Saudis, Gulf emirates actively aided Egypt’s military coup, settling score for Mubarak ouster.

Saudis, Gulf emirates actively aided Egypt’s military coup, settling score for Mubarak ouster.HT: Debka.

The lightening coup which Wednesday, July 3, overthrew President Mohamed Morsi put in reverse gear for the first time the Obama administration’s policy of sponsoring the Muslim Brotherhood movement as a moderate force for Arab rule and partner in its Middle East policies.

DEBKAfile reveals that the Egyptian military could not have managed their clockwork coup without the aid of Saudi and Dubai intelligence and funding.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE threw their weight and purses behind Egypt’s generals aiming to put their first big spoke in the US-sponsored Arab Revolt (or Spring), after they failed to hold the tide back in Libya, Egypt and thus far Syria. To learn the name of the Egyptian politician designated to lead his country when the army bows out, read the coming issue of DEBKA Weekly due out Friday.

The coup leader, Defense Minister and army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, had two more Saudi-Gulf commitments in his pocket, say DEBKAfile's Middle East sources:

1. Should the Obama administration cut off the annual US aid allocation of $1.3 billion, Saudi Arabia and the UAE would make up the military budget’s shortfall;

2. The Saudis, UAE and other Gulf nations, such as Bahrain and Kuwait, would immediately start pumping out substantial funds to keep the Egyptian economy running. The Egyptian masses would be shown that in a properly managed economy, they could be guaranteed a minimal standard of living and need not go hungry as many did under Muslim Brotherhood rule.

According to our sources, the Saudis and the UAE pledged to match the funds Qatar transferred to the Muslim Brotherhood’s coffers in Cairo in the past year, amounting to the vast sum of $13 billion.

This explains President Barack Obama’s caution Thursday morning, July 4, in his expression of deep concern over the ousting of the Egyptian president and the suspension of its constitution. He urged the military to restore government to civilian hands - without accusing them outright of a coup d’etat - and to “avoid arresting President Moris and his supporters.”

The US president refrained from cutting off aid to Egypt, now under military rule, only ordering his administration “to assess what the military's actions meant for US foreign aid to Egypt.”

Thursday morning, Washington ordered US diplomats and their families to leave Cairo at once, leaving just a skeleton staff at the embassy for emergencies. DEBKAfile: This step is only one symptom of the broad gulf developing between the Obama administration and Egypt’s post-coup administration headed by Defense Minister and coup leader Gen. El-Sisi

By means of the successful military putsch in Cairo, Saudi King Abdullah had his revenge for the toppling of his friend Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, for which he has never forgiven President Obama whom he held responsible.

The Saudi-Gulf intervention in Egypt’s change of government also ushers in a new stage of the Arab Revolt for the Middle East. For the first time, a group of traditionally pro-US conservative Arab governments has struck out on its own to fill the leadership vacuum left by the Obama administration’s unwillingness to pursue direct initiatives in the savage Syrian civil war or forcibly preempt Iran’s drive for a nuclear bomb.

The removal of Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt has far-reaching ramifications for Israel. In the immediate term, it gives Israel some security relief – especially, easing the dangers posed from Sinai to its southern regions.
The radical Palestinian Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood offshoot which rules the Gaza Strip, has suffered the most damaging political and military setback in its history with the loss of its parent and patron in Cairo.

The big question facing Egypt’s still uncertain future is: Will Riyadh and the UAE follow through on their backing for Gen. Fattah El-Sisi, the most powerful man in Egypt today, and release the promised funds for rehabilitating the Egyptian economy?Read the full story here.

Qatar strips Qaradawi of citizenship, orders Khaled Meshaal out of country.

     Pretty amazing event, i wonder how far the Egyptian fall out will spread? 


Qatar strips Qaradawi of citizenship, orders Khaled Meshaal out of country.HT: IsraelMatzav.

Qatar has stripped prominent Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi of his Qatari citizenship, has ordered Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal (who took refuge in Qatar after it was no longer palatable to be sheltered by Bashar al-Assad) out of the country, and has withdrawn support from the Muslim Brotherhood as a result of Wednesday's events in Egypt (link in Arabic).

Here's a Google translation of the article:

Student Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa second, the Emir of Qatar, on Tuesday evening, from Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi to leave the country, and ordered the withdrawal of Qatari nationality of it, and the closure of all offices of the Muslim Brotherhood in order to state policy in order not to chosing a faction or political trend given. 
Confirmed Prince Tamim , in an interview, we are all Muslims, but not the Muslim Brotherhood, and dealing with a diameter of State and Government and not with the political faction., Al-Nahar reported that Prince Tamim gave Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal, 48 hours to leave the country. 
So Qaradawi was also expelled. I'm sure the Egyptian army would be thrilled to have him back under lock and key. Maybe Hamas will take him in Gaza. Three words on that: target rich environment. Heh. Hmmmm.....Let's hope the IDF Starts the 4Th of July fireworks.I wonder who will serve now as 'go-between' for Obama and the Taliban?Read the full story here.

Video - Muhammad Omar Abdel Rahman, Son of the Blind Sheik Imprisoned in the U.S.: Peaceful Methods Do Not Work with America.

Muhammad Omar Abdel Rahman, Son of the Blind Sheik Imprisoned in the U.S.: Peaceful Methods Do Not Work with America.

Following are excerpts from an interview with Muhammad Omar Abdel Rahman, son of Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheik imprisoned in the U.S. The interview was posted on the Internet on January 22, 2013.

Muhammad Omar Abdel Rahman: We have taken all legal means [to free Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman], including demonstrations, conferences, and the issuing of demands. These are all peaceful means. After the fall of the Mubarak regime, we held several demonstrations, followed by a protest [opposite the U.S. embassy in Cairo] for a year and 4 months.

