|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Posted on 09/11/2004 12:09:10 AM PDT by nwctwx
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Activity levels around the world are increasing. Let me know if you want on or off the Ping list.
Current National Homeland Defense threat level is YELLOW
9/14/04 Local Threat Level ORANGE for NYC, N. New Jersey, D.C No Change since 8/1/04
1. Attack threat windows
9/12/04 Primary Window: Between now and November 2nd. No change since 8/16/04. We are in a 60 days window before the presidential election" which is held on Nov. 2 of this year. Intelligence reported by many gov't officials and new media indicate the desire by OBL to launch an attack with the intent to disrupt/alter the results of our elections just like what happened in Spain. This window not only includes the US but also allies of the United States or supported the war in Iraq. According to Tom Ridge, Threat reporting over the last several months has been "consistent, general and credible" and indicated the al-Qaida network is trying to push ahead with its plans.
9/8/04 A tip through DHS referred to a Sept. 24 to Oct. 10 window for a potential attack in NYC
Secondary window: (9/2/04) This window could potentially be extended to Inauguration Day in January 2005.
2. Attack Indicators
9/14/04 There is still anticipation of an OBL video/audio tape to soon appear. Absence of OBL in the annual celebratory video of 911 has raised eyebrows of many analysts
3. Current Terrorist Operations
N. Korea
9/14/04 North Korea says it blew up a mountain as part of giant hydro-electric project – Pyongyang’s first explanation for huge explosion near Chinese border last Thursday which prompted speculation of nuclear test. British diplomat has requested permission to view the blast site. This request has allegedly been granted.
Godzilla comments: If this was a N. Korean nuke, expect plutonium radiation, not uranium, since what they have is the former. Nasty stuff. Now regarding the reported seismic evidence. I’ve reviewed seismic data available on-line from a station in Inchon, S. Korea and Mudanjiang, China – the two closest stations, for Sept 8 – 9. A potential event was identified at approximately 14:44 and 14:46 GMT (23:44 and 23:46 local) respectively. This was followed closely by waves from a 6.0 quake near the south coast of Honshu Japan. This tiny precursor is unlikely associated with the Japanese quake since it is recorded before the actual quake time of 14:58 GMT. One news report said that the first explosion was at 23:00 local Sept 8 and the second at 01:00 local Sept 9. Since the source was I believe, Korean, I suspect he may have looked at the Inchon data that to an uncalibrated eye would look like it occurred at 23:00. There is a very small blip at approximately 01:20 local Sept 9, but it barely rises above background noise. This second event was not detectable on the China log. Again, an untrained observer/interpreter taking raw data and trying to make it fit a story (Sound like anything we’ve seen here before?). Also note that more recent news accounts have discarded the seismic evidence in their story line. What’s the bottom line? The available seismic data is unable to identify a specific event that can be clearly linked to the explosion(s). Seismic data cannot be ruled out completely as the original reports may have had access to data that is not posted on-line. I will search for a more precise report of when the explosions were to have taken place and clarify if need be.
Netherlands
9/14/04 The Netherlands is facing a far larger and more organised threat from Islamic terrorists than previously thought, it was reported Tuesday. One source said the Dutch authorities are conducting at least 15 investigations into planned attacks. A day after news broke on Monday that Dutch police investigating Islamic terrorism had arrested four people in July, newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD) said more terrorist suspects had been arrested than previously revealed.
9/13/04 Dutch authorities have arrested more suspects in a plot to attack key sites in the country, including Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
Local media last week said that Dutch prosecutors believe they have uncovered preparations for the attacks this year on Schiphol -- one of Europe's busiest airports --, a nuclear power plant, the parliament building and the Defence Ministry in The Hague.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the plot. But local media have said that the plot came to light after police searched the home of a teenager, now 18, who was arrested in June in connection with an armed robbery investigation and found evidence linking him to plans for an unspecified attack. The teenager's arrest was one of the reasons behind a national security alert in July.
Other factors the Dutch government weighed when increasing its security stance then included the expiry of an ultimatum from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden demanding European states pull troops out of Iraq, Afghanistan and other Muslim countries or face new attacks.
