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On 29 October 2001, while the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan was under assault, the regime's ambassador in Islamabad in neighbouring Pakistan gave a chaotic press conference in front of several dozen reporters sitting on the grass. On the Taliban diplomat's right sat his interpreter, Ahmad Rateb Popal, a man with an imposing presence. Like the ambassador, Popal wore a black turban, and he had a huge bushy beard. He had a black patch over his right eye socket, a prosthetic left arm and a deformed right hand, the result of injuries from an explosives mishap during an old operation against...

WASHINGTON - The unprecedented number of death threats against President Obama, a rise in racist hate groups, and a new wave of antigovernment fervor threaten to overwhelm the US Secret Service, according to government officials and reports, raising new questions about the 144-year-old agency’s overall mission. The Secret Service is tracking a far broader range of possible threats to the nation’s leaders, the officials said, even as it also investigates financial crimes such as counterfeiting as part of its original mandate. The new demands are leading some officials, both inside and outside the agency, to raise the possibility of the...

Attempts to lift the prices of particular commodities permanently above their natural market levels have failed so often, so disastrously and so notoriously that sophisticated pressure groups, and the bureaucrats upon whom they apply the pressure, seldom openly avow that aim. Their stated aims, particularly when they are first proposing that the government intervene, are usually more modest, and more plausible. They have no wish, they declare, to raise the price of commodity X permanently above its natural level. That, they concede, would be unfair to consumers. But it is now obviously selling far below its natural level. The producers...

Sacramento, Calif. (AP) -- A nonprofit group filed a federal lawsuit Thursday seeking a decision about whether to grant added protections for the delta smelt. The Council for Endangered Species Act Reliability alleges the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has failed to make a timely decision about the tiny silver fish. It filed suit in U.S. District Court in Sacramento. Executive director Craig Manson said the federal agency should classify the threatened smelt as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

"This is certainly nothing to celebrate. The glorification of the incident online and around town belies the horror of the killing and its aftermath. Even if it ultimately is judged to have been legally justified, the question of whether the situation couldn't have been handled differently will remain."

Climate protection 'to cost more'By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News website Page last updated at 17:50 GMT, Thursday, 27 August 2009 18:50 UK Protecting societies against the impacts of climate change will be much more expensive than previously believed, according to a new analysis. In 2007, the UN climate convention came up with a sum of $49-171bn per year. The new report says the UN sums omitted important factors and the true cost will be two to three times higher. Developing nations want rich countries to provide major sums for adaptation as part of the new UN climate deal...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2009 – When gearing up for a mission in Afghanistan, servicemembers don’t forget their helmet, gloves, weapon, eye protection or body armor. But what about hearing protection? Air Force Col. (Dr.) Joseph Brennan, the ear, nose and throat doctor at the Staff Sgt. Heath N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, demonstrates a portable hearing test machine with the help of Air Force Staff Sgt. Lee Adams, an ear, nose and throat technician. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Opal Hood  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Air Force Staff Sgt. Lee Adams, an...

(CNSNews.com) – Less than a week after the Environmental Protection Agency restarted a controversial dredging project on the Hudson River, dredgers operated by the General Electric Company dislodged wooden beams that are the last remnants of one of the largest British forts in the American colonies. The EPA now says that the beams are contaminated with potential carcinogens known as PCBs and therefore must be buried in a landfill

WICHITA FALLS — One year ago, David Thweatt made a decision so controversial and groundbreaking the story about it sped around the world. The superintendent of the isolated Harrold Independent School District, about 30 miles northwest of here, made history last August when he and his school board decided to allow select teachers and staff members at the 110-student school to carry guns on campus — a first for Texas and the nation. For Thweatt and his board, the decision was pure mathematics. The school, which sits in the middle of a prairie, was too far from law enforcement for...

Conservation Groups Again Seek Endangered Species Protection For Giant, Spitting Worm In Wash. (AP) Fans of the giant Palouse earthworm are once again seeking federal protection for the rare, sweet-smelling species that spits at predators. They filed a petition Tuesday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting the worm be protected as an endangered species.

Monday June 29, 2009 Operation Rescue Office Security System Attacked - Group Complains of Police Apathy By Kathleen GilbertWICHITA, Kansas, June 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An unidentified man has been caught on video attacking Operation Rescue's headquarters Friday afternoon. The man allegedly disabled one of the building's security cameras and attempted to assault Operation Rescue president Troy Newman before fleeing the scene. (Watch security camera footage of the attack here) Operation Rescue reports that Newman heard a suspicious noise outside his office and observed the suspect through the security cameras attempting to gain access to the roof. Newman rushed outside and...

