MFS - The Other News

                        Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan 4.7 and 4.8 in Chili and Guam  ! More info here.

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

• Question for the day :"If 9/11 is all about community service then why the Hell is every law service in the country on high Alert, for islamic extremist threats?"

• 9/11: The Dreams That Fly Away : in Images here.

• 36% of Arabs in Al-Arabiya TV Survey Justify 9/11.(Memri).Al-Arabiya TV, in collaboration with a British research institute, conducted an online survey on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Out of the 220,000 Arabs who participated, 23% believed Al-Qaeda was responsible for the 9/11 attacks and 26% did not. 36% said that the attacks were justified and 38% that they were not. 16% considered the assassination of Osama bin Laden a criminal act, 48% did not, and 36% were undecided.Hmmmm......Yup It's 'community service'Read the full story here.

• 9/11: 10 Years Later LIVE - Here.New York Daily News reporters are spread out across the city to bring you live coverage of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks which forever changed our city - but not our spirit.

• Obama and Clinton's new 'global counter-terrorism forum': No Israel.(IsraelMatzav).This tells you all you need to know about how the Obama administration 'fights' terrorism. It's from the State Department web site (Hat Tip: Shosh). As stated in President Obama’s National Counterterrorism Strategy, the U.S. is committed to strengthening the global counterterrorism (CT) architecture in a manner that complements and reinforces the CT work of existing multilateral bodies. The Administration’s signature initiative in this area is the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), which is intended to ensure the necessary international architecture is in place to address 21st century challenges.The U.S. proposed the creation of the GCTF to address the evolving terrorist threat in a way that would bring enduring benefits by helping frontline countries and affected regions acquire the means to deal with threats they face. It is based on a recognition that the U.S. alone cannot eliminate every terrorist or terrorist organization. Rather, the international community must come together to assist countries as they work to confront the terrorist threat.

Who: The 30 founding members of the GCTF are: Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Structure: The GCTF will consist of a strategic-level Coordinating Committee, co-chaired initially by the United States and Turkey; five thematic and regional expert-driven working groups; and a small administrative unit that the U.S. will host for the first few years.

Notice who is missing: NO ISRAEL! And instead we get Turkey - whose government supported the IHH, which sent the terror ship Mavi Marmara to break Israel's weapons blockade against Gaza.I wonder why they didn't include Iran and Syria while they were at it. They're not much worse than Turkey.And note all those other countries which have cozy relationships with Hamas, Hezbullah and/or al-Qaeda.Are you outraged yet? Outraged enough to go to the polls and vote this administration OUT of office?Hmmmm.......Do they consider Israel as 'terrorists?"By their fruits you will know them".Read the full story here.

• OMG !You can’t make this disappear, New York Times editors.This is Paul Krugman’s op-ed for the tenth anniversary of 9/11.(HumanEvents.

This is Paul Krugman’s op-ed for the tenth anniversary of 9/11

The Years of Shame

Is it just me, or are the 9/11 commemorations oddly subdued?

Actually, I don’t think it’s me, and it’s not really that odd.

What happened after 9/11 — and I think even people on the right know this, whether they admit it or not — was deeply shameful. Te atrocity should have been a unifying event, but instead it became a wedge issue. Fake heroes like Bernie Kerik, Rudy Giuliani​, and, yes, George W. Bush raced to cash in on the horror. And then the attack was used to justify an unrelated war the neocons wanted to fight, for all the wrong reasons.A lot of other people behaved badly. How many of our professional pundits — people who should have understood very well what was happening — took the easy way out, turning a blind eye to the corruption and lending their support to the hijacking of the atrocity?The memory of 9/11 has been irrevocably poisoned; it has become an occasion for shame. And in its heart, the nation knows it.I’m not going to allow comments on this post, for obvious reasons.