Iraq
9/14/04 Multiple car bomb attacks and hit and run shootings. Oil pipelines reported to be damaged.
Italy
9/11/04 The Ansar al-Zawahiri group have given Italy 24 hours to promise to release Muslim women prisoners in Iraq in exchange for details about two kidnapped women aid workers, in a statement published on a website Friday. This is the same terrorist group that has issued 7 threats against Italy since July 11th.
Denmark
9/12/04 Not satisfied with trying to intimidate Italy, the Iraq-based Islamic extremist group Ansar al-Zawahiri, presumably linked to al-Qaida and several hostage-takings in Iraq, has threatened to "punish" Denmark.
Afghanistan
9/11/04 AQ is directing the resistance resulting in better trained attacks. Militants attacking U.S. forces along the Pakistani border with mortars and rockets expertly adjust their aim betraying a high level of training not commonly seen among Taliban fighters. Arabs, Saudis and Yemenis were among fighters recently detected in parts of southern Kandahar province as well as the former al-Qaida stronghold of Khost.
Pakistan
9/11/04 Strong indications that Islamic extremists are planning a new wave of bloody attacks against Western targets emerged in Pakistan where detained militants revealed that the latest al Qa'eda video tape was intended to be a trigger for fresh atrocities.
Prisoners captured in recent weeks have told their interrogators that last week's taped message from Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's deputy, was a signal for al Qa'eda cells that were already on standby.
Israel
9/13/04 An Israeli helicopter fired a missile at a car in the West Bank town of Jenin on Monday, killing three people, including a militant leader, Palestinian security officials said. The main target appeared to be Mahmoud Abu Halifa, a leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent group linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. Two others killed with him were not immediately identified. 9/12/04 Six Egyptian students from Cairo, who were caught after they crossed the Egyptian border near Nitzana on August 25 carrying 14 knives, black camouflage attire, backpacks, binoculars, communications equipment, and maps of Israel, were indicted today at the Beer Sheva District Court.
According to the charge sheet, the Egyptians planned to kidnap Israeli soldiers in order to negotiate the release of Palestinian security prisoners. The Egyptians also planned to take command of an IDF tank and rob a bank in Mitzpe Ramon, in order to finance future terror attacks.
Syria/Lebanon
9/11/04 The US government is holding Syria responsible for the recent bus bombings in Israel and as told the Syrian government to discontinue support to terrorist and to leave Lebanon.
Indonesia
9/14/04 The country is still on alert for additional attacks. Indonesia will hold a presidential runoff election on September 20, 2004. The Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and other similar terrorist groups might use these elections as opportune occasions to conduct attacks.
9/11/04 There are still concerns about terrorists hijacking an oil tanker or freighter and turning it into a floating bomb.
Australia
9/13/04 Australian banks and financial institutions doing business in Indonesia are fearful of being targeted by terrorists in potential follow-up attacks to last week's suicide bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
Saudi Arabia
9/11/04 The U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia closed its consulate in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah after a car bomb exploded in the town on the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.
Iran
9/13/04 Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) kicked off major exercises Sunday aimed at testing out new equipment and maintaining its "spirit of Jihad and defense", state television reported. The head of the IRGC, General Yahya Rahim Safavi, said the "Great Manoeuvre of Ashura" would involve 12 divisions from what he described as the "biggest deterrent power in the region".
Russia
9/13/04 In wake of the Beslan school siege, Putin has ordered sweeping changes of Russia’s political system the better to fight terrorism.
England
9/14/04 Nothing new to report.
Central America
9/14/04 Nothing new to report.
United States
9/12/04 It continues to be assumed that AQ has entered a pre-attack phase with the orders and blessing already issued by OBL. Media is making it clear that we are still a target rich environment for attacks like that which occurred in Russia.
More concerns about terrorist infiltration along the border with Mexico, particularly in view of AQ contacts with narco-terrorist organizations.