WASHINGTON, June 11, 2009 – President Barack Obama’s latest efforts to look after home renters gives military members additional protection if the homes they rent are foreclosed, a Defense Department official said today. The president’s Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act of 2009 was signed into law on May 20. The legislation ensures that renters aren’t forced out of their homes if foreclosure occurs and a new landlord takes over. Renters in every state now have more time to find new homes. The new law greatly benefits the military, as the vast majority of active duty servicemembers rent homes throughout...

KABUL, June 4, 2009 – Following months of hard work by the people of Jalrez in Afghanistan’s Wardak province, security has improved to such a degree that development money is pouring into the district. Gov. Mohammad Halim Fidai of Afghanistan’s Wardak province, the Jalrez district sub-governor, members of administrative divisions, contractors and numerous district elders gather for a meeting to discuss future development projects in district, June 3, 2009. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Wardak Gov. Mohammad Halim Fidai joined the Jalrez sub-governor, the president of the Jalrez community council, members from all of the...

The 67-29 roll call by which the Senate on Tuesday approved an amendment that would allow people to carry loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. On this vote, a "yes" vote was a vote to support the amendment and a "no" vote was a vote against it. Voting "yes" were 27 Democrats, 39 Republicans and 1 independent. Voting "no" were 27 Democrats, 1 Republican and 1 independent.

Mission District rally for immigrant rights Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer Thursday, February 26, 2009 Several hundred people packed a school auditorium in San Francisco's Mission District on Wednesday evening to decry the city's treatment of immigrants, making their case in front of a panel of city officials that included representatives from the Police Department, mayor's office, school board and Board of Supervisors. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/26/BANN165CUH.DTL&type=printable

Friday Digest Vol. 09 No. 04 30 January 2009 THE FOUNDATION "A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." --Second Amendment, United States Constitution PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE Sixty million armed Patriots ... and counting By Mark Alexander By now, you've probably heard that large sectors of the U.S. economy have collapsed, consumer confidence is at a historic low, Democrats control the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, and they're poised to print "bailout and infrastructure" money on the theory of "trickle...

The key players are now all in place in Washington and in state governments across America to officially label carbon dioxide as a pollutant and enact laws that tax we citizens for our carbon footprints. Only two details stand in the way, the faltering economic times and a dramatic turn toward a colder climate. The last two bitter winters have lead to a rise in public awareness that CO2 is not a pollutant and is not a significant greenhouse gas that is triggering runaway global warming. How did we ever get to this point where bad science is driving big...

As jubilant Democrats nominated Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president in a Denver convention hall in late August, the U.S. Secret Service in Washington placed its largest ever order for bulletproof glass. The service requested about 5 tons of "transparent armor," laminated with four layers of virtually unbreakable plastic to resist chemicals, flames and multiple gunshots. When Obama is sworn in as the nation's 44th president Tuesday, the ballistic shield will provide a final layer of safety in a massive exercise in presidential security, the culmination of two years of a steady ratcheting up of the protection around Obama to...

WASHINGTON – In a rare Sunday session, the Senate advanced legislation that would set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as wilderness. Majority Democrats assembled more than enough votes to overcome GOP stalling tactics in an early showdown for the new Congress. Republicans complained that Democrats did not allow amendments on the massive bill, which calls for the largest expansion of wilderness protection in 25 years. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and other Democrats said the bill — a holdover from last year — was carefully written and included measures sponsored by both Republicans and...

LADSON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRPT) today announced that Force Protection Industries, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, has received two contract awards from Marine Corps Systems Command for 188 Cougar Exterior Ballistic EFP Kits. These add-on armor packages incorporate the company’s proprietary composite armor solution, Force Armor™. These undefinitized contracts carry a combined dollar value not to exceed $30 million with delivery scheduled for late 2008 and early 2009. Michael Moody, Chief Executive Officer of Force Protection, Inc., commented, “We are very pleased to receive substantial first orders for this new product. We are proud with our research and...

