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Stars Express Support For Military Commissions, Support Reversing Holder’s Decision NEW YORK, DECEMBER 5, 2009 — Today, some of America’s most gifted actors and entertainers have signed a statement expressing outrage over Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four 9/11 co-conspirators in a civilian court in New York City... (See which stars have the courage to stand up in our nation's defense and read their statement after the jump.)

East meets West – Pakistan‘s Fighter Aircraft US-built fighter aircraft operating next to Chinese combat jets 08:02 GMT, December 8, 2009 defpro.com | Not many modern armed forces unite in their inventory, and particularly among their key assets, technology from two – in political terms – entirely opposite origins. It is more common in the countries of the former Soviet bloc where, since the fall of the iron curtain, Western technology slowly but ever increasingly found its way into countries primarily equipped with Russian weapon systems. In the past two decades the Middle East and southern countries of the Asian...

New Delhi: A US nuclear trade mission of around 50 companies, currently doing the rounds in the Indian capital and dropping loud hints of sourcing nuclear engineering products from India, may be feeling the New Delhi chill a bit more harsher than others. With NPT zealots in the Obama administration ensuring that the 123 Agreement takes its time to materialise, New Delhi may have atlast decided to shed some of its forced cordiality to all things American and not rollout the red carpet. Ostensibly, the delegation has made the trip to try and understand the ''policy challenges'' that stand between...

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Vatican Paper Urges Obama to Remember War on Life Notes Reservations on Criteria for Peace Prize Selection VATICAN CITY, OCT. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Upon accepting the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, U.S. President Barack Obama should remember not only the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also the war being waged against the unborn, according to an article in L'Osservatore Romano. The semi-official Vatican newspaper published an article in Sunday's Italian edition that responded to Obama's peace prize win. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the news Friday, saying it recognized the president's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between...

Sen. Kerry Will Travel to Copenhagen Global Warming Summit by Commercial Airliner Thursday, December 10, 2009 By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer (CNSNews.com) – Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) will travel to the United Nations global warming conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on a commercial airliner, a senior Kerry aide told CNSNews.com. “The senator expects to travel commercially as he has to past climate conferences,” the aide said, adding that the details of Kerry’s travel arrangement were contingent opon the Senate’s schedule. Published reports have indicated that many public officials have been arriving at the Copenhagen in private jets, meaning they are...

A visit to North Korea by U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth ended in failure Thursday to convince the North to return to multilateral nuclear disarmament talks. "We identified some common understandings on the need for and the role of the six-party talks and the importance of the implementation of the 2005 Joint Statement," Bosworth told reporters. "It remains to be seen when and how [North Korea] will return to the six-party talks." He added, "This is something that requires further consultations among all six of us." But Bosworth claimed he had "very useful" meetings with senior North Korean officials. Further bilateral...

Liberation: Iranians desperate for freedom are risking their lives in street protests against the evil regime that controls their country. And as before, American support is conspicuously — and inexcusably — absent. Weary of living under the boot of a government ruled by Islamic extremists who rigged the presidential election in favor of their candidate, Iranians poured into the streets in June. Tehran responded by shutting down universities, blocking cell-phone calls and text messages, cutting off access to some Web sites, banning marches and arresting thousands. The anti-government protesters merely taken into custody were the lucky ones. The response from...

Washington (CNN) – A leading Republican strategist and one-time aide to former Vice President Cheney said Sunday that President Obama’s recently announced decision to send an additional 30, 000 troops to Afghanistan is “a reassertion of the Bush doctrine.” “The [Bush] doctrine is no safe havens [for terrorists intent on harming the United States] and we go after those that provide a harbor [for such terrorists]. That’s the doctrine,” Republican strategist Mary Matalin explained Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. Obama’s decision to surge additional troops into Afghanistan is “solid policy,’ in Matalin’s view and “a reassertion of the...

Record Level of British Population Is Foreign-Born More than one in 10 people living in Britain today were born abroad, a record level, new figures show. By Tom Whitehead 08 Dec 2009 The proportion of the population who are foreign-born has almost doubled in the past two decades to 11 per cent, or 6.7million people. Record numbers leaving UK but half a million migrants still arriving each year One in four of population will be over 65 by 2033 One in nine British residents was born overseas Britain now home to more pensioners than children for first timeAt the same...

PEACE activists have carried mock coffins through New York to protest against President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. About 50 demonstrators walked from outside the United Nations to the military recruiting office on Times Square in central Manhattan. Walking to a slow drumbeat, they carried black cardboard coffins, the first of which was draped in the US flag. "Barack Obama does not deserve the Nobel Peace Prize, especially after his recent announcement that he will escalate the war in Afghanistan," said Will Travers, 30, who helped carry one of the coffins.

