Posted on 07/28/2008 8:37:15 AM PDT by DAVEY CROCKETT
Is U.S. Bioterror Attack Just A Matter of Time?
The overriding question is whether the U.S. is “ready” for a bioterror attack. The answer could well rely on the “other” question of what bio-agent and what’s the source? In 1991, 40,000 Russian scientists dispersed throughout the World, with knowledge of what the U.S.S.R. was doing in chemical and biological weapons. The question is to whom did they sell their knowledge? Some believe former Soviet scientists sold technology to countries like Iran, Syria, and North Korea. Lurking is the spectre of al-Qaeda, a group that the Pentagon says continues to pursue biological weapons.
Another scenario is an outbreak of a pandemic. How would the U.S. deal with an infectious disease outbreak? The picture, despite reassurances, is not pretty. Until now, the U.S. has experienced two major biological attacks.
In 1984, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers attempted to take over the town of the Dalles, Oregon by contaminating salad bars in the town. In 2001, there was the as yet unsolved mystery of the anthrax letters that killed five people.
But the question of bioterrorism extends to potential threats against our food supply and our clean water resources. It also extends to the threat of outbreaks of diseases in our animals populations. Here, the concern are diseases that attack animals but that can jump to humans. These are referred to as zoonotic diseases. The World Health Organization defines zonnotic diseases as:
Read More
The amount of people getting hit by trains around here this summer has been astounding.<<<
About a month ago, there was a rash of people hit by trains in San Diego and Denver.
It is wise to not ride them or go to the stations.
I posted a ‘railroad bridge out’ earlier today, no reason for it being gone was given, but it did supply a military base.
Tehran’s Georgia Victory
By Jamie Glazov
FrontPageMagazine.com | Thursday, August 21, 2008
Frontpage Interview’s guest today is Kayvan Kaboli, a member of “Progressive American-Iranian Committee” (PAIC). He has been a political activist for 30 years with particular interest in environmental and peace issues. At the moment he is striving to establish an international alliance composed of democratic and secular forces against the Tehran’s Islamic Republic.
FP: We’re here today to discuss how Russia’s invasion of Georgia will influence Iran. But first, let me ask you this: what do you think about U.S-Iran relations with regards to the recent diplomatic gestures between the two countries?
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=6B166C1A-FD8D-4C1F-B67D-AD96F0A37F91
Thanks to Alia for this link.
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/guideDesc.asp?catid=93&type=issue
[snipped, there are many hidden urls and a list of titles on the right....]
When these two traditions confront each other in their historic conflict, progressivism and conservatism (left and right) become inverse images. Within the Soviet bloc, progressive or “left” signifies counter revolution — capitalism, liberalism, democracy; “right” means the defense of the conservative status quo (the Marxist dictatorship, communism, socialism). In the West, it is just the opposite: To be conservative within a revolutionary tradition simply means to conserve the paradigm peculiar to that revolution. To be conservative, or on the “right,” in the context of the democratic West means to preserve the liberal, individualist and free-market framework that is its historic achievement and to act on the non-utopian premises that are its philosophical foundation. Among the highest values of the contemporary right in America are: individual freedom, the rule of law, private property, and limited government. The progressive left, by contrast, favors group identification and group rights; separate standards of behavior and performance for different groups; public or governmental control over private property; and generally greater governmental involvement in — and oversight of — the affairs of the populace.
In this section of DiscoverTheNetworks, the category titled “Liberal/Left/Progressive: Definition, Nature, Worldview, and Goals” examines the various core beliefs and ultimate objectives associated with the terms “liberal,” “left,” and “progressive.” In his September 12, 2002 article, “The Psychology Underlying ‘Liberalism’” (published by FrontPageMagazine.com), John J. Ray offers a comprehensive analysis of this topic.
The category titled Historical Perspectives examines the intellectual origins of progressivism, its precepts, and how these have evolved over time.
The category titled Cultural Marxism & the Frankfurt School explores the concept of cultural Marxism, more commonly known as “political correctness.” The resources listed in this category overlap considerably with those listed in the Political Correctness category. The publication titled “Political Correctness”: A Short History of an Ideology (produced by the Free Congress Foundation and edited by William Lind) provides an outstanding introduction to this topic.
The category titled Tactics of the Left focuses on the strategies employed by leftists and progressives in pursuit of their political and social objectives.
The category titled Radical Road Maps is devoted entirely to James H. Hansen’s 2006 treatise, “Radical Road Maps: Uncovering the Web of Connections Among Far-Left Groups in America,” published by WND Books. In explaining the scope of his work, Hansen writes: “This book examines the significant groups of the Far Left in America today and discusses how they connect and interact, how they operate, what they profess, and why this matters.”
The category titled Postmodernism explores what Gary Jason describes in “Socialism’s Last Bastion” as the mindset that “views the whole Enlightenment project as a failure.” “It is socially subjectivist in epistemology,” adds Jason, “holding that the ‘world’ is what we socially construct, and each ‘group’ (racial, gender, linguistic, ethnic, national or what have you) constructs the world according to its group identity. Postmodernists are egalitarian and collectivist in matters ethical and political.”