Jacksonville - Right now, more than a half million people in Florida have a concealed weapons permit. That's a 50% jump from three years ago, according to the Department of Agriculture. More than 23,000 of those people are in Jacksonville. People you wouldn't even expect to carry guns now feel like they have to. We spoke to two Beaches businessmen, who rallied their friends, and got all of their permits together. Marshall Reddy said, "I don't know if the permit makes me feel safer or not. I think it makes me feel a little more comfortable about what I can...

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Josh and Elizabeth Burrow stopped by Trader's Gun Shop Monday on Wade Hampton Boulevard to buy a new handgun -- and it wasn't for Josh. "With everything going on in the economy and the world," said Elizabeth Burrow, "I'd just like the security of knowing I can protect myself." She was among dozens of people looking to buy a gun at the shop on Wade Hampton Boulevard. The owner of Trader's said some are buying for Christmas or hunting season, but about half of the people are buying because of the recent presidential election. "We're selling weapons...

This Tuesday, following the Public Advocate national citizens survey on Marriage protection, supporers of both presidential candidates, McCain and Obama, also voted in favor of Marriage Protection initiatives. States where marriage protection measures were approved by voters included California and Florida. Public Advocate of the United States conducted a citizen survey, which is now posted on Youtube, which proves that most citizens favor the national definition of marriage as being ONLY between a man and a woman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCzxLpn4E5A Even in New York state, citizens overwhelmingly proved to favor marriage protection. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzvkvEuYrFY During this year's national debate on marriage protection, Public...

NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE, Iraq, Oct. 31, 2008 – As senior government leaders hammer out a new Status of Forces Agreement that will set the path for future American and Iraqi military policies, a group of American and Iraqi firefighters have already developed a working relationship that protects people, structures and aircraft here at Baghdad International Airport. Air Force Master Sgt. John Bell, center, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Dale Catlett, right, work with Iraqi firefighters on a combined training exercise aimed at developing American and Iraqi cooperation in the event of an aircraft fire. Bell and Catlett...

At approximately 9:30 p.m. on April 29, 2006, five friends on a 27’ O’Day were sailing toward their marina on California’s Clear Lake. It was an almost moonless night, very dark, with barely a hint of wind. The sailboat was ghosting through the water when a 385 hp, 24’ Baja Outlaw with three people aboard sped through the darkness and struck the sailboat’s starboard stern quarter. According to forensic experts, the Baja ramped over the sailboat and crushed the cabin bulkhead, leaving prop marks in the deck. Much of the sailboat’s cabin top was torn off and its aluminum mast...

This video is making the rounds in a big way tonight...re-launched from the intial release in the Spring. Warning...it does contain some images pro-abortionists might not find offensive. Very damning video that levels Senator Barack Obama http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxQiIzS49D8

Obama's 10 reasons for supporting infanticide Posted: January 16, 2008 1:00 am Eastern By Jill Stanek © 2008 I was intimately involved in the five-year process to pass the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act, testifying before committees twice that then-state Sen. Barack Obama sat on. Following are 10 excuses Obama has given through the years for voting "present" and "no" on the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act, or BAIPA. 10. Babies who survive abortions are not protected by the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. Obama, the sole opponent ever to speak against BAIPA, stated on the Illinois...

A flagship database intended to protect every child in the country will be used by police to hunt for evidence of crime in a "shocking" extension of its original purpose, The Daily Telegraph has learned. ContactPoint will include the names, ages and addresses of all 11 million under-18s in England as well as information on their parents, GPs, schools and support services such as social workers. The £224 million computer system was announced in the wake of the death of Victoria Climbié, who was abused and then murdered after a string of missed opportunities to intervene by the authorities, as...

The page contains a GRAPHIC cartoon of Barack Obama smashing a baby's head against a wall (which is why I am not actually posting the cartoon here--people who might find such an image upsetting, even in a cartoon, don't have to see it). The cartoon is similar to the kind that was used during the World Wars to portray the enemy as woman-raping and/or baby-killing monsters, e.g. Imperial Germany as a fanged gorilla carrying a half-naked woman over his shoulder. In politics, of course, such a cartoon must convey the absolute truth if it is not to be written off...

In yet another example of government secrecy, the agency in charge of protecting human health and the environment has ordered its staff not to speak with congressional investigators, the media and even the agency’s own inspector general. The massive, taxpayer-funded Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with an annual budget of nearly $8 billion, has issued a gag order on its pollution enforcement officials via an internal electronic mail made public by an international wire service dedicated to covering environmental issues. The message orders nearly a dozen managers in the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and their staff to keep...

