MFS - The Other News

                          Morning Posting.

• Obama's new battlefield? President defends abortion as a right... as lawmakers get set to roll those rights back.President Barack Obama has labelled abortion a 'right', setting the grounds for a new battle with lawmakers determined to roll those rights back. The President marked the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision on abortion by calling the procedure a constitutional right he's committed to protecting.But he spoke against a rising tide of anti-abortion activists who sense the time is right for a new push to rein in the broad access to abortions established by the 1973 Roe v Wade decision. Buoyed by huge election gains for their allies, anti-abortion activists in America head into their annual March for Life rallies on Monday sensing a prime opportunity in many states.Foes of abortion gained strength in Congress, among state governors and in many state legislatures, raising hopes among social conservatives for a broad surge of anti-abortion bills.Mr Obama's comments today squared him off against them. He called on Americans to recommit themselves to ensuring that 'our daughters have the same rights, the same freedoms, and the same opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams'. The President said the 1973 Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion affirmed what he called a 'fundamental principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters'.Many others disagree.'We are seeing a cultural shift toward protecting life and rolling back the tide of unrestricted abortions,' said Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life.Majority Republicans introduced two bills Thursday to toughen restrictions on taxpayer funding of abortions. One is aimed specifically at Obama's health care law; the other would establish a permanent, government-wide ban on federal subsidies for most abortions.In addition, Republican Mike Pence has introduced a bill that would ban federal family-planning grants to any organization that performs abortions. It is aimed at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a health care provider and advocate of reproductive rights.Last year that group, according to Mr Pence, received more than $363million in government grants and contracts while performing 324,008 abortions.Abortion-rights supporters are nonetheless dismayed by their foes' clout in the House, though these measures might fail to clear the Senate, and would likely face a presidential veto if they did advance.Hmmmmm.....Remember the "Dr Mengele" from Philadelphia?"Thou shalt not kill"Read the full story here.

• HT:TheEpochTimes.Chinese Pianist Plays Propaganda Tune at White House. US humiliated in eyes of Chinese by song used to inspire anti-Americanism.Lang Lang the pianist says he chose it. Chairman Hu Jintao recognized it as soon as he heard it. Patriotic Chinese Internet users were delighted as soon as they saw the videos online. Early morning TV viewers in China knew it would be played an hour or two beforehand. At the White House State dinner on Jan. 19, about six minutes into his set, Lang Lang began tapping out a famous anti-American propaganda melody from the Korean War: the theme song to the movie “Battle on Shangganling Mountain.” The film depicts a group of “People’s Volunteer Army” soldiers who are first hemmed in at Shanganling (or Triangle Hill) and then, when reinforcements arrive, take up their rifles and counterattack the U.S. military “jackals.”He then said, “I thought to play ‘My Motherland’ because I think playing the tune at the White House banquet can help us, as Chinese people, feel extremely proud of ourselves and express our feelings through the song. I think it’s especially good. Also, I like the tune in and of itself, every time I hear it I feel extremely moved.Another Chinese commenting on a forum responded to the Lang Lang performance by writing, “Defeat America, defeat Obama” (writing Obama’s name with the wrong first character, one meaning “sunken” or “dented.”)Others wrote comments like: “omg!”; “Didn’t they know?”; “Where was the U.S. foreign affairs?” and “Very good. My impression of Lang Lang has really changed"Hmmmm.....Message "Yu So Phukt"?Read the full story here.

• The Palestinian Islamic Army ,Al Qaeda-linked group attacked church in Egypt, authorities say.The Palestinian Islamic Army, which has links to al Qaeda, carried out the New Year's Day attack on a Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt, that left almost two dozen people dead, Interior Minister Habib al-Adly said Sunday.It was not immediately clear what evidence he had or whether anyone had been arrested.Egyptian authorities earlier this month released a sketch of a man they think is responsible for the attack."The man in the picture is unknown and authorities are trying to confirm his identity," Col. Alla Mahmoud of the Interior Ministry said at the time.The Interior Ministry used forensic technology to re-create the face of the suspected suicide bomber.
  Hmmmm......No.....Really:..Those Palestinians that the Obama administration likes so much?Read the full story here.

