Threats To Our American Way Of Life

[John266]

Bush Denies US Planning To Attack Iran - Arab TVLast update: 10/5/2007 5:29:02 PMWASHINGTON (AP)--President George W. Bush denied in an interview with Arab television that the U.S. is gearing up to attack Iran and said he remains committed to working diplomatically to resolve the standoff with Tehran over its nuclear program. The president, in an hour-long interview with Al-Arabiya TV, also reiterated his pledge to negotiate with Iran if it gives up its nuclear program. "I have said that if they suspend their nuclear program, we will be at the table," Bush said, according to a transcript of the interview the White House released on Friday. "But they have so far refused to do that." Bush brushed off as "gossip" reports in the Arab press that he has issued orders to senior U.S. military officials to prepare for an attack on Iran at the end of January or in February. "I would call that empty propaganda," Bush said. "Evidently, there's a lot of gossip in the parts of the country - world that try to scare people about me personally or my country or what we stand for. And that kind of gossip is just what it is. It's gossip. It's baseless gossip." In the hour-long interview, Bush acknowledged that some people in the Middle East think he is against Islam and is a man or war. The interview was conducted on Thursday in the Oval Office and two other areas of the White House by the Saudi-owned satellite news broadcaster. "I understand the images of my country have been distorted," Bush said. "And I understand people say things about me personally that simply aren't true. And so I appreciate the chance to come and talk to you directly and to talk to your viewers directly about what's in my heart and about the fact that my country is a country of peace." The president said he was optimistic about the chances for Middle East peace ahead of a U.S.-sponsored conference expected to be held in Annapolis, Md., in mid- to late-November. Israelis and Palestinians are in deep discussions over the framework of the talks, while Arab leaders have expressed deep skepticism over the conference. Bush pledged to support Palestinian security forces and help President Mahmoud Abbas financially so that ordinary people's lives would be improved. He added that U.S. strategy is to get all parties to the table for general peace, with the first step being a commitment from Israelis and Palestinians to the concept of peace before embarking on the road map to create two states living peacefully side by side. Bush said he was "deeply concerned" about interference from Syria and other neighboring countries, into presidential elections in Lebanon. He also urged the international community to follow through quickly in holding an international tribunal to bring to justice those who killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, slain in a massive 2005 truck bombing. "I'm frustrated, frankly, by the pace at which the tribunal is lingering. It's not moving," Bush said. "There needs to be a definitive moment where the evidence is laid out, and if it's clear evidence." (END) Dow Jones NewswiresOctober 05, 2007 17:29 ET (21:29 GMT)Copyright © 2007 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved.

[John266]

i PREDICT THEY ARREST OR KILL BIN LADEN BY JAN 1 2008

[John266]

Alleged Al-Qaida Financier Arrested In Iraq - FTLast update: 10/4/2007 3:33:57 PMDOW JONES NEWSWIRES The U.S. military claimed on Thursday that U.S. and Iraqi forces had arrested an alleged financier for al-Qaida who had received $100 million from donors outside Iraq to fund insurgent operations, the Financial Times reported on its Web site Thursday. The $100 million sum - far greater than amounts usually associated with Sunni insurgents - had been received over the summer from "terrorist supporters who cross the Iraq border illegally or fly into Iraq from Italy, Syria and Egypt", according to a U.S. statement, the FT reported. It didn't indicate how the total was arrived at or whether the money had been recovered in Tuesday's raid near Baghdad which saw the unnamed man arrested, the FT said. The statement said that the man had distributed $50,000 a month - a figure more in line with past reports of al-Qaida's financial activities - and employed 40-50 "extremists" to plant improvised explosive devices, or roadside bombs, and paid them $3,000 for each operation, the FT reported. It also said that he was linked to the purchase of explosives used in the attack on the Golden Shrine at Samarra - a holy Shia site - which escalated the country's sectarian violence in February 2006, the FT reported. Newspaper Web site: http://www.ft.com (END) Dow Jones NewswiresOctober

[John266]

OOOPS BAD MOVE

Japan: Won't Resume N Korea Aid Despite Nuclear AgreementLast update: 10/3/2007 8:22:14 AM(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones NewswiresOctober 03, 2007 08:22 ET (12:22 GMT)Copyright © 2007 MarketWatch

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Ex-Bush Admin Lawyer: Parts Of Domestic Spy Program IllegalLast update: 10/2/2007 12:05:05 PMWASHINGTON (AP)--A former top lawyer for the Bush administration on Tuesday said that parts of President George W. Bush's controversial eavesdropping program were illegal. There were certain aspects of the Terrorist Surveillance Program "that I could not find the legal support for," Jack Goldsmith, the former head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, told the Senate Judiciary Committee. But he would not say exactly what law or constitutional principle the surveillance violated. Goldsmith said the White House has forbidden him from saying anything about the legal analysis underpinning the program - key details long sought by majority Democrats and some Republicans. Goldsmith served as the Justice Department's top legal adviser to the White House from 2003 to 2004. The legal rationale for the program is so secretive that it was initially not even shared with the top lawyer of the National Security Agency, which conducted the surveillance. Goldsmith said he assumes that the White House does not want the TSP program scrutinized. "There's no doubt the extreme secrecy not getting feedback from experts, not showing it to experts led to a lot of mistakes," he said. The legal justification for the president's eavesdropping program has been a central point of a standoff between the White House and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy. The Democrat has said he wants certain information about the administration's surveillance and interrogation methods before he will schedule confirmation hearings for Michael Mukasey, Bush's choice for attorney general. Key to the debate is a March 2004 showdown at the hospital bedside of then-Attorney General John Ashcroft as he recovered from gall bladder surgery. Goldsmith, who was in the room, confirmed earlier accounts that Ashcroft rebuffed White House officials who were trying to get him to reauthorize the eavesdropping program. According to Goldsmith, Ashcroft said he believed the program was illegal. (END) Dow Jones NewswiresOctober 02, 2007 12:05

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Russia Steps Up Bomber Exercises Near Alaska and CanadaLast update: 10/1/2007 7:10:44 PMANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)--Russian warplane exercises around Alaska have become routine in the past few months, U.S. military officials said Monday, as the former Cold War superpower steps up flights from its Arctic bases. Over the summer, Russian bombers have staged at least seven exercises in a buffer zone outside U.S. air space, each time alerting the U.S. through reports by Russian state news agencies, said Maj. Allen Herritage, a spokesman for the Alaska region of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. U.S. and Canadian fighter jets, including F-15s, were dispatched each time to escort the Russian planes in the exercises, which ranged from two to six aircraft, Herritage said. The latest exercise came Sept. 19 when Russia sent two planes, Herritage said. They were met by Canadian planes from NORAD, which is jointly operated by the U.S. and Canadian militaries. "They used to have them from time to time, but not nearly in this frequency," Herritage said. "These exercises used to be more common during the Cold War." Recent Russian bomber exercises have taken place off Alaska's Aleutian Islands and northwest coast and have gone near Canada, Herritage said. The exercises come amid troubled relations between Russia and the West and are seen by some as intimidating moves by an increasingly assertive Russia. President Vladimir Putin announced in August that Russia was resuming long-range bomber flights over the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Russian Air Force officials could not be reached for comment after hours. They have repeatedly said that the planes were not violating any nation's airspace or any international agreements. (END) Dow Jones Newswires

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Missile Intercept Proves Deployed Missile Defense System Is Capable of Protecting the United States of America From Long Range MissilesLast update: 9/28/2007 5:35:00 PMVANDENBERG AFB, Calif., Sept 28, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), , was at Vandenberg AFB to view the ground-based interceptor launch from the Ronald Reagan Missile Defense site on Vandenberg AFB, CA and got to witness the successful intercept by one of our nation's ground-based interceptor missile (GBI) deployed there against a threat-representative long range target missile launched from Kodiak, Alaska. Ellison's overall appraisal of the test was characterized as "an overwhelming success with the 7th intercept of this system gives our nation and our public great confidence that our military has the capability to protect our population, territory and homeland from long range missiles." Ellison said "The remarkable technical feat demonstrated today for the 7th time clearly gives our country security and reassurance that the current 23 Ground Based Interceptors deployed in California and Alaska can and will protect our public from long-range ballistic missiles. "This missile intercept success is a validation of the decision to fund, develop and deploy missile defense by this Administration and Congress for the right reasons at the right time. The visual statement made by our military of a routine and redundant test, comes at no better time than this week as the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his commitment and determination known to the United Nations on attaining strategic nuclear power. This demonstration of our missile defense system displayed to the international community that it is a deterrent and a motivator for disinvestment of those that continue or desire to proliferate." Ellison was at the Ronald Reagan Memorial Missile Defense viewing area in Vandenberg AFB and witnessed the rocket launch of the ground-based interceptor out of Ronald Reagan Missile Defense Site to observe and hear the sequencing of the test. "The ground-based interceptor (GBI) was launched at 1:16 pm PDT from the Ronald Reagan Missile Defense Site at Vandenberg AFB, California. The interceptors propelled with an explosive glow of deep orange and white clouds of steam from its exhaust and moved slowly against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean soaring into space as the ground trembled with a deep rolling resonance. The sound from the missile was oddly delayed as the interceptor accelerated beyond ear sight past the speed of sound as the visual view of a neat white vapor trail disappeared into the cloudy sky never letting the sound catch it." "The intercept was made 5 minutes later at 1:21 pm PDT, 120 kilometers in space with speeds in excess of 12,000 mph. The long-range target missile had been launched at 1:00 pm PDT a few thousand miles away from Kodiak, Alaska with speeds in excess of 10,000 mph when it was hit and destroyed by the interceptor." Ellison closed his remarks by congratulating all of those in military uniforms and the civilians that have tenaciously worked on this ground-base system since President Bush made the decision to deploy it in 2002. Riki Ellison is available for on-the-record interviews. His cell is 571 213-3328. Nathan Singletary at 703 299-0061 is available to help with interviews. Or you may call Mike Terrill at 602 885-1955 to assist with an interview. SOURCE Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance
Copyright (C) 2007 PR Newswire

