MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• HT:BigGoverment.The Piggyleaks : Why Pigford Matters.As Barack Obama prepares to sign an alleged landmark settlement to right previous wrongs dealt black farmers by the USDA, it’s important to realize that this is less a story about race, or discrimination, than it is a textbook case of big government run amok with greed and a usual cast of characters only too happy to cash in at the expense of the American taxpayer.Indeed, as Big Government has already pointed out, the legitimate concerns of many honest, hard working black farmers continue to go ignored, while high power law firms, in some cases linked to the Democrat Party, stand to cash in big. Only in the world of big money and high power politics can an individual like Mike Espy, a former head of the very same USDA he is now suing, now claim to speak for over 15,000 clients alleging discrimination by the same USDA Espy headed up. The mere thought of that is absurd and should function as a red flag for any good government watchdog.As Big Government will continue to show over the next few weeks, Pigford is a universe of its own filled with crooked politicians, cover-ups, greedy attorneys, and crime rings. And one of the brightest stars in the Pigford universe is Mike Espy: How many actual farmers with potentially legitimate complaints against the USDA will actually be compensated remains to be seen. But one thing seems abundantly clear, Espy will very likely profit to a degree that far exceeds any potential aggrieved party. That isn’t justice, it is corruption and cronyism writ large to be paraded about in what amounts to an outrageous signing ceremony at the White House today.To date, only Representatives Michelle Bachman and Steve King have been willing to step up and ask some hard questions that need to be asked as regards Pigford II. I would encourage conservatives and Republicans not to be cowed by the threat of charges of racism in this regard. This is not about race, except as it is too often used as a blunt political weapon by liberals and progressives to thwart the asking of legitimate questions when it comes to transparency, good government and integrity.Something smells when it comes to the Pigford settlement. And it is not the manure hard working black farmers who were actually discriminated against might use, or have used, to fertilize their fields. The goal of Big Government’s reporting in this regard is not to deny legitimate claims by any black farmers who may have been discriminated against.Our purpose is to put the blame for the stench surrounding Pigford precisely where it belongs, in a Washington, DC out of touch with the American people, including many black farmers. What Pigford suggests is that, to Washington, black farmers are, in reality, merely another a group of people an out of control, unaccountable government laced with greed, corruption, and a need for growth is only too willing to elevate and perhaps exploit as a political tool, without genuinely ensuring justice is served on their behalf, while at the same time protecting the interests of hard working taxpayers from the threat of rampant fraud and corruption Pigford very likely represents.Hmmmm....Once you start digging in a dung hill you don't know what Obamination may surface?Read the full story here.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.Iran placing ballistic missiles in Venezuela that can reach the US. If any of you in the US still think Iran is only a threat to Israel and the Gulf countries, and therefore wonder why you should be at all concerned about it, perhaps this will change your mind: Iran is placing medium-range missiles that can reach the United States in Venezuela. According to Die Welt, Venezuela has agreed to allow Iran to establish a military base manned by Iranian missile officers, soldiers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Venezuelan missile officers. In addition, Iran has given permission for the missiles to be used in case of an "emergency". In return, the agreement states that Venezuela can use these facilities for "national needs" – radically increasing the threat to neighbors like Colombia. The German daily claims that according to the agreement, Iranian Shahab 3 (range 1300-1500 km), Scud-B (285-330 km) and Scud-C (300, 500 and 700 km) will be deployed in the proposed base. It says that Iran also pledged to help Venezuela in rocket technology expertise, including intensive training of officers.And for those of you making the obvious comparison to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.... Back in the 1962, thanks to the stern stance adopted by the then Kennedy administration, the crisis was defused.Nowadays, however, we do not see the same firmness from the present administration. On the contrary, we see a lax attitude, both in language and in deeds, that results in extending hands when our adversaries have no intention of shaking hands with us. Iran is soon going to have a nuclear weapon, and there are no signs that UN sanctions will in any way deter the Ayatollah's regime from completing its nuclear program.Hmmm......in not a single way Obama can be compared to Kennedy.Obama is a mere shadow of that great statesman.Read the full scale story here.

