MFS - The Other News

                      Afternoon Posting.

• Libya Live Blog - May 04. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan  today  4.7 and 5.4! More info here.

• Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 102.
  On 04.05.2011 at 03:31 GMT+2
  
  The Japanese government has confirmed that traces of radioactive material have been found in the seabed near the stricken facility. Operator of the plant, TEPCO. says it has detected up to 1-hundred-90 becquerels of radioactive Iodine and 1,300 becquerels of Cesium. These levels are 1-hundred to 1-thousand times normal levels. The samples were taken from the seabed last Friday.Source : Here .

• Japan  : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog

• Live Blog on Qsama Bin Laden  Here (Al -Jazeera).

• How they got Osama bin Laden !(Al-Arabia).In an exclusive story for The National Journal, Marc Ambinder shares details from the operation that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on Sunday. The MH-60 helicopters are said to have taken off from an air base in Pakistan and went on to Abbottabad, the destination of bin Laden’s complex, 30 miles from the capital, Islamabad.Aboard the helicopters were Navy SEALs, flown in from Afghanistan, along with “tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyper spectral imagers,” writes Mr. Ambinder.After a 40-minute operation, 22 people are said to have been captured or killed, one of whom was bin Laden, shot in the head as reported in the media. His body was taken in the helicopter on the journey back. (Another helicopter experienced mechanical failure and was destroyed by US forces.) It has been confirmed by US officials that this operation was conducted with the aim of killing bin Laden.The team that carried out this mission is known as SEAL Team Six, “officially called the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, but known even to the locals at their home base Dam Neck in Virginia as just DevGru,” writes Mr. Ambinder.

This highly specialized team conducted several practice raids in Begram in early April to ensure that the real raid went off just right. They are said to have replicated the Abbottabad compound for the trial runs. DevGru belongs to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which the writer describes as “an extraordinary and unusual collection of classified standing task forces and special-missions units. They report to the president and operate worldwide based on the legal (or extra-legal) premises of classified presidential directives.”The military preciously guards their activities and their missions are never leaked—unless something goes wrong.Several JSOC operatives are said to have died in missions in Pakistan over the last few years, but Mr. Ambinder says that, “their names are released by the Defense Department in the usual manner, but with a cover story—generally, they were killed in training accidents in eastern Afghanistan. That’s the code.”The operation on bin Laden left analysts wondering how the helicopters evaded being detected by Pakistan’s air network. Mr. Ambinder too, asks if it is possible the helicopters spoofed transponder codes or “were they painted and tricked out with Pakistan Air Force equipment?” However they managed to evade being detected comes down to the work of “the silent squirrels,” the Technical Application Programs Office and the Aviation Technology Evaluation Group.

Since 9/11, the JSOC units and their task forces have become the US’ most effective weapon against terrorists, “drawing plenty of unwanted, and occasionally unflattering, attention to themselves in the process,” writes Mr. Ambinder. However, JSOC command operates with little scrutiny and has drawn much criticism within the country for this reason. Its tactics of questioning, for example, and use of torture as a method to extract information, has caused embarrassment to authorities. It is also an organization that has tripled in size since 9/11 and has 4,000 employees, both soldiers and civilians. It has its own intelligence unit, and can quickly acquire and test new technologies. It is said to be involved in 50 operations around the world.But perceptions toward it and its techniques may change, in the United States at least, as news of the death of the man largely seen as responsible for the horrific attack on 9/11 will vindicate agencies’ modus operandi. In the end, they got the guy.And they got the guy because CIA was able to get the information that led them to bin Laden. CIA director Leon Panetta’s memo from Sunday sheds light on how that information led them to bin Laden. In it he thanked the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for their help.Mr. Ambinder writes that NSA determined that bin Laden’s compound had no telephone or Internet access. The NGIA “makes the military’s maps but also develops their pattern recognition software—no doubt used to help establish, by February 2011, that the CIA could say with ‘high probability’ that bin Laden and his family were living there,” he writes.Hmmmm......Why comes the name 'Raymond Davis' to mind?Read the full story here.

