Report on Arrakis: 4/26/09

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Huge U.S. camp arises in Afghan Desert of Death

Desert of Death ? Sounds encouraging ! Camp leatherneck sounds better !
I hope they are ready to catch the taliban as they run like little girls from Pakistan back into Afghanistan !

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A huge U.S. military camp is taking shape in the baking heat of southern Afghanistan for thousands of extra U.S. troops charged with defeating a resurgent Taliban.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Camp Leatherneck, with concrete blast walls and semi-cylinder sand-colored tents, on Thursday as he surveyed preparations for what will be the biggest wave yet in a year that is seeing U.S. troop numbers doubled.

The camp is being constructed in Helmand province next to a British base, Camp Bastion, as Marines and other forces dramatically expand their presence in the most violent area of Afghanistan and heartland of the Taliban movement.

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Pakistan says army will eliminate "terrorists"

GOOD ! It is about time !

MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's government ordered the army to eliminate militants on Thursday, setting the stage for a major offensive against Taliban fighters battling security forces in a northwestern valley.

The government's handling of the Swat valley has become a test of its resolve to fight a growing Taliban insurgency that has alarmed the United States.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in Washington for talks, assured U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday of Islamabad's commitment to defeating al Qaeda and its allies.

Security forces used jets and helicopters to pound Taliban positions in Swat, 130 km (80 miles) from Islamabad, as thousands of civilians took advantage of a break in a curfew to flee.
With hundreds of thousand of people already displaced by fighting, aid groups said the new exodus of tens of thousands was intensifying a humanitarian crisis.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said in a televised address the militants were trying to hold the country hostage at gunpoint.

"Decisive steps have to be taken," Gilani said.

"In order to restore honor and dignity of our homeland and to protect the people, the armed forces have been called in to eliminate the militants and terrorists."

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U.S. Report Finds Declines in Opium in Afghanistan

Note how cultivation of opium correlates with taliban activity. Embassy of Afghanistan

A report released today by the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) found that opium production in Afghanistan declined by 31 percent in 2008. The report also found that opium cultivation experienced a similar drop of 22 percent.

According to the 2008 U.S. Afghanistan Poppy Cultivation and Opium Production Estimate, opium production reached 5,500 metric tons in 2008, down from 8,000 metric tons in 2007. Additionally, poppy cultivation fell to 157,000 hectares in 2008, a decrease from the 202,000 hectares cultivated in 2007. The report declared that the number of provinces that are now poppy-free increased from 15 in 2007 to 18 in 2008 (of 34 provinces), and that opium poppy cultivation has all but been eradicated in most of Afghanistan’s North and East.

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US Officials: Ships Must Adopt Own Pirate Defenses

The Defense department's undersecretary for policy, Michele Flournoy, told a Congressional committe that US flagged ships should organize their own security against Somali pirates. Michele Flournoy was never part of the military or probably never held a gun in her life, so why is she responsible for directing the Defense departments policies?

What the hell is the Navy for? The Navy was originally created to battle the Barbary pirates (islamic pirates just like the modern Somali pirates). So let the Navy protect US commercial ships and kill pirates. The ships should travel in a convoy and have the Navy protect the convoy. I believe that's what the Chinese are doing now and the convoy system proved to be quite successful in WWII. Voice of America

U.S. officials said they are pressing commercial shipping companies to adopt their own measures to defend their ships from pirate attacks.

In testimony before a Congressional committee Senate Armed Services Tuesday, the Defense Department's undersecretary for policy, Michele Flournoy, said security measures aboard ships are the single most effective response to pirates, who have grown increasingly active in the waters off Somalia.

She said 78 percent of unsuccessful pirate attacks were stopped after the ships' crews took action.

That's because the Navies are just capturing and releasing pirates. If the Navy was allowed to attack and kill the pirates on base and in the water

Mullahcracy murdering Kurdish villagers

The Mullahcracy strikes again. H/T: GM

From Yahoo! News

Kurdish security officials have said Iran used helicopters flying parallel to the border to fire on Iranian Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq on Saturday and struck with artillery on Monday.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it demanded Tehran immediately halt the shelling of border villages and warned such "extremely dangerous Iranian military violations" of Iraqi territory could harm their relations.

The ministry also said it summoned the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, on Monday and handed him a letter of protest. Tehran did not have an immediate comment — its military has often shelled the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan, which seeks greater rights for Iranian Kurds and which Tehran accuses of launching attacks inside Iran from Iraqi bases.

The ministry statement accused the Iranians of using jet fighters, helicopters and artillery shelling and said a large number of villagers had been wounded.

Austalian SAS 'assassinate' Taliban leader

Who dares wins.

From The Australian

AUSTRALIAN special forces have taken part in a targeted assassination of a senior Taliban leader, an operation army commanders claim will disrupt the insurgents' campaign in southern Oruzgan.

Mullah Noorullah was killed in a combined operation involving coalition troops and Australian special forces, Defence said yesterday.

It did not say when Noorullah was killed but did say the incident occurred in Deh Rafshan district in southern Oruzgan, where the Australian Special Operations Task Group is based.[...]

The statement was vague about Noorullah's position within the Taliban hierarchy, but it claimed he had been involved in an April 12 attack on Australian reconstruction and mentoring soldiers, in which four insurgents were killed.

Get ready for Saudi's Miss Beautiful Morals

"The winner won't necessarily be pretty,"

How the hell will you be able to tell? AP

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Sukaina al-Zayer is an unlikely beauty queen hopeful. She covers her face and body in black robes and an Islamic veil, so no one can tell what she looks like. She also admits she's a little on the plump side.

But at Saudi Arabia's only beauty pageant, the judges don't care about a perfect figure or face. What they're looking for in the quest for "Miss Beautiful Morals" is the contestant who shows the most devotion and respect for her parents.

Ahhhh actually Suadi Arabia does regularly hold beauty pageants, just not the kind you and me are used to.

"The idea of the pageant is to measure the contestants' commitment to Islamic morals... It's an alternative to the calls for decadence in the other beauty contests that only take into account a woman's body and looks," said pageant founder Khadra al-Mubarak.

