Threat Matrix: April 2008

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[nwctwx]

Afghanistan to Ask NATO for Bigger Army

Afghan officials will go to the NATO summit in Romania Thursday with a request: pay to increase our national Army by 40 percent. A bigger Army, Afghan officials argue, will allow the US and other coalition members to scale back in the coming years.

This appeal comes amid pleas from the US and Canada for other NATO members to commit more to the Afghanistan mission, which many analysts say has floundered over the past year for lack of resources and a coherent strategy. France is expected to contribute another 1,000 forces and Germany is likely to make a bigger commitment.

But American and Afghan government sources with knowledge of the expected Afghan proposal say that an increase from the current authorization of 86,000 Afghan Army soldiers to 120,000 is the only way to create an enduring defense against a resurgent Taliban and elusive Al Qaeda operatives. Read More

	France May Send More Troops to Afghanistan
	Special Operations Increase Possible for Iraq
	Al-Qaeda Grooming Militants Who 'Look Western': CIA Chief

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April 2008

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[Cindy]

UNCONFIRMED - RUMOR - UNCONFIRMED - HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL:

blog:

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/04/23/report-insurgency-leader-izzat-ibrahim-al-douri-captured/

“Report: Insurgency leader Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri captured? Update: Given up by Syria?”
POSTED AT 4:42 PM ON APRIL 23, 2008 BY ALLAHPUNDIT

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/syria
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/nuclear

Thanks to Jet Jaguar for the ping to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006060/posts";

“Bombed Syrian reactor was nearly complete
Washingtom Times ^ | April 23, 2008 | Nicholas Kralev, Sara A. Carter
Posted on April 23, 2008 5:52:05 PM PDT by woofie

###

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2005942/posts

“CIA: Syrian site was North Korean plutonium-producing nuclear reactor”
Hot air ^ | 4/23/08 | Staff
Posted on April 23, 2008 2:18:38 PM PDT by pissant

[MamaDearest]

Searches follow Muslim festival

It's bacon - new seasoning sent to troops

Germany raids Islamist groups

[Cindy]

I do recall the “Caliph of Cologne.”

[Cindy]

http://miami.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/mm20080423.htm

“FOREIGN NATIONAL PLEADS GUILTY TO ACTING AS AN ILLEGAL AGENT OF THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT”

PRESS RELEASE SNIPPET: “WASHINGTON - Rodolfo Wanseele Paciello, 40, one of five foreign nationals accused of acting and conspiring to act as an agent of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (”Venezuela”) within the United States without prior notification to the Attorney General of the United States, pleaded guilty earlier today to acting as an unregistered Venezuelan agent before U.S. District Court Judge Joan Lenard in Miami.

The plea was announced by R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Patrick Rowan, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 14, 2008, at 2:00 PM before Judge Lenard.

Wanseele Paciello is the third defendant to plead guilty in this case. On Jan. 25, 2008, Moises Maionica, 36, pleaded guilty to acting and conspiring to act as an illegal agent of the Venezuelan government. Defendant Carlos Kaufmann, 36, pled on March 3, 2008, and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12, 2008, at 2 PM. The case against co-defendants Franklin Duran, 40, and Antonio Jose Canchica Gomez, 37, who remains a fugitive, is still pending. Trial is currently scheduled for Sept. 2, 2008.”

[Cindy]

http://www.truthusa.com/MoreThanCartoons.html

#

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/020766.php
(AP)

April 23, 2008
“Motoon Rage Update: Denmark evacuates embassies in Algeria, Afghanistan”

[Cindy]

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/29711_Congressional_Candidate_Speaks_to_Nazis_on_Hitlers_Birthday

#

http://thenewsdispatch.com/SiteImages/Article/12532a.jpg

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=12532

4/22/2008 11:03:00 AM Email this article • Print this article

“Worst Campaign Idea Ever?
Hoosier congressional candidate speaks at birthday party for Hitler, in Chicago”

Jason Miller
The News-Dispatch

CROWN POINT, Ind. -

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Zirkle confirmed to The News-Dispatch on Monday he spoke Sunday in Chicago at a meeting of the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party, whose symbol is a swastika.”

