MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• HT:RightSideNews.State Secession or Washington Debt Depression.Everyone with any intelligence in the US and around the world knows that there is no way for Washington to manage the tens of trillions in debt and unfunded liabilities short of ultimate repudiation or hyperinflation. Thanks to Wall Street bankers and the Anglo-American financial elite, our ruinous debt-financing Ponzi scheme has also been exported to most Western nations. These politicians have made a compact with the devil in delivering vote-buying programs and postponing the interest and debt reduction to future generations. Watch the cuts and subsequent riots in Greece, Ireland, the United Kingdom and you'll see just a little of the future for the United States with its faltering world reserve currency status.The question is, should the citizens and the formerly sovereign states of the United States wait for Washington's foreign creditors to seize the remaining government and private assets left after our politicians have finished with us?Our politicians are in the process of totally bankrupting the country, individual states and municipalities and in less than a decade will have confiscated most private wealth and placed tens of trillions of more debt on future generations. Should we act now before Congress and our politicians loot our personal, retirement and real estate wealth, destroy our Treasury obligations and kill the dollar and democratically take matters into our own hands before the looming dollar and debt crisis?Hmmmm......Passing legislation to use alternative methodes of legal tender is a start.The U.S. Constitution, Art. I Sec. 10 Cl. 1, states, in part:No State shall ... coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; ...Read the full story here.

• Turkey - A strange photograph.There was a photograph splashed on the front pages of many newspapers Thursday. It was not something as odd as the awestruck Recep Tayyip Erdoğan listening in full surrender to an Afghani Islamist radical sheikh, but equally shocking.The photograph was issued by Hezbollah in Beirut in announcing a secret meeting at a secret location between Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani and wise country Turkey’s foreign minister, Wiseman Ahmet Davutoğlu. Hossain Halil, the chief political advisor of Nasrallah, was sitting on the right-hand side of the Hezbollah leader, who was sitting on a comfortable armchair placed in front of the Lebanese flag and the Hezbollah pennant. Next to Nasrallah was sitting the Lebanese prime minister and on the far left side of the photograph there was Davutoğlu, sitting comfortably on a sofa, listening to Nasrallah with full ear.In its bid to make Turkey a “world power” or a “wise country” that plays an important role not only in its region but also in global politics, the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government has been undertaking proactive initiatives while for pure domestic political reasons resorting to sheer nationalist rhetoric and Israel-bashing tactics at home that it hopes to cash in on in upcoming June polls. Such tactical moves, naturally, besides the probable contribution to domestic political standing of the ruling AKP, can win the prime minister and his party fame and prestige in the Arab neighborhood, while also drawing the ire of some long-time allies, prompting “Where is Turkey going?” “Is Turkey drifting East?” or other such nasty questions.Is a Turkey frequently coming together in photographs with leaders of organizations, be it Hezbollah or Hamas, that refuse to condemn terrorism, maintain heinous tactics of terrorism including suicide bombers and which still believe that through terrorist violence they could achieve their political aims, the Turkey that we want?Now, what was Davutoğlu doing in that nasty photograph? Or what has Davutoğlu been trying to achieve for the past few days of shuttle diplomacy in the region? What is he trying to salvage? Is he promoting Turkey’s interests or trying to help Tehran and Damascus convince Saad al-Hariri to agree to let the murderers of his father get away with what they did – and continue in the same fashion – and save his coalition with Hezbollah. Why is Turkey trying to achieve that “noble” goal? Because it wants the maintenance of “peace and stability” in Lebanon.Funny, is it not? Peace and stability will be achieved by surrendering to injustice, by letting criminals not be held responsible for their crime.Turkey could indeed be a global power or a role model for a vast region from the Ural mountains to the Middle East and down to Africa when and if it becomes a “true democracy” and decides to export its soft power rather than standing with the dictators in the Middle East and elsewhere for the sake of “stability.” But, of course, before it can start to export democracy Turkey must itself manage to become a land of democracy with individual freedoms and respect for the supremacy of law.Turkey deserves to be represented in different photographs, but unfortunately for now it is in the league of Hezbollah!Hmmm..........Iran's valet?Read the full story here.

• 9/11 mastermind DID behead Daniel Pearl: FBI matches veins in terror chief's arms to those of killer seen on video. The September 11 mastermind who claimed to have beheaded Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl has been proven to be right, according to a new federal investigation.Khalid Sheik Mohammed, at one time the No.3 in Al Qaeda, had confessed to the 2002 murder of the journalist after his arrest in Pakistan a year later.But because of the admission by the U.S. government that he had been 'waterboarded' while in CIA custody, his confession was not deemed to be reliable. He is currently being held at the U.S. detention centre in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.Now federal agents have compared the veins in his arms to those of the killer seen on video beheading Pearl and concluded it was the same man. Instead, four men including a British national were imprisoned for the killing although they were not present during the murder.They were convicted of the killing because Pakistani authorities knowingly relied on perjured testimony and ignored other leads, the report concluded.Hmmm....He confessed,you got proof so what's the hold up to execute him?Read the full story here.