"The winner won't necessarily be pretty," she added.

More Muslims identify themselves as British than rest of population

If this is true maybe it's because muslim can see the writing on the wall and understan that Britain is on the highway to ~~hell~~ islamic law. Telegraph

The survey by Gallup has found that 77 per cent of Muslims say they "identified with the UK" compared with only 50 per cent of the public at large.

Most Muslims - 75 per cent - say they also identify with their religion, according to the poll conducted with the interfaith Coexist Foundation.

Muslims also outscored the general public for their belief in courts, honest elections, financial institutions and the media.

Sure, all the above institutions regularly genuflect to islam.

Confidence in the military was the only area where British Muslims scored lower than the general public.

Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that the military is battling islamic terrorists in Iraq, and Afghanistan would it?

It revealed that 82 per cent of Muslim say they are loyal to the UK, although only 36 per cent of the general public would consider Muslims loyal to the country.

Only 12 per cent of MuslimS believe that removing the veil is necessary for integration, compared with 53 per cent of the general public.

Computer disk bought on Ebay contained missille defense details

A computer harddrive bought off Ebay by a group of researchers from BT University was found to contain details of missile launch procedures for Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system. The THAAD system is the Army's missile defense shield program which is scheduled to be operational this year. Lockheed Martin is the main contractor used to build the system.

The researchers were also able to find details of Lockheed Martin's security protocols and blueprints of their facilities. What if this harddrive fell into the wrong hands or what if another harddrive has or will? What kind of computer security do they have at Lockheed Martin.

I suspect someone formatted the drive and sold it Ebay expecting to make some extra cash. But don't they understand that even if you format a harddrive it's still possible to extract most of the data back?

These harddrive should be destroyed not formatted and sold on Ebay to our enemies. BBC

Sensitive information for shooting down intercontinental missiles as well as bank details and NHS records was found on old computers, researchers say.[...]

Details of test launch procedures for the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) ground-to-air missile defence system was found on a disk bought on eBay.

The missile system, tested as recently as March 2009 following a controversial missile test by North Korea, is designed to destroy long-range intercontinental missiles launched by terrorists or countries the US considers to be "rogue states".

The missile system was designed and built by US defence group Lockheed Martin and the same computer hard disk also revealed security policies and blueprints of facilities at the group, and personal information on employees.

North Korea seen readying for new nuclear test

Here we Go with some more B.S. from that wacky North Korea ! Readying themselves for another nuclear test ,and building another Long range missile site .

SEOUL (Reuters) - There is increased activity at North Korea's known nuclear test site, a South Korean news report said on Thursday, suggesting Pyongyang is gearing up for a new test as it has threatened in response to tightened U.N. sanctions.

Impoverished North Korea, whose only nuclear test in October 2006 led to U.N. financial and trade sanctions, could be ready to test another nuclear device in a matter of weeks, experts have said.

"Underground nuclear tests are hard to predict and you can't tell when exactly a nuclear test would be possible, but we think the North is ready to conduct a test in a near future if it wants to," the Chosun Ilbo daily quoted a government source as saying.

South Korean authorities are monitoring increased and steady activity at the Phunggye-ri site in the North Hamgyong province where the North conducted the 2006 test, the newspaper said.

The North also appears to have stepped up construction at a new long-range missile launch site in the west that had been expected originally to be completed by the end of the year, the government source was quoted as saying.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Sinaloa cartel may resort to deadly force in U.S.

so Obviously the pressure is getting to the Leaders of the cartels ! Calling for "action" in the U.S. will not go over well with the Authorities here ! And one more good reason to stop illegal border Traffic !

Authorities say Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, the reputed leader of the Mexican cartel, has given his associates the OK, if necessary, to open fire across the border.

the L.A Times
Reporting from Sells, Ariz. -- The reputed head of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel is threatening a more aggressive stance against competitors and law enforcement north of the border, instructing associates to use deadly force, if needed, to protect increasingly contested trafficking operations, authorities said.

Such a move by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico's most-wanted fugitive, would mark a turn from the cartel's previous position of largely avoiding violent confrontations in the U.S. -- either with law enforcement officers or rival traffickers.
Police and federal agents in Arizona said they had recently received at least two law enforcement alerts focused on Guzman's reported orders that his smugglers should "use their weapons to defend their loads at all costs."

Guzman is thought to have delivered the message personally in early March, during a three-day gathering of his associates in Sonoita, a Mexican town a few miles south of the Arizona border, according to confidential U.S. intelligence bulletins sent to several state and federal law enforcement officials, who discussed them on the condition of anonymity.

Afghanistan's only pig quarantined in flu fear

It sounds like this pig is O.K. for now , but If the Taliban visit the Zoo ( Purely for Mating purposes ) The little pig may not be O.K. for long !

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's only known pig has been locked in a room, away from visitors to Kabul zoo where it normally grazes beside deer and goats, because people are worried it could infect them with the virus popularly known as swine flu.

The pig is a curiosity in Muslim Afghanistan, where pork and pig products are illegal because they are considered irreligious, and has been in quarantine since Sunday after visitors expressed alarm it could spread the new flu strain.

"For now the pig is under quarantine, we built it a room because of swine influenza," Aziz Gul Saqib, director of Kabul Zoo, told Reuters. "We've done this because people are worried about getting the flu."

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Solomon Islands facing ‘militant threat from Muslims’

Those muslim militants threatening the Solomon islands must be pissed that the Palestinians haven't been granted a state yet. Religious Intelligence

Militant Islam poses a threat to social stability in the Solomon Islands, the Bishop of Malaita tells Religious Intelligence. Muslim missionaries funded by Malaysian and Saudi Islamist groups have led to heightened tensions in the South Pacific nation, which erupted in violence in December after a Muslim leader attacked an Anglican priest.[...]

“The Christian churches and the Government must be quick to realise that that Islam in the Solomon Islands and on Malaita in particular, has a capacity for thinking strategically, acting structurally and working towards ‘conversion’ of Christians and non-Christians to Allah and the Muslim faith.”