The category titled Philanthropic Generosity of Liberals vs. Conservatives explores the issue of who is more inclined to donate money to charitable causes — liberals and progressives on the one hand, or conservatives on the other. In his January 22, 2007 article, “Faith, Hope, and Charity: Who Gives to Whom, and Why” (published by The Weekly Standard), Martin Morse Wooster reviews Arthur C. Brooks’ empirical research on this topic.
The category titled New Left examines the movement that emerged in the 1960s as a rejection Stalinism’s “excesses,” and as a means of preserving the utopian communist dream without having to support (or be associated with) Stalin’s atrocities.
The category titled Leftist Lobbying and Advocacy examines how special-interest groups influence U.S. legislators. In his March 2007 article “The Liberal Lock on Congress” (published by the Capital Research Center), Matthew Vadum writes that such organizations “want to raise taxes, take away consumer choice, engineer social changes, and further regulate the environment, while weakening government’s ability to defend Americans from terrorist attack.”
The category titled Liberal/Leftist “Hate” Speech and Character Assassination cites numerous examples of mean-spirited rhetoric and ad hominem attacks that progressives typically characterize as the exclusive provence of conservatives.
The category titled Leftist Lies About Marriage and Family scrutinizes the Left’s implication that the traditional nuclear family is an increasingly outmoded institution in the West, as evidenced by a purportedly skyrocketing divorce rate. In a May 11, 2007 piece titled “The Press Catches up with the Truth about Divorce” (published by TownHall.com), Michael Medved addresses what he calls “the myth of America’s ‘soaring divorce rate,’ and the pernicious lie that ‘50% of all marriages end in divorce.”
The category titled Euston Manifesto examines the document that Martin Walker, in his article “The Left Thinks Again” (published by MonstersAndCritics.com), characterizes as “a statement of principles in support of democracy, freedom of speech and ideas, and firm opposition to terrorism, all forms of totalitarianism and all soft-headed apologies for it.”
The category titled Individual Rights vs. Government Intrusion explores the balance between liberty and the erosion of freedom at the hands of legislators and judges.
Hugo Chávez’s Andean Offensive
By James M. Roberts and Ray Walser
The Heritage Foundation | Thursday, August 21, 2008
As Russian tanks and infantry roll through distant, democratic Georgia, a less provocative yet troubling assault on democracy in the Western Hemisphere continues unabated. Exploiting the U.S. leadership and media’s preoccupation with the Caucasus conflict, as well as the Beijing Olympics, elections, and high gas prices, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela went on the offensive with a power grab of his own. From nationalist muscle-flexing with Russian arms to the issuance of decree-laws, from nationalizations to blacklisting opposition candidates, Chávez’s recent antics are designed to secure victory in Venezuela’s November state and municipal elections. Such electoral triumph would accelerate the advance of Chávez’s brand of socialism and is therefore another setback for hemispheric democracy.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=5774B530-64B7-47A7-9D56-9331316644D9
Thanks to Alia for the link to this article, it is a must read for all of us.
granny
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=DC49AA2C-FE1D-4FFB-BB15-E61BB0110F76
The Left, Georgia and Double Standards
By Steven Plaut
FrontPageMagazine.com | 8/21/2008
Putin’s Russia is, at this very moment, in the process of inventing a new “nation” that is in need of “self-determination” as a shrewd and brutal ploy to break up Georgia. It is has shrewdly coordinated moves by separatists inside Georgia to serve as a justification for its own invasion.
The Putin regime articulates outrage about the mistreatment of the Ossetians, while mysteriously being totally callous about its own human rights abuses inside Russia, especially in Chechnya. It is obvious that the Russians are preaching human rights and self-determination as a weapon to engage in aggression.
The story brings to mind two historical parallels. The first is the campaign by Nazi Germany on behalf of “self-determination” for the Sudeten Germans inside Czechoslovakia in the 1930s. Germany also invented a “people” in need of self-determination inside the small state it had designs on. Thus, it invented claims of human rights abuses and then used the separatist activities of the Sudetens as an excuse to invade and demolish Czechoslovakia. It goes without saying that human rights were respected much more inside Czechoslovakia than inside Nazi Germany. And ethnic Germans already had their own sovereign countries they could migrate to if they were unhappy in the Sudeten areas of Czechoslovakia.
The other historical parallel concerns the invention of a “Palestinian people.” The Arabs use the “Palestinian” separatist movement in a similar way to how Russia uses the Ossetian separatists. The Arabs and their apologists invent tales of “human rights abuses” by Israel of “Palestinians” much like Russia invents stories about Georgian mistreatment of Ossetians. Never mind that the human rights of Arabs inside Israel are respected infinitely better than are those of Arabs inside Arab countries, and that non-Arabs inside Arab countries are treated even worse. The world is up in arms about so-called Israeli “apartheid,” while in reality Israel is the only Middle East regime that is not an apartheid regime.
Yes, the Georgians did sometimes mistreat the Ossetians and the Ossetians have a far stronger case for self-determination than the “Palestinians.” The Ossetians speak their own language unrelated to that of their neighbors and have their own culture. In comparison, the “Palestinians” are far less different culturally and less distinct linguistically from the Arabs in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria (whence most of them migrated into “Palestine” in the late 19th and early 20th century).
These phenomena beg a serious question: If the world is horrified at Russian aggression and behavior towards Georgians, where is its outrage at Arab aggression towards Israel and behavior identical to that of Russia? Why are those who dismiss the claims of a right to self-determination by Ossetians not dismissing as a similar Sudeten-style ploy the demands for “Palestinian self-determination?” Why are Palestinians, who enjoy treatment far better than that of the Ossetians and the Chechens, the focus of countless media exposes about their imaginary mistreatment by Israel?
