in anticipation of the arrival
of the new Bush administration. He said that, in discussions with
Secretary of State Colin Powell, it appeared the Americans were
''thinking very much on the same lines''.
'UK
complicity is clear.' 'Cruel,
illegal, immoral': Human Rights Watch condemns UK's role in torture
--Pressure for inquiry grows as torturers themselves allege British
complicity 24 Nov 2009 The attorney general was under intense
pressure tonight to order a wider series of police investigations
into British complicity in torture after one of the world's leading
human rights organisations said there was clear evidence of the
UK government's involvement in the torture of its own citizens.
After an investigation spanning more than a year, Human Rights
Watch (HRW) today condemned Britain's role in the torture of terror
suspects detained in Pakistan as cruel, counter-productive and
in clear breach of international law.
'Operation
Iraqi Freedom:' Iraq:
TV commentator who criticized government is shot 24 Nov
2009 Baghdad is buzzing about the shooting Monday night of a prominent
TV commentator who regularly criticized the government on his
show "Without Fences" on the privately owned Al-Diyar TV station.
Imad Abadi was shot in the head and neck by [Blackwater?] gunmen
using a pistol equipped with a silencer at about 8 p.m. as he
rode in his car in the Salhiya neighborhood not far from Baghdad's
Green Zone. He managed to keep driving to an Iraqi checkpoint,
and doctors today said his chances of recovery are good.
Iraq
parliamentary election 'not possible in January'
24 Nov 2009 Iraq will not be able to hold parliamentary elections
before the end of January as required by the country's constitution,
electoral officials say. The head of the Independent Electoral
Commission of Iraq, Faraj al-Haidari, said the possibility was
now "over". The vote is seen as a prerequisite to the US meeting
its goal of pulling out combat troops by August next year, and
withdrawing fully by 2011.
Judge
denies Halliburton's request to leave Iraq case 24 Nov
2009 A Houston judge ruled Tuesday that Halliburton must remain
as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging it and its former subsidiary
KBR knowingly sent civilian truck convoys into dangerous conditions
the day six drivers were killed in 2004 in Iraq. U.S. District
Judge Gray Miller found that Halliburton should remain in the
case because plaintiffs have "numerous evidentiary examples
of Halliburton's involvement in the allegations giving rise to
this litigation."
Obama
plans to send 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan 24 Nov
2009 President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national
security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional
U.S. troops over the next year to what he's called "a war of necessity"
in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told McClatchy. Obama is expected
to announce his long-awaited decision on Dec. 1, followed by meetings
on Capitol Hill aimed at winning congressional support amid opposition
by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S.
Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, the officials
said.
Fort
Carson soldier killed in Afghanistan 24 Nov 2009 A Fort
Carson soldier was killed in Afghanistan after insurgents attacked
his unit, the Department of Defense said Tuesday. Spc. Jason A.
McLeod, 22, of Crystal Lake, Ill., was killed Monday in a mortar
attack west of Pashmul. He was assigned to the 704th Brigade Support
Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Afghan
War: Realities on the Ground By Josh Mitteldorf 24 Nov
2009 Back in the 1980s When the Soviet Union had troops in Afghanistan,
the US government was secretly funding the guerrillas who undermined
the occupation. These people were passionate Muslims, opposed
to intoxicants including poppy production that was the region's
most lucrative export. They called themselves Taliban. Now that
the Taliban is our enemy, we support them less directly... Lori
Price, writing for Citizens
for Legitimate Government charges that most of this money
ends up in the hands of the Taliban. And reducing the poppy production
increases profit margins for the CIA, which buys drugs for distribution
back home.
