Threat Matrix: Daily Terror Threat - Thread Thirty-One

[Revel]

Thank you

[lahargis]

Here you are:

Republicans Require Health Insurance for Immigrants Only
by Gene C. Gerard
www.dissidentvoice.org
October 3, 2005






This month, Congress will consider an immigration reform bill introduced by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ). A component of the bill would require employers to provide health insurance to all workers who are registered immigrants. To be sure, immigrants who lawfully enter the country to work, and who pay taxes, should have access to health insurance. But this bill is poorly reasoned and has the potential to create tremendous problems.

Although the bill will mandate that employers provide health insurance coverage to immigrants, this is a luxury that no American enjoys. Employers are not required to provide health insurance to citizens. At the very least, this will provoke animosity and tension between immigrants and citizens. At its worst, this will result in an increase in American workers without insurance.

Employers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the pace of health care costs. According to a survey conducted by Salary.Com, 90 percent of small businesses will spend more on their employees’ health insurance in 2005 than they spent in 2004. Half of the companies surveyed reported that health care costs are increasing at an average yearly rate of 10 percent to 20 percent. Almost one-tenth of the companies in the survey complained that health care costs are increasing at an annual rate of 30 percent or more.

A report released this summer by PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that one-fourth of large corporations have seen a double-digit increase in health care costs in recent years. The companies surveyed for the report indicated that per-employee health care costs have increased 12 percent since last year, and they expect an increase of 11 percent for the coming year. These employers reported spending 12 to 15 percent of their annual payroll on health insurance. This is an increase of eight percent since 2000.

According to a recent study by Hewitt Associates, most employers will pay an average of 12.6 percent more for workers’ HMO coverage in 2006. HMOs insure approximately one-fifth of all privately insured workers. Humana has announced the largest increase for 2006, at 23 percent. Kaiser-Permanente, a non-profit HMO, has announced the smallest increase at 10 percent. WellPoint, the largest insurance provider in America, intends to increase their rates by 16 percent next year. UnitedHealth Group, the second largest insurer, has projected an 11 percent increase for 2006.

The immigration reform bill, by mandating that employers provide health insurance to their immigrant workers, would have a disastrous effect on American workers. Some employers, perhaps even many, would simply discontinue providing health insurance benefits to its workers who are citizens. This would be the easiest way for employers to offset health care costs. In fact, the Salary.Com survey found that 14 percent of businesses are already actively encouraging their employees not to enroll in their health plans.

California, a state with a large immigrant population, has seen a 13 percent decline in employer-sponsored health care since 2000 among low-wage earners. Among all workers, the state has experienced a three percent decline in employer-sponsored health coverage in the last five years. Arindrajit Dube, an economist at the University of California-Berkley who recently analyzed that state’s health insurance crisis noted, “The most alarming thing is that precisely where we are seeing job growth in California, that is where we are seeing the biggest declines of employer sponsored health care.”

Nationally, the percentage of all companies offering health benefits to their employees has declined nine percent since 2000, according to a study by The Kaiser Family Foundation. This decrease has been driven by a substantial decline in the percentage of small companies (those with three to 199 employees) offering health insurance, which has fallen from 68 percent to 59 percent in the last five years. Fifty-seven percent of the smallest companies, those with less than 10 employees, no longer offer health coverage.

Many small companies, and even some large companies, will likely discontinue health insurance to their workers who are American citizens if the law forces them to provide coverage to immigrants. While Republican Senators Cornyn and Kyl proposed this bill with good intentions, the end result would almost certainly be fewer American workers with health coverage. A more common-sense approach to the widespread lack of health insurance is some form of universal health care. Then, there would be no distinctions between American citizens and registered immigrants.

Gene C. Gerard teaches American history at a small college in suburban Dallas, and is a contributing author to the forthcoming book Americana at War. His previous articles have appeared in Dissident Voice, Political Affairs Magazine, The Free Press, Intervention Magazine, The Modern Tribune, and The Palestine Chronicle. He can be reached at genecgerard@comcast.net.

[Revel]

Thanks Much. If this is true then I just don't know what to say.

[Rushmore Rocks]

Our small wood products plant employs around 75 full-employees. We provide medical insurance for all of them. Not because the government says we must, but because we get better quality workers and more loyal employees because of the benefits.......and also because we care about them.

That said, if we provided no insurance and we received a government mandate to provide only for immigrants..........we would probably shut our facility down and go totally to outsourcing (which is already 50% of our business).

I cannot imagine what Kyl and Cornyn are thinking!

[Rushmore Rocks]

.....oops. Full-time employees.

[BurbankKarl]

what is drudge yelling about?

ABCNEWS: Unprecedented Security Breach at White House

[Oorang]

Excellent links and jpg's penguino. Thanks very much.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1497236/posts

"Al-Qaida TV labels Abbas 'collaborator'"
Jerusalem Post ^ | Oct. 5, 2005 19:35 | Khaled Abu Toameh

Posted on 10/05/2005 2:16:08 PM PDT by ScaniaBoy

[Oorang]

Wow, must read article. Thanks MamaD.