“They enter this country, as they do in other developing countries, in the name of business and development, using money from the rich Arab world, only to spread Islam. As a church leader I can speak for many people on Malaita and the Solomon Islands as a whole: We want to remain as a Christian country; we can accommodate moderate Muslims but not militant Muslims,” Bishop Sahu said.

Michael Savage banned from Britain

Most of your probably know by know that Britain’s Home Secretary, Jackie Smith, has released a list of people barred entry into Britain. That list includes radio host Michael Savage.

You may or may not listen to Dr. Michael Savage or listen to his radio show but you probably agree that he doesn’t belong on a list with psychopathic terrorists, banning him entry to England. What has Michael Savage done other then voicing his opinion on air? He never killed anyone, advocated violence, nothing of the sort. Yet Jackie Smith has seen fit to ban him from England.

First Geert Wilders was refused entry into Britain for his opposition to islam and now Savage is banned for his political views and strong opposition to militant islam. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

I’ll leave you with this final thought... "Coming to the U.K. is a privilege and I refuse to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life," Jackie Smith

Of course it Jackie, of course it is.

Iranian Man Stoned To Death For Adultery

The Mullahcracy at its finest. Post Chronicle

Once again, Islam law has ruled again in Iran. A man was stoned to death for committing adultery while the woman in the case was able to repent and live. In this horrific event of bloody justice, this man is one of many who die under Islamic rules and Sharia law in Iran.[...]

Men and women are stoned differently. Men convicted of adultery are only buried up to their waists while women are buried to their chests. Stoners are to pick rocks that will not kill the criminals quickly but are to draw out the killing. Sharia law has been implemented since Iran's 1979 revolution

US & Chinese ships clash in Yellow Sea...again

The Chinese have been aggressively upgrading their military capabilities in the past 15 years, especially their Navy and Air Force. Just yesterday Admiral Michael Mullen said that China's buildup is targeted at US forces in the region.

The Chinese are more confident in their Navy and are testing the US at the same time. We will see more confrontations like this in the future. Times Online

China demonstrated its growing naval confidence again in the latest standoff between American and Chinese ships.[...]

The USNS Victorious, an ocean surveillance ship designed for anti-submarine warfare and underwater mapping, was conducting what the Pentagon called routine operations in the waters between China and the Korean peninsula. The Chinese vessels came within 100ft (30 metres) of the vessel.

The Pentagon, which accused five Chinese fishing vessels of harassing another US surveillance ship in the South China Sea near Hainan island in March, cited the incident as an example of unsafe Chinese seamanship.

The Chinese vessels did not withdraw until after the Victorious had sounded an alarm and a Chinese military ship, identified by the Pentagon as WAGOR 17, arrived in response to the call for assistance. It shone a light on the fishing vessels until they left.

The Pentagon earlier played down the confrontation, striking a more low-key tone than during the incident two months ago.

Related Post:

Chinese Navy moons US Surveillance ship

Israel would inform US, not ask the US before striking Iran

"Israel would seek forgiveness, not permission."

From Reuters

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - When he first got word of Israel's sneak attack on the Iraqi atomic reactor in 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan privately shrugged it off, telling his national security adviser: "Boys will be boys!"[...]

"Whether or not Israel got the green light from Washington to attack Iran is almost immaterial, as everybody in the region would believe that the U.S. was complicit," said Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

One U.S. diplomat envisaged Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak telephoning Pentagon chief Robert Gates, unannounced, "to give a heads-up and explain" once the mission were under way.

Wings get called away in defeat

If this ref could not see the Puck , then he should never skate and ref a Hockey game ever Again ! It was one of the most visible goals ever and the ref lost site of it ??? Red wings down 2 games to one !

Anaheim, Calif. -- An apparent tying goal by Detroit’s Marian Hossa with 1:04 remaining Tuesday night was waved off because referee Brad Watson lost sight of the puck in the crease.

The puck was never covered by Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller. It was loose until Hossa tapped it into the net.

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Helicopter gunships pound Mingora

Of course the Taliban are going to use civilians as human shields , that's what all Militant Muslims do when they fight , it is a sign of weakness and just pure cowardice !
Hopefully this is not just a show for Obama , and they keep this up ,maybe they will get smart and let the U.S. perform some Airstrikes on there Known locations !

Dawn.com
INGORA: According to official sources, a major military operation is likely to begin shortly with the army ready to push back militants. Gunship helicopters have already begun pounding militant hideouts in Swat’s Mingora city, DawnNews reported.

Clashes have erupted between security forces and militants at an emerald mine in Mingora held by the Taliban. According to officials, militants have also set two private banks on fire after looting them.

Reinforcements have already been deployed in the valley, according to local citizens, prompting speculation that action is imminent.

On Tuesday, thousands of residents fled Swat following a government request to evacuate the area in preparation for a fresh offensive against Taliban militants.

Reuters quoted Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the provincial information minister, as saying that close to 500,000 people could eventually flee the valley.

The February peace deal lies in tatters, and militants have captured several important government buildings in Mingora, 80 miles northwest of Islamabad, and have taken up positions on rooftops, according to Reuters.

DawnNews quoted residents as saying that the Taliban have come down from hilltops and are occupying local homes. In addition, they have begun stopping people from leaving the valley and intend to use them as human shields.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Karzai: Taliban gains in Pakistan threaten peace in Afghanistan

Sounds like somebody has pulled their head out of their ass ! I know it is just talk but , really it is the truth ! You can not stop the Taliban or Al Qaida unless you can go into Pakistan ! That is where they are hiding ! that is where you must go ! It is time for Zardari to suck it up and give the go ahead !

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Afghanistan's president Tuesday praised U.S. plans to provide more civilian help to his country, and expressed hope that the country become less dependent on international partners in coming years.
But President Hamid Karzai -- in Washington this week along with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to meet with U.S. leaders -- stressed that Afghanistan's stability depends on whether Taliban strongholds in neighboring Pakistan are confronted.

