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Note: The following text is a quote: Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMonday, November 23, 2009 Arrests Made in Case Involving Conspiracy to Procure Weapons, Including Anti-Aircraft Missiles Arrests were made today in a case involving a conspiracy to procure weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles. A criminal complaint, unsealed today, charged Dani Nemr Tarraf with conspiring to acquire anti-aircraft missiles (FIM-92 Stingers) and conspiring to possess machine guns (approximately 10,000 Colt M4 Carbines). In addition, Tarraf and other defendants — including Douri Nemr Tarraf, Hassan Mohamad Komeiha, and Hussein Ali Asfour — were charged with conspiring to...

LANSING , Mich., A Michigan lawmaker is requesting a hearing for a bill that would give the state an official tartan, or Scottish-inspired plaid pattern. State Rep. Richard LeBlanc, D-Westland, who introduced an identical tartan bill that failed to gain steam in 2007, said he supports a tartan made by Scottish weaver Kati Meek, 69, of Alpena, Mich., the Detroit Free Press reported Monday. Meek said the tartan includes colors representative of Michigan's forests, lakes, beaches , cherries and snow. "I used Michigan's natural colors. There's some pretty gross tartans, and this I think is one of the more attractive...

Washington (CNN) -- Nearly two years into the recession, opinion about which political party is responsible for the severe economic downturn is shifting, according to a new national poll. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Friday morning indicates that 38 percent of the public blames Republicans for the country's current economic problems. In May, 53 percent blamed the GOP. According to the poll, 27 percent now blame the Democrats for the recession, up 6 points from May, and 27 percent now say both parties are responsible. "The bad news for the Democrats is that the number of Americans who hold...

Ann Arbor, Michigan POLL: Should guns be allowed on campus?

The abandoned corpses, in white body bags with number tags tied to each toe, lie one above the other on steel racks inside a giant freezer in Detroit’s central mortuary, like discarded shoes in the back of a wardrobe. Some have lain here for years, but in recent months the number of unclaimed bodies has reached a record high. For in this city that once symbolised the American Dream many cannot even afford to bury their dead. “I have not seen this many unclaimed bodies in 13 years on the job,” said Albert Samuels, chief investigator at the mortuary. “It...

There may be additional e-mails that could have tipped off law enforcement or military officials to the Fort Hood shooter before he went on his deadly rampage, the chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee said Friday. The U.S. government intercepted at least 18 e-mails between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical American-born cleric. They were passed along to two Joint Terrorism Task Force cells led by the FBI, but a senior defense official said no one at the Defense Department knew about the messages until after the shootings. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss...

In a fast-paced world, life can sometimes be daunting. Fortunately, the state of Michigan has online advice for almost every aspect of life, from shopping to gardening, eating to driving. Sure, some of it may be painfully obvious, nitpicky or bizarre, but just remember: The state knows what's best for you.

They had been waiting for more than 24 hours, camped out on the pavements in a frigid Michigan chill. Stepping off her bus, in four-inch heels, black skirt and red blazer, came their heroine — clutching baby Trig. A roar went up, acclaiming the woman who they passionately believe is going to save America. “Alaska and Michigan have so much in common — the huntin’, the fishin’ and the hockey mums!” she declared to chants of “Sarah! Sarah!” and “USA! USA!” She went on to pay homage to “just the hardworking patriotic Americans who are here”. It was like 2008...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Hundreds of Sarah Palin fans lined up Wednesday at a Michigan book store to get the chance to meet the former Alaska governor as she kicked off a national tour for her book "Going Rogue." Some supporters camped out overnight to be among the first to get wristbands from the Barnes and Noble bookstore at Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids. Those with the orange bands will get the opportunity to have the former 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate sign their copies of the book at the three-hour signing event Wednesday evening. The memoir was released Tuesday...

Palin launches "Going Rogue" tour in West Michigan Updated: Wednesday, 18 Nov 2009, 10:17 AM EST Published : Wednesday, 18 Nov 2009, 5:52 AM EST KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) - Crowds lined up outside Woodland Mall in Kentwood early Wednesday morning to get wristbands for former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's evening appearance at Barnes & Noble. Palin sign copies of her book "Going Rogue" between 6 and 9 p.m. at the store, 3195 28th St. SE. Barnes & Noble will hand out first-come, first-serve wristbands beginning at 7 a.m. Only one wristband will be given per person. The wristbands will...