“I’m not going to allow comments on this post, for obvious reasons.” Of course not. What a miserable, stinking coward. He was too busy pounding out this sick little screed to even spell-check it.As of this writing, the link to Krugman’s post is still working. The New York Times will be strongly tempted to pull it down. The editors should resist that temptation. We have screen captures, folks. You can’t make this disappear, or pretend Krugman didn’t say it. You must respond to this, not attempt to erase it. Paul Krugman should have been summarily dismissed after he blamed the Tucson shootings on his political enemies. The Times didn’t apologize to the American people for their horrific editorial judgment in allowing him to write those pieces, and fire him when they should have. This is the result.You are now at a decision point, editors of the New York Times. If Paul Krugman still works for you on Monday morning, you endorse every damned word he said in this piece. You will be endorsing the cowardice of this drive-by slander artist, whose failure as a human being exceeds even his miserable failure as an “economist.”  Your choice, New York Times. Your move. Your honor, decency, and integrity. Your consequences.Read and see the full story here.

• Giuliani assails Obama on terrorism, Afghanistan.(StraightTimes).WASHINGTON (AFP) - Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, speaking for his fellow Republicans ten years after the 9/11 attacks, denounced President Barack Obama's handling of national security on Saturday. Mr Giuliani, giving the party's weekly address, notably blasted Mr Obama's decision to withdraw some 33,000 United States (US) troops from Afghanistan by Sept 2012 and bring home all combat forces by 2014. 'Perhaps the most dangerous impulse we've developed since 9/11 is impatience demonstrated by the calls to put our armed forces on timetables,' said the former mayor, hailed for his take-charge response to the attacks. Mr Giuliani called Mr Obama's policy, a frequent target of Republican ire, part of 'a dangerous historical pattern' of 'minimising the dangers we face and that's led to catastrophes in the past.' 'American security requires a long-term military presence in the part of the world where people and organisations are plotting to kill us,' he said, calling for US forces to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan until they have 'eliminated' the threat. Read the full story here.

• Police Search For stolen vans from a World Trade Center site contractor, Trucks.(Fox) - Two vans stolen from a World Trade Center site contractor and a third taken from a storage facility in New Jersey were being specially investigated by the police department Saturday, after the federal government's tip of a possible car bomb on the 9/11 anniversary. Police in Washington D.C. were also searching for stolen vans.None of the thefts were connected to a specific plot, but had unusual circumstances above the average stolen vehicle, authorities said.One of the vans, a white Econoline, was stolen from Liberty Storage, a self-storage facility in Jersey City, N.J. on Aug. 21 and had Oklahoma plates, police said. Thieves cut the phone lines, alarms and took with them surveillance video, in what could be an extensive effort to cover their tracks in a way that seemed different from the average grand larceny.The other two, dark green Chevy vans, were stolen Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 from Tully Construction, Co. Contractors, which has been involved in recovery work at the site and is currently doing roadwork on West St. near 1 World Trade Center.Read the full story here.

• Prayer Flash Mob at 911 Anniversary.(Goosh).by BobFox.Please help us with this as we need to spread the word quickly…ALL Attendee’s at the 9/11 Ground Zero Memorial, when Mayor Bloomberg begins to speak, EVERYONE WILL BEGIN TO SING “AMAZING GRACE.”Please click a link below to copy the lyrics. Make extra copies to hand to the people next to you.They can keep clergy out, but they can’t silence everyone!!!Please share this via FaceBook, Twitter, and all social media for this Sunday’s event.Follow us on twitter @911GOD.Read the full story here.

• Are President Obama’s Actions Hostile to Jews and Israel?(IMRA).By Morton A. Klein, National President.Dr. Daniel Mandel, Director, Center for Middle East Policy.Zionist Organization of America.