• Ex-Justice Department Official: Obama Could Be Forced to Release the Osama Death Photos.(gawker).Barack Obama has finally decided against releasing a photo of Osama bin Laden's corpse as proof of his death. But the former chief freedom of information expert for the U.S. government tells Gawker that he may not have that choice.But all the agonizing may have been for naught. According to Daniel Metcalfe, the former chief of the Department of Justice's Office of Information and Privacy—a post that effectively made him the government's top expert in the Freedom of Information Act—the odds are better than even that a FOIA lawsuit seeking the photo's release would succeed."If someone brought a FOIA complaint seeking the photo, and the government had improperly classified it, I think the government would lose," Metcalfe, who supervised the defense of more than 500 FOIA and Privacy Act lawsuits for the U.S., told Gawker. He is now the executive director of the Collaboration on Government Secrecy at American University's Washington College of Law.Under the FOIA, government agencies—but not the White House itself—can be compelled to turn over any document, photo, video, or other record as long as there's no statutory reason for withholding it. If Obama decides against releasing a bin Laden photo, he faces two obstacles to keeping it secret: 1) Since it was (presumably) taken by a Navy SEAL working on a joint mission of the CIA and Department of Defense's Joint Special Operations Command, it was originated by a federal agency subject to the FOIA and 2) There doesn't appear to be a good reason under the FOIA to keep it secret."As far as photos of the corpse go," said Kel McClanahan, the executive director of National Security Counselors, a law firm specializing in litigating secrecy issues, "there's nothing I can reasonably think of that would exempt that, unless someone classified them." The government could conceivably try to deny a FOIA request for the photos based on the statute's privacy exemptions, but that would put it in the awkward position of going to court to protect Osama bin Laden's surviving family members' privacy.So classification is the best bet. Trouble is, you can't simply classify things because you don't want them released. There has to be a reason. And according to Metcalfe, it's hard to imagine a good reason to classify a simple photograph of bin Laden's corpse.The FOIA only allows properly classified records to be withheld. "If it is classified, and it was classified improperly, then it is highly challengeable in court," Metcalfe says.The last time Obama faced a decision about whether to release potentially explosive images, it was the FOIA that forced his hand. In 2009, the Defense Department was trying to keep dozens of photographs and four videos showing detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib from being released to the ACLU under a FOIA complaint. The government argued that the photos could be withheld under an exemption for law enforcement records that could cause harm to a person if released—the harm in this case being potential riots in the middle east or anticipated retaliation against U.S. soldiers. But the Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument and ordered the Defense Department to hand them over. Before the Supreme Court could address the issue, Congress passed a special law barring their disclosure. But that law was tailored specifically to the Abu Ghraib photos, and so wouldn't cover Osama. And since there was no law enforcement element to the raid, the government's failed argument in that case couldn't be raised here to see if the Supreme Court will accept it.Read the full story here.

• Caliph President Obama: I won't release bin Laden death photos.Our UnAmerican President Just Compared American War Dead To Osama Bin Laden!Posted by DrewM. at Ace of Spades.Update: Chuck Todd who reported above corrects — It was GOP Rep. Mike Rogers who made the odious comparison "Imagine how the American people would react if Al Qaida killed one of our troops...and put photos of the body on the internet" Put aside the fact they do this whenver they can, how the fuck can any American, let alone the Commander in Chief compare bin Laden to American servicemen and women?I'm not saying impeach the bastard....wait, yes I am. Don't you just love the doublethink at work here?We're not at war with Islam, yet we're worried that Muslims will seethe and riot if we release photos of OBL's dead body -- when OBL, per Obama, wasn't even a real Muslim, whatever the fuck that is..Additionally, Obama says we're not at war with Muslims, but we deemed Osama bin Laden to be such an important member of the Muslim world that we gave him an Islamic bathing and a 40 minute Islamic service.You want to tell me we do that for all Muslims who die by our hand in this war?Bullshit.We did it because we know that this Muslim was a beloved Muslim.Hmmmm....White House insider :  I am certain Osama Bin Laden would still be alive today, conclusion"Caliph Pres Obama did not want him killed"?I think Obama only worries about how HE himself will look in the history books! Read the full sickening story here.