And where are all those solidarity protesters? Where are the “International Solidarity Movement” protesters who like to attack Israeli troops and police and to serve as “human shields” to protect the Palestinian “victims” of Israeli self-defense? Why are they not rushing to Ossetia and Georgia to stand up to the Russian troops, throwing rocks at them and singing Kun-Ba-Ya?
Where are the leftist human shields blocking the path of Russian military vehicles the same way they block Israeli Defense Forces operations? Are they afraid they will not be served the same nice gourmet lattes they get when Israeli forces apprehend them for hooliganism in the West Bank?
Why are leftists not organizing ships to break the Russian blockade of the Georgia coast the same way they are trying to provide sea-borne aid to the Hamas in Gaza? Where are the Rachel Corries and why are they not challenging Russian bulldozer crews? Why are the Anarchists against the Wall not hopping planes to Tbilisi to challenge Russian construction crews erecting walls in Abkhazia and Ossetia? Why are the Israeli leftist professors not holding pro-Ossetian poetry readings and solidarity rallies in Tbilisi?
Here we have the hypocrisy of the members of the political faith exposed for all to see.
Steven Plaut is a professor at the Graduate School of the Business Administration at the University of Haifa and is a columnist for the Jewish Press. A collection of his commentaries on the current events in Israel can be found on his “blog” at www.stevenplaut.blogspot.com.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=6ABDF705-585E-4936-9472-732F10134A65
Chicago’s Hamas Youth
By Joe Kaufman
FrontPageMagazine.com | Thursday, August 21, 2008
During the 1990s, the Hamas infrastructure within the United States was complete. It consisted of a propagation outlet, the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP); a financing wing, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF); a command center, the United Association for Studies and Research (UASR); and a defense mechanism, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Today, only the latter exists, along with a remnant of the IAP, the Mosque Foundation. Both have a presence in the Chicago area, where group and mosque are working hard to indoctrinate young Muslims into radical Islam.
In 1981, two Muslim Brotherhood entities, which later would be widely regarded as being aligned with the terrorist Hamas, were established within the Chicago area of Illinois. One, the IAP, was created as a collaboratory effort between future Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook and future Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Sami Al-Arian. Soon after the onset of the violent Palestinian Intifada against Israel, which began in 1987 and which gave birth to Hamas, the IAP became a publishing house for the Hamas charter and Hamas terror training videos.
continue.
WND Exclusive BLACK-GOLD BLUES
Oil? Ah, let Russia have it
State Department gives away 125,000 square miles of Alaskan ocean floor
Posted: July 29, 2008
9:52 pm Eastern
© 2008 WorldNetDaily
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=70902
Alleged terrorist confirms liquid bomb theory
By: J Dey
Date: 2008-08-21
Explosive: Terrorist Raziuddin Naser was nabbed in Goa, early this year, when he was trying to hijack a tanker containing 20,000 litres of hydrogen peroxide. representation pic
The confession of alleged terrorist Raziuddin Naser has confirmed that jehadis are planning to launch large-scale chemical strikes across the country.
Naser was nabbed in Goa early this year when he was trying to hijack a tanker containing 20,000 litres of hydrogen peroxide.
Documents available with MiD DAY indicate that Naser had undergone 45 days of extensive training in the use of destructive chemicals at Dera Ismail Khan in Karachi, Pakistan in November last year.
Forty other trainees also underwent similar training in Pakistan. Naser told officials in Mumbai that he was also taught how to use hydrogen peroxide - one of the most commonly available chemicals - to carry out blasts in the country.
A senior Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer said terrorists are changing from explosives like RDX to locally available chemicals so that they are not linked to militant organisations across the border. “It is intended to give a more local look to the sinister plans,” he added.
The police have launched a massive manhunt for the 40 jehadis. The police suspect that Abdus Shuban Qureshi alias Dr Taufique Billal could be the man behind the planned chemical strikes. “Taufique is a master in the use of chemical and computer software,” informed a senior ATS officer.
Incidentally, Toufique has been named the key mastermind in the Ahmedabad blasts.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066050/posts
2 NYC Men Plead Guilty in Fake-Toothpaste Caper
1010Wins ^ | Thursday, 21 August 2008
Posted on 08/22/2008 4:30:51 AM PDT by Calpernia
Two New York City businessmen have pleaded guilty in a scheme to distribute more than 500,000 tubes of counterfeit toothpaste imported from China.
Fifty-one-year-old Saifoulaye Diallo and 47-year-old Habib Bah each face up to 10 years in prison after entering their pleas Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn.
continued.