[MamaDearest]

Strat cat at shelter had rabies

STRATFORD (CT)— Health officials are warning anyone who visited the town's animal shelter between April 9 and 20 they may have had contact with a cat that tested positive for rabies.

An adoption event took place at the shelter, at 9 Frog Pond Lane, on April 12 — one of the days the infected cat was at the facility.

Rabies warning in Arizona

Health officials are warning you that they've seen an increase in rabies activity in the wild animal population in southern Arizona. There have also been problems in Yavapai County, after a man who was hiking was attacked by a fox. He was able to kill the fox, but it tested positive for an aggressive form of rabies.

Colorado state lab confirms rabies positive skunk

The laboratory of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has confirmed a rabies-positive skunk submitted from central Kit Carson County. The skunk was submitted to the state lab on April 10, after it aggressively charged a child and his kenneled dog in the garage of the residence.

Rabies now confirmed on fourth skunk in Camden

Four skunks in town have tested positive for rabies recently, according to the police department.

Authorities confirm Sweetwater Juno raccoon as rabid

District 2 Public Health has confirmed that a raccoon from the Sweetwater Juno Road area has tested positive for rabies, Dawson County Extension Service Agent Clark Beusse said Tuesday.

The raccoon made advances toward a small boy bouncing on a trampoline last week and then attempted to attack the boy's dog.

Fox bites children in Lake County (FL)

A crazy wildlife encounter Tuesday night has a group of Lake County kids fearing they might have rabies. The kids, all under the age of 10, were playing in their yard in Bassville Park Tuesday night. Two boys were roughhousing near some bushes when a fox came out of nowhere and bit one of them.

In trying to separate the boy from the animal, the second boy was also bitten. The fox then followed the screaming kids into the house and into the kitchen where it bit a three-year-old girl on the leg.

Fox that attacked Troy man had rabies

John McKellar, Pike County public health environmentalist, said the fox that attacked a man in Hillside Mobile Home Park on Saturday is unlikely to be an isolated occurrence. Since multiple foxes live together in a den, chances are high that other infected foxes are in the area.

Rabies found in South County

Three dogs are quarantined after killing a rabid skunk in their yard on the 20000 block of Hemlock Street in Groveland.

[MamaDearest]

Will Muslim chaplains radicalize US troops?

Fearing the radicalization of U.S. soldiers, the leader of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus has called for a government investigation of all Muslim chaplains serving in the U.S. military to determine whether they have ties to radical Islamic groups.

Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C., says the Pentagon has failed to properly vet the Muslim chaplains ministering to U.S forces since it first set up its Muslim chaplain corps 15 years ago.

The military chaplains were approved by a convicted terrorism supporter who at the time headed the American Muslim Council. Abdurahman Alamoudi is now serving a 23-year prison sentence on federal terrorism charges.

[Cindy]

Thanks MamaDearest.

It’s a good time to remember that any animal that acts unusual should be reported to your local Animal Control and/or local law enforcement dispatcher.

#

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/submenus/sub_rabies.htm

[Cindy]

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006153/posts

Secret Service Catch Mexican Official Nabbing White House BlackBerries (!AY CARAMBA!)

fox news ^ | April 23, 2008 | James Rosen
Posted on April 23, 2008 11:01:01 PM PDT by Mount Athos

Edited on April 23, 2008 11:12:33 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Whether he was up to no good or simply desperate to play BrickBreaker, a Mexican press attache was caught on camera by Secret Service pocketing several White House BlackBerries during a recent meeting in New Orleans, FOX News has learned.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...

[Cindy]

http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2374117
(TERRORISM FOCUS)

“The Jihadi Quest for Home-Made Air Transport”
By Abdul Hameed Bakier
(April 22, 2008)

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “A previous issue of Terrorism Focus examined jihadi attempts to produce anthrax and concluded that without the proper aerosol equipment, jihadis are unlikely to launch a biological attack in the foreseeable future (Terrorism Focus, March 11). Though the problem of aerosolization has not yet been resolved, participants on jihadi internet forums have recently been exchanging information on methods of air transport, including powered parachute design, small remote-control aircraft and even designs for Cessna 182 aircraft taken from the work of Syrian university students.”