US intelligence officials are concerned that Syria is becoming an al Qaeda haven, as the terror group becomes increasingly intertwined with Ba’athist groups operating from Iraq's neighbor to the west. Al Qaeda has refocused its efforts to build an infrastructure in eastern Syria after its network in Iraq was decimated by Iraqi and US security forces from 2007 to 2009, and now the organization is partnering with former Ba’athists from Saddam Hussein’s regime. "A major concern is that eastern Syria will begin to look like northwestern Pakistan," where al Qaeda has joined forces with the Taliban and directs attacks to...

12/10/2009 - KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- The Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team is on a nine-month tour assisting the Afghan government in bringing about stability through governance, reconstruction and development. Although the Zabul PRT has been in country for several years has completed approximately 40 projects this year and is scheduled for more than 30 more. In the end, approximately 350,000 Afghans and their future generations will reap the benefits of the Zabul PRT's labor. The Zabul PRT, a diverse organization with joint, interagency and international components, is one of the principle counter-insurgency units in the region part of a...

It was one of the lowest moments in 2009 for American celebrity. Taylor Swift was accepting her MTV Music Video Award for best female artist, but Kanye West thought he knew better. He leapt on stage, nicked the microphone, and offered this crude interruption: “Taylor, I’m really happy for you, and I’mma let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.” Beyoncé looked on, smiling at first, then – as his rant continued – with increasing alarm. It became an internet phenomenon. The words “I’mma let you finish” were plastered onto image after image online,...

A mysterious blue spiral light that appeared in the skies above Norway was likely the result of a failed test launch of a jinxed new Russian missile, the UK’s Mail Online reported. Several newspapers in Moscow today ran a story explaining that the Bulava missile was test-fired from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea early on Wednesday but failed at the third stage. However, earlier reports from Moscow denied a missile launch yesterday and even early today there was no formal confirmation from the Russian Defense Ministry. Some speculators felt the lights were connected with the aurora borealis,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – President Barack Obama’s decision to send in an additional 30,000 U.S. troops and further contributions from NATO allies will give the commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan “all the forces he needs in 2010 to reverse the momentum of a growing and increasingly lethal insurgency,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. At a Pentagon news conference, Mullen said 2009 has been the third year of significant security deterioration in Afghanistan, noting that levels of violence this year are up 60 percent from 2008. “Certainly from that standpoint, we’re...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – As the U.S. military answers President Barack Obama’s order to reinforce efforts in Afghanistan, the Army and Marine Corps are adjusting their plans to redeploy working and serviceable equipment, top military officers told Congress today. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, and Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, testified on their services’ “reset” requirements before subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee. The proceedings were a continuation of a July hearing that was interrupted because of a prolonged series of House votes. The initial hearing focused on Iraq...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 10, 2009 – Three weeks before Multinational Corps Iraq cases its colors and rolls into the new U.S. Forces Iraq organization, its commander said plenty of operational activity still is under way in partnership with Iraqi security forces and on track with the U.S. drawdown timetable. The mission here continues in support of the strategy of turning the security lead over to increasingly capable Iraqi security forces, Army Lt. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby told reporters traveling with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. U.S. forces in Iraq are “fully engaged,” supporting that mission in two primary ways, Jacoby said...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – The commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan today wrapped up a round of hearings on Capitol Hill regarding the new U.S. approach to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The themes Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal touched on in appearances before members of both chambers of Congress this week were consistent: he embraced the plan that sends 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and sets a flexible date for beginning a withdrawal, and expressed measured optimism in its potential to reverse insurgents’ momentum. “The president's decision rapidly resources our strategy, recognizing that the next 18 months will...

During a Sept. 23 test, an AIM-9X fired from a U.S. Air Force F-16C fighter sank a rapidly moving target boat in the Gulf of Mexico. Raytheon thus demonstrated the capability to employ the AIM-9X Sidewinder advanced infrared-guided air-to-air missile to attack surface targets. "With a software upgrade, AIM-9X retains its air-to-air capabilities and gains an air-to-surface capability," said Harry Schulte, Raytheon Missile Systems vice president of Air Warfare Systems. "AIM-9X now has the potential to take on an additional mission at a very affordable cost." The test marks the third time an AIM-9X engaged moving surface targets. In April...