Blackwater's
Secret War in Pakistan By Jeremy Scahill 23 Nov 2009 At
a covert forward operating base run by the US Joint Special Operations
Command (JSOC) in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, members
of an elite division of Blackwater are at the center of a secret
program in which they plan targeted assassinations of suspected
Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, "snatch and grabs" of high-value
targets and other sensitive action inside and outside Pakistan,
an investigation by The Nation has found. The Blackwater
operatives also assist in gathering intelligence and help direct
a secret US military drone bombing campaign that runs parallel
to the well-documented CIA predator strikes, according to a well-placed
source within the US military intelligence apparatus.
Toll
rises in Philippines massacre --Lead suspect is local mayor
Andal Ampatuan Jr., political ally of unelected dictator (and
Bush ally) Gloria Arroyo 25 Nov 2009 Police investigating
the massacre of a group of journalists and politicians in the
southern Philippines have found another six bodies, taking the
total death toll from the attack to at least 52. The bodies were
dug out of a shallow pit on Wednesday, close to the scene in southern
Maguindanao province where another 46 victims were found following
what is believed to be the Philippines' worst politically-linked
massacre.
9/11
tragedy pager intercepts (WikiLeaks) 25 Nov 2009 From
3AM on Wednesday November 25, 2009, until 3AM the following day
(US East Coast time), WikiLeaks is releasing over half a million
US national text pager intercepts. The intercepts cover a 24 hour
period surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York
and Washington... Messages in the archive range from Pentagon
and New York Police Department exchanges, to computers reporting
faults to their operators as the World Trade Center collapsed.
Pentagon
Probe Leaders Visit Fort Hood to Begin Investigation
24 Nov 2009 Leaders of a Pentagon-appointed task force charged
with investigating what factors led to the Fort Hood massacre
Nov. 5 and recommending policies to prevent future attacks began
their review today, saying their job is not "to point fingers."
Togo West, former Secretary of the Army and Secretary of Veterans
Affairs during the Clinton administration, and former Chief of
Naval Operations, Admiral Vernon Clark, are leading the review
board. They arrived at the Fort Hood base today to begin what
will be a 45-day investigation.
British
police under fire over terrorism arrests 24 Nov 2009 The
British government's terrorism watchdog on Tuesday criticised
counter-terrorism police who arrested and then released without
charge 12 men seized in April raids to foil a suspected al Qaeda
plot. Lord Carlile, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism
legislation, said Greater Manchester Police should have sought
comprehensive advice from Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyers
about the operation in advance.
Easter
shopping plot 'part of international terror network' 25
Nov 2009 A group of Pakistani students suspected of planning a
terrorist attack on Easter shoppers was believed to be linked
to 'al-Qaeda' and suspected of being part of a "very significant
international plot", an independent report has found. Counter
terrorism police had "no realistic alternative" but
to arrest at least some of the suspected members of the group
according to Lord Carlile, the independent reviewer of terrorism
legislation. However, he criticised the police for failing to
consult properly with prosecutors over the raids in Manchester
and Liverpool which resulted in 12 arrests but no criminal charges.
U.S.-Canada
to share refugees' biometric info 24 Nov 2009 Seeking
to enhance its efforts to crack down on fraudulent refugee claims,
the Harper government on Tuesday announced it has struck a deal
to share fingerprint information on asylum seekers with the United
States. Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan made the announcement
following a bilateral summit here with U.S. Homeland Security
Secretary Janet Napolitano. Under the protocol, the U.S. will
join a biometric data-sharing initiative Canada had already launched
last summer with the United Kingdom and Australia.
Canada's
doctors told to stop using swine flu vaccine 24 Nov 2009
GlaxoSmithKline has advised doctors in Canada to stop using a
batch of its swine flu vaccine, amid reports of severe side-effects
in some patients. The batch of some 170,000 doses was put on hold
because of the reported higher than usual number of patients having
anaphylactic reactions. This may include breathing problems, raised
heart rate and skin rashes.
GlaxoSmithKline
advises Canadian doctors to stop using swine flu vaccines
25 Nov 2009 GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Tuesday that they have notified
Canadian doctors to discontinue using
a batch of 170,000 swine flu vaccines following six
reports of serious allergic reactions among recipients. It was
not immediately clear how many doses had been administered, although
Tim Vail, the spokesman for Canada’s health minister, said the
majority had been.