• WHO is holding back the Osama Bin Laden Pictures release?Second question: why?CIA: Bin Laden photo to be released.(Ynet).Some critics say publication of 'gruesome' photo of terrorist shot in head could offend Muslims.The Obama administration wrestled on Tuesday with releasing what it called a gruesome image of Osama bin Laden's corpse, even as militants started questioning whether US forces really killed him.Different parts of the Obama administration offered differing views, with CIA Director Leon Panetta saying there was never any doubt that ultimately a photograph of the al-Qaeda leader would be released to the public. But, signaling an intense internal debate was under way, the White House insisted no decision had yet been taken and noted the graphic nature of the imagery."It's fair to say that it's a gruesome photograph," said White House spokesman Jay Carney, appearing to refer to an image of bin Laden taken shortly after a US strike team killed him at his Pakistani compound. "I'll be candid. There are sensitivities here in terms of the appropriateness of releasing photographs of Osama bin Laden'.The disclosure of images could provide further closure to Americans nearly a decade after the September 11, 2001, attacks that he masterminded. It could also disprove naysayers doubting the death of bin Laden, who was shot in the head and chest at a fortified compound outside of Islamabad. But critics say such photos are distasteful and if the Obama administration releases them, they could offend Muslims and be exploited by extremists. "What we don't want to do is to release anything that might be either misunderstood or that would cause other problems," said President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan, speaking on National Public Radio. US officials have said facial recognition software and DNA testing prove the body is bin Laden's. So far the White House has released only photos of Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials as they received live updates on the raid on bin Laden. Panetta, nominated by Obama to take over as defense secretary, acknowledged concerns and questions "that had to be debated" about the potential impact of releasing the photos. "But the bottom line is that, you know, we got bin Laden and I think we have to reveal to the rest of the world the fact that we were able to get him and kill him," he told NBC in an interview recorded before Carney made remarks to reporters. Releasing photos of the burial at sea could be less controversial than images of bin Laden's corpse just after his death. Hmmmm.....Obama : "Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims." "Last week, I determined we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorised an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice."?So what's up with the whole Muslim sensitivity story?Read the full story here.

• Geronimo's tribe seeks apology.(AP).The leader of Apache warrior Geronimo's tribe is asking President Barack Obama for a formal apology for the government's use of the revered figure's moniker as a code name for Osama bin Laden.Fort Sill Apache Tribal Chairman Jeff Houser sent a letter to the president Tuesday, saying equating the legendary Apache warrior to a "mass murderer and cowardly terrorist" was painful and offensive to all Native Americans.The letter was posted Wednesday morning on the Oklahoma tribe's website."Right now Native American children all over this country are facing the reality of having one of their most revered figures being connected to a terrorist and murderer of thousands of innocent Americans," Houser wrote. "Think about how they feel at this point."Houser noted Obama was elected on a message of compassion and change. Forever linking the memory of Geronimo to "one of the most despicable enemies this country has ever had" shows neither compassion to Native Americans nor change in perception of Indians or their struggle, he said.Hmmmm....Dear leader to appease Islam and the Native Americans at the same time?Read the full story here.

