To ensure validity, an aerial map search was also done.
Yep, it's a real jaw dropper alright.
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Locked on 09/01/2006 9:06:58 PM PDT by Lead Moderator, reason:
New Thread here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1694213/posts |
Posted on 08/01/2006 9:51:52 PM PDT by nwctwx
Thanks for the ping.
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2006/08/la_deportation_case_demonstrat.php
LA Deportation Case Demonstrates Much That Is Wrong With Our Immigration “System”
By Bill West
For the past two years, the US government has been trying to deport Abdel Jabbar Hamdan, a Palestinian who the Government has charged is an illegal alien for having overstayed his nonimmigrant student visa when he first entered the United States some 27 years ago. The Government has already proven its deportation case before an Immigration Court and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), as Hamdan has been ordered removed (deported) from the United States based on the charges filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Immigration Court and BIA have also denied Hamdan’s requests for relief from deportation. Hamdan has exercised his right to appeal his case to the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the deportation issue currently resides.
During the past two years, Hamdan has been detained by the Government pending those removal proceedings. The Government has claimed Hamdan was a key fundraiser for an Islamic charity, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, that has been linked by the Feds to the terrorist organization Hamas. Other Holy Land Foundation officials have been charged criminally by the Federal government with various terrorism-support related crimes and those cases are in various stages of prosecution. Hamdan was not charged with any crime, but with the noted immigration removal violation. Nonetheless, the Government sought to keep him detained due to his links to the Holy Land Foundation and alleged support to Hamas. Hamdan claimed his fund-raising was only for humanitarian purposes and has been seeking his release during the deportation case. Not surprisingly, Hamdan had a small army of supporters among various Muslim advocacy and left-wing legal groups.
In fact, the ACLU led the legal charge for Hamdan’s release in habeas corpus proceedings in US District Court in Los Angeles. Those proceedings, separate from the actual underlying deportation violation for which Hamdan has already been found culpable and that is on separate appeal, have just succeeded in getting Hamdan released from custody, thanks to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals siding with the ACLU position in the habeas action against the Government. To their credit, ICE and the Department of Justice fought to the end on the custody issue trying to appeal the US District Court decision to the 9th Circuit, only to be turned down. Anyone with legal experience who knows the persuasion of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals should not be surprised by this decision. Hamdan is now released on an order of supervision that, according to an ICE statement, requires him to be electronically monitored and report regularly to Government officials while his deportation case continues.
Regardless of how the 9th Circuit may rule on the underlying deportation matter, it is entirely possible the Hamdan case may be appealed to the US Supreme Court. If Hamdan loses, he and his ACLU representatives will surely take a shot. If the Government loses (and the Government often does not do well in deportation cases before the 9th Circuit) it will likely appeal to the Supremes, where more often than not adverse (to the Government) 9th Circuit deportation decisions are overturned.
The Hamdan case is a perfect example of many things that are wrong with our immigration “non”-system today...and have been for many years. Hamdan, like millions of others, came to the US 27 years ago on a temporary visa for a supposed short-term stay. Like millions of others, he violated the terms of his lawful admission to the US, violated the trust this country placed in him when he was issued the visa and allowed to enter, and never left. Regardless of all the excuses and attempted legalities between then and now, and his advocates have postured many and they were all discounted for merit in court because Hamdan was found to be deportable as charged, Hamdan simply remained an overstay nonimmigrant entrant alien...for well over two decades. It took that long, and his association with an alleged terrorist fund-raising charity, to identify and locate him.
... continued at link.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-hamdan2aug02,1,3334643.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california
Man Held on Terrorist Ties More Than 2 Years Reunited With Family
The Islamic charity worker from Buena Park thanks his supporters, awaits the outcome of his deportation case.
By David Reyes, Times Staff Writer
August 2, 2006
A tired but jubilant Abdel Jabbar Hamdan thanked supporters Tuesday and said that after being jailed for two years on suspicion of having terrorist ties, he just wanted to get his life in order again.
"The first thing I did when I saw my family was to hug them and I said, 'I want to make sure I'm home.' So I told them, 'Let me hug you again,' " said Hamdan, who had his wife, Entesar, at his side at a news conference in front of their Buena Park home.
But the fate of the 46-year-old father of six U.S.-born children remains in legal limbo despite his release from federal custody Monday: He still could face deportation by the Justice Department.