27
cases of adverse reaction to H1N1 vaccine reported 24
Nov 2009 (Singapore) The Health Sciences Authority said on Tuesday
that 27 cases of adverse reactions suspected to be associated
with the use of the H1N1 vaccine have been reported so far. But
"these reactions are non-serious anticipated side effects such
as fever, rashes, flu-like symptoms, headaches, nausea and vomiting",
said an HSA spokesperson.
NJ
suspends seasonal flu shot requirement for kids 24 Nov
2009 New Jersey is suspending its requirement that children attending
child care or preschool facilities get a seasonal flu shot. Health
Commissioner Heather Howard said Tuesday that the step was necessary
because there's a shortage [?] of the seasonal flu vaccine.
Census
worker in Kentucky killed self, officials conclude --Autopsy
report is pending 24 Nov 2009 A U.S. Census worker found dead
in a secluded Clay County cemetery killed himself but tried to
make the death look like a homicide, authorities have concluded.
Bill Sparkman, 51, of London, might have tried to cover the manner
of his death to preserve payments under life-insurance polices
that he had taken out. The policies wouldn’t pay off if Sparkman
committed suicide, state police Capt. Lisa Rudzinski said.
Once
again: Obama and the jobs crisis By Patrick Martin 24
Nov 2009 The Obama administration has flatly rejected appeals
for the federal government to take any direct action to create
jobs and alleviate the mounting toll of unemployment in the United
States. Obama reiterated this position in his Saturday radio/Internet
address... "In order to keep growing, we need to spend less,
save more, and get our federal deficit under control," Obama
said. "It is important that we do not make any ill-considered
decisions--even with the best of intentions--particularly at a
time when our resources are so limited," he concluded. "Limited
resources" were not a consideration when it came to bailing
out Wall Street. The US Treasury and the Federal Reserve made
available trillions to the financial institutions. But when it
comes to the working class, Obama has repeatedly demanded austerity
measures.
Palin
pimps self, ghostwritten 'Mantra of Whine' at Fort Bragg:
Sarah
Palin's book tour hits NC's Fort Bragg 24 Nov 2009 Sarah
Palin brought her book-signing tour to North Carolina's Fort Bragg
on Monday as thousands greeted the former Republican vice presidential
candidate in a campaign-like gathering that tested broke
military rules involving politicians. The Department of Defense
typically prohibits politicians from using installations as a
platform, so Palin didn't give a speech and simply thanked soldiers
individually. She was allowed to hold the event as a private citizen
who was not campaigning, a Fort Bragg spokesman said.
Rove:
Shift of Blame to Dems Almost Complete --'This is surely some
of my best work since I was able to convince millions of Americans
that George W. Bush should be in the White House rather than the
nut house.' By R J Shulman 24 Nov 2009 Karl Rove announced
today on Fox News that the Republican strategy to shift the blame
for all of America's woes from anything the Republicans may have
caused to Obama and the Democrats is a complete success. Rove
has been the mastermind of a new movement called the Shift
of Blamers -- or SOBs -- who have replaced birthers, deathers,
Tenthers, and teabaggers as the most successful anti-Obama group
thus far. The SOBs are made up of prominent Republicans, Fox News,
FreedomWorks, and the vast majority of talk radio. (Satire)
Judge
orders New Haven to promote 14 white firefighters 24
Nov 2009 (CT) After a five year legal battle, 14 New Haven firefighters
will receive their promotions. A U.S. District Court judge Tuesday
ordered the city to promote 14 white firefighters, based on a
Supreme Court decision. Twenty firefighters passed a promotional
exam in 2004, but the city discarded the results because too few
minorities scored high. The firefighters won a U.S. Supreme Court
ruling to force the test results to stand.
*****
Short
Term Archives - Recent news items