U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke "had the best remark that I've ever heard from a U.S. official," Karzai said. "He said no matter how economically powerful Afghanistan is or becomes, no matter how effective a government Afghanistan has, no matter how powerful an army and the security institution of Afghanistan is, unless the sanctuaries of our neighbors, the training grounds of our neighbors, go away, Afghanistan will not be stable or peaceful."
Addressing the re-emergence of Taliban militants, who were ousted from power by a U.S.-led coalition after the September 11 attacks on the United States, Karzai said, "We did not address the question of sanctuaries in time," a reality, he said, that hurts Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We must seek from Pakistan a very clear moving away from whatever linkage that there may be with radical forces or the use of radicalism. Unless we do that, we will continue to be bogged down. We will continue to suffer," Karzai said.

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China military build-up seems U.S.-focused

"They seem very focused on the United States Navy and our bases that are in that part of the world."

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's build-up of sea and air military power funded by a strong economy appears aimed at the United States, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday.

Admiral Michael Mullen said China had the right to meet its security needs, but the build-up would require the United States to work with its Pacific allies to respond to increasing Chinese military capabilities.

"They are developing capabilities that are very maritime focused, maritime and air focused, and in many ways, very much focused on us," he told a conference of the Navy League, a nonprofit seamen's support group, in Washington.

Residents asked to leave homes in Pakistan's Swat

This is what eventually happens when you have two parties with conflicting versions of peace ! The Taliban's version of peace ( Complete Dominance and control ) Just is not blending in with Pakistan's version , a lot of control without a lot of the dominance ! The Taliban has Finally over stepped what they were allowed to do !

MINGORA, Pakistan, May 5 (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities urged people on Tuesday in the Swat Valley's main town to leave their homes for safer places as security forces could soon launch an offensive against Taliban militants there.

A February peace pact aimed at ending Taliban violence in the Swat valley northwest of the capital has all but collapsed as the government comes under U.S. pressure to get tough with the militants rather than appease them.

President Asif Ali Zardari, widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is due to meet U.S. President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Washington on Wednesday for talks on the growing militant threat in the region. [ID:nN04433219]

Militants had infiltrated into five districts of Mingora, the main town in Swat, and begun attacking security forces and government installations, said the top government official in the valley, Khushal Khan Khattak.

"We have relaxed the curfew today and asked residents to leave their areas because security forces may engage militants and we want to avoid civilian casualties," Khattak told Reuters.

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Monday, May 4, 2009

May begins with 19 slayings in Juárez

The Mexico Military helped slow down the High Rate of Murders in Jaurez !

But they have not stopped them , and most likely won't .

El Paso Times

The violence in Juárez has not slowed down even as the city deals with concerns about a swine flu outbreak.

There have been at least 19 homicides already in the month of May in the Juárez area.

Efren Silos Diaz, 28, was found fatally shot in the abdomen at about 1 a.m. Sunday in colonia Nueva Galiana in one of the latest cases, Chihuahua state police said. There were six homicides Saturday and a dozen Friday.

Anti-drug operations also continue in the city.

Last Thursday, the Mexican army raided an indoor marijuana growing operation in a Juárez home.

Soldiers seized 565 marijuana plants grown in an elaborate operation including an irrigation system, chemicals to make the crop grow and a system to dry the harvest, military officials said.

The so-called narco-lab was found by soldiers using drug-sniffing dogs and other equipment, officials said.

Two other homes with indoor farming equipment were also raided.

There were no reported arrests.

Pakistan battles Taliban

No , Mister Taliban spokesperson , Pakistan is not trying to please us !
But they are trying to rid Pakistan of you !
If they were trying to please us you would be incapable of talking right now !

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani forces battled Taliban fighters on Monday as the militants denounced the army and government as U.S. stooges and said a peace pact would end unless the government halted its offensive.

The February pact and spreading Taliban influence have raised alarm in the United States about the ability of nuclear-armed Pakistan -- important in efforts to stabilize Afghanistan -- to stand up to the militants.

In the Buner valley, 100 km (60 miles) northwest of the Pakistani capital, security forces backed by helicopter gunships and artillery attacked militants in three hamlets on Monday, residents and security officials said.

"There's been heavy firing going on since morning. It's very scary. Troops are using heavy artillery and gunships," resident Nasir Khan told Reuters by telephone.

A military spokesman said seven militants, including a commander, were killed. One soldier was killed and three wounded.

The militants were also using about 2,000 villagers as human shields, the military said.

Amid mounting concern at home and abroad, security forces launched an offensive to expel militants from Buner and another district just over a week ago.

About 180 militants have been killed, according to the military, although there has been no independent confirmation of that casualty estimate.

A Taliban spokesman in Swat said elements in the military and the government were trying to sabotage the peace process to please the United States.

Judge can order veil removed

A little sanity from Canada's supreme court. However, I think the ruling has left a loop hole. The Toronto Star

A judge at a preliminary hearing has the authority to order a complainant in a sexual assault case to remove her veil while testifying if he or she believes it's not being worn for religious reasons, a just-released court ruling says.

Last fall, Ontario Court Justice Norris Weisman ordered a Muslim woman to testify with her face bared after finding her "religious belief is not that strong . . . and that it is, as she says, a matter of comfort."[...]

However, Marrocco refused to grant the woman's order permitting her to wear her niqab while testifying once the preliminary hearing resumes.

Instead, Marrocco says Weisman will have to conduct another hearing about the issue since he didn't explore it far enough before making his decision.

"The failure to explore the limits and exceptions of the applicant's professed religious belief may have resulted in the preliminary inquiry judge mischaracterizing the applicant's evidence as an assertion that wearing the veil was a matter of comfort," Marrocco wrote.

So, in other words if the religious belief of the person is strong enough then the judge will not have authority to order the niqab removed.

Obama to side with Iran over Israel

The Obama administration will try to impose its will on Israel to try to force it to sit down to peace talks with the Palestinians. The administration views that the only way to solve the problems in the Middle East is to solve the problem of the Palestinians.

This is a policy destined to failure. The US has tried giving away land to muslims before, see Bosnia, in order to try to pacify elements in the Middle East without success. Giving land to the Palestinians in order to pacify the Iranians is a policy that is destined to failure. Debka

Israeli president Shimon Peres' task in Washington on May 4-5 is to blunt the sharp edge the White House is honing to force Israel to toe the new Washington line on the Palestinians, Syria and Iran.[...]