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Study:Threat Of Terrorists Stealing Nuclear Device Still HighLast update: 9/26/2007 6:01:38 PMWASHINGTON (AP)--While there has been progress in protecting nuclear materials in Russia, the threat of terrorists stealing a nuclear device remains high in many parts of the world, a private study concluded Wednesday. "Terrorists are actively seeking nuclear weapons and materials to make them," said the report by Harvard University's Managing the Atom project. The group annually assesses progress, and the lack of it, being made to protect nuclear weapons and other nuclear material that, if stolen by terrorists, could lead to a nuclear explosion. Matthew Bunn, the report's author, said Wednesday that "we are making real progress" in increasing security for nuclear material and warheads in Russia but that there remain "gaping holes" in the protection of nuclear materials in many areas of the world. "The gap has narrowed, but it remains a dangerous gap that needs to be closed," said Bunn in a conference call with reporters. Charles Curtis, president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a private advocacy group that commissioned the report, said: "This is not a question of the glass half full or half empty." He noted that while there has been a measure of progress it takes only a few pounds of plutonium or highly enriched uranium to fashion a bomb. "We are not yet treating it as the No. 1 security threat to our nation and the world," said Curtis, who was deputy energy secretary in the Clinton administration. The report said the essential ingredients for a nuclear weapon exist in more than 40 countries "and there are scores of sites that are not secure enough to defeat the capabilities that terrorists and criminals have demonstrated" should they seek to steal such material. Neither the U.S. government nor the International Atomic Energy Agency has "a prioritized list assessing which facilities around the world pose the most serious risk of nuclear theft," the report said. It said from information that is available the highest risks of nuclear theft are in Russia, Pakistan and more than 140 research reactors, often minimally guarded, in various countries that still contain highly enriched uranium suitable for making a nuclear bomb. "Pakistan's nuclear stockpiles are comparatively small, and are believed to be heavily guarded," said the report. But these "face huge threats from armed jihadi groups and nuclear insiders with a demonstrated willingness to sell sensitive nuclear technology," said the report. Other nuclear theft risks include the large-scale transport of civilian plutonium in developing countries, including China and India. "We need an urgent campaign to lock down all of these stockpiles...everywhere they exist in the world," said Bunn. He noted that there is no agreement between the U.S. and China on securing that country's weapons-related nuclear material. William Tobey, in charge of nuclear nonproliferation at Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration, said there is "a great sense of urgency" about improving security at the former Soviet locations and reducing the risks at research reactors. He said the agency has accelerated the program to remove highly enriched uranium from research reactors, plans to complete security upgrades at Russian nuclear sites by the end of 2008, and will have radiation detection devices at all Russian border crossings by the end of 2011, six years ahead of schedule. The report acknowledges progress that has been made in U.S. efforts to increase security over nuclear weapons materials in the former Soviet Union. It said that 70% of the buildings with such material have had security improvements. While the U.S. global threat reduction initiative has expanded efforts to remove highly enriched uranium from 129 research reactors across the globe only 48 have been converted to low-enriched uranium or shut down as of the end of 2006. "Roughly half of the research reactors operating with HEU around the world today are still not covered by the conversion effort," the report said. (END) Dow Jones NewswiresSeptember 26, 2007 18:01 ET (22:01 GMT)

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Updates an item that ran at 1256 GMT with more Alavi quotes and defense minister quote) TEHRAN (AP)--The deputy commander of Iran's air force said Wednesday that plans have been drawn up to bomb Israel if the Jewish state attacks Iran, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. The announcement comes amid rising tensions in the region with the U.S. calling for a new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program and Israeli planes having recently overflown, and perhaps even attacked, Iranian ally Syria's territory. "We have drawn up a plan to strike back at Israel with our bombers if this regime (Israel) makes a silly mistake," deputy air force chief, Gen. Mohammad Alavi was quoted as telling Fars in an interview. The Fars news agency confirmed the quotes when contacted by the Associated Press, but would not provide a tape of the interview. The Iranian Air Force, for its part, had no immediate comment on the interview. Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammed Najjar, however, did tell the official IRNA news agency Wednesday that "we keep various options open to respond to threats ... we will make use of them if required." Iran has threatened in the past that Israel would be Iran's first retaliatory target if attacked by the U.S. But Alavi's comments were the first word of specific contingency plans for striking back on Israel. Many in the region fear Israel could launch airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities to prevent it from building a nuclear weapon. Alavi also warned that Israel was within Iran's medium-range missiles and its fighter bombers, while maintaining that Israel was not strong enough to launch an aerial attack against Iran. "The whole territory of this regime is within the range of our missiles. Moreover, we can attack their territory with our fighter bombers as a response to any attack," the general said. An upgraded version of Iran's Shahab-3 missile has a range of 1,900 kilometers capable of reaching Israel and carrying a nuclear warhead. Alavi said Iran's radar bases were monitoring activities at the country's borders around the clock and boasted that it had the capability to confront U.S. cruise missiles. "One of the issues enemies make publicity about is their cruise missiles. Now, we possess the necessary systems to confront them (cruise missiles)," Alavi was quoted as saying. (END) Dow Jones NewswiresSeptember 19, 2007 09:45 ET (13:45 GMT)

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UPDATE: UK, Norway Intercept Russian Bombers In NATO AirspaceLast update: 9/14/2007 2:33:45 PM(Adds more comments from Russian air force official) LONDON (AP)--U.K. and Norwegian jets intercepted Russian military aircraft on Friday after they breached NATO airspace near the U.K. and Finland, defense officials said. Finland's prime minister demanded an explanation from Moscow. Interception of Russian warplanes in NATO-patrolled airspace has become increasingly common since the Kremlin ordered strategic bombers to carry out long-range missions for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Russia said it had set up a commission to investigate the Finnish claims, but an official insisted the aircraft had flown over neutral territory. U.K. fighter jets intercepted two Russian long-range bombers flying in NATO airspace and shadowed them until they charged course, the U.K.'s defense ministry said, without revealing precisely where the incursion took place. The two Tu-160 "Blackjack" bombers were initially intercepted by Norwegian F16s, defense officials said. In Finland, authorities said an Ilyushin-76 transporter plane flew about three miles into Finnish airspace for three minutes. "These kinds of (violations) must not happen," Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said. "And when they do happen, then they need to be sorted out between the countries in question." Alexander Drobyshevsky, a Russian air force official, said his government was investigating Finland's claims. "The air force command has put together a commission to examine objective flight data for this plane and to check how the flight had been prepared and how it was conducted," Drobyshevsky told the Interfax news agency. But the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Drobyshevsky as saying Russian planes had "flown over neutral waters without approaching air borders of any foreign nation." International airspace along the southern Finnish coast is narrow, and officials expected violations, military officials in Finland said. "There's a lot of Russian airborne activity above the Gulf of Finland, especially between Kaliningrad and the Russian mainland," military spokesman Marko Luotonen said. Russian planes, mostly military transporters, frequently fly between the Baltic port enclave of Kaliningrad and bases near the city of St. Petersburg. Last month, Russian bombers approached the Pacific Island of Guam - home to a major U.S. military base - for the first time since the Cold War. In July, Norwegian F-16s were also scrambled when Tu-95s headed south along the Norwegian coast in international air space. "The re-emergence of long-range flights from Russia is something the Russians are entitled to do, all countries have the right to maintain or upgrade and exercise their defense capabilities," the U.K.'s military said in a statement. "The motivation behind any Russian military activity is a matter for the Russian government." Last year, Russia apologized for violations of Finnish airspace, following about a dozen such incidents over a period of two years. Similar complaints of air violations have been made by Finland's southern neighbors, Estonia and the other Baltic states. In October 2005, a Russian fighter jet crashed in Lithuania. (END) Dow Jones NewswiresSeptember 14, 2007 14:33 ET (18:33 GMT)

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lol
US Still Unsure Where Bin Laden Is Hiding -Senior OfficialLast update: 9/11/2007 8:23:59 PMKABUL (AP)--The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State said his country is still uncertain where 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden is hiding, as American soldiers silently marked the moment six years earlier when the first hijacked jetliner hit the World Trade Center in New York City. "I think our best assessment is that he is still alive and that he is somewhere in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area," said John Negroponte, who met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday during a visit to Afghanistan. "I would also make the point that wherever he is, he is hiding, he and his close associate Mr. Ayman al-Zawahiri (al-Qaida's No. 2). "And that is a very different situation than the one that prevailed prior to Sept. 11, 2001, when he had completely free use and free reign of the country of Afghanistan, and that situation has been changed and that, needless to say, was a very, very important change for the better." Karzai, speaking at a news conference, lamented the thousands of people killed on 9/11 but also said the attacks helped refocus attention on Afghanistan, which had been overrun by the Taliban and al-Qaida. He thanked the international community for helping to "return Afghanistan to the people of Afghanistan." At a ceremony at a U.S. base in Kabul, Maj. Gen. Robert Cone told some 100 soldiers that there is "no alternative" to victory over terrorism. "We are here now six years later, not as a conquering force, not as an invader seeking to vanquish the Afghans, but rather to do what is right - to seek out and destroy our common enemy," Cone said. "As allies, we will train and equip the Afghans. We will help them to provide for their people because we are Americans." At the main U.S. base at Bagram, a moment of silence was held at 8:46 a.m. EDT - 5:16 p.m. in Afghanistan - the time the first jetliner hit the World Trade Center. A 21-gun salute and Taps played a short time later. Negroponte took part in a remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Embassy flag pole, where some of the rubble from the 9/11 attacks is buried. "Defeating an insurgency increasingly fueled by the narcotics trade is a painstaking process, but progress is being made and we will not abandon the people of Afghanistan to the likes of the Taliban and al-Qaida," he said. "So while we remember the events of this day six years ago with sorrow, we can measure the progress we've made here since then and look ahead with optimism to the future." (END) Dow Jones NewswiresSeptember 11, 2007 20:23 ET (00:23 GMT)