• U.S. Invites Japan to Join Korean Exercise as Tensions With North Escalate.The U.S. military chief said he wants Japan to join drills off the Korean peninsula to forge a “unified position” with South Korea against aggression by Kim Jong Il’s regime. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a briefing today in Seoul that he hopes U.S. military exercises with South Korea will “include participation by your neighbors and partners, in particular the Japanese.” He didn’t elaborate on what kind of role Japan would be playing, only that they could offer training and expertise. “I leave this evening for Tokyo to discuss with Japanese military leaders ways in which we can leverage their experience and improve defense cooperation,” Mullen said at a news conference with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Han Min Koo. “I only wish China were as helpful.”Hmmm...This doesn't sound good if you ask me. Read the full story here.

• Liberals Try to Prevent Pelosi From Bringing Tax Bill to the Floor.Fox has learned that Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Jay Inslee (D-WA) are crafting a letter to share with the House Democratic Caucus that would try to prevent the Speaker from bringing the tax bill to the floor.They hope to get 60 signatures on their letter (which is still being drafted) and then force a vote in the caucus. DeFazio says he thinks that if a majority of House Democrats are against this compromise, they shouldn't bring it to the floor.In other words, they are seeking a majority of the majority to move this and a senior House democratic source indicates they don't know if they have a majority of democrats, saying they haven't whipped this yet.Read the full story here.

• Pigileaks: We Helped Get You Elected, Now Give Us Our Money: NBFA President John Boyd Letter to President Obama.In our report, we document two organizations, the Black Farmers and Agriculturists Association and the National Black Farmers Association. These two groups round up tens of thousands of Pigford litigants and then lobby politicians with promises of votes and campaign cash in exchange for championing and funding their causes such as Pigford.These two groups, and the Pigfored issue, hold huge sway over the rural black vote, and as you can see from this letter from the President of the BFAA John Boyd, Boyd is eager to get rewarded for helping to put President Obama into office.Boyd’s reward comes today as President Obama signs Pigford II funding into law, and the circle of quid pro quo is complete.Hmmm....Did i not mention this earlier?Read the full story here.

• Don't put Quran verses on cake: Top Saudi cleric.Saudi Arabia’s top Muslim cleric has warned against writing Quran verses on cake, saying this constitutes an insult of the Holy Book.Quoted by Saudi newspapers on Wednesday, the kingdom’s Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh said he had noticed that Quran verses are written on cake during social events and other occasions at homes and schools.“Writing Quran verses on cake or any other edible items amounts to an insult of the Quran and is unacceptable,” he said.“Appreciating and respecting the Quran should not be done by eating its verses but by reading or listening to them and by sticking to their content…Quran verses must not be used in decoration of cake and eating it.”Newspapers said the Mufti was responding to questions about the growing phenomenon of using Quran verses by some Quran memorisation centres in the Gulf kingdom to adorn cake at graduation events.
  Hmmmm....God how much gravol would you need to digest that'?Read the full story here.

• FCC's pay-as-you-go Internet plan raises video, access questions.As details emerge about the Federal Communications Commission's controversial proposal for regulating Internet providers, a provision that would allow companies to bill customers for how much they surf the Web is drawing special scrutiny.Analysts say pay-as-you-go Internet access could put the brakes on the burgeoning online video industry, handing a victory to cable and satellite TV providers. The practice is legal, but had been discouraged by the FCC and by protests from consumers and public interest groups. But wireless companies are moving rapidly in that direction - all major cellphone providers offer subscribers tiered data plans for Internet service. AT&T doesn't offer flat-rate wireless plans for new customers.And although FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said last week that his so-called net-neutrality proposal would generally prohibit broadband service providers from tampering with Internet traffic, he added that he is open to new billing models that charge by how much data a user consumes.The FCC will vote Dec. 21 on the proposal, which could could tilt fortunes toward cable and telecom companies battling to keep users from abandoning paid television services for new Internet options such as Apple TV and Hulu.com, analysts say. Those providers are struggling to manage overburdened networks that are seeing a surge in streaming video traffic from sites such as Netflix, which alone occupies 20 percent of all peak broadband traffic in the United States."If people are forced to pay per kilobit it's like they are forced to pay per word of a book," said Todd Weaver, chief executive of Ivi, a Seattle-based video streaming company. Craig Moffett, an analyst at Bernstein Research, wrote in a note to investors Tuesday that the impact of pay-as-you-go broadband access "can't be overstated."Hmmm....A new milk cow is in sight?Read the full story here.