Is President Obama hostile to Jews and Israel? Let’s look at the evidence. Last week, the Obama Administration issued talking points for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, where it referred to those struck by terrorism “whether in New York or Nairobi, Bali or Belfast, Mumbai or Manila, or Lahore or London.” Conspicuously absent was the name of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Sderot, which have been hit by terrorists, not once, but numerous times.As a single instance, this omission might be unremarkable. In fact, however, omitting mention of Israel fits a pattern. When running for President, then-Senator Obama referred in his July 2008 Berlin speech to the need to “dismantle the [terrorist] networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York.” Again, no Israel.It seems hard to believe that these omissions could be anything other than intentional. After all, Israel has been a primary target of terrorists throughout the past decade. Almost 2,000 Israelis have been murdered by terrorists in this period and over 10,000 maimed or disfigured. In per capita terms, far more Israelis have been murdered by terrorists than Americans were murdered in 9/11.Obama also omits Israel in other contexts. Thus, when Haiti was struck by a calamitous earthquake in January 2010, Israel’s relief efforts were exceptional, only matched by those of the United States, and were singled out for praise by former President Clinton. However, in praising these relief efforts, Obama omitted any mention of Israel, saying only that “help continues to flow in, not just from the United States but from Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, among others.”While Obama has more or less consistently failed to hold accountable or penalize the PA for incitement to violence against Israel, he has been emphatic and repetitive attacking Jewish housing projects in eastern Jerusalem as an obstacle to peace. His Administration has used the terms “condemn,” an “insult” and an “affront” when expressing disagreement with Israel on this issue, terms never used about other allies.That Obama blames Israel, not the Palestinians, for the absence of peace is obvious. In a January 2010 interview, despite Israel’s acceptance in-principle of a Palestinian state, readiness to negotiate and instituting an unprecedented 10-month Jewish construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, Obama said Israel had made no “bold gestures.”In a March 2011 meeting with Jewish leaders (attended by Mort Klein), Obama contended that “Israel’s [Palestinian] partner is sincere in wanting a peaceful settlement,” while asking his Jewish interlocutors to “speak to your Israeli friends and relatives and search your souls to determine how badly do you really want peace … Israelis think this peace process is overrated.”Note also the contrast between his holiday messages to Jews and to Muslims. In his Rosh Hashanah message last year, Obama only once referred to ‘Jews,’ not once to ‘Judaism,’ promoted a Palestinian state, and never mentioned the extraordinary contributions of Jews to the U.S.In contrast, in his August 2010 Ramadan Message, Obama referred to ‘Muslims’ six times and to ‘Islam’ twice, stated that “American Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country,” and praised “Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings … a faith known for great diversity and racial equality.” Here, Obama, made no reference to what Muslims must do to achieve peace with Israel.There are many other indicators of Obama evincing discomfort around Jewish matters. When, in May 2010, Obama signed the Daniel Pearl Press Freedom Act, he did not mention that Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter, was beheaded by Islamist terrorists because he was a Jew and that he was forced to state in the video recorded of his gruesome murder that he was an American Jew. Instead, Obama merely referred to Pearl’s “loss.”And let’s not forget Obama’s June 2009 Cairo speech, in which he compared the circumstances of Palestinians under Israeli rule to Jews under the Nazis and blacks under Apartheid. Nor his September 2009 UN speech, in which Obama “couple[d] unwavering commitment to Israel” with Israel “respecting the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians.”These incidents, some important, some less so, have assumed a troubling pattern. They suggest that President Obama has a distaste or even hostility towards Jews and Israel. But should we be surprised? He spent twenty years absorbing the anti-Israel sermons of Pastor Jeremiah Wright, whom Obama has called a “great man,” his “friend” and “mentor.”Hmmmm......"You shall know them by their fruits.Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?Matthew 7:16."But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.James 2:18.Read the full story here.