Folks, Post here if you are going, know someone who is going, have reports on the size of the crowds, or interaction with Gov. Palin. WWJ Radio Detroit this morning @ 5:00am noted people were already getting their wrist bands that early for the book signing in the evening.

DETROIT – Chevrolet affirms its commitment to fuel solutions and building refined, eco-friendly vehicles with the debut of the U.S. production version of the Cruze sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show, on Dec. 2. The Cruze, along with the much-anticipated Volt electric vehicle, will give visitors to the L.A. show a close-up view of Chevrolet’s expanding lineup of gas-friendly to gas-free products. “With expected highway fuel economy up to 40 miles per gallon, Cruze will be extremely gas friendly while the Volt electric vehicle can be operated gas-free," said Brent Dewar, vice president, Chevrolet. “Chevrolet's focus is on forward-looking...

In a surprise move, the head of GMAC Financial Services -- the giant, taxpayer-supported auto lender -- was ousted Monday. The forced resignation of Alvaro de Molina after only 19 months as chief executive caps a series of clashes with regulators and mounting board frustration over his turnaround plans for the Detroit company. GMAC has received $12.5 billion in taxpayer money since December 2008 in two installments, giving the U.S. government a 35.4% stake and growing power over the firm's trajectory. Government officials said they made no suggestion to GMAC's board to dump Mr. de Molina. "That was 100% GMAC's...

Two women trying to avoid arrest after allegedly stealing goods from a local Wal-Mart store head-butted, urinated on and drove off with a security guard. ...security guard attempted to stop the women from getting away with $45 in stolen merchandise. Marilyn Cole, 35,...was arraigned Tuesday. Cole was on parole for bank robbery at the time. Cole was released from prison April 3. ...she was ordered not to have any contact with Wal-Mart stores, the victim or the co-defendant, Rashieka Lariena Stewart. Stewart, 23...was arraigned Tuesday on one count of unarmed robbery The two women were stopped inside the Wal-Mart on...

Axelrod Signals Obama Will Try to Strip Abortion Language From Health Care Bill by FOXNews.com The amendment, authored by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., went beyond preventing the proposed government-run plan from covering abortion to restrict federal subsidies from going toward private plans that offer abortion coverage. David Axelrod says the amendment changes the 'status quo,' something the president cannot abide. White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod suggested Sunday that President Obama will intervene to make sure a controversial amendment restricting federal funding for abortion coverage is stripped from final health care reform legislation.

Um, you've got the wrong state, Boss. Legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen made an onstage geography goof Friday when he bellowed "Hello, Ohio!" to adoring fans at the Auburn Hills Palace -- in Michigan. The "Born in the USA" crooner referred to the neighboring state several times before trusty E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt whispered their actual location into his ear.

Detroit (WWJ) -- A Detroit federal judge has sentenced a Detroit businesman and corruption figure to the maximum five years in jail for conspiracy to commit bribery. Rayford Jackson arranged the bribes for now-former city councilwoman Monica Conyers

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. says it plans to sell a new police cruiser vehicle to replace the Crown Victoria once the sedan is phased out of production in 2011.

A lively three-way Republican primary is taking shape in Michigan, where attorney Brian Rooney, who made his candidacy official on Thursday, is running against former Rep. Tim Walberg and rancher-real estate investor Marvin Carlson. The winner of the GOP primary will face Rep. Mark Schauer next November. The prospect of taking on Democrat Schauer is pretty inviting to Republicans in the 7th District, which includes the cities of Battle Creek and Jackson. Another GOP prospect has been considering getting in the race, too -- Bill Martin, CEO of the Michigan Association of Realtors. However, sources on the ground say Martin...

A short video of sets and action from the upcoming Red Dawn remake being filmed in and around Detroit. These shots are from the filming in Pontiac, MI. NSFW WARNING: The background music contains some vulgar language and may not be safe for work or around younger children. Viewers with concerns should mute the sound before playing the video. Note: I am not affiliated in any way with Contrafilm, MGM, or anyone else involved in the production or marketing of this film.