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Blunt Statement on Sixth Anniversary of 9/11Last update: 9/11/2007 12:54:00 PMWASHINGTON, Sept 11, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement today, the 11th of September, 2007: "September 11th is a day to honor and celebrate the lives of those who were lost, and reflect on the depraved and cowardly way in which they were taken from us. It's a day to be grateful for our freedoms, thankful for our security, and respectful of the personal sacrifices that have been made to defend them both. "Generations will remember the 11th of September by recalling where they were that morning, and with whom they sat as our history was being violently reshaped before their very eyes. Six years removed from that day -- a morning of shock, despair, and peerless heroism -- we must also remember the lessons that were learned and the determination that we had to make sure these events never happened again. As Americans, we must never let the passage of time erode our respect for this day, and as a Congress, we must never lose sight of our commitment to keep Americans safe." SOURCE Office of the Republican Whip

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UAC Reports: Massive Federation Forming to Confront Radical IslamLast update: 9/11/2007 10:30:00 AMWASHINGTON, Sept 11, 2007 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Today on the anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, a massive federation to combat radical Islam has been officially declared. The Anti-Jihad Federation, as it is being called, is coming to be the name known for any and every organization involved in confronting the threat from Islamic Jihadists. Leading Federation organizers are stressing that the Anti-Jihad Federation is a non-entity, has no cd, such harter, and is not an organization or group, but is comprised of any and all organizations and groups resisting the Jihadist threat which faces the West. Although there are many organizations involved in confronting the Jihad, and each have varying views, beliefs, and methods, the Federation is being called a uniting movement with the hopes to add and aid cohesion and communication between organizations currently working to defeat Jihadi threats and supporters. It is being said by many that the establishment of the Federation demonstrates the importance of unity against such threats. Leading elements within the Federation include many organizations which take part in grassroots activism to confront the threat from radical Islam and to protect the Western world for generations to come. There are many organizations around the globe who are actively involved in confronting Jihad; such organizations include JihadWatch, United American Committee, Vigilant Freedom Group, American Congress for Truth, America's Truth Forum, as well as hundreds of other organizations which are constantly growing as the powerful movement against radical Islam builds. Such organizations comprise an integral part of the growing Federation against the enemies of the Western world. The Federation also includes individuals spanning all ages, ethnicities, religions, and countries, who may not be affiliated with any organization yet who are united in opposing Jihadists. Though not every organization may be right for everyone, everyone who is against Jihad can find the organization that is right for them through the Federation. Such research can be conducted through the website which lists various organizations involved in the Anti-Jihad Federation. This site also offers resources for individuals wishing to participate in protecting this generation, and the future from Islamic totalitarianism for generations to come. SOURCE United American Committee
Copyright (C) 2007 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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US Intelligence Chief Concerned About Terror Sleeper Cells-2Last update: 9/11/2007 7:53:50 AMWASHINGTON (AP)--National intelligence director Mike McConnell said Tuesday that U.S. authorities are worried about "sleeper cells" of would-be terrorists inside the U.S. and are remaining vigilant against any new attacks. On the sixth anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Washington, D.C., area and in western Pennsylvania, McConnell also said plots against the U.S. have been thwarted. But he said there can make no safety guarantees. "We're safer but we're not safe," he said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." McConnell said that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network "intends to have an operation in the U.S. that will result in mass casualties." "We have stopped some efforts and we must stop all efforts. We're not sure we can stop 100% of them," he said. McConnell spoke as U.S. intelligence experts continued to assess the latest messages from bin Laden. In a new video released Tuesday, bin Laden urged sympathizers to join the "caravan" of martyrs and he praised one of the Sept. 11, 2001 suicide hijackers. The intelligence czar said he couldn't immediately read anything substantial into bin Laden's tape. "We look at these tapes very, very closely," he said. McConnell said that bin Laden remains a prodigious threat to America, but said the "intellectual leader" of al-Qaida is Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri. The search goes on for bin Laden, believed to be hiding in the mountains of Pakistan near the Afghanistan border, but he remains elusive. "Finding a single human being in the billions that are on the earth, that wants to remain hidden ... makes it very, very difficult," said McConnell, acknowledging that bin Laden has been "virtually enjoying a safe haven." " ... Even if we did find him and remove him from the scene, he would be seen as a martyr," he said of bin Laden. "We worry about sleeper cells in the United States," McConnell added. "There are al-Qaida sympathizers ... but so far we have not been able to identify them." "The worry is that we have to maintain our vigilance," he said. "We have stopped many efforts to come into the United States, so we have been successful. But we cannot let our guard down." McConnell also said that, so far, U.S. authorities haven't been able to "identify" any groups which may have gained access to nuclear materials.

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US Intelligence Chief Concerned About Terror Sleeper Cells-2Last update: 9/11/2007 7:53:50 AMWASHINGTON (AP)--National intelligence director Mike McConnell said Tuesday that U.S. authorities are worried about "sleeper cells" of would-be terrorists inside the U.S. and are remaining vigilant against any new attacks. On the sixth anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, the Washington, D.C., area and in western Pennsylvania, McConnell also said plots against the U.S. have been thwarted. But he said there can make no safety guarantees. "We're safer but we're not safe," he said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." McConnell said that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network "intends to have an operation in the U.S. that will result in mass casualties." "We have stopped some efforts and we must stop all efforts. We're not sure we can stop 100% of them," he said. McConnell spoke as U.S. intelligence experts continued to assess the latest messages from bin Laden. In a new video released Tuesday, bin Laden urged sympathizers to join the "caravan" of martyrs and he praised one of the Sept. 11, 2001 suicide hijackers. The intelligence czar said he couldn't immediately read anything substantial into bin Laden's tape. "We look at these tapes very, very closely," he said. McConnell said that bin Laden remains a prodigious threat to America, but said the "intellectual leader" of al-Qaida is Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri. The search goes on for bin Laden, believed to be hiding in the mountains of Pakistan near the Afghanistan border, but he remains elusive. "Finding a single human being in the billions that are on the earth, that wants to remain hidden ... makes it very, very difficult," said McConnell, acknowledging that bin Laden has been "virtually enjoying a safe haven." " ... Even if we did find him and remove him from the scene, he would be seen as a martyr," he said of bin Laden. "We worry about sleeper cells in the United States," McConnell added. "There are al-Qaida sympathizers ... but so far we have not been able to identify them." "The worry is that we have to maintain our vigilance," he said. "We have stopped many efforts to come into the United States, so we have been successful. But we cannot let our guard down." McConnell also said that, so far, U.S. authorities haven't been able to "identify" any groups which may have gained access to nuclear materials. (END) Dow Jones Newswires

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http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3567635

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In New Video, Bin Laden Urges Americans To Convert To IslamLast update: 9/7/2007 3:32:49 PMCAIRO (AP)--Osama bin Laden appeared for the first time in three years in a new videotape Friday, telling Americans they should join Islam if they want the war in Iraq to end, according to a transcript obtained by ABC News. The videotape appeared to have been recently made, since bin Laden refers to the Democratic victory in Congress and to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was elected in May. "I invite you to embrace Islam," bin Laden said, according to a transcript posted by ABC News on its Web site. "It will also achieve your desire to stop the war as a consequence, because as soon as the warmongering owners of the major corporations realize that you have lost confidence in your democratic system and have begun to look for an alternative, and this alternative is Islam, they will run after you to please you and achieve what you want to steer you away from Islam," he said. (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones NewswiresSeptember 07, 2007 15:32 ET (19:32 GMT)Copyright © 2007

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UK jets 'chase Russian bombers'

Norway says Russia has increased military flights in the Arctic
The UK's Royal Air Force has launched fighter jets to intercept eight Russian military planes flying in airspace patrolled by Nato, UK officials say.
Four RAF F3 Tornado aircraft were scrambled in response to the Russian action, the UK's defence ministry said.

The Russian planes - said to be long-range bombers - had earlier been followed by Norwegian F16 jets.

Russia recently revived a Cold War-era practice of flying bomber jets on long-range patrols.

A Norwegian officer, Lt Col John Inge Oegland, told the BBC the Russian Tupolev Tu-95 Bear bombers flew in international airspace from the Barents Sea to the Atlantic, before turning back.

Two Norwegian F-16s shadowed them on Thursday morning and another two went up later, he said.

There have been several similar incidents in recent months, Lt-Col Oegland added.

"Norway is following the increased Russian activity in the far north with interest," he told the BBC News website.

He said the Russian flights were not causing alarm in Norway. "Our systems are adequate", he said, when asked whether Norway was bolstering its security in the area.






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[John266]

'Massive' Terror Plot Foiled In Germany
Updated: 15:37, Wednesday September 05, 2007

German authorities have said three terror suspects planned "massive" attacks on an airport and US military base which could have been bigger than the London and Madrid bombings.

Police escort suspect from courtGerman Federal Prosecutor Monika Harms said the three had procured 700kg of hydrogen peroxide for making explosives.

"This is a good day for security in Germany," she said after the attacks were foiled.

Chancellor Angela Merkel described the arrests of the three men as a "very, very great success".

The head of Germany's Federal Crime Office, Joerg Ziercke, told a news conference the hydrogen peroxide could have been mixed with other substances to produce bombs more powerful than those used in London and Madrid.

Germany's defence minister Franz Josef Jung said the plot posed "an imminent threat".

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Reports claimed Frankfurt's international airport and the American base in Ramstein were among the targets.

The US National Security Council Spokesman said President Bush had been briefed on the arrests.

"He's pleased a potential attack was thwarted and appreciates the work of the German authorities and the co-operation by international law enforcement," Gordon Johndroe said.