August 22, 2008 Anti-Terrorism News - UnitedStatesAction.com
Iraqi troops kill guard in Sadr City raid
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/22/africa/ME-Iraq.php
(Iraq) U.S., Iraqi Negotiators Agree on 2011 Withdrawal
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080822/ts_afp/iraqusmilitary_080822110906;_ylt=AvENUqWaQy3xkEHmkgWhti1X6GMA
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/21/AR2008082100310.html?hpid=topnews
(Afghanistan) Air strike kills 30 militants in Afghanistan - targeting Taliban in Herat province
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080822/wl_nm/afghan_violence_dc_6;_ylt=Ahc4zfzXM49dNvsG2cM0.sfOVooA
— local elder claims civilians also killed - U.S. denies
(Afghanistan) 11 Taliban killed in Uruzgan province clash (my title)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080822/ap_on_re_as/afghan_violence_4;_ylt=AmYPBOEuOK3cLJ8YnxMDJ23OVooA
Afghanistan: Italian soldiers injured north of Kabul
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2429077555
Pakistan: Nationwide security alert after new Taliban threats
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2428693940
Pakistan arrests suspected 3rd suspect in suicide blasts
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219218616487&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
— Death toll in twin suicide blasts in Pak rises to 78
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Death_toll_in_twin_suicide_blasts_in_Pak_rises_to_78/articleshow/3392753.cms
— Thursday’s Pakistan blast involved three attackers — official
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1933014&Language=en
- in Wah, Punjab factory bombing
(Pakistan) FATA: Nine militants killed in Bajaur strikes
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\22\story_22-8-2008_pg1_5
(Pakistan) NWFP and FATA: Pakistan kills 20 militants near Afghan border — 15 killed in NWFP Hangu, 5 in
FATA Bajaur
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080822/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanunrestnorthwest_080822100802;_ylt=Alj.Z4ZAJSZVic.4yYzimS7zPukA
(Pakistan) NWFP: Army official killed in Kohat
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\22\story_22-8-2008_pg7_9
(Pakistan) NWFP: Credible clues found to DI Khan blast: Malik
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\22\story_22-8-2008_pg1_4
(Pakistan) NWFP: ‘No amnesty for militants even if they surrender’
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\22\story_22-8-2008_pg7_3
(Pakistan) NWFP: TNSM Sufi asks NWFP govt to enforce shariah
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\22\story_22-8-2008_pg7_13
(Pakistan) MEMRI: The Role of Pakistan’s Madrassas
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA46208
(Pakistan) National Assembly demands Aafia Siddiqui’s repatriation, condemns blasphemous caricatures
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\22\story_22-8-2008_pg7_20
— Siddiqui held as Al-Qaeda suspect in U.S.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5567066&page=1
(Pakistan) Pro-Al Qaeda signs at lawyers’ rally
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\22\story_22-8-2008_pg13_1
Pakistan: Presidential election to be held on September 6
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.2428726357
(India J&K) Fresh violence in Jammu, 2 police stations torched
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Violence_in_Jammu_police_stations_torched/articleshow/3394087.cms
— 200,000 Muslims protest Indian rule in Kashmir
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/22/asia/AS-Kashmir-Shrine-Protests.php
— Kashmir Separatists call for major rally in Kashmir
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/August/subcontinent_August765.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
(India) Haywood’s escape a setback to anti-terror drive
http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1646316
(India) Dawood funding SIMI terror campaign, says intelligence
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Dawood_funding_SIMI_terror_campaign_says_intelligence/articleshow/3391080.cms
(India) Gujarat Police get custody of SIMI activists lodged in MP jails
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Gujarat_Police_get_custody_of_SIMI_activists_lodged_in_MP_jails/articleshow/3393790.cms
(India) Patil warns about threat of bio-terrorism
http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=a1d0d464-6e49-4d85-befb-e515be352d3d&MatchID1=4730&TeamID1=2&TeamID2=3&MatchType1=2&SeriesID1=1193&PrimaryID=4730&Headline=Patil+warns+about+threat+of+bio-terrorism&strParent=strParentID
(U.S.) Congress: Terror database upgrade failing
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080822/ap_on_go_co/terrorist_database_2;_ylt=AvUIQwCjC8.TXee0_R_8KsUTv5UB
(U.S.) Military halts shipment of deadly toxins
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2008130139_apmilitarybiolabs.html?syndication=rss
(UK) Channel 4 announces return of Undercover Mosque — documentary to show that Islamic supremacism, calls
for killing, continue to spread in UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/aug/22/channel4.islam?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews
— a female reporter attends prayer meetings at an important British mosque which claims to be dedicated to
moderation and “dialogue with other faiths”
— secretly films sermons given to the women-only congregation in which female preachers recite extremist and
intolerant beliefs”
— “in one scene, as hundreds of women and some children come to pray, a preacher calls for adulterers,
homosexuals, women who act like men and Muslim converts to other faiths to be killed, saying: ‘Kill him, kill him.
You have to kill him, you understand. This is Islam’.”
— “the reporter visits the bookshop and discovers books and DVDs still on sale, promoting extremist, anti-Semitic,
misogynistic and intolerant messages”
— “films inside a key Saudi-funded Muslim organisation, which claims to promote tolerance and integration yet
distributes literature which promotes intolerance for non-Muslims, an extreme version of sharia law and teachings
which support discrimination against women”.