We issued many warnings that a lack of response to our peaceful demands might encourage some Jihadi groups, who view the imprisonment of an Islamic icon like Dr. Omar Abdel Rahman in the U.S. as a direct affront to Islam. As we saw, some youths in Algeria took several people hostage, and tried to exchange them for Dr. Omar Abdel Rahman and for the Pakistani doctor Aafia Siddiqui.

We say: America should be held accountable for the actions of these groups. America got itself into this mess by kidnapping and imprisoning Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, followed by the kidnapping of Sheik Tal’at Fu’ad Qasim, of Abu Omar in Italy, and of Ahmad Salama in Azerbaijan. They were all kidnapped after President Bill Clinton made a decision, in 1993, to allow the CIA to kidnap these men, to interrogate them, and then extradite them to their countries.

Indeed, Sheik Tal’at Fu’ad Qasim was extradited to Egypt, where he was executed. The same is true of Ahmad Al-Naggar, who was kidnapped in Albania, and executed in Egypt. America should be held accountable for all these cases. It is America that proves, both directly and indirectly, that peaceful methods do not work with it. These guys undoubtedly wanted justice to be done, and that is why they carried out their actions.

We, Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya, the Building and Development Party, and all those associated with it, employ peaceful means. We call upon America and hope that it will respond to our demands, and will release Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman.

Interviewer: Is there any coordination between Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya and the kidnappers [in Algeria]?

Muhammad Omar Abdel Rahman: We, in the family and in Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya, operate in certain ways. Naturally, there is no coordination. Those guys are full of enthusiasm, but we have no connection or communication with them.Source: Memri.

"Give us what we want.....OR ELSE !" - Jailing of blind sheikh pushes Muslim anger against US, warns son.

"Give us what we want.....OR ELSE !" - Jailing of blind sheikh pushes Muslim anger against US, warns son.(AO).Abdullah, the son of the blind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, writes to request the US release his father, who has been serving a life sentence for allegedly planning the 1993 World Trade Centre attack in New York. In the press statement released in Arabic on Saturday, Abdullah says: "The American administration's arrogance and stubbornness towards one of the Muslim world's scholars, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, is putting the lives of its people at risk and costing them a lot." Abdullah goes on to justify violent attacks and the kidnapping of Americans by Islamist militants, such as Al-Qaeda, explaining that it is the US administration's treatment of his father that "has pushed the Muslim youth to anger for the cleric."
The murder of US ambassador Christopher Stevens to Libya in September during an attack by unknown armed men on the consulate in the city of Benghazi is one example Abdullah cites. The attack on the US consulate in Libya took place on 11 September 2012 in the wake of massive, world-wide protests organised by Islamists to denounce a US-made film mocking the Prophet Mohamed.
Abdullah warns in his statement that although his family has chosen to protest peacefully others have seen that "the arrogance of the US is not to be dealt with in any other way except through violence and the killing of Americans."
The Sheikh's family, he claims, had demonstrated peacefully and held sit-ins at the US embassy in Cairo for almost 16 months.
"We had already warned the US from the anger of the Muslim world," reads his statement.
"We hope that the US understands the Muslim world's psyche, especially towards its Islamic scholars."
"We further hope that the US responds to President Mohamed Morsi's request to release Omar Abdel-Rahman during his coming trip to the US," Abdullah adds.
Morsi, who is expected to visit the US before the end of March, vowed during his presidential campaign to pressure for the release of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman.
During his campaign Morsi called Abdel Rahman's case a "responsibility on his shoulders" and that he would lobby for his release.
On 8 January, Morsi again repeated his promise during a recent interview with CNN where he stated that he planned to raise the issue of the jailed Sheikh with his American counterpart during his coming visit to the US.Abdel Rahman is considered the spiritual leader of the radical Gama'a Al-Islamiya group.Hmmmm.......I know a fitting answer.Read the full story here.

Obama's BFF Mursi 'to Mediate' Talks between Fatah, Hamas Leaders.

Obama's BFF Mursi 'to Mediate' Talks between Fatah, Hamas Leaders.(Fars).Egypt helped broker the deal between Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Fatah party, and Hamas's Khaled Mashaal, BBC reported.
The Islamist movement ousted Fatah from Gaza in 2007 after winning Palestinian elections the previous year.
Observers say tensions appear to have eased in recent months.
On Wednesday Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and Mashaal will first "meet Egypt's intelligence chief before holding a three-way meeting with President Mursi," Egyptian spokesman Yasser Ali told the AFP.
The reconciliation accord signed two years ago was meant to pave the way for a joint interim government and joint elections in 2012 but negotiations stalled.
Last October, Hamas boycotted local elections held in the West Bank, the first Palestinian polls in more than six years.
But observers say there have been signs of warming ties between the rivals ahead of Wednesday's talks.
Last Saturday, Hamas allowed Fatah to hold rallies in Gaza for the first time since 2007.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Abbas held mass gatherings in the coastal enclave to mark Fatah's 48th anniversary.
Meanwhile last month, supporters of Hamas celebrated their movement's founding with a rare rally in the West Bank, which is governed by the PA.
In a recent speech, Mashaal urged "reconciliation and national unity of the Palestinian ranks".
"Palestine is for all of us, we are partners in this nation. Hamas cannot do without Fatah or Fatah without Hamas, or any movement," he said.Hmmmm......A man is known by the company he keeps.Read the full story here.

Mursi to urge Obama to free blind sheikh in first U.S. state visit.