• Obamas 911 Statement To Global US Embassies: ‘The United States is Not and Never Will Be At War With Islam’.(Vinienco).On this 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, we remember that 9/11 was not only an attack on the United States; it was an attack on the world and on the entire humanity and hopes that we share.We remember that among the nearly 3,000 innocent people lost that day were hundreds of citizens from more than 90 nations. They were men and women, young and old, of many races and faiths. On this solemn anniversary we join with their families and nations in honoring their memory.We remember with gratitude how 10 years ago the world came together as one. Around the globe, entire cities came to a standstill for moments of silence. People offered their prayers in churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship. And those of us in the United States will never forget how people in every corner of the world stood with us in solidarity in candlelight vigils and among the seas of flowers placed at our embassies.We remember that in the weeks after 9/11, we acted as an international community. As part of a broad coalition, we drove al Qaeda from its training camps in Afghanistan, toppled the Taliban, and gave the Afghan people a chance to live free from terror. However, the years that followed were difficult and the spirit of global partnership we felt after 9/11 frayed.As President, I’ve worked to renew the global cooperation we need to meet the full breath of global challenges that we face. Through a new era of engagement, we’ve forged partnerships with nations and peoples based on mutual interest and mutual respect.As an international community, we have shown that terrorists are no match for the strength and resilience of our citizens. I’ve made it clear that the United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. Rather, with allies and partners we are united against al Qaeda, which has attacked dozens of countries and killed tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children, the vast majority of them Muslims. This week, we remember all the victims of al Qaeda and the courage and resilience with which their families and fellow citizens have persevered, from the Middle East to Europe, from Africa to Asia.Working together, we have disrupted al Qaeda plots, eliminated Osama bin Laden and much of his leadership, and put al Qaeda on the path to defeat. Meanwhile, people across the Middle East and North Africa are showing that the surest path to justice and dignity is the moral force of nonviolence, not mindless terrorism and violence. It is clear that violent extremists are being left behind and that the future belongs to those who want to build, not destroy.To nations and people seeking a future of peace and prosperity, you have a partner in the United States. For even as we confront economic challenges at home, the United States will continue to play a unique leadership role in the world.As we remove the rest of our troops from Iraq and transfer responsibility in Afghanistan, we will support Iraqis and Afghans in their efforts to deliver security and opportunity for their people. In the Arab world and beyond, we will stand up for the dignity and universal rights of all human beings.Around the world, we will continue the hard work of pursuing peace, promoting the development that lifts people from poverty, and advancing the food security, health and good governance that unleashes the potential of citizens and societies.At the same time, we have recommitted ourselves to living our values at home. As a nation of immigrants, the United States welcomes people from every country and culture. These newest Americans like all the innocent victims we lost ten years ago remind us that despite any differences of race or ethnicity, background or belief, we are all bound together by the common hope that we can make the world a better place for this and future generations. That must be the legacy of those we have lost.Those who attacked us on 9/11 wanted to drive a wedge between the United States and the world. They failed. On this 10th anniversary, we are united with our friends and partners in remembering all those we have lost in this struggle. In their memory, we reaffirm the spirit of partnership and mutual respect that we need to realize a world where all people live in dignity, freedom and peace.Hmmmmm........Report: Islamists Drive 75 Percent of Plots Against U.S.Read the full 'story' here.

• Ten Years After 9/11: The Jihadis Are Winning The War.(BigPeace).A decade after the jihadi strikes against America’s military and financial centers at the hands of al-Qaida, the question remains: Have we won the war?In the ongoing, debate, we see two camps. One stating that we were defeating the enemy until Washington changed direction three years ago, and another boasting that America was losing the war until three years ago when a change of direction brought victory in sight.We surged against the Taliban but we didn’t help the people surge politically via massive education efforts. Now we are doing the unthinkable: negotiating with the Taliban for Afghanistan’s future.

The Arab Spring: Before it even started, the Arab Spring’s true democratic forces were already abandoned by Washington. Back in 2008, Hezbollah invaded Beirut and crumbled the Cedars Revolution of 2005 under heavy silence from both the Bush administration and Congress.The next year, the Obama administration turned its back on the opposition in Tehran. Civil societies in the Arab world tried to revolt next. In early 2011, secular youth rose and brought down the Mubarak regime but Washington preferred to empower the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and their Islamist colleagues in Tunisia.

In Libya the administration joined the fray against Moammar Gadhafi only to eventually partner with the country’s Islamists. In Syria Washington’s hesitates between the Baath and the Brotherhood ignores democratic reformers. The same alignment is projected for Yemen, Bahrain, and other Arab countries. The democrats of the Arab Spring are losing.

Iraq: Managing the country without a strategy to confront the ayatollahs and Bashar’s regimes was a mistake. As in Afghanistan, work half done in Iraq backfired. Billions were spent and huge human sacrifices were made without enabling the Iraqi society to rise against the multiple anti-democracy forces.Now a catastrophic policy of abandoning Iraq’s democrats to the region’s Islamists, during the past three years seems to be what we’re left with.Yes Saddam is gone, and there is a multiparty system in Iraq. But Iran controls the Shia militias that are devouring the government and two-thirds of the country; the Salafi Islamists of the Sunni areas are pushing back against the moderates; the Kurds are encircled by three threatening regimes; and the Christians and other minorities are relentlessly persecuted.