[Cindy]

I don't read Drudge, so I don't know what he is saying.
====

Here are 2 links regarding the brief scare at the White House today:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171287,00.html

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,171287,00.html

Here you go BurbankKarl.
Thanks for pointing to the incident.

[Oorang]

Well, why didn't they turn them in? I guess that would put a crimp in their next (treasonous) photo opportunity.

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is an exact quote:
---

http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/News_Release.asp?NewsRelease=20051018.txt

NEWS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
October 5, 2005
Release Number: 05-10-18


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


COALITION RAIDS, PATROLS NAB 23 TERROR SUSPECTS, WEAPONS

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Coalition Forces captured 20 terror suspects during seven pre-dawn raids against terrorist safe-houses in Baghdad Oct. 4 in order to break up terror networks operating in and around the city.

All seven raids were conducted between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. in west, northwest, south and southeast Baghdad.

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers also caught three men red-handed before they could carry out a terrorist attack in the Thawra district of northeast Baghdad.

At 1:30 a.m., the Soldiers halted a vehicle with no license plate. The three individuals in the car each had an AK-47 assault rifle and none had any identification. The three terror suspects were detained and turned over to the Iraqi Police.

In other combat operations, Task Force Baghdad Soldiers on patrol seized four separate weapons caches, disrupting terrorist support networks.

The caches contained 571 mortar rounds, 19 artillery rounds, 15 rockets, nine rocket launchers, 110 rocket-propelled grenades, one RPG launcher, 31 grenades, 206 artillery fuses, a large-caliber machine gun with ammunition, and two AK-47 assault rifles.

The Soldiers also found two roadside bombs and anti-Coalition propaganda.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS RELEASE, CONTACT TASK FORCE BAGHDAD PUBLIC AFFAIRS, SGT. FIRST CLASS DAVID ABRAMS AT DAVID.ABRAMS@ID3.ARMY.MIL.

-30-

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is an exact quote:
---

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2005/20051005_2941.html

Car Bomb Stopped Before Reaching Target; 12 Wounded in Explosion

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2005 – U.S. and Iraqi police and military personnel stopped a car bomb from reaching its intended target Oct. 4 in Baghdad's fortified International Zone, U.S. military officials in Iraq said.

A vehicle burns outside one of the entrances of the International Zone in Baghdad Oct. 4 after a failed car bomb attack. Iraqi emergency response teams quickly contained the blaze. Army photo (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
The car bomber still managed to wound 12 U.S. and Iraqi personnel. Officials said the probable target was either an Iraqi Ministry of Interior official or a Transitional National Assembly delegate.

Initial reports indicate four Iraqi police officers, three Iraqi army soldiers and three civilians were wounded during the explosion. Two U.S. Task Force Baghdad soldiers were also slightly wounded.

Baghdad emergency workers and firefighters quickly responded to extinguish fires in cars that were set ablaze during the explosion.

In other news from Iraq, coalition forces captured 20 terror suspects during seven pre-dawn raids against terrorist safe houses in Baghdad Oct. 4. The raids, in part, are aimed at breaking up terror networks in and around the city.

Task Force Baghdad soldiers also caught three men before they could carry out a terrorist attack in the Thawra district of northeast Baghdad. The soldiers halted a vehicle with no license plate. Inside the vehicle, three men each had AK-47 assault rifles, and none had identification. The Americans detained the terror suspects and turned them over to Iraqi police.

Task Force Baghdad soldiers also seized four weapons caches, containing 571 mortar rounds, 19 artillery rounds, 15 rockets, nine rocket launchers, 110 rocket-propelled grenades, one RPG launcher, 31 grenades, 206 artillery fuses, a large-caliber machine gun with ammunition, and two AK-47 assault rifles.

In Taji, Iraqi army soldiers found a weapons cache while patrolling near a major thoroughfare. The soldiers found a 155 mm artillery shell, five mortar shells ranging in size from 100 mm to 120 mm, a box of rocket fuses, and five pounds of plastic explosives. The patrol also recovered two AK-47 assault rifles, a flare gun, and two remote-controlled detonators.

Elsewhere, soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, and coalition troops discovered a sizeable weapons cache and detained three men Oct. 4 at a school in the Malaab district of Ramadi. No children were present at the school during the incident.

An inventory of the weaponry and IED-making components tallied 75 different item types in various quantities. The stash produced 33 assorted guns, 92 mortar rounds in different sizes, 36 assorted RPG rounds, eight bags of rifle ammunition, links and propellant rods, and seven two-and-a-half-gallon buckets of propellant and propellant and gasoline mix.

A wide array of explosives and components, such as charges, fuses, blasting caps, primers, detonation cord and a mix of electronic equipment such as cell phones, chargers, cables and transformers, was found also.