• Michelle Obama blamed for rise in pedestrian deaths in the U.S.Michelle Obama has had the finger of blame pointed at her for the increase in number of pedestrian deaths in the U.S..The First Lady initiated a campaign called 'Let's Move!' designed to encourage more youngsters to walk to school, in a bid to help tackle the country's obesity problem.But critics have said the scheme has back-fired after the figures for road deaths in the first six months of 2010 were revealed.In the period between January and June last year there were 1,891 road related deaths, which - while being only seven more than during the same period the previous year - bucked a trend that had been going down for four years.It was a 0.4 per cent increase and in 18 states there was an increase in the numbers, according to a study on Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by state.This caused a stir and Governors Highway Safety Association Director Barbara Harsha blamed Mrs Obama and was quoted as saying in the Washington Examiner: 'There's an emphasis these days to getting fit, and I think people doing that are more exposed to risk [of getting hit by a vehicle].'And GHSA spokesman Jonathan Adkins told 630 WMAL that Michelle Obama is 'trying to get us to walk to work and exercise a little bit more. While that's good, it also increases our exposure to risk.'Hmmmm....."Let's Move".Read the full story here.

• So who wrote O, the anonymous depiction of a tired and tetchy president who swears and hates the press?It's the guessing game that is dominating dinner parties the length and breadth of Washington.Who wrote O?The fictional account of a president's bid to win election in 2012 is published by Simon & Schuster on Tuesday next week, and all they will own up to is that the author is 'someone who has been in the room with Obama and knows this world intimately'Swearing in public is about as bad as the president gets in O, although that famous scene when cameras capture him 'leering' at the rear end of a woman in a crowd lands him in deep trouble with the First Lady - unnamed but quite obviously Michelle. Her silent disinterest in him at bedtime is the punishment reserved for those of his offences that embarrassed her as well as him.O comes across as tired and tetchy, and fed up with being unfairly treated by the press. But for the most part he is portrayed with affection. The same cannot be said for the media figures who surround him, especially those in new media, perhaps suggesting the author may be from an old media background.Naturally, the finger is being pointed at any number of people, among them Chicago mayoral candidate Rahm Emmanuel, David Plouffe, Obama's new senior adviser, and, more surprisingly, TV comedian Stephen Colbert. But leading the pack of front-runners has to be Joe Klein, who in 1996 had to come clean about being the author of Primary Colors.Hmmm.....Then there's off course O himself?Read the full story here.

• Dubai sex case Briton 'was sacked for flirting'.A British woman locked up in Dubai after being caught in bed with a banker had been let go from a former job amid concerns about her flirtatiousness, her ex-boss claimed yesterday.Danielle Spencer, 31, has been in ­custody since falling foul of the Gulf state’s strict morality laws when she unwittingly found herself at the centre of a sordid love triangle.The £100,000-a-year property analyst had spent the night with New Zealander Toby Carroll, only for his Brazilian former girlfriend to burst in and find them in bed together, according to police in Dubai.He had apparently broken up with the woman – named only as Priscilla – the day before, and she flew into a rage, allegedly slashing at furnishings with a knife while a terrified Miss Spencer hid in the bathroom.They were all arrested and have remained in custody since December 12 – with the two women having to share a ­single large police cell along with up to 90 other female suspects.Both Miss Spencer and Mr Carroll – a property analyst for HSBC bank – may be charged with having sex outside marriage, a criminal offence in the strict Muslim emirate for which a British pilot’s wife and her lover were jailed for a month in 2009.Yesterday her ex-boss at an estate agency described her as ‘a Walter Mitty character’ who had been asked to leave after barely a month for fear that her behaviour would cause a scandal by Dubai’s standards.‘She could be extremely flirtatious, both with colleagues and clients,’ said the ­British businessman. ‘Danielle sent me photographs of herself in modelling poses.‘Needless to say she quickly became rather popular, but she was becoming an embarrassment for the firm. Extramarital sex is illegal here, and while the authorities will turn a blind eye if you’re discreet, I thought she was being pretty flagrant.’’Last night her mother Angela Genter, who has remarried, wept as she told how she was desperate to visit her but couldn’t afford to fly to Dubai.‘My stomach is in a knot and I honestly don’t know what I can do to help her,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. I am at the end of my tether.‘She knows the laws out there and we have to respect their system. But as a mother I just want her out of prison so she can get her life back to normal.’Mrs Genter has been told her daughter will be bailed if a surety is put up, but she can’t afford a lawyer to represent her.The British Embassy said it was offering consular assistance.Read the full story here.

• HT:Memri.IHH Head: Noah's Ark, Titanic, Mavi Marmara – Three Ships That Will Never Be Forgotten.At a ceremony in Beirut honoring the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza, with the participation of Lebanese politicians, representatives from the Iranian, Turkish, and Palestinian Authority Embassies in Lebanon, representatives of the Palestinian factions, and former British MP George Galloway, Bulent Yildirim, the head of the Turkish IHH organization that led the flotilla, said that there were three historic ships that would never be forgotten – Noah's Ark, the Titanic, and the Mavi Marmara. He said that the Turks had sacrificed nine martyrs whose blood had mingled with the blood of the Arabs and with the global conscience. Relatives of those killed on the Mavi Marmara expressed pride in their loved ones' martyrdom for the sake of Palestine and Jerusalem.Hmmmm.....Anyone still doubting where Turkey stands?Read the full story here.