— previous “Undercover Mosque” video by Channel 4
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24026_Busted_Islamic_Leader_Reacts&only
Islamist Forum Member Calls on Jihadist Translators to Translate Jihadist E-Journals into English
http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/9325.htm
Iran bank chief: US sanctions not hampering business
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080821/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpoliticsbankinguseu_080821235818;_ylt=AoQO3l.GH.yaLH2z7003o6FSw60A
— Iran central bank issues own high denomination notes
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080821/wl_mideast_afp/iranbankmoney_080821132805;_ylt=AtO3UgBmZGwAJBBjIpTBpwBSw60A
Lebanon endorses diplomatic ties with Syria
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/22/africa/ME-Lebanon-Syria.php
(Lebanon) Hezbollah: ‘We’ll soon avenge Mughniyeh’s death’
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219218617708&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Syrian official denies plans to host Russian missiles
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2008/August/middleeast_August414.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
— Russia: ‘We won’t place missiles in Syria’
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219218614314&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Israeli Arab charged with planning attacks with Al-Qaida — Khaled Abu Rakayek allegedly tried to set up a terror cell
to perpetrate a suicide bombing
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219218618703&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Israelis sue Bank of China for handling money for Palestinian militants
— for handling Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad funds
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2008/August/middleeast_August408.xml§ion=middleeast&col=
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1014170.html
(Algeria) Jazeera: Al-Qaida claims Algeria attacks
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/22/africa/AF-Al-Qaida-Algeria.php
(Algeria) AP: “Murky goals of Algerian terrorism”
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/22/africa/AF-Algeria-Terrorism-Goals.php
Somlia’s Islamist Militia Seize Key Port Of Kismayo
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080822\ACQDJON200808220821DOWJONESDJONLINE000522.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na
Somalia: Over 70 Killed in Southern Port City Fighting — in Kismayo
http://allafrica.com/stories/200808220270.html
— see also Reuters, BBC reports
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/4951074/toll-in-southern-somalia-fighting-hits-55
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7576307.stm
(Somalia) Casualty reported on hijacked ship
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/08/22/Casualty_reported_on_hijacked_ship/UPI-17651219406909/
— and — Pirates seize 4th ship off Somalia
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1318360/2028778
Turkish soldier seriously wounded in clashes with PKK
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1932968&Language=en
(Thailand) One more dies in South bombs — death, wounded toll increases in Thursday’s bombings in Sungai Kolok
district in Narathiwat
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=129843
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30081207
Philippines: Militant leaders charged with murder — Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2428775350
(Philippines) Fresh fighting erupts in southern Philippines
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/227383,fresh-fighting-erupts-in-southern-philippines—summary.html
(Philippines) 10 Dead In Southern Philippines After Peace Deal Scrapped — 5 soldiers wounded, 10 MILF killed
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080822\ACQDJON200808220006DOWJONESDJONLINE000003.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=10%20Dead%20In%20Southern%20Philippines%20After%20Peace%20Deal%20Scrapped
Philippines drops Muslim peace deal after dithering
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080822/tpl-uk-philippines-rebels-81f3b62.html
— military says 100 rebels might have been killed this week
(Indonesia) Mob attack on Christian school heightens fears of growing religious intolerance in Indonesia
— using Molotov cocktails and bamboo spears
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap-indonesia-christians-attackedaug22,0,3066793.story?track=rss
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/aug/22/attack-forces-indonesian-christians-off-campus/
Australia seeks block on Hezbollah TV from Indonesia
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080821/tap-oukwd-uk-australia-indonesia-broadca-bdc025e.html
Sri Lanka fighting kills 24 rebels, 4 soldiers
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080822/tap-as-sri-lanka-civil-war-2nd-ld-writet-d3b07b8.html
— Sri Lankan aircraft pound rebel bases for third day
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/darticlen.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2008/August/subcontinent_August764.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
(Sri Lanka) Suicide bomb kits found in church — based on tip-off
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24224482-23109,00.html
Colombia’s FARC Say Hostage-For-Prisoner Swap Still Possible
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080821\ACQDJON200808211224DOWJONESDJONLINE000710.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=Colombia%27s%20FARC%20Say%20Hostage-For-Prisoner%20Swap%20Still%20Possible
Other News:
(Philippines) Islamic bank in Cebu
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2008/08/22/bus/islamic.bank.in.cebu.html
Islam in Europe: List of Mosques in Europe
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/
(India) One injured in blast; another bomb defused in Madhya Pradesh
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/One_injured_in_blast_another_bomb_defused_in_Madhya_Pradesh/articleshow/3393290.cms
— under investigation as to cause
(Pakistan) Rice says Musharraf pulled Pakistan from ‘brink of extremism’
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\08\22\story_22-8-2008_pg7_55
— ignores 75 percent of those polled in Pakistan national poll support implementation of “strict Sharia law”
Indonesia: Country needs Muslim leader, says student group — Indonesian Muslim Student Movement (KAMMI)
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=1.0.2428855953
(Saudia Arabia) AP: “Ban on Female Drivers in Saudi Arabia May be Eroding”
— uses example of woman who drove father to hospital after fire as example
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,408261,00.html
(Nigeria) Jamatu Nasril Islam (JNI): 80 wives is 76 too many, man told
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24225785-23109,00.html
— report states: “Sharia law is often seen as more efficient and less bureaucratic and corrupt than
Nigeria’s secular courts”
(UK) Censored: imam of Dibley is banned from ITV
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article4587798.ece
— “lawyers said it might be culturally insensitive”
(UK) Home Office loses confidential data on all UK prisoners
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/2598204/Home-Office-loses-confidential-data-on-all-UK-prisoners.html
(U.S.) CAIR Minnesota shakes down another U.S. corporation - Old Country Buffet
http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/cair-minn-shakes-down-another-us-corporation-old-country-buffet/
India: Christians attacked by Hindu for proselytism
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Religion/?id=1.0.2428855526
Commentaries:
America’s Global Influence Spread Too Thin — by Diana West
http://townhall.com/columnists/DianaWest/2008/08/22/americas_global_influence_spread_too_thin
British Submission — by Douglas Stone
http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=F5BFAB45-7CB7-4FEB-8BF3-7E75014BE5BB
__._,_.___
If reposting elsewhere, please credit source of this research as UnitedStatesAction.com
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/AP/story/651131.html
Red Cross gets radio threats in Mexico border city
Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 3:58pm
Red Cross workers stopped treating gunshot victims for several hours in a violent city across the border from Texas after receiving death threats over their radio frequencies, officials said Wednesday. Two voices were heard over Red Cross radios Tuesday night threatening to kill emergency workers who cared for gunshot victims in Ciudad Juarez, local Red Cross chief Jorge Diaz said.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/AP/story/653570.html
Posted on Fri, Aug. 22, 2008
Dutch, US forces seize cocaine in Caribbean
By ANDREW O. SELSKY
The Dutch Navy and a squad of U.S. Coast Guard raiders seized 4.6 tons (4,200 kilograms) of cocaine from a Panamanian-flagged freighter that had set sail from Venezuela, Dutch and U.S. officials said Friday.