• Osama Bin Laden "The Never Ending Story"?White House backtracks on how bin Laden died.(Telegraph).The White House admitted last night that its initial account of the way Osama bin Laden died at the hands of US forces had been riddled with lies errors.Claims that the al-Qaeda leader had died while firing an automatic weapon at commandos were withdrawn, with President Barack Obama’s spokesman admitting “he was unarmed”. A dramatic description of bin Laden using his wife as a “human shield” and forcing her to sacrifice her life also proved to be false. The woman was still alive and was taken into custody with several of the terrorist’s children. In an embarrassing climb-down, Barack Obama’s press secretary, Jay Carney, admitted that the previous version of events — which came mostly from the chief US counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan — had been put out “with great haste”. The about-turn left the US open to accusations of a cover-up and led to calls for video footage of the raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and images of bin Laden’s body to be released to end conspiracy theories. However, the White House suggested that pictures of bin Laden’s body were too “gruesome” to be made public because they could prove “inflammatory”. Relations between the US and Pakistan, already strained by the fact that Pakistan was not told in advance about the raid, were put under renewed pressure by contradictory statements from Islamabad. On a day of claim and counter-claim, Mr Carney gave a briefing in which he knocked down a series of statements made on Monday by Mr Brennan and other government sources. Asked whether officials had been caught in a “fog of war”, he said: “We provided a great deal of information with great haste in order to inform you about the operation. Some of the information is being reviewed and updated.” He then read out a new account of the assault, in which he said bin Laden was found on the top floor of a three-storey building, and as a US Navy Seal team entered: “His wife rushed the US assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed. Bin Laden was then shot and killed. He was not armed.” Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on the White House to make public the “precise facts surrounding his killing” to ensure it adhered to international law. The Taliban issued a statement in which it said the US “lacks strong evidence to prove its claim” that bin Laden was dead. Ron Paul, a congressman and Republican presidential candidate, said “confusion” in the White House accounts of events in Abbottabad was fuelling doubts. “The question I have is why does our government invite conspiracy theories all the time? Why don’t they show a picture?” he said. Mr Carney said the White House was still “reviewing” whether it was “appropriate” to release any of the images. He also appeared to cast doubt on suggestions that the US filmed bin Laden’s burial at sea by refusing to confirm that the video existed.Hmmmm.....Where is the Body of Bin Laden's son?Was it also burried according to Islamic rites?Is it in Afghanistan?Read the full story here.

• SEAL team that took out Bin Laden likely will be honored in secret.(Militarytimes).SAN DIEGO — The highly secretive Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden will likely be honored in the only way such a covert group can be: in private with nobody but themselves and their commanders in the know.Quietly recognizing heroic actions for clandestine operations is not new in the military. Some service members wear war decorations but refuse to talk about how they earned them. Others stash away their medals, either because they’ve been ordered to hide them or they have chosen to for their own security.And there are those heroes who have never lived to see a medal, their families sworn to secrecy until they were honored posthumously. For the elite few who dropped from the sky into the walled compound in Pakistan, they must carry on without breathing a word about their participation in Sunday’s spectacular raid that eliminated the world’s most-wanted terrorist.It is a secret that surely must burn in their souls, but military officials say they have no doubt it will be kept. The stakes are too high.The Navy still hasn’t confirmed its SEALs carried out the much-lauded, 40-minute operation. But privately, Rear Adm. Edward Winters, at Naval Special Warfare Command in California, sent an email congratulating his forces and reminding them to keep quiet because “the fight is not over.”Winters is the chief of the elite SEAL unit officially known as Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or “DEVGRU,” which is made up of only a few hundred personnel based in Dam Neck, Va. They call themselves “the quiet professionals.”President Barack Obama’s ratings went up after the announcement of bin Laden’s death, as did donations for the Virginia-based Navy SEAL Foundation, which helps the families of SEALs.Other details of the raid that emerged Tuesday — including that Navy SEALs handcuffed those they encountered in the compound with plastic zip ties and pressed on in pursuit of their target, code-named Geronimo — could boost the public image of a force whose raids have not always gone as planned. In a 2008 raid, the intended targets at a compound in Pakistan fled and instead a number of civilians were killed.Sunday’s raid was nearly textbook perfect, and officials say its participants will likely receive some of the military’s highest medals. As military personnel, they are not eligible for the $25 million reward that was offered for hunting down bin Laden.First, the Navy would have to confirm who did what exactly, and then a letter outlining their achievements would be written. Usually, the immediate commanding officer presents the honor. The entire process could take months, and would be meticulously carried out to ensure the names of those involved are not revealed, officials say.In other cases, the government has chosen not to honor service members of covert operations until the mission has been declassified.Last year, Obama posthumously recognized Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Richard L. “Dick” Etchberger for his courage under fire in 1968 during a mission on a remote Laotian mountain that was kept secret for decades because the U.S. wasn’t supposed to have troops in the officially neutral Southeast Asian country. Etchberger was awarded the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor, after the government declassified his mission.Craig Sawyer, a former Navy SEAL, speculated the team will likely be invited to the White House to meet the president and attend a private, small ceremony acknowledging their grand achievement.“The operators of their unit and they themselves will know about it, but nobody else will,” he said. “That’s just the nature of the business.”Hmmm.....The official Seals motto is: "Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit""There is no 'I' in TEAM." US Navy SEALs.And most surprising in this case: "Anyone can just go in there and kill someone, but you can't get information from a corpse."- SEAL motto.Read the full story here.