• Muslim Coalition for Peace-USA. Fifth column column developping in America?Training Summit for Muslim Peace Activists despite the climate of fear and hatred against Muslims.January 8, 2011 could very well turn out to be a milestone in the history of Muslim civil rights activism and inter-faith bridge building. On that cold blustery morning, Muslim Peace Coalition organized an initiative to educate the Muslim community and other members of the public on the methods needed to peacefully combat the growing Islamophobia. In spite of the inclement weather and the climate of fear and hatred against Muslims more than 150 community and youth leaders attended the day long peace leaders training retreat. During the training retreat the news of the Arizona massacre broke, underlining the spread of hatred that is threatening the unity of this nation and the urgent need to mobilize against it. The program was specifically designed to train the public on the proper techniques needed to successfully organize and mobilize for the April 9th mass anti war and anti-islamophobia rally. The event took place in the Islamic Center of Long Island and ran from 9 am till 6 PM. Representatives from various Muslim and non Muslim organizations were in attendance.The day commenced with a recitation from the Quran which called for the standing up for justice even if it means speaking out against yourself or your own kin. This was followed by the welcome address by Dr. Shaik Ubaid, the New York chapter co-chair of MPC who spoke about the reasons for the launch of the peace coalition and the goals of the training retreat . This was followed by a moving and informative talk regarding the history of peace movements in the United States given by Kathy Kelly. Kathy Kelly, who many consider to be the conscience of America had just returned from Afghanistan. Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid spoke about how wars are damaging America’s economy and international standing. He talked about the need to organize against war and terrorism. His comprehensive power point presentation also showed how involving the youth in peaceful methods to fight islamophobia will prevent their radicalization.The final session was a solidarity session where leaders of more than 25 inter-faith alliances, peace groups, churches and synagogues spoke against Islamophobia. They expressed solidarity with the Muslim community in the backdrop of Congressman King’s announced hearings. The national and local leaders of the peace and inter-faith groups urged a large turnout for the April 9th rally against war and Islamophobia. Hmmmm.......On what FBI figures is he basing on?The only rise in racial hatred is the increase of anti Jewish attacks!Who's Abdul Malik Mujahid ?"Mujahid", BTW, is Arabic for "one who makes jihad" or "one who fights in a war for Islam." And we have seen protests against the war in Vietnam,those were not Vietnamese protesting in the US Streets.Muslims protesting in the US streets against the war on the enemies of America won't be accepted like the Vietnam protests!Read the full  story here.

• That's how to deal with pirates: South Korean commandos storm hijacked tanker and rescue all crew alive.South Korean navy commandos stormed a ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean last night and rescued all the crew.Eight pirates were killed in the raid on the chemical freighter, which was seized along with 21 crew on January 15 in the Arabian Sea while en route to Sri Lanka.The captain of the 11,500-ton Samho Jewelry was shot in the stomach during the attack, and three commandos also suffered wounds.Colonel Lee Bung-Woo, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: 'Our special forces stormed the hijacked Samho Jewelry earlier today and freed all hostages.'During the operation, our forces killed some Somali pirates and all of the hostages were confirmed alive.'Eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 from Myanmar were on board the vessel when it was attacked after setting out from the UAE.Seoul ordered a destroyer on patrol in the Gulf of Aden to give chase and President Lee Myung-Bak ordered 'all possible measures' to save the crew.Hmmm.....You don't mess with South Korea?Read the full story here.

• HT:WND.Ground Zero imam: 'We have more of a right to Moses'.Urges Muslims 'wherever they are' to 'compete' with other religions.Muslims have "more of a right" than Jews to the biblical prophet Moses, declared the imam who has become the new face of the proposed Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in New York City. Imam Abdallah Adhami also urged Muslims to "compete" with other religions. "We must be doing it first, we must compete with you to be doing more of that. We want to fast Ashura too, because that's the day God saved Moses; that is certainly a day to be celebrated. We have more right to Moses," stated Adhami in a 2008 lecture obtained and reviewed by WND. Ashura is an Islamic fast day that commemorates Muslim events, including the Islamic claim that Moses fasted on that day to express gratitude to God for liberating the Israelites from Egypt."We must be doing it first, we must compete with you to be doing more of that. We want to fast Ashura too, because that's the day God saved Moses. That is certainly a day to be celebrated. We have more right to Moses. This possessiveness of goodness." Adhami then urged his followers to compete with other religions "Wherever you are, compete, race with each other in goodness. This is the ethos, this is the driving force that compels the Muslim to say I want to be at the front of that discourse, even though it might be unpopular right now." Adhami stated he recognized his views were "politically incorrect." Still, he repeated his assertion Muslims must compete with others. "Are we going to deny reality people, or are we going to move into a different dimension and start doing something to address this?" he asked.Hmmmm....Reality tells us it high time Congressman Peter King starts investigating the Islamic extremists in America.Read the full story here.