Earlier today, Pres. Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in a ceremony in Oslo. Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton tells NRO that President Obama’s address in the Norwegian capital was “pedestrian, turgid, and uninspired.” “It followed the standard international leftist line,” says Bolton. “He played to the crowd and filled the speech with clichés from the American and international left by saying ‘America cannot act alone’ and that he ‘prohibited torture.’ The speech was also typical of Obama in its self-centeredness and ‘something for everybody’ approach.” “It was so diffuse that though I wouldn’t...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 10, 2009 – The recent spate of violence that has rocked the Iraqi capital dominated Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ talks here today with President Jalal Talabani and Iraq’s Presidency Council, all pledging to continue working cooperatively to combat it. The violence also forced Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who was summoned by the Iraqi Council of Representatives as it addressed the crisis, to postpone his scheduled meeting with Gates, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters traveling here with Gates. At issue are a series of high-profile attacks targeting Iraqi state institutions that have left some 400...

An organization representing the grandest ambitions of climate scientists wants Western nations to spend at least $2.1 billion a year for the next five years — and as much as $60 billion overall during that period — to glean huge troves of still undiscovered climate information from the world's land, air and seas. The information system aims to measure literally everything environmental, from the full amount of plant leaf material in the world's ecosystems to the differences in saltiness throughout the world's oceans to the discharge from every one of the world's major rivers, to the monitoring of water vapor...

Dear Supporters, Last Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets of New York City to protest Attorney General Eric Holder's outrageous plan to transfer 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other admitted war criminals to the United States for trial in a civilian court in New York City. The protest sent a clear message to the politicians in Washington: the terrorists who targeted innocent men, women and children and who were captured by our military on a foreign battlefield should not have the same rights and legal protections as American citizens. We will fight them all the way!watch...

The US has conducted the first unmanned airstrike in the lawless tribal agency of South Waziristan since the Pakistani Army launched an offensive there in mid-October. The strike, carried out by unmanned Predator or Reaper attack aircraft, hit a Taliban "hideout" in Tanga in the Ladha region in South Waziristan. Ladha is one of several Taliban strongholds that were the target of the Pakistani Army's offensive against the Mehsud branch of the Taliban in South Waziristan. Four al Qaeda operatives and two Taliban fighters were killed in the attack, according to reports from the region. "Eyewitnesses said the toll could...

What is an Islamist foreign policy, exactly? Is it identifying with Muslims and their suffering, or is it identifying with anti-Western regimes even at the cost of Muslims' best interests? Turkey's foreign policy under the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government demonstrates that far from protecting Muslims and their interests, it is the promotion of à la carte morals – bashing the West and supporting anti-Western regimes, even when the latter hurts Muslims. Since coming to power in 2002, the AKP has dramatically changed Turkey's foreign policy. The party has let Ankara's ties with pro-Western Azerbaijan, Georgia and Israel...

New Evidence Shows Poland’s Ex-Dictator Jaruzelski Guilty Of High Treason By Marcin Sobczyk What should a democratic state do with an ex-dictator, the leader of a military junta, who, due to a shady political deal with dissidents, has gone unharmed for twenty years after the collapse of his regime, and suddenly a document gets revealed providing hard evidence that the dictator committed treason? This question has stopped being theoretical and begs an answer in Poland, whose ex-dictator Wojciech Jaruzelski, in the light of an archive document, appears to have begged the Soviet Union to occupy his nation to save his...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – It is necessary and right that Iraqi soldiers and police assume security responsibilities for their people, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq said in New York City yesterday. Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno was in Manhattan to attend the USO’s 48th Annual Armed Forces Gala and Gold Medal Dinner, where he was interviewed by “Fox and Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade. Kilmeade asked Odierno if it was too soon to transfer security responsibilities to Iraqi soldiers and police, given a recent spate of insurgent violence that has roiled Iraq. “It’s tough always to see these Iraqi...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – Among the many factors White House and Pentagon officials say will drive success in Afghanistan, developing a credible government there may be the most challenging, the commander of U.S. and international forces there said yesterday. For sustained progress in Afghanistan, the country’s government must be seen as credible and legitimate among its people, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal said in an interview with National Public Radio. The general compared the fight in Afghanistan to a political campaign. “All insurgencies and counterinsurgencies struggle for the support of the people,” he said. “It’s really winning credibility and...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – The increase of troops into the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility also is increasing the nontraditional roles filled by airmen in combat, a product of the Air Force's "all in" philosophy. Air Force Capt. Maureen Wood, right, stands with fellow legal officer Air Force Capt. Jaime Espinosa prior to a mission in Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Air Force Capt. Maureen Wood, a legal officer deployed with Multinational Force Iraq’s Joint Task Force 134, recently found herself in one of those situations that was anything but "traditional." She...