Hamdan's case has become a cause celebre among those who maintain that the Bush administration has wrongly used terrorism allegations to jail Muslims, sometimes holding them for months without bond.
In cases such as Hamdan's, suspects are charged with immigration law violations, a charge his attorney called a technicality.
"The Islamic community at large has believed all along in him, and Mr. Hamdan has proved he is an innocent man," said Shakeel Syed, executive director for the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, who was at the news conference.
Hamdan's immigration case is pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said ACLU attorney Ranjana Natarajan. "Unfortunately, there is no time frame to hear his case," he said. "It could take a year or more."
In the interim, Hamdan must comply with an electronic monitoring program, which requires him to be at home from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and stay within a 50-mile radius of it the rest of the time.
... continued at link.
I agree, especially on the heels of the Mumbai train incident.
You're welcome Alamo-girl.
Add to that all the employers who accept phony documents for proof of citizenship (with virtually no consequences except a guaranteed steady stream of illegal workers to quench their low-wage, no benefits, employment requirements), it appears we'll inevitably continue to have gaping holes in our national security.
JustPiper sent this e-mail, which begs to be posted:
Terrorists plot to attack Americans through food supply
Snip: While airport security, seaport protection, illegal immigration and other functions of the Department of Homeland Security garner more attention and news headlines, one of the most fear terrorist tactics is the use of the United States' domestic food supply chain to kill as many Americans as possible.
Intelligence sources believe that this type of terrorist plot is being considered by members of several groups including Al-Qaeda. In fact, the DHS has a term to describe such a tactic: Agroterrorism.
ON THE NET...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=northkorea
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=nkorea
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Thanks to Tiger Likes Rooster for posting this thread.
Note: The following post is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676852/posts
(LEAD) N. Korea building new missile bases, silos along east coast: Report(THEY ARE BUSY)
Yonhap News ^ | 08/03/06
Posted on 08/02/2006 10:11:25 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
(LEAD) N. Korea building new missile bases, silos along east coast: Report
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has been constructing new underground missile bases and silos along its east coast in recent years to deploy intermediate-range rockets targeting Japan and U.S. military facilities on the archipelago, a report said Thursday.
"The new bases clustered along the east coastal line, in particular, are short- and medium-range missile bases aiming at Japan and U.S. military installations in Japan," said a report written by Yun Deok-min, a security expert at the state-funded Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.
About 200 Rodong missiles with ranges of up to 2,200 kilometers and 50 SSN-6 missiles with ranges of 2,500-4,000 km are already deployed in the newly-built bases, the report said.
Two new missiles bases are under construction in Deoksung and Heocheon, counties both in the northeastern province of Hamgyong, with the latter's base believed to deploy North's most advanced rocket, Taepodong-2, the report said.
"Combined with its nuclear weapons, North Korea's ballistic missiles provides it with a powerful deterent," it said. "The North has made all-out efforts to bolster asymmetrical strengths at a time when millions of its people have died of hunger." The report also said North Korea built two underground missile bases in the mountainside in the central part of its land border with China.
The bases "are located in positions that make them impossible to be attacked unless strikes come across the Chinese border, as they are positioned near the Sino-North Korea border and are in the mountainside," it said.
The North's missile capability has captured renewed global attention since it test-launched seven missiles into the East Sea on July 5, despite repeated international warnings. The missiles include a long-range rocket, Taepodong-2, which analysts say are capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. In 1998, North Korea stunned the region by test-firing a Taepodong-1 which flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific.
According to various government documents and press reports, North Korea is believed to have 600 short-range Scud-type missiles and 2,000 Rodong missiles. Few documents and news reports have estimated the North's Taepodong missile stockpile.
The North's Scud missile units are headquartered about 50km north of the demilitarized zone, and are capable of hitting all strategic targets and industrial complexes in South Korea, the report said.
The sales of missiles and missile technologies are also believed to be a major source of revenues for the impoverished North.
The research paper said North Korea has annually earned US$150 million by exporting missiles, missile parts and missile technology. In particular, between 1987 and 1992 the North exported $580 million worth of missiles and related parts and technologies.
The main customers of North Korean missiles are Iran, Libya, Syria, Egypt, and Yemen, which have bought a combined total of 500 Scud-type missiles, the report said. Vietnam and Sudan also bought Scud missiles from the North, it added.