• HT:JihadWatch.Obama adviser Mogahed says West must show respect for Islam to ease Muslim anger toward U.S.Thus in Mogahed's world, if you see the cause of the tensions between the West and the Islamic world as religious, then you will more likely see that conflict as inevitable, but that will work to "the advantage of engagement." So apparently she thinks it is a good thing for people to see the conflict as caused by religion, although she actually thinks it is caused by politics.And in the background of this gobbledegook is the fact that in the Islamic world, the distinction between politics and religion is purely artificial. She based her statement on findings and recommendations of a research conducted by ADGC. The focus of her lecture was on attitudes by Muslims and Westerners toward interactions between their societies, highlighting new dimensions of the Muslim-West relationship.As a key finding, Dalia said the most meaningful action to display respect for Islam revolves around religious symbols, as 72 per cent of Muslims say abstaining from desecrating Islam's holy book and religious symbols would be very meaningful to them....In other words, curtail the freedom of speech and adopt Sharia restrictions regarding speech about Islam, and we'll be making progress.Hmmmm.....Anybody still believing the "We don't want to take over your country" Al-taqiyya story?Read the full story here.

• Canada - Muslim charity squandered money for poor.Devout Muslims donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to one of Canada’s largest Islamic organizations on the promise that the cash would be used to help the poor.But only one in four dollars donated to a special pool of money at the Islamic Society of North America Canada (ISNA Canada) actually reached the needy.Mismanagement of more than $600,000 is among the findings in a scathing audit obtained by the Star.A “very small portion . . . is distributed to the poor and needy and the major portion is spent on the administration of the centre,” concluded the 2010 audit of the previous four years. ISNA Canada is embroiled in controversy, with the audit revealing the practice of giving free perks to family members of a top official; the improper issuing of charitable tax receipts; and the diversion of charity money to private businesses. At the centre of it all is long-time secretary general Mohammad Ashraf, who has recently announced he is stepping down.Ashraf would not answer a series of questions from the Star.“Don’t ask me anything,” Ashraf told a reporter who visited the organization’s Mississauga headquarters, marked by a graceful minaret overlooking the Queen Elizabeth Way. The 73-year-old microbiologist said he is “being transitioned into retirement” and that he is “restricted” from commenting on the audit.For more than 30 years, Ashraf has been the leader of ISNA, a national organization that is also the hub for Mississauga’s Muslim community. It houses the city’s most visible mosque and provides a variety of services, including a Muslim high school and a halal meat certification agency.ISNA Canada draws in close to $1 million in charity donations a year. The audit looked closely at one portion of those donations, an obligatory alms giving called Zakat and Fitrah meant to aid the needy. The audit found that of about $810,777 collected over four years, only $196,460 went to aid the poor.After prayer, Zakat is considered by some Muslims to be the most important pillar of the Islamic faith. It requires Muslims to give a minimum of 2.5 per cent of their wealth each year to the poor.To mark the beginning of Ramadan, Ashraf sent out a letter in August 2010 urging all of ISNA Canada’s members to donate money for “helping needy Muslims not only in Canada, but all over the World.”The auditor, brought in by the ISNA Canada board, took issue with how charity cash was used to cover everything from beefing up security — including $60,000 for installing cameras and frequently changing locks — to health benefits for Ashraf’s daughters, even though they don't work for ISNA Canada.The organization has been spending more than $6,500 each year on the health plans for Ashraf’s daughters, Saadia and Uzma. Saadia’s premium has since been returned, the audit said.“Spending for personal expenses out of the charity’s funds is unethical,” the auditor wrote, saying it is “tantamount to misappropriation of funds.”The audit shows tens of thousands of charity dollars were shuffled from ISNA Canada to its affiliated services and businesses, several of which have secretary-general Ashraf as a director. Federal rules forbid charities from spending donations on business activities that do not aid the charity.The auditor also uncovered multiple cases where Ashraf or the organization inappropriately gave and received charity tax receipts, repeatedly violating federal charity rules.In a review of the financial statements for the halal meat certification agency, a business branch of the Society that certifies meat as permissable to eat under Islamic rules, the auditor discovered Ashraf had received a $15,000 tax receipt after moving money from the agency’s business account over to ISNA Canada and claiming it was a “personal donation.”Former board members told the Star Ashraf diverted profits from the certification agency to a secret account from which he paid himself and at least two family members. They say the board had no knowledge of this.The business’ revenue from the halal certification business is “supposed to come to the parent organization” as the donations do, said Syed Imtiaz Ahmad, former president of ISNA Canada.“(Ashraf) was directing it to an account he had opened and not telling us,” he said.Ashraf’s reign at ISNA Canada will come to an end March 31.Audit report of ISNA Canada (pdf).Hmmmm......."Halal"........I sincerely hope that Canadian Revenue Agency keeps digging in this case.Read the full story here.