Mursi to urge Obama to free blind sheikh in first U.S. state visit.(AA).The release of an Egyptian blind sheikh, jailed in the United States for the 1993 World Trade Center attack, will be urged by Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi during his upcoming visit to the U.S., the leader said on Monday
The announcement follows his pledge during his presidential campaign earlier this year to free Omar Abdul Rahman, currently serving a life sentence, in what had appeared to be gesture to Gama’a al-Islamiya, a Salafi group.
Sheikh Rahman, a preacher imprisoned in the United States in the 1990s for plotting attacks in New York, is the spiritual leader of Gama’a al-Islamiya, which was involved in the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat but renounced violence in 1997. The group has entered mainstream politics since former President Hosni Mubarak was toppled.
Rahman, or the Blind Sheikh, is the former leader of the radical “Islamic Group” in Egypt, which now holds 13 seats in the Egyptian Parliament. The Obama administration recently hosted a member of the designated terrorist organization at the White House, where Hani Nour Eldin met with senior State Department and Obama administration officials. Eldin reportedly urged the National Security Council to release Rahman during his visit, the analyst explained.
In September, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland stressed there was no plan to release him following his trial and conviction.
Mursi told CNN in an interview aired Monday that he was hoping to travel to the United States before the end of March 2013, and he planned to raise the case of Sheikh Rahman with U.S. President Barack Obama.
"There is no set date yet, but it will most likely be before the end of the first quarter of this year," Mursi said.
It will be the Islamist leader's first visit to the United States since he was elected last year after the overthrow of long-time Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak.
Relations between the United States and its key regional ally, Egypt, have been complicated since Mursi's election with Washington treading carefully amid a series of controversial and widely criticized moves by Mursi.
Mursi repeated his view of the blind sheikh saying: "I want him to be free." But he added: "I respect the law. And the rule of law in Egypt and the United States."
If the ailing and ageing Abdul Rahman cannot be freed, then Mursi suggested he should be allowed visitation rights with his family and children.
"Is there a chance for him to be freed? I wish this," Mursi said, but if not then "Egypt's relationship with America deserves that these issues be reviewed, if that is okay according to the law.Hmmm......Benghazi didn't work out so well lets try a different way.Read the full story here.

Video - Ezra Levant: "Obama's Inaction On Benghazi."

Video - Frank Gaffney: Critiquing the Obama Doctrine.

Video - Benghazi Attack Was Botched Kidnapping to Trade Blind Sheik.

Hmmmm......He was supposed to be the 'sacrificial lamb' to be exchanged for the 'Blind Sheikh, Can you spell Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi who sits on the same board as Huma Abedin's brother?

Video - Is Obama "Again" preparing to release the Blind Sheik?

Hmmmmm..................Flashback : Releasing the Blind Sheikh? March 2, 2012. Tuesday’s al-Arabiya story portrays the Blind Sheikh’s potential release and repatriation as an offer by the Obama administration, not a demand by Egypt’s interim government. But there have been many such demands from Egyptian sources. They have increased in number since last year’s revolt, and have featured protests outside the American embassy in Cairo. Helping spearhead the effort has been Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, the extremely influential Muslim Brotherhood jurist. Like the Blind Sheikh, the 85-year-old Qaradawi is an Egyptian alumnus of al-Azhar who fled the secular regime and is regarded by Muslim supremacists as a hero. The Egyptian press reports that, ever since the Americans were detained in December, Abdel Rahman’s family and supporters have aggressively pushed the government to barter them for the sheikh’s release. For quite some time now, I’ve been concerned that President Obama might cave in to Egyptian pressure for Sheikh Abdel Rahman’s release. I’ve assumed, however, that the president’s political instincts rendered such a move inconceivable before the November election. In the interim, I’ve hoped that an engaged Republican opponent might highlight the matter, turning it into a campaign issue, pressing Obama for a public commitment that Abdel Rahman will not be released, period. To be sure, that would be an unenforceable promise, but one Obama could not break without severe political consequences. "Helping spearhead the effort has been Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, the extremely influential Muslim Brotherhood jurist."  Who also sits on the Same board as Huma Abedin's brother ! Would make you 'paranoid' no?

Video - Egyptian Salafists Call for Release of Sheik Omar Al-Rahman from US Prison, Chant Antisemitic Slogans.

Egyptian Salafists Call for Release of Sheik Omar Al-Rahman from US Prison, Chant Antisemitic Slogans.

Following are excerpts from a video posted on the Internet on September, 11, 2012 depicting an Egyptian sit-in demanding the release of Sheik Omar Abd Al-Rahman, serving a life sentence in the US.

Speaker: They have proclaimed their animosity towards Islam, but now they are reaping the fruits of that animosity. The new Egypt, with its Muslims and Christians, must respect religions.

Crowd: Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews! Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews! The army of Muhammad will return. The army of Muhammad will return. Source: Memri.

Egypt Demands Prisoner Swap: Terrorist Detainees for NGO Civilians

Egypt Demands Prisoner Swap: Terrorist Detainees for NGO Civilians.(BP).
Are the bitter fruits of Senator John McCain’s “diligent diplomacy” a humiliating prisoner “exchange”—innocent US NGO workers, for hardened jihadists, including the notorious “Blind Sheikh” Umar ‘Abd-al-Rahman, who orchestrated the murderous 1993 World Trade Center bombing?
My colleague at Translating Jihad has fully translated an Arabic Al-Arabiya story entitled (pathognomonically), “ ‘Umar ‘Abd-al-Rahman at Forefront of Egyptian-American Prisoner Exchange Deal.”