Iran, Pakistan and Libya have purchased 50-100 North Korean Rodong missiles in total, it said.
The paper also said North Korea sells its latest version of the Scud missile for $2 million and a Rodong missile for $4 million, and the price of the Taepodong-2, the North's most advanced rocket, is expected to be around $20 million.
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hezbollah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizballah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizbullah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=qana
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http://hotair.com/archives/vent/2006/08/02/hezbollah-and-qana/
HOT AIR.com - VENT with Michelle Malkin: "HEZBOLLAH AND QANA"
(August 2, 2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqGjz7iJTns&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Efriendsofmicronesia%2Ecom%2Farchives%2F001394%2Ehtml
"UN ambulance picking up fighters in Gaza Strip"
(March 11, 2006)
http://www.zone-h.org/images/stories/aug06/almanar.jpg
http://www.zone-h.org/content/view/13938/30/
"Defacement goes live: Hezbollah's leader Nasrallah gets defaced live by Israeli tv-hackers"
Wednesday, 02 August 2006
Note: The following post is a quote:
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676873/posts
Government to US, Australia: We’ll get Bali bombers
The Philippine Star ^ | 3 August, 2006 | Paolo Romero
Posted on 08/03/2006 12:37:28 AM PDT by Roy Tucker
The government assured the United States, Australia and Indonesia yesterday that it would not let elusive Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani and his two Jemaah Islamiyah cohorts, who are wanted for the 2002 Bali bombings, escape a military dragnet in Sulu.
A civilian was killed and five soldiers were wounded in clashes outside the town of Indanan in Sulu as government troops pursued Abu Sayyaf rebels and several Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants who have joined forces in Mindanao, military officials said.
The officials said at least three Abu Sayyaf rebels were killed and two others wounded as the military launched the air and ground offensive in Indanan, Sulu.
An estimated 200 Abu Sayyaf terrorists have been "contained" in the vicinity of Indanan, clashing at least four times with troops in the mountainous area, an official of the Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) said.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the military appeared to have reliable information on the location of Janjalani and JI militants Dulmatin, who goes by one name, and Umar Patek.
"We hope to capture or neutralize them soon," Ermita said, vowing that there would be no letup in the pursuit operations. "The Armed Forces would not conduct such a massive operation unless it has very good information. So let’s hope it comes up with positive results."
Government troops are exerting all efforts to seal off possible escape routes, Ermita said. "The military is closing the dragnet on them."
Brig. Gen. Mohammad Dolorfino, Southcom deputy operations chief, said that the operation was meant to flush Janjalani and his two JI allies out of the jungle.
Among the JI members believed to be hiding there are Dulmatin and Patek, both wanted for their alleged role in the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
"We have reports that the Indonesians are there in Sulu," said Col. Mark Antonio Supnet, Southcom chief of staff.
A military official, citing intelligence information, said government troops may have indeed finally caught up with Janjalani, who has been on the run since 2003.
"We received reports that Janjalani and his group are just within Indanan and its neighboring area," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He said the military is still trying to confirm the terrorists’ whereabouts through civilian informants. Pressing attacks A civilian acting as a guide for the soldiers was killed and five soldiers had been wounded so far since the military operation began on Tuesday. The troops were backed by MG-520 helicopter gunships and OV-10 Bronco attack planes.
Yesterday, helicopter gunships fired rockets in the vicinity of Indanan town where Abu Sayyaf guerrillas were reportedly converging, said Brig. Gen. Juancho Saban, commander of the 3rd Marine Brigade.
The five wounded Marines were evacuated by the US military.
US troops, who maintain a presence in Sulu as part of counterterrorism assistance, were not directly affected by the fighting, a US military spokeswoman said, but a plane contracted by the American military for humanitarian work was used to fly out five wounded Filipino soldiers.
"We certainly support the government of the Philippines in their actions, but our biggest concern and the reason why we are on the island is the safety and security of the citizens," US Navy Cmdr. Katy Wright told The Associated Press.
For security reasons, Wright declined to say how many US troops were in Sulu.
Supnet said Philippine troops were receiving intelligence assistance from the US military but he stressed "there is no US participation in actual combat." The Philippine Constitution bars foreign troops from fighting on local soil.