Joe Horn, the infamous neighbor in Pasadena TX who shot two suspected burglars in the back in broad daylight last November, has been cleared by a Texas Grand Jury. According to the Houston Chronicle, Horn "confronted" two men who had allegedly broken into a neighbor's house. Horn had called 911 where his conversation with the operator had been taped: “Move,” Horn can be heard saying on the tape. “You’re dead.” Boom. Click. Boom. Click. Boom. Horn redialed 911 and told the dispatcher what he’d done. “I had no choice,” he said, his voice shaking. “They came in the front yard...

Amends the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: The measure would have no fiscal effect on state or local governments. This is because there would be no change to the manner in which marriages are currently recognized by the state. (Initiative 07-0068.) -- Qualified: 06/02/08 Signatures Required: 694,354 Title: This measure shall be known and may be cited as the "California Marriage Protection Act."

While Seattle worries about concealed weapons, a new fad in the West is to pack and carry you pistol for all to see...

Build the U.S. Border Fence Now! Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and the Bush administration are deservedly under assault for not keeping their promises. After a long public outcry over promises broken, the government says they have agreed to construct a border fence. But this is Washington, promises aren't meant to actually be honored. Chertoff and the Bush administration are creating needless public controversy about the fence over what must be done to and with the land, and they are exploiting a backdoor Democrat Party and Open Borders Lobby effort that provides a smoke screen for the feds to...

During the decades the American Rifleman has published “The Armed Citizen”

ISSUE: Haitian president wants temporary protective status for Haitians in America. Haitian President René Préval has finally asked the U.S. government to extend temporary protective status to Haitians. The designation is long overdue, and President Bush would do well to grant Préval's request. Haiti, already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, was further devastated by last year's Tropical Storm Noel, the latest in a string of natural disasters that have rocked the country in recent times. TPS would temporarily protect Haitians already in the United States -- many of them parents of U.S. born children -- from deportation. TPS...

I'm in an argument with liberal co-workers on the merits of gun ownership. They are claiming that there are few (if any) examples of where civilians (not police officers or security guards) came to the public’s defense. We are talking about malls, universities, restaurants, etc., not private residence. I'm sure there was an incident at restaurant a few years ago, but can't find a link.

Guard's hands "didn't even shake" as she shot gunman The guard who saved untold lives at New Life Church gives credit to God for giving her cover, and boosting her firepower as she shot a heavily-armed gunman. "I give credit to God. I say that very humbly," said Jeanne Assam. "God was with me, the whole time I was behind cover. Based on the firepower he had, compared to mine." [snip] "I just prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide me my hands weren't even shaking."

Judge orders shepherd destroyed after vicious attack Thursday, November 08, 2007 BY LINDA STEIN PRINCETON TOWNSHIP -- A family whose beloved German shepherd faces death for having led a dog attack on a landscaper is devastated by the news but vows to continue to fight to save him. ..."He's innocent. He did nothing more than protect my wife. He never bit anyone until she was grabbed and pulled to the ground," James said. Congo has been ruled vicious by a municipal judge and ordered put down. ...The landscaper, Giovanni Rivera, has won a $250,000 insurance settlement as a result of...

Journalists' Protection Bill Passes Senate Judiciary: Are Bloggers Covered?By Scott M. Fulton, III, BetaNews October 5, 2007, 3:57 PM A bill attempting to reconcile a journalist's right to protect its sources with the federal government's need to know timely and critical information, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, but not without more exceptions having been added to the original House version. Still, the bill continues to define journalists rather loosely, leading some to believe federal protection could yet extend to independent, often solo bloggers. Specifically, S. 2035, the Free Flow of Information Act, doesn't even use the word "journalist." Instead...

Los Angeles police detectives on Monday searched for three gunmen who opened fire in a bustling shopping district near MacArthur Park over the weekend, critically wounding an outdoor vendor and killing a 23-day-old baby being pushed in a stroller by his mother. The slaying has left residents shaken in the Westlake district, about two miles west of downtown, a dense collection of apartments housing mostly Mexican and Central American immigrants. The area has long struggled with gang violence, and police are investigating whether the suspects are gang members. The infant, Luis Angel Garcia, was hit by a stray bullet about...