The Egyptian government began taking steps to respond with the American offer to release 50 Egyptians being held in American prisons–including Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abd-al-Rahman—in exchange for the release of 19 Americans accused in the case of foreign funding of civil society organizations. This is according to what was confirmed by Major General Muhammad Hani Zahir, an expert in military studies and international counterterrorism.Zahir in comments to the newspaper ‘al-Masriyun’ said it was necessary for Egypt to exploit America’s weak position, especially after condemning its citizens in cases affecting Egyptian sovereignty over its territory. He added that Egypt should not permit this exchange to take place unless the American administration agrees to release more than 500 Egyptians being held in American prisons, of whom the Egyptian foreign ministry knows nothing.

If the crux of this story is accurate, it will represent a modern variant of capitulation to the anti-modern dictates of jihad warfare. Jihad, this ancient, but vibrant Islamic institution grounded upon hatred of the non-Muslim infidel, has long used captured infidels—including, prominently, non-combatants seized as “booty” during endless, unprovoked incursions into the lands of the infidel—to ransom in exchange for captured murderous jihadists.Read the full story here.

MFS - The Other News

                       Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Japan today: none ! More info here.

• Japan - Nuclear disaster - Situation Update No. 141 - .Source .

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

• Herman Cain's: "Communities have a right to ban Islamic mosques"anti-Islamic remarks slammed as unconstitutional by his opponents.(DailyMail).Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has caused outrage by saying that communities have a right to ban Islamic mosques.The former Godfather's Pizza CEO said protests and legal challenges to a planned mosque in Tennessee city are an example of local residents pushing back.Cain said his view doesn't amount to religious discrimination because he says Muslims are trying to inject Shariah law into the U.S.Shariah is a set of core principles that most Muslims recognize and a series of rulings from religious scholars. It covers many areas of life and different sects have different versions and interpretations of the code.While appearing on Fox News Sunday, he was asked if his view could lead any community to stand up in opposition to a proposed mosque.He replied: 'They could say that. Let's go back to the fundamental issue that the people are basically saying that they are objecting to.'They are objecting to the fact that Islam is both religion and a set of laws, Shariah law. That's the difference between any one of our other traditional religions where it's just about religious purposes.'The people in the community know best. And I happen to side with the people in the community.'Cain's comments were denounced as 'unconstitutional and un-American' by a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.Council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said: 'It's clear that Herman Cain has decided that he will score political points every time he bashes the Muslim community or its constitutional rights.'Cain previously stirred controversy by saying that he would not want a Muslim bent on killing Americans in his administration.Campaigning in Murfreesboro last week, Cain sided with mosque opponents.He said: 'I happen to also know that it's not just about a religious mosque. There are other things going on based upon talking to the people closest to the problem. It's not a mosque for religious purposes. This is what the people are objecting to.'Hooper called the remarks 'utter nonsense', saying Cain 'seems to have hitched his wagon to the most extreme anti-Muslim bigots out there'He called on Republican leaders to repudiate Cain's comments.'Each time you have someone who is regarded as a mainstream political leader expressing these kind of hate-filled views, it just fans the flames of anti-Muslim bigotry nationwide,' he said. 'And it gives legitimacy to intolerance and hatred. And he, of all people, should realize this, being African-American.'In Murfreesboro, the future new mosque has been the subject of protests and counter-protests in the city about 35 miles southeast of Nashville.Opponents have used the hearings to argue that the mosque is part of a plot to expand Islamic extremism in the U.S.Hmmmmm.......If it looks like a duck , talks like a duck ....chances are it's a duck!Read the full story here.

• By Refusing to Raise Debt Ceiling, Speaker Boehner Can End Obama’s Hopes for Re-election Now.(BigGovernment).In 2006, every Democrat Senator (including Senator Barack Obama) voted against raising the debt ceiling. Among the reasons Obama listed for voting against it was that doing so would be “a sign that the U.S. government can’t pay its own bills” and “a sign that we [were dependent] on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.”Of course, that was under George W. Bush. But now that Obama is president, and the debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion is about to end the spending spree Democrats have been on since January 2009, Obama has reversed course. Now, he not only favors raising the debt ceiling but also talks as if our nation’s very continuance depends upon doing so.The truth, of course, is that Obama’s legacy and re-election are on the line and he knows it.Thus everything we’re hearing from him about raising the debt ceiling is nothing more than the cry of a president who has spent his country into oblivion and is looking for a way to avoid the blame for doing so.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (who also voted against raising the debt limit in 2006) is doing his best to lie to the public to save Obama from the consequences of reckless spending by pressuring Republicans into supporting he idea of raising the debt limit. To do this, he is giving them a fictional narrative of what life will be like if we decide to live within our means instead of continuing to spend money as fast as we can print it: Default won’t just roil the financial markets, pushing interest rates higher, and tank the stock markets; it will affect every American’s wallet as well. Here are a few things that will happen. Social Security checks and veterans’ benefits and paychecks to our troops would stop.Folks, think about it: This is a grand slam for Republicans. They can win by simply saying “no.”And this is why all eyes are on House Speaker John Boehner. If he can rally the Republicans in Congress to oppose raising the debt ceiling he will literally end any chance Obama has of being re-elected. That’s how big the stakes are in the current debt ceiling talks.By the way, Obama knows this is true. And that’s why he’s pressuring Speaker Boehner and the rest of the Republicans to come his way. (It’s also why he’s making outlandish claims about how “80%” of the American people want to pay higher taxes.)Pay attention: Obama’s entire economic team has left. “A bunch of czars have left,” and Defense Secretary Gates left. Although it’s normal for a few members of an administration to move on and pursue moneymaking opportunities in the private sector, Rush Limbaugh accurately described the defections from the Obama administration as “a greater exodus than is common.”In other words, Obama’s people have decided to jump ship rather than to go down with it.Look folks, we literally have Obama right where we want him. Not only is he beatable, he has actually already beat himself by spending this country into the ground. Now is no time to do him a favor by raising the debt ceiling and letting him off the hook.Speaker Boehner has the power to sink Obama’s ship, and he needs to go ahead and sink it right now by voting “no” on raising the debt limit.Hmmmmm........."CHANGE" America would LOVE!Read the full story here.