• New Obama plan is 'part stimulus,' Durbin says.Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday called new proposed spending expected to be rolled out in President Obama's State of the Union address part of a stimulus."It's part of a stimulus. but we're sensitive to the deficit," Durbin said on "Fox News Sunday" when asked by host Chris Wallace about the president's expected plans to call for more spending for infrastructure, education, research in his State of the Union address Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress.Noting his support for the president's deficit commission recommendations, Durbin said Congress should be cautious about large spending cuts until the economy is showing sustained patterns of growth."They said be careful," he said citing the report. "Don't start the serious spending cuts, the deficit reduction, until were clearly out of the recession in 2013. We've got to make sure this economy is growing with more jobs, more business success."Durbin also noted that in addition to the initial $787 billion dollar stimulus already law, both parties joined to pass yet "another stimulus package" during the lame-duck session, when it approved the tax cut deal."That added to the deficit as well," Durbin noted.Hmmmm.....Makes you feel like cows staring at trains passing by ,never reaching their destination?Stimulus 1...2....3....Arrival Delayed untill further notice?Read the full story here.

• Obama to Push New Spending.President Barack Obama will call for new government spending on infrastructure, education and research in his State of the Union address Tuesday, sharpening his response to Republicans in Congress who are demanding deep budget cuts, people familiar with the speech said.Mr. Obama will argue that the U.S., even while trying to reduce its budget deficit, must make targeted investments to foster job growth and boost U.S. competitiveness in the world economy. The new spending could include initiatives aimed at building the renewable-energy sector—which received billions of dollars in stimulus funding—and rebuilding roads to improve transportation, people familiar with the matter said. Money to restructure the No Child Left Behind law's testing mandates and institute more competitive grants also could be included.While proposing new spending, Mr. Obama also will lay out significant budget cuts elsewhere, people familiar with the plans say, though they will likely fall short of what Republican lawmakers have requested.In arguing that U.S. competitiveness is at stake, Mr. Obama plans to use his nationally televised speech to try to frame the spending debate with Republicans that is expected to dominate Congress in the coming months. "We seek to do everything we can to spur hiring and ensure our nation can compete with anybody on the planet," Mr. Obama said Friday after touring a General Electric Co. plant in Schenectady, N.Y. He cited clean-energy manufacturing, infrastructure and education as keys to competitiveness.
  Hmmmmm....."Death of a Nation" the Obama story,soon in your local library in the history section?Read the full story here.

• Oil price to average $70-90 per barrel.$90 per barrel could prove too expensive for global recovery.Although crude oil prices have been hovering around $100 per barrel over the last few weeks, prices this year will average at only $70-$90 per barrel, energy analysts and economists, said.This means while the GCC is slated to see higher oil revenues, oil windfall is not expected to hit dramatic or double-digit levels compared to what it experienced during the boom times.“Despite recent upticks in oil price, world prices are projected to remain between $70 to $90 per barrel in the medium term, with Opec producers stepping up sales from their ample spare capacity to meet any additional demand not supplied by non-Opec producers,” World Bank said.Opec is not expected to allow prices to rise beyond this point for fear of inducing additional non-Opec supply or demand substitution, it said.Globally, there are no medium to longer run supply constraints (2020); and a long- term upper-range of $80 per barrel is consistent with the end-cost of developing additional oil capacity, notably from oil sands in Canada.According to the Centre for Global Energy Studies, $90 per barrel oil could prove too expensive for the global economy at this stage of the recovery, especially given the fragile nature of many governments’ balance sheets.EIA also forecasts average oil price would not exceed $100 this year. Instead, it expects the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil to average about $93 per barrel in 2011, $14 higher than the average price last year. For 2012, EIA expects WTI prices to continue to rise, with a forecast average price of $99 per barrel in the fourth quarter 2012.In 2010, the Opec basket averaged $77.45 per barrel up 26.8 per cent from the previous year. The Basket moved higher in January to reach $94.04 on 14 January.Read the full story here.