Prosecutors said the suspects had trained at camps in Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union and formed a German cell of the group.


Hydrogen peroxide seized by policeThe suspects, two Germans aged 22 and 28 who converted to Islam and a 29-year-old Turk, first came to the attention of authorities when they were caught observing a US military facility in Hanau, near Frankfurt, at the end of last year.

The suspects appeared before judges at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe after being arrested yesterday.

Germany has been on high alert for terrorism since the city of Hamburg was used as a base for planning the September 11 attacks.

In April, the US embassy in Berlin announced it was boosting security at diplomatic and military facilities in Germany because of an increased threat.

Germany, which did not send troops to Iraq, has largely been spared atrocities like the Tube and train bombings in London and Madrid.

However, its involvement in the attempt to stabilise Afghanistan against Islamic insurgents has led to fears it may be targeted.

[John266]

omg we need aliens to land on earth and remove all these weapons from our planet.


Nuclear warheads mistakenly flown on B-52, landing at Barksdale AFB
By Michael Hoffman
Military Times

A B-52 bomber mistakenly loaded with five nuclear warheads flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D, to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, resulting in an Air Force-wide investigation, according to three officers who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the incident.

The B-52 was loaded with Advanced Cruise Missiles, part of a Defense Department effort to decommission 400 of the ACMs. But the nuclear warheads should have been removed at Minot before being transported to Barksdale, the officers said. The missiles were mounted onto the pylons of the bomber’s wings.


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Advanced Cruise Missiles carry a W80-1 warhead with a yield of 5 to 150 kilotons and are specifically designed for delivery by B-52 strategic bombers.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Ed Thomas said the transfer was safely conducted and the weapons were in Air Force custody and control at all times.

However, the mistake was not discovered until the B-52 landed at Barskdale, which left the warheads unaccounted for during the approximately 3-1/2 hour flight between the two bases, the officers said.

An investigation headed by Maj. Gen. Douglas Raaberg, director of Air and Space Operations at Air Combat Command Headquarters, was launched immediately to find the cause of the mistake and figure out how it could have been prevented, Thomas said.

Air Force officials wouldn’t officially specify whether nuclear weapons were involved, in accordance with long-standing Defense Department policy regarding nuclear munitions, Thomas said. However, the three officers close to the situation did confirm the warheads were nuclear.

Officials at Minot immediately conducted an inventory of its nuclear weapons after the oversight was discovered, and Thomas said he could confirm that all remaining nuclear weapons at Minot are accounted for.

“Air Force standards are very exacting when it comes to munitions handling,” he said. “The weapons were always in our custody and there was never a danger to the American public.”

At no time was there a risk for a nuclear detonation, even if the B-52 crashed on its way to Barksdale, said Steve Fetter, a former Defense Department official who worked on nuclear weapons policy in 1993-94. A crash could ignite the high explosives associated with the warhead, and possibly cause a leak of the plutonium, but the warheads’ elaborate safeguards would prevent a nuclear detonation from occurring, he said.

“The main risk would have been the way the Air Force responded to any problems with the flight because they would have handled it much differently if they would have known nuclear warheads were onboard,” he said.

The risk of the warheads falling into the hands of rogue nations or terrorists was minimal since the weapons never left the United States, according to Fetter and Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, an independent research and policy think tank in Washington, D.C.

The crews involved with the mistaken load at the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot have been temporarily decertified from performing their duties involving munitions pending corrective actions or additional training, Thomas said.
Air Combat Command will have a command-wide mission stand down Sept. 14 to review their procedures in response to this oversight, he said.

“The Air Force takes its mission to safeguard weapons seriously,” he said. “No effort will be spared to ensure that the matter is thoroughly and completely investigated.”

[John266]

AP
Budget Cut Will Delay Anti-Missile Laser
Tuesday September 4, 4:38 pm ET
By Donna Borak, AP Business Writer
Boeing Team Warns Budget Cuts on Anti-Missile Aircraft Could Delay Schedule Up to 2 Years


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Boeing Co. executive on Tuesday warned that proposed budget cuts by U.S. lawmakers could delay the completion of an anti-missile aircraft by two years.
Both the Senate and House Armed Services committees have slashed the president's fiscal 2008 proposed budget request of $549 million for the airborne laser program, or ABL, that will be used to thwart enemy missiles in the sky. In July, the House Appropriations committee agreed to a smaller cut of $51 million from the program.

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Boeing and its teammates Northrop Grumman Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. are awaiting the Senate Appropriations committee to finalize its budget by the end of the month.

Greg Hyslop, a Boeing vice president, told reporters in a conference call that the level of cuts by both committees would delay the company's ability to complete the program by at least two years.

Hyslop said in order to stay on track it will need the full funding of the president's budget request.

The airborne laser program, which is being installed on a modified Boeing 747 aircraft, is designed to detect, track and engage a ballistic missile from a rogue state in the sky.

On Friday, the Missile Defense Agency said the Boeing-led team sailed through initial testing of the anti-missile aircraft on Aug. 23 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The aircraft completed 48 flight test missions and fired its laser more than 200 times, according to the agency.

The next phase of testing will begin in late 2008 using Northrop's high-energy laser. The companies have already begun to install the upgraded laser at Edwards Air Force Base, according to Boeing.

Shares of Boeing fell 79 cents to $95.91 in late afternoon trading, while shares of Lockheed fell 15 cents to $98.99. Shares of Northrop fell 40 cents to $78.44.

[John266]

Iran's Guards: We'll 'Punch' US

Aug 18 05:41 AM US/Eastern
By NASSER KARIMI
Associated Press Writer




View larger image






Iran's Revolutionary Guards Stage ‘War Games’


TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said they would not bow to pressure and threatened to "punch" the U.S., in their first response to Washington's plan to list them as a terrorist organization, newspapers reported Saturday.
Local press in the Iranian capital of Tehran quoted Revolutionary Guards leader Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi saying that he could understand Washington's ire toward the group because of their "leverage" against the U.S.

"America will receive a heavier punch from the guards in the future," he was quoted as saying in the conservative daily Kayhan. "We will never remain silent in the face of U.S. pressure and we will use our leverage against them."

There was no elaboration on what Safavi meant by the punch or the organization's "leverage."

Washington has accused the Guards of supporting militias and insurgent groups attacking U.S. forces in Iraq—charges Iran denies.

The fact that the remarks, made on Thursday in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, appeared in local newspapers rather than the official state news outlets suggest the comments are for domestic consumption.

Meanwhile, other Iranian officials continued to speak out against Washington's move to register the group as a terrorist organization, with a government spokesman calling the claims "baseless," on the Web site of the state broadcasting company.

"The claims of the U.S. are baseless and have no takers around the world," he said Saturday, noting that "the U.S. has endangered the world many times under the excuse of fighting against terrorism."

On Tuesday, an unnamed official in the Bush administration said the U.S. planned to list the Guards as terrorist group in order to squeeze Iran.

The move was seen as an effort to pressure businesses the corps is thought to control, from construction to oil sectors. It would be the first time the U.S. would put a foreign government's military agency on the list, which includes the al-Qaida network and the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Iranian armed forces spokesman Gen. Ali Reza Afshar hit out precisely against this attempt to declare a state body terrorist in an editorial Saturday in the country's largest circulation newspaper, calling it illegal.

"America's long time hostility against the Guard is clear and understandable, but this move against organization that is part of Iran's armed forces is illegal," he wrote in the daily Hamshahri.

The estimated 200,000-strong Revolutionary Guards is an elite force separate from Iran's regular military and has its own ground, naval and air units.



Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[John266]

Russia, China hold joint war games By IVAN SEKRETAREV, Associated Press Writer
Fri Aug 17, 6:57 AM ET



CHEBARKUL TESTING RANGE, Russia - Fighter jets streaked through the air as Russian and Chinese forces held their first joint maneuvers on Russian land Friday in a demonstration of their growing military ties and a shared desire to counter U.S. global clout.

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The war games in the southern Ural Mountains involved some 6,000 troops from Russia and China along with a handful of soldiers from four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations that are part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional group dominated by Moscow and Beijing.

The drills coincided with a massive Russian air force exercise in which dozens of Russian strategic bombers ranged far over the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.

President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Hu Jintao and other leaders of the SCO nations attended the exercise, which followed their summit Thursday in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.

The summit concluded with a communique that sounded like a thinly veiled warning to the United States to stay away from the strategically placed, resource-rich region.

"Stability and security in Central Asia are best ensured primarily through efforts taken by the nations of the region on the basis of the existing regional associations," the statement said.

Friday's military exercise involved dozens of aircraft and hundreds of armored vehicles which countered a mock attack by terrorists and insurgents striving to take control of energy resources.

The United States, Russia and China are locked in an increasingly tense rivalry for control over Central Asia's vast hydrocarbon riches. Washington supports plans for pipelines that would carry the region's oil and gas to the West and bypass Russia, while Moscow has pushed strongly to control the export flows. China also has shown a growing appetite for energy to power its booming economy.

Ivan Safranchuk, an analyst at World Security Institute, said Friday's exercise underlined that "the SCO wants to show that Central Asia is its exclusive sphere of responsibility."

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov denied media allegations that the military exercise was aimed against the United States. "I don't see anything anti-American in the SCO exercise," he said, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Relations between Russia and the United States have worsened steadily amid U.S. criticism of Russia's democracy, Moscow's strong objections to U.S. missile defense plans and differences over global crises.

In a parallel exercise Friday, dozens of Russian strategic bombers flew to the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, air force spokesman Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky said. NATO jets were scrambled to accompany the Russian aircraft, he said, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Soviet bombers routinely flew such missions to areas from which nuclear-tipped cruise missiles could be launched at the United States. The maneuvers stopped the post-Soviet economic meltdown, but booming oil prices have allowed Russia to increase its military budget.

