CLG News

Military fighter jets scrambled in airspace violation near Air Force One --Sonic booms heard throughout Western Washington 17 Aug 2010 Military fighter jets were scrambled to respond to an airspace violation near Air Force One in Seattle, causing sonic booms that were heard throughout Western Washington. North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman John Cornelio said the F15 jets were sent from Portland, Ore., as the president was visiting Seattle after a report that an aircraft violated the restricted airspace. He said the aircraft left the restricted area before the Air National Guard jets arrived. Once the plane landed the pilot and his passenger were interviewed by the Secret Service.

Blagojevich Found Guilty of Single Count by Divided Jury 18 Aug 2010 Rod R. Blagojevich, the ousted former governor of Illinois, was convicted on Tuesday of making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but the jury in the corruption case against him also reported that it was hopelessly deadlocked on the 23 other counts against him. The jury’s findings, which came on the 14th day of deliberations, were seen as a victory for Mr. Blagojevich and his defense team and a significant setback for federal authorities, who arrested Mr. Blagojevich almost two years ago to stop what they described unambiguously as “a political corruption crime spree,” including attempts to sell the appointment to fill the Senate seat once held by Barack Obama.

It was never suicide, says Dr Kelly's cousin as family finally breaks silence 17 Aug 2010 A close relative of Dr David Kelly broke the family's silence yesterday to voice fears that he was murdered. Wendy Wearmouth said she found it 'incredibly unlikely' that he committed suicide and suggested he was assassinated. She said that committing suicide would have been 'totally against his whole way of being'.

Judge balks at SEC's settlement with Citigroup 17 Aug 2010 A federal judge refused on Monday to accept a $75 million settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup, marking the second time this year that a judge has questioned whether the agency had exacted the proper sanction from a major bank. During a hearing on the settlement, Judge Ellen S. Huvelle of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia raised questions about the SEC's investigation into Citigroup, and how it decided on the size of the penalty and on the individual executives who also face sanctions, according to lawyers who were present.

Israel has '8 days' to hit Iran nuclear site: Bolton 17 Aug 2010 Israel has "eight days" to launch a military strike against Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility and stop Tehran from acquiring a functioning atomic plant, a former US [Bush] envoy to the UN has said. Iran is to bring online its first nuclear power reactor, built with Russia's help, on August 21, when a shipment of nuclear fuel will be loaded into the plant's core. At that point, John Bolton warned Monday, it will be too late for Israel to launch a military strike against the facility because any attack would spread radiation and affect Iranian civilians.

AP: Terrorist interrogation tapes found under CIA desk 17 Aug 2010 The CIA has videotapes of 9/11 plotter patsy Ramzi Binalshibh being interrogated in a secret overseas prison. The recordings, discovered under a desk, could provide an unparalleled look at how foreign governments aided the U.S. in holding and questioning suspected terrorists. Several current and former U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the tapes depict Binalshibh's interrogation sessions at a Moroccan-run facility the CIA used near Rabat in 2002.

Israel approves F-35 purchase deal 17 Aug 2010 Israeli defense Minister Ehud Barak has approved plans to purchase 20 US-built F-35 planes in a move set to ramp up the capabilities of the Israeli air force. Under the USD 2.7 billion deal approved by Barak on Sunday, the strike fighters manufactured by the American defense giant Lockheed Martin are expected to be delivered to Israel between 2015 and 2017.

Bomber kills 61 Iraqis in recruitment drive 17 Aug 2010 Young men from some of Iraq's poorest areas waited all night outside an army recruitment center, only to become easy prey Tuesday for a suicide bomber who killed 61 of them. Officials quickly blamed 'al-Qaida' for the deadliest single act of violence in the capital in months. Police said 125 people were wounded.

Bolivia begins military training for civilians 05 Aug 2010 Bolivia's leftist government said Thursday it has begun military training for civilians at army barracks in what the opposition called a first step toward creating pro-government militias. Weapons instruction and physical training began on Monday for hundreds at military bases in Bolivia's east, a stronghold of the pro-business opposition, and army officials said it would extend to all bases. The program is reminiscent of one that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez launched in his country after a failed 2002 coup attempt that he blamed on was executed by the United States.

Ga. scientists: Gulf oil not gone, 80 pct remains --Earlier this month federal scientists said that only about a quarter of the oil remained and the rest was either removed, dissolved or dispersed. 16 Aug 2010 Georgia scientists say their analysis shows that most of that BP oil the government said was gone from the Gulf of Mexico is still there. The scientists say as much as 80 percent of the oil still lurks under the surface. The Georgia team said it is a misinterpretation of data to claim that oil that is dissolved is actually gone.

Israeli soldier puts photos of blindfolded Palestinians on Facebook 16 Aug 2010 A former Israeli soldier posted photos on Facebook of herself in uniform smiling beside bound and blindfolded Palestinian prisoners, drawing sharp criticism from the Israeli military and Palestinian officials. In one photo, she is sitting with her legs crossed beside a blindfolded Palestinian man who is slumped against a concrete barrier. His face is turned downwards, while she leans toward him with her face upturned. Another shows her smiling at the camera with three Palestinian men with bound hands and blindfolds behind her.