• Israeli inquiry: Flotilla raid was legal.Turkel Commission says deadly May 31 commando takeover of Turkish 'aid' vessel was 'legal pursuant to rules of international law,' soldiers opened fire in self-defense. On blockade: Israel not trying to starve Gazans. The nearly 300-page report released Sunday by the government-appointed Turkel Commission said the actions of the soldiers "were found to be legal pursuant to the rules of international law" and that they opened fire in self-defense. . The commission cleared the soldiers of any use of unnecessary violence, stating: "It is possible to determine that the IDF soldiers acted professionally and with great presence of mind in light of the extreme violence which they hadn't expected."This professionalism was evident in the fact that they continued to exchange their lethal weapons for the less lethal option and visa versa in order to give a response that was appropriate to the nature of the violence directed at them." According to the commission, the soldiers were the violence caught the soldiers by surprise when they boarded the Marmara. "The decision-makers didn't have any prior knowledge of the violent reception planned by the IHH members and their inability to identify the intentions of the IHH directly affected the planning and execution of the operation."The commission members found that incomplete intelligence gathering wasn't the only reason for the lack of preparation: "The possibility that an organized group, armed with lethal weapons was on board the Marmara and set to take active measures against attempts to board the ship wasn't taken into account."The IDF received a great deal of praise from the Turkel committee for placing senior officers on the scene – including the navy commander. "This increased the chain of command's awareness of the developments as they happened, which helped them reach decisions efficiently, at the right time as the incident developed."On the decision to use force, the committee members noted that: "The IHH members acted with violence towards the IDF soldiers on the Marmara by arming themselves with various types of weapons, including iron rods, knives, axes, clubs and metal objects."The weapons were capable of killing and severely injuring. In addition, the violent events were evident in the way the IHH organized the joint attack on the IDF soldiers. The IHH members used firearms against the soldiers during the incident."Hmmmm....The IHH organised the joint attack.Read the full story here.

• Erdogan dismisses Turkel report.Turkey 'appalled, dismayed' by flotilla probe while MK Zoabi furious over neglect to summon her.Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan MK slammed the results of the Turkel committee probe into the events of the May 31 IDF flotilla raid, saying it had "no value or credibility." MK Zoabi accused the Turkel committee of trying to whitewash the deaths of the nine Turkish activists who were killed during the raid, and said the committee had been used as "an open stage for propaganda" as it allowed military and state officials to speak uninterrupted and without objection. "This is an Israeli committee with very limited authority, which has totally ignored the sensitive issue that raised the need for an investigation, and that is the deaths of nine activists on board," she said."This report cannot clean up Israel's image as a serial violator of international law in the global arena," Zoabi added. "The Turkel report was written in order to undermine demands by Turkey and the UN for an international probe… the only way in which facts can be presented faithfully and honestly."Hmmmm......The reaction of Iran Turkey was to be expected anything different would have been world shocking news!Read the full story here.

• Domestic use of aerial drones by law enforcement likely to prompt privacy debate.AUSTIN - The suspect's house, just west of this city, sat on a hilltop at the end of a steep, exposed driveway. Agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety believed the man inside had a large stash of drugs and a cache of weapons, including high-caliber rifles.As dawn broke, a SWAT team waiting to execute a search warrant wanted a last-minute aerial sweep of the property, in part to check for unseen dangers. But there was a problem: The department's aircraft section feared that if it put up a helicopter, the suspect might try to shoot it down. So the Texas agents did what no state or local law enforcement agency had done before in a high-risk operation: They launched a drone. A bird-size device called a Wasp floated hundreds of feet into the sky and instantly beamed live video to agents on the ground. The SWAT team stormed the house and arrested the suspect. "The nice thing is it's covert," said Bill C. Nabors Jr., chief pilot with the Texas DPS, who in a recent interview described the 2009 operation for the first time publicly. "You don't hear it, and unless you know what you're looking for, you can't see it." For now, the use of drones for high-risk operations is exceedingly rare. The Federal Aviation Administration - which controls the national airspace - requires the few police departments with drones to seek emergency authorization if they want to deploy one in an actual operation. Because of concerns about safety, it only occasionally grants permission. But by 2013, the FAA expects to have formulated new rules that would allow police across the country to routinely fly lightweight, unarmed drones up to 400 feet above the ground - high enough for them to be largely invisible eyes in the sky. Such technology could allow police to record the activities of the public below with high-resolution, infrared and thermal-imaging cameras.Hmmmm.....Did i not have this story earlier in the week"The T-Hawk drone Coming to a City Near You?"Read the full story here.