• HT:Antisemitisme.org.Latvia – Jewish cemetery desecrated (Video).The new Jewish Cemetery in Riga was desecrated last night by unidentified vandals, who used white paint to draw swastikas on more than 100 tombstones, the Latvian State Police reported.Hmmmm....It seems this evil never dies,lately it only grows.Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.Iran To Divert More Of Its Trade Through Turkish Ports.With the Gulf countries, particularly the UAE tightening their grip on trade with and re-export to Iran, Iran is exploring the use of Turkish ports on both the Mediterranean and the Black Seas as an alternative to Gulf ports, particularly those of the UAE. Turkey, a NATO member with ambitions to join the European Union, is enjoying growing economic and financial ties with Iran despite the international sanctions on it. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to triple his country's trade with Iran within five years, from $10 billion in 2008.There are concerns in the West that Iran might use Turkey to circumvent the international sanctions while Turkey turns a blind eye.Hmmmm.....You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours?Read the full scam story here.

• HT:BigGoverment.The PiggyLeaks : The Pigford Applications.From an anonymous source in the capitol: These are redacted Pigford applications that are all done by the same lawyer. All of the claimants come from Arkansas (two are related) and the stories they write on the application are clearly boilerplate, probably done by the same paralegal. Some of the words are even misspelled consistently through the documents.We don’t know the outcome of these apps but if they were successful claims it shows how little the claimants actually had to provide to get $50K. This is the kind of information that we can’t wait to subpoena.Hmmmm....Sound just like a Christmas resolution?Read the full story here.

• WikiLeaks cables: Saudi princes throw parties boasting drink, drugs and sex.Royals flout puritanical laws to throw parties for young elite while religious police are forced to turn a blind eye.The dispatch from the US partygoers, signed off by the consul in Jeddah, Martin Quinn, added: "Though not witnessed directly at this event, cocaine and hashish use is common in these social circles."The underground party scene is "thriving and throbbing" in Saudi Arabia thanks to the protection of Saudi royalty, the dispatch said. But it is only available behind closed doors and for the very rich.More than 150 Saudi men and women, most in their 20s and 30s, were at the party. The patronage of royalty meant the feared religious police kept a distance. Admission was controlled through a strict guest list. "The scene resembled a nightclub anywhere outside the kingdom: plentiful alcohol, young couples dancing, a DJ at the turntables and everyone in costume."The dispatch said the bar featured a top shelf of well-known brands of liquor, the original contents reportedly replaced with sadiqi. On the black market, they reported, a bottle of Smirnoff vodka can cost 1,500 riyals (£250) compared with 100 riyals (£16) for the locally-made vodka.In a venture into Saudi sociology, the diplomats explained why they thought their host was so attached to Nigerian bodyguards, some of whom were working on the door. "Most of the prince's security forces were young Nigerian men. It is common practice for Saudi princes to grow up with hired bodyguards from Nigeria or other African nations who are of similar age and who remain with the prince well into adulthood. The lifetime spent together creates an intense bond of loyalty".One young Saudi told the diplomat that big parties were a recent trend. Even a few years ago, he said, the only weekend activity was "dating" among small groups who met inside the homes of the rich. Some of the more opulent houses in Jeddah feature basement bars, discos and clubs. One high-society Saudi said: "The increased conservatism of our society over these past years has only moved social interaction to the inside of people's homes."Hmmm.....Religious yes,but to a certain point?Read the full story here.

• HT:AstuteBloggers.MPACUK Calls on Muslims to Get MORE Extreme!"Extremism in the Pursuit of Liberty is No Vice; Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice is No Virtue .Sun 3 Oct 2010 MPACUK calls on Muslims to get a little extreme; no we call on Muslims to get very extreme. The time for moderation is over, the time for passive acceptance is gone, no longer are we held back by empty platitudes of ‘serving the community’. Muslims need to get active and get vocal now, we need to demand full accountability of our Police force, and break all links with West Midlands Police until those who were responsible for the attempted internment of the Muslim community are given their P45’s or better still shown the inside of a cell. Muslims were lied to and deceived by the West Midlands Police.Hmmmm...could this be related to this statement?"Sheikh Yusef al-Qaradawi, arguably the world’s leading scholar of Sunni Islam, uttered a few words that drew little notice internationally but could have big implications for future relations between Christians and Muslims.“I was for the possibility of bridging the gap between the east and the west but recently I have changed my mind on this issue, especially since the west wants to impose its values and traditions on us,” Mr Qaradawi told his congregation at Doha’s Omar bin Al Khattab Mosque in a televised sermon in October. “West is west and east is east. They do not recognise or follow our traditions and customs, so we should not follow theirs,” Mr Qaradawi said, echoing Rudyard Kipling, the British author"Read the full story here and here.