China to increase rare metals' export tax By Tu Lei (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2007-05-28 17:07 China will raise export taxes on a range of rare metal products, including tungsten, rare earth, and molybdenum, from June 1, in a bid to protect resources from running out, said Wu Rongqing, an official with the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council. The policy says the increased export tax on tungsten, rare-earth, and molybdenum is 15 percent, and tariffs on molybdenum oxide, ammonium molybdate, and natrium molybdate range from a five to 15 percent increase compared with the tax rebate policy on rare metals...

I have been following with a great deal of interest the tragic events that unfolded this week at Virginia Tech. Most disturbing to me is the constant question -- which is often posed as an accusation against the victims -- as to "why didn't anybody try to take down Cho Seung-Hui" during his shooting rampage. The inactivity of the victims has been characterised variously on many threads as being anything from timidity to cowardice. In my considered view this is an extremely unfair characterisation. Flame me if you like: this is my first Vanity. It might just be my last,...

MIDI - CAT SCRATCH FEVER Gun grab fever…here they come Gun grab fever…liberal scum Gun grab fever…they are fools Gun grab fever…criminals’ tools Gun grab fever…here they come Gun grab fever…liberal scum Gun grab fever…they are fools Gun grab fever…criminals’ tools If rather than emotions, they would use their head They would never say the stupid things they have said If they take the guns from good folks they will surely find The criminals and thugs are gonna kick their behind Gun grab fever…here they come Gun grab fever…liberal scum The police cannot protect you, so protect yourself You...

NOTE: because this originally appeared in the WASH COMPOST, I had to excerpt it. The entire article is on the gun owners alliance site. ============================================================================ A Daughter's Regret Suzanna Gratia Hupp will live the rest of her life with regret. Had she been carrying her gun the day a madman executed her parents while she cowered helplessly and then fled, she is convinced she could have stopped one of the worst massacres in U.S. history. She has told the story many times over. Tomorrow she will relate it again before advocates of gun rights in a counter-rally to the Million...

Tennessee state Sen. Mark Norris of Collierville doesn't want authorities to confiscate your firearm if a major disaster strikes the state. The Senate Republican leader again is sponsoring legislation that says the state does not have the right to suspend, during an emergency, Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. Maybe Norris has seen too many disaster movies in which a nuclear bomb or some other catastrophe wipes away all vestiges of governing authority, leaving survivors to fend for themselves against looting mobs. While this newspaper supports a person's right to legally own a firearm, we think Norris' proposal...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2007 – An influx of Iranian weapons and munitions into Iraq amounts to a “major force-protection issue,” a senior coalition official in Iraq said today. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, told a group of online journalists that Iranian interference in Iraq, particularly the export of deadly “explosively formed penetrator” components and technology, must be made public after diplomatic and military efforts to deter the practice had been unsuccessful. “We’re going to go public, talk about this and acknowledge it,” Caldwell said. “We need these actions to stop.” Attributing much of the...

Abdulwahab heard of a plan to put Jewish women in a brothel Israel's main Holocaust memorial centre has for the first time nominated an Arab to be recognised as a "righteous gentile" for saving Jewish lives.Researchers at Yad Vashem will now examine the life of Khaled Abdulwahab, who died in his native Tunisia in 1997, to see if he is eligible for the award. He is said to have sheltered Jews on his land during the Nazi occupation. The Righteous Gentile award has already been bestowed on about 22,000 non-Jews, including 60 Muslims from the Balkans. The request to...

KIRKUK -- Artillery Soldiers visited two oil-gas separation plants in Janbar Thursday to check the progress of the Oil Protection Forces guarding pipelines south of here. The OPF, funded by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, guard the infrastructure that keeps the oil flowing in the area. Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, met with the OPF to learn how they can better support the Iraqi Forces and ensure they continue to receive the tools they need for success. The 3-7 Soldiers make themselves available to assist with training, supplies and guidance on...

SAN FRANCISCO - A judge has overturned a decision by state wildlife regulators to reject a petition to give protected status to the California tiger salamander. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd G. Connelly ordered the Fish and Game Commission to conduct a 12-month review to determine whether to list the yellow-and-black amphibian as an endangered or threatened species. Connelly said the commission "misstated or ignored substantial evidence" and "relied on conflicting information of doubtful scientific value" when it voted 3-2 two years ago to reject the petition to list the salamander under the California Endangered Species Act. In the Dec....