4. Attack method.
9/12/04 As has been discussed on TM and other places, the method of choice of AQ are bombs - the bigger the better. With the exception of 9/11, car/truck bombs have been widely used. 9/11 and the recent attacks in Russia do indicate that AQ can think out of the box and adapt its tactics to the group actually carrying out the attack(s).
9/4/04 An anonymous tipster recently warned federal authorities Al Qaeda plans to use fuel-laden trucks to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building and one of the tunnels to New Jersey between Sept. 24 and Oct. 10.
5. Personnel
9/13/04 A 27-year-old Palestinian man, Atef Hasan Ismail Idais, living in Philadelphia has been arrested and charged with failing to tell customs officials that he was a member of the militant group Hamas. A federal grand jury indicted him yesterday for allegedly making false statements on a customs form in 2000 when he applied for the student visa that allowed him to come to the United States. The form asked whether he had ever been a member of a terrorist organization or whether he had ever been arrested or charged with a crime. Idais answered no to both questions, but the government says it later received information that he had been associated with Hamas group, which appears on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations.
6. Significant meetings canceled:
9/12/04 No new cancellations.
7. Security has been heightened in specific cities
9/12/04 No significant change since 8/11/04. NYC, N. NJ and D.C. are still at threat level ORANGE and DHS continues to review the threat towards these potential targets daily. Specifically identified targets include the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in D.C.; Prudential Financial in Northern New Jersey; and Citigroup buildings and the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Other potentially targeted sites include - the American Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Morgan Stanley, Lehman Bros., Goldman Sachs, the Federal Reserve Bank, Bear Stearns, the UN, Wachovia, AIG, MetLife and JP Morgan Chase. The TransAmerica building and the Bank of America Bldg in San Francisco are also potential targeted buildings. However, threat levels were not raised by the DHS for these buildings.
9/8/04 Private security and law-enforcement officials in New Jersey were also contacted after the federal agency received the tip that Osama bin Laden's terror group aimed to strike at two New York landmarks (Empire State Building and the Brookland Bridge) as well as either the Holland or Lincoln tunnel..
GENERAL: Security in the NYC and surrounding areas is very tight.
8. Military operations.
9/12/04 4 carrier groups deployed, 1 is on standby and preparing for October deployment (Abraham Lincoln), 3 back in port and 4 under going maintenance.
8/31/04 The F-117s are still deployed in S. Korea.
9. Dept of Homeland Scty.
9/14/04 Nothing new.
10. Suspicious Domestic Incidents Not Currently Linked to Specific Terrorism Attempts
9/14/04 Letters bound for governors' offices and rigged to ignite when opened were intercepted in Virginia and West Virginia, bringing to 18 the number of governors who have received similar letters in the past week."
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2004/09/003200print.html
September 14, 2004
"US, Russia secretly remove uranium from Uzbekistan"
SNIPPET: "Uzbekistan has been touted as a bastion of Muslim moderation, but evidently neither the US nor the Russian governments believe that is entirely true. From AFP:
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States and Russia carried out a secret operation last week to remove weapons-grade uranium from the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, whose government is facing growing Islamist unrest, said the Energy Department....
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said Monday the one-day operation, implemented last Thursday, was crucial for enhancing international security."
Thank you Gozilla for that summary.
Better late than never? Close the barn doors now that the horses are out? What a farce. The biggie -- nuke weapons founder -- Khan spreads the nuke tech around profusedly and, in the end, merely apologises. Prison and fines for all small itty bitty players now planned... I do not yet see what America received in the Khan deal in the first place. Can anyone tell me? Pakistan received all the marbles, didn't they?
***
Pakistan Parliament tightens grip on nuclear exports
9/14/2004 7:13:00 PM GMT
Islam Online
Pakistan's parliament passed a new law on Tuesday tightening control on the export of nuclear and biological weapons technology and missile delivery systems, in an attempt to stop proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The National Assembly has adopted the bill after rejecting the modifications suggested by the opposition members.
The bill, titled "the Export Control on Goods, Technologies, Material and Equipment related to Nuclear and Biological Weapons and their Delivery Systems Act, 2004," is to be active at once.