• PayPal admits US pressure over WikiLeaks account freeze.Online payment company says State Department intervened. MasterCard site down as hackers step up cyber attacks.PayPal today admitted it suspended payments to WikiLeaks after an intervention from the US State Department.The site's vice-president of platform, Osama Bedier, told an internet conference the site had decided to freeze WikiLeaks's account on 4 December after government representatives said it was engaged in illegal activity."State Dept told us these were illegal activities. It was straightforward," he told the LeWeb conference in Paris, adding: "We ... comply with regulations around the world, making sure that we protect our brand."PayPal is the first major corporation to admit that its decision to suspend dealings with WikiLeaks was a result of US government pressure.It will intensify criticism from supporters of WikiLeaks that the site is being targeted for political reasons. Visa, Amazon, the Swiss bank PostFinance and others have also announced in recent days that they will cease trading with the whistleblowing site.The moves have led to concerted attempts by hackers to target companies they deem guilty of "censoring" WikiLeaks.Earlier today, the website of the international credit card MasterCard was hacked into and partially paralysed in revenge for the payment network's decision to cease taking donations to WikiLeaks.MasterCard is the biggest scalp yet taken in what is becoming an increasingly high-stakes technological battle over the site's right to publish freely.In an attack it is calling "Operation: Payback", a group of online activists calling themselves Anonymous appear to have orchestrated a DDOS (distributed denial of service) attack on the site, bringing its service to a halt.Attempts to access www.mastercard.com have been unsuccessful since shortly after 9.30am.The group, which has been targeting commercial sites that have cut their ties with WikiLeaks for some days, has also made threats to other organisations including Twitter, which it says is suppressing the site."We will fire at anything or anyone that tries to censor WikiLeaks, including multibillion-dollar companies such as PayPal," a statement circulating online, apparently from Operation: Payback, said."Twitter, you're next for censoring #WikiLeaks discussion. The major shitstorm has begun," it said.The Swiss bank PostFinance was successfully hacked on Monday after it shut down one of the site's key bank accounts, accusing Assange of lying. Its service since has been seriously disrupted.PayPal, which ceased processing payments to WikiLeaks at the weekend due to a "violation of the PayPal acceptable use policy", has also been targeted a number of times.But while its internal blog was paralysed for more than eight hours, the payment processing facility has so far been able to withstand the attacks.According to bloggers monitoring the cyber attacks, those involved in the protests have also been targeting the websites of the Swedish prosecutors, the US senator Joe Lieberman, who is an outspoken critic of WikiLeaks, Sarah Palin, who said Julian Assange, the site's founder, should be treated like a terrorist, and Claes Bergstrom, the lawyer of the two women who claim Assange raped or assaulted them.Bergstrom confirmed his website was shut down overnight, as was the site of a lawyer representing Assange in Sweden. This was the first time such an attack had occurred, he said.No one from MasterCard could be reached for immediate comment, but a spokesman, Chris Monteiro, has said the site suspended dealings with WikiLeaks because "MasterCard rules prohibit customers from directly or indirectly engaging in or facilitating any action that is illegal".Hmmmm.....Couldn't these guy's make cash dispensers give out free money or give donetions to poor websites?Read the full story here.More here.

• Antarctic Cruise Ship Damaged by Massive Wave.Officials say an Antarctic cruise ship with 160 passengers aboard has lost an engine in high seas, but is limping safely to its scheduled port.The Argentine Navy says the Clelia II is heading for the port of Ushuia at the extreme south of the country at 4 knots (about 5 mph). It says all passengers are safe and it is being accompanied by an Argentine naval vessel.The 2,420 ton ship declared an emergency on Tuesday when it was northeast of the Shetland Islands and about 500 miles from Ushuaia. A nearly 30-foot wave damaged one of the ship's engines, causing an electrical outage that reduced power to the ship. The ship was also being battered by 50 mph winds.Read the full story here.Video here.