The SCO was created 11 years ago to address religious extremism and border security issues in Central Asia. In recent years, with Iran, India, Pakistan and Mongolia signing on as observers, the group has increasingly grown into a bloc aimed at defying U.S. interests in the region.

In 2005, the SCO called for a timetable to be set for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from two member countries, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan evicted U.S. forces later that year, but Kyrgyzstan still has a U.S. base, which supports operations in nearby Afghanistan. Russia also maintains a military base in Kyrgyzstan.

Moscow and Beijing have developed what they call a "strategic partnership" since the Soviet collapse, cemented by their perceptions that the United States dominates global affairs.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country has SCO observer status, attended the summit for the second consecutive year. Losyukov said the group has no immediate plans to accept full members.

On Thursday, Ahmadinejad criticized U.S. missile defense plans as a threat to the entire region. "These intentions go beyond just one country. They are of concern for much of the continent, Asia and SCO members," he said.

Moscow objects vehemently to Washington's plans to deploy missile interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic, saying the system would threaten Russia security. The United States says the missile defenses are necessary to avert the threat of possible missile attacks by Iran.

[John266]

US Military Calls for Missile Defense as a Tool for Global DeterrenceLast update: 8/17/2007 6:00:00 PMHUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug 17, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, MDAA, , attended the Space and Missile Defense Conference this week held in Huntsville, Alabama. The conference was hosted by Lieutenant General Kevin T. Campbell, Commander, United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). Ellison's report on the significant meetings and speeches reflect the latest thinking on missile defense by our nation's warfighters. His comments follow: "In Huntsville Alabama this week, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the space and missile defense for our country, the 10th Annual Space and Missile Defense Conference took place. The conference brought together those responsible for developing, deploying and using our nation's missile defense systems. Generals in attendance included General Kevin P. Chilton, Commander, Air Force Space Command (AFSPC); Lieutenant-General C. Robert "Bob" Kehler, acting Commander, United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM); and Leiutenant-General William G. Webster, Deputy Commander, United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). All attendees presented their positions and thoughts on the current and future state of missile defense." "I observed that from the collective Generals' viewpoints presented, our National Security and that of our Allies is dependent on Global Deterrence with Allied participation aimed at threatening nation and non-nation states. Global deterrence, according to Lt. Gen. Kehler, is applying and deploying tools that encourage restraint, deny benefits and impose costs to those nations and non-nation states that threaten the United States and its allies. An integrated missile defense to include cruise missile defense made up of seamless layered missile defense systems in each and every Command Region around the world is a valuable tool for global deterrence." Adding missile defense to our nation's strategic offense enhances greatly our deterrent force and allows many more options than those of eras long ago which depended on Mutual Assured Destruction where the only defense, deterrent and option was a nuclear strike. "The commanders recognized the value of our current and future evolving missile defense systems especially in their sensor capabilities. For having exact information or 'situational awareness' on your opponents in all mediums -- land, sea, air and space -- allows for strategic opportunity to deter and to dissuade. Assuring space, the most critical medium of communication and awareness, allows sharing of critical information to inform so that better decisions are made. In this manner assuring space is a critical strategic objective of which all are in agreement." "Amongst the military presenters were two of MDAA's Board of Advisors; Ambassador Robert Joseph and retired Lieutenant-General Ron Kadish. Ambassador Joseph spoke on the current threats as he stated 'that there is no greater threat to the United States then Iran's race to Nuclear Weapons as they are more complex, more dangerous, more regional and more global than any other nation." Ambassador Joseph further remarked that it is in the United States self interest to defend against Iran which includes the deployment of the European Missile Defense Site in Poland and the Czech Republic. Fellow MDAA advisor Ron Kadish's presentation was on missile defense testing and the absolute necessity of having testing as he outlined four fundamental points:
-- Testing schedules cannot be scheduled to a political schedule or that of outside pressure. -- Testing is expensive; the alternative to not testing is much worse and has consequences. -- Testing cannot be too threat specific, design a system to defend against all threats. -- Testing is about predictability and confidence, the more we test the more confidence we have.Ellison ended his observations of the conference by concluding "The exchange of ideas, visions and determination of developing and deploying missile defense amongst those that were in attendance in Huntsville helps our nation become safer." Riki Ellison is available for interviews. Call Nathan Singletary at 703 299-0062 or Mike Terrill at 602 885-1955. SOURCE Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance
Nathan Singletary, [phone], or Mike Terrill, [phone], both of MissileDefense Advocacy AllianceCopyright (C) 2007 PR Newswire. All rights

[John266]

is way for dhs to investigate as many as possible also catches all who owe child support

[John266]

New Rules Seen Prompting Many More Americans To Own PassportsLast update: 8/17/2007 1:49:40 PMWASHINGTON (AP)--The U.S. State Department expects half of all Americans will have passports in four years - a huge boost caused by post-9/11 security rules that swamped government offices this summer and infuriated would-be travelers. Prior to the new security laws passed by Congress, about one in five U.S. citizens had passports. This year, the figure is already approaching one in four, and should be one in two in four years, said Ann Barrett, the director of passport services. "The norms are out the window," said Barrett. The agency has been harshly criticized for massive delays in processing passports as a result of the surge in applications. The fallout from the backlog continued this week, when officials estimated it would cost nearly $1 billion over the next three years to handle the demand, and said they would no longer guarantee a three-day in-house processing time for pricier, expedited passport service. Barrett said she didn't know how many people had applied for refunds on their expedited passport service, nor how much money the agency has paid out in refunds as a result of the mess. To handle such expedited requests, the State Department is giving itself more time - 10 days of internal processing as opposed to the previous standard of three days. Under the old system, if an expedited passport spent more than three days in internal processing, the applicant would be eligible for a refund of the extra $60 fee. There is no refund for a regular passport application that was delayed. The longer wait time for the pricier, faster service is just one of many changes being made to adjust to the higher level of demand. The agency is bulking up to tackle the mountain of paperwork, planning to hire 800 new workers, which Barrett said will roughly double the passport staff. The government is now producing half a million passports a week. It made 12 million passports last year; this year, it will make 18 million, and over the next four years it expects to make 100 million. By then, Barrett said, she expects 50% of Americans will have a passport, a huge increase from the roughly 20% that had been the national norm. Officials say many of the new applicants aren't planning on traveling abroad, but just want the more secure form of identification. "We're sort of morphing into a different customer base," Barrett said. After new travel rules went into affect this year, regular passport applications that typically took six weeks to deliver to the applicant were delayed by as much as 12 weeks or more. Currently, the wait is estimated at 10 to 12 weeks; it is three weeks for the more costly, expedited passports. The State Department predicts that in September the wait time for regular passport applications will be cut to about eight weeks. But Barrett said she couldn't estimate the price of all the extra staffing, travel, and lodging to handle the surge in applications, either for this year or next year when the next wave of travel rules is expected to produce an even greater demand for passports. The increased demand results from rules that went into effect in January requiring U.S. travelers to carry passports when flying to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. A similar requirement is to go into effect for all land and sea crossings next year. As the backlog grew worse, the Homeland Security Department eased or delayed its requirements, and the State Department was forced to take drastic and expensive measures, including the hiring of hundreds of additional staff and paying some employees to return to the U.S. from overseas to handle the paperwork. (END) Dow Jones NewswiresAugust 17, 2007 13:49 ET (17:49 GMT)Copyright © 2007 MarketWatch, Inc.

[John266]

BBC Says Its FM Broadcasts Taken Off Air In RussiaLast update: 8/17/2007 10:22:12 AMMOSCOW (AP)--The British Broadcasting Corp. said Friday its Russian-language FM broadcasts have been taken off the air by its Moscow distributor, which said its programs were "foreign propaganda." The decision by Bolshoye Radio -and similar moves by two other radio stations in the past year -leaves the BBC's Russian-language services available only on medium and shortwave broadcasts, the BBC said in a press release. Bolshoye Radio's parent company, financial group Finam, said their license did not allow them to retransmit BBC's programs and the station will instead focus on originally produced material. Company spokesman Igor Ermachenkov said management made the decision on its own without outside interference. "It's no secret that the BBC was established as a broadcaster of foreign propaganda," Ermachenkov told The Associated Press. The BBC said that the licensing documents it received in May 2006 allowed almost one-fifth of Bolshoye Radio's content to be produced externally. Richard Sambrook, director of BBC Global News, called on the station to respect the original agreement. "We cannot understand how the license is now interpreted in a way that does not reflect the original and thorough concept documents," he said. Critics say President Vladimir Putin's government has stifled media freedoms and quashed political opposition as part of a broader effort to increase Kremlin control over Russian political life. As the country heads into a parliamentary election in December and presidential elections in March, observers say government influence over news media appears to be at its strongest since the Soviet era ended. Several foreign language broadcasters have seen their programming curtailed or pulled off the air in Russia in recent years. Russian authorities last year dramatically curtailed the number of stations broadcasting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America news programs. German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has also had problems with its German and Russian-language medium-wave radio programs in the past. Alexander Varkentin, deputy head of the Russian service of Deutsche Welle, told AP that the only problems the German broadcaster has had in Russia of late were financial -small radio stations requesting money for programs. Bolshoye Radio's decision also comes as relations between London and Moscow have plummeted to their lowest level in years. U.K. prosecutors have demanded that Russia hand over a businessman they have accused in the death of Alexander Litivinenko, the former KGB agent and U.K. citizen who died of radioactive poisoning in London last year. Russia has refused, saying it is constitutionally barred from extraditing Russian citizens, and has waged a highly public relations campaign accusing the U.K. of trying to recruit spies in Russia. "We support the role of the BBC World Service, it is a source of independent news, often in parts of the world where such independence is far from the norm," a U.K. Foreign Office spokeswoman said on customary condition of anonymity. "It is important that the BBC World Service is able to continue to broadcast in Russia." (END) Dow Jones NewswiresAugust 17, 2007 10:22 ET (14:22 GMT)

[John266]

Russian Strategic Bombers To Resume Long-range Flights-ReportLast update: 8/17/2007 9:13:31 AMMOSCOW (AP)--President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he had ordered the Russian military to resume regular long-range flights of strategic bombers, news agencies reported. "I have made a decision to resume regular flights of Russian strategic aviation," Putin was quoted as saying by Russian agencies. He said a halt in long-range bombers' flights after the Soviet collapse had affected Russia's security as other nations had continued such missions - a oblique reference to the U.S. (MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones NewswiresAugust 17, 2007 09:13 ET (13:13 GMT)

FUNNY THIS PUTIN PRICK WAS JUST WITH CHINEESE PRES
THEN DECIDES THIS!!