The deliberate setup for the White House power grab is built into the each of the health care bills and, if they fail, little-known twin bills called “MedPAC Reform of 2009” are waiting in the wings. The bills, S.B. 1110 and H.R. 2718, craftily amend the Social Security Act and transfer the Medicare guideline and rule setting processes, from the legislative branch to the executive branch. These bills offer cover to one another in case one doesn’t pass the House or Senate, respectively. Remember, Democrats need to gain executive branch authority by amending the Social Security Act over Medicare regulations...

CAMP BUCCA, Iraq, Dec. 10, 2009 – From the air, the basic outline of Camp Bucca appears as most military forward operating bases in Iraq, except for nine fluttering white flags affixed to poles jutting from the ground. Army Sgt. Marcus Jemison tees off on the 570-yard fifth hole at Camp Bucca, Iraq. The golf course allows servicemembers a chance to relax between missions. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. David Bennett   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The flags aren’t tokens of surrender, but they often elicit cries of frustration from soldiers who have thrown their best at...

Police conducted a search operation in Tehsil Bhalwal, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Kotmomen and Shahpur and arrested 64 persons, including five foreigners, from hotels and other places.The police said most of the arrested persons belonged to Afghanistan. Our correspondent adds from Washington: The arrest of US-born Pakistanis of banned militant organisation Jaish-e-Muhammad in Sargodha has apparently solved the case of mysterious missing of at least three Pakistani-American students from the DC metro area.Earlier, it was reported here that the US federal investigators were searching for a Howard University dental student and four other Muslim men reportedly missing from the Washington, DC area....

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – The military component that coordinates the forces that fight America’s wars has allocated almost all of the troops that will take part in the Afghanistan surge. U.S. Joint Forces Command, a support beam in the Defense Department’s policymaking structure, is formulating plans to carry out the influx of 30,000 U.S. forces that President Barack Obama has ordered into Afghanistan over roughly the next six months. “We know the magnitude of the efforts,” said Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Yates, director of operations, plans, logistics and engineering at Joint Forces Command, said yesterday. “We are getting...

Americans take many things for granted: our high standard of living, our low infant mortality rate and our democratic government, to name a few. Witnessing firsthand the 2009 Honduran presidential election reminded me of all these things. I am particularly struck by how fragile democracy truly is. Despite fears of violence, unrest and calls to boycott the election, Hondurans came to the polls in droves. They elected Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo as their next president. We may be tempted to dismiss that news. Elections happen all the time, right? But we should all extend our deepest congratulations to the good people...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 10, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived here today to meet with Iraqi and U.S. military leaders about continuing progress toward building Iraqi security forces and drawing down the U.S. force presence here to 50,000 by late August. The visit, Gates’ first since July, comes as the Iraqis have resolved election law issues and set a March 7 date for national elections, and amid a rash of violence that a senior defense official called an act of desperation by the greatly weakened al-Qaida remnants here. During Gates’ sessions with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, President Jalal...

It sounds like something from a James Bond movie: a massive satellite, the largest ever launched, equipped with a powerful laser to take out the American anti-missile shield in advance of a Soviet first strike. It was real, though—or at least the plan was. In fact, when Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev walked out of the October 1986 summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, because President Ronald Reagan wouldn't abandon his Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI, the Soviets were closer to fielding a space-based weapon than the United States was. Less than a year later, as the world continued to criticize Reagan for...

KABUL, Dec. 10, 2009 – Senior Afghan military and national police leaders gathered today at Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ departure to thank him for his support for President Barack Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan and a strong military team to support it. The leaders, along with Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of the new International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, were waiting for the weather to clear so they could fly to Kandahar. There, they planned to discuss details about where the incoming U.S. troops will go and what resources they will need. Gates’ arrival at Kabul...

US President Barack Obama has confronted the paradox of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize while serving as a war president. Accepting the speech in the Norwegian capital Oslo overnight, Mr Obama said war is sometimes needed to pursue security and peace and that violent conflicts will not end in our lifetime. He told his audience that he was obligated to protect and defend the United States and that the use of force was sometimes not only necessary, but morally justified. Mr Obama also tackled head-on the critics who say that he has been prematurely awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. "I...