• Only citizens and national firms can own property in Abu Dhabi.General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council (Adec), has issued resolution number 64 of 2010 on regulations of property ownership.The resolution defines general frameworks and rules for property registration in virtue of the property ownership law in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.The new resolution aims at encouraging real estate developers and investors to register their properties and associated rights and streamlining conversion of real estate rights easily and swiftly. It will also facilitate delivery of loans for financing real estate investment.Non-UAE natural or juristic persons will enjoy the right to own, buy, sell, rent , mortgage and invest in investment clusters. They may hold usufruct or Musataha right for up to 50 years (subject for renewal to a similar duration) and usufruct contract for up to 99 years and long-term tenancy contract in properties located inside investment areas.According to the dictionary, usufruct means 'the right to use and derive profit from a piece of property belonging to another, provided the property itself remains undiminished and uninjured in any way'.Hmmmm....We're the real masters here.Read the full story here.

• HT:ShalomLife.Leonardo DiCaprio: rumours of Jewish conversion.Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has been dating Israeli supermodel Bar Rafaeli since 2005 and is now rumoured to be converting to Judaism.The rumours were first reported on Sunday by the Daily Mail and an anonymous source told the English newspaper: "Leo’s sudden intense interest in Israel, its culture and religion is the clearest sign yet that he intends to marry Bar."DiCaprio's background is Catholic but he is non-practicing and speculations have been swirling for a few months that the couple are engaged.He has made several trips to Israel, and was reported in mid-November to be looking for a plot of land to build a home on; either in the south or north but not in the country's central and most populous region.During DiCaprio's last visit to Israel, he celebrated his 36th birthday and "Entourage" actor Kevin Connolly accompanied DiCaprio, Rafaeli and her family for the celebrations.Hmmm...I can hear them coming "It's a Zionist plot".Read the full story here.

• Turkish firm could produce New York City taxis.A glass-roofed, eco-friendly vehicle designed by Turkish automaker Karsan is among the three finalists in New York City's search for a taxicab for the future, broadcaster CNN’s website has reported.“It's a long way from the streets of New York to the factories of Turkey, but this 5,000-mile journey could soon be made by all of the city's iconic yellow taxis,” said the website.New York launched the "Taxi of Tomorrow" competition to find a safe, energy-efficient and accessible model. The winning design will be the exclusive New York City taxi for at least 10 years, according to city officials.Karsan's V1 is the only model that was designed from scratch for the contest.“A reflection of the country's growing automotive ambitions, it would be Turkey's first high-profile branded vehicle if it wins,” CNN said.Karsan makes vehicles for Hyundai, Peugeot, Citroen and Renault."Having a vehicle designed and built in Turkey being used as a New York taxi would be a very strong branding opportunity for the Turkish automotive industry," said Jan Nahum, executive director of Karsan.Read the full story here.

• Alive! Fresh video emerges of U.S. soldier held by the Taliban for 18 months (but has he been beaten?). Bowe Bergdahl appears without beard despite captors' claim he has converted to Islam.New pictures of a U.S. soldier who has been held in captivity in Afghanistan for 18 months have been released today.Private Bowe Bergdahl, 24, has converted to Islam and adopted the Muslim name Abdullah, according to his captors.But he appeared without a beard in the latest footage and is seen with a quite significant wound on his left cheek.The serviceman is looking thin but otherwise healthy alongside Taliban commander Maulawi Sangin who has previously threatened to kill him.It remains unclear how when the video was shot or where he is being held.He said the soldier had shown him how to dismantle a mobile phone and turn it into a remote control for a roadside bomb - and had given him basic ambush training.Nadeem said: 'Most of the skills he taught us we already knew.'Some of my comrades think he's pretending to be a Muslim to save himself so they wouldn't behead him'The Taliban have previously demanded $1 million (£640,000) and the release of 21 prisoners to let him go.Read the full story here.

• Video : NBC News Anchors Start Turning on Obama.Obama May Not Be Worthy of Being Democratic Nominee in 2012.Hmmm....Thank you Lord!Read and see the full story here.