One man was identified as the guard at the school, and two other men present failed a "wipe test" for exposure to explosives residue. All three were taken into custody for further questioning by authorities.

Iraqi security forces found and cleared two IEDs Oct. 4 in the Fallujah area. Troops from the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Intervention Force, found an IED during a presence patrol and cordoned off the area. EOD excavated the device, which was determined to be a South African 155 mm M1A1 artillery round.

The soldiers also reported another IED discovered two weeks earlier in the vicinity, near a previously excavated weapons cache. The bomb was retrieved by EOD and turned out to be another 155 mm projectile. Both rounds were turned over for later disposal.

In north-central Iraq, Iraqi security forces and U.S. Task Force Liberty soldiers began Operation Saratoga in advance of the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum and to protect people during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Officials said Iraqi forces and Task Force Liberty soldiers will be much more visible across all the regions of north-central Iraq to act on recent information developed by the Iraqi police and army and coalition forces.

More than 500 Iraqi citizens have been killed or injured by terrorist attacks in Kirkuk, Bayji, Samarra, Duluiyah, Tuz, Baqubah and Balad, officials said. Nearly 80 Iraqi policemen and soldiers have died and another 101 wounded in their fight to protect the Iraqi people since the beginning of September.

Task Force Liberty soldiers and their Iraqi army and police partners have conducted almost 300 combat missions to disrupt terror cells. More than 800 suspected terrorists have been detained and another 25 enemy forces killed and 10 enemy wounded since Sept. 1, officials said.

Polling-site security will be augmented by more than 1,400 concrete barriers emplaced in recent weeks to support Iraqi police and army operations to secure access for voters, officials said.

In the air war over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 34 close-air-support and armed-reconnaissance sorties Oct. 4 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities. Coalition aircraft also supported Iraqi and coalition ground forces to create a secure environment for ongoing Transitional National Assembly meetings.

U.S. Air Force F-16s performed a strike against a building used by anti-Iraqi forces in the vicinity of Karabilah, expending one GBU-38 500-pound bomb.

Other U.S. Air Force F-16s and F-15s and British Royal Air Force GR-4s provided close air support to coalition troops in the vicinities of Mahmudiyah, Ramadi, and Tuz Khurmatu.

In addition, nine U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. British Royal Air Force fighter aircraft also performed in a non-traditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, Task Force Baghdad, Task Force Liberty and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)


Related Sites:
Multinational Force Iraq
Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq
U.S. Central Command Air Forces

Firefighters battle to put out the blaze of a car that was caught in the blast of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at Baghdad's International Zone, Oct. 4. Army photo
Download screen-resolution
Download high-resolution

[Cindy]

http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/kouri/2005/10/jewish-defense-league-leader-gets-20.html

Jim Kouri is Vice President of the
National Association of Chiefs of Police

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

"Jewish Defense League Leader Gets 20 Years for Terror Plot"
by Jim Kouri, CPP

[Cindy]

http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/kouri/2005/10/fbi-intelligence-analyst-caught.html

National Association of Chiefs of Police

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

"FBI Intelligence Analyst Caught Passing Secrets to Foreign Officials"
by Jim Kouri, CPP

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is an exact quote:
===

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/2005/10/008439print.html

October 05, 2005

Man beheaded on eve of Ramadan in south Thailand

Ramadan mubarak! From Reuters, with thanks to Twostellas:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Suspected Muslim militants beheaded a villager in southern Thailand on the eve of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, police said on Wednesday.
Militants also raided an outpost, wounding five soldiers and escaping with five guns, according to an army radio message monitored by Reuters.

The attackers cut trees to block the road and placed spikes to prevent counter-attacks by soldiers, the radio said.

The head and torso of the man, thought to be in his 50s, were dumped in two fertiliser bags beside a road in a rubber plantation in Yala, one of the three southernmost provinces hit by the violence in which more than 900 people have died.

Posted at October 5, 2005 10:43 AM

[Cindy]

http://wtop.com/index.php?nid=116&sid=514207

"Pentagon Analyst Pleads Guilty in Spy Case"
Updated: Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2005 - 6:19 PM

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press Writer

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "(AP) - ALEXANDRIA, Va. _ A top Pentagon analyst with expertise in the Middle East pleaded guilty Wednesday to giving classified information to an Israeli embassy official and members of a pro-Israel lobbying group.

Lawrence A. Franklin, 58, said during a plea hearing that he was frustrated with the government and that he had hoped the two members of the lobbying group could use their connections at the National Security Council to influence U.S. policy."

[Oorang]

Very interesting WCG, thanks for finding and posting.

[KylaStarr]

I had no idea the JDL was still active.. geesh

[Rushmore Rocks]

I just heard something about a spy who was working for Cheney and before that, Gore. Passing information about the Phillipines? This may be incorrect as I was cooking at the time and missed a large part of the report.