The Dutch Navy said it is the largest haul of cocaine it has ever intercepted.
“This seizure underlines the excellent cooperation between all our partners in the region and once again confirms the importance of our presence in the Caribbean,” said Rear Adm. Peter Lenselink, the commander of Netherlands Forces in the Caribbean.
The Dutch Navy said its regional headquarters in Curacao received information last week that a Panamanian freighter might be smuggling drugs from Venezuela to Europe. A Dutch coast guard vessel, with about a half-dozen members of a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment aboard, was dispatched to intercept the freighter.
continued.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/652635.html
Print This Article
Posted on Fri, Aug. 22, 2008
Is Crist threat letter linked to McCain’s?
BY MARC CAPUTO
State investigators are trying to find out who sent a threatening letter to Gov. Charlie Crist in an envelope filled with a white powdery substance, The Miami Herald has learned.
The powder was quickly tested and deemed nontoxic, said Florida Department of Law Enforcement spokeswoman Heather Smith. She said FDLE is coordinating with federal authorities who are investigating the circumstances behind two threatening letters reported Thursday by presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign.
Smith said the letter sent to Crist directly threatened him. She suggested the perpetrator could soon be caught and called this an ``isolated incident.’’
The letter addressed to Crist was received Wednesday, but news of it didn’t leak out until McCain’s campaign reported similar letters. McCain and Crist are friends. McCain has been considering Crist as a vice-presidential candidate. Crist is scheduled to speak briefly at the Republican National Convention next month in Minneapolis.
continued.
kdwn.com
Las Vegas Radio.
At 6:30 AM, a small airplane crashed into a Las Vegas home.
3 are dead.
Plane crashes into house in North Las Vegas, Nevada
CNN - 2 hours ago
(CNN) — A small plane crashed into a house Friday in North Las Vegas, Nevada, killing three people, said North Las Vegas Fire Chief Kevin Brame. ...
Video: Raw Video: Aircraft Crashes Crashed Into House
AssociatedPress
2 dead, 1 hurt in small plane crash near Vegas Seattle Times
Small Plane Crashes into Las Vegas House, Three Killed TransWorldNews (press release)
Xinhua - The Associated Press
all 743 news articles »
Plane crashes into North Las Vegas home
Las Vegas Sun, NV - 5 hours ago
By Sun Staff Authorities are battling a fire caused by a small aircraft that crashed into the side of a home. Fire officials responded at about 6:30 am to ...
Initial Report on North Las Vegas Plane Crash KLAS-TV
Small plan crashes into NLV home, killing 2 Las Vegas Review - Journal
all 5 news articles »
Small plane hits house in Las Vegas; 3 dead
Newsweek - 7 minutes ago
By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY AP Writer | AP (LAS VEGAS) An experimental aircraft crashed into a house and exploded shortly after takeoff Friday, killing the pilot ...
Album: Plane Crashes Into North Las Vegas Home
KLAS-TV, NV - 4 hours ago
This site features a collection of photographs from around the Las Vegas Valley, including points of interest as city parks, area landmarks, ...
VP guessing game...Fed chair talks economy...Las Vegas plane crash ...
Reiten Television KXMB Bismarck, ND - 1 hour ago
LAS VEGAS (AP) Three people are dead after an experimental aircraft crashed into a North Las Vegas home. The pilot radioed that he was in trouble shortly ...
Obama readies announcement...Fay kills 5...Russian pull out ... KXMC
Obama to pick...Fay lingers...Plane crash...Bus wreck... | KXNet ... Reiten Television KXMB Bismarck
all 8 news articles »
News Minute: Watching Russia...Waiting for Obama...Las Vegas crash
WIS, SC - 2 hours ago
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) - At least three people have died after a home-built plane crashed into a house near the North Las Vegas Airport. ...
Boating Business
Into thin air: Did Steve Fossett fake his own death?
Independent, UK - Jul 31, 2008
Off the beaten track, which basically constitutes a couple of highways and the casino cities of Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas, an area of Nevada 20 per ...
