MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• HT:WND.Rep. Allen West urges Hillary to tackle Savage ban.Popular talk-radio host still on Britain's enemies list along with terrorists.Freshman Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., who is already earning a reputation on Capitol Hill as a straight talker, has written a letter on behalf of Michael Savage urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to review Britain's ban of the popular talk-radio host. Pointing out Savage was put on the U.K.'s banned-entry list with "ruthless criminals," including a Hamas terrorist and Russian skinhead, West argued there is no basis for the action initiated by the government of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and affirmed by current Prime Minister David Cameron's administration. "For a nation who believes in freedom of speech and press, "West wrote, "I have a hard time understanding why such a high level, government department would release this statement when there has not been one incident recorded in the United States regarding Dr. Savage instigating violence, let alone serious criminal acts."Savage said that after "over one straight year of legal hell," he had hoped the new British government would remove his name "from their list of actual murderers and terrorists." The U.K.'s list includes Hamas terrorist leader Yunis Al-Astal, former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Stephen Donald Black, neo-Nazi Erich Gliebe and radical American pastor Fred Phelps, known for his virulent anti-gay protests at funerals. Savage has documented his battle over the ban in his book "Banned in Britain," which includes official correspondence, released under the U.K.'s freedom-of-information law, that reveals a decision was made at the highest level of government to use his name to provide "balance" to a "least wanted" list dominated by Muslim extremists.As WND reported in May 2009, then–British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that Savage was on a list of 16 people banned from entry because the government believed their views might provoke violence.In a 2008 interview with WND, during his previous run for Congress, West said his 2003 ordeal with the Army should tell voters what kind of a lawmaker he would be, particularly when it comes to issues of defense."If you're a bad guy, and you try to get between me and the safety and lives of American citizens, you're going to lose," West said.Hmmmmm.....He would have brought tears to John Wayne's eyes.Read the full story here.

• HT:DirectorBlue.According to Karl Marx, the following ten elements were requisite conditions for "a transition from capitalism to communism."Now, given all of these parallels, can there be any doubt what Barack Obama meant when he twice proposed, "a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded" as our military?The Obama-Democrat Left has mounted the first successful counter-revolution -- against the American Revolution -- in our history. Using an incessant series of attacks by a fifth column, the intent of the counter-revolution is to eradicate the effects of the American Revolution.Of that there can be no doubt.Hmmmm........Lets hope the tea party stops this new 'Lenin".Read the full story here.

• HT:TheDailyCaller.Interior Secretary Salazar cracks under pressure and begins issuing Gulf of Mexico drilling permits.Ken Salazar can no longer avoid issuing deep-water drilling permits in the Gulf of Mexico. Though the secretary of the interior recently said he would not bow to political pressure on lifting the de facto drilling moratorium in the gulf, rumors that he would crack under that pressure were confirmed Monday evening when the first deep-water permit since the BP oil spill was issued.Prior to the announcement that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) had approved a permit for Noble Energy’s oil well off the coast of Louisiana, rumors were circulating on Capitol Hill that the de facto moratorium would be lifted prior to Salazar’s appearance on the Hill later this week.Frank Maisano, a consultant at Bracewell & Giuliani, told The Daily Caller that a decision by Salazar to issue a permit this week was a “lock.”“[They wouldn’t] go up to the Hill without having a bird in hand,” said Maisano.Salazar’s scheduled Wednesday appearance before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee promises to contain plenty of finger-pointing by congressmen and witnesses on the issue of deep-water drilling.“There’s a range of Interior issues that committee members will want to ask Salazar about,” Robert Dillion, a spokesman for the Senate committee, told The Daily Caller. “Offshore drilling will certainly be on top of the list.”Following the oil spill last April, the federal government banned deep-water drilling. While the ban was officially lifted in October, until Monday’s announcement, Salazar had refused to reissue permits to oil companies in the gulf, despite a bipartisan effort from lawmakers to do so.According to some observers, Salazar relented because a number of factors and political elements forced his hand on the issue.In a separate ruling two weeks later, Feldman gave President Obama and Secretary Salazar 30 days to act on five pending permit applications. “[T]he government is under a duty to act by either granting or denying a permit application within a reasonable time,” said Feldman. “Not acting at all is not a lawful option.”Hmmmm.....So i wouldn't call it 'bowing to pressure' but following the rule of law.Read the full story here.

• Grenade attack at women's college in Pakistan injures 17 students.Islamabad - At least 17 students were injured Tuesday when suspected Taliban militants hurled two grenades at a women's college in north-western Pakistan, a government official said. Two militants escaped after throwing the grenades at the students in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, said Muhammad Adil, civilian administrator of Mardan. Mardan, the district where the attack occurred, is located 50 kilometres north-east of provincial capital, Peshawar. 'So far, 17 female students have been confirmed injured in the attack,' Adil said. 'At least two of them are in critical condition.' The Taliban have destroyed more than 200 educational institutions in the country in hundreds of attacks. Taliban fighters usually target schools for girls and colleges for women because they believe that modern education is not allowed for women in Islam. Hmmmm......Obama "Islam is a great religion".Read the full story here.