• MFS -"This one nearly passed under my radar"!While you were all staring at Bin Laden, the Obama Big Brother regime moved in!Senate Sneaks RFID Drivers License, Internet ID into Transportation Bill.(1787network).TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Senate Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability on Wednesday approved an amendment to include “electronic authentication,” as well as “biometrics” to Florida Driver’s licenses. In addition, the amendment to SB 1150, which passed committee on a 12-0 vote, instructs the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to provide a security token that can be electronically authenticated through a personal computer.This new amendment lays the groundwork for radio frequency identification (RFID) chips to be implanted into drivers’ licenses. In much the same way that merchandise in a warehouse includes RFID tags to track items through the distribution process, RFID tags on drivers’ licenses would give authorities an additional tool to track anyone carrying a drivers’ license within the reception range of an RFID reader.The Real ID Act of 2005, implemented in Florida on January 1, 2010, has integrated the more expansive personal data set collected by drivers’ license issuing agencies in the participating states into a national database. In Florida, this database already includes biometrics in the form of computer facial recognition data, collected at the time one’s DHSMV photo is taken. Sheriffs’ departments in at least 22 Florida counties tap into the database as part of their facial recognition system, or FRnet, and feed real-time images from video cameras to instantly identify anyone whose face is in these cameras’ field of view.This FRnet database, which is accessible to federal, state, and even local municipal agencies, also contains highly personal information, including scans of birth certificates, social security cards, marriage licenses, and other documents.Also in the amendment is a provision for the DHSMV to provide a “security token that can be electronically authenticated through a personal computer.” It is unclear from the amendment whether the driver’s license itself would act as the token or a key fob/USB device would be issued.The Obama Administration has recently pushed for the assignment of a single, unique authentication key for Internet users, which many are calling the “Internet driver’s license.” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and White House Cybersecurity czar Howard Schmidt met with computer industry leaders in January seeking input on how this new system would work. Locke confirmed that they in the process of drafting a “National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace” and said that the Internet ID would likely come in the form of a “smart card.”Schmidt brushed off the obvious government surveillance potential of this new technology by saying, “Let’s be clear: We’re not talking about a national ID card.”But effectively, the Real ID Act has turned the individual states’ drivers’ licenses into a national ID card. Should this amendment to SB 1150 become law and be implemented, it would give federal, state and local government agencies the ability to easily and stealthily track all Floridians without warrant, in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.Schmidt also used a similar claim to one used during the national health care debate, which was that participation would be voluntary. In Florida, that may mean that one would have to opt out of getting a driver’s license to avoid the additional governmental tracking systems.The Real ID Act already specifies that beginning in 2013, Americans must have a Real ID compliant driver’s license or identification card in order to access government services or buildings. This includes the ability to pass through a TSA checkpoint at the airport or enter a federal courthouse.Will we soon need a Real ID driver’s license to access the Internet or go to Wal-Mart? Given the White House’s recent plans, and the Florida Legislature’s willing compliance, it seems that it is only a matter of time.Hmmmm.....While you are all distracted ,the Obama Big Brother regime make their moves?Read the full story here.