• The World is sinking: Dubai islands 'falling into the sea'. The islands were intended as the ultimate luxury possession, even for Dubai.But the World, the ambitiously-constructed archipelago of islands shaped like the countries of the globe, is sinking back into the sea, according to evidence cited before a property tribunal. The islands were intended to be developed with tailor-made hotel complexes and luxury villas, and sold to millionaires. They are off the coast of Dubai and accessible by yacht or motor boat. Now their sands are eroding and the navigational channels between them are silting up, the British lawyer for a company bringing a case against the state-run developer, Nakheel, has told judges. "The islands are gradually falling back into the sea," Richard Wilmot-Smith QC, for Penguin Marine, said. The evidence showed "erosion and deterioration of The World islands", he added. With all but one of the islands still uninhabited – Greenland – and that one a showpiece owned by the ruler of Dubai, most of the development plans have been brought to a crashing halt by the financial crisis.According to the company, 70 per cent of the World's 300 islands have been sold. Nakheel is also behind Dubai's famous Palm-shaped offshore developments. Villas in the only one near completion, Palm Jumeirah, were given to or bought by footballers including David Beckham and Michael Owen. Though few celebrity buyers were found for The World, it was rumoured – or joked – that Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie had considered Ethiopia. Many investors who did buy the islands proved unwilling or unable to finance further work when Dubai's property prices halved in the space of a year.A spokesman for Nakheel insisted the islands were not sinking. "Our periodical monitoring survey over the past three years didn't observe any substantial erosion that requires sand nourishment," a statement said.Hmmmm......Chuckle.Read the full story here.

• HT:Aina.World Will Be Forced to Depend on OPEC Oil, Believes BP.This is the frank admission of BP in a detailed new analysis acknowledging that the role of international energy majors is changing.According to the BP Energy Outlook, OPEC, the 12-member cartel of oil-producing countries, is about to enter a new age of dominance over the market.BP's forecast shows that over the next 20 years OPEC will become as powerful as it was in 1970s -- the decade when the cartel presided over a series of oil shocks and shortages. The OPEC nations' share of global production is likely to rise from 40pc to 46pc over the period covered.In fact, 75pc of all growth in oil reserves over the next two decades is expected to come from OPEC nations, which include Kuwait, Iran, Angola, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Nigeria..The Energy Outlook showed that the world will need to explore in remote regions like the Arctic and deeper water than ever before if it is to keep pace with a 1.7pc annual rise in consumption -- a 39pc increase over 20 years.It predicts that demand will rise to about 102m barrels of oil per day by 2030, an increase of 16.5m barrels from today's level.Saudi Arabia should be able to add another 3m barrels, but the biggest growth is forecast to come from Iraq increasing its output from 2.5m to 5.5m barrels per day.An additional 2m barrels of production should come from Canada's controversial oil sands, while biofuels made from corn or sugar are predicted to provide a huge 5m barrel uplift.The growth of gas as a cleaner alternative to oil and coal means that BP expects the three major fossil fuels to eventually have an equal share of the market at about 27pc of consumption. Nuclear, renewable energy and hydropower are expected to serve around 7pc of the market each.To the concern of environmentalists, BP's chief economist Christof Ruehl predicted "to the best of our knowledge" carbon dioxide emissions would rise by 27pc over the next two decades.If his prediction comes true, it would mean the world missing its targets on keeping down carbon emissions by a mile. World leaders are trying to limit the extra emissions to 24bn tonnes by 2030 through international agreements on climate change.Hmmmm......Stop drilling Mr President?If you wanted to destroy America would you do anything different?Read the full story here.

• Path Is Sought for States to Escape Debt Burdens.Policy makers are working behind the scenes to come up with a way to let states declare bankruptcy and get out from under crushing debts, including the pensions they have promised to retired public workers.Unlike cities, the states are barred from seeking protection in federal bankruptcy court. Any effort to change that status would have to clear high constitutional hurdles because the states are considered sovereign. But proponents say some states are so burdened that the only feasible way out may be bankruptcy, giving Illinois, for example, the opportunity to do what General Motors did with the federal government’s aid. Beyond their short-term budget gaps, some states have deep structural problems, like insolvent pension funds, that are diverting money from essential public services like education and health care. Some members of Congress fear that it is just a matter of time before a state seeks a bailout, say bankruptcy lawyers who have been consulted by Congressional aides.Bankruptcy could permit a state to alter its contractual promises to retirees, which are often protected by state constitutions, and it could provide an alternative to a no-strings bailout. Along with retirees, however, investors in a state’s bonds could suffer, possibly ending up at the back of the line as unsecured creditors.For now, the fear of destabilizing the municipal bond market with the words “state bankruptcy” has proponents in Congress going about their work on tiptoe. No draft bill is in circulation yet, and no member of Congress has come forward as a sponsor, although Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, asked the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, about the possiblity in a hearing this month. House Republicans, and Senators from both parties, have taken an interest in the issue, with nudging from bankruptcy lawyers and a former House speaker, Newt Gingrich, who could be a Republican presidential candidate. It would be difficult to get a bill through Congress, not only because of the constitutional questions and the complexities of bankruptcy law, but also because of fears that even talk of such a law could make the states’ problems worse.“They are readying a massive assault on us,” said Charles M. Loveless, legislative director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “We’re taking this very seriously.”Discussion of a new bankruptcy option for the states appears to have taken off in November, after Mr. Gingrich gave a speech about the country’s big challenges, including government debt and an uncompetitive labor market.Hmmmm......Helloooo....It's already being prepared,time to read this guys?Read the full story here.