DEBKAfile's Washington sources report that their host is fired up to be the first US president in decades of close friendship and cooperation to clash openly with Israel and the bulk of US Jewry. Oblivious to Israel's claim of US support for its security in a hostile regional environment, Barack Obama is expected to squeeze the Netanyahu government hard for immediate engagement on the Middle East conflict without further delay.[...]

The US president and his top advisers are convinced that the Palestinian problem is the main obstacle to accommodations for Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran. Defense secretary Robert Gates and national security adviser Gen. James Jones are the leading advocates of this proposition, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton more skeptical but ready to back the president's Middle East determination to place Israel in the first line of fire.[...]

Peres and Netanyahu will find administration officials deaf not only on Israel's arguments on the Palestinian issue but on a nuclear-armed Iran too. They will see the US president no longer prioritizing the suspension of Iran's nuclear aspirations, but bent on establishing a new Persian Gulf order that formalizes Iran's rising power. Washington's objective now is negotiations for setting the boundaries of Iran's Middle East expansion and limits for its nuclear program.

North Korean nuclear test likely

A US official said that it was very likely that North Korea will go ahead with its threat to test nuclear weapons. The official also expressed understanding of Russia's objection to a missile shield.

It looks like the administration is prosturing itself to abandon the missile shield, especially in Poland. When the nuclear threat from rogue states like North Korea, Iran and Pakistan, the administration is looking for ways to scrap our defense. Just freaking great. AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Obama administration official said he expects that North Korea will test a nuclear weapon before it is forced back to international disarmament negotiations.

At an event at the Brookings Institution, U.S. President Barack Obama's coordinator for weapons of mass destruction policy, Gary Samore, also on Friday expressed some understanding for Russia's objections to U.S. missile defense plans in Europe.[...]

Asked if he expected Pyongyang to carry out another nuclear test, Samore said: "I think they will. That's what they are threatening to do."

Hail to the Chief

Saudis mulls marriage ban for girls under 18

I won't hold my breath for the Saudis to pass such a law. Even if they would I think it'd be superficial and that child marriages will be continued without punishment just like how slavery is practiced. Globe an Mail

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia may ban marriage for girls below 18, a government minister said after a case of an eight-year-old girl marrying a man more than 40 years her senior drew international criticism and embarrassed the kingdom.

“Among the options that are available and excluding the issue of puberty, is to ban marriage for [people] under 18,” Justice Minister Mohammed al-Eissa told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.[...]

Saudi Arabia is a patriarchal society that applies an ascetic form of Sunni Islam which bans unrelated men and women from mixing and gives fathers the right to wed their sons and daughters to whomever they deem fit.

Many Saudi clerics, including the kingdom's chief cleric Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al al-Sheikh, endorse the practice of marrying underage girls, arguing that in doing so they avoid spinsterhood or the temptation of engaging in relationships outside the wedlock.

Pakistan Strife Raises U.S. Doubts on Nuclear Arms

“We are largely relying on assurances, the same assurances we have been hearing for years,...“The worse things get, the more strongly they hew to the line, ‘Don’t worry, we’ve got it under control.’ ”

See nothing to worry about, the Pakistanis have everything in control. New York Times

WASHINGTON — As the insurgency of the Taliban and Al Qaeda spreads in Pakistan, senior American officials say they are increasingly concerned about new vulnerabilities for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, including the potential for militants to snatch a weapon in transport or to insert sympathizers into laboratories or fuel-production facilities.[...]

But the United States does not know where all of Pakistan’s nuclear sites are located, and its concerns have intensified in the last two weeks since the Taliban entered Buner, a district 60 miles from the capital. The spread of the insurgency has left American officials less willing to accept blanket assurances from Pakistan that the weapons are safe.

Pakistani officials have continued to deflect American requests for more details about the location and security of the country’s nuclear sites, the officials said.[...]

The Obama administration inherited from President Bush a multiyear, $100 million secret American program to help Pakistan build stronger physical protections around some of those facilities, and to train Pakistanis in nuclear security.

But much of that effort has now petered out, and American officials have never been permitted to see how much of the money was spent, the facilities where the weapons are kept or even a tally of how many Pakistan has produced. The facility Pakistan was supposed to build to conduct its own training exercises is running years behind schedule.

'Green' lightbulbs poison workers

Studies have found that 100s of Chinese workers that work in factories that produce 'green' light bulds have dangerous levels of mercury in their bodies. The 'green
light bulds which contain mercury will be compulsory in Europe by 2012. But a growing number of people are beginning to question the benefits of the CFL bulbs because of the effects to people and the environment to create the bulbs.
Times Online

WHEN British consumers are compelled to buy energy-efficient lightbulbs from 2012, they will save up to 5m tons of carbon dioxide a year from being pumped into the atmosphere. In China, however, a heavy environmental price is being paid for the production of “green” lightbulbs in cost-cutting factories.

Large numbers of Chinese workers have been poisoned by mercury, which forms part of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs. A surge in foreign demand, set off by a European Union directive making these bulbs compulsory within three years, has also led to the reopening of mercury mines that have ruined the environment.[...]

Making the bulbs requires workers to handle mercury in either solid or liquid form because a small amount of the metal is put into each bulb to start the chemical reaction that creates light.[...]

Dozens of workers who were interviewed on condition of anonymity described living with the fear of mercury poisoning. They gave detailed accounts of medical tests that found numerous workers had dangerous levels of the toxin in their urine.

“In tests, the mercury content in my blood and urine exceeded the standard but I was not sent to hospital because the managers said I was strong and the mercury would be decontaminated by my immune system,” said one young female employee, who provided her identity card.

“Two of my friends were sent to hospital for one month,” she added, giving their names also.

10 worst countries to be a blogger

Burma, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Tunisia, China, Turkmenistan, and Egypt.