Iran: The present administration has dangerously engaged with Tehran, allowing the Khomeinist regime to expand its threats in all directions: Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain, Eastern Arabia, Northern Yemen and other continents. None of the U.S.’ policies, including sanctions, have stopped Iran’s development of missiles and its frenetic pace to equip them with nukes. And when the Green revolution exploded, we let the Pasdaran take back the streets unquestioned.Some really believed that the years following the attacks have brought the free world and democracy to an inch from victory. Others among us believe that thanks to today’s policies we are finally better than ever before.Sad to say at this anniversary, but both views are wrong. We weren’t close to strategic victories some five years ago and we are far from defeating the jihadists today. This sober assessment isn’t for domestic politics consumers, far from it.

Here are some realities:

Afghanistan: Bringing down the Taliban regime was a smashing victory for the U.S., NATO and the Afghan people particularly for women and minorities.Defending the country against the return of the jihadi militias and containing their incursions from inside Pakistan’s enclaves were the right strategic choices. But the U.S. and NATO failed to engage civil society groups, women, and secular wings to help launch a democratic revolution in the country instead of spending billions on asphalt, construction, and futile unproductive projects.

Al-Qaida: The long relentless campaign against the top entity of the jihadists bore results over 10 years. They lost the sole regime that backed them openly in Kabul, retreated to Pakistan, lost more of their commanders by the years, and eventually lost their leader Osama in 2011. But multiple other tentacles of the organization have grown bigger and longer in reach.Still operating and killing in AFPAK, franchises opened in Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, North Africa, and their cells hit in India, Russia, and Europe. Al-Qaida today is 10 times larger in global reach than the old one headed by bin Laden.

Homeland security: The terrorists who brought down the twin towers were foreign-born aliens who penetrated America’s defenses killing thousands. However their ideology penetrated America, producing homegrown cells. Moreover, a more lethal type is expanding within our borders: the jihadi lone wolves. No spectacular acts since 2001 but an army is brewing inside the country.The U.S. is losing on all these fronts, and so are democracies and free people around the world. The real debate should be about what is being missed. We must focus on the enemy’s ideology.Unfortunately over the past 10 years, Washington and its companions in Europe have lost the mother of all wars: the war of ideas. If American leadership persists in dodging the ideological battle with the jihadists, by 2020 not only we would have missed a precious opportunity with the Arab Spring but most likely lost a vital shot at bolstering national security.Dr Walid Phares is the author of “The Confrontation: Winning the War against Future Jihad,” and “The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East.” He advises members of Congress and the European Parliament.Read the full story here.

• Five civilians killed and at least 77 NATO troops injured in Taliban truck bomb attack on coalition base in Afghanistan.(AlJazeera).At least five Afghan civilians have been killed and 77 NATO personnel wounded in a truck bomb attack on a base in eastern Afghanistan, according to the military coalition.The injured were evacuated to medical facilities or were treated at the scene of the blast in Wardak province late on Saturday, NATO said in a statement.US forces are responsible for security in Wardak, according to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) website.The attack, which came on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US, was carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated an explosive device inside a truck carrying firewood, NATO added.No coalition forces were killed in the attack on the combat outpost, according to the statement.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the Reuters news agency reported.The attack came hours after the group vowed to keep fighting US forces in Afghanistan until all foreign troops have left the country and stressed that their group had no role in the 9/11 attacks.In a statement emailed to media, the Taliban accused the United States of using the attacks as a pretext to invade Afghanistan and said the international community was responsible for killing thousands of Afghans during the invasion and ensuing occupation.The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, in pursuit of Osama bin Laden, the late al-Qaeda leader who masterminded the US attacks, who had found refuge under the Taliban.Bin Laden at the time was living in Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda had training camps from which it planned attacks against the US and other countries.Read the full story here.

• Euro-Zone Scenarios - German Finance Minister Prepares for Possible Greek Bankruptcy.(Spiegel).German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, who is reportedly doubtful that the country can be saved from bankruptcy, is preparing for the possibility of Greek insolvency. Officials in his ministry are currently reviewing scenarios for handling such a situation, exploring what it might mean for the rest of the euro zone. Under the first scenario for a Greek bankruptcy, the country would remain in the euro zone. Under the other, Athens would abandon the common currency and reintroduce the drachma. The European bailout mechanism, the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), is playing a key role in those considerations. Soon the EFSF is expected to be given new powers agreed to by European leaders at a special euro crisis summit in late July. Two instruments at the EFSF's disposal are at the forefront of the Finance Ministry's scenarios.

One of these key instruments would be credit lines provided to countries like Spain or Italy if investors stop lending them money after a Greek bankruptcy. If banks were forced to write off the billions in Greek government bonds on their books, they could become reliant on billions in rescue fund aid in numerous euro-zone countries. Both developments are to be expected in a Greek insolvency, regardless of whether the country exits the euro or not. Volker Bouffier, the governor of the state of Hesse, which is home to Germany's financial capital Frankfurt, is a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, as is Schäuble. Bouffier is now urging that the possibility for countries to leave the euro zone be created quickly. Current European Union treaties provide no provisions for a country to abandon the currency. "If the savings and reform efforts of the Greek government aren't successful, then we need to ask the question of whether we need new rules to make it possible for a euro country to leave the currency union," Bouffier told SPIEGEL. Read the full story here.

• Canadians with mental illnesses denied U.S. entry.(CBC).More than a dozen Canadians have told the Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office in Toronto within the past year that they were blocked from entering the United States after their records of mental illness were shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.Lois Kamenitz, 65, of Toronto contacted the office last fall, after U.S. customs officials at Pearson International Airport prevented her from boarding a flight to Los Angeles on the basis of her suicide attempt four years earlier.Kamenitz says she was stopped at customs after showing her passport and asked to go to a secondary screening. There, a Customs and Border Protection officer told Kamenitz that he had information that police had attended her home in 2006.“I was really perturbed,” Kamenitz says. “I couldn’t figure out what he meant. And then it dawned on me that he was referring to the 911 call my partner made when I attempted suicide.”Kamenitz says she asked the officer how he had obtained her medical records.A document completed by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer says that at a secondary inspection at Pearson airport in Toronto, it was ascertained that Lois Kamenitz had 'attempted suicide in 2006,' and a medical clearance would be required for a further attempt to enter the United States. Sarah Bridge/CBC“That was the only thing I could think of,” she says. “But he said, no, he didn’t have my medical records but he did have a contact note from the police that [they] had attended my home.”The RCMP and U.S. law enforcement agencies provide reciprocal direct access to each other’s criminal databases in order to stem the flow of narcotics and criminal dealings into North America, according to the WikiLeaks cable.When asked about the sharing of police information for security purposes, Kamenitz says the government is “obviously not considering what the impact of that can be and how much that can alter a person’s life.”“Police may have attended my home,” says Kamenitz, “but it was not for a criminal matter; it was a medical emergency.”Kamenitz notes that suicide isn’t a criminal offence in either country.“It speaks to the myth we still hold,” Kamenitz says, “that people with a mental illness are violent criminals.”At less than five feet tall, with a debilitating form of arthritis that makes it impossible for her to complete daily tasks like cooking and dressing without assistance, Kamenitz says she is hardly a threat to U.S. Homeland Security.“I’ve been battling not only anxiety and depression but also chronic pain since my teen years,” Kamenitz explains. “I am not a criminal.”Kamenitz was eventually allowed to board a plane to Los Angeles, four days after missing her initial flight. But in order to do so, she had to submit her medical records to the U.S. and get clearance from a Homeland Security-approved doctor in Toronto, who charged her $250 for the service.Benson says the response from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers in Kamenitz's case was fairly typical. "Now that the note from her doctor is on her records," he says, "I wouldn't expect her to have any more problems."Included in the Homeland Security forms Kamenitz was required to fill out were questions about whether she had a history of substance abuse and whether she had diseases, such as AIDS or tuberculosis.“These are private and personal medical records that I’m now handing over to a foreign government,” she says.Stylianos says Canadians should be outraged that people’s mental health information is shared across the border.“It is an intensely private matter for many individuals,” he says.Stylianos says his organization is lobbying for this information not to be included in the CPIC database or shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of a routine border screening process.“Once that information gets into the American system, you can’t control it,” he says.According to the same diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks, which included data from 2004 and 2005, Americans believed that despite the open database sharing, “Canada’s strict privacy laws” have limited the timely exchange of information between the two nations.In the 10 years since the Sept. 11 attacks, the two countries have struggled to come to an agreement on how best to police the border.The administrations of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama are in talks over a perimeter security deal that would include further cross-border intelligence-sharing as part of a joint border security strategy.In an Aug. 29 news conference in Toronto, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told reporters that the privacy rights of Canadians remain top-of-mind during discussions about cross-border law enforcement programs.“Our sovereignty cannot and will not be compromised,” he said.Hmmmm......."Illegal immigrants can stay...depressed Canadians a.k.a 'Crazy Canucks' don't enter?"Read the full story here.

• Canadian Muslim Group Urges PM Harper to Apologize for Equating Islam With Extremism.(Vinienco).Canadian Muslim Group Urges PM Harper to Apologize for Equating Islam With Extremism: Prime Minister Stephen Harper must apologize for comments portraying Muslims as the single greatest threat to national security, the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada said Friday.The council issued a nationwide call for Muslims to speak out against the remarks, urging imams to condemn the statements in prayer gatherings and urging Canadians to send letters of protest to the Prime Minister’s Office.The call to action comes three days after Harper told CBC that “Islamicism” was the single most pressing threat to the country’s security, adding Canada’s intelligence service was mostly preoccupied with matters involving Islamic extremists.Harper’s statements are based on gross generalizations that unfairly malign an important demographic, the council said.“How can Mr. Harper associate Islam with radicalism and fanaticism? These are un-Islamic beliefs and behaviours,” the council said in a statement.“Canadian Muslims do not recognize any person or a group as ‘Islamic’ if the person or the group are involved in un-Islamic activities.”The council said the timing of Harper’s remarks comes just weeks after a strong showing from ethnic communities in Ontario helped propel his Conservatives to their first majority government.The comments set a dangerous precedent and have the capacity to damage further efforts to root out extremist activity in Canada, it said.“We are working hard to bring people of all faiths together to fight the extremism and radicalism but Mr. Harper’s comments about Islam have damaged those efforts.”Harper’s remarks drew condemnation from political circles earlier this week.Acting New Democrat leader Nycole Turmel accused Harper of creating a climate of fear, describing the Conservative’s approach to national security as divisive and damaging.Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae also warned against identifying the Muslim faith with terrorism.“The enemy is not Islam, it’s extremism, violence, and hatred,” Rae said in a posting on Twitter. “It’s the way religious beliefs are twisted and perverted.”

002.216: Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not.

002.19: And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith.Continued.....Hmmm........Un Islamic?Read the full story here.

• Turkey on Israel's FM's plan: No one will extort us.(YNet).Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Sunday slammed his Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, following the foreign minister's comments, according to which Israel will "punish" Turkey by supporting its adversaries."No one will extort us," said Davutoglu during a joint press conference with his Brazilian counterpart, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota.On Friday, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Lieberman had decided to adopt a series of harsh measures in response to Turkey’s latest anti-Israeli moves, including the facilitation of cooperation with Turkey’s historic rivals, the Armenians, and scheduling meetings with the heads of Kurdish rebel group PKK in Europe in order to “cooperate with them and boost them in every possible area.” Though Israeli officials have denied that such steps have been in the works, Davutoglu stressed that Ankara hopes to see Israel "back its denial with actions." The Turkish foreign minister added that the PKK has become a tool, used by anyone wishing to harm his country: "It's important that our Kurdish people be aware of this. Every time someone tries to harm Turkey, it uses the PKK to do so. "We have the power to continue battling terrorism, while still being open to accept democratization efforts; no one will manage to extort us," he said. During the press conference, Davutoglu reiterated that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will not cross into the Gaza Strip during his visit to Egypt, which is scheduled to begin on Monday.Hmmmm......"que Sera,sera?"Read the full story here.

• Tantawi didn’t respond to Netanyahu, Barak during crisis.(Ynet).What really transpired behind the scenes of the dramatic rescue of six Israelis who were stranded in the Israeli Embassy in Cairo? Although Israel praised the action undertaken by Egyptian forces and its commandoes for rescuing the stranded Israelis from a fanatical mob, it turns out that there had been a severe lack of coordination even amongst the highest ranks. Both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak tried to reach the head of the ruling Supreme Military Council Mohammed Tantawi over the phone overnight, but the Egyptians said they were "unable to locate him".It appears that only the swift intervention of US President Barack Obama prevented a catastrophe from unfolding. "I would say it was a decisive moment – fateful, I would even say," Netanyahu said on Saturday evening. "He said, 'I will do all that I can,' and he did; he applied all of the means and influence of the United States of America, which are certainly substantial. And I think we owe him special thanks." On Saturday evening, a senior Israeli official said, "Such things are not supposed to take place in the circumstances that had evolved." Military sources, meanwhile, revealed that the stranded Israeli security guards had been evacuated from the embassy while wearing the traditional Arab headdress keffiyeh and Muslim garments knows as Jalabiyas.After the evacuation, Egyptian officials drove the six to the Cairo airport, where they boarded an IAF plane to Israel. The defense establishment, including IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, monitored the situation closely while the operations and intelligence branches also prepared to take action in light of the developments in Egypt. Air force chief Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan managed the aerial operations from the underground army headquarters in Tel Aviv. Two air force jets, "Re'em" and "Tzofit" took off for Egypt at 4:30 am and returned the embassy staff to Israel.During the crisis, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had also called Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr to urge Egypt to meet its Vienna Convention obligations to protect diplomatic property, a senior State Department official said.Barak spoke to US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and with Dennis Ross, President Obama's emissary to the Middle East. Barak, who discussed the situation in Cairo with Netanyahu and heads of the defense establishment, asked the American officials to help defend the Israeli Embassy against the protesters.Hmmmm....If Obama had not thrown Mubarak under the bus and supported the Muslim Brotherhood it would never have come to this.Read the full story here.

• Antwerp: Shariah4Belgium opens Shariah court.(IslaminEuropa).A court has been opened in Antwerp which handles marriage disputes and inheritance issues according to Islamic law. It's an initiative of the radical Muslim group Shariah4Belgium, reports Het Laatste Nieuws. Monica De Coninck, Alderman for Diversity (sp.a.), says that in itself it's good that religious instances mediate in their communities, though it would have been better if it weren't done by fundamentalists.The Center for Islamic Services is housed in Borgerhout. According to its website it handles all cases of divorces, annulling marriages, reconciliations or matrimonial disputes in accordance with the Shariah of Allah, and can deliver a certificate where necessary.Alderman Monica De Coninck stresses this is not a court which can pronounce and execute sentences. If it's simply a mediator, she sees no problem with it, and says that her department is monitoring Shariah4Belgium.Vlaams Belang demands the Shariah court be closed down immediately. Filip Dewinter says that this court is a new step in the Islamization of Antwerp. He says that the constitution gives the courts a monopoly on settling disputes. You certainly can't have a parallel system of Sharia courts developing besides the official judicial bodies, which judges based on principles which clash with the values of our democratic constitutional state.Hmmmm.....Art 10 of the Belgium Constitution "All Belgiums are equal for the law and Equality between women and men is guaranteed"?Doesn't Sharia law contradict this?Read the full story here.

• Erdogan slams Obama over US flotilla victim.(Ynet).Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday slammed US President Barack Obama, claiming he did not take interest in the Turkish-American citizen who died on board the Mavi Marmara during the 2010 IDF raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla.Speaking on national Television station TRT, Erdogan said "I asked Obama whether he has no interest in the American casualty because he is also Turkish – and he didn’t reply." The Turkish prime minister reiterated Ankara's intention to take Israel to the International Court of Justice, after Jerusalem refused to issue an apology and pay compensation to the families of the victims. "We'll take this to The Hague, and the world will witness once more who are the ones standing beside the victims," he said, while criticizing elements in Turkey's opposition groups, whom he called "Israel's advocates." Despite his harsh statement, Erdogan did not reiterate the controversial comments he made during an al-Jazeera interview on Thursday, by which Turkish warships will be dispatched to escort future humanitarian naval convoys to Gaza. Erdogan's bureau issued a clarification on Friday, stating that the comments were taken out of context and that the prime minister was misquoted. Hmmmm......Remember when he got that horsekick?Might it have affected more?Read the full story here.

• Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Justifies Breaching of Israeli Embassy in Cairo(Memri).While most of Egypt's political forces condemned the breaching of the Israeli embassy in Cairo (September 9, 2011), the Muslim Brotherhood and its political party justified the incident. They deemed it a legitimate reaction to the Egyptian regime's hesitant policy vis-à-vis Israel following the incident on the border in which five Egyptian soldiers were killed by Israeli fire (August 18, 2011).Hmmmmm......Obama's 'partners'.Read the full story here.