• HT:TheWeeklyStandard.The Decline of the Justice Department. Former attorney general Michael Mukasey is not prone to hyperbole. He’s a former federal judge, a meticulous lawyer, and, as he proved in succeeding Alberto Gonzales, a skilled administrator who restored morale to a Justice Department demoralized by scandals (real or concocted). He is also obviously nonplussed by the performance of his successor, Attorney General Eric Holder. In a far-ranging interview, he candidly asserts that Holder’s conduct in several key respects has been “amazing.” That’s not meant as a compliment.Mukasey, who presided over the trial of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, is as experienced as any American jurist when it comes to the war on terror. It is therefore significant that he finds Holder’s handling of national security matters worrisome. In August 2009, Holder authorized the reinvestigation of CIA operatives who had employed enhanced interrogation techniques on terrorist detainees. It had the feel of a witch hunt: Career prosecutors who investigated the interrogators under the previous administration had concluded there was no basis for a criminal prosecution. A year and a half later, the Holder reinvestigation is still dragging on. “I have to believe that the effect on people involved in national security is devastating,” says Mukasey, “in part because the cases were closed before.” Imagine the impact on a CIA operative who is told, “ ‘There is no basis for prosecution.’ And then someone shows up and says, ‘Not so fast.’ ”Mukasey, moreover, finds it “amazing” that Holder “conceded he didn’t read the [career] prosecutors’ memo” that recommended against prosecution. He remarks ruefully that “in a sense that is comforting” to CIA employees that there was not something troubling in the memo. But, of course, it is small consolation that the nation’s chief law enforcement officer doesn’t bother to read relevant documents before making a decision with long-term policy implications.It is ironic, in retrospect, that the Obama administration two years ago entered office vowing to respect the work of career attorneys at the DOJ, to avoid politicization, and to oversee the impartial administration of justice. The closest we have come to the impartial administration of justice in recent years was under Mukasey’s tenure, when he eliminated White House meddling and allowed career attorneys to perform their jobs. No wonder he is dismayed with his successor’s performance.Hmmmm.....One Obamination after another?Read the full story here.

• HT:BigPeace.Exploring Anti Israel Rhetoric, Radical Islamic Propaganda and Anti Semitism.Anti Semitism is on the rise fueled by growing anti Israel rhetoric. Just a few weeks ago, a former European Commissioner and a prominent Dutch politician, Frits Bolkestein, called on orthodox Jews to leave Holland because of “the anti-Semitism among Dutchmen of Moroccan descent, whose numbers keep growing”. Reading this statement propelled me to learn more about the state of Anti Semitism in Europe and its connection to the efforts to de legitimize Israel’s right to exist. I asked Professor Dina Porat, the founder and former head of the institute for the study of contemporary Anti Semitism and Racism in Tel Aviv University, for an interview to explore the connection between Anti Israel rhetoric, Radical Islamic propaganda and anti Semitism.Giyus.org: What is the current state of Anti Semitism in the world?Read the full story here.

• Tunisian students to form Hezbollah.A Tunisian group, consisted of young students, says it intends to form a Hezbollah-style political party to defend the rights of the people against any possible repression. The announcement comes days after a historic revolution ousted the country's former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Jamil Ben Alavi, a prominent student leader, says he was optimistic about the promotion of the Islamic values among the youth in the predominantly Muslim country. "The progressive example of Hezbollah in Lebanon can bring light and hope for the Tunisian people," Fars News Agency quoted Ben Alavi as saying. The comments come as thousands of Tunisians have publicly organized congregational prayers over the past days. Meanwhile, some Tunisian TV channels have resumed broadcasting the call for prayer. Ben Ali had pursued a strict anti-Islamic agenda during his rule over the North African country. "He (Ben Ali) was against broadcasting Adhan, holding Friday prayers in mosques during his rule," the Arabic language Al-Mofakirat Al-Islam website said in a report about religious freedom. In an attempt to imitate Western countries, Ben Ali imposed strict laws against the Islamic dress code. A vast majority of the country's population is Muslims and committed to Islamic values.Hmmmmm.....And another little Iran sees the daylight?What's next Turkey to show up to "mediate"?Read the full story here.