• HT:Imra.Rising food prices spell trouble for Arabs.CAIRO, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Rising food prices, which triggered the downfall of the Tunisian regime and rioting in Algeria, threaten further trouble across the Middle East and North Africa, a region heavily dependent on food imports.The food crisis along with mushrooming populations, expanding desertification, dwindling water resources and growing unemployment create an explosive mix across the volatile region at a time when many fear new wars may soon erupt.The surprise downfall of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali Jan. 14 amid violent street protests over food prices, poverty, unemployment and decades of repression has galvanized people across the region that stretches from the Atlantic in the west to the shores of the Indian Ocean in the east.Algeria also saw street protests sparked by increased process for basic food items, including milk, sugar and oil, in which as many as 20 people were killed, mainly by security forces. Rampant unemployment was also a factor.Similar, though less intense, protests were reported in Jordan and Libya.The Middle East, with an agricultural sector severely limited because of water scarcity, is particularly vulnerable to food price shocks.Climate change is accelerating the decline in food production through water shortages, reduced rainfall, desertification and coastal flooding.In the last two decades, the region has been jolted by three waves of food riots, most recently in 2008 when prices spiked higher before global recession reduced demand.Now prices are climbing again. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization reported Jan. 5 that its worldwide food price index hit a record high in December, exceeding the 2008 peak.The FAO's index, which covers the average prices of such staples as meat, dairy products, cereals and cooking oil, was up 25 percent from the same period in 2009.The World Bank observed in a recent report on food security in the Arab world that "Arab countries are very vulnerable to fluctuations in international commodity markets because they are heavily dependent on imported food."Arab countries are the largest importers of cereal in the world" -- more than 58 million metric tons in 2007 -- "and most import at least 50 percent of the food calories they consume."It added that "of greater concern for Arab countries is that structural and cyclical forces are creating a system that is very sensitive to supply shortfalls and ever-increasing demand, making future price shocks very probable."Arab states' population growth rates are among the highest in the world. The population of the Arab world was 73 million in 1950. Now it's more than 333 million, four times higher.The World Bank expects that to double again by 2050, to around 600 million.Rich Arab states such as Saudi Arabia have bought huge tracts of land from Brazil to Indonesia in recent years in a bid to combat global food shortages, water scarcity and desertification and ensure long-term food security.Lennart Bage, president of the U.N. International Fund for Agriculture Development in Rome, says that land was long considered less important than oil or mineral resources. But now "fertile land with access to water has become a strategic asset."As populations expand while the amount of farmland and water supply shrinks, resource wars are expected to erupt across the Middle East and Africa in the years ahead.Hmmmm......War for food?Read the full story here.

• The 2011 World Watch List.An In-depth Look at the Top 50 Christian Persecuting Countries.What is the World Watch List?Each year Open Doors releases the World Watch List, a detailed analysis of Christian persecution worldwide. In this free resource, countries are evaluated and ranked according to the severity of persecution that occurred in the past year.We offer the World Watch List free as part of our mission at Open Doors to inform and inspire others with the message of the persecuted.Top 10 Countries.   1.North Korea  -  2.Iran  -  3.Afghanistan   -  4.Saudi Arabia  -5.Somalia  -  6.Maldives  - 7.Yemen  -  8.Iraq -  9.Uzbekistan  -  10.Laos. Hmmm....How many are Islamic? Read and see the full story here.

• HT:Michelle Malkin.The Philadelphia Horror: How mass murder gets a pass.The mainstream news reports about Philadelphia’s serial baby-killer Kermit Gosnell and his abortion clinic death squad only scratch the surface of his barbaric enterprise. You must, must, must read the entire, graphic, 281-page grand jury report (embedded after my column below) to fully fathom the systematic execution of hundreds of (not just seven) healthy, living, breathing, squirming, viable babies — along with an untold number of mothers who may have lost their lives in his sick, grimy chamber of horrors as well. It is explicit. It is enraging. It will haunt you.Hmmmm.....The Philadelphia "Dr Mengele"? Read the full story here.

• HT:AmnonAndJonathan."Open war".Israeli Olympic chiefs ready to help Palestinians, says committee.Representatives of Israel's Olympic committee are ready to help Palestinian athletes train for the London 2012 Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday.The offer came during a "constructive and cooperative" first meeting of Israeli and Palestinian Olympic officials in the Swiss city of Lausanne hosted by IOC President Jacques Rogge, the Olympic body said in a statement.The meeting at IOC headquarters was a first attempt to broker an agreement over obstacles Palestinian athletes and players say they face, hampering training and travel to compete in sports events."In the short run, priority will be given to assisting Palestinian athletes to move towards their dream of taking part in the Olympic Games in London next year," it added.A second meeting will be held in two months time.The Olympic chief's visit came two months after the head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee (POC) vowed "open war" against Israel, as the dispute escalated when Palestinian footballers were blocked at the Jordanian border.Read and see the full story here.