Sen. Harry Reid Breaks With Obama Over 'Ground Zero Mosque' --President Obama's Support for Islamic Center Opened Door to Republican Assault 16 Aug 2010 President Obama's staunchest ally in the Senate broke with the president today over the controversial Islamic center planned for a site near Ground Zero, and said he is opposed to its construction. The office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada issued a statement saying, "The First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Senator Reid respects that, but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else." Reid's comments came just days after Obama told a White House gathering that Muslims had a right to build the mosque, and Republicans vowed to make the president's stand an issue in the November elections. [Yes, go run under the couch and hide, Reid. People would rather vote for candidates who advocate 'Second Amendment remedies' than cowardly, pathetic, sycophantic trolls. No, I'm not a Sharron Angle advocate - save your emails. I am merely making the point that people would rather stand with those who don't cower in the face of GOP-owned-and-driven media hysteria. --LRP]

9th Circuit grants indefinite stay in Prop 8 case 16 Aug 2010 The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has just granted an indefinite stay in the Prop 8 case, prohibiting any same-sex marriages from taking place. The lower court had ruled that Prop 8 is unconstitutional, and ordered same-sex marriages to be allowed in California again by 5 p.m. Wednesday. But a three judge panel of the appeals court just stayed, or delayed his order, so same sex marriages are on hold once again, in California.

The Decrepit Character of the "Professional Left" --In its ignorance, the "professional left" disavows the real left. Mr. Gibbs, with enemies like this, who needs friends? By Dr. Rec 17 Aug 2010 According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the professional left is supposedly President Barack Obama’s dreaded enemy, apparently more so than the professional right, whom he works consistently to assuage. To the professional left, Gibbs and company offer no apologies. But what is there to fear in this "professional left?" Is it the dreaded critical monster that the glib Gibbs has made it out to be?

Gates prepares to depart amid Afghan turmoil 18 Aug 2010 Amid the turmoil of the Afghanistan war, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who was a cabinet holdover from the Bush regime, is indicating that he will be resigning from his post sometime in 2011. Gates said he wants to give President Obama time to select a successor during a non-election year. Gates, 67, who has held the position since December of 2006, would be the fourth longest serving Secretary of Defense.

Iraq plunges into darkness and fuel queues make comeback 14 Aug 2010 Iraq's national grid is out and millions of Iraqis are without electricity amid scorching heat. Iraqi provinces, apart from the three Kurdish provinces in the north, have plunged into darkness. The reason, according to the Electricity Ministry, is excessive use of electricity. The ministry says many provinces have been 'encroaching' on the national grid, using more megawatts than their 'legal' allocations. [Isn't this the same electric grid that the US taxpayers have funded and refunded about 600 times as part of the contractors' stimulus in Iraq?]

Polish soldiers blow up Afghan dwelling 'for fun' 13 Aug 2010 A new video has been released of a group of soldiers from the Polish Army blowing up a dwelling in a deserted area of Afghanistan, a move which goes against the Geneva Convention. "What a beauty!" comments one of the soldiers when the building is blown to pieces in the 3-minute video, recorded by Polish soldiers from the Army’s 6th rotation during their tour of duty between October 2009 and April 2010. "It was done for fun," a non-commissioned officer at the time serving in Afghanistan told the Rzeczpospolita daily, adding that there were more deserted buildings in the area, the remains of a village.

FBI issues more top secret clearance for terrorism cases --As of last month, the number of clearances this year were on pace to equal or surpass last year's totals. 13 Aug 2010 More state and local law enforcement officers are getting top-secret clearances from the FBI to access sensitive federal information in terrorism cases than at anytime since the Sept. 11 attacks, a USA TODAY review of bureau records shows. Clearances granted to members of the FBI's network of regional terrorism task forces jumped to 878 in 2009, up from 125 in 2007, signaling intensified attention to domestic terror threats. During the same period, clearances granted to other law enforcement officers and contractors soared to 945 from 364.

Bushehr fuel to be loaded Sep 16 16 Aug 2010 A senior Iranian lawmaker says nuclear fuel will be loaded into the long-delayed Bushehr power plant on September 16 to make the nuclear reactor operational. "Nuclear fuel will be injected to the Bushehr nuclear power plant on September 16," IRNA quoted Spokesman for Energy Commission of Iran's Majlis (parliament) Emad Hosseini on Sunday. Earlier on Saturday, the Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi had said that the needed fuel would be transferred to the nuclear facility's building next week.

Republicans Seek to Make Ground Zero Mosque an Issue in November Elections 16 Aug 2010 Republicans will likely use President Barack Obama’s support for the right of a Muslim group to build an Islamic center near the World Trade Center site to force Democrats to defend an unpopular position in the November election campaign. With opinion polls showing public opposition to the proposal, Obama’s remarks will not gain any new voters and may alienate others, said Julian Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University in New Jersey.