Six out of the 10 worst countries to be a blogger just happen to be muslim countries. CPJ

New York, April 30, 2009—With a military government that severely restricts Internet access and imprisons people for years for posting critical material, Burma is the worst place in the world to be a blogger, the Committee to Protect Journalists says in a new report. CPJ’s “10 Worst Countries to be a Blogger” also identifies a number of countries in the Middle East and Asia where Internet penetration has blossomed and government repression has grown in response.

“Bloggers are at the vanguard of the information revolution and their numbers are expanding rapidly,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “But governments are quickly learning how to turn technology against bloggers by censoring and filtering the Internet, restricting online access and mining personal data. When all else fails, the authorities simply jail a few bloggers to intimidate the rest of the online community into silence or self-censorship.”

Relying on a mix of detentions, regulations, and intimidation, authorities in Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Egypt have emerged as the leading online oppressors in the Middle East and North Africa. China and Vietnam, where burgeoning blogging cultures have encountered extensive monitoring and restriction, are among Asia’s worst blogging nations. Cuba and Turkmenistan, nations where Internet access is heavily restricted, round out the dishonor roll.

China Quake Survivors Face Intimidation, Detention

China never ceases to amaze me , they are so hell bent on controlling their people that the parents who lost their children in an Earthquake , can't even grieve their loss without facing "Detention " .
Epoch times
BEIJING—Survivors of China's devastating earthquake last year face detention and harassment if they protest over collapsed schools, corruption claims and other grievances, Amnesty International said.

While Beijing is pouring billions of dollars into rebuilding towns in southwestern Sichuan province flattened by the May 12 quake, the government also has waged a less public campaign against citizens who blame more than natural destruction for the many schools that collapsed, killing thousands of children, the human rights advocacy group said.

"By unlawfully locking up parents of children who died, the government is creating more misery for people who have said in some cases they lost everything in the Sichuan earthquake," said Roseann Rife of Amnesty in a statement emailed with the report released on Monday.

On the weekend, several grieving parents of Juyuan, where a high school building toppled in the quake, told Reuters their plans to mourn their dead children were stopped by police.

"The police and town officials told us that we should not make such a fuss," said one of the parents, Yang Rengui, whose son died in the school. "Now many parents dare not speak."

Q+A-Karachi-Fear of Taliban or political insecurity?

It sure seems that no matter what happens Pakistan is losing the fight and are slipping further into the hands of the Taliban !

KARACHI, May 4 (Reuters) - An outburst of ethnic violence in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi in recent days killed at least 27 people, as tension between the dominant Mohajir community and ethnic Pashtuns from the northwest boiled over.

The violence in the city of more than 16 million people reflects tension across the country as the mostly Pashtun Pakistani Taliban step up attacks from their strongholds in the northwest on the Afghan border.

The clashes will add to concern nuclear-armed Pakistan is becoming more unstable as President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai prepare to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington on Wednesday.

Karachi is a major entry point for military supplies shipped on by land to Afghanistan for the U.S.- and NATO-led anti-insurgency effort.

....

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Taliban behead two Pakistani officials in Swat

Not that these two deserved to have their heads lopped off , but Knowing what the Taliban Is like when they get pissed , why would you even be there ? When Muslim Kahn , Baitullah Meshud And the rest of the Top level Taliban are Caught ( Yes I hope they are Caught ) I would like to see them Beheaded One by one as Punishment , In public , Just as they do to their Victims !

MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani Taliban have beheaded two government officials in the northwestern Swat Valley in revenge for the killing of two insurgent commanders by security forces, a militant spokesman said on Sunday.

Authorities struck a peace deal in February aimed at ending militant violence in the former tourist valley of Swat but the militants have refused to disarm and pushed out of the valley into neighbouring districts.

The Pakistani Taliban aggression raised alarm in the United States and in Islamabad, and a week ago the security forces launched an offensive to expel militants from two of Swat's neighbouring districts.

The two government officials were kidnapped and beheaded on Saturday evening in Khuwaza Kheil, a village 18 km (10 miles) north of the valley's main town of Mingora, said town police chief Danishwar Khan.

Their bodies were dumped beside a road.

"They beheaded the officers. We've sent an ambulance to pick up the bodies," Khan said.

Militant spokesman Muslim Khan said the beheadings were revenge for the killing of two low-level Taliban commanders earlier on Saturday.

....

Iraqi forces arrest U.S.-allied militia leader

Nice Guy Eh? It is people like this guy that screw everything up for everyone else ! The killing of ones neighbors , because they are of a different sect than you is ridiculous and appalling ! Yet it is done with extreme frequency throughout Muslim nations ! This is only one of the Bad guys who went from Bad to Good To bad again ( All For Money ?) , Who knows who the next one will be !

TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi forces backed by U.S. troops have arrested a U.S.-allied Sunni Arab militia leader charged with murder, Iraqi officials said on Sunday.

The U.S. military said Nadhim al-Jubouri, leader of a government-backed local militia and a religious leader in the town of Dhuluiya, 70 km (45 miles) north of Baghdad, and his two brothers were seized from their home on Saturday.

Derrick Cheng, a U.S. military spokesman in northern Iraq, said "members of the Iraq National Police with coalition advisors arrested three individuals. Included in the arrest was ... Mullah Nadhim Mahmud Khalil and two brothers. The National Police presented warrants ... under the charge of terrorism."

The mostly Sunni Arab Awakening Councils, local guard units including many former insurgents who switched sides to fight al Qaeda in late 2006, have been key to cutting violence in Iraq.

As an Awakening leader, Jubouri was a key U.S. ally in the fight against al Qaeda in largely Sunni Salahuddin province, where Saddam Hussein's hometown is located.

....

Saturday, May 2, 2009

911 calls from NYC Scare Force One

Tool - Third Eye (live)

Awesome live version of Tool's Third Eye set to a really trippy video.

Obama revelling in U.S. power unseen in decades

"I cannot in my memory remember a time when a president of the United States has had more influence,"

From Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Barack Obama is revelling in presidential power and influence unseen in Washington for decades.

Barely 100 days in office, the U.S. president and his Democratic Party have firm control over the White House and Congress and the ability to push through ambitious plans.