• Barack Obama accused of crimes against humanity for Osama bin Laden killing.(Telegraph).A Spanish lawyer has formally accused Barack Obama of crimes against humanity for ordering the assassination of Osama bin Laden. Daniel Fiol lodged a written complaint at the International Criminal Court accusing the US president of breaching the Geneva Convention.Navy Seals acting on Mr Obama's orders shot the al-Qaeda leader dead on May 2 after storming his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.In his written complaint, the Majorca-based lawyer said bin Laden should have been "pursued, arrested, tried and convicted" on behalf of "the victims of some terrible and appalling atrocities". The killing of bin Laden was even worse as it took place in foreign territory, Pakistan, without the permission of that government, he said."I am not being paid by al-Qaeda," Mr Fiol joked. Former prime minister Tony Blair has said he would not have hesitated to order the assassination of bin Laden if the decision had been his.Hmmmm.......Comes in time to boost Barry's popularity?Read the full story here.

• A "Case of Role Reversal"?Woman accused of groping TSA agent at Phoenix airport.(MSN). Flier allegedly grabbed the breast of a security agent at an airport checkpoint.PHOENIX — Authorities say a Colorado woman who allegedly groped a female Transportation Security Administration agent at Phoenix's international airport is facing a felony count of sexual abuse. Phoenix police say 61-year-old Yukari Mihamae is accused of grabbing the left breast of the unidentified TSA agent Thursday at an airport checkpoint.TSA spokesperson Kawika Riley confirmed the altercation to msnbc.com in a statement: "On July 14 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, local law enforcement arrested a passenger for assaulting a TSA officer during the screening process."  TSA staff say Mihamae refused to be go through passenger screening and became argumentative before she squeezed and twisted the agent's breast with both hands.Police were called and say Mihamae admitted grabbing the TSA agent and continued to argue with officers before she was arrested. Maricopa County jail officials say Mihamae was released from custody Friday. They couldn't immediately provide any information about her case status. Phoenix TV station KSAZ says Mihamae lives in Longmont, Colo., and is self-employed.Read the full story here.

• Which Was Worse: Iran/Contra or Operation ‘Fast and Furious’?(BigGovernment).In the summer of 1985, persons within the Reagan administration sold hundreds of anti-tank missiles to Iran in exchange for the release of an American hostage named Benjamin Weir. For more than a year afterward, hundreds upon hundreds more missiles and missile parts were sold for the release of other hostages being held in Iran as well.The money received for the missiles was then sent to Contras in Nicaragua to support their efforts against the communist Sandinistas. (The Sandinistas were revolutionaries who had seized power in Nicaragua a year before Reagan was elected president, while the Contras were counter revolutionaries whom persons inside the Reagan administration were relying on to curb the further spread of communism.)With subtle changes along the way regarding the price paid for the weapons, the way the weapons were delivered, and the recipients of the weapons, the sales to Iran and the flow of money to the Contras continued unabated for over a year.Then, in late 1986, everything came to light and what we all know now as the “Iran/Contra scandal” was underway. It would result in an independent prosecutor, Lawrence E. Walsh, charging 14 members of the Reagan administration, 11 of whom were convicted: included in these 11 were “employees of the National Security Council staff, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the Central Intelligence Agency.”Reagan was not found guilty, as there was not sufficient evidence that he knew about the sales or the subsequent monies that were sent to the Contras. (There definitely weren’t any speeches wherein he boasted of overseeing the program, as there are with Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder and Operation “Gun Runner.”)Now, jump to 2011. It’s simply undeniable that Holder is smack dab in the middle of “Gun Runner” and “Fast and Furious.”It’s also undeniable that as a result of these two programs, approximately 2,500 guns were sold to “straw purchasers” who were then allowed to smuggle the weapons illegally into Mexico with the DOJ’s knowledge.It’s undeniable that only 1300 of the approximately 2500 guns have been recovered: which leaves 1200 guns in the hands of criminals in Mexico and, according to one of the ATF’s own supervisors, has to be factored into the mix when one considers that in March 2010 alone, 958 people were killed in Mexico.It’s undeniable that U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed with weapons obtained via “Gun Runner,” and roughly 150 Mexican law enforcement agents are believed to have been killed by weapons from “Gun Runner” as well.

Said Issa and Grassley:  We have recently learned that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has afforded potential witnesses for the Committees’ investigation into Operation Fast and Furious access to a shared drive on its computer system replete with pertinent investigative documents, including official ATF e-mails.  Iran/Contra was overseen by a few mavericks without official administration approval. Yet even those involved appear to have been motivated by the chance to curb the influence of a fanatical anti-Western regime in Iran and a freedom-crushing communist regime in Nicaragua.On the other hand, Operations “Gun Runner” and “Fast and Furious” were conducted with the current administration’s knowledge, and over a thousand people are dead as a result. And now, in the midst of the desperate cover-up before us, participants in the operations are apparently being coached on what to say to investigators. (And don’t forget that the ultimate goal of these operations was not near as lofty as that of Iran/Contra. Rather, it seems to have been to pass new laws infringing even further on our 2nd Amendment freedoms.)Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that the Stimulus package Obama signed, and of which he is so proud, included $10,000,000.00 in funding for “Gun Runner.”Unlike Iran/Contra, it looks like this mess goes all the way to the top.Hmmmm........"These boots will keep on walking".Read the full story here.