Attorney General Eric Holder has agreed to give a keynote speech later this month to a Michigan group which includes the local branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations even though the FBI has formally severed contacts with the controversial Muslim civil rights organization. On Nov. 19, Holder is scheduled to speak in Detroit to the first annual awards banquet of Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust, a coalition of several dozen law enforcement and community groups. An online registration form for the event includes the Council on American Islamic Relations-Michigan on a list of “official & participating...

On October 30, Brian Rooney, an attorney for the Thomas More Law Center, filed his papers to run for Michigan's 7th Congressional Seat. Rooney had initially put aside his political plans when his son Blaise was born with a congenital heart defect in February, but the fight to save his son's life in the midst of the national health-care debate convinced him to enter the race. Rooney, a Republican, will face serious opposition in the GOP primary from former one-term Rep. Tim Walberg, who lost the seat in 2008 to Democrat Mark Schauer. Rooney, ardently pro-life and pro-family, faces...

Just like a slap to reality, a Detroit Imam was shot by the FBI in Dearborn. Luqman Ameen Raids Michigan-MediaAbdullah was “‘advocating and encouraging his followers to commit violent acts against the United States,’ FBI agent Gary Leone said in an affidavit…” The leader of the radical U.S. Sunni Muslim group has members that are, “mostly are black and some converted to Islam while in prisons across the United States.” Abdullah’s son was arrested in Canada. Gordon Cullulu, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, who spoke at a town hall in October in Standish, wrote a very detailed and informative article...

The news from Dearborn is sunny, except for the auto maker's labor relations. A year ago, Ford Motor Co. steered clear of the auto industry's version of the "public option." You know, a government-funded bankruptcy. Maybe the decision wasn't entirely altruistic. Plan B, as in bankruptcy, would have ended more than a century of Ford family control. Whatever the motives, Ford chose a private solution for regaining its corporate health, and today the patient is walking without a government crutch. Last week Consumer Reports gave the company quality ratings comparable to those of Honda and Toyota. On Monday, Ford reported...

He didn’t start 13 successful companies and secure more than 200 patents over 40 years by giving up when things got tough. Perseverance drove Robert Fischell to success. Sticking with an idea they believe can work is his best advice for other inventors aiming to get their innovation to the marketplace. “The harder I work, the luckier I get,” Fischell said Wednesday in a keynote address on medical device innovation at the annual MichBio Expo in Kalamazoo. “Give yourself the opportunity to get lucky. When you think of something, don’t just let it go. Figure out a new way to...

No stops are planned in Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other major cities and book-buying communities that are standard for authors on the road, but where the voters tend to be Democrats. Beyond a Nov. 16 television interview with Oprah Winfrey, nothing is scheduled for Chicago. New York will feature media appearances only. Instead, the itinerary for Palin, whose "Going Rogue" comes out Nov. 17, includes Noblesville, Ind.; Washington, Pa.; and Rochester, N.Y. "She wants to be unconventional. She is unconventional," HarperCollins spokeswoman Tina Andreadis said Wednesday....

Unfortunately for America the Islamic dominance in sections of Michigan is growing stronger, and stronger. Will the Islamic influence there get as bad as it is in the UK? Time will tell... NOV. 4, 2009 Muslims given strong role in Hamtramck BY NIRAJ WARIKOO FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER After Tuesday's election, Muslims are to make up half of the city council members in Hamtramck, a percentage believed by advocates to be the highest Muslim representation in a municipality in the United States.

GRAND RAPIDS-- Sarah Palin will be coming to the Woodland Mall Barnes & Noble store in Grand Rapids Nov. 18, her first stop on a tour promoting her book "Going Rogue." The Associated Press reports Palin's tour will begin the day after the book is released and two days after she is interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. A local Barnes & Noble spokesperson confirmed Palin will be at the Woodland store at 3670 28th St SE. Palin, the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate, will make appearances around the country. HarperCollins spokeswoman Tina Andreadis said Wednesday that the tour will...

Former state Rep. Mike Nofs began courting Jackson County voters before there was a vacancy in the 19th Senate District. After Mark Schauer was elected to Congress last fall, Nofs started the New Year with more than $100,000 in his campaign war chest. He never lost his fundraising lead over state Rep. Martin Griffin, D-Jackson, which, combined with his message of lower taxes and job growth, translated into a convincing win in Tuesday night's special election. The Battle Creek Republican defeated Griffin 19,508 to 11,105, with three precincts yet to report at press time. "I think we worked hard. I...