Secret lovers. Hidden bank accounts. And still no sign of a plane ... Daily Mail
all 28 news articles »
New Report on Kyle Canyon Plane Crash
KXNT, NV - Jul 24, 2008
More than half an hour later, the small plane crashed into a mountainside near the residential area of Echo Canyon Lane, west of Las Vegas. ...
Edouard preparations...Afghan tour extension...Plane hits home ...
KXMC, ND - Aug 4, 2008
(AP) A child remains unaccounted for after a small plane slammed into a seaside house in Gearhart, Oregon, in heavy fog. Authorities say the crash killed ...
The Westender
UFO’s - Where it all began
The Westender, Australia - Aug 10, 2008
While flying in his private airplane near Mt. Rainier en route from Chehalis, Washington, to his home in Boise, Idaho, Kenneth Arnold (1915-1984) was ...
New! Get the latest news on small airplane crashed into a Las Vegas home with Google Alerts.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066254/posts
Predator Drone On L.I. Sparks Terror Investigation (NY)(Built by Egyptian engineer)
wnbc4 ^ | 8-22-08 | Jonathan Dienst
Posted on Friday, August 22, 2008 11:29:21 AM by puffer
A predator drone being built by an engineer on Long Island sparked a large counter-terrorism investigation across the New York area, officials tell WNBC.com. Police said they had stumbled upon overnight testing of the drone at a little-used airstrip in Calverton, Long Island.
The investigation began in February of last year, when investigators first learned testing of the drone was underway. Officials said the drone was being designed to carry more than 600 pounds of explosives.
“It could be in the air for 8-10 hours and there’s potential harm if it is carrying a large amount of toxic material,” NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in explaining why his department’s
(Excerpt) Read more at wnbc.com ...
New Zawahiri Video Released
Al Qaeda No. 2 Acknowledges Death of Group’s Chemical Warfare Expert
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5634250&page=1
Friday, August 22, 2008
Window on Eurasia: Russian Forces Organize an ‘Ecological Catastrophe’
in Georgia
Paul Goble
Vienna, August 22 – In addition to the Russian army’s destruction of
lives, housing and infrastructure in Georgia, Moscow has “organized an
ecological catastrophe” by setting aflame a centuries-old forest in the
Borzhomi nature reserve and blocking efforts to fight it, according to a
Georgian now living in Israel who returned to his homeland to help his
native land.
In a comment first posted in the Russian blogosphere and then featured
on Baku’s Ethnoglobus.com portal, David Tsikarishvili, the 66-year-old
owner of the Kangaroo Restaurant in Jerusalem, described in detail the
various horrors he has seen over the last two weeks
(www.ethnoglobus.com/?page=full&id=346).
If most of the Russian actions have been described by others,
Tsikarishvili’s remarks about what the Russians have done to Georgia’s
natural environment both intentionally and as the result of collateral
damage from their other actions are if not unique, at least extremely
valuable as personal testimony about Russia’s indifference to ecological
concerns.
(There has been some coverage of the environmental implications of the
destruction of pipelines, power lines, and ports, but in all these
cases, their ecological impact has been a form of collateral damage,
although it is clear that the Russian military’s attitudes mean that
they have inflicted more harm than most other armies would have in the
same situation.)
Writing on Monday, Tsikarishvili said that “the Russians have organized
an ecological catastrophe, burning in the course of a few days the
centuries-old forest in the unique Borzhomi nature reserve.” Because
that park has no military purpose and because it is “located very far
from the conflict zone,” the Russians appear to have done this just to
be destructive.
After the Russians set the fire, which as of that time had burned
through 250 hectares, Georgians came to the assistance of the fire
brigades “but considering the extent of the fire, the difficulty of
getting into that isolated area, the wind and other problems,” they have
not yet been able to put the fire out, Tsikarishvili said.
Worse, he continued, “Russia prohibited Ukraine from taking part in the
suppression of the fire,” something that guaranteed the fire would
continue to spread, even though the Russian military did allow Turkish
planes and helicopters to come in. But their effectiveness was limited
because as a result of Russian actions, the planes had to fly back to
Turkey to get water.
And when the Georgians and the Turks appeared to be making progress in
at least containing the fire, persons unknown but presumably either
Russians, South Ossetians or some of the North Caucasus “volunteers” who
have been guilty of so much marauding in Georgia threw incendiary
devices to keep the fire going and to ensure that it would spread.
Then, on Tuesday (mail.yandex.ru/classic/message?ids=9130000000105705730&
current_folder=9130000000001632862), Tsikarishvili reported, “Russian
planes continued to set fire to the forest and the area in flames “is
expanding,” thus destroying a forest which is – or at least was – “a
world ecological pearl.”
Three things make this report especially disturbing. First, it suggests
that many Russians in both the political and military leadership viewed
their intervention in Georgia as a punitive expedition, designed to
inflict maximum harm on that country regardless of whether what was
destroyed had any military utility.
Second, the unwillingness of Russian forces to allow nearby Ukrainian
fire fighters to take part or to give Turkish planes the chance to get
water inside Georgia rather than having them make the much longer
roundtrip to Turkey indicates that at least some Russian commanders
wanted the fire to continue to burn.