* Medvedev offers to help Afghan economy, military, police * Russia allows transit of military cargoes to Afghanistan (Adds quotes, background) ROME, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Russia is willing to do its part to help the United States and Europe achieve peace in Afghanistan, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. "We are obliged to help in Afghanistan ... what the armies of the United States and Europe are doing (in Afghanistan) is peacekeeping. This is very important because a threat for all Europe came from Afghanistan," Medvedev said. Speaking at a news conference in Rome after meeting Italian Prime...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama has a higher approval rating among Israelis than is widely believed, undercutting arguments he has lost Israeli public support for new peace efforts, a poll said on Thursday. The poll by the Washington-based New America Foundation found that 41 percent of Israelis had a favorable rating of Obama against 37 percent who rated him unfavorably. Despite this, 55 percent of Israelis polled said they thought Obama did not support Israel against 42 percent who said he did -- a reflection of the "complexity of views" about the U.S. leader as he presses both...

Russia is negotiating a second weapons deal with Israel, purchasing unmanned spy planes valued at around $100 million, an Israeli defense source says. The new deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) would be worth about twice the size of an initial $50 million sale announced in April. "The Russians are going for a triple upgrade of their fleet and its capabilities," an unnamed Israeli source told Reuters on Monday. He added that the pact would also feature improved surveillance equipment on drones. IAI declined to comment. The war between Russia and Georgia in August 2008 has served to bring Israel's...

Newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Russian Land Forces, Lieutenant-General Sergey Skokov, recently made a statement that caused a major sensation across the Russian Federation. Speaking about possible conflicts that Russia may face in the future, he outlined three distinct scenarios: fighting in the "western, southern" and eastern" directions...

The revelation of the CRU's climate data manipulation, which led to ClimateGate, has presented a window of opportunity to express skepticism and mounting doubt regarding climate change/AGW. A group gathered in Copenhagen has done just that: ".. . more than 50 scientists, businessmen and lobby groups met to discuss the arguments against man made global warming. [...] Professor Henrik Svensmark, a physicist at the Danish National Space Center in Copenhagen, said the recent warming period was caused by solar activity. He said the last time the world experienced such high temperatures, during the medieval warming period, the Sun and the...

Israel has become a major exporter of military equipment to India. And that includes advice, as well as hardware. Recently, for example, Indian Air Force commanders have been asking Israeli advice on the Indian effort to select a supplier for over a hundred high end jet fighters. Israeli Air Force officials have recommended the U.S. F-16. In this case, the Israelis practice what they preach, currently having over 300 F-16s in service. Israeli firms also manufactures a lot of add-on gear for F-16s (and similar fighters). India has been leaning towards the Swedish Gripen, but the Israelis point out that...

HAVANA — Suspected drug smugglers used spikes to deflate the tires of a U.S. Border Patrol unit during a pursuit Tuesday night — at least the second incident in which area authorities have discovered the devices in a week. Border Patrol would not confirm whether the spikes deflated the tires of an agency vehicle Tuesday night, but court documents reveal agents also found the homemade devices after an agent fired gunshots during a confrontation last week. Meanwhile, authorities are concerned the spikes could cause further incidents on Rio Grande Valley roadways. The spikes, or caltrops, consist of several metal points...

A year is too long to spend at a crime scene with people shooting at you. Attorney General Eric Holder made an "unannounced" visit with Assistant U.S. Attorneys in Manhattan yesterday about the planned prosecution there of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four additional 9/11 conspirators. Also yesterday, NBC New York spot polling indicated that 82% became furious when word leaked "a federal grand jury in New York is [secretly] now hearing evidence and testimony" as prosecutors seek a federal indictment of the five. Perhaps coincidentally, one 9/11 family member's commentary appeared and offered, "In four years, America can hold Obama...

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduras' coup-installed government says ousted leader Manuel Zelaya is free to leave the country, but there's a catch: Zelaya can't go as president, and he says he won't go as anything else. And so he remained holed up Thursday in the Brazilian Embassy, where he has been staying since he slipped back into the country three months ago. If he sets foot outside the building, the leaders who ousted him have vowed to arrest him on charges of treason and abuse of power. They appeared to be softening their stance on Wednesday when they initially responded positively...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama had a golden opportunity to become a peacemaker compared to his hawkish predecessor. But he has let that opening evaporate by escalating the war in Afghanistan. Now he is called a "war president" -- a dubious title that former President George W. Bush personally embraced after starting two devastating wars, one in Afghanistan, the other in Iraq. In both cases, the U.S. is touting its exit plans. In Iraq, Obama has declared a victory and plans to pull out many troops next year, though leaving thousands behind to secure the Baghdad government. In Afghanistan, Obama...