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “From the different comments made on the jihadi aviation undertakings, forum members showed increasing interest in raising jihad operations to the next level. Some forum members also indicated that they are exchanging anthrax production knowledge in private emails, a tacit indication of jihadi interest in trying to carry out a biological air attack using anthrax.”

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080423-1.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 23, 2008

Loyalty Day, 2008
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

Americans believe that every man, woman, and child has unalienable rights, dignity, and matchless value. Advancing these ideals was the honorable vision of our Founders and the mission that helped shape this great country. On Loyalty Day, we celebrate the legacy of freedom and the shared ideals that bind us together.

Our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen demonstrate their love of country by stepping forward when America needs them most. By putting our country’s security before their own, the men and women of the Armed Forces have strengthened our Nation and brought hope to millions around the world. All Americans are grateful to the members of the military and their families for their service, sacrifice, and dedication, and we are proud of their accomplishments.

Through their good works, our Nation’s volunteers bear witness to their steadfast love for America, as exemplified in their commitment to service and good citizenship. Loyalty to this country brings with it a commitment to aid our family, friends, and fellow citizens all across this broad and welcoming land. These volunteers demonstrate their gratitude for the blessings of freedom by helping build a more hopeful future for our children and grandchildren. All Americans can put their loyalty into practice by learning more about the history of our country, flying the American flag, and contributing to our communities.

Two hundred and thirty-two years after the founding of our country, we remain committed to advancing freedom and renewing the values that sustain our liberty. Through the spirit and determination of our people, our Nation will prosper and our liberty will be secure.

The Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as “Loyalty Day.” This Loyalty Day, and throughout the year, I ask all Americans to join me in reaffirming our allegiance to our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2008, as Loyalty Day. I call upon all people of the United States to join in support of this national observance and to display the flag of the United States on Loyalty Day as a symbol of pride in our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH

# # #

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/080422washington.htm

April 22, 2008

Ghanaian pleads guilty to conspiracy and alien smuggling charges

WASHINGTON - A Ghanaian man pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and alien smuggling in connection with his role in smuggling East Africans to the United States, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeffrey A. Taylor, and Assistant Secretary Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today.

Sampson Lovelace Boateng, 53, admitted that between approximately June 2006 and February 2007, he conspired with others to smuggle unauthorized aliens to the United States by providing them with fraudulently obtained Mexican visas. Boateng charged approximately $500 per visa. These documents, which Boateng obtained through a corrupt employee of the Mexican Embassy in Belize, enabled East African aliens to travel into Mexico and reach a point where they could be smuggled across the southern U.S. border. Boateng’s co-conspirators housed the aliens for several days or weeks in Mexico and then smuggled them to the United States by various means, including by concealing the aliens for more than twelve hours in the luggage compartments of buses. Smuggling fees totaled approximately $5,000 per person by the time the aliens reached the United States.

Boateng pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia before U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina to one count of conspiracy and three counts of bringing aliens to the United States for profit. He faces five to 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Upon completion of his sentence, Boateng will be removed from the United States.

Boateng and his co-conspirator in Mexico, Mohammed Kamel Ibrahim, were charged in a 28-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on Oct. 31, 2007, and unsealed on Dec. 5, 2007. Ibrahim is currently awaiting extradition to the United States to face prosecution.

The investigation was conducted by ICE Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles offices, with assistance from the ICE Miami office, the ICE Attache in Guatemala City, the Diplomatic Security Office of the U.S. Embassy in Belize and the DEA Attache in Belize. Valuable support was provided by the ICE Forensic Document Laboratory and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami. Belizean authorities also provided substantial support.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Brian Rogers of the Criminal Division’s Domestic Security Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Harvey of the District of Columbia.