• Jihadi Forum Administrators Urge Jihadists Not to Believe Arab Media's Reports of Bin Laden's Death.(Memri).Abu Turab Al-Muhajir, an administrator of the Shumoukh Al-Islam jihadi forum, posted a statement attempting to convince online jihad supporters not to believe reports of Osama Bin Laden's death until jihadi media organs published an official reaction. He said that the Arab media, whose reports of Bin Laden's death were quoted by numerous forum members, is known to lie and distort matters concerning the mujahideen and that it should not be trusted this time, either.Hmmm....This was to be expected since the US government shows no proof of what the claim.Read the full story here.

• Al Qaeda’s New Battle Hardened, Difficult Leader.(BigPeace).In the wake of Osama bin Laden’s demise, his likely successor is his longtime deputy and collaborator, Egyptian jihadist Ayman al-Zawahiri. The U.S. government has offered a reward of up to $25 million for Zawahiri, who officials have said was responsible for the planning of 9/11, the bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, and the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.It remains to be seen whether Zawahiri will be able to recruit and inspire a new generation of jihadists the way bin Laden did. Veteran observers of al-Qaida say bin Laden was a media-savvy, charismatic figure and a good listener. Zawahiri, by contrast, has a record “of alienating his colleagues, fighting over dogma, even within the Islamist movement,” said journalist Steve Coll. “And as a communicator, he is less effective. His books are turgid and dogmatic.” During a recent online chat with fellow jihadists, Zawahiri sounded “defensive and argumentative. He sounded unappealing as a leader.Tawfiq Hamid, who worked with Zawahiri when the two were part of Jamaa Islamiya, an Egyptian jihadist group, warned against underestimating Zawahiri in his new role as bin Laden’s successor. Zawahiri’s superior organizational skills and dedication to violence could make him more dangerous than bin Laden.“He’s much more powerful as a leader – much more organized,” Hamid said. “When you listen to him, you can tell clearly that he has the ambition and is dedicated 100 percent to achieve this mission.”Hmmmm.....And then there's Adnan Gulshair al Shukrijummah a.k.a. Abu Arif.Read the full story here.

• Who Oversees Foreign Aid to the Palestinians?(HudsonNY).A recent Congressional Research Service study notes that since 2007 the U.S. has contributed $650 million to the Palestinian Authority for "direct budgetary assistance" and almost $400 million for "security forces and criminal justice systems" in the West Bank. Almost another $1 billion was directed through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to be "implemented by nongovernmental organizations in humanitarian assistance, economic development, democratic reform, improving water access and other infrastructure, health care, education, and vocational training." Finally, the U.S. is the largest single contributor to UNRWA and having provided over $230 million in 2010.Much of the International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement funding for the Palestinian Authority had been "reprogrammed" by President George W. Bush, using a Presidential Determination under Chapter 8 of Part I (Section 481) of the 1961 Foreign Assistance Act which states "Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President is authorized to furnish assistance to any country or international organization, on such terms and conditions as he may determine, for the control of narcotic and psychotropic drugs and other controlled substances, or for other anticrime purposes."Other presidential wavers provided additional money from the Economic Support Fund account to the Palestinian Authority. These were done under the authority of the Foreign Assistance Act which states "None of the funds made available by this Act may be obligated under an appropriation account to which they were not appropriated, except for transfers specifically provided for in this Act, unless the President, prior to the exercise of any authority contained in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to transfer funds, consults with and provides a written policy justification to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate."In fact, the legislative system of appropriations and oversight matters very little when it comes to U.S. aid to the Palestinians: the system of foreign aid permits the president to independently "certify" or "waive" requirements introduced by Congress. It demonstrates the extent to which U.S. aid to the Palestinians is an instrument of Executive policy rather than an altruistic enterprise authorized by the Legislative branch. Of course, such methods are not unique to the Palestinian case. Congress permits presidential waivers on everything from Azerbaijan's blockage of Nagorno-Karabagh to the use of child soldiers by Chad, Congo, Sudan and Yemen.But the extent to which foreign aid to the Palestinians is a political tool of the Executive may be in a class by itself: Western and Palestinian supporters of continued aid routinely offer at least two scenarios that would unfold should aid be withdrawn or reduced: "radicalization" and "humanitarian crises." In effect the Executive branch is blackmailed.Aid the Palestinians is a microcosm of the larger question of how U.S. foreign aid works. Now that Hamas will evidently join Fatah in a Palestinian Authority poised to declare statehood and request vast additional support, creating genuine Congressional oversight -- with teeth -- should be addressed once again.Hmmmm......Palestinians seek $5 billion for state? Read the full story here.

• US Ecomy dying?"Change"?You know things are really bad when they can't afford to buy a new TV set!(DailyMail).Number of households with television set drops for first time in 20 years.The fall has been triggered by the recession, with many unable to afford a new set, and a growing number of viewers happy streaming programmes on their laptops.The number of houses in America with a TV had dropped from 98.9 per cent to 96.7 per cent, research from the Nielson Company found.A lot of low income households are likely to have owned a TV but been unable to have it repaired if it has broken, or could not afford a new digital set.According to the New York Times, Nielsen is considering redefining the term 'television household' due to how many people are solely watching TV shows and movies on the internet rather than buying a TV.A spokesman for the firm, Pat McDonough, told the New York Times: 'We’ve been having conversations with clients. That would be a big change for this industry, and we’d be doing it in consultation with clients if we do it.'Nielsen’s household figures suggest that while the TV set is still firmly at the centre of the average American’s media life, a small minority of Americans are finding ways to live without it.In a report released today, Neilson will blame the 'persistently rocky economy' for the downturn as it took on the same trend in 1992 following a prolonged recession.The worry is that the decline will continue and start affecting TV networks, studios and distributors.Nielsen’s estimates incorporate the results of the 2010 census as well as the behaviour of the approximately 50,000 Americans in the national sample that the company relies upon to make ratings projections.Ms McDonough said: 'One thing we are seeing in the Nielsen sample are fewer people owning TVs. It was first evident in the sample in late 2008 during the worst of the financial crisis and the recession.'She said that the TV-less households generally have incomes less than $20,000 (£12,000).'They are at the bottom of the economic spectrum for whom, if the TV breaks or the antenna blows off the roof they have to think long and hard about what to do,' she said.'If you’re an affluent household - or most middle-class households - you’re going to get a satellite dish. If you’re a struggling household, likely you’re not going to be able to afford that option either.Hmmmm....Do you really want another four year of disaster and dictatorship managment?Read the full story here.

• Hastings: Obama’s Stance Hurts American Energy.(Rollcall).With gasoline prices quickly surging to $4 per gallon and beyond, pinching the pockets of families and business across the country, it’s no surprise that gasoline has become a regular talking point in President Barack Obama’s stump speech. Yet instead of offering real solutions, the president is telling the American people that there’s “not much we can do” about high prices. He’s waving the white flag of defeat — essentially telling Americans to get used to paying more than $4 for gasoline. It’s not just about what President Obama can do tomorrow to address higher prices, it’s about what he’s done over the past two years to get us to this point. The president’s attempt to deflect criticism and his ‘don’t blame me’ attitude expose how out-of-touch he is with reality and the everyday needs of American families. President Obama has an energy plan — it’s just not one to increase American energy production. Instead, President Obama’s plan is to block, delay and tax American energy. When President Obama took office, the national average price of gasoline was $1.84 per gallon — and it’s been steadily climbing ever since. That’s because over the past two years the Obama administration has never missed an opportunity to block access to our American energy resources. For example:

When President Obama was elected, nearly all of our offshore areas were open to offshore drilling. Since then, President Obama has systematically locked-up the entire Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Coast and much of Alaska — preventing the creation of over 1.2 million jobs.The Obama administration imposed a real and then de facto moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which according to its own estimates cost 12,000 jobs.The Obama administration has delayed permits for renewable energy projects, such as wind and solar, on public lands.Just weeks after taking office, the Obama administration withdrew 77 areas available for oil and natural gas leasing in Utah — eventually leasing only 17 and cancelling 60. According to a Uintah County commissioner, this prevented the creation of approximately 3,000 jobs.The Obama administration first delayed and then significantly altered the oil shale research, demonstration and development (RD&D) lease program. As a result, sales of these RD&D leases declined by 85 percent and cost high-tech jobs in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.The Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency retroactively withdrew an approved permit for a coal mine in West Virginia. This cost 250 jobs that were ready to get working to create more American energy.The Obama administration is aggressively pursuing sweeping new changes to mining regulations. These regulations, according to calculations in the government’s own study, will cost thousands of American jobs and decrease American energy production in 22 states.The Environmental Protection Agency ordered the cancellation of a permit for a Navajo Nation power plant in New Mexico that was expected to create 400 permanent jobs and generate $50 million per year in revenue.The Obama administration is blocking several energy projects in Alaska. It is slow-walking permits for production in Alaska’s north slope, which is necessary to keep the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) running. The administration is also stopping permits for oil development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).The Interior Department has announced it is considering proposals to regulate hydraulic fracturing on public lands — a technique currently regulated by states that is responsible for tremendous growth in natural gas production. This could severely restrict energy production on federal lands.This list goes on and on and on.While the president continues to support this national energy tax, he’s also advocating for increasing taxes on American energy producers. Yet the White House has admitted this will do nothing to lower gasoline prices. In fact, it will have exactly the opposite effect — raising energy prices further when families can least afford it. This week, Republicans in the House of Representatives will begin voting on a series of bills to expand offshore American energy production, create jobs and lower gasoline prices. Unlike President Obama, House Republicans have heard the American people’s demand for increased American energy production and we’re ready to act.If the president wants to seriously address rising gasoline prices, he should abandon his block, delay and tax approach to American energy and work with us to pass this important energy legislation.Hmmm....If he wanted to destroy America the way it was,would he do anything different?Read the full story here.

• Blind Sheikh: The Americans Are Going to Kill Me.(Memri).On May 4, 2011, the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram published excerpts from a document it said was the will of 'Omar 'Abd Al-Rahman, also known as the Blind Sheikh. In it, 'Abd Al-Rahman voices fears that he will be killed while in prison and asks to be buried in Egypt.Read the full story here.

• Five year old Virginia girl found eating herself in cage in mobile home.(NYDnews).A young girl was found caged and attempting to eat herself in a mobile home in Virginia, and cops say her parents are responsible.The malnourished girl, believed to be either 5 or 6, was discovered in a crib that was converted into a makeshift cage after police arrived at the home in Gloucester County to investigate a burglary last week.The girl's parents, Brian and Shannon Gore, were arrested and charged with felony child abuse. The mother was also charged with attempted capital murder.However, the gruesome twosome now faces first-degree murder charges after the remains of what authorities believe to be another child were found buried outside their mobile home."I've done this for 20 years, and I've never seen anything like this in my life," Gloucester Sheriff's Maj. Darrell Warren said.A month-old baby boy was also found in the home, but was in good condition. Both he and the older girl are now in the care of the county Department of Social Services.The horrific find came as police investigated a robbery on April 17.
  A nearby homeowner reported his house was broken into and claimed gold bullion, a vacuum cleaner, a passport, $2,000 in cash and other items had been stolen, according to a police report.Investigators trailed the bullion to an auction house, which claimed to have bought the gold from 25-year-old Shannon Gore.Authorities arrived at her mobile home in Gloucester with a search warrant when they made the shocking discovery.The girl's blond-hair was matted and filled with knots. She wore only a diaper and t-shirt and was eating flakes of dried skin on her body.Brian Gore, 29, reportedly told police the girl had been kept in the cage since the summer."It was horrific. I don't know what else to say," Lt. Scott Little of the Sheriff's Department told Virginia's Daily Press on Friday.Hmmmm....Sometimes the 'Law' it's punishment just doesn't cover enough,this is one case it doesn't.Read the full story here.