Now, with the coming retirement of a Supreme Court justice clearing the way for him to appoint a successor, Obama already is assured a legacy at the top of all three branches of government -- executive, legislative and judicial.

On the corporate front, the federal government's pumping of billions of dollars in bailout money into banks and auto companies has given Obama the power to force an overhaul in those industries, a remarkable intervention in capitalist industries by the state.

Good News: 100 at Gitmo could wind up in U.S.

I'm sure the government knows whats best so I'm not going to stress about this. This is just fear mongering, go watch American Idol starring Barack Obama. Denver Post

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested Thursday that as many as 100 detainees would be held without trial on U.S. soil if the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were closed, a situation that he acknowledged would create widespread, if not unanimous, opposition in Congress.

The estimate was the most specific yet from the Obama administration about how many of the 241 detainees at Guantanamo could not be safely released, sent to other countries or appropriately tried in U.S. courts. [...]

He did not say which detainees might be in that group, but independent experts have said it probably would include terrorism suspects from Yemen — whose ability to provide adequate rehabilitation and security to supervise returned prisoners is in doubt — and al-Qaeda figure Abu Zubaydah, who was subject to brutal interrogations in secret prisons run by the CIA.

"What do we do with the 50 to 100 — probably in that ballpark — who we cannot release and cannot try?" Gates said in a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

He did not say whether the detainees would be imprisoned temporarily or indefinitely or under what law they would be held.

Least we forget

I have to admit, when I read this I had something in my eye by the end of it.
H/T: Samuel

Last week I was in West London attending a conference.

While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer.

I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their uniforms, as they began heading to their gate everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.

When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded Briton who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work, and enjoy our home without fear or reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers.

He knelt down and said 'hi,' the little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her.

The young soldier didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy.

Suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl, who said her daughters name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Corporal and had been in Afghanistan for 5 months now.

As the mum was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.

When this temporarily single mum was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second.

Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie.

They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.'

He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a Kiss on the cheek.

He finished by saying 'Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'

The mum at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mum.

I was standing no more than 6 feet away as this entire event unfolded.

As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause.

As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own.

That young soldier in one last act of moment turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.

We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices.

At the end of the day, it's good to be an Englishman.

RED FRIDAYS

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday.

The reason?

Englishmen and women who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'.

We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for Country and home in record breaking numbers.

We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing.

We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.

Many English people, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Britain supports our troops.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every Briton who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make Great Britain on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football team

If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, It will not be long before Britain is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...'We need your support and your prayers'...

Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

Heavy fighting claims up to 60 Taliban

like I said earlier , as long as the Taliban are dropping like flies , it's a good thing !

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 2 (UPI) -- Heavy fighting in the Taliban-held areas of Pakistan's northwest have resulted in the deaths of 55 to 60 militants, government officials said Saturday.

Government troops that retook a strategic city in the Buner Valley this week were continuing to fight for the surrounding strategic high ground as Taliban fighters used a variety of powerful weapons against them, the Voice of America reported.

The militants were aiming anti-aircraft guns bolted to trucks as well as mortars and improvised explosive devices against Pakistani soldiers, Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas told the broadcaster.

"Fierce fighting took place at the northern area of Ambela Pass," Abbas said. "The forces came across a lot of (improvised explosive devices), prepared suicide vehicles, suicide motorcycles, individual suicide bombers and a group of 70 to 80 militants occupying the heights of Ambela Pass."

VOA said more than 100 Taliban militants have been reported killed since the Pakistani push in the North-West Frontier Province began last weekend.

I believe the toll is much Higher , anybody been keeping track ?

....

Israel launches second day of air strikes in Gaza

Oh yeah that other messed up place on the otherside of the world ! Hamass , just will not give it up , they are way outclassed ,not only Militarily but mentally also ! It's so simple it is stupid , stop the errant rocket attacks stop trying to kill all the Jews , And Israel will stop ! It is just to easy I guess ! You can't keep the Naziesque terror machine growing if you don't have a conflict ! What's a terrorist supposed to do ?

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes bombed tunnels beneath the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Saturday after militants fired several mortars at the Jewish state from the coastal territory, the Israeli military and witnesses said.

There were no reports of casualties from the air attacks. An Israeli military spokesman said the strikes targeted three tunnels used to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip near the town of Rafah, along the Egyptian border.

Israel had resumed attacks on Friday on tunnels it says are used for smuggling into the Gaza Strip, after a nearly two-month hiatus in fighting. There were no casualties in Friday's air strikes, launched after a rocket struck Israel.

Israel said three mortars were fired at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, causing no casualties. The Palestinian Resistance Committees, a militant group in Gaza, claimed it had fired the mortars on Saturday.

Militant rocket fire had dropped significantly since Egypt began efforts to consolidate the January 18 truce that ended Israel's 22-day offensive against Gaza's Islamic militants.

....

Pakistani forces kill 16 Taliban

The good news keeps on coming in ! regardless of who is doing it the Taliban are dropping like Flies !

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces killed 16 Taliban militants after coming under attack in a volatile tribal region on the Afghan border on Saturday, the military said.

The clash in the Mohmand tribal region, bordering Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar, came as security forces battled into the fifth consecutive day to take control of a strategic valley in the neighboring Malakand division.

Over 60 militants stormed a post of paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) in a predawn attack in the Spin Tangi area of Mohmand and killed two soldiers.

"Our soldiers successfully repulsed the attack and killed 16 militants," a military spokesman Major Fazal Khan told Reuters.

....

Friday, May 1, 2009

Ducks fall to Red Wings by giving up goal in final minute

One thing the wings can do is play hard ! So if the ducks think they can get away with throwing some elbows and taking out some of the Wings ( temporarily ) They are in for a tough series !

....

Patraeus to Pakistan: Destroy taliban in 2 weeks or else

Or else the US will have to think about it's next move. I hope the military has a plan b just in case Pakistan fails to destroy the taliban.Times of India

WASHINGTON: Stepping up pressure on Pakistan to take concrete action against the Taliban, the US has given Islamabad two weeks time to eliminate the insurgents from its soil before Washington determines what it will do next.