The law will be applied to every citizen of Pakistan or a person in the service of Pakistan within and beyond Pakistan, or any Pakistani citizen visiting or working abroad, or any foreign national while in the territories of Pakistan.
"This law provides a framework to deal with sensitive technologies and proliferation," State Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar told the assembly.
"Pakistan respects its international obligations as a nuclear-capable state.This bill will further enhance Pakistan's image as a responsible nuclear state."
The Senate is expected to pass the bill later this week before President Pervez Musharraf formally signs it. Its passage through the Senate should be a formality given a majority enjoyed by the ruling coalition.
"By adopting this bill, Pakistan would fulfill its international obligation and strengthen its credentials as a responsible nuclear weapon state," the bill said.
Pakistan has admitted that the founder of its nuclear weapons program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has smuggled nuclear secrets to countries such as North Korea, Libya and Iran.
Khan had previously apologized for his role in the proliferation scandal in February, and currently he is closely guarded at his home in Islamabad.
Musharraf pardoned the famed scientist, who said he and a few associates acted on their own.
The new law includes a prison sentence of up to 14 years or a fine of up to five million rupees ($85,000), or both, for anyone spreading nuclear technology or hardware.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan said that the bill combines all existing rules and regulations already in effect.
"The significance of the bill is that it would be adopted by the parliament," he said. "The bill provides a consolidated and a comprehensive legislation, covering all aspects of the export of materials and technologies related to nuclear and biological weapons and their means of delivery… And lays down penalties for violators."
http://www.islamonline.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=4254
Your welcome, jerseygirl. It is just my opinion of Traveller.
His little girl is cute. All kids are cute, so I understand what you mean. I am glad you feel similar about Traveller. And you are right: his kind do indeed want us dead!
I found an old post yesterday by Trav that shows he dislikes Jews (the typical muslim tripe). I had not seen that particular post before. Oh well, now Trav has some strikes against him in my eyes that were not there before...He is still up on some kind of pedestal, but it is certainly not as high.
I am a proud Zionist Infidel, as I have stated many times before!
The real 'root cause' of global terror
Jerusalem Post ^ | 9-14-04 | EVELYN GORDON
Posted on 09/14/2004 8:50:40 AM EDT by SJackson
Both Russia and the US rewarded the Palestinians with military support or diplomatic recognition.
Apologists for terrorism like to seek its "root causes." And they have a point: The terror now sweeping Russia and Iraq was not born in a vacuum. Where they err is in identifying these "root causes" as the military campaigns in Iraq and Chechnya, when thousands of similar campaigns have not sparked similar terrorist responses. If today's campaigns do, it is primarily because the world – and Russia and America above all – has taught the terrorists that murdering women and children is an effective way to advance political goals.
Most of the tactics now being used by Iraqis and Chechens were invented by the Palestinians. It was the PLO that invented airline terrorism, with a wave of hijackings in the 1970s; it was Hamas that turned suicide bombings into standard practice; even the grisly Chechen takeover of a school in Beslan this month aped the PLO's takeover of a school in Ma'alot in 1974. But such acts, far from discrediting either the perpetrators or their cause, turned Palestinian statehood into an international cause celebre.
When the PLO was founded in 1964 – with the goal, incidentally, of a Palestinian state instead of Israel, which did not yet have the territories – no one was talking about such a state. Even after Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza from Jordan and Egypt, nobody advocated a Palestinian state in those territories; the world expected Israel to keep part of this land (that is why, according to its drafters, UN Resolution 242 demands the return of "territories" rather than "the territories") and return the rest to Jordan and Egypt.
Forty years later, a Palestinian state in every inch of the West Bank and Gaza has become an international consensus. And this achievement was not in spite of Palestinian terror but because of it: Many peoples with equal or better claims to statehood, from Tibetans to Iraqi Kurds, have sought independence without resorting to terror; yet their aspirations at best elicit lip-service support from the world, and often outright opposition. The Palestinians' success lay in persuading the international community that peace depends on meeting their demands.