And third, these Russian actions in Georgia have the effect of calling
the world’s attention to Moscow’s ongoing destruction of the environment
around Sochi where it hopes to stage the Olympics in 2014 and in the
Russian Far East where such attitudes threaten even sooner the survival
of the Evenks, one of the numerically small peoples of the North.http://windowoneurasia.blogspot.com/2008/08/window-on-eurasia-russian-forces.html
There’s nothing unexpected in this behaviour. Burning what can’t be
stolen and punishing defiant nations by playing havoc with their lands
is an integrated part of Russian 17th-century-style warfare with 1980s
arms. Have people already forgotten how the Russian occupation forces
systematically destroyed the environment in Chechnya? N.S.
Yahoo! Groups Links
To visit group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chechnya-sl/
http://baltimore.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/ba082208.htm
August 22, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md MARCIA MURPHY at (410) 209-4885
MONEY REMITTER PLEADS GUILTY TO MONEY LAUNDERING CONSPIRACY AND CONCEALING TERRORIST FINANCING
Baltimore, Maryland—Saifullah Anjum Ranjha, age 45, a Pakistani national residing in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to launder money and to concealing terrorist financing, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
“The hawala system can be used by criminals to launder money without using financial institutions, by giving the money to a person in the United States and picking it up in a foreign country,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein. “Identifying hawala networks that violate the law often requires the cooperation of international authorities.”
As the U.S. financial industry strengthens its anti-money laundering programs, the use of the hawala system to move illicit funds becomes increasingly attractive to terrorist and other criminal organizations,” stated James Dinkins, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “We will continue to work jointly with our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners to investigate the movement of illicit funds via the hawala system.”
“Terrorist networks need money to be effective. Fortunately, IRS-CI is effective at following the money to find the source of the crime,” said Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, C. Andre’ Martin.
According to his guilty plea, Ranjha was born in Pakistan and became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in September 1997. He operated a money remitter business in the District of Columbia known as Hamza, Inc. A cooperating witness, acting at the direction of law enforcement, held himself out to Ranjha and his associates to be involved in large scale international drug trafficking, international smuggling of counterfeit cigarettes and weapons. He also represented that he was providing assistance and financing to members of al Qaeda and its affiliated organizations and their operatives. From October 2003 to September 19, 2007, the cooperating witness gave Ranjha and his associates a total of $2,208,000 in government funds in order to transfer the monies abroad through an informal money transfer system called a “hawala,” using a network of persons and/or businesses to transfer money across domestic and international borders without reliance upon conventional banking systems and regulations. The cooperating witness represented that the monies were the proceeds of, and related to, his purported illegal activities and Ranjha laundered these funds believing they were to be used to support those activities.
Ranjha was the primary point of contact for the cooperating witness and received the bulk of the monies from the cooperating witness, for a total of 21 hawala transactions in amounts ranging from $13,000 to $300,000. Most of the monies were turned over to Ranjha in locations in Maryland. On a few occasions the cooperating witness met Ranjha and other co-conspirators at Hamza, Inc. to provide monies for a particular hawala transfer. Ranjha arranged with his associates for the equivalent amount of monies, minus commissions, to be delivered to the cooperating witness, his third party designee, or a designated bank account in Canada, England, Spain, Pakistan, Japan and Australia. Ranjha kept a commission of approximately five percent of the amount of currency sought to be transferred on each occasion. Other conspirators involved in a particular transaction retained an additional commission of between three to five percent of the transaction amount. All the funds transferred abroad were picked up by cooperating individuals and returned to the Government.
Ranjha faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy and 10 years in prison for concealing terrorist financing. U.S. District Judge Marvin J. Garbis scheduled sentencing for November 4, 2008 at 9:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service—Criminal Investigation for their investigative work. In addition, Mr. Rosenstein thanked our international partners, the Spanish National Police; Australian Federal Police; Dutch National Police; and Belgium Federal Police for their help. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York also provided assistance in this case.
Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Christine Manuelian who is prosecuting the case.
http://phoenix.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2008/ph082108.htm
Office of the United States Attorney
District of Arizona
For Information Contact Public Affairs
SANDY RAYNOR
Telephone: (602) 514-7625
Cell: (602) 525-2681
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 21, 2008
MESA MAN CHARGED FOR LYING TO THE FBI
PHOENIX - Akram Musa Abdallah, aka Abu Saiaf, 54, of Mesa, Ariz. was arrested yesterday afternoon by the Federal Bureau of Investigation based on an indictment which charges him with making false statements related to his involvement in fund-raising activities for the Holy Land Foundation for Relief & Development. Abdallah is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court at 3 p.m. this afternoon.
The indictment alleges that Abdallah knowingly and willfully made a false material statement when he represented to FBI agents that he was not involved in fund raising activities for the Holy Land Foundation. The indictment alleges that he was involved in fund-raising activities on their behalf in the Phoenix metropolitan area between 1994 and 1997. The Holy Land Foundation is an organization alleged to have provided financial support for Hamas, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned the indictment against Abdallah on Tuesday afternoon. An indictment is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
A conviction for False Statements carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. If convicted, in determining an actual sentence, the U.S. District Court Judge will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by David Pimsner, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Arizona, Phoenix and Barry Jonas, Trial Attorney, Counter Terrorism Section, Department of Justice.
CASE NUMBER: CR-08-0947-PHX RELEASE NUMBER: 2008-209(Abdallah)
# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/az/
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.