• The Obama administration wants to send bureaucrats from federal agencies that are notorious for wasting other people’s money to help local bureaucrats do a more “efficient” job of spending other people’s money.(DownSizingGovernment).When government officials come up with what they claim to be a wonderful new idea, I often think of an old Saturday Night Live skit from 1990 poking fun at commercials for blue jeans. The skit’s scene is a group of middle-aged buddies getting ready to play basketball in their new “Bad Idea Jeans.” Each guy optimistically announces a plan to do something that is actually a “bad idea.” For example, a character says “I don’t know the guy but I’ve got two kidneys and he needs one, so I figured…” and “BAD IDEA” flashes across the screen. (The skit can be watched here.) The White House’s new “Strong Cities, Strong Communities” initiative had that BAD IDEA screen shot flashing repeatedly in my mind as I read the press release:

Today, the Obama Administration launched Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2), a new and customized pilot initiative to strengthen local capacity and spark economic growth in local communities while ensuring taxpayer dollars are used wisely and efficiently. To accomplish this, federal agencies will provide experienced staff to work directly with six cities: Chester, PA; Cleveland, OH; Detroit, MI; Fresno, CA; Memphis, TN; and New Orleans, LA. These teams will work with local governments, the private sector, and other institutions to leverage federal dollars and support the work being done at the local level to encourage economic growth and community development. Additionally, communities nationwide will be eligible to compete for comprehensive economic planning assistance through a grant competition designed to spark local innovation. By integrating government investments and partnering with local communities, SC2 channels the resources of the federal government to help empower cities as they develop and implement their vision for economic growth.

The Wall Street Journal reports that federal officials from HUD, Labor, Commerce, Transportation, and the Small Business Administration will be “deployed” to the cities. In other words, the Obama administration wants to send bureaucrats from federal agencies that are notorious for wasting other people’s money to help local bureaucrats do a more “efficient” job of spending other people’s money. That’s like asking Hannibal Lextor to plan your Wedding Dinner.Read the full story here.

• Thilo Sarrazin chased by Angry Muslims from a Turkish restaurant in Berlin.(Spiegel).Angry Muslims reportedly drove controversial author Thilo Sarrazin from a Turkish restaurant in Berlin. Though his bestselling book claims Muslims are dumbing down German society, their accusations of racism have left the former central bank board member shocked and indignant."Get lost!" and "Nazis out!" were among the epithets lobbed at controversial author Thilo Sarrazin during a recent trip to Berlin's Kreuzberg district, according to newspaper reports on Monday. The city's former finance senator had taken a trip to the area with broadcaster ZDF to film a TV special ahead of the one-year anniversary of the publication of his controversial book, "Deutschland schafft sich ab" ("Germany Does Itself In"). The memory of the book's content, which sparked massive controversy in Germany for what many called its anti-immigrant sentiments, was apparently still fresh in the minds of some residents of the district, known for its high concentration of Muslim immigrants. Accompanied by Turkish-German journalist Güner Balci, Sarrazin took a tour of the district, stopping by a Turkish market where he wrote in Die Welt he was yelled at by an "angry man in his fifties" who he dubbed "the squaller," before a group of other "politically correct" market patrons joined in, calling him a racist until he and the camera team left.The show's camera team then followed Sarrazin to the popular Turkish restaurant Hasir, where they had planned a talk with co-owner Ahmet Aygün, who with his five brothers owns a number of successful restaurants across the city. But before they reached the eatery, a "well-dressed" couple of "obviously Turkish decent" began shouting at him, he wrote. The woman, who "seemed intellectual in a somewhat anemic way," called him a "racist," and the man called for him to leave Kreuzberg, Sarrazin reported. "A rational discussion was impossible," he added. The couple's outrage at Sarrazin's entry into the restaurant drew such a crowd that the management apparently became uncomfortable. "We Turks are usually very hospitable, but I don't think I can serve you," one of the managers reportedly said. Sarrazin and the television crew left the restaurant "like beaten dogs," Sarrazin wrote. "Under pressure the loyalty of this successful German-Turkish businessman belongs more to the rioters of his own ethnic group that to his German guest," he added. On Monday manager Mehmet Özkan told daily Bild that the situation became "too hot" and he had asked Sarrazin to leave. "I didn't want rumors in Kreuzberg that he eats in our restaurant," he told the paper. The TV team was also reportedly prevented by a crowd from entering a center for the Turkish Alevi community.The "tendency of representatives of Muslim immigrants to take offence to uncomfortable truths" is part of the "oriental mentality and deeply anchored in Islamic belief," Turkish-German feminist and social scientist Necla Kelek told him last year, he wrote in Die Welt."A merit-worthy former Berlin senator, who is guilty of nothing more than writing a book with unwelcome numbers and analysis, is literally mobbed out of a central Berlin district that calls itself the spearhead of German integration," Sarrazin wrote. "Woe betide us if, as many hope, the conditions in Kreuzberg are the workshop for future Germany."Hmmmm......Read the full story here.