• HT:InvestigativeProject.Bylaws Disappear from Muslim Brotherhood's English-language Site.The Muslim Brotherhood seems to be trying to preserve its recently burnished image as a moderate party dedicated to maintaining a modern, secular, and just Egypt.In keeping with this apparent internal strategy, the Brotherhood has removed its explicitly worded bylaws from its English-language website, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned (H/T to the Strategic Engagement Group). The bylaws are still available via an archived version of the webpage.The bylaws have long been a source of discussion and debate on the Internet because of the group's stated intention to create an Islamic state, uniting Muslims around the world, while "building a new basis of human civilization."It's not clear why the bylaws disappeared, but the timing is highly suspicious. In January 2010, it was reported that the Brotherhood was considering amending them. No change appears to have been made in the last year. But now, with a genuine opportunity to appear on an Egyptian ballot, they have vanished from public view within days of President Hosni Mubarak's ouster.On the group's Arabic-language site, however, the bylaws remain posted.Press reports of the Brotherhood's role during the uprising paint a picture of a group committed to presenting its most appealing side for the world to see. While the organization is not a monolith, its old guard remains entrenched in power. And those voices still advocate the Islamification of society.For example, in a sermon last September, General Guide Mohamed Badie said Muslims are duty-bound to make the Quran the law of Egypt.Likewise, another senior member, Kamal Helbawy, told an Iranian news agency on Sunday that the Islamic Republic deserved credit for fostering Islamic unity. Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a role model for Muslims, he said."He is the bravest man in the Muslim world," Helbawy said, "and we (in Egypt) need innocent, honest and brave leaders like him."Hmmmm.....Perhaps they're just 'cleaning up' for Obama's 1,57 Billion Dollar grant?Read and see the full story here.

• China's holdings of US debt larger than reported.WASHINGTON (AFP) – China's holdings of US bonds reached $1.16 trillion at the end of December, almost $270 billion more than previously estimated, new data showed Monday.Beijing, which has converted much of a huge trade surplus with the United States over the past two decades into buying up US treasuries and other securities, held 26.1 percent of the total of $4.44 trillion held by foreigners, the Treasury said.The figures came as the US government recalculated its data on foreign holdings of US securities from June 2010.Chinese-held Treasuries have fallen since hitting a high of $1.18 trillion in October, under the revised figures. Japan remained by far the second largest holder of US government debt, with $882 billion in December, around $1.3 billion less than original estimates.Britain was third at $272.1 billion.Hmmmm....Do you want California giftwrapped President  Hu Jintao ?Or you'll take it the way it is?Read the full story here.

• HT:UN Watch.Hall of Shame: UN Human Rights Council to adopt report praising Gaddafi regime. UN Watch, which heads the Global NGO Campaign to Remove Libya from the UN Human Rights Council, today called on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, EU foreign minister Catherine Ashton and UN rights chief Navi Pillay to urge the council president to cancel a planned resolution praising Libya’s human rights record, scheduled to be adopted in the current session.Despite having just voted to suspend Libya from its ranks (to be finalized by the UNGA tomorrow), the UN Human Rights Council, according to the agenda of its current session, is planning to “consider and adopt the final outcome of the review of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.” According to the council’s timetable, the lengthy report hailing Libya’s human rights record will be presented on March 18, and then adopted by the council at the end of the month. The report, which the UN has published on the council website, is the outcome of a recent session that was meant to review Libya’s human rights record.“Although the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism is often described by council defenders as its saving grace, the vast majority of council members used it to falsely praise the Gaddafi regime for its alleged promotion of human rights,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights monitoring organization. “The report is a fraud, an insult to Libya’s victims, and should be withdrawn immediately.”Libyan report to UN: We protect all rights and freedoms Here. Hmmmmm......This shows once again how worthless and bias this 'organization' is.Read the full story here.

• The Search is On: Name that Plane!The IDF announces that it is seeking the help of the public in finding – not a missing person, but a name for its newest plane.The IDF has recently purchased 20 F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets from United States manufacturer Lockheed-Martin. Though delivery to Israel of the world’s most advanced attack aircraft is expected to begin only in 2015, the IDF is already looking for a Hebrew name for it.At first, Israel Air Force planes were named after birds of prey, such as Baz (falcon), Ayit (eagle), and Netz (Hawk). It later became fashionable to give names such as Sufah (storm), Barak (lightning), and Ra'am (thunder). The Hercules cargo plane took on the name of the legendary Greek’s real-life Jewish counterpart, Samson.The F-35 – priced at half-a-billon dollars each – is expected to be the last aircraft to be piloted by human beings; unmanned drones are now taking over the field.Negotiations for Israel’s purchase of the F-35 took several years, involving issues of Israel’s part in its manufacture, the integration of Israeli technologies, and price.Hmmmm.....How about "Armageddon"?Read the full story here.