— ICE —

[Cindy]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/22/AR2008042201994.html

“Probation For Sergeant Who Misused Databases”

By Tom Jackman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 23, 2008; Page B01

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The police sergeant said after the sentencing that he hopes to remain with the Fairfax department. A misdemeanor conviction does not automatically disqualify him from continuing with the force. Rasool remains on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation, Fairfax police said.

In June 2005, when federal agents had a Fairfax man under surveillance, the man apparently asked Rasool to check the license plates of three vehicles he thought were following him. Rasool’s lawyer described the man as a member of Rasool’s mosque.”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/nuclear

#

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006181/posts

#

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZDZmYjdkMjRkNjRmZTU4NWVmODM5MTdiYmMxN2E0MjM=&w=MA==

“Thinking the Unthinkable
The terrorist nuclear threat is real, but we’re doing nothing about it.”

By Clifford D. May
(April 24, 2008, 12:00 am)

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “The next time Islamist terrorists attack us it could be with a nuclear weapon. Am I “fear mongering” by saying that? If so, I’m in good company. Graham Allison is a Harvard professor who served with distinction in the Defense Department under Presidents Reagan and Clinton. He wrote a book in 2004 arguing that “on the current course, nuclear terrorism is inevitable.”

There has been no change of course since — quite the contrary. Ashton B. Carter, co-director of the Preventive Defense Project at Harvard, said recently that the threat of nuclear terrorism has been increasing due to Iranian and North Korean proliferation and the failure to secure Russia’s nuclear arsenal following the Cold War. The probability of a nuclear attack on an American city, he believes, is now “almost surely larger than it was five years ago.””

[Cindy]

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/iran

#

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006187/posts

Iran forced to leave defense show in Malaysia for exhibiting missile products
AP ^ | 4/24/08 | Sean Yoong
Posted on April 24, 2008 2:50:56 AM PDT by ovrtaxt

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Iran has been kicked out of an international defense show in Malaysia for exhibiting missile equipment in violation of U.N. rules, an official said Thursday.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Iranian companies were ordered out of the Defense Services Asia show Tuesday because their exhibition was deemed “offensive.”

(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...

[Cindy]

NOTE: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006195/posts

Pennsylvania’s police prepare for radical Islam
The Morning Call ^ | April 24, 2008 | Donald Hoffman
Posted on April 24, 2008 3:22:30 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

A tradition in the politics of American presidential campaigns is the increase in disingenuous rhetoric, often with minimal regard for recognizing the realities of the day. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton fight to emulate the ‘’real deal’’ as presidential candidates who will ‘’end the war’’ in Iraq. It’s as if the outcome in Iraq has no consequence to the future of the human political rights in the Middle East, or anywhere else on the globe. Oddly, Jimmy Carter rises from the ash heap of presidential politics past, proclaiming that Hamas is ready to ‘’accept Israel as its neighbor.’’ Might America also be ready for a new understanding of Islamic terrorism? Is it all much ado about nothing?

As the campaign for the White House in 2008 more and more emulates the simple-minded myopia of ‘’Support the Troops, Bring them Home’’ yard signs, there’s a different message being brought to bear upon the ‘’thin blue line’’ protecting the residents of Main Street and Elm Street America. Some in the endless 2008 presidential campaign promise a departure from the ‘’politics of fear.’’ However, training mandated by Pennsylvania’s Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) tells a different story, as municipal law enforcement learn to comprehend the real threat of radical Islam.

Understanding this threat is a complicated quest that still evades the United States, even after 9/11. Waled Phares, senior fellow and director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation_for_the_Defense_of_Democracies is credited in the 2008 MPOETC with the following 2005 quote: ‘’Jihad is not benign, and the West’s denial of that fact was terribly ironic: The United States was paving the way for its own defeat, by blurring its vision, confusing its mind, and moderating its reactions to the early danger signs, not to mention the terrorist strikes to come.

(Excerpt) Read more at mcall.com ...

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006203/posts

“Some of My Best Friends Are Liberals. None of Them Are Terrorists.”
Townhall.com ^ | April 23, 2008 | Hugh Hewitt
Posted on April 24, 2008 3:53:56 AM PDT by Kaslin