Not only did the world adopt the terrorists' cause, but it also adopted the terrorists themselves. The PLO has official observer status at the UN and diplomatic legations worldwide. And Hamas, which does not even pretend to aspire to peaceful coexistence with Israel, is banned by only a handful of states.
Russia's responsibility for the success of Palestinian terror is obvious: In its former incarnation as the Soviet Union, it was the terrorists' main sponsor and financier. It supplied money and arms to states such as Syria and Egypt in full knowledge that some would be given to the PLO. It also used its superpower status to push the Palestinians' demands in forums such as the UN, thereby granting them successes they could never have achieved on their own. Today, the material aid has halted, but the knee-jerk diplomatic backing continues.
America, in contrast, never openly abetted terror. Yet as the world's second – and today, only – superpower, it determined the success or failure of Palestinian terror in a way that far greater panderers, such as Europe, never could. And it chose to crown it with success.
In 1988, America formally recognized the PLO as "the official representative of the Palestinian people" and allowed it to open a diplomatic legation in Washington. True, the PLO said it would "renounce terror" – but it was headed by the same people responsible for the Ma'alot school massacre, the Munich Olympics massacre, numerous airplane and bus hijackings, and other atrocities. Nor had the Palestinians ever democratically chosen the PLO as their representative. It was Washington's choice to reward the perpetrators of 24 years of murder and mayhem with diplomatic recognition and backing for a state instead of declaring them beyond the pale.
Five years later, after the Oslo Accords created the Palestinian Authority – headed by that same PLO leadership – Palestinian terror against Israel reached new heights. Most, admittedly, was perpetrated by Hamas, but it was the PA that refused to arrest the perpetrators, crack down on their funding, or even stop lauding the suicide bombers as "martyrs." But the US, rather than withdrawing diplomatic recognition or halting funding, instead pressed Israel to offer further and faster concessions.
Nor did this policy cease even in 2000, when the Palestinians responded to Israel's offer of a state in more than 90% of the territories with a full-blown terrorist war. Bill Clinton rewarded the terror by pressuring Israel to raise its offer yet again (to 97%, including the Temple Mount). And his successor, George W. Bush, rewarded it further by making Palestinian statehood, for the first time, an explicit US foreign policy goal.
Even today, while the Bush administration boycotts Yasser Arafat, it holds talks with PA officials who answer directly to him. The PA and PLO still have diplomatic legations in Washington, even though a major terrorist group, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, is openly affiliated with Fatah, the ruling movement in both. And Washington continues to back the PA's territorial demands through the road map, while condemning Israeli efforts to fight terror in the PA's stead.
Iraqi and Chechen terrorists both have clear political aims: The Chechens want Russia out so they can establish an Islamic dictatorship in Chechnya; the Iraqis want America out so they can establish either a Ba'athist or Islamic (there are two competing groups) dictatorship in Iraq. And in an age of global communications, neither Iraqis nor Chechens can help noticing that each new round of Palestinian terror has led to greater international pressure on Israel to accede to Palestinian demands. The conclusion is obvious: To succeed, they should adopt Palestinian tactics.
Only by proving that terrorism does not pay can the US and Russia reverse this eminently logical conclusion. And they can do this only by finally penalizing Palestinian terror rather than rewarding it. Otherwise, expect to see ever more terrorism worldwide – because that has proven to be the winning tactic.
The writer is a veteran journalist and commentator.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1215480/posts
Forgive me for not posting the mug shots of schumer and clinton that accompanied this article. :) I saw this via aol, so I have no direct link to the Reuters article.
***
Most Wouldn't Follow Federal Plan During Terror Attack
Survey Finds Lack of Trust in Government
By Maggie Fox, Reuters (via aol, so I have no link)
WASHINGTON (Sept. 14) - Most Americans would not cooperate as officials expect during a terror incident such as a smallpox or dirty bomb attack, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
An in-depth survey found that the people do not trust the federal government to take care of them during an attack, and would take many matters into their own hands -- endangering themselves and their families.
Only two-fifths of those surveyed would follow instructions to go to a public vaccination site in a smallpox outbreak and only three-fifths would stay in a building other than their home after a dirty bomb explosion, the study found.
But a little more planning, and working with communities, may help improve emergency plans, leading to better cooperation, the team sponsored by the New York Academy of Medicine found.
If the survey's predictions are true, said Sherry Glied, chair of the department of health policy at Columbia University in New York, "our plans will fail."
The study looked at how people would react to two hypothetical scenarios -- a smallpox outbreak and a dirty bomb explosion.
Smallpox is a highly infectious virus that killed about 30 percent of victims. It was wiped out in 1979 with global vaccination, and people born after 1972 are not likely to have been vaccinated against it.
A dirty bomb would use a conventional explosion to spread radioactive material.
Current plans call for vaccination as needed during a smallpox attack, and for keeping people inside buildings until the danger from a dirty bomb had passed.
MAKING LOGICAL CHOICES
The researchers conducted in-depth discussions with government and private-sector planners, with community residents from around the country, and did a national telephone survey of 2,545 randomly selected adults.
They found members of the public would not necessarily obey instructions from emergency officials.
"People did not respond irrationally. Rather, they made rational, logical choices," Glied said.
For instance, many of those surveyed feared they could go to a smallpox vaccination site, get exposed to people who already had smallpox, and then be told they could not safely get the vaccine because they were pregnant, had eczema, AIDS or some other condition.
And people asked to think about a dirty bomb explosion said they would try hard to get to their children or other family members, even if told to stay put by authorities.
"Only 59 percent would stay in the building," said Dr. Roz Lasker, who led the study.
"Assuring the safety of people who depend on them is more important than their own safety," Lasker said.
People have already demonstrated that they will disobey, said Otis Johnson, the mayor of Savannah, Georgia.
"In my area, where we have a lot of hurricanes, people ignore hurricane evacuation warnings," Johnson said.
And only a fraction of the 400,000 health care and emergency workers who have been asked to get a smallpox vaccine have done so, citing worries about side-effects.
But these problems could be solved if planners ensured telephone and e-mail communications during an emergency, and if they could ensure that children and other family members would be safe, the researchers said.
The study, published on the Internet at http://www.cacsh.org/eptpp.html, offers strategies for getting better cooperation. For example, black Americans are especially suspicious of federal officials but involving churches and community groups in planning would help overcome their fears.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1216122/posts?page=43
Massive airport shutdowns on the west coast. So far, the only thing I have heard on the local SD news is that communications is out up in Palmdale. LAX,Oakland,SD, major airports all shut down. No flights taking off at all. Flights enroute are being diverted.
Thanks for all the links/posts on the PDX report from yesterday. I'm a bit behind (harvest season, too much work to do). I'll catch up tonight.
Update on communications failure in Palmdale.
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2301518&nav=168XQui7
Locally, I'm hearing they may have the problem fixed very soon but the backups at the airports are going to bog air traffic down for a long while.
Gotcha. I checked it out and couldn't access it either. Hmmmm.
9/14/04 There is still anticipation of an OBL video/audio tape to soon appear. Absence of OBL in the annual celebratory video of 911 has raised eyebrows of many analysts
I think that US SpecOps is close to or has already contained OBL and they are awaiting thier own go code to grab him. This is being delayed by the White House IMHO, for the most politically opportune time (BRAVO, GW!!). I suspect he is bottled up in an area where they are jamming his commo and there is no way for a courier to sneak past the little mean men in the green beanies. That's why no more messages from OBL. Regardless, I still believe the operational "go Code" was given months ago and the play is in motion.
That is weird! Looks like it says 1000 not dead in NY? With Bush's picture too. How odd
Thanks for the update, KylaStarr. I hope we find out what caused the radio problems soon.
Thanks and know you'll keep us informed as to any updates on the seismic information you are investigating.
I understand and agree with your opinion.
Please ignore my last post to you, except for the thanks for your hard work (that is meant in a heartfelt way), but I didn't read down the posts for results of your seismic info. That'll teach me to post first and look later.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