• HT:DougRoss.The Battle Next Time: a Brief History of the Alinsky-inspired Tactics of Media Matters, John Podesta and Legacy Media.The specious claim that Sarah Palin and the Tea Party were somehow linked to the Tucson massacre was a professional, coordinated hit job -- that 'just happened' to get picked up and marketed by the mainstream media.As I have documented, that false connection started with bloggers at DailyKos and Think Progress using Twitter to push the issue into the mainstream media within hours of the shooting with the help of their followers. The ruthless efficiency with which the left-wing blogosphere tied Palin to the shooting, and the success of their efforts in equating Palin with mass murder, is a lesson we should not forget.It wasn't the first time this has happened; and it certainly won't be the last.The Left Fears Sarah Palin Like No Other GOP Candidate.Hmmmm......Riehl described a set of too-good-to-be-true coincidences that tied Obama adviser David Axelrod to the anti-Palin smears. Read the full story here.

• Turkey calls for powerful UN statement against Israel.The UN Security Council has to make a powerful statement against Israel, which has been imposing its will on the Palestinian people by ignoring international law, Turkey’s top diplomat in New York has stated. Israel’s imposition on the Palestinian people is being carried out by the building of settlements in Palestinian territories, the eviction of Palestinian residents and by tightening its occupation of the Palestinian territories, Ambassador Ertuğrul Apakan, Turkey’s permanent representative to the UN, explained on Wednesday during an open debate of the UN Security Council regarding the situation in the Middle East, the Anatolia news agency reported.The UN Security Council should make a powerful statement on such unilateral actions by Israel and should not avoid this responsibility, Apakan warned.The Turkish diplomat also remarked that Israel still hasn’t presented to the UN its findings following an enquiry into a May 31 raid on an aid flotilla.Also Wednesday, Arab nations submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank. However, a vote is not expected any time soon because of a likely US veto. Turkey has lent support to the resolution.The point of the resolution, diplomats say, is to highlight Washington’s isolated position on the Security Council, show the Palestinian population that the Palestinian Authority is taking action, and pressure Israel and the United States on the settlement issue.Hmmmm.....The seize of the hatred Turkey is displaying towards Israel makes even the Palestinians look good.Read the full story here.

• Chinese Government Threatens to Use Force to Close Catholic Orphanage for Disabled Children. Chinese government officials have told Roman Catholic Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding, China, that he must sign an agreement giving the Chinese government control of a church orphanage for disabled children and that if he does not do so the government may use force to seize the facility.In the past, the Chinese government has repeatedly imprisoned Bishop Jia, including as recently as last year, because he will not renounce his allegiance to the Holy See.We beg the world media and leaders to have the moral courage to stand up for the approximately one hundred helpless disabled orphans who live in the orphanage and appeal to the Chinese government not to carry out its threat.Approximately twenty years ago, someone abandoned a handicapped infant on the doorstep of Bishop Jia Zhiguo's residence. The good bishop took the baby into his home, and that child is now about twenty years old.Soon after Bishop Jia rescued this first disabled baby, word spread of what he had done, and more disabled babies were left on his doorstep. Over two decades, hundreds of disabled babies were brought to the bishop--some of them very sick—and this good man took every one of them in and made sure they were cared for.Unfortunately, some of the babies did not survive. But at least they were all baptized before they went home to God's house.To help care for the abandoned children, the Bishop founded a community of thirty Catholic nuns, who devoted themselves to caring of these disabled orphans. The orphanage currently cares for more than one hundred children, who range in age from a few months to 20. The facility is located in WuQui, Jinzhou, Hebei.Bishop Jia has never joined the Catholic Patriotic Association, an official church sponsored by China’s Communist government that does not recognize papal authority over the church. In China today, the Roman Catholic Church is an illegal organization, and Bishop Jia, as a true and faithful Catholic, must serve as an underground bishop.Bishop Jia has spent approximately twenty years in prison, and has been arrested thirteen times just since 2004.In December, 2010, Mr. Yin of the United Front Department of Jinzhou, Mr. Guo of Political Secretary, Mr. An of the Bureau on Religious Affairs of Jinzhou, Communist Party Secretary in the Village Wuqiu, and Director Chen of the Public Security Bureau of Shijiazhuang took Bishop Jia away on three different occasions. They tried to force Bishop Jia to sign an agreement to release all his orphans to the government, and to disperse the thirty Catholic nuns who have been serving the orphanage.The writing is now on the wall. I believe that the authorities will soon carry out their threats by forcibly closing this orphanage.The Cardinal Kung Foundation today asks that those individuals and organizations who have a special focus on children, family and human rights, take up this special call to action. Please urge the Chinese Government to cease the harassment of Bishop Jia Zhiguo and not to dismantle this unique orphanage, which is truly a large family, which serves as a home to so many disadvantaged and handicapped children.Contact the Chinese Embassy in your country and let them know that you, and the world, are keenly interested in this development and these children. Those who live in the United States may write to Ambassador Zhang YeSui, Embassy of The People's Republic of China, 3505 International Place, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20008. Time is of the essence. Please protect these helpless orphans. Make your appeal to the higher authorities of the Chinese government not to disrupt the care and love of these one hundred disabled orphans.--Mr. Kung runs the Cardinal Kung Foundation, an organization based in Stamford, Conn., which is dedicated to informing the public about the persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in China. The website of the Cardinal Kung Foundation iswww.cardinalkungfoundation.org.But Jesus said, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."Matthew 19:14 .Hmmmm.....protect a fellow Christian Mr President?Read the full story here.