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — A Michigan judge says a man who claims he was chased, shot and beaten by workers at a store he'd just robbed can sue the men.....The 23-year-old filed a lawsuit against the store, its owner and three employees in April. Zielinski was shot twice and claims he was excessively beaten.

The city that was once one of the wealthiest in America is a decrepit, often surreal landscape of urban decline. It was once one of the greatest cities in the world. The birthplace of the American car industry, it boasted factories that at one time produced cars shipped over the globe. Its downtown was studded with architectural gems, and by the 1950s it boasted the highest median income and highest rate of home ownership of any major American city. Culturally it gave birth to Motown Records, named in homage to Detroit's status as "Motor City". Decades of white flight, coupled...

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co.'s rank-and-file union members rejected a concessions agreement, leaving the auto maker at risk to higher costs compared with competitors Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Co. Although some locals are still voting through Sunday, the United Auto Workers national leadership has accepted the defeat, said three union sources who asked not to be identified since they don't officially speak for the UAW. The leadership is now reviewing other options, these people said. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger told Dow Jones Newswires on Friday he will not continue bargaining or conduct a re-vote. Ford will now have...

TORONTO (Reuters) – Two men sought by the FBI and linked to a Detroit Muslim leader killed by U.S. authorities were arrested in Windsor, Ontario on Saturday, Canadian police said. Mohammad Al-Sahli, 33, and Yassir Ali Kahn, 30, both from the Windsor, Ontario area, were apprehended without incident on Saturday morning and will appear before an Ontario Superior Court judge on Monday to face extradition to the United States, according to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The statement said the two Ontario men were wanted by the FBI for conspiracy to commit federal crimes. An RCMP spokesman...

Luqman Ameen Abdullah, the imam of Detroit’s Masjid Al-Haqq (Mosque of Truth), was killed Wednesday in a shootout with FBI agents. The agents were trying to arrest him on charges of conspiracy, receipt of stolen goods, firearms offenses and more. Agents also arrested eight mosque members; then Thursday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police caught Abdullah’s son, Mujahid Carswell. Two other accused jihadists also fled, and have not yet been found. According to the indictment, in his mosque in Detroit Luqman Abdullah was preaching “offensive jihad” and the establishment of a Sharia state in North America. This sovereign Isamic state would...

A Michigan man has filed a federal lawsuit claiming his constitutional rights were violated when he was ordered to remove a Nativity scene from the median of a public road — a creche that his family has displayed at the location for 63 years. John Satawa, of Warren, Mich., filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Friday in an attempt to be allowed to put back the 8- by 8-foot nativity scene his late father built in 1945. After receiving a complaint by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation last December, the Road Commission of Macomb County told Satawa...

Rep. Bart Stupak said Speaker Pelosi is not pleased with his effort to change abortion-related provisions in the healthcare bill being crafted by the House. During an interview on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" show, Stupak (D-Mich.) said he is undeterred in trying to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not pay for abortions. Stupak, who opposes abortion rights, acknowledged that some in his party are upset with his public campaign to change the bill. "The Speaker is not happy with me," Stupak said. The Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairman said he has been working with Democratic leaders on a compromise, but they...

FBI agents hoping to break up an alleged interstate crime ring dealing in arson, fraud and possibly stolen vehicles, ended up in a gunfight at a Detroit-area warehouse, after which a suspect lay dead. The FBI sought to arrest Luqman Ameen Abdullah, a.k.a. Christopher Thomas, 53, who a criminal complaint said was the imam of a radical fundamentalist Sunni group called Masjid Al-Haqq that seeks to establish a sovereign Islamic state inside the United States... Abdullah and 10 others were charged today in a criminal complaint with conspiracy and theft of interstate shipments, mail fraud to obtain the proceeds of...

DETROIT — Authorities captured the son of the slain leader of a radical Detroit-area Islamic group in Canada on Thursday, a day after the FBI arrested several members and a raid at a suburban warehouse ended in gunfire. The FBI asked for the public's help in catching two of the 11 suspects in the case still at large, and they emphasized that the group, a faction of the radical U.S. Sunni Islamic group Ummah, held beliefs that were not at all representative of mainstream Islam.... The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested Mujahid Carswell, the 30-year-old son slain group leader Luqman...

Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct 27, 2009 / 06:32 am (CNA).- A 63-year-old tradition of having a privately maintained nativity scene on a public median in Warren, Michigan has been ended after the local road commission received a threatening letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The move has resulted in a lawsuit charging that the ban on the display is discriminatory.In 1945 St. Anne’s Parish received a donation of Christmas nativity statues which were too large to set up inside the church. Some parishioners thought the statues and a manger could be displayed in the center of the village...

Federal authorities say a leader of what they describe as a nationwide radical Sunni Islam group has been fatally shot during an FBI raid in the Detroit area. The U.S. attorney's office in Detroit says Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah refused to surrender during an FBI raid Wednesday and was killed in an exchange of gunfire. Abdullah and 10 others were charged in a complaint with conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including illegal possession and sale of firearms and theft from interstate shipments. Authorities say an FBI dog also was killed during the raid.

DETROIT – Federal authorities say a leader of what they describe as a nationwide radical Sunni Islam group has been fatally shot during an FBI raid in the Detroit area. The U.S. attorney's office in Detroit says Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah refused to surrender during an FBI raid Wednesday and was killed in an exchange of gunfire. ..conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including illegal possession and sale of firearms and theft from interstate shipments.

DETROIT -- The Detroit leader of a nationwide fundamentalist Islamic group was fatally shot during a series of FBI raids Wednesday afternoon. The FBI arrested 10 people who have ties to the group called the Ummah, which translates to “the brotherhood.” The group’s primary mission is to establish a separate sovereign Islamic state governed by Sunni law, according to FBI charging documents.

Once again we see the beauty that Islam has brought to Michigan. Feds: Leader of radical Islam group killed in raid DETROIT – Federal authorities say a leader of what they describe as a nationwide radical Sunni Islam group has been fatally shot during an FBI raid in the Detroit area.

October 28, 2009 Note: The following text is a quote: Eleven Members/Associates of Ummah Charged with Federal Violations One Subject Fatally Shot During Arrest United States Attorney Terrence Berg, Eastern District of Michigan, Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI), Detroit, Michigan, and Police Chief Warren Evans, Detroit Police Department (DPD), Detroit, Michigan announced a federal complaint was unsealed today charging Luqman Ameen Abdullah, a.k.a.Christopher Thomas, and 10 others with conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including theft from interstate shipments, mail fraud to obtain the proceeds of arson, illegal possession and sale of...

You tube video of Christians trying to ask Muslims questions at Arab Festival in Dearborn, MI. Police side with the Muslims.

A retired construction worker from Flint, MI named Wally Wallington thinks he might know one way [Stonehenge may have been built]. He even goes so far as to demonstrate it by building a min-Stonehenge on his property… all by himself.

...Among liberals and progressives, there is a puzzling admiration for Crist, long considered by Democratic and Republican veterans of Florida's political scene to be something of an opportunist if not a lightweight....

Voters in Michigan have a slightly less gloomy view of the economy but strongly disapprove of the job Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm is doing. Right now at least Republicans have an even chance of regaining the governor’s mansion next year in a state that has been trending blue of late. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Michigan voters finds 37% who would vote for an unspecified Republican candidate for governor versus 36% who favor an unnamed Democrat. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are undecided.

<p>LANSING, MI. - The Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm, and the Michigan Legislature could have avoided deep cuts to education by passage of an increase to the wager tax on the Detroit Casinos. The wager tax (18% State and 6% City of Detroit) had not been increased since 1997 could have been raised to comparable levels of other surrounding States, and filled the revenue shortfall and spared Michigan children deep cuts in education K-12.</p>

A prelude to what will happen under Obamacare. What a horrible day this started out to be. We woke our kids up at their usual time on a school day to get in line for H1N1 vaccinations. The Oakland County Health Department got the word out this week that vaccinations will be occurring in 2 places. The nearest to us was Clarkston Jr High School. Initially we went to the high school because that's what the email told us. We rolled in at 8:15am for a clinic that started at 9. Nobody there except people leaving the building saying that...