[John266]

Russia Strategic Bombers To Resume Long-range Flights-ReportLast update: 8/17/2007 9:11:49 AM(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones NewswiresAugust 17, 2007 09:11 ET (13:11 GMT)Copyright © 2007 MarketWatch, Inc. All righ

[John266]

US Jury Finds Padilla Guilty In Terrorism Support Case -3-Last update: 8/16/2007 2:58:15 PMMIAMI (AP)--Jose Padilla was convicted of federal terrorism support charges Thursday after being held for more than three years as an enemy combatant in a case that came to symbolize the Bush administration's zeal to stop homegrown terror. He was once accused of being part of an al-Qaida plot to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the U.S., but those allegations weren't part of his trial. Padilla and co-defendants Adham Amin Hassoun and Kifah Wael Jayyousi face life in prison because they were convicted of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people overseas. All three were also convicted of two terrorism material support counts that carry potential 15-year sentences each. U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke set a Dec. 5 sentencing date for all three defendants. The three were accused of being part of a North American support cell that provided supplies, money and recruits to groups of Islamic extremists. The defense contended they were trying to help persecuted Muslims in war zones with relief and humanitarian aid. Padilla was first detained in 2002 because of much more sensational accusations. President George W. Bush's administration portrayed Padilla, a U.S. citizen and Muslim convert, as a committed terrorist who was part of an al-Qaida plot to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the U.S. The administration called his detention an important victory in the war against terrorism, not long after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The charges brought in civilian court in Miami, however, were a pale shadow of those initial claims in part because Padilla, 36, was interrogated about the plot when he was held as an enemy combatant for 3 1/2 years in military custody with no lawyer present and was not read his Miranda rights. Padilla's attorneys fought for years to get his case into federal court, and he was finally added to the Miami terrorism support indictment in late 2005 just as the U.S. Supreme Court was poised to consider Bush's authority to continue detaining him. Padilla had lived in South Florida in the 1990s and was supposedly recruited by Hassoun at a mosque to become a mujahedeen fighter. The key piece of physical evidence was a five-page form Padilla supposedly filled out in July 2000 to attend an al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan, which would link the other two defendants as well to Osama bin Laden's terrorist organization. The form, recovered by the CIA in 2001 in Afghanistan, contains seven of Padilla's fingerprints and several other personal identifiers, such as his birthdate and his ability to speak Spanish, English and Arabic. Central to the investigation were some 300,000 FBI wiretap intercepts collected from 1993 to 2001, mainly involving Padilla's co-defendants Hassoun and Jayyousi and others. Most of the conversations were in Arabic and purportedly used code such as "tourism" and "football" for violent jihad or "zucchini" and "eggplant" instead of military weapons or ammunition. The bulk of these conversations and other evidence concerned efforts in the 1990s by Hassoun and Jayyousi, both 45, to assist Muslims in conflict zones such as Chechnya, Bosnia, Somalia, Afghanistan and Lebanon. (END) Dow Jones NewswiresAugust 16, 2007 14:58 ET (18:58 GMT)Copyright © 2007 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. Please see our Terms of Use.
MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc.

News provided by Dow Jones NewswiresSM, PR News Wire™ and Business Wire™. Dow Jones Newswires is a service mark of Dow Jones & Company. PR News Wire is a Trademark of PR Newswire Association, Inc. Business Wire is a registered trademark and service

[John266]

PADILA FOUND GUILTY NOW EXECUTE THE PEICE OF GARBAGE AND ANY MORE THEY DIG UP.

[John266]

EVIL STILL AROUND :

Massachusetts Man Who Helped Carry Out WWII Nazi Mass Murder of Jews In Poland Is Ordered DeportedLast update: 8/16/2007 12:47:00 PMWASHINGTON, Aug 16, 2007 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- An immigration judge in Boston has ordered the removal of Vladas Zajanckauskas, a Sutton, Mass., man who served during World War II in a notorious Nazi unit that took part in the brutal liquidation of the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto in German-occupied Poland, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher for the Criminal Division announced today. Immigration Judge Wayne R. Iskra ordered Zajanckauskas removed to his native Lithuania. In a 41-page decision, the judge found that Zajanckauskas served as a non-commissioned officer at the SS-operated base and training camp in Trawniki, Poland, where he and other men "were trained to assist in all aspects of Operation Reinhard, the Nazi plan to murder all Jews in Poland." Judge Iskra ruled that Zajanckauskas participated in Nazi-sponsored persecution at Trawniki and in Warsaw when he was deployed there by the SS with other "Trawniki men" to take part in the liquidation of the Jewish Ghetto during Operation Reinhard. In his decision, Judge Iskra noted that Zajanckauskas "admitted that Trawniki men sent to Warsaw stood in the cordon to prevent Jews from escaping, guarded the transit square where captured Jews awaited transportation to labor and concentration camps, conducted house-to-house searches for hidden Jews, skirmished with resistance fighters, and took part in the shooting of some captured Jews." Members of Zajanckauskas' own sub-unit, in which he was "one of the top-ranked individuals," committed "terrible crimes," including murder and rape, the judge found. Prior to the brutal April-May 1943 operation, the Warsaw Ghetto held about 40,000 Jews. During the operation, about 7,000 of the ghetto inhabitants were sent to be gassed at the Treblinka extermination camp, thousands more died in the fighting, and the rest were sent to various Nazi concentration camps and forced labor camps. Zajanckauskas, who was born in Lithuania in 1915, immigrated to the United States from Austria in February 1950 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1956. Zajanckauskas' U.S. citizenship was revoked by a federal district court judge in Boston in 2005 on the basis that he had obtained his U.S. visa by falsely telling U.S. officials that he had been a farmer in Lithuania until 1944. The denaturalization and removal cases were investigated and prosecuted by the Criminal Division's Office of Special Investigations (OSI). "Vladas Zajanckauskas was an accomplice in Nazi mass murder," said OSI Director Eli M. Rosenbaum. "Had he told the truth after the war, he never would have been permitted to enter this country." The removal case was litigated by OSI trial attorneys William H. Kenety, Stephen Paskey and Edgar Chen, and it is a result of OSI's continuing efforts to identify, investigate and take legal action against participants in Nazi persecution who reside in the United States. Since OSI began operations in 1979, it has won cases against 105 individuals who participated in Nazi crimes of persecution. In addition, attempts by more than 175 individuals implicated in wartime Axis crimes to enter the United States have been thwarted as a result of OSI's "Watch List" program, which is enforced in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security. SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice, [phone], TDD: [phone]Copyright (C) 2007 PR Newswire. All rights reserved Copyright © 2007 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. Please

[John266]

U.S. to Expand
Domestic Use
Of Spy Satellites
By ROBERT BLOCK
August 15, 2007; Page A1

The U.S.'s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation's vast network of spy satellites in the U.S.

The decision, made three months ago by Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell, places for the first time some of the U.S.'s most powerful intelligence-gathering tools at the disposal of domestic security officials. The move was authorized in a May 25 memo sent to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking his department to facilitate access to the spy network on behalf of civilian agencies and law enforcement.

QUESTION OF THE DAY


• Vote: How well does the U.S. balance security and liberty?Until now, only a handful of federal civilian agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Geological Survey, have had access to the most basic spy-satellite imagery, and only for the purpose of scientific and environmental study.

According to officials, one of the department's first objectives will be to use the network to enhance border security, determine how best to secure critical infrastructure and help emergency responders after natural disasters. Sometime next year, officials will examine how the satellites can aid federal and local law-enforcement agencies, covering both criminal and civil law. The department is still working on determining how it will engage law enforcement officials and what kind of support it will give them.

Access to the high-tech surveillance tools would, for the first time, allow Homeland Security and law-enforcement officials to see real-time, high-resolution images and data, which would allow them, for example, to identify smuggler staging areas, a gang safehouse, or possibly even a building being used by would-be terrorists to manufacture chemical weapons.

Overseas -- the traditional realm of spy satellites -- the system was used to monitor tank movements during the Cold War. Today, it's used to monitor suspected terrorist hideouts, smuggling routes for weapons in Iraq, nuclear tests and the movement of nuclear materials, as well as to make detailed maps for U.S. soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Plans to provide DHS with significantly expanded access have been on the drawing board for over two years. The idea was first talked about as a possibility by the Central Intelligence Agency after 9/11 as a way to help better secure the country. "It is an idea whose time has arrived," says Charles Allen, the DHS's chief intelligence officer, who will be in charge of the new program. DHS officials say the program has been granted a budget by Congress and has the approval of the relevant committees in both chambers.

Wiretap Legislation

Coming on the back of legislation that upgraded the administration's ability to wiretap terrorist suspects without warrants, the development is likely to heat up debate about the balance between civil liberties and national security.


Access to the satellite surveillance will be controlled by a new Homeland Security branch -- the National Applications Office -- which will be up and running in October. Homeland Security officials say the new office will build on the efforts of its predecessor, the Civil Applications Committee. Under the direction of the Geological Survey, the Civil Applications Committee vets requests from civilian agencies wanting spy data for environmental or scientific study. The Geological Survey has been one of the biggest domestic users of spy-satellite information, to make topographic maps.