• Rise of Freedom: Project Rebirth.Just six months after the terror attacks of 9/11, March 11, 2002, to be specific, a camera was placed in the graveyard of St. Paul’s church. This final resting place sits across the street from what was Ground Zero. Since that day the camera has taken a picture every five minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.Time lapse photography isn’t new, but this is one of the most ambitious efforts ever undertaken with this filmmaking technique."That's the thing that is somewhat unexpected the emotional power of the time lapse,” said Brian Rafferty.Rafferty is the Chairman of Project Rebirth and the emotional power he refers to is something you need to see to believe. “I don't know how to explain it but it's a powerful thing to watch," he said.The film “Rebirth” makes its premiere this Friday, Feb. 20 at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Utah. But you can get a preview of this amazing footage tonight on Fox Report with Shepard Smith, 7 p.m. ET.All told there are 14 cameras circling and chronicling the building of the new World Trade Center, and what they have captured to date is monumental."We have 900 hours of footage thus far," said Rafferty.But this literal rebuilding of office towers is only one part of Project Rebirth’s mission.Hmmmm......Never Forget It were not Mazzle Tov screeming Jews who did this!Read the full story here.

• Breakthrough Laser Could Revolutionize Navy's Weaponry.The Navy has passed a major milestone in its quest to build an incredibly powerful new anti-aircraft gun.Scientists with the Navy's Office of Naval Research have demonstrated a prototype system capable of producing from thin air the electrons needed to generate ultrapowerful, "megawatt-class" laser beams for the agency's next-generation system. "The injector performed as we predicted all along," said Dinh Nguyen, senior project leader for the Free Electron Laser (FEL) program at the Los Alamos National Lab, N.M. "But until now, we didn't have the evidence to support our models. We were so happy to see our design, fabrication and testing efforts finally come to fruition."He said the group is hoping to set a world record with the futuristic new weapon -- which could be the Holy Grail of military lasers. FEL technology generates powerful laser beams by passing a stream of electrons -- those tiny, charged particles of matter -- through magnetic fields. Using electrons means avoiding the hassle of chemical fuels that are required for ordinary gas lasers, and bypassing the heating issue of electronic lasers.FEL lasers can also be calibrated more specifically for anti-aircraft purposes, the Navy said, to adjust for precipitation, cloud cover, or humidity.Quentin Saulter, FEL program manager for the Navy's research arm, said the implications of the FEL's progress are monumental. "This is a major leap forward for the program and for FEL technology throughout the Navy," Saulter said. "The fact that the team is nine months ahead of schedule provides us plenty of time to reach our goals by the end of 2011."The research team hopes to have a full-power prototype by 2018, which would have the ability to instantly blast targets in the sky.Navy ships have become vulnerable in modern times to supersonic missiles because of their slower defense systems, the agency worries. "The FEL is expected to provide future U.S. Naval forces with a near-instantaneous laser ship defense in any maritime environment throughout the world,” Saulter said.Hmmmmm......Hu said we couldn't do it?Read the full story here.

• HT:IslamInEurope.Italy: Islamic terrorism comedy breaks box office records.An Italian produced comedy with an Islamic terrorism theme entitled 'Che Bella Giornata' or 'What a Beautiful day' has broken the country's all time box office records for a locally produced film,hauling in a massive 42 million dollars and counting, in just two weeks after its release.The film's plot revolves around a security guard who falls in love with an Arab woman who is planing to bomb the Milan Duomo.The movie's success has also dethroned Roberto Benigni's Holocaust-theme 1997 film and triple Oscar winner 'Life Is Beautiful,' which held the title of highest-earning local film for 13 years running.Produced by Medusa film, for an average Italian budget of around 6.6 million dollars, Medusa CEO Giampaolo Letta said the picture has performed beyond the company's "most optimistic expectations.".Source.

• And now for something completely different!German Big Brother star "Sexy Cora"dies after SIXTH breast enlargement operation.A German porn star has died following complications during her sixth breast enlargement.Cora, real name Carolin Berger, had been in a coma for nine days following the operation when she died yesterday.The 23-year-old had gone under the knife to boost her bust from a 34F to a 34G.The clinic in Germany where she had the enhancement is now being investigated.Her family were called to the hospital where they were told that Cora had been without oxygen during the op for 15 minutes and was in 'serious condition.'The heavily tattooed adult actress had come to the nation's attention as a contestant in the German Big Brother house.She behaved more and more outrageously, finally peeling off and flirting topless with a fellow housemate.Her death was mourned in the German tabloid newspapers today.'Sexy Cora is dead,' read the headline in Bild.'[Her] frail, 48kg [106 lb] body struggled against death for 224 hours. She lost. Cora is dead!'Prosecutors have announced they are investigating the 54-year-old anaesthesiologist and the 49-year-old surgeon who performed the operation at the Alster Clinic, in Hamburg, on suspicion of negligent homicide.Read the full story here.Video report here(German).