• Castro, Chavez smuggle 1,700-2,000 Cuban troops into Venezuela aboard Caracas’ Hercules troop transports, shore up Chavez regime as Hugo returns to Havana for chemotherapy.(OUATIW).Following Hugo Chavez’s extended medical stay in Havana, during which time he revealed his battle with cancer, and in the light of a possible return to Cuba for chemotherapy, Cuba’s communist dictatorship is anxious to shore up its ally in Caracas. The Cubapolidata blog, citing Venezuela’s former top general, reports that Presidents Raul Castro and Chavez have smuggled 1,700-2,000 Cuban troops into Venezuela under the guise of participating in Venezuela’s bicentennial celebrations: General Carlos Julio Peñaloza, the former chief of the Unified Command of Venezuela’s Armed Forces, tweeted Sunday (July 3rd) about the arrival of Cuban troops in Port Cabello in Venezuela for the bicentennial independence celebration on Monday (July 4). In a subsequent tweet dated July 5, the general said there are 2000 Cuban troops in the country with the excuse of participating in Monday’s military parade. Will this near battalion strength formation make a permanent presence to shore up Chavez’s security if a threat materializes to his regime? The reported Cuban military presence in Venezuela, which has been confirmed through other sources, appears to be a little reminder to Chavez’s opposition that a repeat of the events of 2002, which almost dislodged Comrade Hugo from power, will not be tolerated. Read the full story here.

• Now even unions see Obama regime and EPA are moving to kill coal, quarter-million jobs.(WashingtonExaminer).President Obama's cap-and-trade bill died in the Democrat-run 111th Congress, but that hasn't stopped the chief executive and Lisa Jackson, his U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator, from finding regulatory paths to achieve the same goals. Topping those goals is the abolition of coal as an electrical power-generating fuel. More than half of the electrical power used every day by Americans is generated by power plants fueled by coal. And 90 percent of all the coal consumed in the U.S. goes to electrical power generation. But that doesn't matter to Obama and Big Green, they are determined to kill the coal industry because of its alleged contribution to global warming.It appears that Jackson's EPA has now found the perfect regulatory tool to accomplish that goal - the proposed Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS), which, according to the agency, would apply to all "Coal and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units and Standards of Performance for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Electric Utility, Industrial-Commercial-Institutional, and Small Industrial-Commercial-Institutional Steam Generating Units."The MATS proposal has sparked massive opposition from among energy industry groups and conservative think tanks, but now a huge coalition of unions that normally are vocal supporters of Obama are warning of the loss of millions of jobs, substantial power-generation capability, and other harmful consequences radiating throughout the entire U.S. economy.Naturally, the union coalition's first concern is the impact of MATS on employment. In a July 8 letter to EPA, UJAE notes that, while some"tens of thousands of jobs" would be created by the proposed rule's requirement for installation of new emissions equipment, "on the other hand, a potentially much larger number of permanent jobs may be lost in the mining, electric utility, and transport sectors if large numbers of coal-fired generating plants were closed in response to the rule. We regard this risk as real and substantial."The UJAE also cautions EPA that its proposed three-year grace period for compliance with MATS is "utterly inadequate for designing,financing, permitting, and constructing the multitude of retrofit pollution controls needed to comply with the rule."Most worrisome for UJAE's members, however, is the terrible impact MATS would have on the ability of the U.S. to build new electrical power-generating plants in the future. The proposed rule would effectively ban construction of any new plants using coal:"The proposed MATS rule would preclude the construction of any new coal-based electric generating units due to the severity of its emission limitations for mercury, acid gases and particulate matter ('PM.')," UJAE said in its letter."Data provided by EPA on June 8, 2011, show that no unit in EPA’s sample of more than 200 coal-based generating units meets the combined MATS new source emission limits for mercury, acid gases and PM."Hmmmm......."Here lays the Coal Industry... R.I.P...."Change" you never believed in.Read the full story here.

• Al-Hayat: U.S. Considering Handing Over Control of S. Afghanistan to Taliban.(Memri).The daily Al-Hayat, citing Afghan sources, reports that the U.S. is considering handing over control of southern Afghanistan to the Taliban, similar to what it did with the Sahwat (Sunni tribal forces that fought against Al-Qaeda alongside the Americans and the Iraqi army), which were granted control over parts of Iraq and thereafter assimilated into Iraq's military and civilian life.Additionally, citing Pakistani sources, the daily reported that 'Abd Al-Salam Da'if, the Taliban's ambassador to Afghanistan, had convinced the U.S. to allow his organization to open a political bureau in a Muslim country (Qatar, Turkey, or Turkmenistan) so that the Taliban could maintain diplomatic relations out of sight of the Afghan regime.Hmmmm......My thoughts go out to all the women and Children who will wake up again in a living Hell,Thank you for betraying their hopes, sleepwell MR President.Read the full story here.

• Pakistani President in Tehran: Iran – An Exemplar of Steadfastness and Progress.(Memri).In his July 16, 2011 meeting with Pakistani President Asif 'Ali Zardari, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that the West, and chiefly the U.S., was the greatest threat to the Pakistani people and its national unity, and expressed hope that Pakistan would be rid of its enemies. Zardari said that Iran was a model of steadfastness and progress, and called for continued cooperation between Pakistan and Iran.Hmmmm.....Perhaps the Obama regime should give Pakistan another Ten Billion Dollar?Read the full story here.

• "Blind Sheikh" Asks for Help from Egypt.(Memri).Sheikh 'Omar 'Abd Al-Rahman, also known as the "Blind Sheikh," the spiritual leader of the Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiyya movement who is currently in prison in the U.S., asked his family to set up a committee of Islamist lawyers to appeal, along with Al-Gama'a activists, to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) for assistance in effecting his release. It was reported that his family is organizing a rally to demand his release, set for July 22, 2011.Hmmmm......I'm sure the Muslim Brotherhood and AG Holder will come to a 'deal'.Read the full story here.