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• HT:TheDailyCaller.ACORN’s man takes over the Democratic Party’s war machine.A longtime ACORN operative is about to take over the reins of the Democratic National Committee as its executive director – just in time to begin initial preparations for President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.The activist in question is Patrick Gaspard. He currently holds the title of White House political affairs director, the same title Karl Rove held in President Bush’s administration.Gaspard comes from the same world of radical left-wing community organizing that shaped Barack Obama. Gaspard is well schooled in the brutal, street-smart organizing tactics taught by the late Saul Alinsky, author of Rules for Radicals. He’s the hatchet man Obama sent to New York over a year ago to strong-arm then-Gov. David Paterson into dropping his reelection campaign. As executive director running the DNC’s day-to-day operations Gaspard will oversee Organizing for America, a project of the DNC supposedly modeled on Alinskyite organizing principles. (Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine will remain as general chairman of the DNC.)Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Haitian parents, very little is known about this Rasputin-like power behind the throne. Gaspard shuns publicity and is extremely reluctant to speak to the media on the record. Look him up on Nexis and you will find virtually nothing about this otherwise influential counselor to the leader of the free world.Gaspard came to the White House from ACORN’s favorite labor organization, Service Employees International Union. (SEIU Locals 100 and 880 were until recently official affiliates of ACORN.) He had been executive vice president for political and legislative affairs for SEIU Local 1199 United Healthcare Workers East, which claims to be the largest union local on the planet “representing more than 300,000 members and retirees in New York, Maryland, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts.”Gaspard was previously revealed to be political director for ACORN’s New York branch. Although the source of this information, ACORN founder Wade Rathke, has since feigned senility and claimed he was mistaken, other evidence points to Gaspard’s involvement with the nation’s most notorious activist group.In 2004, Gaspard was the National Field Director for America Coming Together.The group was primarily funded by Peter Lewis, George Soros, and labor unions, especially the Service Employees International Union, and was led by Steve Rosenthal, a former political director of the AFL-CIO.In the fall of 2004, ACT was featured in the Frontline Documentary, The Persuaders, which described ACT's use of narrowcasting.In the last three weeks before the 2004 presidential and congressional elections, ACT planned on funding over 12 million phone calls to targeted voters and having canvassers hand-deliver 11 million pieces of literature at targeted doorsteps. On Election Day, ACT had projected to have 45,000 paid canvassers in the battleground states and spent over $10 million on Election Day. It had 86 offices open every day, a staff of 4000 and a goal of reinforcing the army of 45,000 paid canvassers with 25,000 volunteers.The Federal Election Commission announced on August 29, 2007, that it had reached a settlement agreement with ACT for violations of various federal campaign finance laws during the 2004 US presidential campaign. ACT has agreed to pay $775,000 in fines. Hmmmm.....Unions....Acorn.....Chicago...Soros.Anyone still believing in fair elections in 2012?.....Any which way you can? Read the full story here.

• 30 days in a Dubai police cell, sharing a mattress with her Brazilian love rival.A British woman locked up in Dubai after being caught in bed with a banker was released last night – after spending 30 days sharing a filthy mattress in a cell with her Brazilian love rival.Amazingly, during their incarceration in a basement holding pen at a police station, Danielle Spencer and model Priscila Ferreira became firm friends.Ms Spencer, 31, had been spending the night with Toby Carroll when his girlfriend Ms Ferreira burst in and threatened them at knifepoint.Mr Carroll called police and all three were arrested – Ms Ferreira, 24, for criminal damage and Ms Spencer and Mr Carroll on suspicion of having sex outside of marriage, a crime in the Arab country.Ms Spencer said last night: ‘This is the best feeling, I am so happy to be out at last. I just want a big drink, a soak in a bath and a sleep in a proper bed. That will feel bliss.’She and Ms Ferreira spent a month sharing a bed in a cell with 70 other inmates in the notorious Bur Dubai police station. Ms Ferreira was still in jail last night because she could not find anyone to provide a passport for her surety. It was anticipated the model, who turns 25 today, will be released imminently.Last night, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, former pole-dancer Ms Spencer, from Hull, told how she and Ms Ferreira forged their unlikely friendship.She said: ‘We just had to become friends because it was such a terrible experience. All we had was each other for comfort and at night we would huddle together on our mattress, scared out of our lives. We were in a stinking room with murderers. I got to know Priscila well and like her. There are no hard feelings. I have forgiven her for what she did.‘We have both laughed at the irony of it – I locked myself in the bathroom to get away from her when she went crazy with the knife and now I realise that she is the safest person to be with here in prison.’ The Mail on Sunday had been with Ms Spencer as she negotiated her release. She said: ‘The authorities needed two passports – mine and one from someone resident in Dubai. We were frantically ringing around trying to find someone.’Earlier, while at Bur Dubai, she said: ‘It has been a nightmare. I did not even have sex with that guy. The conditions are terrible, so cramped, and they put tranquillisers in the food. I spend all day sitting on the floor, in the dark, underground. It’s so disgusting. ‘We can only have a bath once a week. There are insects everywhere. There are women in here with babies, poor little things. There are no windows, no fresh air. Some women here were arrested for trying to commit suicide.’Mr Carroll was bailed last Thursday. He and Ms Spencer may be charged with having sex outside marriage, which can carry a jail term. No charges have been filed against any of the three.Police inquiries are continuing and it is expected that the three will be called before a prosecutor in the next few weeks.Hmmm......Lets see how the "Love Story" ends?Read the full story here.