Dr Kelly: Just one in five believes it was suicide as official cause of death is branded 'impossible' 15 Aug 2010 The official verdict that Dr David Kelly committed suicide has been overwhelmingly rejected by the public. According to an exclusive Mail opinion poll, only one in five people accepts the Hutton Inquiry’s finding that the government weapons inspector took his own life. The survey also reveals that eight out of ten people want a full inquest. With senior MPs making the same demand, the Coalition is under strong pressure to act. It comes as a medical report says it was 'impossible' that Dr Kelly bled to death in the way described by the inquiry.

Court tosses out Taser-maker's appeal of Dziekanski inquiry 10 Aug 2010 The company that makes Tasers has lost its legal bid to quash a high-profile report that found the weapons can kill. The British Columbia Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a legal challenge by Taser International to overturn results of the inquiry into the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski.The company was trying to quash retired justice Thomas Braidwood’s findings that the weapons increase the risk of fatal heart failure. Dziekanski, 40, died on Oct. 14, 2007, at Vancouver International Airport after being Tasered five times by four RCMP officers responding to a 911 call.

Petraeus denounces 'reprehensible' Wikileaks 15 Aug 2010 The top US military commander in Afghanistan on Sunday blasted as "reprehensible" the release of Afghan war documents, saying that US partners named in them have been put at risk. General David Petraeus's comments came in response to a threat by the founder of the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, to make public another batch of secret documents in a "couple of weeks" despite mounting Pentagon protests.

WikiLeaks to shift base to friendly Sweden 15 Aug 2010 The founder of WikiLeaks says he will seek a publishing license for his controversial operation in Sweden where whistleblower protections are strong. Julian Assange said he would apply for a Swedish publishing license this week in order to maximize legal protections for the sources who provide WikiLeaks with documents that some governments don't want released to the public. "We're dealing with organizations that don't obey the law," Assange told the Swedish news agency TT. "We're dealing with intelligence agencies."

N.Korea warns of 'severest punishment' over war games 15 Aug 2010 North Korea's military threatened Sunday to launch the "severest punishment" against South Korea for staging massive joint war games with the United States this week. The North's army and people will "deal a merciless counterblow" to the allies "as it had already resolved and declared at home and abroad", a spokesman for the country's army General Staff said in a statement published by state media. "The military counteraction of (North Korea) will be the severest punishment no one has ever met in the world," he said. The warning came a day before US and South Korean troops begin the 10-day war games called "Ulchi Freedom Guardian" [*puke*].

US Navy says 4 ships robbed off Iraqi coast 15 Aug 2010 Gunmen robbed four commercial ships anchored near the southern oil hub of Basra in a rare attack off the Iraqi coast, the U.S. Navy said Sunday. Two men armed with AK-47 rifles boarded the American ship Sagamore in the vicinity of an Iraqi oil terminal in the northern Persian Gulf at 4 a.m. on Aug. 8, taking computers, cell phones and money from crew members before fleeing the vessel after about 40 minutes on board, according to Lt. John Fage, a spokesman for the Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. He said three other ships were also robbed under similar circumstances during a two-hour period starting about 2 a.m. the same day. On July 28, a Japanese oil tanker elsewhere in the Gulf was damaged and one crew member was injured in what the United Arab Emirates said was a suicide bombing.

Harvard University fund sells all Israel holdings --No reason for sale was mentioned in report to SEC 15 Aug 2010 In another blow to Israeli shares, the Harvard Management Company notified the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday that it had sold all its holdings in Israeli companies during the second quarter of 2010. No reason for the sale was mentioned. The Harvard Management Company manages Harvard University's endowment.

Outgoing Ala. AG files oil spill suits over GOP governor's objections 13 Aug 2010  Alabama Attorney General Troy King filed two lawsuits Thursday, suing oil giant BP and others over the Gulf oil spill. King, who says the oil company has broken too many promises about accepting responsibility for the disaster, filed the suits in federal court in Montgomery on behalf of the state. The lawsuits -- one against BP and the other against Transocean, Halliburton and other companies associated with the spill -- seek economic and punitive damages. King sued against the wishes of Gov. Bob Riley (R-BP wh*re), who hopes to reach an out-of-court settlement [for 84 cents?] with the companies.

Jarhead: The little bear that beat the odds 13 Aug 2010 It took 10 days for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists to catch a black bear cub in Marion County that was days away from death. They were ultimately successful, but it took extraordinary efforts from both FWC employees and local residents working together. The 6-month-old cub, its two siblings and mother were regular visitors to unsecured trash containers in a small community near Weirsdale, in the Ocala National Forest. One day in late July, FWC dispatch got a call from one of the residents concerned about a cub running around with a clear, industrial-size plastic jar stuck on its head.

Petraeus to talk Obama out of pullout 15 Aug 2010 The commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan says he reserves the right to advise US President Barack Obama against a troop pull-out from the country in 2011. General David Petraeus [Betrayus] said Obama had assured that him he would seek the commander's advice before making any decision on withdraw from Afghanistan. "The president has been clear...this is the date when the process begins which is conditions-based," Gen Petraeus said in comments broadcast by NBC on Sunday.