"The Pakistanis have run out of excuses" and are "finally getting serious" about combating the threat from Taliban and al-Qaida extremists operating out of the country's northwest, the general said.

Criticizing Pakistan's attitude towards fighting the insurgents, Petraeus said "we have heard it all before" that Pakistan was doing its best to eliminate the Taliban threat.
He said that he is looking forward to see concrete action by Islamabad in the next two weeks before determining the US' next course of action, which is presently set on propping up the Pakistani government and military with counter-insurgency training and aid.[...]

The sources also told the channel that no one in Washington has an "understanding of Taliban's true objective".

I can tell you right now what the taliban's objective is....To overthrow the Pakistani government and rule Pakistan under shariah law.

Obama: "Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is secure,"

During President Obama's prime time press conference he declared that Pakistan's nukes will not fall into the hands of the taliban. He said he believes the Pakistani military understands the grave danger if the taliban were able to get a hold of some of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

I on the other hand do not share the President's optimistic view of Pakistan's military forces.

WASHINGTON -- President Obama said last night he's confident Pakistan's nuclear arsenal will not fall into the hands of enemies or terrorists because that country's army understands how dangerous that would be.

"I'm confident that we can make sure that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is secure," he said in his third prime-time press conference last night. "Primarily, initially, because the Pakistani army, I think, recognizes the hazards of those weapons falling into the wrong hands."

Taliban forces -- aided by elements of Afghan forces [added by me: and Pakistan secret service the ISI], as well as al Qaeda -- have come within about 50 miles of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in recent days, threatening a critical US ally that possesses as many as 100 nuclear weapons.

Caption contest

Member of Obama's delegation to Mexico has Swine Flue

A member of the delegation to Mexico, last month, has been infected with the Swine Flu and has passed it on to his wife, son, and nephew. Apparently the unidentified member never came into contact with President Obama. Politico

The White House has issued a health advisory outlining "protective measures" for anyone who traveled on President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico after a member of the U.S. delegation came down with flu-like symptoms – and tests on his family showed they’re probably infected with the swine flu.

The individual – an advance security staffer for Energy Secretary Steven Chu –appears to have spread the flu to his wife, son and nephew. All three have tested probable for swine flu, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday.

Gibbs, who did not name the security aide, said he did not work closely with Obama, didn’t fly on Air Force One and is back at work at the Energy Department.

But the staffer was at a working dinner Obama attended with Mexican officials April 16. The aide “was asked specifically if he ever came within six feet of the president, and the answer to that was 'No,' " Gibbs said.

Taliban ambush backfires; 15 terrorist scum killed

I think the taliban should just stick to humping goats. AP

KABUL (AP) — International and Afghan forces killed 15 militants in southern Afghanistan on Friday, the U.S. military said.

Gunmen attacked the troops' convoy as they traveled to a village to talk to elders about security, the military said in a statement. The troops killed one militant in the initial clash and another 14 as they pursued insurgents who were firing on them from a nearby hillside, it said.

Obama's ratings dorp

Obama fatigue starting to set in?

President Obama's latest press conference drew 29% less viewers since the President's last press conference and a 42% drop from the first press conference of the Presidency. The Live Feed

Audience interest in Barack Obama’s news conferences seems to be falling, with Wednesday’s press event drawing the president’s smallest primetime audience since his inauguration.

The telecast to mark Obama’s 100th day in office was viewed by 28.8 million people, according to Nielsen. That's a 29% drop from the president's last press conference, on March 24, and a 42% fall since his first, on Feb. 9.

US cases of Swine Flu probably higher

This is because the labs testing incoming swabs are overloaded and some labs will just search for new outbreaks. See, this is what happens when you leave the border open....more cases come through.My News

MILWAUKEE (AP) - A hundred cases of swine flu in the U.S.? Health officials say there are likely more. Just how many is not important, they say. As the world faces a potential pandemic, swamped labs are not testing all possible cases. Getting an exact tally has taken a back seat to finding new outbreak hot spots or ways to limits its spread, health officials said.

"The specimens are coming in faster than they can possibly be tested," said Dr. Jeffrey P. Davis, state epidemiologist in Wisconsin, where a lab helped spot the nation's first known case, in a 10-year-old boy from San Diego.

New York, which has more cases than any other U.S. location, also has had to limit the samples it tests, said Dr. Don Weiss of that city's health department.

"Sure, we'd want to diagnose every case, but we don't have that resource," he said. Instead of trying to confirm every sign of the virus, "we're focused on where else is it going and how do we prevent it."

Marri Admits Conspiring With Al-Qaeda Operatives; Faces Up to 15 Years

Now that this guy has pleaded Guilty it should be clear to many people that Al Qaida pulled off the worst terrorist acts ever on America , Unfortunately , there was a plea deal made and he can't be prosecuted for most of his admitted intentions ! I hope he becomes a little bitch , for a guy named Bubba !

washington post
A sleeper agent who arrived in the United States a day before Sept. 11, 2001, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring with al-Qaeda operatives, revealing new details about his clandestine activities and the danger he posed.

Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, 43, faces as many as 15 years in prison when he is sentenced this summer. But he could serve far less time if a judge gives him credit for time served -- nearly two years awaiting trial in a fraud case and 5 1/2 additional years the Qatari national spent without charges in a U.S. naval brig as the sole "enemy combatant" on U.S. soil.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. rejected efforts by defense attorneys to reduce Marri's prison time, a Justice Department official said, and prosecutors will argue against Marri getting credit for his brig time at the sentencing hearing in July.
Accompanying Marri's plea deal was a statement of facts detailing his contacts with senior al-Qaeda officials and his plans within the United States.

The statement said that between 1998 and 2001, Marri attended terrorist training camps where he learned tradecraft such as prearranged codes to hide telephone numbers and e-mail messages.

In 2001, Marri was approached by Khalid Sheik Mohammed, an operations chief for al-Qaeda, about assisting al-Qaeda operations in the United States, according to court documents, many of which were obtained by federal investigators who had seized an address book at an al-Qaeda safe house in Pakistan.

Marri knew at the time that he was providing himself to al-Qaeda to further their terrorist objectives, the documents said.

....

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