Unlike electronic eavesdropping, which is subject to legislative and some judicial control, this use of spy satellites is largely uncharted territory. Although the courts have permitted warrantless aerial searches of private property by law-enforcement aircraft, there are no cases involving the use of satellite technology.

In recent years, some military experts have questioned whether domestic use of such satellites would violate the Posse Comitatus Act. The act bars the military from engaging in law-enforcement activity inside the U.S., and the satellites were predominantly built for and owned by the Defense Department.

According to Pentagon officials, the government has in the past been able to supply information from spy satellites to federal law-enforcement agencies, but that was done on a case-by-case basis and only with special permission from the president.

Even the architects of the current move are unclear about the legal boundaries. A 2005 study commissioned by the U.S. intelligence community, which recommended granting access to the spy satellites for Homeland Security, noted: "There is little if any policy, guidance or procedures regarding the collection, exploitation and dissemination of domestic MASINT." MASINT stands for Measurement and Signatures Intelligence, a particular kind of information collected by spy satellites which would for the first time become available to civilian agencies.

According to defense experts, MASINT uses radar, lasers, infrared, electromagnetic data and other technologies to see through cloud cover, forest canopies and even concrete to create images or gather data.

Tracking Weapons

The spy satellites are considered by military experts to be more penetrating than civilian ones: They not only take color, as well as black-and-white photos, but can also use different parts of the light spectrum to track human activities, including, for example, traces left by chemical weapons or heat generated by people in a building.

Mr. Allen, the DHS intelligence chief, said the satellites have the ability to take a "multidimensional" look at ports and critical infrastructure from space to identify vulnerabilities. "There are certain technical abilities that will assist on land borders...to try to identify areas where narcotraficantes or alien smugglers may be moving dangerous people or materials," he said.

The full capabilities of these systems are unknown outside the intelligence community, because they are among the most closely held secrets in government.

Some civil-liberties activists worry that without proper oversight, only those inside the National Application Office will know what is being monitored from space.

"You are talking about enormous power," said Gregory Nojeim, senior counsel and director of the Project on Freedom, Security and Technology for the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit group advocating privacy rights in the digital age. "Not only is the surveillance they are contemplating intrusive and omnipresent, it's also invisible. And that's what makes this so dangerous."

Mr. Allen, the DHS intelligence chief, says the department is cognizant of the civil-rights and privacy concerns, which is why he plans to take time before providing law-enforcement agencies with access to the data. He says DHS will have a team of lawyers to review requests for access or use of the systems.

"This all has to be vetted through a legal process," he says. "We have to get this right because we don't want civil-rights and civil-liberties advocates to have concerns that this is being misused in ways which were not intended."

DHS's Mr. Allen says that while he can't talk about the program's capabilities in detail, there is a tendency to overestimate its powers. For instance, satellites in orbit are constantly moving and can't settle over an area for long periods of time. The platforms also don't show people in detail. "Contrary to what some people believe you cannot see if somebody needs a haircut from space," he says.

James Devine, a senior adviser to the director of the Geological Survey, who is chairman of the committee now overseeing satellite-access requests, said traditional users of the spy-satellite data in the scientific community are concerned that their needs will be marginalized in favor of security concerns. Mr. Devine said DHS has promised him that won't be the case, and also has promised to include a geological official on a new interagency executive oversight committee that will monitor the activities of the National Applications Office.

Mr. Devine says officials who vetted requests for the scientific community also are worried about the civil-liberties implications when DHS takes over the program. "We took very seriously our mission and made sure that there was no chance of inappropriate usage of the material," Mr. Devine says. He says he hopes oversight of the new DHS program will be "rigorous," but that he doesn't know what would happen in cases of complaints about misuse.

--Andy Pasztor contributed to this article.

Write to Robert Block at [e-mail]

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[joseywalestx]

here is a real threat to our country


http://www.bercasio.com/movies/dems-wmd-before-iraq.wmv

[John266]

Top Seismologist: Southern California Due For Major QuakeCoachella Valley Region is Long Overdue
LOCAL NEWS
August 10, 2007 - A top seismologist is warning that another major earthquake is in our future, a big one that could devastate Southern California, from the desert to the sea.

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Lucy Jones, of the U.S. Geological Survey says it's not a question of where but when a big quake will strike the Coachella Valley, sandwiched between the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults.

Jones says that region is long overdue, and the seismic clock is ticking.

Jones says a magnitude 7.8 quake or more could collapse major freeways, knock down buildings in Downtown L.A., kill thousands of people and cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damage.

Officials in the Coachella Valley say they're taking her warning very seriously.

Copyright © 2007 KABC-TV. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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[Zorro]

Maybe Congress will find some balls and stop it. But hey, why should are foreign policy ever make sense. LOL.

[John266]

BIG TROUBLE HERE BAD MISTAKE IN PROGRESS:

Defense Dept OKs Proposed $125 Million Missile Sale To TaiwanLast update: 8/8/2007 4:08:46 PMWASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Pentagon has signed off on a proposed $125 million missile sale to Taiwan, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Wednesday in a congressional notification announcement. Boeing Co. (BA) is the main contractor on the proposed deal. It includes 60 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles, along with guidance control kits and other related equipment. "The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region," the U.S. defense agency said. Taiwan generally requires trade offsets, but so far there are no offset agreements proposed in connection with this proposed sale, the defense agency said. Some countries use offsets to balance trade flows when making a major weapons purchase. The proposed weapons sale is not yet final. Congress has the power to block such deals, but rarely steps in. -By Rebecca Christie, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9243; [e-mail] (END) Dow Jones NewswiresAugust 08, 2007 16:08 ET (20:08 GMT)

[John266]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/08/new-al-qaeda-we.html

[John266]

Obama might send troops into Pakistan By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
Wed Aug 1, 8:22 AM ET



WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would possibly send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.

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The Illinois senator warned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that he must do more to shut down terrorist operations in his country and evict foreign fighters under an Obama presidency, or Pakistan will risk a U.S. troop invasion and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.

"Let me make this clear," Obama said in a speech prepared for delivery at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al-Qaida leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

The excerpts were provided by the Obama campaign in advance of the speech.

Obama's speech comes the week after his rivalry with New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton erupted into a public fight over their diplomatic intentions.

Obama said he would be willing to meet leaders of rogue states like Cuba, North Korea and Iran without conditions, an idea that Clinton criticized as irresponsible and naive. Obama responded by using the same words to describe Clinton's vote to authorize the Iraq war and called her "Bush-Cheney lite."

The speech was a condemnation of President Bush's leadership in the war on terror. He said the focus on Iraq has left Americans in more danger than before Sept. 11, 2001, and that Bush has misrepresented the enemy as Iraqis who are fighting a civil war instead of the terrorists responsible for the attacks six years ago.

"He confuses our mission," Obama said, then he spread responsibility to lawmakers like Clinton who voted for the invasion. "By refusing to end the war in Iraq, President Bush is giving the terrorists what they really want, and what the Congress voted to give them in 2002: a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences."

Obama said that as commander in chief he would remove troops from Iraq and putting them "on the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan." He said he would send at least two more brigades to Afghanistan and increase nonmilitary aid to the country by $1 billion.

He also said he would create a three-year, $5 billion program to share intelligence with allies worldwide to take out terrorist networks from Indonesia to Africa.

___

On the Net:

http://www.barackobama.com


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Attorneys still bankroll Edwards effort AP, 46 minutes ago Romney: Remake Homeland Security

[John266]

lol

[Greencake]

They're still mad we bought Alaska for a few million(7.2M) to be exact...ha ha...jokers

[John266]

Russia claims North Pole with Arctic flag stunt
By Matthew Moore
Last Updated: 2:08pm BST 01/08/2007



An audacious Russian mission to claim the North Pole for Moscow is due to reach its climax in the next 24 hours, after a week-long journey through thick ice-sheets.


The two Russian submarines are lowered into the Arctic Ocean
Two Russian vessels - including an atomic icebreaker - are expected to reach the Pole this afternoon.

There they will release two mini-submarines which will drop a metal tube containing a Russian flag onto the seabed. The release is likely to take place tonight or tomorrow morning, according to organisers.

The gesture, while symbolic, marks an escalation of the growing international dispute over who owns the Lomonosov Ridge, a 1,240 mile underwater mountain range that crosses the polar region. It is thought to contain rich oil and gas deposits.

Moscow believes the research mission will prove that the ridge is a geological extension of Russia, and can therefore can be claimed by Russia under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

advertisementDenmark believes that the ridge is in fact an extension of the Danish territory of Greenland.

The US and Canada are also anxious to defend their Arctic territory, with both planning billion-pound investments in new patrol ships.

More than 100 Russian scientists are on the Akademik Federov, the expedition's research vessel.

While on their dive the mini-submarines are due to collect specimens of Arctic flora and fauna, as well as researching the geography of the Lomonosov Ridge.

They will reach a depth of 14,000 feet before dropping the flag cannister.

The most difficult part of the mission, scientists say, will be getting them back to their point of departure to avoid them being trapped under the ice.


Map of disputed Arctic region : Click to enlarge
The expedition comes amid an outpouring of nationalist fervour after Russian scientists claimed in May that they had evidence to back up a long-held claim to nearly one million miles of the Arctic.

If upheld, Russia could have access to oil and gas deposits potentially worth more than £1 trillion.