• Nicolas Sarkozy accused of 'grave attack on memory of Allied troops' after approving massive wind farm off D-Day beaches.(DailyMail).Nicolas Sarkozy has come in for heavy criticism after approving plans for a large wind farm complex off the D-Day coast where Allied troops launched their World War Two assault in 1944.The French President was accused of a 'grave attack on the collective memory' of Allied forces after giving the go-ahead for the plans on the Calvados coast near the Normandy landing beaches.The proposed project will see more than 100 turbines more than 525ft high erected just seven miles from the beaches, synonymous with the D-Day landings.Mr Sarkozy's decision to open the bidding process on the €20 billion (£17.5 billion) project has been branded 'sacrilegious' by critics, including British veterans' families.It was claimed the windmills' flashing lights would ruin poignant night remembrances on Juno and Omaha beaches by giving off a 'disco' effect.Juno was the target of 3rd Canadian Infantry Division supported by British Royal Marine Commandos.It is less than 20 miles from the coastline codenamed Omaha Beach in 1944, where U.S. forces suffered more than 2,000 casualties during the operation.The aim of the project is to create 1,200 windfarms off the French Atlantic seaboard by the year 2020.France remains behind other European countries, included Britain, in the use of sea turbine energy, and plans are in place to narrow the gap and lessen the French reliance on nuclear power.One of the five projects in the first batch of tenders is off Courseulles-sur-Mer, nearest to Juno Beach, on which 2,500 Allied soldiers died on D-Day.Construction is due to begin on the wind farms in 2015, but Mr Sarkozy faces tough opposition as over 4,000 people from 50 countries have signed an online petition against the plan.Gérard Lecornu, president of the Port Winston Churchill Association of Arromanches, told the Daily Telegraph: 'They will be visible from all the Normandy landing beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.'Three million tourists come from the world over to the landing beaches. The first thing they do is look at the line of horizon from where the landings came.'D-Day is in our collective memory. To touch this is a very grave attack on that memory.'David Churchcroft, a former infantryman who stormed ashore with the British 2nd Army on June 6th 1944, said: 'It will change the entire seascape, destroying a view which evokes memories of the most astonishing invasion in military history.'This is sacred ground, and the French should not be allowed to alter its character.'Read and see the full story here.

• Saudi-Arabia: Silence over incidents to blame for incest prevalent in society.(ArabNews).MAKKAH: Incest is becoming a noticeable problem in Saudi society. There are various reasons why male relatives, especially guardians, sexually abuse the girls in their families.Experts feel that the growing incidence of this scourge is largely due to the victims’ families not reporting such incidents to authorities concerned in order to save the so-called honor of themselves and victims.Arab News spoke to some of the victims and their relatives to get a wider picture. A bride in the first month of her marriage was shocked when her new husband’s niece told her that her paternal uncle had been sexually abusing her since she was 10.The new wife said she could not believe her ears and talked to the girl’s mother who said she knew about the abuse and kept quiet to avoid trouble.She decided to tell her husband who refused to accept his brother would do such a thing, accusing his niece of being a constant flirt with her uncle even when she was grown-up, kissing him playfully. He said had she been truthful, she would have stayed away from the uncle.The wife also came to know through another brother-in-law’s wife that the same uncle was making passes at her 11-year-old daughter when she once visited with the girl. The mother said she told her husband who preferred to keep quiet to protect the reputation of his daughter, but he has since refused to have any contact with his brother.A young and very beautiful girl in her 20s had a 25-year-old half uncle who was loved by all family members. She said the uncle started caressing her and praising her beauty. She said she became very close to the good-looking man who used to pick her up from her school.She said at times he would take her to his own apartment. “He started harassing me, but thank God we did not go beyond kissing and hugging. I have now stopped going out with him,” she said.A widowed mother-of-five said her own nephew came to her home and asked to stay with her during his university years. She said she welcomed him and considered him her own son.She recalled that one night he asked to sleep with her in her own bedroom because he could not sleep alone.“Naively I allowed him. He insisted on sleeping with me in the same bed and began to touch me. I ran out of the room but kept what he did secret so as not to destroy his future. I considered the whole case as typical of the rashness associated with young people,” she said.Commenting on the issue, psychiatry consultant Dr. Rajab Brisali said male relatives who abuse girls have no fear of their religion.“We should inculcate the principles and values of Islam in our children and separate boys and girls when they go to bed,” he said.Brisali said parents who fail to bring up their children properly could inadvertently cause improper relationships to develop between young men and women in the same family. “Parents should closely observe the behavior of their children and not allow them to cross the line when playing with one another,” he said.The psychiatrist said children who play games such as “bride and bridegroom” might want to try it for real when they grow up.“Some of the satellite channels do not shy away from airing sex scenes that influence young boys and girls,” he warned.Brisali also said family trust could lead to incestuous relationships. He asked girls not to wear revealing clothes in front of their male relatives.Hmmmm..........So how come women in Burkas get raped?Read the full story here.

• Islamic extremists kill four Russian police, wound nine others in Cacauses.(HurriyetDaily).Four Russian policemen were killed and nine others wounded Monday in two separate blasts in Russia's restive North Caucasus, news agencies quoted local law enforcement officials as saying.Two policemen were killed and seven injured in the wooded mountains of restive Chechnya, Interfax quoted a law enforcement official as saying.The blast occurred in the republic's Vedeno region, which has been the scene of recent battles between local security forces and Islamist gunmen.The second attack struck the neighboring Caspian Sea republic of Dagestan, which has borne the brunt of much of the North Caucasus violence since Moscow largely re-established control over Chechnya in the past decade.The explosive device went off in the town of Kaspiysk as a police patrol drove by in the middle of the night, with the blast also injuring one other person, RIA Novosti reported.It is now battling an Islamist-fuelled insurgency there and in the neighboring regions of the North Caucasus, which also include Ingushetia and other more stable regions.Hmmmm......Expect a very 'explosive' Olympics in Sochi.Read the full story here.

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.