"We’re not involved in the operations. Our role is strictly advise and assist," Wright said.
Janjalani is thought to have joined with other Abu Sayyaf leaders in Sulu, a hilly, forested island which the Muslim extremists have long used as a base of operations.
Janjalani and a number of militants belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesian-based group also linked to Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network, have been sighted in Sulu in recent months, military officials have said.
Janjalani’s presence has raised concerns that guerrillas may be plotting attacks against Philippine and US troops, who have focused on humanitarian missions including building schools, fixing roads and improving the water supply.
Sulu Gov. Benjamin Loong said 1,000 people from three remote villages outside Indanan town, where the fighting is confined, have been evacuated to safety.
He added that members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which signed a peace accord with the government in 1996 had agreed not to allow Abu Sayyaf guerrillas inside their territory.
"Nobody is giving protection to the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah. They are on their own," Supnet said.
MNLF fighters have been ordered by their leaders to prevent the Abu Sayyaf from entering their territory.
The Indanan area was the scene of sporadic gunbattles and shelling late last year, forcing thousands of villagers to evacuate.
"We have been planning and working for months to find and track the terrorist leadership in Sulu and the time is now," the military statement quoted Southcom chief Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon as saying. "This operation is the continuation of months of planning and focused efforts and we will continue to press ahead."
The Abu Sayyaf group, on a US terrorist list, is notorious for ransom kidnappings, beheadings and bombings, including a February 2004 attack that gutted a ferry in Manila Bay and killed 116 people in one of Southeast Asia’s worst terrorist attacks.
The United States is offering $5 million for the capture of Janjalani, who is in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s list of most wanted terrorists for kidnapping and killing US citizens.
Janjalani has long been the subject of a massive military manhunt. In 2003, he was reported spotted in Sultan Kudarat province, where he was believed to have fled after clashes with government forces in Basilan, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold.
Janjalani is believed to be hiding in Sulu since October after escaping a military dragnet in Sultan Kudarat.
Dulmatin, who carries a $10-million bounty on his head, is an electronics specialist with training in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and is a senior figure in Jemaah Islamiyah.
He is believed to have been one of the masterminds behind the 2002 Bali bombings. Patek, who has a $1-million bounty on his head, is believed to have served as the assistant for the field coordinator of the bombings. — With Jaime Laude, Roel Pareño, AP, AFP
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"Sawastika Shaped Buildings at Coronado Naval Base"
That's a jaw dropper of a photo. When was this built?
placemark
RUMINT - Hezbollah planning to immediately strike Tel Aviv is Beirut is attackes - which is ongoing by IAF planes.
Not sure how these may pan out, but it could make for a challenging day for Israel on this 9th of Av.
Thanks for the reminder regarding the 9th of Av.
Amazing historical significance there.
Hizbullah leader, Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on al-Manar Thursday that "If Israel bombs Beirut, Hizbullah will attack Tel Aviv."
Well, bombs have been falling all day. Will things get worse, Nasrallah has laid a threat there and could lose serious face if he doesn't follow through.
While the United States dithers, a growing Islamic fundamentalist movement linked to al-Qaeda and Pakistani intelligence agencies is steadily converting the strategically located nation of Bangladesh into a new regional hub for terrorist operations that reach into India and Southeast Asia.
Excerpted
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101118.html
Italy beach for Muslim women only
Riccione: One of Italy’s most popular Adriatic Sea resorts, Riccione, is set to open the country’s first beach exclusively for Muslim women. The city administration has approved an unprecedented measure this week providing for a beach from which men will be banned and fitted with tents to safeguard the privacy of Muslim women who want to sunbathe and swim without having to do so fully clothed, as Islamic custom prescribes.
Female lifeguards will also be provided. City councillor Loretta Villa told Italy’s largest circulation paper, Corriere della Sera, that Riccione is now only waiting for one of the local entrepreneurs "to apply to run the beach and we will immediately prepare the authorisation."
Excerpted
http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=2&cat2=28&newsid=239284&RF=DefaultMain
Priest guards church against ‘racist’ attacks
A PRIEST is set to install high fences around his church in Blackburn in a bid to combat racist attacks.
The move was revealed as a Muslim leader blasted the gang of youths which targeted St Joseph's RC Church, in Audley, Blackburn.
Excerpted
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