In a speech on a nuclear ice-breaker earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin urged greater efforts to secure Russia's "strategic, economic, scientific and defence interests

[John266]

red alert action needed asap:

http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=21716491

[chunga1]

screw em

[John266]

China Warns US Not To Allow Official Visits By Taiwan GovtLast update: 7/31/2007 9:09:31 AMBEIJING (AP)--China warned the U.S. Tuesday against exchanges with political leaders from Taiwan after the U.S. House of Representatives recommended allowing visits by senior Taiwanese officials. China's Foreign Ministry called the resolution, which was passed by the House of Representatives on Monday, an "interference in China's internal affairs and extremely mistaken." "China strongly opposes this resolution and has already made representations with the U.S. side," a faxed ministry statement said. It urged the U.S. "not to have any official exchanges in any form" with Taiwan's leaders in order to maintain good Sino-U.S. relations and protect peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Washington is Taiwan's most important ally. Still, President George W. Bush's administration, eager to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, is wary of offending China, a growing economic and military power and a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. bars travel by senior Taiwan leaders to Washington and allows only transit stops in other U.S. cities. Frank Hsieh, Taiwan's ruling party presidential candidate, visited Washington last week. Should he be elected president, however, he could not return to the US. China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. Beijing views the self-ruled island as part of its own territory and opposes anything that might give Taiwan the trappings of sovereignty, even letting its leaders travel the globe freely. (END) Dow Jones NewswiresJuly 31, 2007 09:09 ET (13:09 GMT)

[John266]

are they testing our defenses?
AND WHY WASN'T HE SHOT?
Car Crashes at Nuclear Weapons Plant

Jul 30 11:49 AM US/Eastern



OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) - A driver ran a checkpoint at a nuclear weapons plant early Monday and crashed into a barrier, then fled on foot, authorities said.
Guards at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, a primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium, said the man "appeared to be impaired in some way" when they stopped him around 5 a.m. at a security checkpoint near a rear entrance, spokesman Bill Wilburn said.

They asked him for identification, but the man hit the gas and drove through the checkpoint, then crashed into security barriers a short distance away, Wilburn said.

"When he hit that, he jumped out of the car and ran away. He left the car there with the engine still running," Wilburn said. He said the guards told him the car had been hot-wired.

Wilburn said no weapons were in the car. "They checked the car very thoroughly before they moved it. They found nothing," he said.

Oak Ridge police were searching for the driver.

Steve Wyatt, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration in Oak Ridge, which oversees the Y-12 plant, downplayed the crash, saying it was "next to nothing." The plant makes and dismantles uranium parts in nuclear warheads.



Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[John266]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070727/NATION04/107270092/1008

[John266]

MySpace deletes 29,000 sex offenders
Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:14PM EDT
Email | Print | Digg | Reprints | Single Page [-] Text [+]
1 of 1Full SizeFeatured Broker sponsored link
Power. Price. Service. No Compromises.NEW YORK (Reuters) - Popular Internet social network MySpace said on Tuesday it detected and deleted 29,000 convicted sex offenders on its service, more than four times the figure it had initially reported.

The company, owned by media conglomerate News Corp, said in May it had deleted about 7,000 user profiles that belonged to convicted offenders. MySpace attracts about 60 million unique visitors monthly in the United States.

The new information was first revealed by U.S. state authorities after MySpace turned over information on convicted sex offenders it had removed from the service.

"The exploding epidemic of sex offender profiles on MySpace -- 29,000 and counting -- screams for action," Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a statement.

Blumenthal, who led a coalition of state authorities to lobby MySpace for more stringent safeguards for minors, and other state AGs have demanded the service begin verifying a user's age and require parental permission for minors.

The minimum age to register on MySpace is 14.

"We're pleased that we've successfully identified and removed registered sex offenders from our site and hope that other social networking sites follow our lead," MySpace Chief Security Officer Hemanshu Nigam said in a statement.

The service has come under attack over the past year after some of its young members fell prey to adult predators posing as minors. The families of several teenage girls sexually assaulted by MySpace members sued the service in January for failing to safeguard its young members.

Late last year, it struck a partnership with background verification company Sentinel Tech Holdings Corp. to co-develop the first U.S. national database of convicted sex offenders to make it easier to track offenders on the Internet.

Convicted sex offenders are required by law to register their contact information with local authorities. But the information has only been available on regional databases, making nationwide searches difficult.

As of May, there were about 600,000 registered sex offenders in the United States.

[John266]

General: Al-Qaida making new cells in US By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer
40 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - A top U.S. military commander said Tuesday he believes there are al-Qaida cells in the United States — or people working to create them — and the military needs to triple its response teams to counter a growing threat of attack.

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Air Force Gen. Victor "Gene" Renuart, who heads U.S. Northern Command, said that as the terrorism threat within the nation's boundaries has increased officials have strengthened intelligence sharing, particularly in an effort to shore up security at ports.

"I believe there are cells in the United States, or at least people who aspire to create cells in the United States," Renuart said in an interview with The Associated Press. "To assume that there are not those cells is naive and so we have to take that threat seriously."

As for attacks, he added: "Am I concerned that this will happen this summer? I have to be concerned that it could happen any day."

Other U.S. officials said last week they did not know of al-Qaida cells in the United States.

Renuart, who took over at U.S. Northern Command just four months ago, said the military has one brigade-size unit available to respond to nuclear, chemical and biological incidents at home. That number, he said, needs to grow to three. A brigade is about 3,500 troops.

Renuart's comments came in the wake of a national intelligence report released last week, which concluded that al-Qaida is using its growing strength in the Middle East to plot attacks on U.S. soil. The general is in Washington this week to attend meetings with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace, and a number of other top military commanders.

Port security has long been identified as a key weak point for terror attacks, including the need to scan cargo containers coming into the country by ship.

Renuart said officials are expanding their use of sensors and other technologies that allow them to track ships, including their location, their speed and other commercial information. And, while he would not provide details, he said there has already been "real payback" in terms of identifying vessels of concern and either checking or boarding them well before they entered U.S. waters.

In addition, he said he is increasing the number of Coast Guard personnel assigned to U.S. Northern Command to help during port security incidents or hurricanes. Currently there are 20 active duty personnel, and a new team of five reservists was created in April. Another five reservists are being added to that team by the end of the year.

"Because the national intelligence estimate talks about the vulnerability of ports, and because of the importance that we place on the movement of a variety of goods through those ports, finding ways to improve that is a really important element of our day-to-day work," Renuart said.

Improving communications between federal agencies and among emergency responders — including intelligence, homeland security and defense — has been an ongoing struggle. Officials identified significant communications failures during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and found that there were continuing problems during the hurricanes that devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005.

Renuart said he has been working to improve the interaction between his office and the other intelligence agencies to ensure that information on terror threats is shared. That way, he said, the military will better be able to anticipate how terrorists might try to take advantage of any gaps or weaknesses in the system.

At the same time, he said it will be at least two years before he is able to pull together the military units he needs to better respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear disaster in the U.S.

The units, he said, could include active duty, reserves or National Guard troops. And while portions of the brigades will be located in different states, they will be expected to train together and to be able to respond quickly to a disaster.

They would largely be made up of support forces, such as evacuation, medical, logistics and transportation troops. The Pentagon has been working since last year to identify units to be part of the brigade-size response teams.

Overall, Renuart said that as the terror threat has increased, the nation's ability to detect problems has also improved.

The intelligence report, he said, is a "summary of drumbeats, and the drumbeats are getting more prevalent out there. You cannot afford to ignore that." But, he said, a few years ago the nation was not as able to hear and interpret those drumbeats.

___

On the Net:

U.S. Northern Command: http://www.northcom.mil/

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[John266]

US Alerts Airport Security Officers To Dry Runs by TerroristsLast update: 7/24/2007 9:53:09 PMWASHINGTON (AP)--Airport security officers around the nation have been alerted by federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft, based on four curious seizures at airports since last September. The unclassified alert was distributed on July 20 by the Transportation Security Administration to federal air marshals, its own transportation security officers and other law enforcement agencies. The seizures at airports in San Diego, Milwaukee, Houston and Baltimore included "wires, switches, pipes or tubes, cell phone components and dense clay-like substances," including block cheese, the bulletin said. "The unusual nature and increase in number of these improvised items raise concern." Security officers were urged to keep an eye out for "ordinary items that look like improved explosive device components." The 13-paragraph bulletin was posted on the Internet by NBC Nightly News, which first reported the story. A federal official familiar with the document confirmed the authenticity of the NBC posting but declined to be identified by name because it has not been officially released. "There is no credible, specific threat here," TSA spokeswoman Ellen Howe said Tuesday. "Don't panic. We do these things all the time." Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke described the notice as the latest copy of a routine informational bulletin with TSA workers, airport employees and law enforcement officials. A statement posted late Tuesday by the TSA on its Web site confirmed that "a routine TSA intelligence bulletin relating to suspicious incidents at U.S. airports" had leaked to news organizations. The statement added, "During the past six months TSA has produced more than 90 unclassified bulletins of this nature on a wide variety of security-related subjects." The bulletin said the a joint FBI-Homeland Security Department assessment found that terrorists have conducted probes, dry runs and dress rehearsals in advance of previous attacks. It cited various types of rehearsals conducted by terrorists before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon; the July 7, 2005, London subway bombings; the Aug. 2, 2006, London-based plot to blow up trans-Atlantic flights using liquid explosives and the 1994 Bojinka plot in the Philippines to blow up multiple airliners over the Pacific Ocean. The bulletin said the passengers carrying the suspicious items seized since September included men and women and that initial investigation had not linked them with criminal or terrorist organizations. But it added that most of their explanations for carrying the items were suspicious and some were still under investigation. The four seizures were described this way: - San Diego, July 7. A U.S. person - either a citizen or a foreigner legally here - checked baggage containing two ice packs covered in duct tape. The ice packs had clay inside them rather than the normal blue gel. - Milwaukee, June 4. A U.S. person's carryon baggage contained wire coil wrapped around a possible initiator, an electrical switch, batteries, three tubes and two blocks of cheese. The bulletin said block cheese has a consistency similar to some explosives. - Houston, Nov. 8, 2006. A U.S. person's checked baggage contained a plastic bag with a 9-volt battery, wires, a block of brown clay-like minerals and pipes. - Baltimore, Sept. 16, 2006. A couple's checked baggage contained a plastic bag with a block of processed cheese taped to another plastic bag holding a cellular phone charger. On the Net: