MFS - The Other News

                      Afternoon Posting.

• Syria Live Blog - May 05. Here .(Al-Jazeera).

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

• Japan - Latest official Situation Update No. 103.
  On 05.05.2011 at 03:26 GMT+2
  
  Levels of radioactive substances have jumped in the Pacific seabed off Japan near the nuclear power plant crippled by a massive tsunami in March, according to the plant operator. Seabed samples collected some 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant contained 1,400 becquerels of radioactive caesium-137 per kilogramme, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said. The level is more than 600 times higher than a maximum 2.3 becquerels per kilogramme detected in the past off the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima. The samples, taken on Friday, also contained 1,300 becquerels of caesium-134 and 190 becquerels of iodine-131, according to a TEPCO statement issued late Tuesday after the first analysis of seabed soil since the March 11 disaster. Levels of the two materials were too low to be gauged in the past, a TEPCO spokeswoman said. The company did not say whether the levels were considered harmful. Samples taken at another spot 20 kilometres (12 miles) away from the plant also showed similarly high radiation levels. TEPCO said it would continue to examine radiation levels. "We cannot say anything definite after just one probe. We will conduct more sample examinations and keep a watch," the spokeswoman said. The samples were taken 20-30 metres (66-100 feet) deep and three kilometres from the coast. The Fukushima plant has leaked radiation into air, soil and ocean since it was severely damaged by the massive quake and tsunami. Greenpeace said Tuesday it had begun independent tests of water samples from the ocean near Japan's crippled for radiation contamination. The samples will be collected outside Japan's 12-mile territorial waters in line with government rules, Greenpeace said.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).

• News Report From Kenya : Al-Shabaab to Kill Obama’s Grandmother in Revenge for OBL’s killing? These days, threats from Al-Shabaab in neighboring Somalia is concern to many Kenyans, and it has been increasing ever since Shabaab made direct threats against Kenyans for supporting and training Somali government forces in Kenya and Somalia border. Kenyan government now claims Shabaab is sending assassins to kill Obama’s Grandma (Saarah) in Kenya.In revenge of Osama Bin Laden’s killing, terror networks are expected to retaliate or show some sort of strength. It wouldn’t be surprising if Shabaab carried out such an attack, but it would be the first of it’s kind.Hmmmm....Will they give her a Islamic burial? Read the full story here.

• Will Osama bin Laden’s Death End Up Being A Liability for President Obama?(BigGovernment).It would be the ultimate irony if the one courageous and decisive act by President Obama turned out to be yet another liability. Quite frankly, it would not be surprising either.Questions about how the death and burial of Osama bin Laden came about are mounting. It is becoming increasingly evident that the White House is now backing off, changing details, and spinning to its political advantage an event that should primarily celebrate a decade of U.S. policies of intelligence-gathering and military strategy, as well as the strength and competence of the best-trained military in the world.CIA Chief, Leon Panetta, now appears to be at odds with the White House, regarding both the release of photos of bin Laden’s body and whether waterboarding was used to extract intelligence information from detainees of Guantanamo.White House spokesman Jay Carney, and now the president himself, has said that the White House is reluctant to release the photos of the body because of concern about “sensitivities.” The question is, whose “sensitivities?” Other radical jihadists who may be enraged further with the United States? American citizens who have already witnessed gruesome photos of dead civilians- courtesy of the main stream media- in Iraq and Afghanistan? Or, the liberal base of the Democratic party, who can’t quite get their heads around the fact that their president- who is supposedly of such superior moral character, and has already done such a thorough job of apologizing to the world for the “transgressions” of the United States- actually made a decision to kill the apparently unarmed terrorist within sight of his wife (or child), to defend and preserve American freedom and security?While many have wondered if Mr. Obama will be more inclined to win re-election in 2012 because of the killing of bin Laden, the fact is that his decision to act was a good one, but, unfortunately, uncharacteristic of his presidency. The truth is that most Americans do not approve of the president’s performance because most of his decisions carry with them a sea of controversy and distrust regarding his aspirations for the nation and desire to fulfill the will of the American people.As details of Osama bin Laden’s killing continue to emerge, will his liberal base be turned off because of their “sensitivities” to the realities of keeping the country safe, or will conservatives ultimately see another confused, inconsistent mass of details coming from an administration that is still not courageous, still not decisive, and still not trusted?Hmmmm......What happened to the 'Body' of the son of Osama that the seals took with them?Why is NOBODY asking this question? Read the full story here.

• Someone might be sleeping in the 'doghouse' tonight.(ABC)."You do not want to be between Michelle and a tamale," President and Mrs. Obama welcomed a big crowd to the White House for a Cinco de Mayo reception in the East Room. Hispanic politicians, Hispanic Americans serving in the Obama administration, and members of a commission on exploring the creating of a new national museum of the American Latino were among those in attendance. "Welcome to the Cinco de Mayo at the White House," Obama told the enthusiastic crowd before promising he wouldn’t speak too long. "Nothing ruins a good fiesta like a long speech from a politician, so I’m going to keep it short." The first lady agreed that the president should be brief, "Keep it short," she said. The first lady wore a dark green dress that matched President Obama’s green tie.Said Obama: "I asked Michelle the other day, I said, ‘What’s your favorite food’ -- because we were sitting around with the girls. She said, ‘Ah, Mexican food.’" The crowd loved the news. "You do not want to be between Michelle and a tamale," joked the president. "It’s true. It’s true. But she’s moving, though, so she can afford to have as many tamales as she wants," said Obama in a nod to his wife’s "Let’s Move" healthy campaign.The night was not without politics. Obama said that the country needs to fix the "broken" immigration system and address the status of undocumented workers. Obama also said he hopes to sign the Dream Act into law one day.Hmmmm.....All the 'grief' of 9/11 dissapeared with the 'Fiesta'?Read the full story here

• Egyptian Shaykh Wagdy Ghoneim: Osama Is a Hero and a Martyr, Obama Is an "Anti-Christ," "Liar" and "Apostate from Islam".(TranslatingJihad).This is an excerpt from a 15-minute video posted on YouTube, 2 May 2011, which contains Egyptian Shaykh Wagdy Ghoneim's comments on the killing of bin Laden. I may come back and do a more complete transcript later if I suddenly find myself with gobs of spare time, but I'll suffice myself with the following short excerpt for now:

In the name of Allah Most Merciful. This is my comment on the news, if it is true, of the martyrdom of the great ascetic hero, the eminent Shaykh Osama bin Laden. In the name of Allah the Most Merciful, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon the master of the first and the last, as well as upon his family and companions and whoever follows him in righteousness until the Day of Judgment. May Allah be pleased with them all. That anti-Christ, the liar named Obama, the apostate from Islam, has attacked us. .........Read the full story here.

• "The good,the bad and the ugly".After going after Osama now going after America,eliminating Oil Subsidies.(Forbes).Last week President Barack Obama responded to rising public anger over soaring gasoline prices by banging the drums for the elimination of various tax breaks enjoyed by the oil and gas industry. Although House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, initially suggested that he might be open to President Obama's proposal, the House GOP leadership chose to answer the president's weekly radio address--which advocated elimination of those tax breaks--with freshman Tea Party Congressman James Lankford, R-Okla., who charged that the plan was about "hiking taxes by billions of dollars.""The president may think he's punishing CEOs of big companies," said Lankford, "but his plan will hurt the everyday consumer of energy and imperil the jobs of millions of hardworking people in American-based companies." So while Obama has the better of this debate in a narrow sense, he only earns two rather than three cheers for four reasons.

First, there's the demagogic suggestion that oil companies are getting a relative free ride when it comes to their federal tax bill, which they most certainly are not.

Second, he offers this tax loophole-elimination program as an answer to high gasoline prices despite the fact that eliminating these tax breaks will do nothing to reduce fuel prices.

Third, by leaving the manufacturing tax credit in place and just narrowing its scope, he arguably increases--not decreases--the economic inefficiencies that follow.

Fourth, he links elimination of oil and gas tax breaks with an expansion of the tax credits associated with renewable energy, which does nothing on balance to make energy markets work more efficiently (indeed, it probably makes matters worse).Hmmmm.....Imposing his will on the American people"You will obey and drive an electric car"! Read the full story here.

• Belgium - Tolls for trucks from 2013.Where Obama get his ideas from?(Flanderstoday).Drivers from abroad will have to buy stickers ,GPS will be used to calculate how long you were on wich road and at what rate.Hmmm...i think your cellphone,bluetooth or Onstar device will do fine also.The truck-based system - which will be developed, installed and run by a private company - will be similar to one already in use in Germany. Trucks that use Belgian roads regularly would be fitted with an on-board unit to report their kilometres to a satellite detection system; drivers who visit or transit only seldom would be able to pick one up at entry points.The tolls charged will depend on the roads used, the time and the place, as well as the environmental impact of the particular vehicle in question, with greener trucks paying less.However since Germany and France both now operate tolls on major roads, it's not easy to see how the haulage industry could avoid Belgium to any economic effect. The Dutch haulage industry organisation EVO and the transport sector organisation TLN estimate the system will cost industry ␣36 million a year, without reducing congestion or contributing to the upkeep of roads. The Belgian motoring organisation Touring described the system as "a new form of taxation," but the Flemish region denied it would see any profit from the system.Foreign cars will have to pay.The other part of the system is the "road sticker", which will be required for all cars using the roads. For cars registered in Belgium, the sticker will form part of the normal road tax already paid, with possible additional payments for heavily-polluting cars. The governments involved have denied that the new system will lead to an increase in payments, except in the case of cars with heavy emissions.Read the full story here.

• Obama administration floats draft plan to tax cars by the mile.(TheHill).The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would require the study and implementation of a plan to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.The plan is a part of the administration's Transportation Opportunities Act, an undated draft of which was obtained this week by Transportation Weekly. The White House, however, said the bill is only an early draft that was not formally circulated within the administration.“This is not an administration proposal," White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said. "This is not a bill supported by the administration. This was an early working draft proposal that was never formally circulated within the administration, does not taken into account the advice of the president’s senior advisers, economic team or Cabinet officials, and does not represent the views of the president.”News of the draft follows a March Congressional Budget Office report that supported the idea of taxing drivers based on miles driven.Among other things, CBO suggested that a vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax could be tracked by installing electronic equipment on each car to determine how many miles were driven; payment could take place electronically at filling stations.The office would be required to consider four factors in field trials: the capability of states to enforce payment, the reliability of technology, administrative costs and "user acceptance." The draft does not specify where field trials should begin.Hmmmm.....Fieldtrials are running in Germany,The Netherlands and Belgium!Read the full story here.

• Jay Carney is floundering under pressure, say Washington insiders.(Telegraph). There is increasing concern in Washington that Jay Carney, the new White House Press Secretary, isn’t up to the job. Even when faced with an innocuous question that requires only that he trot out the official line, he looks completely stunned, as if the questioner is Bob Woodward asking him about Deep Throat. He gathers himself, embarks on a stuttering reply, pauses for what seems like an eternity, then starts gabbling, tripping over his words, rephrasing what he’s just said, then looking plaintively back at the questioner as if to say, “How did I do? Was that okay? Or would you like me to try again?”“I think he’s doing very badly,” says a political contact based in Washington. “And I’ve heard others say that he’s really struggling".The White House press operation should be a well-oiled machine – and under Carney’s predecessor, Robert Gibbs, it sometimes gave the impression of being just that. But with Carney at the helm, it is more like that of a rinky-dink City Hall somewhere in the Deep South. One colleague described Carney’s rabbit-in-the-headlights performance as “sub-Whitehall” – worse, even, than that of a lone British civil servant with a cellphone and a laptop in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For the public face of the White House to be someone so lacking in gravitas is a PR disaster.Unless Carney is capable of raising his game, he needs to be thrown under a bus. President Obama is coming dangerously close to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Somehow, he and his Press Secretary have created the impression that Operation Geronimo was carried out by the Keystone Kops rather than an elite unit of Navy SEALs. In fact, the only amateurs in this unfolding story are in the White House.Hmmmm....Or perhaps he just has a problem telling lies to the public?Read the full story here.

• Five Mistakes the Obama Administration Has Made in the Aftermath of Bin Laden Killing.(Yahoo).The White House's brilliant conceptualization and execution of the plan to bring Osama bin Laden to justice has, in the last 48 hours, been complicated by mistakes. No one can question the heroism of the US military, the doggedness of the intelligence community, or the cajones of the President in making the call. But the administration has since made real errors, some with political costs, some with substantive costs, and some with both.Read the full story here.

• Nearly Half of Detroiters Illiterate. Cause Apparently a Mystery.(Cato).A study funded by 10 major foundations reported yesterday that 47 percent of Detroiters are functionally illiterate–unable to read a bus schedule, fill out a resume, or make sense of the directions on an aspirin bottle.When I checked back in 2008, Detroit public schools were spending $13,000 / pupil, which was then above the national average.The report notes that half of the illiterate population has either a high school diploma or a GED. That’s beside the point. Virtually the entire illiterate population has completed elementary school, the level at which reading is theoretically taught. That’s seven years of schooling (k-6), at a cost of roughly $100,000, for… nothing.The study mainly calls for adult education services to remediate the problem after it has occurred. Perhaps when the city’s illiteracy rate reaches 100 percent the recommendations will suggest replacing the failed k-12 monopoly with something more effective. Of course, by then who’ll be able to read them?Hmmmm......Did anyone compare race and religion towards the illiterate population in the study?Read the full story here.

• Israel Keeps Eye on Rising Egyptian Threat.(cbn).JERUSALEM, Israel - With the recent regime change in Egypt, Israel's newly released five-year military plan includes preparation for war on multiple fronts. Jerusalem Post military correspondent Yaakov Katz said the changing situation on Israel's southern border may precipitate a massive military buildup."There's great uncertainty and that's because of the changing faces of the Middle East, particularly the concern in Israel has to do with its southern border and what's happening in Egypt," Katz told CBN News in a recent interview.For decades, Israel faced enemies on the Palestinian front and Syria and Hezbollah on its northern border. The threat of Iran loomed in the distance. Now, for the first time in 30 years, Israel could also be facing war on its southern border."They (the Israel Defense Forces) did not have to build up a capability to counter the military in Egypt," Katz said. "That's no longer the case.""So it's a complete new change and possible revolution for the military," he said.Egypt has one of the strongest militaries in the Middle East, outnumbering Israeli tanks and soldiers. It also has the fifth largest squadron of F-16s in the world, plus the Abrams tank, Harpoon missiles, Apache helicopters and the largest navy."It's a massive conventional military, and I would not want to see what would happen in a war between Israel and Egypt," Katz said. "I hope it doesn't happen."For the time being, Israel is waiting to see how things develop. But Katz said Egypt is already headed toward the extremists."Egypt is strengthening its ties with Hamas, strengthening its ties with Iran. It seems to be on a course of a more radical nature," Katz said.Israel understands upcoming wars will not look like wars of the past."What we're looking at as a future conflict is a combination of guerrilla warfare in a civilian population, also combined with immense rocket fire like we've never seen before," he said."I think that what Israel understands though is that all of these different players are all working together, lead by Iran," Katz continued.Hmmmm.....The only solution and best solution will be to use nuclear arms to wipe the ennemy out once and for all!Read the full story here.

• Ayman Al Zawahiri doesn't want uninvited 'guests'?Pakistani Army Chief Warns U.S. on Another Raid.(NYTimes)ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The head of Pakistan’s army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, said Thursday that he would not tolerate a repeat of the American covert operation that killed Osama bin Laden, warning that any similar action would lead to a reconsideration of the relationship with the United States.In his first public reaction to the American raid four days ago that left many Pakistanis questioning the capacities of the nation’s army, General Kayani did not appear in person, choosing instead to convey his angry message through a statement by his press office and in a closed meeting with selected Pakistani reporters. The statement by the army’s press office said, “Any similar action violating the sovereignty of Pakistan will warrant a review on the level of military/intelligence cooperation with the United States.” General Kayani had decided that the number of American military personnel in Pakistan were to be reduced “to the minimum essential,” the statement said. He did not specify the exact number of American personnel asked to leave Pakistan, and it was not clear that the level was below what Pakistan had previously demanded in the recent fallout after a C.I.A. contractor shot and killed two Pakistanis.Pakistani officials and Western diplomats have described General Kayani and Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the head of ISI, as seething with anger at the American go-it-alone action. In an earlier account Thursday, the foreign secretary, Salman Bashir, sought to dispel domestic criticism of Pakistan’s lack of response to the raid, saying that two Pakistani F-16 fighter jets were airborne as soon as the Pakistan military knew about the operation. But, by that time, he said, the American helicopters were on their way back to Afghanistan. Mr. Bashir, speaking at a press conference, said that the Americans had used technology to evade Pakistani radar. Alternatively combative and defensive, Mr. Bashir said Washington should abandon the idea that Pakistan was complicit in helping Bin Laden hide. But Mr. Bashir did not elaborate, saying only that the ISI had a “brilliant” record in counterterrorism. Defending the Pakistani Army, the fifth largest in the world, Mr. Bashir said, “Pakistani security forces are neither incompetent or negligent about the sacred duty to the nation to protect Pakistan.”Mr. Bashir complained indirectly about the American raid as an infringement of Pakistan’s sovereignty, but withheld the stern reprimand he issued two days ago in a statement that said Pakistan would not stand for another covert raid by the United States.At the news conference, he said, “This matter of sovereignty and violation of sovereignty raises certain legal and moral questions that fall in the domain of the United Nations.” Read the full story here. 

• Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Says Osama Killing a Hoax and 9/11 an Inside Job.(Prisonplanet.Paul Joseph Watson).Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under three different administrations Steve R. Pieczenik says he is prepared to tell a federal grand jury the name of a top general who told him directly 9/11 was a false flag attack.Top US government insider Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik, a man who held numerous different influential positions under three different Presidents and still works with the Defense Department, shockingly told The Alex Jones Show yesterday that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001 and that he was prepared to testify in front of a grand jury how a top general told him directly that 9/11 was a false flag inside job.

Pieczenik cannot be dismissed as a “conspiracy theorist”. He served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State under three different administrations, Nixon, Ford and Carter, while also working under Reagan and Bush senior, and still works as a consultant for the Department of Defense. A former US Navy Captain, Pieczenik achieved two prestigious Harry C. Solomon Awards at the Harvard Medical School as he simultaneously completed a PhD at MIT.Back in April 2002, over nine years ago, Pieczenik told the Alex Jones Show that Bin Laden had already been “dead for months,” and that the government was waiting for the most politically expedient time to roll out his corpse. Pieczenik would be in a position to know, having personally met Bin Laden and worked with him during the proxy war against the Soviets in Afghanistan back in the early 80′s.Pieczenik said that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001, “Not because special forces had killed him, but because as a physician I had known that the CIA physicians had treated him and it was on the intelligence roster that he had marfan syndrome,” adding that the US government knew Bin Laden was dead before they invaded Afghanistan.Pieczenik said that Osama Bin Laden died in 2001, “Not because special forces had killed him, but because as a physician I had known that the CIA physicians had treated him and it was on the intelligence roster that he had marfan syndrome,” adding that the US government knew Bin Laden was dead before they invaded Afghanistan.Marfan syndrome is a degenerative genetic disease for which there is no permanent cure. The illness severely shortens the life span of the sufferer.“He died of marfan syndrome, Bush junior knew about it, the intelligence community knew about it,” said Pieczenik, noting how CIA physicians had visited Bin Laden in July 2001 at the American Hospital in Dubai.“He was already very sick from marfan syndrome and he was already dying, so nobody had to kill him,” added Pieczenik, stating that Bin Laden died shortly after 9/11 in his Tora Bora cave complex.“Did the intelligence community or the CIA doctor up this situation, the answer is yes, categorically yes,” said Pieczenik, referring to Sunday’s claim that Bin Laden was killed at his compound in Pakistan, adding, “This whole scenario where you see a bunch of people sitting there looking at a screen and they look as if they’re intense, that’s nonsense,” referring to the images released by the White House which claim to show Biden, Obama and Hillary Clinton watching the operation to kill Bin Laden live on a television screen.“It’s a total make-up, make believe, we’re in an American theater of the absurd….why are we doing this again….nine years ago this man was already dead….why does the government repeatedly have to lie to the American people,” asked Pieczenik.Pieczenik said that the decision to launch the hoax now was made because Obama had reached a low with plummeting approval ratings and the fact that the birther issue was blowing up in his face.“He had to prove that he was more than American….he had to be aggressive,” said Pieczenik, adding that the farce was also a way of isolating Pakistan as a retaliation for intense opposition to the Predator drone program, which has killed hundreds of Pakistanis.“This is orchestrated, I mean when you have people sitting around and watching a sitcom, basically the operations center of the White House, and you have a president coming out almost zombie-like telling you they just killed Osama Bin Laden who was already dead nine years ago,” said Pieczenik, calling the episode, “the greatest falsehood I’ve ever heard, I mean it was absurd.”Dismissing the government’s account of the assassination of Bin Laden as a “sick joke” on the American people, Pieczenik said, “They are so desperate to make Obama viable, to negate the fact that he may not have been born here, any questions about his background, any irregularities about his background, to make him look assertive….to re-elect this president so the American public can be duped once again.”Pieczenik’s assertion that Bin Laden died almost ten years ago is echoed by numerous intelligence professionals as well as heads of state across the world.Pieczenik re-iterated that he was perfectly willing to reveal the name of the general who told him 9/11 was an inside job in a federal court, “so that we can unravel this thing legally, not with the stupid 9/11 Commission that was absurd.”Pieczenik explained that he was not a liberal, a conservative or a tea party member, merely an American who is deeply concerned about the direction in which his country is heading.Read the full story here.More here.

• Mashaal: Bin Laden assassination an 'atrocity'.(Ynet).Hamas Politburo Chief demands West 'recognize atrocity' of al-Qaeda head's killing, burial at sea. 'There are moral rules and the shedding the blood of Arabs and Muslims by Americans is unacceptable,' he says.Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal called on the West Thursday to "recognize the atrocity" of the assassination of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and his burial at sea. "Arabs and Muslims are human beings and the West should treat them with dignity, regardless of whether they are supporters or opponents of Osama bin Laden," he said. Hamas attracted verbal fire over the recent week for condemning the arch-terrorist's death and calling him a "Shahid" (martyr). "There are moral rules to follow and the shedding the blood of Arabs and Muslims by Americans or others is unacceptable," Mashaal said.The Damascus-based Hamas leader also spoke of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, saying the fate of the Israeli soldier depended on "the Israeli government's attitude… the ball is in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's court.Meanwhile, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh urged militant groups in Gaza Strip to adhere to the de facto truce with Israel, reached after several days of fighting in April. Haniyeh stressed the move is vital for the success of the newfound Palestinian unity.Hmmmm.......Israel's mortal ennemies now financed by Obama....go figure.Read the full story here.

• Another step towards abolishing the Second Amendment.New York: Micro-Stamping Legislation Passes Assembly Committee.(NRaila).On May 3, Assembly Bill 1157 passed in the Assembly Codes Committee by a vote of 15 to 7 and will now head to the Assembly floor for consideration. Introduced by state Assemblyman Michelle Schimel (D-16), A1157 would mandate micro-stamping on all new semi-automatic pistols sold in New York after January 1, 2013. A1157 would require all semi-automatic pistols delivered to any licensed firearms dealer in New York for sale after January 1, 2013, to mechanically stamp an alpha-numeric or geometric code that would identify the make, model and serial number onto the cartridge case when the gun is discharged. This bill would require models currently available to be redesigned by their manufacturers to have a micro-stamping component, which would vastly increase the cost of these firearms.Micro-stamping is an unproven technology that is easily defeated with common household tools and the replacement of a few small parts. If passed, the availability of semi-automatic handguns in New York will be in serious doubt, as manufacturers simply may choose not to build or sell firearms for purchase in the state. Of course, that is the ultimate goal of this legislation. Make no mistake, this is a gun ban and it must be stopped.Read the full story here.